J is for Jersey Farm in January
Welcome to 2023 and the second half of my alphabet challenge. The next letter of J has less options in terms of venue choices that any of the previous characters, and as I didn’t fancy a weekend in Jersey at the start of the year then the alternative of Jersey Farm, near St Albans, was much more accessible.
I did check the venue details the night before, given the facebook site cover photo — added last week — showed the course to be a tad waterlogged.
Nothing was mentioned around any cancellations, and so I set the alarm to get me on the road by 7.30am, for the one hour drive around the motorway.
The forecast wasn’t great — with blustery rain expected as yet another Atlantic low moves through west to east across the country — although the conditions weren’t as bad as predicted when I set off. Given it was dark and potentially puddly when I left home then I avoided the lanes this week and stuck to the main roads given our proximity to the M4 that links to the M25 heading north.
I had noticed the day before that despite the train strikes, the traffic levels had been light. And the same was true this morning as I arrived at the venue by 8.30am. The options for parking were limited to on-street and being in good time, I found a lay-by a short walk from the start which was convenient.
Now Jersey Farm is not actually a farm, it’s a woodland trust area with a green space in the middle and bridleway gravel paths around the perimeter. The winter course is a two lap route following the paths, and in the spirit of John Lewis is “never knowingly flat”. The main field is effectively the top of a rectangular hill, meaning you traverse the central ridges and descent/ascent at either end.
I was in good time for the first timers briefing, or what would more accurately be described as the “tourist” briefing. Yes, there were no first time park runners today and about 20 of us new to the area. The farm clearly is a collectors item when it comes to the letter J.
The rain was just about holding off when the start line announcements were completed, which even included a rendition of ‘happy birthday’ to a couple of the volunteers. The venue is also a favourite with local dog owners, with several hounds yappying away excitedly waiting for the action to begin.
As for the run itself, the beauty of a two lap configuration is that you know what’s in front of you by the time you get to half way. And I didn’t get lapped as it’s now becoming a thing that we increasingly have the excitement of potentially seeing an Olympian or world champion flash past as we huff and puff around the course. Even the Times newspaper had an article on this elite level of participation today — great PR for pr!
Following my second lap I crossed the line in position 30 in twenty-five and a half minutes, once again first in age group. And despite the expectation of mud and puddles, the course was actually pretty straight forward to navigate given the firmer surfaces being used. Not bad for a wet weekend in January.
After the finish I chatted to a local who offered to take a photo for me.
My back story of what I’m doing (the Alphabet challenge), who I’m doing it for (raising money for British Heart Foundation) and why I’m doing it (in memory of my father in law Ken who died last year of dementia following an undiagnosed heart issue) always resonates with everyone I speak to.
Also as a footnote to last week’s mud-fest at Itchen Valley, we were actually extremely fortunate to be able to participate on NYE as the following day’s park run event was cancelled, due to the conditions. Hence my ‘note to self’ last night to check the local venue social media to confirm the parkrun event is still taking place. That’s a good habit to get into.
And best news of all from last week is that this blog is really working as I received another charity donation to my JustGiving page from a fellow park runner. They had spotted me in my red BHF top, and then subsequently read the blog when it was published on the venue facebook site.
This level of connection means a lot to me, showing what the power of the park run community is truly about. Thank you!
