Adam Bird - My Personal Blog

On the 27th July 2024 I ran the Kingston parkrun which was the 672nd event held at the venue, my 194th parkrun and 116th different course I'd attended. This week's parkrun experience was a slightly different one to normal. I had the family with me and was joined by my niece, River who actually wanted to take part as well. The last time the family were in tow was in May during our Dutch double and River was with us once again, full of enthusiasm which I mighty refreshing when you compare her attitude to my own kids! Originally I'd planned Kingston on the basis that it was by the river, in a lovely part of town and it would be a way of celebrating my birthday (which was the day before). Rather than having a heavy takeaway on the Friday night we'd all go to parkrun. I'd run, whilst the wife and kids watched and then we'd find somewhere nice for some breakfast. In the end Oliver was unable to mr ake it as he had a driving lesson booked and we'd not be back in t...

On the 20th July 2024 I ran the Northala Fields parkrun which was the 455th event held at the venue, my 193rd parkrun and 115th different course I'd attended. One of the parkrun courses I've been looking forward to visiting has been Northala Fields. The reason might surprise you. When the old Wembley stadium was demolished in the early 2000's, rubble from the ground was taken west and buried in wasteland just off the A40 in Northolt. 4 hills were made of various sizes and it became part of a new parkland for the London Borough of Ealing and opened in 2008. 6 years later in 2014, it became home to Northala Fields parkrun. Driving to Northala Fields, I was once again taken by sat-nav via the A12 and around the north circular. I've done this trip now on several occasions and despite a couple of pinch points have never had a bad trip. That said, now I've made this declaration my next trip is going to be a shocker. I guess there are other routes that could be taken invo...

On the 13th July 2024 I ran the Westmill parkrun which was the 297th event held at the venue, my 192nd parkrun and 114th different course I'd attended. Not all parkruns are born equal. Inevitably after you've run more than one course you'll ask yourself which one you preferred. After you have completed ten or so, a league table begins to form in your mind about which one was better than another. Even though it feels terrible for entertaining the idea in the first place. Parkrun is a 5k run, hosted by teams of amazing volunteers. They all glow with community spirit and pride and so each one therefore is as good as the other. But, a three lap loop around a recreation ground is not the same as a lap around a forest which is not the same as as an out and back on a coastal promenade. Why am I even talking about this anyway? What's having favourites got to do with Westmill parkrun? Well, after my visit on Saturday I have a new entry in the upper echelons of my favourite park...

On the 6th July 2024 I ran the Walthamstow parkrun which was the 509th event held at the venue, my 191st parkrun and 113th different course I'd attended. The last few weeks have been events of contrasts. The week before last was Hadleigh and it's hills followed by the flat route of Brooklands which was accompanied by baking hot weather. This week couldn't have have been any more different. Standing under a tree with rain coming in, fat drops horizontally towards my face blown by a freezing cold wind I questioned the sanity of my life choices. It was July for goodness sakes and if I didn't know otherwise you could have fooled me for October. Walthamstow wasn't supposed to be like this. I'd saved it purposely for the summer months. An event all on grass which can get rather muddy during the winter. It was supposed to be green and vibrant, baked hard under a summer sun. But no, it rained biblically and reminded me why I'd saved it for a supposedly summers day....

On the 29th June 2024 I ran the Brooklands parkrun which was the 198th event held at the venue, my 190th parkrun and 112th different course I'd attended. In 2006 I started working for a company called RMG Connect in London and was responsible for updating the Shell Motorsport website with race reports from Ferrari and Ducati detailing their achievements in Formula One, MotoGP and World Superbikes. Whilst on duty awaiting the race report I'd watch the formula one races and somn became a fan of the sport. It's for this reason that the appeal of running Brooklands parkrun has always been there, since the event takess place on a former racing circuit and where the formulative years of motorsport took place. When not racing, and after the circuit fell into decline, the venue in Weybridge, Surrey became home to an aviation facility and further established itself in local history. Whilst the Motorsport and aviation histories sadly declined much still remains of both heritages -  ...