Uploaded December 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
Life doesn't always go to plan does it?! This was definitely not the adventure I was hoping it would be to celebrate me 200th different parkrun venue! Things started going wrong when the 2.5 hour journey took over 5 hours... We did get to know the M62 and M60 pretty well though after spending hours crawling along them! We finally arrived and it was COLD! The temperature dropped below freezing almost as soon as the sun set but we snuggled down and appreciated being back in the van together on a parkrun adventure!
Poppy woke up cold at 4am and said she felt sick... What followed was truly horrific! Poppy was so sick bless her heart. At one point she was laid outside, over a rock, vomiting, in minus 5 degrees in her PJs and a dressing gown! So not what we had both imagined our trip would look like! We managed to make it to the start of parkrun and thankfully Poppy changed her mind from saying she might walk, to "I'm going to stay in the van Mummy."
The run itself was awesome! I was sad not to be exploring with Poppy and completing our Full Ponty together but I felt very lucky to be able to run! Poor Poppy! The team here were so welcoming and friendly, and the double out-and-back course means the run is super social. The course is beautiful and the weather was crazy... An absolutely frozen morning! When the freezing fog lifted to reveal the views of the mountains then I really fell in love with Bala. This parkrun has a wonderful PB bell and one of the best token dispensers I have ever seen! If you visit then check it out, but also check out Tomen y Bala and Lake Bala itself.
It was a shame not to be able to join the team for coffee but bugs are definitely best kept to yourself! The drive back took forever with all of the stops for Poppy to vomit, I honestly thought that we were never going to get home! It really was quite an ordeal for us both. However, not every adventure goes smoothly and Poppy felt fine the next day so all is well.
Happy running,
Nicola :)
parkrun.org.uk/pontybala
running-challenges.co.uk/badges
Life doesn't always go to plan does it?! This was definitely not the adventure I was hoping it would be to celebrate me 200th different parkrun venue! Things started going wrong when the 2.5 hour journey took over 5 hours... We did get to know the M62 and M60 pretty well though after spending hours crawling along them! We finally arrived and it was COLD! The temperature dropped below freezing almost as soon as the sun set but we snuggled down and appreciated being back in the van together on a parkrun adventure!
Poppy woke up cold at 4am and said she felt sick... What followed was truly horrific! Poppy was so sick bless her heart. At one point she was laid outside, over a rock, vomiting, in minus 5 degrees in her PJs and a dressing gown! So not what we had both imagined our trip would look like! We managed to make it to the start of parkrun and thankfully Poppy changed her mind from saying she might walk, to "I'm going to stay in the van Mummy."
The run itself was awesome! I was sad not to be exploring with Poppy and completing our Full Ponty together but I felt very lucky to be able to run! Poor Poppy! The team here were so welcoming and friendly, and the double out-and-back course means the run is super social. The course is beautiful and the weather was crazy... An absolutely frozen morning! When the freezing fog lifted to reveal the views of the mountains then I really fell in love with Bala. This parkrun has a wonderful PB bell and one of the best token dispensers I have ever seen! If you visit then check it out, but also check out Tomen y Bala and Lake Bala itself.
It was a shame not to be able to join the team for coffee but bugs are definitely best kept to yourself! The drive back took forever with all of the stops for Poppy to vomit, I honestly thought that we were never going to get home! It really was quite an ordeal for us both. However, not every adventure goes smoothly and Poppy felt fine the next day so all is well.
Happy running,
Nicola :)
parkrun.org.uk/pontybala
running-challenges.co.uk/badges
