#6 Barking Park

I set off early (8am) for Barking as I didn’t want to miss another park run! Unlike Finsbury Park, there was plentiful free parking around the park (bitter?….. ME?……). So I parked Scarlett (my motorbike……. don’t ask!) and headed for just past the tennis courts to the start line.

A small group this week of about 70-80 people i would say. Everyone bright and breezy and ready to go. There was a group of guys in their 50s who i think were training for a triathlon as they were dressed in their trisuits.

Barking Park is a typical Victorian park in that it has a lake, ornamental garden area, bandstand, tennis courts, and a bowling green.

It is situated in the London borough of Barking and Dagenham. The south part of this borough sits along the north back of the Thames, as you can see in the diagram above…..

In the 1930s a Lido was built, but for some reason, despite many Lidos coming back and thriving these days, the one in Barking park sadly is closed and growing weeds……….

……… but they do have a nice skateboard park. No verts, but still looks quite good fun!

….. here we all are, making our way to the start line……

……. and the run director giving us the low down on the logistics of the run, as they do with every park run.

It was a nice and flat run, and I certainly felt a bit stronger than i have in the last couple of park runs, which i am putting down to me strengthening my glutes, with the exercise i showed in the Gladstone Park blog, and with another which i have learned recently, which i will show at the end of this post.

Strengthening the glutes, and getting them to fire when you want them to, means that you can propel yourself forward with less effort, in fact everything feels less effort in running when you have stronger glutes.

So I finished in 27.45 which is the fastest so far for me. I’m very gradually clawing back fitness a few seconds a week, and this makes me feel good about myself and sure that i am doing the right things to get fitter.

Still knackered afterwards though!

I made the mistake of asking for a photograph with the race director…….. i was scolded (gently) for calling him a “race” director (they’re strictly “run directors”)

As part of my attempt to help the left sided hip pain that i’ve been suffering from since the first parkrun I have added a new exercise to go with the lunges that i’ve been doing (which have been helping quite a bit). A friend told me about a useful exercise that helps to “activate” the glute muscles if they are not working as they should during running.

It’s a simple exercise that a lot of running coaches use to help runners start to activate their glutes if they aren’t firing during the running gait cycle.

Pictures are below. Essentially you do the following:

Stand on your right leg.

Lift your left knee up as high as you possibly and humanly can, and keep it there.

After a few seconds you should feel your gluteal muscles (your bum) on the right side starting to contract and actually work.

Hold this position, with the knee as high as you can, for about a minute.

Then move your knee outwards as in the picture, keeping the knee as high as humanly possible.

Hold this for another minute.

You will definitely feel the burn with the knee in this position even if you didn’t with it in the first position.

Repeat on the left leg. Do this exercise twice.

This is also a great exercise to help your balance!

 

Next week…….. Old Deer Park in Richmond……. hopefully!