Hello Everyone and happy weekend. Today is parkrun day, a free 5K event which takes place every Saturday morning all around the world. It is for everyone, slow, fast, able, disabled, big, small and everyone in between. Oh and don't forget about the super Mum's and Dad's who push their babies in buggies. You can walk, jog, run, run/walk, it's not a race, just a run in the park and loads of us here on Bridge to 10K do it religiously every Saturday morning.
parkrun is back thankfully in most Countries around the World. I am hoping for any Countries still struggling with COVID-19 that it returns to you soon.
Some of us may not be able to do a parkrun at the moment so until parkrun returns fully for everyone some of us will continue to take part on our own in a Virtual parkrun every Saturday morning called a (not)parkrun. Or if you are away on Holidays, prefer to run on your own, or do not have a parkrun close by you a (not)parkrun is perfect, please feel free to join in.
Please post a little run report after your parkrun or (not)parkrun and let everyone know how you got on. The little run report can be done over a post parkrun coffee and treat/cake. (parkrun is all about the after run coffee and cake, and meeting friends old and new).
If you are a new graduate and would like to start, all you have to do is run, walk or jog at a parkrun or a 5K run/jog/walk (not)parkrun anytime today or tomorrow and write a little run report under this post. It's like a little community and it is good fun, sets you up nicely for the weekend. If you want to you can register on the parkrun website and you can log your 5K (not)parkrun. In fact you can log any 5K done during the week as a (not)parkrun.
For anyone whom has not done a real parkrun yet and if it is available to you, give it a try. It is the most wonderful community event. Saturday mornings will never be the same again.
Looking forward to hearing from all of you who ran in real proper parkruns and (not)parkruns. Happy running and have a lovely weekend.
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damienair
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No parkrun for me unfortunately this morning. One of my boys has a sore throat and high temperature. So just in case he has gone for a PCR test and we are not going to mix with others for a couple of days.
Hopefully your son is okay and it's just a cold. It's great that your all being responsible keeping distance. Good luck.
This was my 13th and coldest Parkrun so far (although it is mild for time off year), had to scrape frost from car windows.
Did my usual of trying my best by following my pacemaker 😅, but this time there was another runner in the mix and they were gradually passing each other. I just watched and gradually ebbed away ha ha. I didn't stop this time either and tried to push at end, but it's tough. I thought the last km was show but unbelievably it was 4.35 😱 and got new PB of 24:25 which was very surprising! So am feeling quite happy.
Wow, super running and huge congratulations to you on your new parkrun PB. That is just brilliant. A great way to kick off Christmas and end your running year. Happy Christmas and really well done again.
Fingers crossed it’s just a pesky cold Damien. You’re doing the right thing, and I’m sure you’ll be out running again before long. 🤞🤞Hope your son doesn’t feel too rotten. 🤧
Good morning Damien, I hope your son hasn't got Covid 19, my next door neighbour has got Covid brought on by his son contacting it and is in isolation.
Unfortunately I did not get to parkrun, I had made an arrangement with Sparky66 to meet her and she would take me by car to Dunfermline parkrun, I waited at the bus stop for a while, no car came, I got home and found a message apologising saying that she had got a flat tyre and couldn't make it to parkrun, by which time it was too late to go by bus, Instead I am going to go a short run in the park near to where I live.
On Wednesday evening I ran my 79th (not) parkrun in for me a slow time of 42.31, it was the first time I have ran in the dark, I had to wait in all day for a gas engineer to fix my gas boiler, he came at 5pm, I had dinner, waited an hour then went the run, the previous day I had a very sore leg but it was far less sore due to the rest I had on Tuesday evening and most of Wednesday, so that night run was as they say, slow and steady, this morning I ran a short 3K at a far faster pace than Wednesday evening, today 7:03km compared to 8:30km on Wednesday night.
Well done Al on your 79th (not)parkrun. I have not ran all week. I have been stressed out a bit with work and was finishing late. I am going to throw on some gear now and go out for a nice easy gentle 5k. Just Monday left to work and I am off then until the new year.
I was disappointed as well, I saw the bus I usually get but as I had arranged to met Sparky66 at the same bus stop I did not get on the bus, so I waited another 30 minutes until finally going home to find a message from her apologising for not turning up due to a flat tyre on her car, after I had read the message I ran a short 3K run around the park near to where I live.
Hi damienair & park runners, and (not) park runners ,
I did a (not) park run today again as couldn’t trust myself to not try and get a PB on the last park run of the year. Sad to have so little self control 🤣
Hubby did it in 24:40 & no.2 boy in 24:35. He got stitch which slowed him down this week. He rallied to beat his Dad though!
I’ll be back next year trying to not chase the boys for a sub 25 & injure myself.
Wishing all my Park running VRB’s a very very Merry Christmas ❤️🏃♀️🏃🏻♂️
Back “home” to Eastville for me today. Solo again, as my daughter wasn’t able to make it.
A fairly good turnout, but small for Eastville’s standards at just under 400 runners and walkers. I felt ok, but didn’t have the motivation to try for any kind of good time (I’m in the middle of a very busy weekend), so pootled round in (Garmin) 37:27 (official) 37:37.
My Garmin was clearly feeling lazy too, and only recorded 4.79k, so my stats were all over the shop. Goodness knows why 🤷♀️ It’s always been within 0.05k of 5k in the past (depending on taking the inner or outer bend). Today, no rhyme nor reason! Anyway, job done. Onwards with my weekend!
Well done cheeky. I forgot to start my Garmin at the start line so I had to walk for 30m after picking up my token to reach 5k. It’s the first time my parkrun time has been quicker than my Garmin time.
Are you singing this evening? Enjoy yourself. We went to a Christmas concert this week and it was very strange singing in a mask.
I didn’t notice mine was so far off until I synced to my phone Dexy! 🙄
Yes, had a concert last night, one tonight, one tomorrow and a local TV appearance on Monday afternoon! 🥵🎶🎄 We have singing masks, slightly roomier, but they’re odd indeed!
Thankfully we didn’t have to wear masks to sing in our concert last Saturday, although the audience did. Our choir Christmas party was cancelled on Friday though over omicron concerns 😢 The rules really are so confusing!
I am just back. I went out on my own for a 5K (not)parkrun. Perfectly distanced from anyone as the route was very quiet. I think everyone is out shopping. I didn’t look at my watch. I just aimed to run 5K at a comfortable pace without stopping or taking a walking break. I was happy to complete my 5K in 33:07.
Today was my 8th Parkrun and 6th at Lowestoft. Misty, damp morning but lots of fun all the same. Lots of runners and volunteers were dressed up 🎅🏻🎅🏻. I managed to knock 3 secs off my PB, making the push at the end worth the effort! 36.28 and one happy runner! Merry Christmas everyone!
Today I did the Bushy Parkrun as they have pacers on the third Saturday of the month. What a game changer, I knocked nearly a minute off my PB with a time of 31.46 AND I actually enjoyed most of it. Pushed the last 1 km a bit hard to overtake the 32 minute pacer and thought I was going to vomit as I crossed the line, but all good!
Congratulations and very well done. I have volunteered a few times as a pacer for 32, 30, 29 and 28 minutes. I got my parkrun PB following the 26 minute pacer. I was exhausted at the end and felt like vomiting as I crossed the finish line. I knocked my PB from 26:13 down to 25:36. I am a long long way away from those times now.Very well done to you and huge congratulations again. Have a lovely Christmas.
Thank you, anything sub 30 seems AMAZING to me! Looking forward to trying to keep up with the 31 pacer next month maybe... Great thing to volunteer, not sure it's for me as my pacing is rubbish!
Hello lovely running people. It was a Southsea parkrun get together this morning and great to see JonathanP do our parkrun for the first time in about 2 years.
UpTheStanley , Mr Coddfish , JP and I were running and Coddfish and Oldgirlruns were walking as they gently get off the IC.
Surprisingly, I came in at 33.05 after one of those annoying run/walk sessions. I put it down to the Christmas lunch I had this week! Or maybe it was the liquid refreshment? 🍷 However, my age grade score was 61.26% and 71st which looks far better than my actual 237th.
I wore my Santa hat as we won’t be running on Christmas Day this year.
Comedian Rob Deering joined us today but didn’t make himself known. He came in at 20th with a PB in Southsea of 20:27. I bet he couldn’t do his running podcast at that speed!!
Hope your son gets a negative result Damien , and you can have the Christmas you planned.
Well done Dexy and lovely that you got to meet up with all your parkrun friends. Hopefully we will get a negative test, thank you. Have a lovely Christmas. If the test is negative I plan to volunteer next week on Christmas morning.
Lovely photo of you Dexy5, that was a very good parkrun you had this morning, there I was dressed in reindeer jumper and Santa hat but the run I was supposed to have with Sparky66 didn't happen, she apologised telling me when she set off to meet me her car got a flat tyre, never mind, there's always next year, may I wish you, UpTheStanley and all the Southsea Crew a very Happy Christmas and a happy running New Year.
Thank you. That’s a shame about your meet up, but I’m sure you’ll get to do it in the new year. I hope you kept your jumper on for your run around the park.
I hope you get to see your family over Christmas this year.
I did keep my reindeer jumper on for the run around the park but changed into a warmer bonnet, the Santa hats aren't all that warm in cold weather, yes I do hope to see all my family on Christmas Day, that's if none of the children have Covid, at this moment I can't take my neighbours dog Holly a walk, all that family next door have Covid 19, I hope they recover before Christmas.
Sorry, bit late again. My 50th pre-setup today 🤣 Bit of a strange milestone but I’ll take it! It was nearly scuppered by a lack of keys to open up but the cavalry arrived with time to spare. Thankfully we had a huge number of volunteers today so it was all hands to it.
It’s been a very long week and my legs were tired and the lungs weren’t having it but salvation came in the form of a fellow runner who I chatted to for 4km. He kept me at a steady pace and we had a good natter putting the world to rights. He shot off for the final 1km and thanks to him I was able to continue my sub 28min post lockdown Stratford record. If anyone had said to me when I started this lark that I could have a natter and still do sub 6:00 min kilometres I would never have believed them! So 27:43 this week, which is slower than usual but I’m happy with it all things considered.
Katnap is still injured but is slowly getting the odd jog back in. Hopefully he’ll be up to a Christmas Day parkrun 🤞🤞
Happy running happy runny people and have a fabulous, covid free Christmas 🎄🏃🏻♀️ 🎄 🎄🏃🏻🎄
Well done again TC, great running and yes it is fantastic that you can have a natter with a fellow runner and still cross the line in under 28 minutes. Have a lovely Christmas.
Thank you Damien, the same to you. Fingers crossed for that negative test result 🤞
I’ve just heard that our first finisher today, Oliver Dustin, ran for Team GB in the Tokyo Olympics. He was our second fastest ever finisher. He was incredibly fast 💨!!
Went to Meadowmill for the first time since before lockdown. Post 26:22 which is a PB for that course and my second fastest parkrun (overall PB is 25:58 set at Vogrie the week they restarted in Scotland).
Overall, pretty chuffed with my run, as I've been somewhat relaxed in my running this past couple of weeks, so was good to get a sppedy one out.
No PR for me today - Covid postive. But I outdid Les Dawson. It is now illegal for me to visit my mother in law today.I should be out of isolation at midnight 23 December. I am already feeling better and never had more than a moderate cold (thanks to 3 jabs undoubtedly!) so maybe a run (probably short!) on Christmas Eve is my goal.
Great that your symptoms are not too bad. And great that you will be free for Christmas Eve. Great timing. Wishing you all the best over the next few days and have a lovely Christmas.
A cold morning start today for parkrun number 16. I had to scrape the car windows, but thankfully wasn't late.
A very much smaller field today with just 37 runners + 2 tail walkers. There were a few patches of black ice on the paths approaching the start, and there's a warning from one of the other park users that the hard right turn at the lowest part of the course has a bit of ice on it.
I now know some of the regulars by name. As usual, I start at the back and use the first lap to warm up before starting to pass people.
I'm lapped by the leader during the second lap. The second placed guy finishes just as I'm completing my third lap. (There's almost three minutes between their finish times.)
During the hill climb on lap three (of four) I pass a father and daughter pairing. They in turn zoom past me on the final straight, the daughter taking the lead (and setting her own PB). I finish 12 seconds after her.
No PB for me today. My official time is 29'11".
I hang around afterwards. There are some tins of Quality Street and Celebrations being handed round. I choose an Orange Creme.
One guy is running with a backpack. I've seen him here before a few weeks ago. It's a charity thing, I overhear. He's also ex-military.
I'm getting cold and I leave just after the last runners come in. The tail walkers won't finish for another ten minutes.
PS. No parkrun for me next week. This venue won't be holding a run on Christmas Day or New Year's Day. I might have to shop around for a parkrun on New Year's Day.
Well done. I'd be delighted with a sub 30 minute parkrun. Nice run report I'm sure the sweet at the end was very well appreciated. Have a lovely Christmas.
It was great to be able to join Dexy5 ,UpTheStanley ,Oldgirlruns , Coddfish and Mr C at Southsea this morning, particularly as my cold was finally on the wane🤞. We had a chilly easterly breeze, so it was great to turn round halfway and head for home without that!
As I hadn't run since last Saturday's parkrun, I was pleased to achieve 30.10 with a last km of 5.44. I was even more pleased to tuck into a large bowl of porridge afterwards!
Hoping to do Parkrun 43 yesterday, but the red t shirt remains elusive as I too have Covid. Started feeling rough last Sunday and tested positive Monday.Just cold symptoms, but the challenge is not giving it to my husband and messing up Christmas. My isolation ends on the 22nd.
No parkrun for me this week as it was our granddaughter’s 8th birthday so we went to see her. Not much consolation for her mum having postponed her birthday party due to her best friend’s mum testing positive, but we enjoyed it 😃
Well, I actually ran this weekend after Run Directing for the last two weeks. Very happy to get inside my 25 minute bogey time with an official parkrun time of 24'51". Watch time for the run was 24'44" and for 5k, 24'39" (the watch is convinced the run here is really 5020m).
For once the wind was easterly so we started into it. After the usual too brisk start, speed dropped off steadily giving me 12'33 at the turn, but with the wind on the way home I sped up and came back in 12'11", although I was dying over the last 250m or so.
Embarrassingly, I was met by the RD and told I'd screwed up token sorting after last weeks run, and caused not a little excitement in the funnel ....... 🙄😟
Breakfast with Dexy5 , Oldgirlruns , JonathanP and Mr and Mrs Coddfish was convivial and excellent as always.
Away for Christmas so that was my last run of the year. Now, can I start with 2022 with a sub-25 too? Fingers crossed ....
Happy Christmas all, with special thanks to Damien for keeping this going every week!
Congratulations and very well done to you on your sub 25 min run. Great way to finish off the year and celebrate with friends. Have a lovely Christmas.
Recently I have lost all motivation, including a long absence from this forum. I am pleased to say, though, that I have kept on running even if it's only been once some weeks. I don't know what has happened this week because I've run 3 times AND logged a (not) parkrun at a decent pace (for me!). It feels so good to be back !
Festive silliness at woodbank for me. My 3rd time there. I found a turkey hat that I got from some friends in pittsburgh a few years ago on thanksgiving so wore that. Didn't think I was going to race this one as I had bit of a jippy tummy the morning but it cleared up once I had walked around the park in the fresh air for 10 minutes. Just nipped in a 22:59 so definitely a lot happier than I was at about 8am.
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