Call me Miss Picky

[Realfoodieclub]

I know I shouldn't moan, I have had a great day and my event was lovely, the weather was perfect, the road was flat and the atmosphere was invigorating and it was free, so why dare I moan. It was 4.57km instead of 5km. It was in a park that does park run so there should be a proper course marked out for a 5km that they could of replicated.

I made the call to do speed walk today and I was on course for a fabulous PB with speed walking but alas as I went through the finish gate i turned my watch off before I realised It was so short. The only consolation I have it I have a PB for 1km time of 8.24 which for speed walking and me was a good pace.

Sorry if I sound ungrateful, I really am not, it's just it would of been so easy to check it and just move the finish line. That all aside a good morning out.

[turnturtle]

My local park run is also short. I have mentioned it and been met with a smiley shrug and a 'Yes, we know'. Don't understand why so many people don't seem to think this is an issue.

[Realfoodieclub Graduate10 in reply to turnturtle]

That's not fair on parkrun, we start round the corner of the main path on ours to make up the extra bit.

[GoogleMe Graduate10]

Does the route make 'people sense' even if it doesn't make GPS sense? ie are there real features to the route that create it at that distance. If not, it would indeed seem a bit perverse. But I quite often run just that bit short of 5K and don't do organised running, so I don't quite have the same attachment to the distance. Although I always do feel that little bit more satisfied by eg 30 minutes, 5k, 10k.

I can understand the disappointment at missing out on a PB you were chasing.

[Realfoodieclub Graduate10 in reply to GoogleMe]

It started and finished in a enclosure around the route, I think they could of added a bit more in without changing the route at all. Normally it dosent bother me but I do go the extra for events as the buzz pushes me further than I can push myself.

[HappyRunner]

It is frustrating when you think you are doing 5k and in fact it is less, especially as you could have easily carried on for a bit longer. Take heart though if you have achieved that time once, I am sure you will achieve it again 🙌🙌

[Realfoodieclub Graduate10 in reply to HappyRunner]

I'm going to parkrun next week so Im going to try it again with a course I know the distance is correct. Hopefully I will replicate today.

[Irishprincess Graduate10]

I once did a 10k race that was a bit short and it really bugged me because my garmin gave me a different distance. If I'd had the space I would have kept on running across the finish line! But yours was quite a way short actually. Next time, you can keep running to get to 5K 😊

[Realfoodieclub Graduate10 in reply to Irishprincess]

I've done that before and I didn't half get some funny looks I was running around in circles for what seemed ages after a fun run to log my 5km PB. I'd turned my watch of before I realised today otherwise I might just of done the same 😀.

[poppypug Graduate10 in reply to Realfoodieclub]

Hehe , I've done this too , ended up doing a coupla laps of Asda car park xxx

[aliboo70 Graduate10]

That's annoying RFC. Yes I like a 5k to be a 5k too... our HM today was .04 km short too! Just looked up my other previous one and it was .1 km too long!😕

[Realfoodieclub Graduate10 in reply to aliboo70]

I'm not sure I could forgive a short HM, it's not like you do that distance often. I have only every done it on an event and if I didn't get the HM on my Garmin records I would of been so upset.

[poppypug Graduate10]

I agree totally . I did a run the other week organized by a well known sports chain that was billed as a 5k. As I was approaching the finishing line my Garmin said 4.3k ! I was a bit miffed because the time was showing 30 minutes and I thought I had at last reached my Holy Grail - a 30 minute 5k ! Alas, it was not to be . The organisers did come clean after though and admitted it was short .

I don't get it, if youre going to advertise it as a 5k , at least make sure it is - Pah , grumble over ! xxx

[Realfoodieclub Graduate10 in reply to poppypug]

Grumble away, I'm with you. I'm sure they could of sorted it out.

[ancientrunner Graduate10]

No that is very annoying, not picky at all.

[Realfoodieclub Graduate10 in reply to ancientrunner]

Thank you. I'm not a complainer by nature.

[Bazza1234 Graduate10]

Doesn't worry me at all really!! Because -- the GPS's are not in themselves completely accurate!!! - and distance measured depends on how you run the course ( ie do you "curve" around it or "run the tangents" ). Parkruns are supposed to be measured with a wheel - but they are after all not a race - but a run in the park with friends. Two things do matter to me - what is my average pace during a training run - and what is the time I got when crossing the line of a properly accredited race? Unaccredited races are only approximate too

I discovered at around the 17 klm mark of my recent accredited HM that my Garmin was running short in distance and hence was telling me a slightly faster average pace during the previous 17 klms. I discovered that because, when I passed the official 17 KLm marker, Mr Garmin said that I had traveled 17.2 klms!!! This was a bit of a disaster because I was hoping to just squeeze in under the 2 hours 30 mark and working on what Garmin had been telling me, I would cross in around 2:28 - and a quick recalculation in my head after the realisation told me that it was going to be a LOT closer than that, maybe some seconds over!!! So, I had to pour on the coals over the last nearly 5K - and that HURT!!!! Managed the 2:28!!! Just as well I can do mental arithmetic while running!!!

[Realfoodieclub Graduate10 in reply to Bazza1234]

You know it is one thing I'm very strict with myself, I see people cutting corners but I never do, I work on the principal why cheat myself! I know gps can go out a bit and I did a run city of London with the weirdest gps readings but it seemed pretty settled today. I'm always calculating as I run, so many things we find out we can do with this running lark.

[Bazza1234 Graduate10 in reply to Realfoodieclub]

When racing - always run the tangents!!!!!

[Anniemurph Graduate10]

Oh, I agree, Rfc, it's not fair! I've done a couple of events that have been advertised as 5k but that didn't come up as that on my Garmin, which I tend to think is probably more accurate. I understand that I may not have followed the exact line of the course, but some of them are quite a bit shorter - like nearly half a kilometre shorter, and that annoys me no end! If I remember, I check my watch so I can keep running, but sometimes in the excitement I forget so I have stopped and then I realise I haven't done 5k or whatever and am disappointed

[Realfoodieclub Graduate10 in reply to Anniemurph]

I always start my watch off before the start just to take into consideration little deviations but never a 0.5km! The niggles of a runner 😀.

[davelinks Graduate10]

One of my Parkrun course lengths differs slightly from my Garmin, so which would be most accurate? Parkrun measured with a wheel or gps?

Last Saturday at Parkrun I spotted the runner in front of me cut a corner, I shouted at him about what had happened but he appeared not to hear me, seemed to be in his own world, so I just let it go and went around the corner cone. I later emailed Parkrun about it when I got home, but had no response from them on it, maybe I should have told the run director immediately after the run, but didn't think it was vital,but that runner is still cheating in a way, getting a false time..but I know they have a shortage of volunteers at the moment hence the lack of a marshal at the corner..😊

[Realfoodieclub Graduate10 in reply to davelinks]

I would say measured with a wheel would be more accurate, but in all honesty you never know with human error. My last HM I saw many people cutting corners off, I don't get it. I suppose for me if I did it I'm only cheating myself and my own records but it makes a big difference if your at the front of the pack, you don't see Mo Farah cutting the corners, it would be so noticeable if he just cut across the stadium and missed a corner, same thing in my mind.