Parkrun

Tony and I had our first go at Run Directing at Parkrun this morning.  Basically that means some prep before the day:  clearing and charging the barcode scanners and stopwatches and preparing the volunteer roster, then on the day the course is set-up with direction arrows and cones; the volunteers are checked in and given their jobs and training where necessary; the first-timers are briefed; the course welcome and briefing is delivered and then they are off.  An hour or so of nervous tension ensues whilst the runners complete their four laps of the park, hoping that no one falls over or is bitten by a dog and then we retire to the cafe for cuppas and toasted teacakes to do the results and thankyous to volunteers.

Thankfully, because we have an excellent, experienced team at our parkrun, it generally goes very smoothly.  The fact that I set everyone off before Tony had set up his stopwatch was a minor hiccup (!)  the less discussed the better.

When we returned home there was a parcel waiting for me containing my technical t-shirt marking 25 volunteering instances, appropriate I thought.  Love that it's purple too (sorry, egg-plant!)