Park Run! Love it! 😁😁👟👟🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️🌞

[Ang33333]

I love Park Run! I have run two now, not very fast but I ran...!

But I love volunteering even more! Much less painful! I've done bar code scanning and today I was a marshal. Love talking to all the runners and clapping and encouraging. If you've never volunteered, I'd highly recommend it. My husband loves it too, he's injured so his return to running will have to wait a bit longer. He decided he could run 5k straight away after 15 years of no running. Now his knee is like a football! I did warn him..!

Going to run next week. Will run it once a month I think. Maybe one day I will get below 40 mins..! 🤪🤪

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate10]

Nice for you to be a marshall at this mornings Parkrun Ang33333, yes you should take it in turns, once a month running and the other 3 Saturday's volunteering on the various duties that volunteers do. Nice photo of you and your husband.

[Ang33333 in reply to AlMorr]

Once a month feels enough for running it. It's a challenging course. No big hills but much of it is an uphill incline and it saps my energy!

[cheekychipmunks Graduate10]

Yay Ang, well done for volunteering! I’ve done it twice (run 7 times) and it’s brilliant isn’t it? I think parkrun is the best! Ours has its 1st birthday in a couple of weeks and we’re being encouraged to run wearing onesies!! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃🏃😳😳😅😅

[Ang33333 in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Oh brilliant! Ours is only 5 runs old! 😁

[linda9389 Graduate10 in reply to Ang33333]

Wow, very young. At ours today they said one of the Christmas ones will be the 500th one (I've done it just twice !!!)!

[Ang33333 in reply to linda9389]

I've only run twice. It's hard! 5k on my normal route is routine now. But on the park run it's grass...not my favourite surface!

[pianoteacher Graduate10]

I love volunteering too Ang - it's a very rewarding experience 😁 I think mixing it up is a very good idea. I know some people run it flat out every week but I've decided that's not for me - it's very hard work and not always enjoyable.

I'm hoping to be a pacer in a couple of weeks which I think will be fun.

Hope hubby's knee is better soon x

[Ang33333 in reply to pianoteacher]

So does he! I'm happy to plod around near the back! 😁

[mountaindreamer Graduate10 in reply to pianoteacher]

Wow - I’m impressed you can be a pacer, pianoteacher ! I’ve just no idea how pacers stay so spot on time - even with added gps watch assistance! ❤️

[pianoteacher Graduate10 in reply to mountaindreamer]

I haven't done it before so it might be a complete disaster! I'll let you know how I get on.

My parkrun is almost completely flat so it should be much easier to do than on a hilly one 🤞

[Dexy5 Graduate10]

Well Done Ang33333. I love being marshal too. I’m booked in for tail walker in December as I will be running the day after. You get a tick for volunteering and taking part for that one.

[Ang33333 in reply to Dexy5]

I'd like to do that too. 😁

[over61andstilltrying Graduate10]

You are a true advert for volunteering!😊

[Ang33333 in reply to over61andstilltrying]

Ha ha! It's fun! And my legs don't ache! 😁😁

[ju-ju- Graduate10]

Fabulous..... Parkrun is so good 😊

[Ang33333 in reply to ju-ju-]

It really is. 😀

[MutleyShuffle Graduate10]

Well volunteered Ang! I volunteered today too, I was Tailwalker, it was great fun! Last time I was marshal, which I loved too. Such a great atmosphere at the Park Runs, sets you up for the weekend 😁

[Ang33333 in reply to MutleyShuffle]

And has made me want to go out for a 5k run in the rain tomorrow!

[MutleyShuffle Graduate10 in reply to Ang33333]

Enjoy! 😁👍🏃

[18Windmill]

Great thing to do. Glad you’ve enjoyed it. Hope hubby’s knee gets better in time to join you on your future park runs! 👍👍👍

[Ang33333 in reply to 18Windmill]

He will be way faster than me! He says he can't run as slow as I do! But I'm not the one with ice on his knee tonight ha ha!

[linda9389 Graduate10]

I volunteered and was allocated an early marshalling role and then token sorting. Really enjoyed it. When I ran it again today - for the second time - it felt so much more homely (despite over 700 runners taking part today!), I felt like part of the team

[Ang33333]

700! Wow. About 150 at ours. 😁

[mountaindreamer Graduate10]

Sounds like you’re a real Parkrun convert, Ang. 😊❤️

Have to admit that I’ve only volunteered once so far, when I couldn’t run. I’ll do so when I can’t again, but I like running them when I can.

We’re pretty lucky at ours, as there seems to be a dedicated core team of main volunteers who show up every week. Some are non-runners, or long term injured runners, or old runners who can no longer run. Others seem to be very fit young runners who normally do much bigger distances, but who seem to enjoy volunteering to help encourage newer or less fit runners.

As our used to be a 3 lap course (recently changed to 2), I was amazed how tiring marshalling was. By the time I’d yelled encouragement and rattled my sleigh bells for the whole field, the fast runners were already coming behind the slow runners to do there next lap. I was pretty hoarse with an aching bicep after doing that constantly for nearly an hour! 😂😂

[Ang33333]

It is tiring! I was in a section where runners were being lapped so had to do a lot of shouting. We have a core team but they need volunteers to. If there are enough, they can sometimes run too 😁

[BaddieThePirate Graduate10]

Great idea. I haven't been for a while because the local group runs on a Sunday. I could go and volunteer!

[Ang33333 in reply to BaddieThePirate]

It's great, whatever job you do. And I still get to run on Sunday! 😀

[UnfitNoMore Graduate10]

Men! 😂. He will learn... I did!

Parkrun doesn’t match my running plan often, but I’m volunteering lots... juniors in the morning.

[Fabulous450 Graduate10]

Fantastic Ang!! I should definitely try volunteering! I might make a good cheerleader! Well done you!😀 I hope the hubby recovers swiftly! ❤️