How to run 10km inside Lurgan Park

Lurgan Park is the second largest urban park in Ireland and is steeped in history dating back to the late 1700's. The park is over 250 acres in size and boosts many paths for walking, a super play area, large green spaces and of course Lurgan Lake. It is also only five minutes from my mothers' home and an excellent location for running. A typical run around the park would be under 4km but with a little planning it is possible to lengthen the distance considerably. You can begin at the entrances located at either Windsor Avenue, Robert Street, Avenue Road or where I did - Demesne Avenue (the first two offering the most parking spaces).

How to stretch it out to 10km

First of all I ran as close to the park boundary as I could. This took in the eco-trail which often goes behind the tree line or into the wooded area where it is paved with bark chips. Make sure to take the trail right around the back of the tennis courts, keeping as close to the park wall as possible. The second lap I again did as big a loop as possible while staying on the tarmac surface. On finishing that I backtracked close into the SE lakeshore before coming back again to do a few trail hills in the forested section behind the cricket pavilion. To finish off I ran across the grass following the stream before cutting across to the Demesne Avenue / Avenue Road entrances.
If you are in the area be sure to make a visit. More about the park here.