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 everyone. This morning I volunteered at parkrun as a barcode scanner. 98 parkrunners did it this morning at my local parkrun and there was a lovely atmosphere.
I’m going to go get ready now and go out for my own run. A (not)parkrun with my doggie Ruby. Happy running.
Well done to Son no. 2 on his sub 20 minute parkrun, amazing performance. And very well done to you too on all your running and to your hubby on his parkrun.
Good morning Damien, no parkrun for me today but that didn't mean I was lying in bed until 9.30, no way, I got out of bed at 6.30, did several plank exercises, after that I had breakfast, watched Breakfast News on TV and at 8.55am ran a "3K maintenance run" in a time of 20:40, after I got home, guess what? I ate a chocolate ice cream swirl, yummy 😋, enjoy your runs and the rest of the weekend 👍.
No running for me since mid week, and I won’t be until I’ve shaken off what seems to be the millionth cold/cough I’ve had since September. Am I cross? Can anyone guess?
Even so, I accompanied Jenny to Clevedon and was taken aback by how cold it was 🥶 That wind! 🥶
It was the B course due to unsafe path conditions round by the lake, plus it happened to be their100th event (I was there for its first), and there were lots of pirates running! My FOMO was real 😩😅
Jen is recovering from the same cold as I have and came in at 28:22 (28:18 Garmin). She said it was slow. I said it wasn’t! 😅
Home for pancakes - I needed some sustenance as we had maple syrup left over from Tuesday. 😋 🥞
Ah poor you. Get better soon Cheeky and very well done to Jenny on her super run. We have pancakes 🥞 here every Saturday. I started doing it with Oisin when he was 18 months old standing beside me on a chair in the kitchen. And it continued on.
Sorry about your continuous cold/cough CC, I hope it won't last too long, congratulations to Jenny on completing her run this morning at Clevedon Parkrun in a very good time.
Not another bug cheeky! I have come out in sympathy with a horrible chesty cough; no running for me until it clears up. I thought that I had got on top of it , but no. Ironic that I have just had my annual road check at the surgery and everything was fine. 🙄
Well the family were clamouring for them on Tuesday Dexy, so it was rude not to make them then, and plain wrong not to finish up the maple syrup today I thought. 😋
hi damienair and all parkrun junkies 😂 after last week's aborted effort after only 600 metres today played on my mind a lot. However it may not have been my fastest effort I did manage to run all the way which was all I hoped to achieve. I had struggled through a couple of runs before last Saturdays effort with a cough so it must be something to do with that
A run is a run. I'm still never quite sure what will happen when I set off especially if I have a target or plan! BUT after almost a year I can now say I can manage a slow run and be fairly confident bar a fall or misadventure, that I can run it. At the start every run was a challenge. Well done for getting out.
My local one again today. A chilly morning after a frosty night.
I had tummy troubles again and had to make a last minute dash for the loo before leaving the house. As a consequence of that I got there with a minute to spare, leading to a few comments along the lines of of "He's arrived. We can start now."
I took my usual place at the back of the field. A lady was showing another lady her barcode, and the other one was saying that she didn't need it until the finish. I asked if she was a first timer and she confirmed she was.
And then we were off. The pack started off slower than I was expected and I got stuck behind groups for a while. This is probably not a bad thing given that I'd only finished a 12km run at 6pm yesterday evening and also hadn't had a great sleep. My first lap was considerably slower than usual.
There were two separate ladies with pushchairs, one with two kids, and one with a single kid. I jokingly asked the first if the kids had their own barcodes and was told that actually yes, one of them did junior parkrun.
There was one lady running in a sleeveless top and shorts. The temperature today was below 5°C. I don't know how she did it.
I passed a few of the regulars. And Peter was doing tail walking today. The tail group were doing very exaggerated jogging motions which reminded me of Peter Kay's Amarillo video, so I sang a few bars of that as I passed them.
I was lapped a little into the third lap, which told me that I was definitely going slower today.
By the final lap I was starting to tire, but I did find enough in me to close the gap between me and the man in the pale green tee shirt who finished before me (and hadn't brought a barcode).
I finished and was handed a well worn number 24 barcode. The bars were not continuous enough for the scanner app to read it, so I again improvised with the barcode app on my phone (entered "P0024", format: CODE 128) and the scanner app accepted it. I'd helped a lady two weeks ago who knew her number but hadn't printed out a barcode, and that had worked too.
I chatted a bit, wandered off to take a photo of the unopened crocuses and then came back to try folding up the pop-up sign. It took about ten minutes before I bullied it into submission, only to hear one of the marshals say "I've broken the zip on the bag." We stuffed it in the bag and had to leave it unzipped.
The same guy needed a lift to the bus route that would take him home. His mum was off running elsewhere this morning. I said I was going to Lidl in the nearby town which was on his bus route, and he accepted. We chatted about his upcoming driving test during the short drive.
I finished number 24 out of 64, with a time of 29:46. (Slower than last week but not my slowest this year.)
If you download the 5k parkrun app, it will hold your barcode and give you lots of geeky info nowster . I can never remember my number! I do have a shoe barcode , and a wristband though just to make sure my emergency details are with me whenever I run.
Sorry Nowster, I misunderstood. Yes all that washing didn’t help the finish tokens, and where some have gone walkabout each week , we are down to sticky labels which aren’t so long lasting.
A bit of tape or sticky back plastic over the top helps Dexy. Our 1-100 tokens are a right mess. I think the 1 token gets unconsciously picked as they wait to give it out!
In Southsea, 24 tokens have gone walkabout already this year, mainly to unknown runners, so those who haven’t been scanned. I think someone is playing bingo with them.
Yep, ours always seem to walkies to ‘Unknowns’. Not as many as you though, 24 is an awful lot! I wonder if it’s a thing to collect them if you’re a tourist.
That sounds a really handy app nowster. As our 1-100 tokens are getting the worse for wear I think I’ll put that on my phone. Maybe it will persuade our ED that they need replacing. Well done on your run 👍
First Park Run this morning with my sister. Gosh it was cold! Over 400 people at Trentham Gardens. We were a bit overwhelmed to begin with especially at the start when everyone is jostling to get going. Sis and I kept a steady pace. Had to walk in a couple of places but came in in a reasonable time of just over 47 mins. I was 3rd in my age category so quite proud! Now I know the course I'll be able to pace myself better. I think I've got the running (well, jogging in my case) bug now 😄🤣
Great first run and lovely to do it in company. That's a great first time and remember it's a personal best at least until the next time you run!😁. The huddle is something , you'll soon find your comfort zone but it was extra warmth today! I started last June, it just keeps giving. I set 45 minutes as a likely time based on C25K finish pace, today my 18th I did 37mins so you almost certainly can find more speed and of course a better 💖 too! Although you are new don't leave it too long to volunteer. I found giving out tokens at the end was a great way to feel the joy of all the runners of all ages and abilities. It's a real motivator. A d don't forget to say 'Thank you marshall' on your way round! 👏👏👏
Hi Damienair, lovely photo of Ruby, thanks for volunteering, it was very parky here for all the volunteers! Upton Sixfields was celebrating 180 events today so cake was on offer as an incentive for beating the chill wind. My 18th and last of an eventful 70th year when a year ago I would only have dreamed of running to catch the bus!
Some acknowledged glitches on the timings today so PR official time was 37:07 but my watch and phone (Strava) both had me on 36:50. I'm more than happy knowing I ran a PB today especially in the conditions and the PR PB is there to be challenged next week and consecutive sub 37's will definitely be something I couldn't have dreamed of when I chugged round week 9/3 of C25K.
So not only was cake a bonus but one half of the family were there too and little Gracie had a PB too today, tormenting me by just holding a gap all the way round!
Ah so sorry to be just replying now. Been a crazy week. Huge congratulations on you new PB and how brilliant that you could celebrate it with cake and your family. Very well done, great running.
Good afternoon everyone! A very chilly Market Rasen today after some lovely springlike conditions at the start of the week. My 70th parkrun and Day 25 of RED February (only 3 days left). I am still taking it steady as I recover from the various colds etc I had over winter, but 33.55 was my fastest time at Market Rasen this year. According to Garmin my VO2 max is now 42 (33 on 1 February) so I must be doing something right 😃
Well done Sandie1961 . 42 is an excellent score; not sure I’ve ever been higher than 37 but the running everyday must be pushing it along. So glad you’ve got over that cold as it was so debilitating.
Hello everyone. I had a pretty bad night’s sleep so didn’t really want to get out of bed, but I had the finishing tokens so I couldn’t let the team down. UpTheStanley had done a few fast runs last week so he declared he needed a recovery run, which means running with me! He is a good steady runner , but I listened to my own body as well and declined some of his urging to catch targets. 🤣🤣
Well that was successful as my watch time was sub 33’ for the first time in ages. But most importantly I had my best ever age grade score of 62.06%. I guess it does help that I’m getting older! Whoop whoop , getting back to 3 runs a week, and stretching to 10k this week is starting to pay off. Not sure if I’ll get to my PB of 31.38 again but I’m going to keep trying.
Breakfast followed of course with Oldgirlruns . But after volunteering, Coddfish and hubby went home in case they gave us their colds in an enclosed space.
There is an FAQ on the parkrun site but briefly, for anyone who doesn’t know.
Age grading takes your time and uses the world record time for your sex and age to produce a score (a percentage). This score allows you to compare your personal performance against other people's performances even though they might be a different age and a different sex to you - the higher the score the better the performance.
So I can come in with a slower time than a younger man, but my age grade score could be higher to reflect the extra effort I have to put in.
Well done on that time Dexy and on your age grade - I think I might need to wait for my next 'significant birthday' before getting back above 60 again!
It was a chilly one here on the south coast today Damien, I wish I’d remembered my gloves! Like Dexy5, I didn’t sleep very well but unlike her I didn’t end up with my best ever age grading, ah well it’s something to work on! It was my 60th parkrun today which I didn’t realise until the results were published!
Brilliant OGR! That was one heck of a chilly wind today wasn’t it? Well done for braving it without gloves. 🥶 60 parkruns eh? I see another 100th celebration next year. Woohoo, something to look forward to! 🤸♀️
Hi Damianair and other Parkrunners/not-Parkrunners, not a good Parkrun for me today, actually it’s been a pretty rubbish week to be honest. Still plodding on with Red Feb but happy that there are only 3 days left, I so need a total rest day. My legs have been very tired this week (something to do with running a 2k PB down a whopping great hill at the weekend I suspect). I tried a 10k on Wednesday and had to adjust my Jeffing ratio as my calves were really sore. They had been ok for the shorter runs in the rest of the week and I wasn’t expecting any trouble today. I was so wrong! 2k in and my legs were like lead and my calves were screaming. I think I have quite a good pain threshold, but I just wanted to weep. I didn’t of course, I just walked a bit and did a few short runs until I reached the line, one and a bit laps later.
Earlier this week I had some bad news when the half I have been training for was cancelled. So I think it is just not my week. On the way home I had a few words with Puck, from A Midsummers Night’s Dream , to see if he has any fairy dust left!
Sorry to hear about your rough week Shakes, hope things pick up for you next week! And when things are rough all you can do is take it one step at a time, which is what got you to the end of your parkrun today! Hopefully Puck has passed on some fairy dust to you!
Well done Shakes. I think I’d be pretty exhausted if I did a RED month, which is why I’ve never set myself that target. But you have done really well and also got to win a shed load of sausages in the last week. I think you just need some gentle short easy runs to give your body some time to recover from the race.
I was sorry to hear about your cancelled race because I know that one was special to you. But I’m sure you will be able to find another one, as the HM season approaches. Good luck.
Nearly there Shakes. You’re in better condition than me, I seem to have seized up today. Only a few days left now and you will find it’ll have made a difference I promise, even if it doesn’t feel like that now.
Hey don’t be hard on yourself. Running every day is very tough on your body. Your exhausted. After a few rest days you’ll bounce back stronger than ever. Well done on your Parkrun.
Hi damienair and lovely running friends, hope you’re all having fun and/or taking care of yourselves.🙂
I finished my 77th Parkrun this morning at Bognor Regis on the south coast. I’m trying to start my runs very slowly and build up my pace as I go deeper into the run, which always makes me feel better once I’ve finished my run and look back at my stats. Notice though that I’m not saying I run fast, just that I run faster as I progress. This just seems to suit my temperament!😀
I’ve been running every day this year, although most of my runs are just a few minutes. I seem to struggle early on with my runs, so I hope these short runs will help me get used to being uncomfortable. Time will tell!😉
For the record, I finished in just over 34 minutes then went for a cup of tea with Parkrun friends, which is just as important as the run itself. 👍
Thanks Dexy5 it’s so difficult to time my run down to Parkrun so I’m warmed up properly 😳 I normally get there too early so I have to start warming up again when I run 😏 The alternative is to leave it to the last minute then have to catch up and pass the tail walkers! 🤣
I tend to walk briskly to parkrun and then try to do warm up dynamic exercises before running. 20 Squats , 20 knee raises (each leg) 20 leg swings each of back/forward and sideways for each leg. I’m sure it really helped me today.
Very well done on your parkrun. And you’re dead right, the post parkrun tea or coffee with friends is just as important as the run itself. That was the primary reason why parkrun started.
Today was my third ParkRun (we don't count the one when I picked up my hubby's barcode by mistake 😕). This year, I have a goal of completing more and today was a great motivator for this. Hubby came along as support (he is the proud owner of a new knee and happy to share the experience and have a chat).
Lots of runners were out today following a beautiful course around a lake and gardens. A pretty flat course, too. Had a couple of cheeky walks when there was anything like a gradient and took it very steady. Coffee was welcome afterwards; my hands were freezing! It's amazing that so many volunteers come and stand in the cold to facilitate ParkRun. I'm always overwhelmed by this and how much it helps to have someone spur you on. Good start to the weekend and I want to go back.
If you email your home parkrun to explain what happened with the wrong barcode on a said date, they can ask HQ to transfer it to your name to see the record straight.
Good evening Parkrunners! Today was my 50th Parkrun and also my birthday! I planned this several months ago when I realised my birthday fell on a Saturday. Originally just my husband and son were going to join me but a couple of months ago, whilst a little tipsy at a wedding, several friends (some of whom had never done a PR) agreed to come too! We all had a lovely time. I got a shout out from the RD and he even sang a bit of Happy Birthday to me on his usual reverse walk round the course! I’m so proud of my 13yr old son who was doing only his second PR today (first was Xmas eve) and he left for me dust today and knocked 5 mins off his previous time! We all (including 4 spectators) went for a birthday breakfast afterwards which was delicious and well earned! 🥓🍳🧇🥳
Ah so sorry to be just replying now. Crazy week. Huge congratulations to you on your 50th parkrun and how cool to double celebrate it on your birthday with family and friends. Excellent idea. What a way to do it. 😃
I realised that I hadn't volunteered at parkrun so far this year so decided that today was the chance to rectify that. Luckily the role of token sorter was available at Portsmouth Lakeside, which meant that I could also run!👍
It was fairly chilly (4°) so gloves and base layer were called for, but not cold enough to lose the shorts! Numbers seem to be creeping up (276 today) so it was a little busy to start with, but that didn't last long and I settled into a steady pace, finishing in 29.39, a minute faster than last week but exactly the same as 2 weeks ago at Southsea.
Luckily I was able to retire to Starbucks in the warm to sort tokens - a fellow runner helped me out but it still took a while. At first we seemed to be missing a few, but a stray tin turned up with them in, so all present & correct!
Well done on your whizzy time JP, and for token sorting. That always seems to be the last job to go but I find it quite therapeutic. We lost another 3 tokens today, 2 to people who didn’t get scanned. So annoying.
Well done Jonathan, a running/volunteering combo is always a good use of a morning! I’m glad you had your Starbucks to token sort. It would have been brutal doing it outside in today’s wind. 🥶🥶🥶
Well done JP, you seem to be getting into a nice consistent rhythm now. Always nice to get a sub 30.
Fellow token sorter here, like Dexy, I find it therapeutic too. We only had one missing this week, none chewed by dogs and nothing in the pot that shouldn’t have been there! Last week I had both those: someone put his barcode in the pot and I had to send it back to Derbyshire!
Thanks TC, yes it's only the second time I've done it but it does have its attractions - putting things back in order like that does wonders for my (mild) OCD!😜
Had planned a cut back week in my marathon plan but wasn't expecting it to be such a severe drop in distance. Have only done a very light 5k on Tuesday as I had quite a lot of pain down my left leg. Went to the physio and he had never seen hamstrings so tight and of course it was putting a lot of pressure on other parts of my leg. Need to do lots of stretching and will try running again next Tuesday.
This meant at least that I was able to volunteer Saturday in a non running role for once so I helped out marshaling at my new home parkrun at pavilion gardens. Quite a lot of geese around the park so Marshall role soon turned into geese shepherd to try and keep the geese off the path. Made even more fun by the fact that the geese couldn't make their mind up whether they wanted to be in the river or on the green and kept trying to cross the course every few minutes!
7 weeks to go now and with a slightly altered plan I'll be running my first marathon.
That sounds like our parkrun Hargo, we also have indecisive geese and swans. Thankfully they usually seem to have settled down by the time the run starts.
Hope your hamstrings settle down and you’re able to resume training soon. Good luck with Manchester!
RD’d with Katnap yesterday. It went pretty smoothly except for some mishaps with finish tokens that was easy to resolve in the end. It was quite tricky getting volunteers this week but half term is always a bit difficult as we don’t have as many DofE volunteers. I think this is a good thing as we get too reliant on them and it stops other coming forward. We were fine in the end, we even had a parkwalker which we’ve not had for weeks!
We had a visit from one of my Fordy Runs club colleagues and we went for a coffee with her afterwards. She’s a real running obsessive, she did 6 marathons last year! 😳
It wasn’t a totally successful day though as we went for a run in the afternoon and I appear to have hurt my hip, probably ITB, so no 8 mile training run for me today…a day of housework and sorting insurance renewals awaits 😩
Katnap ’s birthday next weekend so that will make up for this one!
It sure is! Thankfully doing it jointly, we can both play to our strengths because there is now way I’m speaking to 300+ people 🤣
I think I may have strained it a little doing an over enthusiastic thunderbolt position in yoga the other day and then irritated it further doing intervals yesterday. Hopefully it won’t last long.
It’s keeping me moving RW, even if I hate it! I’ve been looking at the kitchen floor thinking how filthy it is for weeks so it will be a bit therapeutic. Running is the best excuse not to do housework usually isn’t it?!
I’m really enjoying the club. They are super enthusiastic, we have our weekly virtual run, there’s a few actual meet ups coming up (including their ‘extreme parkrun’ at the Curly Wurly in May), we get volunteering opportunities (there’s a small chance that I’ll be volunteering at the London Marathon but I have to be at Greenwich at stupid o’clock so it’s unlikely), and of course there is the podcasts to help keep you connected with those who run it. Spot on really, it doesn’t take itself too seriously and they are a lot of help and support. A bit like this forum 👍
Well done on your RD volunteer stint. Hope your much better now and your hip is sorted out. Insurance renewals, yuck 🤢. However, cheap when you need it. I’ve been driving company cars for my job for 20 years and more. Never had an issue or an accident. I decided to opt out of company car scheme and buy my own car. I picked it up on Wednesday morning and someone reversed into me in a Hospital car park yesterday. 😢 You couldn’t write it.
I love ParkRun. I've run several times at Leamington Spa Parkrun when visiting the UK. Sadly no ParkRun here in France at the moment due to legal / H&S issues. Maybe one day, I hope.
I hope that France will relax its stance on medical certificates Zev. Does any other country do this? It’s ironic that this procedure is designed to ensure people running are fit and healthy before taking part in a race , whereas parkrun helps people get fit and healthy. I wish you many visits to parkrun places.
Ah that is such a pity. parkrun is not a race. Just a run, walk or jog in a park. What healthier better way to kick off the weekend. Plus imagine the tourists that would love to do a parkrun in France.
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due to legal / H&S issues. Maybe one day, I hope.
