"E" is for... East Grinstead
21.09.19 - #8 East Grinstead - Where East Meets West & Even The Wasps Are Friendly!
"Bring it on!", I said after Letchworth...and I meant it! As the week went on though, it seemed less and less likely that I'd be able to run on the Saturday, which was a worry. I'd injured my back again and walking was a struggle, so running was most definitely out of the question for now, however there was still time - the eternal optimist in me kept everything crossed, hoping that I'd recover in time to run at East Grinstead, so I could stick to my schedule.
I'd had a tricky couple of days at work but things improved as the weekend loomed closer and the pain gradually lessened. Thankfully I only had to work Monday & Tuesday as I was away for a few days break in West Sussex, staying fairly near to East Grinstead, hence me choosing this particular parkrun.
Another reason I chose East Grinstead to be my letter "E" (in the word "Multiple") was because "Grinny" and I have history. I've spent a lot of time there in years gone by and when I heard of their parkrun, during my long time out with injury, I was eager to run it.
That particular parkrun had started a few months after my accident, during which time I had given up on ever running again due to the painfully slow progress and lasting damage. Running simply didn't seem like it would ever be on the cards again for me and my inability to take part in parkrun, even as a walker or volunteer, compounded my low mood and a spell of depression I was going through at the time.
That particular parkrun had started a few months after my accident, during which time I had given up on ever running again due to the painfully slow progress and lasting damage. Running simply didn't seem like it would ever be on the cards again for me and my inability to take part in parkrun, even as a walker or volunteer, compounded my low mood and a spell of depression I was going through at the time.
Fast-forward back to September 2019 and this was now feeling personal! Despite my back and ankle playing up again, I was determined to do East Grinstead parkrun on the 21st September, even if I had to crawl my way around and ended up with no fingernails left!
East Grinstead parkrun recently celebrated its 2nd Birthday and I was finally able to attempt to run there a couple of weeks later, on Event #106 - a long time coming but it'd hopefully be worth the wait!
East Grinstead parkrun recently celebrated its 2nd Birthday and I was finally able to attempt to run there a couple of weeks later, on Event #106 - a long time coming but it'd hopefully be worth the wait!
On Saturday morning the journey from where I was staying took about 40 minutes. Because I hadn't been to the town for so many years I wanted to get there early to have a little look around and see how it had changed. Memories came flooding back as I drove past the many establishments I had frequented. It was still a lovely market town, full of history and character, and not too much had changed except the odd shops that had changed hands....maybe a couple more charity shops?!
I wondered if the old Matt, from back then, could have imagined himself running 5 kilometres through the lovely East Court park? Even though I was quite a lot younger, I still don't think I was as fit back then as I am now and I know I still have a long long way to go to be anywhere near my full fitness.
I kept telling myself that today was just about getting around and completing the course in one piece and even taking it easy if my body wasn't really up to it. Sore back? Sore ankle? Just get out there and do your best, I thought.....Slight confession though....as my parents and siblings would tell you, taking it easy isn't the way we do things in our family - we always seem to push ourselves to our absolute limits even when we really shouldn't - call it a family trait!
I kept telling myself that today was just about getting around and completing the course in one piece and even taking it easy if my body wasn't really up to it. Sore back? Sore ankle? Just get out there and do your best, I thought.....Slight confession though....as my parents and siblings would tell you, taking it easy isn't the way we do things in our family - we always seem to push ourselves to our absolute limits even when we really shouldn't - call it a family trait!
On Saturday mornings parkrunners are encouraged to park at the nearby East Grinstead Town Football Club (or 'The Wasps' as they're known). It shows fantastic community spirit for the football club to allow us parkrunners the use of their parking and facilities, for somewhere to recover afterwards and socialise over a cup of tea and a slice of toast!
I love it how parkrun brings communities together in a positive way. By all accounts, the East Court park was an under-utilised space for a long time but parkrun has helped to change that by breathing new life into the park and playing host to this free, weekly, organised event for like-minded (aka bonkers!) people to run around, come rain or shine, while the majority of the population enjoys a lazy, Saturday morning lie-in!
I love it how parkrun brings communities together in a positive way. By all accounts, the East Court park was an under-utilised space for a long time but parkrun has helped to change that by breathing new life into the park and playing host to this free, weekly, organised event for like-minded (aka bonkers!) people to run around, come rain or shine, while the majority of the population enjoys a lazy, Saturday morning lie-in!
Although the parking itself was signposted, when I arrived at the football club mine was the only car there and, with nobody to follow, I wasn't too sure how to get to the Start, which can't actually be seen from where the football ground is situated, right on the edge of the park.
I walked/hobbled over to the football pitch and peeked through the gate. The pitch looked very inviting - lush green, very flat and well-maintained - which made me wonder what it's like to blast the ball into the back of the amber and black coloured nets! Sadly, with spoon-shaped claws for feet, I don't think I will ever really know but it's still nice to imagine it, just for a moment!
I must have looked very lost in my thoughts at this point as there came a shout from the gate, asking me if I was here for parkrun. "Yes!", I responded, and walked over to a fella who politely introduced himself as Paul. Paul was volunteering today for first time, as a parkrun marshal, but he usually helps out at the Football Club.
Paul turned out to be a bit of a hero actually - he not only walked us over to the parkrun Start, to show us the way, and also cheered me on by name as I ran the course....he also works with disabled people and seemed to have a great outlook and attitude on life. Top bloke - really nice, friendly and chatty.....thanks Paul!
I've often thought that parkruns should have a "Greeter" volunteer role - i.e. an extra friendly face whose job it is to look out for First-Timers or anyone who may need a bit of help or an extra warm welcome....pretty much exactly what Paul had done for us.
Paul turned out to be a bit of a hero actually - he not only walked us over to the parkrun Start, to show us the way, and also cheered me on by name as I ran the course....he also works with disabled people and seemed to have a great outlook and attitude on life. Top bloke - really nice, friendly and chatty.....thanks Paul!
I've often thought that parkruns should have a "Greeter" volunteer role - i.e. an extra friendly face whose job it is to look out for First-Timers or anyone who may need a bit of help or an extra warm welcome....pretty much exactly what Paul had done for us.
Obviously it goes without saying that all Volunteers and parkrunners should be looking out for ways to be friendly, helpful and welcoming but if it was someone's specific responsibility to greet people I think it would be a good thing.....just a thought though! And as it turned out, the East Grinstead lot were an exceptionally friendly bunch anyway so no worries there! 😊
Whilst on the subject, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers for what they do - parkrun really wouldn't happen without them and on this parkrun there were a LOT of volunteers (34)...(some might say that's too many volunteers but those people have clearly never run East Grinstead parkrun before!)
We were gifted with another bright, sunny, September day - enough sunshine to put a spring in your step but not too hot. I found myself, yet again, standing under an Oak tree near where the volunteers were congregating as runners started arriving from all directions but mostly appearing from over the brow of the hill....(Oak trees seem to be a theme throughout my parkrun Challenge as they seem to feature everywhere I go!)
As Paul and the other volunteers were busy talking I attempted to loosen up my dodgy ankle to test it out and see what it was capable of today. (In case you're wondering, I'm doing stretches in that photo above, not trying to move the tree with my head!!!)
To my delight, I found that I could run, albeit a bit tentatively.
To my delight, I found that I could run, albeit a bit tentatively.
During the week I had emailed the East Grinstead Team to let them know I was coming down and briefly explained what my Challenge is about. As they hadn't replied, I wasn't sure if they'd had a chance to read it yet but after my warm-up one of the volunteers asked if I was "Matt, who had emailed"...I was! I explained my 'Quest' to her and also to the lovely Run Director for the day, Nevenka.
As people gathered it was time for First Runners Briefing, led by the RD herself..."1 big loop, 2 small loops" seemed to be the gist of it! To be honest it seemed quite a complicated route and all 3 laps were different to eachother so there were quite a few puzzled faces trying to study the map of the course - thankfully I was never going to be in contention for the lead position so I should be able to follow someone else around the course, assisted by the plentiful volunteers dotted about to set us on the right route.
There were 28 first timers there today (a mixture of parkrun tourists and those brand new to parkrun) so I was in good company! It was fast approaching 9am now, so we all walked back to the Start and joined the rest of the 163 strong crowd who were lining up and raring to go, plus a few dogs and a brave buggy owner along for the bumpy ride.
As promised, the excellent RD gave me and my Challenge a mention in the main briefing and encouraged people to chat to me after the run. (Thank you!!!)
East Grinstead is a lovely parkrun, in and around the East Court estate grounds on a mixture of lumpy and uneven grass and dirt trail paths - challenging but well worthwhile.
The 18th Century Grade II Listed Mansion House (home to the Town Council) stands rather grandly at the top of a hill, with its terraces overlooking the tree-lined, open parkland where you'll find a sports pavillion building in the middle (near the Start Line & Finish Funnel), next to football pitches and a wooded area around the edge.
The 18th Century Grade II Listed Mansion House (home to the Town Council) stands rather grandly at the top of a hill, with its terraces overlooking the tree-lined, open parkland where you'll find a sports pavillion building in the middle (near the Start Line & Finish Funnel), next to football pitches and a wooded area around the edge.
A quirky thing to note here is that the Meridian Line, where East meets West, runs slap bang through the town and there is a marker stone at East Court to show the line's location. Tourists often take a photo, posing on the line, straddling it with one foot planted West side and the other in the East. (I planned to get a pic but forgot on the day as everyone was so chatty!)
The 3 lap course starts by running around the park's lower section (around the football pitches), followed by a trail through the lovely wooded area. There is definitely the potential for this course to be like a mud-bath and I can see this being a particularly tough course in the depths of Winter but luckily it had been nice and dry prior to my visit. You also get to run over a wobbly bridge in the woods for a bit of extra excitement (woohoo!)
You know I mentioned the first bit being flat? Well this is by no means a flat course...in fact, it has a killer hill that you have to run up....twice! They even put a sign out which simply says "That Hill" - it's that significant and memorable it gets its very own sign (just to let you know why your legs feel like they're on fire!)
And if you think it's bad, the hill actually starts waaaaay before the sign which lulls you into a false sense of security so you won't realise just how far the hill stretches! If you have the strength to hold your head up, from the top of the hill you can see the Ashdown Forest over in East Sussex in the distance (home to Winnie the Pooh, no less!)
Well, do you know what? I loved it! Call me weird, if you like, but I am officially going on record saying that I love running hilly courses. It feels like a mission but a real achievement - so rewarding! The hills also allow you to appreciate the downward slopes and flat parts more!
So after running around East Grinstead on that glorious day, I was extremely happy to finish (in quite possibly the narrowest finish funnel I've ever seen!) in a time under 30 minutes. Coming back from a bad injury on a challenging course with a course average of 30:25 I reckon that's not too shabby!
As I got my breath back, scanned my barcode and downed my water bottle like it was the first time I'd tasted water in years, I was pleasantly surprised by all the people who approached me to ask about my challenge and the courses I'd already run.
A lot of parkrunners seem to do the A-Z Alphabet Challenge and can therefore relate to what I am doing, although mine is a very specific "Spell-it-Out" task rather than the typical Alphabeteer challenge. I ended up chatting with a few other runners about various courses to run, comparing notes.
A kind runner also handed me a £5 cash donation which I promptly added to my Just Giving page, which was a lovely gesture (thank you!)
A good few other people came over and asked me about my challenge and cause, which made the trip extremely successful and worthwhile, as my main goal is to raise awareness of Multiple Sclerosis and the MS Society charity and raise some much-needed funds.
I thanked the RD and we spoke some more about what a fantastic course it is, with a little de-brief, and then I made my way back to the Football Club - the official post-parkrun watering hole - for a well-deserved cup of tea (or 2!)
I asked Paul how he enjoyed his first ever marshalling job and he said he was looking forward to volunteering there again. Another nice fella, one of the EG parkrun founders, came over to ask what I thought of the course and we had a good natter about all kinds of parkrun-related stuff, including the parkrun ethos and what makes parkrun such a great movement (I could talk about parkrun for hours, really, I just love it!).
What a friendly bunch of people the East Grinstead parkrun crew are (runners and staff!) After a good chat, I ventured from the clubhouse to the side of the pitch, to take a few photos to remember this fantastic parkrun experience by. As the Football Club had looked after us so well it'd be rude not to!
Again, Paul came up trumps and showed me the best places to take pictures from. Someone from the Club even came out to offer us tips, when they realised why we there there, and brought out a step-ladder for a better angle of the club's wasp emblem which is painted in the pitch! We felt like special VIP guests!
Again, Paul came up trumps and showed me the best places to take pictures from. Someone from the Club even came out to offer us tips, when they realised why we there there, and brought out a step-ladder for a better angle of the club's wasp emblem which is painted in the pitch! We felt like special VIP guests!
So after an emotional farewell and nice new memories to add to so many other experiences in my old stomping ground, it was time to leave East Grinstead. I'd love to come back...I think next time I'll try to bring some family down to see how they get on with that hill!
Thank you East Grinstead for such a great experience - a well-organised parkrun with lovely people and a rewarding course.
You really are a fantastically friendly bunch of parkrunners and you helped me to spell out my first word - the "Multiple" of "Multiple Sclerosis"! As a little added bonus you also enabled me to complete the "Compass Club" challenge, so thanks for that too....Result!
Cheers, Grinny!.....Until next time!
You really are a fantastically friendly bunch of parkrunners and you helped me to spell out my first word - the "Multiple" of "Multiple Sclerosis"! As a little added bonus you also enabled me to complete the "Compass Club" challenge, so thanks for that too....Result!
Cheers, Grinny!.....Until next time!
Have you tried East Grinstead parkrun? If so, how did you find "that hill"?
Can you recommend any other super friendly parkruns?
I'd love to know what you think.... Please leave a comment below!
Next up: SOUTH NORWOOD!
Please click here for my Just Giving page - raising funds for MS Society charity
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