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.
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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Morning or afternoon Aussie time damienair & (not) park runners, and park runners,
No Park run for me today as I needed an easy run to finish off my first 50k week of the year! I know itβs not a race but I just have so little self control when it comes to park run π€£
Hubby and one of our boys ran it. Our no.2 son had his new birthday Aftershokz minis to try out. We had had some rain so the park run course was slippy. He was happy with his 23:31 even though he couldnβt do his normal sprint finish due to the wet. Hubby also took it easy (for him) and came in at 27:08.
Happy park running everyone β€οΈπββοΈππ»ββοΈ
π€£ That made me laugh, I have just the same lack of self control at parkrun as you π€£Youβve got some very speedy boys there! Well done No.2 ππ
Ha ha π€£ Least weβre realists. Itβs a tricky one though with distance training as I really shouldnβt be pushing hard when Iβm also upping mileage.
My 12 year old is missing in action. Hopefully he will be back parkrunning with me again soon. Itβs a lovely way to spend family time together. Your boy is super fast.
He often goes to our run club with his Dad for interval training. Thereβs some very good runners there so hopefully he will get inspired to keep running.
Thanks Dexy5 πJust need to get all our five boys out of bed & the two dogs. What a park running family we would be π€£ππ»ββοΈππ»ββοΈππ»ββοΈππ»ββοΈππ»ββοΈππ»ββοΈπββοΈππβπ¦Ί
Congratulations to your No. 2 son on running and coming in 20th in a excellent time of 23.31, that time for a 12 years old boy must be around the 80% age grading
The park runs have not started here yet, hopefully soon as the gathering restrictions are easing slowly.I run in parks most of the time anyway and tonight was at a park next to work. Did 5.5k -the last run of JJMP week1
Have fun on the magic plan Me-time. Thatβs when I started to really enjoy my running. I hope parkruns return near you soon as itβs the perfect 5k run of the week.
Iβve just ran at River Valley parkrun in Dublin this morning. This was my 94th parkrun and I did some solo tourism. Beautiful warm spring morning, isnβt it lovely to be able to run with just a T-Shirt again. This was a lovely 2 lap course, there was a lovely downhill section but of course that had to be repaid with a steep long uphill section, done twice. I loved that run and finished with a Garmin time of 30:37.
Awesome Damien. Itβs so lovely to see that your running mojo is well and truly on the up, and thatβs a great time for you again! ππββοΈπ
Good morning everyone! A slight panic this morning when I realised that I had forgotten my barcode π€¦πΌββοΈ I was thinking that it was going to be my not #48 parkrun and almost went home without running, but I did it anyway and asked Mr S to send me a photo in case that would be accepted and thankfully it was. So a time of 32.38 and still on track for my 50th on my 4th runniversary of W1R1 of Couch 2 5k ππ No parkrun for the next 2 weeks though, because weβre off skiing in Whistler (which does have a parkrun, because I looked it up, only not in winter βΉοΈ)
Great that you got your parkrun recognised. There are a few parkrun apps available which are worth downloading. I forgot my barcode a few weeks ago and realized I could get my barcode off the app. It scanned fine. So handy to have as a backup. Enjoy your Skiing holiday.
Coddfish was scanning today and was having real problems with the garmin watches. It is easier for volunteers if you continue to use a real barcode and it also shows your emergency contact in case of accident. I will use my phone if I have forgotten my barcode, like Sandie1961 . But I often have a wristband and a barcode tag on my shoes so not much chance of that now.
Yes, if you have the Garmin watch widget it's most reliable to get it to display a QR code rather than the tiny barcode. (I do carry my barcode card, but have it on my watch as a backup.)
Although I do have the wrist band, I've never used it!
I got halfway to the seafront this week before I realised I didnβt have my garmin on. π± I had to go back for it because a run didnβt happen if itβs not on connect. What has happened to me?
I remember we both forgot them one day, so UTS ran home after his run to get them there before the tailwalkers got in. After that we bought the mini tags for our shoes. π
Thank you π Seems strange to be getting ready for skiing just as Spring is in full flow, but after a 2 year hiatus, I am really looking forward to it (even better - pre departure covid tests scrapped from next Friday as are mandatory face coverings indoors and on ski lifts π)
What a busy week you have had Sandie. All good for skiing endurance too. Have a great time and Iβll get the map out to point out the best cinnamon swirls.
Weβre on the tourist trail again today. Weβve just done Pocket parkrun in St Neots. It was absolutely perfect running weather, stunning blue sky, warm with just a little cool breeze - for once I didnβt mind the headwind.
Flat course (itβs Cambridgeshire so no surprise) but lots of different surfaces - a few with rocky trip hazards. However, this was the last week of their winter course. We missed running by the river which was a shame, so maybe weβll come back to do that one day.
Iβm not sure what my official time was but it was around 28 mins. As usual I said I would pootle, and as usual I didnβtβ¦ ππ
My 99th today so getting really excited about next week! Have a great runny week everyone πͺπππ
Oh well done TC, I was a fellow tourist this morning. How exciting, 1 more to go. Iβm 5 behind you. Best wishes for a super run next weekend and 100th parkrun celebrating π₯³.
Thanks Damien, yes, finally! I bet you feel yours has taken forever too! We should be nearer 200 than 100 by now if it hadnβt been for lockdown. Really looking forward to it π
Counting them down JP πYes, it was lumpy at Pocket. Itβs usually tree roots but this was big, pointy rocks. I was being a bit of a catastrophist and winding myself up thinking Iβd trip on the last lap because Iβd be tired and that would rule me out of my 100th next week, but it didnβt so itβs still happening π
Good afternoon Damien, this morning was my 39th parkrun, a beautiful morning for running, I meant to go to Dunfermline parkrun but decided to go to my other parkrun at Drumpellier, next week definitely Dunfermline, happy to tell you that my time this morning was 32.01, far better than two weeks ago when it was 33.24, my ankle is no longer sore, this afternoon at 1.50 will be my annual eye test.
Thanks RunWillie, the lady 2 secondsahead of me at the finishing line told me that she used me as her pacer, she passed me at only 20 metres to go, I used her for my pacer on those last 20 metres, that's the first time that has happened at a parkrun for me ππΎππΎ
Great time there AlMorr I was the official 28 minute pacer at Dunbar today and even had a bib with the number 28 on my back to prove it. Finished at 27:54 so just about got it spot on.
Great run for you today sTrongFuse, you may remember that we ran our first parkrun on the same day in July 2019, I think your's was at Gorgie, mine was at Dunfermline.
I do indeed. Mine was Vogrie, which is very scenic but has a long uphill section that, of course, has to be done twice. Despite it being the hilliest of my local ones, it's still where my Parkrun PB of 25:56 is.
Good to see you're still getting them under your belt.
It feels as though Spring has sprung up here! I managed another 5k today; that is 2x5k and 1x4k this week. That 14k is further than I have managed in any month since November! It was slow, particularly the last 2k when I could βfeelβ my left calf/peroneal following a mini slide on a newly laid surface. I attacked it with a massage ball as soon as I got home and it already feels better. No foot swellingβ¦in fact it shrank a bitβ¦β¦so a really good morning. I need to build up a bit more confidence/fitness before heading for a real Park Run, but at least it seems like a possibility now π
Iβm really pleased that things are improving for you Beachcomber66 . Take it steady and Iβm sure you will be back to parkrun. πββοΈππ
So wonderful to hear that youβre back again Beachcomber66 ! Would you be up for a VRB PR meetup some time this summer? I get twitchy tourism vibes this time of year! π
A nice thought, thank you. I have been thinking that a Park Run meet up is easier and more flexible (in terms of fitting around my injuries!) than these big set pieces runs. I still plan to do the GSR, but that is a long way off. Sandie has mentioned a trip North when I am Park Run fit again. I am happy to travel too. Senior rail cards have their uses! We are having a 3 week break in our favourite spot in June and have decided to leave an Alaska trip, which is daughter related, until 2023. So there should be plenty of scope. π
Number 35 back home at lyme for the 11th time. Lordy me was it this hot everywhere else today? Didn't stop me crushing a new course pb by 52 seconds! Had some friends from local running club join and so we all went for ice cream afterwards. What a marvellous day!
Hello damienair and VRBs. We did a cheekychipmunks this morning and left the house at 6.30 to visit Osterley parkrun which is very close to the hockey club where UpTheStanley was due to play at 10.00. Unfortunately he was unable to take part but he could stay long enough to see me run the first lap. Osterley House is a National Trust property set in beautiful grounds, and the run was 2 laps on a mixture of tarmac, stone and woodland paths. What a glorious day for it too. My first lap went really well (about 16 mins) as I kept pace with a couple in front of me and then I got the stitch so I had to do a bit of walk/running until it went away . I came in in under 35 minutes so that was good enough for me for a new event.
This weekend was also the start of Fentonβs (Southsea parkrun bear) summer tour of parkrun events, so we had the pleasure of introducing him to the RD and volunteers, who were delighted to meet him. He will be sending a post on Facebook each week to let us know where he goes.
That's a lovely photo of Fenton, UpTheStanley and you Dexy5, I see that Fenton will be in Ireland next, any chance of him coming to any parkruns in Scotland?,That was a wonderful run for you today at Osterley Parkrun, sounds a beautiful place to run.
I noticed a photograph of you and Cheekychipmunks on the Southsea Parkrun Facebook page running last week on your 100th Parkrun, once again congratulations on Number 100.
This morning I ran my 13th parkrun at Drumpellier, No 39 altogether, there is a photo of me running, it's on the Drumpelliier Parkrun Facebook page, if you wish to see it, tap the +201 photo, then scroll down to the number 26th photo, I am the old guy with the beard, my time was 32.01.
Yes that's me, the old guy with the beard, I wanted to run in shorts, however, when I left the house the temperature was only 2C, by the time that photograph was taken, the temperature had risen to 9C, later in the day I got my annual eye examination dead on time at 1.50pm.
Oh yes please Dexy, let me know. Iβm only 30 minutes away from Dublin if Fenton is making an appearance at a Dublin parkrun. Iβm trying to tick all the Dublin parkruns off my list.
Fantastic Dexy! Iβd love to do a London parkrun at some point. So close to Bushy too! UTS needs a hockey match near there next!Love the idea for Fenton! Heβll have to go on the UK parkrun tourists Facebook page and get a Cow cowl when heβs done his 20th!
The Mecca of parkrun is definitely on our must do list. Would you believe there was a runner with the surname of Fenton running at Osterley today. Spooky π±
No parkrun for me today as we had 2 granddaughters on sleepover last night, which kept us busy this morning! So I enjoyed a pleasant (not) parkrun of 29.38 yesterday.
Glad you had fun with the little ones Jonathan! Possibly as much of a workout as PR itself! I took my toddler grandson swimming this afternoon. Now I need my couch! π΄ π
Today, after being cancelled for 2 years due to COVID, Lochend Woods in Dunbar got to celebrate its first birthday. Coincidentally, it was my 30th Parkrun. As part of the celebrations, I volunteered as the 28 minute pace runner and did it in 27:54 which was actually a PB on that route (my absolute Parkrun PB is 25:56 at another of my local routes).
Sunshine and blue skies to greet the 123 runners who made it along and, best of all, there was cake...
That sounds brilliant and super well done on your pacing, you nailed it. I used to love doing pacer, I think Iβve done 28, 29, 30, 32 minutes. Itβs a great way to run and volunteer. Great running.
I did an odd thing this morning and ran at my home PR, Eastville. Iβve volunteered there a number of times recently, but my runs have all been tourist ones in between. So Jenny and I thought we should return, and what a lovely day for it. βοΈπ
Of course, I havenβt been tackling hills much of late, so my legs adopted jelly mode! I was surrounded by Jeffers, so I passed, and was passed by, the same people for a lot of the way. My time was average for Eastville at 37:44 (37:33 Garmin). Jenny came in at 30:32 and she was pleased as she hasnβt run a step since we did Severn Bridge together 3 weekends ago! Oh to be 28, not 58!!
Itβs annoying when what youβve written gets lost isnβt it? Itβs happened to me far too many times with web sites over the years so these days I write in Word then cut and paste into the web page. As well as significantly reducing the number of lost messages, it also has the advantage of Wordβs spelling checker (something thatβs very useful for me).
Sounds like it was good training for your legs today and thatβs a good showing of daffs at the entrance.
Thanks SM. Yes Iβm going to work on hilly leg strength this summer. Iβll do Ashton Court a few times which should help! π³
As for lost messages, itβs so annoying isnβt it? Iβm not as organised as you and donβt often type it out beforehand - but itβs soul destroying retyping stuff so maybe Iβll do it more often! ππ
Fy barkrun cyntaf yng nGymru. Rhif 26 heddiw: Hafan Pwllheli.
My first parkrun in Wales. It's a run on the beach: out along the shore and back.
Oldfloss has done it a few times.
I arrived much too early at 8.40am, fearing I'd get stuck behind a tractor on the B roads from Aberdaron. Most of the runners there today were visitors. There were a few local regulars, but they knew when to arrive and didn't really hang around after.
The first obstacle was the trek across very soft sand from the car park to the beach.
There were 25 of us today, including the tail walker.
I was wearing my trail toeshoes for traction and protection against the pebbles.
After one of the quickest course briefings ever ("Out there in the distance is a lady near a cone. Turn round there and come back here.") we were off.
Stupid me. I forgot my own advice and surged off with the pack. It took me about a minute before I realised my mistake and eased off the pace.
Boy, was it hard going! Either the sand was too soft and robbed you of any "bounce" or it was wet and sticky, or it was loose shingle which crunched away your momentum and tested your ankle strength. Occasionally it was firmly packed and you could use a more normal gait.
I gradually gained on a man with a dog, and passed him. About 2km in, in dealing with some shingle, my left little toe decided to get misaligned with the "toe" of the shoe. At the turnaround point, I stopped and fiddled with the shoe for about 15 seconds before starting back.
The return leg was in some ways harder. I knew what I was aiming for but it looked like a dot in the distance, under the buildings of Plas Heli.
In some ways the sand felt softer going back. The tide was almost at its lowest. I tried to look for my own footprints but only thought I saw them once. I was fighting the beach, which in turn was robbing me of my energy.
It was getting harder and harder. About 300m from the end I realised I was struggling, and decided to walk. I walked about 125m then felt able to continue to run to the end. Looking back at the stats my HR was 180bpm for most of the final 2km and I'd been motoring at my natural pace about 5'35"/km for most of that.
Into the funnel, and barcodes scanned. I hang around and chat until they start to clear up. Some oystercatchers call from the shoreline and choughs sit on the signs at the beach edge.
One couple say they're doing "The World's Steepest Street Run" in Harlech later today. It's 6.2km with an ascent of 50m up a 37.5% incline for 322m of that, but they did say they might walk that bit.
The first finisher did it in 19'12". A wiry 70+ guy did it in 26'29". I had a clear gap between the couple who finished before me (over a minute) and the guy who finished behind me (nearly two and a half minutes).
Then "home" via Lidl.
This one was very very hard work. Next time, I'll have to think of a better strategy.
You put your foot down and the sand absorbs your landing and then also absorbs the push off you then have to do. You can't "bounce" using the energy in the springiness of your Achilles tendon.
Thatβs an amazing time at Pwllheli nowster, no wonder you found it so hard, it is!! I think I did it in 32 minutes with Oldfloss a few years back and itβs still my highest finishing position (there were about 70 runners that day).
The whole centre , by the carpark, with the cafe in , is a shadow of what it was. They are trying to get new caterers... it is sad, as it is a lovely place to wander in and chat after the run...fingers crossed!
Last time we were there, there was a terrific buzz about the place and the views.. wow
It could happen again... well , if they got me, they will surely get you... ! You will look amazing I am sure!
Coffee with VRBs...after a beach park run. Not so virtual !
Very well done on your first parkrun in Wales π΄σ §σ ’σ ·σ ¬σ ³σ Ώ and a beach run too. Great day for it. Very well done too on your very good finish time.
I walked one lap of Pomphrey Hill this morning (itβs a three lap course). I then headed to the start for my volunteer slot as timekeeper. So, although I didnβt run in a ParkRun today, I was involved; is it OK for me to post here on that basis?
Itβs much nicer standing around now that the weatherβs warmer and it was great being outside on a gloriously sunny day!
For what itβs worth, I headed out in the afternoon for a solo 5k.
Parkrun #10 for me. I think I must be hooked as I started 10 weeks ago and haven't missed one. Back in West Norfolk for a parkrun at Sandringham. The number of runners were swelled by a visit from the Dereham running club. It was a glorious morning, very sunny and we ran round the woodland trail before it became too hot.
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