Homeward Bound, I wish I wasn’t, Homeward Bound
The holiday was nearly over. Marazion to home is a long drive, and Saturday was the day for it — but there was no reason it couldn’t start with a parkrun. Penrose, near Helston, won the selection process for the most pragmatic of reasons: it was the closest option to where we’d been staying, which meant the latest possible departure time. We still had to be ready by 8:15, which felt like a betrayal of holiday spirit, but there we are.
I’d spent most of the week eating three meals a day and drinking cider. Neither of those is what sports scientists would call optimal preparation. But a parkrun is a parkrun, and you work with what you’ve got. This holiday had been very chill by my standards, but to be honest a day of driving sounded better if I’d burned a bit of energy off first.
Getting There
The drive there was straightforward, if unhurried. Parking was in a large gravelled car park — free and spacious. A smooth start.
While I went to register and find the crew, Minimus took to walking around the nearby lake. An excellent division of labour.
A Flat Course. In Cornwall.
Penrose is a rare beast: a flat parkrun in Cornwall. Most courses down here treat “undulating” as an understatement. This one follows what I’d guess was a former railway line — an out-and-back route, wide and open, with a gentle 50-metre rise at the midpoint and a correspondingly gentle 50-metre descent on the way back. Practically a gift.
The Running Bit
The weather was cloudy and humid. Not hot, not cold — just the kind of thick air that makes everything feel slightly harder than it should. I crossed the line in 34:36. My watch measured a touch less, but these things happen.
It was slow. But then I’d spent most of the preceding week eating three meals a day and drinking cider. Neither of those is what sports scientists would call optimal preparation. I’m calling it a holiday and moving on.
That’s venue #69 ticked off. A lovely course, all things considered. It reminded me a little bit of Black Rocks and Monsal Trail.
Coffee, Croissant, and the Long Road Home
Afterwards, Minimus and I found the café by the lake. The coffee was good — properly good. I had an almond croissant to go with it, which was excellent in every respect except that it defeated me. Too big to finish, which is a rare outcome and says something about the portion sizes.
The rest of the day was the long drive home, with a stop in Milton Keynes to drop Minimus off. A fine way to close out a holiday: a parkrun, a lake, a croissant that won, and several hours on the A-roads.
All Wrapped Up
A flat course in Cornwall is already a novelty worth celebrating. Add a free car park, a lake walk, and a café that takes its almond croissants seriously, and Penrose makes for a very decent send-off from a holiday.
