Returning to the Scene
Brixworth Country parkrun. The one that got away a couple of weeks ago. After Northampton stole the limelight thanks to a last‑minute cancellation, it felt only fair to give Brixworth its moment. So off we went. Paul was driving, I was talking. No navigation necessary, because the car knows the way. Although Paul’s car seemed to want to take back roads rather than just scoot down the motorway.
It’s about an hour from home, which is long enough to get comfortably settled in to the inside of a warm car. The January weather was cold and a bit breezy, but at least it seemed that the clouds were breaking up ready to give us a bright run. Seriously though,m an hour is within the furthest distance I’m happy to go at this time of year, but only just.
Déjà Vu, But Wetter
The journey was smooth, which is always good. No ice this time, no frantic rerouting, no sun trying to laser my retinas. Just a steady trundle down the motorway and a smug confidence that the course would actually be on this week. And so it was. Excellent.
Brixworth parkrun sits on the north side of Pitsford Reservoir, which sounds idyllic until you realise that reservoirs don’t offer any protection from the prevailing wind. We arrived with enough time to mill about, nod at other runners, and pretend we weren’t already cold. Paul volunteered as a 32‑minute pacer.
So stopwatches at the ready, first-timer’s briefing done. Honour for the “furthest travelled for the day” went to a woman from Enniskillen.
The Running Bit
Wet. Slippy. Lumpy. That’s the headline. The course is mostly compacted gravel, which is great until it isn’t. Add a layer of moisture and suddenly you’re doing interpretive dance with your feet. Thankfully I’d put the trail shoes on rather than flat ones. I can see why, if it was frozen, that it was cancelled a fortnight earlier. Several parts would have been fit for Torvill and Dean.
It’s an out‑and‑back route, which I normally like, except this one throws in a diversion on the return leg that sends you up a hill. A proper hill. Thankfully it was paved, but it felt steep. I don’t know. My breathing is worse in the cold. I found it hard going.
I trotted round in about 36 minutes, which felt perfectly acceptable given the conditions and my ongoing refusal to defy physics. Meanwhile, Paul hit his pacing target dead on, because of course he did.
The Location
Pitsford Reservoir is undeniably scenic in that “big water, big sky” sort of way. Even on a grey morning it was beautiful. The path hugs the shoreline, giving you plenty to look at while you question your shoe choices. The out‑and‑back format means you get to see the faster runners flying home while you’re still heading out, which is either inspiring or mildly demoralising depending on your mood. The hill diversion adds a bit of character and breaks up the symmetry.
Coffee and Cake-Based Recovery
The onsite café was a welcome sight after the run. Warm, dry, and stocked with breakfastables, coffee, and cakes. Some of those were consumed with the enthusiasm. We’d been warned it could get quite busy, but when we got there it was fairly empty. We found seats easily they did table service for the coffee and bacon rolls.
At one point we wondered why it was suddenly very empty. Then Paul said “Nearly 10:30 – going to have to pay for parking soon” or words to that effect. So off we went, managing to escape through the barrier free of charge.
The drive home was fast and painless again, despite taking a different route.
Evening Festivities
The highlight of the day though, was running club Presentation Night. An annual celebration of the club and its runners. Awards are presented for various competitions. I got an award (well, a mention really). The club holds three prediction runs each year. The form is that you turn up and guess how much time you’re going to take over a certain course. Then you run with no electronics so you have no idea whether you’re going at the right speed or not. My award was for having the biggest difference between my prediction and actual time. I’m clearly going to play the “it’s my first day” card, because it was my first attempt. Anyway, I was about 8:30 off in a 4 mile run. So now I’m the King of the Clueless. Maybe I’ll get closer next year.
After the presentations the evening included a buffet and a live band. And a fair amount of alcohol.
So a good day all round. Parkrun #58, and a good evening out with an excellent group of people I hope I can now call friends.
