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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I am journeying part way home today. Sea trip from Scilly to Penzance….I think it will be a bit choppy. Dolphin watch should take my mind off it. Hope to be running on Monday.🙂
Oh, you’re welcome to bore me whenever you fancy Beachcomber66 . I don’t get seasick either., in fact the rougher the better for me. But I have a phobia of people who are. 😖
We’re currently in Abbeville, not too far from Calais for our tunnel crossing tomorrow, and Mr Cheeky is watching coverage of Henley Royal Regatta. Now rowing is great, if you’re a rower. But I’m not! 😂 🥱
Good morning everyone! I arranged to meet up with a friend at Doddington Hall parkrun today and we spent the first couple of kms chatting and catching up after not seeing each other since March. I then pulled away a bit on the way back (into the dreaded Doddington headwind) finishing in a Garmin time of 32.56, official time 33.16. There were 262 runners today, so rather crowded on the old railway track section. Then it was off for coffee and carrot cake and more nattering. Lovely 😊
Today, the Southsea Motley crew went to Portsmouth Lakeside to visit JonathanP . It was their 300th parkrun and there were a couple of southsea runners there besides us. It was a narrow start and I was behind some slower runners, which held me back but I soon got going and spotted the gang at various points along the route around the lake. Thankfully it was cooler this weekend but was hot towards the end.
An okay 34.32 for me.
Next weekend parkrun is celebrating the NHS 75th birthday and I will be tailwalking for my 100th volunteer, while Coddfish will be doing her 50th while timekeeping.
Although I do other roles, I have become the Token Queen, taking the tokens home every week to do the final sort and replace the missing tokens ready for the following week. So the 100 has come round very quickly since my 50 volunteers.
This morning I traveled to do some parkrun tourism by completing my NENDY which was Naas parkrun. It was a 2.5 lap course around a horse racing track. Basically the same track or road that the ambulance drives around during a race. It was lovely, as always a friendly crowd and warm atmosphere. There was a strong wind at times. I enjoyed it but was struggling a little bit today. My watch told me I did a time of 30:35 and my official parkrun time was 30:50. I’ll work back towards a sub 30 min parkrun time again soon.
Good afternoon Damien, I went to Dunfermline parkrun this morning on the occasion of it's 8th birthday and 4 years since I was there for my very first parkrun, this morning the weather was cool and breezy, there was a 30 seconds light shower during the run, apart from that the sunshine was very pleasant, there was cake at the finishing line, my time was 33:38 compared to 34.16 four years ago when I first ran there, I was 165th out of 221 taking part.
Over the last four years since being at parkrun I notice that on average I am three quarters down the course, this morning I was exactly at 3/4, the only thing that has changed over the 4 years is my age grading which has gone up from 53% on average to around 58% now, sometimes a over 60% age grading so at least that's something to be pleased about.
Very well done Al. Congratulations to you on your 4 year parkrun anniversary and how great to be able to celebrate with everyone else for Dunfermline parkrun‘s 8th birthday. The other thing about the last 4 years is that it has added years onto your healthy life. Have a great weekend.
Marple for me again. I did the First Timer Welcome, including to someone we met at the car park ticket machine at Talking Tarn two weeks ago.Then I set off for a 90:30 second run/walk. I was soon joined by another parkrunner, then another asked if she could join us and we had a nice sociable time.
Near the end they ran little bit ahead of me but I was glad that I didn't catch up because I got a Stopwatch Bingo (.07)
I have had .06 and .08 so many times that it was getting boring 😀
Well done Sue. parkrun and volunteering. I have just 3 more numbers to go to get my parkrun bingo. It will take a good while longer for me to complete.
It was great to have the Southsea crew join me to celebrate Portsmouth Lakeside's 300th parkrun this morning. Walk/run again for me, not that I think I could have managed a continuous run even without the hernia - it's amazing what can happen if you don't run for 4 months! I did get a further improvement on last week though (40.23) and passed a lady with a 500 volunteer t-shirt - amazing!
I’m so happy that you’re back Jonathan. I know personally how much fitness can be lost through not running (but not for such a serious reason as yours), and you’re doing the right thing taking everything easily.. 😇
It was great to see you too JP, and so nice to run around the lake again. I think your 5th c25k runniversary must be coming up soon. I am sure you are fitter now than you were back then, even with your time on the IC. I hope you don’t have to wait much longer for your op though.
Thanks Dexy. Yes, my first parkrun was 28 July '18, so a bit of detective work identifies my graduation run as Weds 25 July - at 5.30 in the morning! I'm sure I am fitter - it just doesn't feel like that at the moment!
Good afternoon Damien and all, this may seem a bit late but we’re 5 hours behind you today, so this is about the time I usually post!
We’ve all just returned from Delaware & Raritan Canal parkrun in New Jersey, USA. Possibly the most complicated to get to and expensive parkrun we’ve ever been too but it’s been worth it for the experience. Thankfully the guide they give you on their parkrun webpage is perfect and we had a really easy journey. We got the subway to Penn Station at 6:45am and our train to New Brunswick was at 7:14am. Youngest kitten was especially happy as we got to go on a double decker train. We arrived in New Brunswick about an hour later and picked up a taxi outside the station to go to Colony Park where the parkrun is based.
The driver of the taxi that we took is slowly becoming a bit of a legend for the parkrun - he had a run report written all about him 3 weeks ago, so I knew exactly who he was 😂 He’s known as ‘Lebanon’ because he’s from…. He was really friendly and chatty, took us there, then came back to pick us up later after doing some food shopping (he gave us a couple of bags of cherries too!). He hung around the end of the funnel to chat to the other parkrunners as well.
There were only 56 of us, so Katnap made the most of it, coming in 6th. I was 21st - they were a bit quicker this week, but I was 1st in my age group with a good age grading so I was happy. It was youngest kitten’s 50th so he got a shout out from the RD ’in training’. Eldest kitten parkwalked and enjoyed chatting to a fellow Stratfordian parkwalker who was living out there (who’d have thought!! He wasn’t kidding us either, he named all the schools he went to!). He made a bee-line for us when we arrived as I was wearing my Apricot. They were all really chatty after the run too.
Very hot though, 23ºC and very humid but it was a truly beautiful spot, only spoilt by the feeling of severe tinnitus from the insects chirping away! Eldest kitten spotted all sorts of wildlife on his walk: beavers, turtles and snakes, several planes carrying adverts behind them (not that they’re wildlife 🤣). It was a shame we couldn’t stay for the cafe afterwards but we didn’t want to get stuck.
Lebanon got us back to the station in perfect time for the return train and we walked back through the city, repping parkrun, to our hotel for a well needed shower. Now for some afternoon bagels 😋.
Oh yes, why isn’t there a parkrun in Central Park in NYC? The New York Road Runners have a monopoly over it apparently and won’t let any other ‘club’ in 🤷🏻♀️
Back home on Monday night, I’ll do a big post on our return. Happy running everyone!
I don’t think words can describe how envious I am of you guys. What an amazing experience for you all! Can’t wait to hear all about your whole trip to the Big Apple. It’s pretty special isn’t it? 🇺🇸
whoop whoop !, I’ve been waiting for this one! What troopers you are to go out of New York to get to parkrun. Sounds a wonderful and friendly experience, even down to your cabbie. The boys will remember these happy days forever.
Got to be done Dexy! It wouldn’t have been right not too. Any help we can give to promote parkrun in the US and we’ll be happy to give it. And memories are the best present to give the boys with their big birthdays over the next few weeks 😍
Fabulous report TC! What a great cab driver you found - I hope other touristy parkrunners are lucky enough to have him should they turn up there! And the photo is definitely one for the album - isn’t younger kitten getting tall!
Thanks OG, I think he should get a sign for his car really, he’d clean up!
Youngest kitten is relatively tall compared to the rest of us!! I think most of the spurt has happened but he’s added a bit recently that wasn’t all hair!
Parkrun number 75 for me, and my first at the Bedgebury Pinetum in Kent. It's Forestry Commission land and parking is £3.80 (not £3.50 as on the parkrun website) up to 11am.
There had been heavy rain much earlier in the morning and it was drizzly when I parked up. Then it cleared as I changed my shoes. The walk from the car park to the start point was about 200m up a hill and round a corner.
I'd missed the official first timer's briefing and got a personal one from one of the marshals who spotted my "50" tee shirt and remarked that I probably didn't need telling how parkruns work. Shortly after, the run director stood on a prominence and gave us the extra briefing (keep left, watch out for bikes, hold on to your dogs, etc.).
We then walked about 100m down the first slope (past the finish point) to the start point and waited for the signal to go. I started about the middle of the pack.
Our track was quite stony and I was glad to have worn my thicker soled shoes, originally designed for mud running. It started downhill, past a chainsaw carving of a Gruffalo.
Then were several gradual climbs and dips, none as severe as the initial one. There were bikes. There were also runners with pushchairs and many with dogs. After the recent rainfall it was very humid.
The route had an out-and-back section leading to a slightly flatter loop.
My home parkrun had trained me well for this, but even so I walked a few seconds of the latter part of the run.
I slogged it up the final 200m climb, getting gradually slower as my heart rate climbed. I passed the timekeepers and grabbed the metal rail of the finish funnel to get a quick breather. I reached the token marshal just before they had to put my token to one side so they could give the correct place to the person behind me.
I hung around a bit at the end, but it wasn't quite as chatty as my regular haunts.
Back inside the car, having towelled and changed top and shoes, the rain suddenly came down heavily.
Official time: 28:23 (position 48 of 152).
Surprisingly, there were more people than that at my local venue this week, more than doubling their numbers compared with usual. (I'm told that two other parkruns had been cancelled.)
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