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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Good morning Damien, no parkrun for me today, however, I did run a short "3K maintenance run" in just over 20 minutes, when I got home I got my Christmas Tree up with all the other Christmas decorations as well, I bought new lights in addition to the ones I already have, so come dark later today my house should be a Christmas wonderland full of Christmas lights, the first tune to be played will be Merry Xmas Everybody by Slade.
Very well done Alan. Enjoy getting into the Christmas spirit. Someone asked me yesterday if my Christmas Tree was up yet. I said, Yes, it’s up in the attic where it’s staying for another 2 weeks. 😀
well done AlMorr. Enjoy a wee dram and your mince pie in your Christmas wonderland. I’m not putting up this year as going to Madeira at Xmas again, but will still have all the other festivities.,🤶
Thanks Doris8, I ate a few Mince Pies, ha, the "wee dram" was a drink of Cherry Squash, non alcoholic of course, My daughter texted me inviting me to spend Christmas Day at her husbands parents house and at her home later on New Year's Day, I am hoping to go to a parkrun on Saturday 24th December 🎄 🎅 wearing my red Santa 🎅 cap and Santa jumper, of course I don't need an artificial beard, it's just a pity that the local Santa Dash was cancelled due to financial issues, the man who organised the last one in 2019 is also one of the Run Directors at Drumpellier Parkrun.
Well done on your ‘maintenance run’ Al but Christmas trees? Nooo, it’s too early surely?! But I’m sure with all the lights it will look lovely; enjoy that Christmas music too!
Thanks Oldgirlruns regarding my 3K run this morning, the lights do look lovely, they are new as is the tree 🎄, I listened to Christmas Music on Spotify for 2 hours of pop hits over the last 50 years and the other which I am still listening to of traditional Christmas Carols including a recording of The Vienna Boys Choir singing German and Austrian Christmas music.
Sounds like a lovely way to spend the evening Al; the Vienna Boys Choir takes me back, I was lucky enough to see them live when I lived in Vienna some years ago. Enjoy!
This weekend was the closest I’ve ever been to staying home and not going to PR. Jen is in London, it’s dank and nasty and my running has taken a nosedive recently following back to back colds. I wasn’t feeling it.
But Mr Cheeky asked what I was up to this morning as he was togging up to go coxing a boat - not even rowing himself, so extra cold and miserable. I couldn’t say I was doing nothing could I? So I heard myself saying I would go to Weston or Burnham. There, said, and I couldn’t renege on that.
Burnham it was. Felt ok, and trotted round in 37:45 (37:31 Garmin). I’m happy I did it, and Flossie had a lovely walk afterwards. Happy now. 🥰
I was the same this morning Cheeky. I have not ran in a few weeks. Complete nosedive and my fitness, whatever little there was is gone now. I woke up late and toyed with not bothering. But I just about decided last minute and made it to the start line just in time. Ruby and I did a run/jog/walk parkrun in a time of 37:52. You pipped me to the finish line.
Well done our doggies for getting us out Damien! 🐕❤️🐕 I’m not sure I’d have gone without Flossie needing a walk anyway. We can enjoy our Saturdays guilt free now, and our fitness WILL return. 👊
Thanks BC. I’ve never had such a prolonged lack of motivation, but when my times are meh and it’s so miserable outside, it’s all too enticing to stay home. But you’re right, we’ll get back to where we know we can be. 👊🥳
Yes I’m pleased I braved it in the end Dexy, and Flossie appreciated her walk - she has a new coat to keep her toasty, prescribed by the vet, as she has a touch of arthritis in her elbow. ❤️
Oh lovely! Mine seems to have had a final hurrah and 🤞🏻I am finally clear after 8 weeks. Even had my covid booster earlier in the week with zero after effects 🥳🥳
Your wet lettuce is way faster than my fastest cheeky and that cold knocked the stuffing out of loads of us, I'm still chasing the 40 minute 5k that I ran last year and can't even get close, glad you ran 😊
I did my last C25K consolidation run today as my (not)parkrun. Not sure if it was because it's only 2°C here (and I don't like winter) or, well, because I have 9 weeks of consolidation under my running shoes, I managed the 5 km route in 30:30 minutes (both approximate as I used Google maps and fumbled to get my phone out at the end...). Super proud of myself! 😎
Now... next Saturday, I will try to tackle a real parkrun! I think I ran out of excuses 😉 (as an introvert this is normal for me, though... it always takes me "forever" to do something new that involves other people...)
well done ChannelRunner2 ! parkrun is calling you now. If you want a few hints and tips, I put this post out when parkrun returned post lockdown. Looking forward to your first post.
Hi Damien and other runners 👋🏻 i did my 14th Parkrun this morning at a new location called Sutton Manor, home of a beautiful huge statue Called ‘The Dream’! Wow it was a very very steep one indeed straight away a steep incline taking my breath away as well as it being 2 degrees, I started to warm up but it really was the toughest terrain I’ve ran so far. 😮💨 I managed to run the whole way (almost a fast walk on the hills) but finished a respectable 34:03, I’m really proud of that as I normally run that time on a flat so my efforts training must be working.
Well done to you making that decision last minute to get out there, well done to Ruby too. 🐶
Slowly chipping away at my speed again. Fastest parkrun since May again, so happy to see that time coming down and my achilles is still happy with that too, which is always a good thing. I’ve done a lot of mileage this week as I’ve been trying out my new bouncy shoes and I’m trying to get to 1000 miles before the end of the month. I’ve also finally found my Christmas shoes which I’m very happy about as that gives me two lovely pairs of shoes to wear over the next few weeks as an incentive. I’m very behind schedule despite all the marathon training but I’ll do my best to catch up.
Lots of volunteering as well and I had to step in for youngest kitten marshalling after my run as he had to shoot off and do cornet playing duties at my friend’s coffee shop event. We were rewarded with the best brownies I’ve had in a long time 😋 Numbers were down this week but judging by the town centre, everyone was out shopping, sensibly wrapped up in warm coats and scarves.
Now Katnap and I are off to get our Covid and flu jabs so recovery from this will probably mean make or break for the 1000 miles 😬
Well done TC! Sounds like you had fun today. 🥰 Wow, you’re on for 1,000 miles this year? I don’t think there’s any way I’ll attain my 1,000 km target sadly. My mileage has dropped considerably since September and it’s too late to catch up now I fear as I have over 100 km to go. No, I don’t fancy cracking out a few HMs! 😅
I got 1000 by November last year cheeky, so I’m a bit annoyed that I’ve taken my eye off the ball this year. I’ve got a horrible feeling the last week of December could be a bit intense. However, we’ve had to look after our bodies and our health though haven’t we? And I listed all the races I’ve done this year last night, we’ve not done badly have we? I was having a laugh at the Burghley 7 photo and how tiny I looked compared to you, Sandie1961 and Shake-and-run 🤣
That’s good, all done BC. I got to chat to the nurse about marathons as she spotted my zip up ‘sorry but’ jacket from 2021, so she made us feel very at home. The Crown now, followed by ready made curry then footie, so going to take it easy for once 😊
Hi Damien. I had a really good 5k today! It’s a while since I wrote that.
I decided to give my new Cloudflyers their first proper run. They have had lots of walk in walks and one slow CB cold run when my calf was still dicky, but this was a real test. The result was 33:19, the best time since early September. Everything felt great and I ended up with a distinct post flight buzz..plus flat white and brownie. Back to slow and steady on Monday!
Exactly TC. If I focus on the strengthening and post run rolling, and just respond to how I feel “in run” in terms of pace, maybe I can make a bit of progress….but I am pleased with the way things are going.👍
Hey, that’s a fantastic time BC! Your new shoes are clearly working wonders. 🙏🏻 Send me a bit of your post run buzz if you can spare some. Mine was more of a post run ‘thank heavens that’s over’, although I still treated myself to a gigantic latte to warm the cockles. 😀
⚡️⚡️⚡️ There you go cheeky! You have lost running fitness through illness, which I find to be a tougher problem than recovering from an injury. You can work on an injury daily and feel it getting better; illness recovery is often less tangible and thus it is hard to measure progress. You WILL get there. Back to long slow runs, and my Brooks, for me on Monday.
I will keep up my calf exercises and roller work…..If I can consolidate my 5ks at around this pace for a few weeks I might think about pushing a little bit harder. More likely scenario ? …we will have snow!
Finally managed to do a Park Run! Got to Brockwell park on time and got a 5K personal record. It was sooo hilly, probably not the best choice for a first park run and I thought about quitting several times, but I knew I could do it!
After missing the last 2 weeks (volunteering and wimped out) I was back at Market Rasen this morning. 3 degrees and fine until it suddenly started to rain at around 4k. Pretty steady 32.53. Only 84 runners again today. Really not sure why, because we used to regularly get 150 🤷♀️ No parkrun for me next week as I’m flying out to France for the weekend to go to my French running club Xmas dinner on Saturday and will then be going out with them and Shake-and-run on Sunday morning. At £44 return for the flight, it would have been daft not to 😂Going to be fun!
The pull of the duvet was mighty this morning. Like many others my fitness has dipped a little in the last month or two due to other things taking up a lot of my time or the weather not being safe for running.
The snooze button gremlin almost got me, but I escaped its clutches at 8.10am. I throw on my kit (and miss a few times), search for the bits that are still on the clothes horse in the utility room, visit the loo a few times, make a coffee then find it's too hot and have to cool it down, then a piece of lebkuchen, put a few extra bits of kit in a bag (just in case) and get out.
Of course I had to put my new red "parkrun 50" tee shirt over the two long sleeved layers I was already wearing. The morning was cold with the shed thermometer saying 2°C and the car saying 6°C. It was probably about 4°C in the park.
I arrived at 8.55am and walk/jogged to the starting line. The RD was just starting his speech. We started about a minute after 9am. I'd forgotten to start my "belt and braces" recording on my phone. (Just in case the watch threw a wobbly.) Whilst I was distracted fixing that, a lot of folks got past me. That's not a problem as I always like to start off slow. The only complication was a lady running with a dog almost collided with me. We both apologised.
About a third of the way round the first lap I pass a lady also wearing a red 50 tee shirt. I call out "snap" pointing at my back and she laughs.
It feels like there are a few more than usual today, but in reality there are only 59 compared with last week's 51. There are quite a few parkrun tourists.
The usual marshals for both ends of the S-bend climb up to the "rose" garden are back this week, and I bid them a "welcome back".
At the end of the second lap I get lapped by a twenty-something guy who is really motoring. (He eventually finishes in 19:20).
By the fourth lap I'm starting to pass people on their third laps, some of whom are obviously run/walking. Some I've seen a few times before; some are new.
I'm starting to feel tired towards the end but find a little left in the tank to get along the final straight. No sprint effort today. I'm just glad to finish.
After getting my barcodes scanned, I hang around chatting with people for about 15 minutes by which time l I start to feel the chill.
I took a couple of snaps of a lady (a regular who I often chat with) finishing her run with a grimace of effort and shared those photos with her.
Then off to get some cheap petrol from Costco and some goodies from Lidl.
My official time came in at 28:37 with a placing of 25 out of 59.
Hello damienair, UpTheStanley and I were volunteering this morning, as we are racing tomorrow . Only 271 involved today, probably a combination of the cold weather and Christmas shopping after pay day!
Breakfast in the warm with the rest of motley crew who took part today was most welcome.
Well, this week was the week I managed to get back to a sub-30 parkrun, somewhat to my surprise. It was quite chilly at Portsmouth Lakeside, so base layer, long sleeved top and gloves were called for - but shorts, always shorts! I'd cut it a bit fine after dropping off granddaughter at my daughter's following a sleepover, so there was only time for a quick warm up and stretch before we were off.
Bit of a huddle just after the start, so a slow first k at 6.11. As runners thinned out, I found myself behind a gent in his 70s with a '500 parkruns' t-shirt on, " Well done on your 500" I said, "That's 12 years of my life I'll never get back", he replied! The puddles around the lake had nearly dried up, so I was able to put on a bit of pace, with the following 3 kms all just under 6 mins. All felt good, so pushed forward again for the last k and was rewarded with 5.35 and 29.36 overall - best time since 30 April!😀
I thought about you and your shorts this morning JP as I mithered about keeping my coat and gloves on to walk with Coddfish! When you were with us last week you said you always wore them whatever the weather🥶! Well done on your time, you must be feeling good about that!
A bit chill on the south coast this morning damienair , well blimmin perishing actually! It’s been so mild recently that the sudden nosedive in temperature obviously caused a lot of people to stay in the warm - as a result I came in at 263 and I haven’t done that in a long time. But there were only 271 of us…. Coddfish was feeling well enough to walk today so I did the same - it was a gloomy old morning and we were going into an easterly wind but as soon as we turned at the half way cone the walk back was much more pleasant with the wind behind us. We were joined by a lady on her second parkrun as a walker and as she expressed a wish to get back to running, we encouraged her to start with C25K! Job done! A warming coffee and breakfast with Dexy5, UpTheStanley, Coddfish and MrC finished off the morning. Happy running folks!
35:12 for me yesterday, full 3 mins slower than 2 weeks ago, and Garmin told me to rest for 66 hours! But still recovering from awful cold/cough so happy to have made it round 😀
Hi damienair and running friends, I’m still not able to run but I’m walking a lot better than last week, so I walked at Bognor Regis yesterday and beat last week’s time by about 6 minutes.
I’ve got some custom insoles on order, new shoes coming from Santa and I expect to be running again around Christmas time 🤞
New PB for me, chipped another 2 seconds off my undulating home parkrun course time (Mote Park). Made me think, at nearly 54 how much longer can I realistically expect to achieve PBs, not just at parkrun but over all distances, before old age kicks in and starts the inevitable slow down?
Well at 71, I’ve got a sub-23 PB from 8 years ago which is in no danger whatsoever - but I’m still chasing sub-25s and get brassed off if I go over 26 on a half-decent day on a flat course. I call it “managed decline” …….. 😀
Impressive! There's hope for me still then. My PB is 22:50 this year. If I can just maintain that for 10 years... but I am female so that buys me extra minutes over you (sorry) to achieve the same age grading % 😀
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