Catching the Parkrun bug

One of the best things for me about living in Southampton is the close proximity to the Common, which is where I participate in Parkrun every Saturday morning at 9am.

What is Parkrun?

If you don't already know what Parkrun is, it's a free 5km running event against the clock, that takes place right across the country. It's essentially open to anyone regardless of age or ability (dogs and people with prams are a common sight), you just have to be able to run 5km!

Their logo is pretty snazzy too.

Since starting 5 years ago, the Southampton event has gone from strength to strength with 700-800 people regularly turning up in the freezing cold, making it one of the most popular Parkruns in the country. There are now almost 80,000 events organised every weekend nationally.

It's also a very simple concept - all you have to do is register, turn up, and show a printed bar code to receive your time!

At the starting line.

Benefits

There are many reasons why I participate in Parkrun. It may seem gruelling to pull yourself out of bed on a cold winter's morning when you've got no lectures, but there is nothing like the buzz of adrenaline that you feel immediately after completing an intense 5km run.

It's not just about physical wellbeing either - I run as much for the sense of enjoyment and achievement I get from beating my previous personal best. This for me is one of the fundamental benefits of Parkrun, as you get a clear barometer of just how much your fitness is improving. When I ran it for the first time, I started off running 5km in 30 minutes, but after just a couple of months I was posting increasingly quick times, getting it down to 22 and a half minutes.

Awareness of Parkrun has skyrocketed in recent years and, seeing as we're only just into 2017, it's never too late to start and keep your New Year's resolution!

Heading down the final straight!

Half Marathon preparation

In April, I'll be running the Southampton Half Marathon, and Parkrun is the ideal training to prepare for that. It may be less than a quarter of the 13 mile route (including through the University and over Itchen Bridge) that I'll be running then, but it is at least a good starting point and it's useful exercise. Even though you're running alongside lots of fellow participants, you can't escape the competitive edge when you're sprinting down the final straight and trying to overtake as many people as you can.

Of course, you could just simply go out and have a run on the Common at any time, but everyone who has become a part of the Parkrun family will tell you the same thing: the atmosphere and sense of camaraderie between runners is what makes it so special, and it helps you run faster at the same time!

Many thanks to the Southampton Parkrun Facebook team for allowing me to use their photos in my post today - click here if you'd like to sign up.

Stay posted more updates on my progress soon, including my fundraising efforts for charity!

Paul

Where to take your parents in Southampton

Finally, we have reached February! I've got a tonne of things to look forward to, but the thing I'm looking forward to the most is having my mum over in England! I've been so excited for this ever since she told me she'd booked her plane tickets.

My mum has never been to Southampton and, although I was a bit cross she never came and visited me during my first or second years, I think this might be the perfect time. I've been here for two and a half years now, and know the city and its surroundings a lot better than I did back then.


This is the plan I have set out for the five days that I get to have my mum here:

The mandatory student tour

A walk around Highfield Campus and a little drive past Mayflower Halls where I lived during my first year. No, no tour of Sobar or Jesters... this time.

Hartley Library in all its glory.

Mayflower Halls as seen from Mayflower Park

City Centre

West Quay is to my knowledge the largest shopping centre in the South East, so it's a bit of a must at least to have a look around. Also, they've just opened the new Watermark extension, which I'm sure is worth a visit although I haven't been yet.

While we're in town, the walk from West Quay down to Oxford Street is not only lovely, but also takes you past some historical places like the Dolphin Hotel, which I know my mum will like to see.

Making a little detour to Bugle Street and the bottom of town will take us past all the cool old pubs like the Titanic. These pubs are the ultimate answer to what I've always imagined an English pub to be like.

Ocean Village

Oxford Street

As my mum is an architect, I'll need to show her the very diverse and beautiful architecture around town. Carlton Crescent has the old Victorian style, while the new Guildhall Square and Ocean Village have definitely contributed to modernising the city. While we're wandering the Guildhall square, I'm planning on visiting the new John Hansard Gallery which just moved to town from Highfield Campus; since I've never been, this is a good opportunity to go. Given that I have been to the Sea City (Titanic) museum over four times now, that might be something mum can do whilst I'm in lectures.

Carlton Crescent

Food

We probably won't go out for dinner every night, but when we do I will take her to one of my new favourite places: Lemoni Grill House down town. Not the cheapest in the city, but you really get what you pay for in terms of the quality of the food and friendliness of the staff - even their takeaway is great. All in all it's a very decent Greek restaurant, although if town is too far for you to travel for a Mediterranean fix, Sula's in Portswood also does amazing Greek food.

The decor isn't bad either.

Further afield

That's roughly what I have planned for Southampton, and we also want to take a day out to see Winchester and the New Forest. I'd love to take my mum to Bournemouth and Oxford, two places I really enjoyed when I visited, but since we are back in July for my graduation we can save those for then.

Hopefully our last day will be spent in London for a bit of shopping and sightseeing, and since it's only an hour away on the train it doesn't require too much planning. Suffice it to say... I CAN'T WAIT!

So, if you're having someone over from abroad or similar, where would you take them? I'd love to know!

Alexandra

Space to think - Celebrating National Libraries Day

Hi everyone!

For this week's blog post I decided to celebrate National Libraries Day which, in their own words, is an annual showcase of all the creative, innovative and diverse activities that UK libraries have to offer.

I've made a video showing my favourite study space on campus: The Turner Sims Reading Room at Hartley Library.

You can check it out below - I hope you enjoy it.

Let me know what you think!

Georgia