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.
Written by
damienair
Administrator
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Good morning Damien, no parkrun for me this week but I did have a run which for old times sake was run 3 of week 5 of C25K, I won't mention how that run is for the benefit of people who have begun C25K and don't look ahead, I enjoyed that run in dry weather but there were a lot of puddles to contend with, if I don't go to parkrun next week, I will be running run 3 of week 6, enjoy your weekend.
I first ran run 3 of week 5 on the 21 May 2018 around Linlithgow Loch, about 15 miles away from where I live, the night before I was very nervous about it but I ran it without stopping and was so happy when I completed it.
Good morning everyone and Happy parkrun day. I did my local parkrun this morning and brought along my doggie Ruby. I had a cold during the week and my legs felt really tired and heavy. So I just took my time, ran and walked. I was slow plus Ruby decided to have a couple of toilet breaks which needed to be cleaned up. Ruby won’t be parkrunning with me for much longer if I start improving my pace. I can’t be stopping for toilet breaks. 😂
So my time today was slow, but I got around and that’s all that matters. Official parkrun time was 37:57. Enjoy your parkrun and (not)parkrun everyone.
I’m always impressed that you take Ruby to park run. I did just under 7k last week slowly with my cocker & he did several poos in protest so he could stop 🤣
Willie runs 1k like he is a canicross champion & after that shoots me filthy looks until we stop. Tennis balls and birds are also his favourite things although he also tires chasing a ball. Maybe, we’ve just got a lazy cocker 🤣
Ahh, those pesky breaks Damien! I used to make sure Flossie went at home, then in the park before PR started, and it was only very occasionally I’d need to pause a run! Well done for getting out today. 🐕👊🏃♂️
She went for a toilet trip before parkrun which I cleaned up and thought that all would be OK. One of my boys has a cold and of course he managed to leave a couple of tissues lying around which Ruby decided to eat. So as you can imagine, they came back out undigested during the run. Everyone knows her and I love taking her to parkrun but she is distracting. I'm going to start going on my own for a while. She is wonderful to run beside on the lead until she decides to take a toilet break or jerk suddenly towards a field to chase birds. 😀
Yes there are a few places. But too mucky this time of year. There is one lovely path along a river which is 7Km long. She loves that route and also goes swimming.
Nice run for you today Damien with Ruby, I do agree that if you want to run sub 35 minutes, or a sub 30 minute 5k parkrun or less Ruby won't be running along with you.
Well done Damien, on your parkrun and clearing up after Ruby. No running for me at the moment, I'm 12 days in on a cold/cough/flu/not COVID thing and feeling better in myself but still coughing constantly, I won't push to run until this cough has gone but wishing you all well running parkruns
Get well soon. Your making the right decision by not running at the moment. I canceled my Thursday night run due to not feeling well and having a cold. I feel OK today but I could still feel the effects of the cold whilst doing parkrun.
No.5 son was keen to run with me today. I was keen to test out my new shoes at park run pace ( saucony endorphin speed 3) Hubby wasn’t running today as his old injury is playing up again🥺I knew I wouldn’t be able to run at my normal park run pace with no.5 son with the arms length rule. We had a great chatty run & no.5 son kept running no walking which was his goal. He ran through a stitch & a pain in his leg. I kept asking him whether he wanted to take a walk break but he was determined not to stop. I did manage to up the pace at the end to test the new shoes & they’re certainly my speediest shoes. No.2 son came in at 20:23 & I came in at 31:34 which considering I had no.5 in tow was a result. I’m very aware that I won’t catch no.5 at some point even if I’m wearing my speed shoes🤣
Fantastic running and how lovely to share a healthy morning activity with your family. Well done to your 2 boys and glad your new running shoes are fit for the job. Hope hubbys injury gets sorted out soon.
Ooh, maybe you need to get a pair of Pro 3s, then you can catch him 😂 I’ve just got my second pair of Speed 2s as I had a discount on the sale price so I just had to. They are just sooo good! Good on No.5 for his determination to keep going. I don’t envy your running shoe bill with all of them!
I’m never catching no.2 although pro 3s are tempting 🔥 Speeds are sooo good although I think they only really come into their own at a faster pace. I’ve been running super slow so they’re my incentive to run faster. Glad you’re loving yours. It’s the food bill with 5 boys that is totally insane. I will be able to buy a lot of running shoes when that lot moves out🤣
I was plodding round our PR on New Years Day in mine and decided to go for it on the final straight. It was like hitting the thrust button, they were amazing!
Hi daimienair, great to hear you managed a PR today with Ruby. I had planned to do a tourist PR today but the weather was looking as bad as and I figured the early morning drive might be a tad treacherous.So I ventured out to do my local not PR , almost certainly wilder than Medina , and with a high tide made negotiating the sea wall north, shall I say interesting, as a simultaneous high spring tide meant for big waves breaking and having to stop for the gaps. I also did a slightly different route to avoid running into the strong wind, but it meant an extra hill instead, it was probably still faster than running into the wind and dodging the waves on sea wall south!
The waves were to be avoided not only for the drenching, but they were throwing all the pebbles back that I'd ever thrown into the sea!
So a modest time, not a full 5k of running, a few enforced safety moments, what's not to love in this running adventure.
It's 9 months since I started this running journey, and 2 months since my op. I felt good coming in to this week and I set myself the challenge of a big running push. This week has been a huge boost as I can say I feel better than ever, completing a 7, 5 and 3 km run, a 14k hike and today's not PR.
Here's wishing myself and everyone else the best possible health in 2023 and to do your bit as far as is reasonably possible to help the fantastic people in the NHS who have made this possible for me at least.
Montage of weather, Strava and watch records for this morning's run.
Fresh! Yes the rain surprisingly light, would have been helpful to wash the salt off me!!! Volunteering is a triumph on days like today, doff my beanie to you! 😀👏👏👏 Thank you Marshall!
I think today was the wettest, windiest PR I’ve ever done, at least as a combination. 💦💨💦💨💦💨
Jenny and I did Ashton Court. We made ourselves, as it’s been a while since we tackled the hill.
Oh wow, what fun we had! Driving rain, deep puddles and the headwind stayed with us continuously (how?!) A couple of times I was barely moving forwards, but I kept running and can happily say I enjoyed every moment. Super duper slow for both of us (me 41 minutes, Jen 32 minutes), but it was brilliant. I forget how much I enjoy that PR. ❤️
Fantastic parkrun for you and your daughter CC, both of you look so happy in that photograph, I wasn't at parkrun this morning, instead for old times sake I reran run 3 of week 5 of C25K with Laura.
It is hidden behind a paywall but in essence says that Parkruns attract all types of people including elite athletes. There are several quotes from Andy Baddeley.
Hello , damienair and parkrunners. I looked at the forecast last night and it was 95% chance of rain and southerly wind gusting to 45mph, so I decided to volunteer instead of running. I did barcode scanning which I enjoy because you get chance of chatting to the runners. I think tough and exhilarating were the main descriptions of the run. Fortunately there is a shelter between the sea and the funnel so we were able to stay relatively dry. I issued ziplock bags to the timekeepers so raindrops didn’t count as runners!
Now off to watch Accrington Stanley (who are they?) play in the F A Cup. ⚽️
Run Directoring with Katnap today. As soon as we got to the pavilion the wind whipped up and it didn’t stop until the rain started throwing it down shortly after the tailwalkers came in! It’s been a challenge today to say the least! We definitely needed two Run Directors.
Amazingly we also had an abundance of volunteers which was amazing considering the conditions, together with 258 runners - a hardy lot round here!
I’ve been poorly all week so I was quite happy to not run today but I am now on the mend and itching to get back. Hopefully in the next couple of days so I can take part in next week’s with my new v100 shirt!
Have a great runny week everyone, stay warm and stay safe 💪👏💪
I think it was probably better to run in than volunteer cheeky, you did the right thing!
We were only talking about the Curly Wurly last night at the Core Team meal - we thought it was closed because of water logging, obs not - perhaps it’s had more than its fair share and gave it to everyone else?!
That made me go back and check where she ran - and it wasn’t the Curly Wurly. Same town, Keynsham, but a freedom run, no doubt for that reason. It is held on a low lying flood-prone field, so not surprised if it was cancelled! 💦💦💦💦
Silly me, sorry, I’m a bit obsessed with the Thames! However, looking at my map (why didn’t I do that when I replied last time?!) your Avon does rise few miles from the source of the Thames! Just nowhere near Keynsham…😅
Very well done on volunteering today and hope your feeling much better soon. I still have not ordered my 100 or V25 T-Shirts yet. I must get on that or maybe I will wait and get them as a Birthday present for myself.
Thanks Damien, I think half the core team have got something at the moment! Thankfully we’re supported by a large group of young and hardy Duke of Edinburgh volunteers 😊
At least get the 100, it’ll make you feel extra proud 👍
Thank you for your hard work Tailchaser and Katnap, the weather certainly was a challenge this morning. I enjoyed my run and wearing my milestone vest gave me an extra layer against the cold wind.
Congratulations on your V100 TC! Yes as a runner you can always stay in bed if you don’t like the weather, as a volunteer people are depending on you to turn up. Hi-viz heroes all of them.
No parkrun for me this week or next, as I am currently making my way through France on the way to the Alps for Mr S’s special birthday ski trip - 12 of us including kids, grandkids and close friends. Going to be so much fun 😃😃
Excellent, the Alps really needs the snow at this time of the year, several ski resorts, especially in the Bavarian Alps have had to close because there is no snow.
It has been fairly grim in the French Alps too Al, but we have had about 10cm today and there is another 20cm due tonight. Looking promising for tomorrow 😃😃👏🏻👏🏻
It was a repeat of last week's mudfest this morning at Portsmouth Lakeside so the trail shoes got another outing. Amazingly the rain held off for the whole run and we were fairly sheltered from the southerly gales by the motorway embankment (it does have its uses!) - hence some local tourists from less sheltered/even boggier parkruns, meaning 243 runners, an increase of 62 from last week. I was pleased to improve my time by 1.15 from the previous week, coming in at 30.11.
We also had the first collection for our local food bank and it was fantastic to see the huge pile of donations - just shows what a great bunch of people parkrunners are!😀
What? No rain? You were lucky Jonathan! I think lots of it was falling at Ashton Court instead! We didn’t have mud though, so kudos to you for getting out in it! 😀
Fantastic and congratulations on reaching your 150th parkrun. Another 2 years of parkrun to get the 250 Blue T-Shirt. I’m at 118 parkruns now so should join you at 150 later this year. I’m 32 weeks behind you.
I did my first parkrun today 🥳 and posted about it here (since this post wasn't there yet and I just had to gloat): healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...
Time was 32:25 - my personal best 🤣 It was my first 5K, so even a 3 hour run would've been a PB... However, I am kinda proud of it! A few months ago I didn't even think I could run, let alone complete a 5K in a bit more than 30 minutes...
Huge congratulations to you and very well done for doing your first parkrun. Now you have a PB to try and beat. It gets very addictive and is a lovely way to meet new friends.
Hi damienair and running friends, I didn’t do Parkrun this week but I was volunteering as a marshal instead. The weather was less than kind to us on the south coast, so a number of Parkruns were cancelled and we had visitors from Chichester and others as our event was actually on🏃♀️🏃♂️
I hope to go out for a run tomorrow and I’m aiming to run at least 5K, as I work towards 10K in time for the London Winter Run in early February🤞
An extremely windy day on the east coast today! I’ve never known a PR like it! It was running into a brick wall at times! However, the run downhill in the opposite direction was lovely as the wind pushed me along! Finish time of 37.55. I certainly felt like I’d had a good workout!
Like Portsmouth we had a food bank collection. The weather forecast was terrible but it was only drizzling with a few bursts of both heavier rain and no rain. Did some Token sorting afterwards (650 runners!) and helped take the kit back to storage. By which time, I started feeling the cold wind. I ran too!
Well done to you and Ruby on your park run. ☺️ No park run for me this week, it was back to work and still at the end of this never ending cold so needed a lie in. I managed to get out on Friday for a 3k run and Saturday I did a 4k run, getting there slowly so hoping ill be back at park run next week.
Did my first Park Run of the year yesterday. I originally planned to do Hampstead, so I could fit a swim at the pond after, but the weather wasn't really lending itself to swimming, so I stuck to my local instead.
It was brilliant, it rained a bit, but not too much. The end was a bit muddy.
I'm finding them really helpful. I get a 5K PB whenever I run them.
I think that if, like me, you'll be one of the last few to finish then don't go assuming there's a big social thing at the end, even though they all claim people go for coffee after. Take it for what it is, a free run. Don't assume it's a social event where you'll make new friends, because that might be depressing actually, when you find you're the last one to come in and everyone is gone by then.
Saying that, everyone is really friendly. The volunteers are amazing, a fast guy ran past me and said I had nice shoes (he had the same pair as me) and I even ran past a lady who wasn't running it and she cheered us on.
When I did my first one, I happened to talk to some guys who told me about the app (it's called 5K). It's a lot easier to use than to carry around your barcode and it helps you keep track of things as well as having the challenges there, like the Alphabeteer, running more than a certain amount of events, etc.
I highly recommend you do it and maybe use the challenges to go to other events and find new places (or even meet new people).
Well done on your first parkrun of 2023. Yes I agree that most people are gone by the end. Especially in winter time. But if your there at the start line 10 mins before the run you will get to recognise and meet the same people every week. And some weeks a group will go off for breakfast afterwards. At my local parkrun a group of both first finishers and tail finishers go off together for breakfast. I don’t join them very often but when I do I’m made feel very welcome. I’ve met lovely friends through parkrun and even have a little WhatsApp group where some of us meet up to visit different parkrun events. The 5K app is great. I’m hoping to get the Pirate challenge done soon. Happy running.
I love the challenges! I was inspired by a youtuber called Geoff Marshall to start my own challenge. Run every park run in London. We call it LonDone ( there's currently 60).
He's also tackled the Alphabet challenge and I'm inspired to do that too.
I’m in Ireland. I set myself a challenge to run all the parkruns in and around Dublin. I’ve just 2 more to do and one will be ticked off the list tomorrow morning. After that I will run at Malahide parkrun and that will be DubDone. 😀
Ran my 4th Parkrun and wore my new Chrissie presents at Porthcawl. I had given them a 15 minute airing before when they felt a bit loose and I wondered if I'd made a mistake buying half a size bigger but I tightened the laces down around the foot area and they were far more comfortable on the parkrun. Unfortunately they didn't get me a PB, well it's hardly likely to be my fault is it. Finished in 31.25/parkrun or 30.57/Strava. Still haven't broken 30 mins though. Maybe if I talk nicely to them I will 😂
I really like ParkRun. I've done the Leamington Spa one a few times when visiting England. Sadly we don't have it here in France at the moment due to issues over legal responsibility for ensuring runners are fit to run and resulting injuries. I hear that talks are going on though, and ParkRun may return, fingers crossed !
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
