I recently trained for and ran my third half marathon - and I am now thinking that it is time for me to limit my "races" to 10K and to simply "enjoy" them rather than trying to set any kind of pace. I am now the fittest I have ever been in my life ( at age 70 ???) and my most important goal is to stay this way and continue with my running. I have lately concentrated on simply enjoying parkrun on Saturday - basically messing around and often running alongside slower runners - and doing much the same thing at my Sunday running club ( but with runs around an hour long as opposed to the 5Ks at parkrun) . Two other days of the week I quite enjoy doing harder 200, 400 metre and klm repeats at different paces by myself. And I am thinking of joining a local gym to do some weights strength training after we come back from our 6 week tour of the UK. I find the 10K distance to be sufficient "challenge" and I would like to be able to regard the 10K distance as "easy" (as I now do the 5K distance - my 100th parkrun this weekend) . I don't run 10K that often so I would need to concentrate on it a bit more to really "conquer" it.
I am looking forward to doing a bit of running while in the UK (actually hoping to run every day - but only short 20-30 mins at a time) - we have visited many times before - before i started running - and I am attracted by those canal paths . I have 5 parkruns in mind - but they will be very dependent on weather - being an Aussie , I don't do "running in the rain" (can't see though my specs!!)
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Bazza1234
Graduate10
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Absolutely with you re. the health benefits being top priority. 100 park runs - I am in awe! Bring a long sleeve top if you are coming to the UK soon - it is chilly!!
Running in the rain is the best! Just put a peaked cap on and it keeps the rain off your specs. I've done it twice this week - it's so cold at the moment the rain was more like sleet.
Peaked caps are definitely the way to go. If you never run in the rain, you might be severely limited as to how often you run in the UK. On the other hand, if you are a free agent, then chances are there will be dry(ish) intervals most days.... The time of which is rather hard to predict!
Ooh you're coming to the UK Let me know if you're coming anywhere near East London I can recommend some routes/parkruns to try out
I am yoyoing with the same decision. When I start running again I think I might do one last long run event then stick to 10km's as my immune system seems to prefer them.
Wow Bazza, you've done all that running and 100 park runs without running in the rain? I wear specs and know exactly how you feel with not having any windscreen wipers - can highly recommend the baseball cap....it must rain sometimes in Oz surely.......
Now, I hope you're not telling me you'll forgo a trot round Cambridge parkrun because of a few rain drops? - there is quite a bit if tree cover actually.....
It hardly ever rains where I live ( and we live in the Sub-Tropics) - we can go for months at a time without a drop!!! BUT - when it does rain, we get torrents!!!. You have never seen real rain in the UK!! But Oz is a BIG place and it is different all over. In the Outback, some children can get to the age of 3 or 4 before they see rain .
Great about the 100 Parkruns - let us know how it went. Do you do the same Parkrun or go to various Parkruns? Enjoy Saturday morning Bazza.
On the subject of sticking to 10Ks, I was talking to some long established long distance runners and they look at 5K as being 'tougher' than 10K, HM or full Marathons.
(I was at 88 Parkruns at the end of August and haven't Parkran since . I still run, could possibly run an extra run every week. )
Have mostly been to my local (76) but have also been to 18 other parkruns, including 2 International (San Francisco and Capetown) . The way I see it is that 5K is tougher on the cardio/respiratory system - while HM is harder on the legs/muscles/willpower. 10K is somewhere inbetween.
100 parkruns?! Wow, that is a huge achievement!! Hope you enjoy the trip to old Blighty, and I think your logic for sticking to 10 km makes perfect sense.
I just can't contemplate doing a Marathon atm as that would need some serious training whereas with a 10k I can get by with 3 runs a week and the sessions not taking more than an hour for the longest one.
100 ParkRuns! Well done! I quite like 10km too. I have a few HM but non continuously as yet. Think once I have I might stop! I have ran the whole 10km and up to 12km on one occasion. Personally I think we should do what we enjoy and suits us; if that means staying with 5km or 10km or HM then that's what we should do. We are all in this because we enjoy it or at least most of the time.
Happy running
P.S which ParkRuns are you doing while here in UK?
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. I have 5 parkruns in mind - but they will be very dependent on weather - being an Aussie , I don't do "running in the rain" (can't see though my specs!!) 
. I still run, could possibly run an extra run every week. )
Oh dear God, what have I done? Only gone & entered a 10k...
Running 10K
10k ... at last!
