Pacers: I set off to Parkrun this morning... - Bridge to 10K

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Pacers

BaddieThePirate profile image
BaddieThePirateGraduate10
43 Replies

I set off to Parkrun this morning feeling quite excited as RunaroundSue had told me there would be pacers. Interesting, I've never had the opportunity to follow a pacer before. Maybe I could do a 30 min 5km with someone to follow? So I followed the 30min pacer!

Then I followed the 31 min pacer. Then I followed the 32 min pacer. Then when the 33 min pacer came past me and I was finished I knew it was one of those where I'd just be happy to finish 😁😉

I finished! I can run! Today I'm happy with that 👍🏃🏼‍♀️☠️🦆

I missed the usual crowd, but got invited to join Marple Runners which has been on my to do list for a long time. Friendly bunch.

I know we do this for cake, and was offered a choc bar BUT I'm doing a couple of week of sugar free (well almost, just a couple of pieces of dark choc per day) and I've only got 2 more days to go, so I said no thanks 😮😧

My chocolate habit was becoming expensive, that's why!

Cake next week, cake next week, cake next week cake next............

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BaddieThePirate profile image
BaddieThePirate
Graduate10
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43 Replies
Ang33333 profile image
Ang33333

Well done! I like to run on my own at parkrun and to forget about everyone else. I go off too fast in company and then I can't breathe! Next week I am going to run at the back! I hope the cake tastes good in two days time! 🍰🍫🍭🥧🍦🍩🍪

grumpyoldgirl profile image
grumpyoldgirl

Oh Baddie, parkrun without cake, that's above and beyond, very well done! CP2 and I ran a parkrun with pacers a while ago, but the pacer we were following suddenly bounded off into the distance 🤔😂 I'm guessing she was new to it!

BaddieThePirate profile image
BaddieThePirateGraduate10 in reply to grumpyoldgirl

It can't be easy to be a pacer. I came up with a good idea. Instead of running the whole 5km holding a stick with the pace time on, those xmas reindeer headbands with antlers on springs, but with the antlers replaced by numbers 😀Hands free!

grumpyoldgirl profile image
grumpyoldgirl in reply to BaddieThePirate

🦌 I like it 😁

damienair profile image
damienairAdministrator

Well done. Another Parkrun chalked up. Keep at it, I had no cake today either. I’m going to celebrate my new PB from today by doing my NENDY parkrun next weekend. Followed by a cafe breakfast.

Damien

BaddieThePirate profile image
BaddieThePirateGraduate10 in reply to damienair

Well done on your PB. Enjoy your NENDY and your breakfast 😋

AlMorr profile image
AlMorrAmbassadorGraduate10

I had a piece of BIRTHDAY CAKE this morning at my first parkrun Baddie, it was Dunfermlines 4th birthday run, the cake was nice, I like the bit about you following the 30,31,32 then the 33 minutes pacer and then just throwing the towel in and running at your own comfortable pace. 😊 🏃

RunaroundSue profile image
RunaroundSueGraduate10 in reply to AlMorr

Welcome to the parkrun crowd AlMorr

AlMorr profile image
AlMorrAmbassadorGraduate10 in reply to RunaroundSue

Yes, I enjoyed my first parkrun this morning Sue, I was welcomed by the parkrun director as well when I told him that I just completed my first parkrun. 😊 🏃

RunaroundSue profile image
RunaroundSueGraduate10 in reply to AlMorr

The run directors and for that matter other volunteers and runners are always welcoming to new parkrunners, visitors and regulars. All one big happy family. I love it, although I may have mentioned that before :)

AlMorr profile image
AlMorrAmbassadorGraduate10 in reply to RunaroundSue

👍 No harm on repeating that Sue

BaddieThePirate profile image
BaddieThePirateGraduate10 in reply to AlMorr

Glad you've joined the PR throng, and cake too. Very well chosen first PR 😋. My own pace by then was exhausted 😁. I've decided to look in to heart rate pacing...

AlMorr profile image
AlMorrAmbassadorGraduate10 in reply to BaddieThePirate

I had not got a heart rate pacer with me for my run yesterday, I was not too tired at the end but glad that there was not a fourth lap around the park. 😊 🏃

Oldlady57 profile image
Oldlady57

Well run Baddie both on Parkrun & going sugar free for a couple of weeks!! I wouldn’t survive a few hours without something sweet lol 👍🏻

BaddieThePirate profile image
BaddieThePirateGraduate10 in reply to Oldlady57

It's not my favourite pastime, but I'm begining to feel better for it. I've looked up new recipes and eaten amazing food. I really should keep it up, but I'm dying to stuff my face with ice-cream, biscuits, puddings etc etc... Still, doing well, although I sneaked an extra couple of pieces of choc tonight 🙂

littleOnetwo profile image
littleOnetwoGraduate10 in reply to BaddieThePirate

LOVE the park run atmosphere!

Great work! I’m trying out all the local parkrun to work out which is my fav!

I’ve dramatically reduced my sugar intake (my husband did this quite a while ago and I’ve followed suit)

Saying no to sweet treats is hard but it’s the hidden sugars you have to be aware of we read all labels now and it’s led to a much cleaner living ... our cupboards used to be full of tins and jars, pasta/rice featured heavily and my fridge was empty. Now my fridge is bulging and my cupboards are empty. I cook most things from scratch. My colleagues bought me a Runner’s cookbook it’s the only cookbook I own that I’ve cooked more than one or two recipes from!

I still have the odd sweet treat but feel much better for it (and a bit slimmer!)

The cravings do get less... my advice... keep it up you’ll enjoy the benefits for a long time to come 😁

BaddieThePirate profile image
BaddieThePirateGraduate10 in reply to littleOnetwo

My diabetic friend cooked for me yesterday. A super healthy stir fry...with instant noodles (sugar second on the list of ingredients) where he wanted to add an instant sauce (where there was plenty of added sugar), literally a sugar filled stir fry :( I have been trying to persuade him to cook from fresh, and indeed at one point he could reduce his medication, but started using convenience food again and has had to go back to his original dose of meds.

I think my new recipes will stick with me, and I have become aware of the calorific value of foods these last 2 weeks, so know I can stuff my face full of strawberries, and cream is good, but that is the bit that has to be moderated when I don't need extra fuel.

Spicy prawns! Yum.

littleOnetwo profile image
littleOnetwoGraduate10 in reply to BaddieThePirate

Absolutely!

Folk think they’re eating healthy because that’s what the food they are eating is marketed as but when you actually look at the ingredients they can be soo bad!

Sugar makes thing tasty but is full of empty calories. There’s no denying it is satisfying when you eat it but once that post ingestion high wears off it leaves you feeling sluggish and craving you next sugar fix!!

Fresh fruit, veg and proteins are delicious and full of goodness, if we all went back to basics we’d not need to take supplements nor so much medication like you friend.

Perhaps there some kind of conspiracy?!?!

😍😍to strawberries and cream, delicious 😋

RunaroundSue profile image
RunaroundSueGraduate10

Well done BaddieThePirate

We ran at Nant y Pandy parkun today. It was very nice but more hilly than I expected. We are a Folk on the Farm music festival on Anglesey, so harder tto get up early today.

I did walk part of two hills, finished at 36.51 which was exactly the same time as the Folk on the Farm weekend last year (Penrhyn Castle)

I wonder if I can repeat it next year

BaddieThePirate profile image
BaddieThePirateGraduate10 in reply to RunaroundSue

Well done . I suspect you couldn't get it exact again. Enjoy your festival. The session was really good on Thurs 🎵

Couchpotato2 profile image
Couchpotato2

Haha yes we do it for the cake! 😀

You had a lot of pacers! I found that my best time was when I run with my friend ans she paced me. Last time I followed a pacer they suddenly sprinted away so that was a but depressing...

BaddieThePirate profile image
BaddieThePirateGraduate10 in reply to Couchpotato2

I love that people can have two gears. I'm still a single speed person. Do you think the time will come when we have a faster gear we can engage when we want to? Hope so. I dream of making running look easy instead of the bright pink working hard look I sport currently 😁

Couchpotato2 profile image
Couchpotato2 in reply to BaddieThePirate

Yeah... not sure about it... maybe if the conditions are right :-)

Agelesslass profile image
AgelesslassGraduate10

Hooray, love your posts, some of your comments make me laugh. Well done😃👍

Dexy5 profile image
Dexy5Graduate10

A brilliant parkrun even if it wasn’t PB time. We don’t have pacers but UpTheStanley wanted a gentle run after doing the first timers briefing. So he caught me up after my first km and made encouraging noises along the way. However, there was no way I was going to beat my PB, whatever he said.

Now to turn down cake shows real strength of character 🏃‍♀️🍰🍩

BaddieThePirate profile image
BaddieThePirateGraduate10 in reply to Dexy5

Madness

Irishprincess profile image
IrishprincessGraduate10

Haha I just have an image of you joining whatever group happens to be passing 😂😂, you party crasher you 😂

Enjoy your Marple Runners!

BaddieThePirate profile image
BaddieThePirateGraduate10 in reply to Irishprincess

I do tend to talk to anyone and everyone 😁

Sandie1961 profile image
Sandie1961Graduate10

Not sure if pacers are a good thing or not! I’ve never had them at parkrun. Still, you felt good at the end and cake to look forward to and that sounds good to me 😃

BaddieThePirate profile image
BaddieThePirateGraduate10 in reply to Sandie1961

We don't usually have them. It was Marple runners who had volunteered. It was fun to try out. Not as easy as I'd hoped though!

Kat332zz profile image
Kat332zzGraduate10

We had pacers a couple of weeks ago, they were quite good or at least the 30min one was, I just kept them in sight and I seemed to do sort of even splits on our 3 lap course and finished just outside of the 30 mins.

BaddieThePirate profile image
BaddieThePirateGraduate10 in reply to Kat332zz

Good effort!

cheekychipmunks profile image
cheekychipmunksGraduate10

Our parkrun doesn’t have any pacers Baddie, so yours sounds fantastic. I’ve only been aware of them at the Bristol 10k, but didn’t use them. It certainly would be handy at PR, although yesterday would have been useless as I had no muscles in my legs after running 17k on Thursday! Did it though in not too bad a time, and I’m now having 2 or even 3 days off!

Sugar free though? What is that exactly? 😅🤔 Huge kudos sticking to it. Enjoy PR and well deserved cake next weekend! 🏃‍♀️ 🍰 👍

RunaroundSue profile image
RunaroundSueGraduate10

Marple parkun seems to have pacers once or twice a year.

Although I am available more often. Three times people have said they will run with me - to slow them down!

My usual time at Marple is between 35 and 36, but aftet a quicker start I settle down to a very steady pace. Even marshals have commented on it.

I should say that as far as I know it is only friends that use me this way. Apparently I am helpful to people with asthma as I stop them rushing away :)

I don't mind, I just enjoy the run, on mu own or chatting.

Pianism profile image
PianismGraduate10 in reply to RunaroundSue

I won't be beating you anytime.soon, Sue! Or using you as a pacer...

Katnap profile image
KatnapGraduate10

I think you are fixating too much on doing 5k in 30 minutes.... and possibly cake 😁

BaddieThePirate profile image
BaddieThePirateGraduate10 in reply to Katnap

I think you are right. I went out again on Sunday with the local group and stuck to the back for a recovery run. I might look at heart rate running and get a monitor. Any advice?

Katnap profile image
KatnapGraduate10 in reply to BaddieThePirate

I recently got a Garmin smartwatch with GPS and HRM so I can log runs without carrying my phone.

I did have another watch with HRM but it didn't pair up properly.

Some people swear by Apple products so if you have an iPhone a Fitbit could be for you. Tailchaser used iPhone 5 and Charge 2 with no problems.

Have you got your eye on anything particular?

BaddieThePirate profile image
BaddieThePirateGraduate10 in reply to Katnap

Nope, not technically inclined really, so having first think

Colinsmith profile image
Colinsmith

We have pacers the first run of every month. I’ve been honoured to wear the luminous bib once so far; it’s actually pretty easy. You volunteer for a time a couple of minutes slower than your usual and the run director sends you a list of marker points around the course and split times. As long as you’ve a watch you just adjust pace to that. I tend to get a bit excitable and speed up in the last 500m so I had to watch that a little! I came in 7 seconds ahead of pace which was OK, but some of the other pacers were hitting **’59’’ which is pretty amazing.

Pianism profile image
PianismGraduate10

Sorry I missed you and sorry I missed the Pacers too. I'd really like to run with a 30 minute pacer one week and see if I can push myself.

Mind you, at present I'd be happy to be just able to walk round it! :)

BaddieThePirate profile image
BaddieThePirateGraduate10 in reply to Pianism

Hope you're on the mend...?

Pianism profile image
PianismGraduate10 in reply to BaddieThePirate

We'll get there! :)

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