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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Bonus parkrun! My plans for today did not include Parkrun so at 8.25am I was drinking my morning cuppa in bed checking my travel plans. An unexpected phone call advises me that my friend is unwell and suddenly all plans are cancelled. I take a couple more sips of my tea and then realise that if I get a wriggle on I can make it to Parkrun. Kit flys everywhere as I search for my essentials and then I am out the door leaving my cup of tea unfinished. A quick paced walk to the rec and I am on time. Parkrun 44 done! Number 28 this year (sadly won’t be able to make my bronze obsession badge as we are in France until the end of the year). Happy Park-running everyone.
Morning everyone, I had the most surreal beginning to my Parkrun this morning; the run takes place in the grounds of a beautiful old hall and there are outbuildings/stables which have been converted into a coffee shop courtyard with loos. So I always run the loo before I start and I went the usual route but instead of the long narrow undercover path to the loos I found myself in a cobbled narrow street with a really old building to one side with wooden barrows and barrels to one side, another lady was next to me and we both looked around for the loos and wondered why the scene was different to the usual one. I said ‘are we in some kind of time slip?’ (I really did think we were. She was so confused too and we walked slowly back to where we came in and went in the exit instead and found ourselves back in the courtyard with the loos (and back in 2022 😂). We were still talking about it in the loos and someone told us there is filming going on down the other passage which was right next to our usual way in. Phew!! Didn’t want to get stuck in the past as they didn’t do Parkrun back then 🤪
Anyway I met my new running club members and again I got carried away (why do I always do it to myself?). I met Ruby, the Marshall dog with her pink hi-vis jacket on, she was loudly cheering/barking. I noticed a squirrel running along the length of a low fence for quite a while, I got hit in the face with a huge orange leaf 🍁😆. A very fast 31:43 for me today, pleased but I’m not doing it next week. I’m going to take it easy next time (we’ll see)!
Volunteering back home today after a few weeks of running it. I was a ‘floater’ apparently, not quite sure how to take that 🤣 but anyway, it was a bit of RDing, pre setup, volunteer coordinating, barcode scanning and close down!
I was very ably assisted in the volunteer coordinating by one of our core team’s young daughters and she charmed so many into signing up next week that we have nearly a full roster 😅
95 volunteering credits (today only counts as one but hey ho) now so I should squeeze my v100 in before the end of the year 👍
Very well done TC. Wow, almost at 100 volunteer credits already. That is fantastic. Sorry I am only replying to you now. Past few weeks have been crazy with work. I'm ignoring my phone.
It is absolutely crazy at the moment but only because I am getting to grips with everything. It will be good once I have some more experience under my belt. E-mails are killing me. Somedays I am driving all day and in and out of accounts. So emails just back up. As a result I'm allergic to my phone at the moment So staying away from it as much as possible.
Hi Damien and everyone. 👋 My first time at Pomphrey Hill today, proudly wearing my 100 teeshirt 😀 Even though it was my slowest PR possibly ever, it was also one which left me with a wonderful glow. Why? The weather helped, but maybe it was because I took Flossie along for the first time in ages and knew I was under no pressure to go faster. She’s 11 in February and I restrict how much I run with her on the lead . We walked lots of the steep hill (done 3 times) and she stopped for a comfort break - luckily right by a bin. 🙏🏻 She slowed on the 3rd lap, but kept trotting along, slightly behind me. A lady commented what a lovely well behaved and polite dog she is. I’m very proud of her. ❤️
I met up with SkiMonday and had a coffee with him afterwards in the sunshine, and also saw a couple of other friends, one of whom was doing her 50th. They were at my 100th last weekend. 🥰
I’ll definitely return to PH as it’s fairly local to me. The course is pretty and lots of fun (Up Pomphrey is definitely a feature and I know I need to take it on properly! 😂) I left feeling really happy. It was a lovely morning and I hadn’t even broken a sweat! 😀
my friend tried Thornbury. It sounds like not many mere mortals run that one. Mainly Thornbury running club. A ✅ is a tick though, so it’s got to be done.
Yes you should. It’s a chicken and egg thing if no one slower goes, everyone else will assume that it’s for speedies only. She said she was under no pressure to go faster but just felt on her own a lot. The Event team probably needs to get a message to the community that it’s for everyone.
Very well done Cheeky and Flossie. Oh Cheeky I am so sorry. The last couple of weeks have been absolutely crazy with work and I have been staying off my phone when not working just so as to recharge. I never got to congratulate you on your 100th parkrun. Huge congratulations. That is so wonderful. I have yet to get my parkrun 100th T-stirt and V25 T-Shirt. I have not ran in just over 2 weeks. But I'm getting back at it now.
Thanks Damien, you’re a busy bee, so no worries about replying now. You’ll come back strong again. You’ve done it before and you’ll definitely do it again. 👊
PR no.40 today. It was back to short sleeves again this week after getting out the long sleeves last week. A beautiful sunny and warm November morning on the east coast. I was 23 secs off my PB today. I had 4 quick (for me) kms but the 4th km let me down! I think I just took it a bit too fast to start and I couldn’t maintain it. I did manage to make the last km my quickest though (the downhill section helps!). I crossed the line in 36:08.
Good afternoon Damien, I thought that I was getting a little slower at parkruns recently but today at Springburn parkrun, which was my 7th there and my 65th parkrun, (I just noticed that I was in 65th position, just a coincidence,) I achieved a time of 30.53 which is the best time for a few months, the weather was dry but still a little warm for the time of year 13C/55F, but not the record-breaking temperature of 17*C/63F which many parts of Ireland and Scotland had on Friday, my age grading this morning was 62. 44% which I was very pleased with, happy running to you and everyone on this forum. 😊 🏃🏾
A late loo visit meant I turned up with two minutes to spare.
I met someone I'd briefly chatted with on Mastodon (Doug, a fellow migrant from Twitter).
Quiet today, with only 59 runners, but it didn't feel it.
A not too cold, but dry, autumn morning, with the sun trying to come out a few times.
I'm not yet back on form, so the run felt somewhat harder today. As usual, I held back at the start, but after a couple of hundred metres I was starting to move up the field, passing Doug and exchanging a few words as I did.
The same marshals were in their usual permissions. The wayward chocolate labrador was with one of the tail walkers.
Once I'd found my pace group I pretty much stayed with them. One of that grouping got his second wind and passed me with about 500m left. I didn't have the reserves left to chase him.
I hung around afterwards chatting with a few folks, but left when I started to feel the chill.
I'm still pleased with how it went. 22 out of 59, with a time of 28'19", faster than I was expecting.
No parkrun for me next weekend as I'll be travelling, so my "50th" milestone run will be in a fortnight.
Nice one nowster. As Dexy5 says, it’s basically the law that you celebrate your 50th with a balloon or at least something. Don’t disappoint us now, will you? 👮♀️
Oh what a gorgeous morning. I was Course Checker today so I cycled to the turning point and then checked that there was no debris from the recent high tides or obstructions along the route. The water had certainly come over the prom but the council workers had already swept the shingle back on the beach.
Usually I wear my Poppy Run T-shirt over a warm layer on this weekend, but today I wore it for the meet and greet and then just had my parkrun shirt for the run itself and I was still hot. It was an easterly breeze which is always a lovely change. I passed the jolly marshal at the turning cone and headed back with the breeze behind me.
My run seemed to be going well. Then after 500m the runner in front of me stubbed his toe and went flying forwards. It all happened in slow motion and I worried that he was going to bang his head on the pavement but thankfully he had the foresight to roll himself onto the soft shingle on the beach. Phew! I and another regular volunteer stopped to make sure that all was well, and as I knew that one of our RDs was behind us, I set off again.
The sun was out and the sweat was pouring down my face so my buff came in very handy for mopping up as I went along.
With a parkrun time of 33:38, I think it could have been a PB for this year if I hadn’t stopped, but no regrets. I’d hope that someone would stop for me in the same situation. That’s what parkrun is all about. I did come in 1st in my new age group, but haven’t checked how many were there! Afternote, just me and the tailwalker 😂
When the fallen runner came in we cheered him on. He cheekily said “I think I might have come first if I hadn’t fallen” . Luckily he just had a graze on his hand and an antiseptic wipe was applied.
I discovered after the event that it was my 100th at Southsea. I missed that shout out by RD UpTheStanley then.
Hi Dexy5, that's a good photo of the sea and waves, well done on your run today and congratulations on helping the man who stubbed his toe,I always see that parkruns in England have many more runners than parkruns in Ireland and Scotland, the one I was at, Springburn parkrun had 97 runners and as far as I know no park walkers, everyone finished sub 50 minutes, my run result and report is elsewhere on Damienair's forum, however, I noticed that Camperdown parkrun in Dundee there were an amazing 708 runners and walkers, I emphasis the word walkers as the time of over one hour would suggest that anyone over 60 minutes would walk, I know that the parkrun organisers have invited many to participate in parkrun to "parkwalk" there were 163 walkers at Camperdown Parkrun who walked there this morning, that is excellent, the organisers must be very pleased about that.
No Floss, I am 76 years old, this morning was my 65th parkrun, but by sheer coincidence my position at parkrun was No. 65, my birthday is on the 24th May.
Good evening Dexy5, I have just looked at Camperdown's Facebook page wondering why there were so many runners, joggers and walkers there this morning, 708, their average is a little under 200, their Facebook page says "thank you for attending parkrun this morning on a very special occasion" but I am not sure what that special occasion was.???
Thanks for that information Chinkoflight, so that's why Camperdown parkrun was so busy today, Pudsey Bear of BBC Children of Need fame was at that parkrun today.
PS, It was Joe Wicks the health trainer who was at Camperdown Parkrun today with Pudsey Bear too, the invitation was "walk with Joe" last week they were at Maidenhead parkrun, today at Camperdown and tomorrow "walk with Joe" will be at Nottingham.
Nice photo Dexy! Sorry I wasn’t there to boost the numbers in your age group but I’ll be back next week! I hope the runner who fell has recovered now, well done you for stopping to help in true parkrun style!
Wasn’t it the most gorgeous morning Dexy? The sort where you run along grinning like an ape (well I did anyway 😅) Great time for you too. Shame about the pause - you could have been sub 33 perhaps. 👍
I can only repeat Dexy's description - it was a gorgeous morning at Portsmouth Lakeside too! After several days without rain, the puddles had nearly dried up, so it was much easier going this week. That helped me knock 27 seconds off last week's time and come in at 30.42. Sub-30, here I come (again)!
I had two plans last night, one to do a Parkwalk as part of my recovery from abdominal surgery, as they had plenty of volunteers this week. I've got a feeling that an excitable young man and a yellow bear have been joining in over the last couple of weeks which may have something to do with it!
Plan B was to check in on the Women's Rugby World Cup and as the sports report came on the radio clearly an exciting match was developing. A no no was breached and the TV was switched on and sure enough a compelling and exciting match was unfolding that had to be watched to the end.
Too late for Parkwalk but I felt as good as, it was as balmy as any summer morning so maybe my first shuffle run/walk was in order. So again in a break with routine I had a small bowl of porridge before the run.
So off I walked for the warm up, and then a tentative shuffle start, not unlike my first minute run in C25K back in April. I had expected to maybe start the running part of rehab using week4/5 of C25K . But HR was low, breathing was normal, the shuffle stopped any excessive movement of my tummy had I been normal running style. It all felt good, so let's just keep going. Up the hill I went on my out run/walk to the last farm at the end of the lane, turn round and return. Still good. This route is 3k and was more than enough for my C25K . But I was still feeling good so off round the village, I can always walk . But on I shuffled to 5k, enough to claim my not Parkrun run. Time 50 minutes 11 seconds. More than happy with that and felt super good, stitching together held too and no additional discomfort!!!!!
What was so pleasing was my cardiovascular baseline was still intact, in spite of the layoff, the impact of surgery etc. I owe this to C25K, this forum, the mentors not least IannodaTruffe (Tim) who spent quite a few moments of his precious time offering me support which was central to my recovery from a severe stroke earlier this year. He of course passed away just a few days ago.
Please if you haven't already done so find the link in all the stuff that follows a post below to Tim's Run by Instructor57. I'll be running on November 27th come rain or shine.
Hello everyone! Sorry I’m a bit late this week. My parents are here for a few days so I took them up to the International Bomber Command Centre in Lincoln for the special Remembrance Day exhibition so have been a bit busy. I still went to parkrun though! It was a rather grey, overcast and cool morning here. My time was 31.47 today. No parkrun for me next week, as a plea was made for volunteers, because most of them are doing the Cleethorpes Maravan (marathon around a caravan park). Sounds completely nuts 🥜
Hi Damien, everyone seems to have had really enjoyable runs today don’t they! I wasn’t out because I went to lunch with some old colleagues in London (sharing a packed train with what seemed like every rugby fan on their way to Twickenham, but that’s another story!) . But to make up for it I did a (not)Parkrun 5km yesterday and while it was very slow (natch!) I did manage to run the whole way so felt quite pleased with myself as I haven’t done that in ages. And in true parkrun spirit, one of my former colleagues turned out to be a lockdown C25Ker who now parkruns regularly at Alice Holt - where Dexy, UpTheStanley and I were just a few weeks ago!
It was a Beginners to Runners takeover at my home parkrun this week, with pacers. I wasn't interested in a PB this week though, instead the focus was on meeting up with the Groovy Gang, a small group of friends who formed during lockdown and met to run when groups of 6 were allowed. One was recently bereaved and it was lovely to see him back running with us again.
Back at Parkrun this week. Not fast but my best time for six months. An ear infection last week made me feel yucky, so I was just glad to be back (so annoyed as I had ran the week before after a 3 week break following Covid). I sprinted after some back markers to pass them 5 metres from the line. A bit over-keen, but if I had not tried to overtake them my time would have been at least 30 seconds slower. At least I know I can sprint again (I say "sprint", of course it is all relative!)
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So staying away from it as much as possible.
