St Albans parkrun

Wow!  St Albans parkrun kicked off today, and [pauses to thank and congratulate the volunteer team] it’s a cracker. 

The course is flat.  Not quite as-a-pancake flat, but you’d have to be pretty hill-averse to call it undulating.

And for two of its three miles, you’re running around a rather picturesque lake, so definite pretty points for the route.

I also really liked the design of the route.  You run around the lake three times, so have a great chance to see the shapely figures of the front runners on laps two and three.  But by avoiding the start point on laps two and three, you avoid that feeling of ‘O God, not again!’ that multi-lap courses can provoke.

It was also bursting with familiar faces, including Danny Norman of parkrun show fame who clocked up the fastest time of the morning, the nomadic Burnham Joggers, Dave and Bob, and also Reggie who I first met at Ally Pally parkrun.

And of course, I had ‘athoners for company in the shape of Jovial Gnome and Fortnight Flo.  What more could a tourist want?