Parkrun #13: South Shields

After a whole week of no running (blame half term and a stinking cold), it was straight back into it today with another parkrun and another new location: South Shields. Driving from the north side of the Tyne, South Shields always feels like a bit of a trek, as you still have so far to go even once you're through the tunnel. And there's no fast road to the coast, just loads of roundabouts and junctions. At least, that's my excuse for only just making it in time. That and the fact I had to hunt for change to pay for parking when the website had said there was plenty of free parking. Hmmm... maybe there is somewhere, but not where I parked. 🤔

Anyway, once that was sorted, I headed down onto the prom. The weather was your typically dull, cool and slightly hazy, out-of-season British seaside weather. A slight nip in the air, but still more autumnal than wintery. Luckily, the first timers' explanation was held pretty late, so I got a quick run-through and the chance to ask about the path surface before we set off. Much to my alarm, I was told that the clifftop path was "Gravel... and some stones; mostly gravel... but there are some stones". Having flashbacks to the pain of the Town Moor's stones, I immediately told myself I'd run on the grass next to the path if I had to. 😬

Once under way, it was a refreshingly wide start area, meaning there was really no chance of being slowed or boxed in for the first few hundred metres. Still, I didn't exactly sprint away; a week off running had me managing my expectations, so I just kept an easy pace. The prom then ended with a brief bit of running on grass, followed by us joining the main coastal path — the gravel one, with some stones. It turned out the stones — and bits of brick and whatnot — were all fairly well embedded in the path, not protruding too much and not generally sharp edged. All of which made it a damn sight less punishing than the Town Moor, much to my relief.

We slowly climbed as the cliffs got taller, including a brief "hill" (if you can call it that) that was certainly no worse than the climb off the prom at Newbiggin by the Sea. Moreover, given the fact that South Shields is a point-to-point run rather than a lapped affair, that was the only time we'd do a noticeably uphill section, so you could hardly complain. Sure, the course might be uphill overall, bit it generally felt pretty flat.

Once on the clifftops proper, the course weaved in and out, tracing the various little bays and coves as it headed south in the direction of (but not reaching) Marsden Grotto and Souter Lighthouse. I'd not really spent any time studying the route map before this run, so I had no idea how many ins and outs we'd do. While the views were lovely and you occasionally got a glimpse into secluded little bays, it did get to the point where I was thinking "surely this must be the last one before we turn back...?". 

Eventually, that time did come, but I was starting to get properly tired then and my feet were getting sick of the stones. The numerous puddles that I was leaping over were getting tiresome too and breaking my rhythm. So, turning inland toward the coast road, my spirits lifted a little. During the briefing, we'd been told that the final stretch along that road was the same as the final mile of the Great North Run. By my maths, that meant I was two-thirds of the way through the run. And, mercifully, back on tarmac.

Heading north again, I tried to focus on the people around me for motivation. Some of them were walking briefly (no good for pacing) while others felt like they were on my pace or thereabouts. Amazingly, the odd person still came past me at a fair lick, despite the fact we must've been over 3km in by now — where had they been till now?! Regardless, I tried to pick up the pace in a manageable way — a barely perceptible increase that made just enough difference to see me crawl past some people and keep in touch with others who'd previously been moving away from me.

A few hundred metres further and I set my sights on someone new ahead (30, 40, 50m away?) and decided they were my target to pass by the finish. The next half mile or so saw me repeatedly try to up my pace again. I'd make noticeable inroads before feeling like it wasn't sustainable and backing off a bit. But doing that a few times eventually got me close enough to accelerate things. Whether it was my adrenaline, the slight downhill, or whether they were fading, I'll never know, but I did get past with maybe 200m to spare. The last 50m or so across the grass to the funnel were faster still, though nowhere near the sprint I managed at Newbiggin.

Final time: 26:39.

Given the nature of the stony path over the first couple of miles and the fact I'd not run all week, I'm pretty pleased with that. Definitely pleased that I've not ventured back into the 27s (minute-wise). I'm also pleased that I made a conscious push for pace much further from the finish than I ever have before. The nature of the course certainly helped there, but I'm pleased with it nonetheless. I'm also pleased that I now seem to be able to kick consistently at the end of parkruns, which is something I could only dream of when I first started.

Overall, I really liked the South Shields course. The route along the cliffs was really nice (though could be bitter in a wind, I'd bet) and the novelty factor of picturing yourself completing the Great North Run was amusing too. However, given my crap feet and the stony path, I'd still put it in my top 3 venues to avoid, which is a shame. I may go back one day — perhaps with some better cushioned trainers — but for now, I'll focus on ticking off a few more local venues.