You've got to pick a parkrun or (twenty) two. Minus one.

So it's Saturday night, I'm sitting at home drinking tea ahead of a 15 mile LSR tomorrow and trying to ignore the siren song of the cold beer in my fridge.

Probably a good time for a blog post then........and I've decided to go through all of the various parkrun venues I've run at (21 of them - hence the title. Oh, I'm so witty) and give a brief description. To avoid accusations of favouritism I'm doing them in chronological order from my first on in 2009, to my latest "new" event on New Year's Day 2015

1) Richmond parkrun - A one lapper and one of the most scenic, especially on a clear day. Not as tough as its regulars may like to claim, but not a PB course either. Getting the train and cycling up Richmond Hill is a good warmup! My most run at event besides Bedfont. Watch out for deer...

2) Bedfont Lakes parkrun - the bestest parkrun in the UNIVERSE! (Biased, moi?) Mine own parkrun  - a lovely 2 lapper in a park I didn't know existed before parkrun. Parking can be an issue and you better be OK with getting wet and muddy due to the interminable winter puddles (a legacy of the park history I think). Averages 120-170 runners and has 2 amazing Event Directors.

3) Reading parkrun - Ran it when covered in snow and ice over Christmas. Great location next to the Thames, a mix of grass field and wood paths. Currently relocated due to flooding though (that's the issue with starting next to the Thames!)

4) Woodhouse Moor (nee Leeds) parkrun - newly renamed and one of the oldest events. A 2.5 lapper in a small park in the middle of Leeds all on tarmac and pretty flat

5) Malahide parkrun (Ireland) - my first parkrun outside UK, and the first in the Republic. Superb setting in the grounds of Malahide castle, a meandering course on tarmac and gravel paths. Gets big turnouts

6) Gunnersbury parkrun - another West London one near the M4. Starts on grass then follows the outside path around the park before diving through and around the wooded section, finishing on grass. The paths in the wooded section are a little tricky due to poor maintenance by the council but it's as flat as you can get

7) Little Stoke parkrun - On Bristol's outskirts, a small little 3 lapper, all bar the last 250m on grass. Flat as a pancake, plenty of parking and a refreshment van waits at the end. Due to layout you get plenty of encouragement. Bizarrely, the first person I saw there was a Bedfont regular.

8) Poole parkrun - I ran this while on my annual drinking camping weekend in Swanage so extremely heavy legs! Another pancake flat course with a bug turnout. 2 laps round the boating lake with soe narrow spots (and a nagging fear the adverse camber will lead you into said lake) before a (seemingly never ending) loop of the cricket pitch. They have a smart funnel system and use the cricket pavilion for storage / refreshments etc. Have to pay for parking, but it's very cheap

9) Barnstaple parkrun - A cracking event in North Devon, hard on the banks of the River Torridge. 2 and a half laps of a figure of 8 style course  - be careful at the pinch point! A very friendly event team too, and one of my multiple events

10) Castle Demense parkrun (Ireland) - The closest event to my home town of Ballincollig, I was delighted when this started. Wore my just received 50 t-shirt and was accorded semi-celebrity status as a result. A tricky little course with a lap around the GAA pitch then a dive into the woods, and under a low gate (watch your head if over 5' 10"!) before a sharp uphill shock, the out and back though the golf club car park. Repeat the loop through the woods and golf club before a run into the finish with a  nasty incline before the finish. The golf clu car park brings an interesting dimension to it! Loads of free refreshments in the community centre afterwards and a great event team

11) Worcester parkrun - Drove 50 miles from the Cotswolds to do this on New Year's Day. Due to heavy rain the course was a mud-bath, especially the start/finish area in a field! 2 laps through a wooded country park - would be much nicer in summer!

12) Leamington Spa parkrun - Another wet/muddy one. One lap round a golf course, with a horrendous hill at ~1km. Thankfully after that it's downhill the rest of the way. Plenty of parking

13) Whitley Bay parkrun - Gloriously scenic event overlooking the North Sea Coast. All on tarmac with various uphill and downhill sections and a great finish on the promenade. Slower runners may get annoyed with having to plough through already finished runners though. Piad for parking but again not expensive

14) Upton Court parkrun - Technically the closest parkrun to my house, this is a great little event with views of Windsor Castle on a good day. A 2 lap course on a mix of grass and tarmac, I set my parkrun PB here recently. Good food in the rugby clubhouse afterwards as well

<EDIT - overnight break, 15 mile run and new car later>

15) Royal Tunbridge Wells parkrun - A fantastically scenic start overlooking the large boating lake with a handy downhill first 0.5km. Lakeside, forest-side and field-side views before the realisation that you have to go up the bit you went down. Bad enough on first lap but 10 times worse on second lap when you have to go up even further. Thought my heart would explode but a great event.

16) Tymon parkrun (Ireland) - Another Dublin parkrun that I ran on the same day the BBC piece on Bedfont aired. Got bus from central Dublin and basically spent 30 mins wandering around waiting for everyone to show up! 2 lap course in a very nice park next to the M50 and pretty flat. Now my brother's home parkrun

17) Wycombe Rye parkrun - First of my ambassador visits. A quirky course meandering mainly on tarmac on the outside perimeter with some grass sections. Includes a steps section which can impede PB hopes, and a two way section for encouraging others. Parking paid but incredibly cheap (60p for 3 hours!)

18) Black Park parkrun - Another Ambassador visit - a one lapper in a big park that borders Pinewood studios. A series of long straights and sharp turns on forest paths and a large turnout. A  highly organised and efficient finish funnel and scanning setup. Like all of my events, a great team :-)

19) Bushy Park parkrun - The one and only, the original parkrun. Iconic and unique, from the >1000 turnout to the double (triple) funnel. Flat as flat but not a PB course unless you get to the front cos you lose 10-20 seconds just getting to the start! Must be done at least once in a parkrun life.

20) Eastbourne parkrun -  A Christmas visit (with Dolly actually) - ran their alternate winter course which was an out and back on tarmac

21) Kingston parkrun - second part of my first new Year's Day double. Another out and back on the banks of the Thames with a loop at the turnaround point. Can be soggy at that point, and rumoured to be short (I stress, "rumoured". Ahem)

So there you go. 106 runs at 21 events over nearly 6 years.

Plenty more to come.............