Adam Bird - My Personal Blog

On the 19th September 2026 I ran Letchworth parkrun, which was the 383rd event held at the venue, my 305th parkrun and 216th different course I'd attended. Running had been catching up with me over the past few weeks. A mixture of not keeping up the habit of twice weekly runs as well as no longer walking twice a day up to the school and back all contributed to a disappointing parkrun I also had a medical problem the week before last which has seen plenty of tests and Drs appointments in the subsequent days.  Saturday mornings normally see me jumping out of bed with a spring in my step as I look forward to driving somewhere new and running somewhere different. It's not the running that gets me out of bed, it's the journey and exploration that I love. Running is just something that gets me there. There are some mornings I take some convincing to go. A mental battle of wills with myself where I know what the conclusion will inevitably be, but I still try and talk myself out o...

On the 12th September 2026 I ran Haverhill parkrun, which was the 346th event held at the venue, my 304th parkrun and 215th different course I'd attended. Parkrun tourism is very much a game of contrasts. This week's event and last week's event could not be more physically opposite from one another. Watergrove in the North West, on the outskirts of Manchester was hilly, scenic, challenging, beautiful and an experience you could talk about for hours. Haverhill was green, pancake flat, slightly repetitive and one of those events where you almost feel bad having a negative thought about it, but is ultimately what it is and as a course, leaning towards boring. But, and it is a huge but here. Whilst the courses and overall experience are polar opposites, all parkrun events no matter where they are in the world all have that consistent and permanent vein that runs through each and every one of them. Community. The volunteer team at Haverhill had that joyous infectious enthusiasm...

On the 5th September 2026 I ran Watergrove parkrun, which was the 537th event held at the venue, my 303rd parkrun and 214th different course I'd attended. Two weeks after our first away game of the season Gillingham returned to the north west for their second. Hayden and I were travelling solo to Rochdale as both Reaso and George have already visited Spotland and had other plans for Saturday night. I was following the guidelines of The parkrun 92 Club Challenge group on Facebook which determines a successful visit to a football ground and it's closest parkrun in the same day as a 'Grail'. I've managed to collect a few different ones over the last few years and was looking forward to achieving another one. There was one downside though. The closest parkrun to Rochdale is Watergrove, the UKs fifth toughest parkrun. My dislike for hills is well voiced on these pages and with the early realisation that the event was going to be difficult I didn't let it bother me. ...

On the 29th August 2026 I ran Gadebridge parkrun, which was the 514th event held at the venue, my 302nd parkrun and 213th different course I'd attended. Visiting different parkrun venues means taking the rough with the smooth. Or in the case of parkrun not every event is flat, so have to accept a few hills. I don't arrive at a parkrun venue unprepared. I've often read blog posts, watched a video and read the course description on the app. I knew Gadebridge parkrun was going to be a challenge and it was going to be taxing After Crosby last week it was definitely going to be different swapping the flat beach hills and undulations. But what my research and preparation hadn't informed me was the challenge in getting to the venue itself. Swindon is well known for its Magic Roundabout. I've navigated it many times whilst visiting the football ground and it never gets any easier. A roundabout with a series of smaller roundabout around it with individual roundabouts around...

On the 22th August 2026 I ran Crosby parkrun, which was the 483rd event held at the venue, my 301st parkrun and 212th different course I'd attended. Two Saturdays ago saw the long awaited start to the 2026/2027 football season. Like season was a monumental one for me as it was the first time in 46 years where i had attended every single league game, both home and away. The lure of football combined with parkrun tourism has proven to be an addiction I've not managed to shake and one I'd been waiting a long time to resume. The release of the seasons football fixtures takes place at the end of July and I was eagerly awaiting their publication so I could start planning my weekends for the next 9 months combing them with parkrun events I'd not done yet and have wanted to visit. Planning is not always straightforward, for example Newport away has been scheduled for a Tuesday evening, depriving me of the opportunity to tick off another Welsh parkrun. Notts County got promoted...

On the 15th August 2026 I ran Maidenhead parkrun, which was the 527th event held at the venue, my 300th parkrun and 211th different course I'd attended. A common theme across these posts is about geography and how without the power of parkrun I would never have visited the places I do. Maidenhead can be added to that long list. Previously a place I'd pass on the way to a football ground in the west country along the M4 corridor or the birthplace of Nick Hornby and Peter Jones. I never thought back in 2014 after my first parkrun event that I would be celebrating my 300th in a Berkshire market town. But that's exactly where I found myself, on a yellow field, parched due to the lack of rain and intense summer temperatures at the rare of a leisure centre ready to enjoy whatever a new parkrun course had to offer. The leisure centre is actually Braywick Leisure Centre on the outskirts of Maidenhead itself. An impressive building, only 6 years old looked like a modern and excessi...