Long time to get going

[Ritmo]

I'm a regular Parkrunner and recently it seems to take me until around the 3k mark to settle into a rhythm and a stready pace. Does anyone have an idea how I can improve this?

[damienair Administrator]

Do you have a running watch. I have my watch set to record and display average pace and it works great to pace. So say for example if I was trying to run a 35 minute 5K parkrun time I would need to be running at a 7 minute per kilometer pace. If I was running at a 6:50 min/km pace I could slow down a little. And likewise if going a little slower at a 7:10 min/km pace you could speed up a little.Also keep an eye out for people at parkrun who run at a similar pace to the pace you want to run at and stick to them at the start line and during your run. Also start in the pack with people of a similar pace to you so as you don’t start off running too fast. But most of all enjoy it.

[Irishprincess Graduate10]

You could try a really good warm up including a very slow gentle run beforehand. Then by the time the race starts you’ll be raring to go!

[Yesletsgo Administrator Graduate10]

The first 10 minutes of a run are apparently always hard work, the dreaded 'Toxic 10'. Warming up is key, maybe have a run around for 10 minutes to get everything working.The other thing that helps me is breathing. I've done quite a few NRC guided runs for 5k+ and the first part is always a gentle start to get your breathing under control. If you're warmed up and breathing properly the rhythm finds itself.

I have a tendency to start off far too fast and have to make a very conscious effort not to overdo it in the early stages. Set your running watch so that you can keep an eye on your pace and possibly your heart rate Like damienair says if you're going too fast or slow it's easy to adjust what you're doing as you go along.

Garmin Connect has a feature where you can specify a distance eg 5k and the time you want to complete it in then play around with the pacing strategy. So, for me, if I want to do my Parkrun in 40 minutes I know that if I start off at 9 mins/km I'll need to be doing 6:45 mins/km for the final km or perhaps I could aim for 7:48 the whole way through. I find this really helpful as a planning tool though I've never actually run with it doing its thing.

Keep at it Ritmo, you'll get there!

[Roxdog Graduate10]

Toxic ten! Or 15! Try warm up exercises. I always do some breathing exercises too. They seem to help.

[John_W Graduate10]

The more effective your warm-up, the better your run will be.

15 minutes before the start of the parkrun, try a 10 minute jog - the point is get the legs moving and get warmed up. Trust me, it make a big difference.