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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Hi damienair & (not) park runners and park runners,
No Park run for me again as I tested positive to Covid. I ran 5 miles on Monday. The last time I only ran once in a week was when hubby and my boys had Covid & I was a close contact.
Hubby & no.2 son went to Park run. No PB’s today as pretty windy. 25:35 & 21:22
Good afternoon Damien, today was my 47th parkrun, No. 27 at Dunfermline, for the first time ever there were some pace makers, pace makers for 24,26,28,30 and a pacemaker for 32 minutes, yes, you guessed it, I followed the pacemaker for 32 minutes, I suppose that meant a time of 32 something, anything under 33 minutes, my time was one second behind that 32 minute pacemaker at 32.50, the pacemakers time was 32.49, my second quickest time at Dunfermline parkrun this year.
Yes it was, there were a few other runners running along with me and the 32 minutes pacemaker, I told the pacemaker about 500 metres into the run that I wouldn't pass him although I was going slower than I usually do at that stage of the run, of course I knew with hills at just after 1K that I would then struggle a little bit, however, I managed to keep up with him for the duration of the run despite a strong headwind on certain parts of the course. 😊 🏃🏾.If there were pacemakers at the parkrun I have had several PB's I would try to run with the 30 minute pacemaker as that parkrun is flat with no hills, my PB at that parkrun is 30.09
Well done on the under 33 time, I still think the pacer should aim for just under their stated time but it is hard. We have pacemakers at our park run on the last Saturday of the month. I tried to do it last time aiming for 35, but came in at 34:05, I panicked on the last 1k thinking I was behind pace, but in actuality I had been ahead, I need glasses to read my watch! Will try again next month and try to get nearer to the time stated on my back!
That was a good run for you Kat332zz on achieving that time of 34.05, during my run yesterday I noticed that 32 minute pacemaker looking at his watch a few times, I asked him around the 3K mark how our time was, he told me we were about 31.55 /5K time, however, by the end of the run we were just under 33 minutes, I told him I wouldn't pass him but I did think to myself that my time was nearer 33 than just over 32 minutes, that run must have to him been "a WALK in the park" he normally laps me at parkrun as his usual time is a sub 25 minute 5K at around 24.55. 😊
Yep, last time I followed, a way back, a 33 pacer, wanted a 35 min run, to find he’d stopped at the last corner, out of sight from further back, to tell us that I would easily make 33, which I did 32:40! Like your one he usually runs way faster. It’s a difficult line to hit. My watch is usually not far out from my official Parkrun time, but I find it difficult to read the small print when running. I must see if I can find a way for it to show me the figure I want, predicted finish time, in large digits. I can read pace but our course, like most, is not flat, so pace varies throughout and I am not a human computer especially when running, 7 +7-35, can defeat me then!
Really liked that course. Can imagine I'd probably really not like it after a big rain storm! Nice and dry but not rock hard. Still a bit of spring from the ground so about as good as it gets I expect and it showed. First finisher was around 17 minutes! Nearly 2 minutes ahead of second.
Today's time (just about nipped under 22 minutes) last week would have got 3rd but today I was down in 10th. Good conditions here obviously bring out the best athletes.
Next week's plan is to return to Macclesfield and see if I can get my brother to join me there again.
New nendy is Burnage although that and Stamford park are both exactly 21km away from here.
This morning I traveled to Fairview parkrun in Dublin with my almost 13 year old pre teenager with teenage attitude Oisin. It was my 103rd parkrun and Oisin’s 42nd parkrun. It was a lovely city park with a 3 lap figure of 8 type course. The volunteer team were super cheerful and friendly.
I really struggled today, I had a bit of a cold earlier in the week. My first 2K was fine but then I ran out of steam and had to take a few walking breaks. My last kilometre was good where I regained my energy. My finish time was 32:43 and Oisin struggled too following his cold but still managed a very respectable 27:02. On our way home we stopped off and treated ourselves to a lovely post parkrun breakfast. A lovely morning out with my Son. The minute we came in the door again he transformed back into a moaning teenager again 😂. It was nice while it lasted.
Well done on your run today. I can sympathise with having a moody son, mine turns 13 in August! You never know quite which personality you’re gonna get each day! 😁
Hello! Not a great run for me today either. The wind speed was around 30kph and I seem to have picked up a niggly left thigh/glute/hip following a hills training session with my club on Monday so had to take a couple of walking breaks. Time was 32.52 though, so not too bad. Have been foam rolling and will have a few days off running as we are taking the campervan to the Yorkshire Dales for a few nights. 🤞🏻 that will sort it out!
22nd parkrun for me today at Lowestoft. It was/is a beautiful day out there. Windy going one way and the sun in your face going the other way. I’m not sure which was worse! 😂🤷🏻♀️ If I’m honest I didn’t enjoy it today until the last kilometre (when I knew the end was in sight!). It was too warm for me and there was no shade. I was just glad to get round. I did appreciate the runners who were overtaking me or had already finished, shouting out encouragement as they went past. I love the community spirit of Parkrun.I’m slowly chasing down that 25 T-Shirt! 💜
Hello damienair and fellow Parkrunners!It was a bit warm this morning and sunny too. I started my NRC guided run well before I got to the briefing, 40 minutes of 'Running towards your goal' (recommended). I normally finish in under 40 minutes so didn't want to miss the end lol.
I felt I started quite quickly. If I hadn't slowed down in the 4th km I'd have come within a whisker of my PB but I wasn't really in the mood to push too hard. The heat and the headwind weren't my friends plus my hat kept falling off. Luckily it clips on by a string so I didn't have to chase after it
I can get a bit competitive and as we reached the end I overtook a much younger man who looked like a 'proper' runner, all long legs and the air of someone who wasn't even trying. Checking the results he was only about 10 years younger than me so is obviously well preserved. I have a feeling he was being polite. At this point another younger male runner overtook me too. Not having that! I speeded up and crossed the line before both of them. I was 27/36 women and 79/95 overall, so about my normal achievement.
As I crossed the line my husband said 'I was 10 minutes faster than you!' ... not that we're competitive 😂
Parkrun number 34 for me today, back on my home course.
As some of you might be aware, this weekend sees Heaton Park in North Manchester hosting the Parklife festival. That meant that there was no parkrun there today and their regulars dispersed to neighbouring courses.
Our numbers today were swelled from the more usual 60-70 to 109. It was a glorious morning: bright and warm (but cooler under the trees) in the park with a little breeze.
I arrived later than I'd hoped due to a couple of last minute loo visits.
Lining up there were a few regulars and a lady from Taunton in Somerset I'd met here a couple of times when she'd been up visiting her mum.
We set off about a minute early. I held back as usual for the first 400m.
A surprise! The guy who usually finishes a couple of places in front of me was there as a marshal for the first turn this week. I hadn't seen him for a few months. He's had some surgery and can't run at the moment.
As we progress up the incline alongside the river I start to move up the field. Eventually I'm just behind Taunton lady and a guy with a bum bag which sounds like it has Marley's chains in it.
As so often on the first few laps, I power up the S-shaped climb, leaving them behind. The square rose garden is flat but has eight right angle turns (two to get in, four inside, and two to get out). Everyone's slow here.
Then a very slight climb to the archway and then onto the slight downhill slope of the main way (a former road) through the park. This is where the start and finish points are.
And I do that another three times. The last lap is always harder than the earlier ones.
As I was completing the third lap I hear higher pitched grunting every couple of seconds coming from behind me. No, it wasn't Monica Seles or Serena Williams, but one of the regular guy runners doing a sprint finish. (He came third and set a new PB for himself.)
I spend most of the final lap balancing between pushing too hard and easing off. No sprint finish for me, but I didn't feel bad at the end.
I get slightly distracted by the new watch saying I'd finished quite a way before I had actually got to the finish line. Odd!
Across the finish line, collect the place token, and get myself scanned in.
Then I wait to clap a few in, including the lady from Taunton. I chat with her for a few minutes, then wander off to say hello to Peter, the marshal I talked about earlier.
I also chatted with some of the Heaton Park regulars, asking in particular what Angina Hill was. It's not the long climb I thought it was. I mentioned the climb from the golf car park to the hall, and they said "Oh no! We don't ever do that one! It's much too hard."
I noticed that my watch had measured the run as 5.30km and a few others I could see popping up on Strava had also measured long today. This is unusual. (My old watch would regularly measure it as 4.4km!)
Once the tail walkers (and chocolate labrador) came in I bid my farewells.
Place: 43 of 109. Official time: 27'47" (just 3 seconds slower than my PB here).
It was beautiful at Portsmouth Lakeside this morning. I was marshalling and it was lovely to sit in the sunshine before the first (16.22 and nearly 2 mins faster than no 2) of 180 parkrunners came thundering through - nice to get 'thank you marshal' from so many. Some runners were struggling with the heat even at 9.00.
That made 19 volunteer ticks for me - gradually working towards that t-shirt. Returning to the start at the end, I picked up a free copy of the new parkrun magazine - let's hope it helps spread the word!
Hello damienair and all, I have written a rather long post about today's tourist run in the Lake District. Just loved it! Usually tourist runs seem incredibly long but for a change I got my pacing just right today, and the 2nd half was on a downward incline.
Debated wether to try for a pb or not, quite hot and hadn’t slept well, but first 1k was not too bad so persevered. Last lap sadly lacking in umph. Got to within 21 seconds, though Strava clocked me as a pb via my Garmin, it obviously looses a minute in translation! Never mind will try again in a couple of weeks, and I’m still coming first in my age group (and last too). Next week I’ve opted to volunteer, after looking at the prospective temperature. No cakes this week, though one park runner last week clocked his 100th win, I’m sure he should have come up with a cake or two to celebrate.
There were pacemakers at my Parkrun too and I kept the 31 minute one within sight till about halfway when you have to go up some steps! But I managed 31:52 which is my best this year and I'm going to try not to beat that for another few weeks!
Did my first ever park run yesterday and really enjoyed it. Been promising myself for weeks I would go and finally gave myself the kick up the bum to get out there and do it.
Fantastic and very well done. Thanks for popping on to let us know. It gets addictive and is a lovely way to meet other people. Congratulations on your first parkrun.
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