First Parkrun!

[Gthants]

I've done it!! ✅

I braved the showers, the lack of sleep, the 🫣tummy issues, and the general peoply-ness and I've been and gone and done a Parkrun.

YIPPEDY-ZIPPEDY-DIPPEDY-DOO! 🤸‍♀️

I talked to a few other runners, compared headphone stories, established that my travelling a few miles to the run did not quite compete with those travelling from Bath, Birmingham, Stoke ... and Scotland! Apparently quite a few wanted an "I" ... 🏃‍♂️

It's a very up and downy course and it was a bit nippy, but running through trees, on a track - and with people - was a real experience. I've been thinking of venturing further afield for my day to day runs and this is certainly somewhere I will come back to for weekday running.

I was very close to the back at the start and kept to 8m/km until I felt comfortable. Then I tried to settle at an easy-ish pace. I think I ran slightly faster at times as there were other runners nearby and I felt pulled along. All was comfortable though.

I did feel I had a lot more to give in the last 1/2 k, but - I'll be honest here - I wanted a good time, but a time that I may be able to beat in the future. Shallow, huh?

Anyway: 33:24 is about 20 seconds off my fastest time for a 5k in my entire 4 week history of being a grown-up, qualified runner. 😆

120th out of 169 runners.

7th in my age category. 👨‍🦳

Oh, and did I say? I DID A PARKRUN!

(Naturally, the NRC app insists I ran 4.99k! 😱 My watch (and the folk in charge fully credit the 5k!😇)

[PeggySusi]

Fantastic - well done! Only 25 more letters to go..😊

[Gthants 60minGraduate in reply to PeggySusi]

I can see one or two being added, but we had some serious collectors today!

[Catalpa111 Graduate10]

Hah!! Fantastic!!!! So good to read this - entertaining, honest, and inspiring!! Well done for getting out there and nailing it.

I’ll let you know when I step up… not just yet, but soon…🙂👍

[Gthants 60minGraduate in reply to Catalpa111]

I can't wait to hear when you do!

[SueAppleRun Graduate10 60minGraduate]

Yay!!! 😁 You did it! Be careful it's very addictive, and look at your time 👍👏👏👏👍

[Gthants 60minGraduate in reply to SueAppleRun]

I was a bit chuffed. And NRC made me laugh!

[SueAppleRun Graduate10 60minGraduate in reply to Gthants]

My watch was a bit slow to get going and says 4:98k but NRC is my friend at the moment as gave me a faster time than Garmin, Strava or parkrun 😂

[Gthants 60minGraduate in reply to SueAppleRun]

Fastest time is CLEARLY the most accurate time! 😎

[SueAppleRun Graduate10 60minGraduate in reply to Gthants]

Absolutely,

[Sax64 Graduate10]

Fab, fab 🎉🎊🏅, well done for overcoming so much and now doing a parkrun!! And such a wonderful time too. It sounds like you really enjoyed the experience. There's no going back now.

[Gthants 60minGraduate in reply to Sax64]

Uh-oh! Am I on the way to addiction?!

[Sax64 Graduate10]

Absolutely....

[Dexy5 Graduate10]

another first time parkrunner! How great is that? So glad you enjoyed it Gthants. Your Saturdays will never be the same again.

[Gthants 60minGraduate in reply to Dexy5]

Part of me is wishing there was one on Monday!

[Dexy5 Graduate10 in reply to Gthants]

😂

[Jools2020 Graduate10]

What a great start to parkrun! You set out steadily until you’d got your bearings which enabled you to get the absolute best out of the experience. Great running and result! Love the strategy of keeping a little back to get a PB next time. 😊

Well done indeed! 👏👏👏👍

[Gthants 60minGraduate]

Everyone was way more experienced and in retrospect I think it would have been disheartening to be a group or two closer to the front: a) my pace would have been too fast and I may have had to walk or not finish; b) I'd have been constantly overtaken.

[Jools2020 Graduate10 in reply to Gthants]

Absolutely agree - could have been a totally different, less satisfying experience. Based on this run, you’ll have a much better idea of your start position for your next run!

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate10]

You did it!

Huge well done overcoming the doubts and taking the plunge. A great run too by you.

🏃‍♂️👌👏👏

[Gthants 60minGraduate in reply to Bluebirdrunner]

Thank you!

[cheekychipmunks Graduate10]

Ahh, what great news Gthants, you sound like you had an absolute blast! That’s a fabulous time too 👊 Have fun on Saturday mornings - you realise they’ve now changed forever 😅

[Gthants 60minGraduate in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Yeah, it's months since I have had a Saturday work-free, so I took advantage of this one!

[Bruch1]

Well done and a great time. 👍😊

[Gthants 60minGraduate in reply to Bruch1]

Thank you!

[Madge50 Graduate10]

welcome to the parkrun family! Good innit! 👍……you do realise there are T-shirts to collect now …..for volunteering and running/walking ……so you have to keep going….😉

Mx

[Gthants 60minGraduate in reply to Madge50]

Do I get one for one run?🤣

[Madge50 Graduate10 in reply to Gthants]

😂…..just a few more….you’re in now, you can’t stop….and yes it is a sort of addiction, but certainly not a bad one to have…..it’s a great community to be part of….👍. All parkrun asks of you is to turn up and join in….walk, run, skip whatever you like…..I love it ❤️

Mx

[JeremiahObadiah]

Brilliant!!!🎈🥳🤩

You were warned about the addictive nature of Parkruns🤣and it sounds as if you have got the bug from run1!!!

[Gthants 60minGraduate in reply to JeremiahObadiah]

There's talk of a family trip to th next one ...

[MissUnderstanding Administrator Graduate10]

You need to have strong words with your NRC app! So cheeky to undercount the distance (mine is the same-worse even!).

Great parkrun and the next one you do won’t have any of the unfamiliarity. You know what you’re doing now! Congratulations on a super debut 🎉

[Gthants 60minGraduate in reply to MissUnderstanding]

Thank you!

[Folkylass Graduate10]

Fantastic! You did it and a very respectable time too…good on ya!👍👏👏👏👏🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️🥳🥳😂

[Gthants 60minGraduate in reply to Folkylass]

Thanks so much!

[CBDB Graduate10]

Woohoo! Well done! Amazing! (I have yet to do a public park run, but have done a few “(not) parkruns” on park routes. So reading this is great.

[Gthants 60minGraduate in reply to CBDB]

It was genuinely lovely. The marshals were great at at the end a lot of the runners who'd finished stood and cheered those still coming through - such a lovely thing to do!

[Dendev75 Graduate10]

What a brilliant post! 😊 Parkruns are so great - the atmosphere, the various courses, the people all make it the highlight of my week! Congratulations on your 5k pb 👏🏻 it sounded like you still had fuel in the tank which is the sign of a comfortably paced run 👍🏻

[Gthants 60minGraduate in reply to Dendev75]

The people were what I was most nervous about and it was the people who absolutely made it!

[Yesletsgo Administrator Graduate10]

NRC always records my Parkrun at 4.88 so I have a little run on the way there to make sure I get the full distance.What was really annoying was when I ran an organised 10k, the only time I've ever done that distance, and it recorded 9.99. I was so carried away with the start line I forgot to set my Garmin watch for a minute or so, so according to my electronic stuff I've never actually run 10k. Never mind, I've got a medal that says I did it 😁

[Gthants 60minGraduate in reply to Yesletsgo]

That is so frustrating! My watch said 5k, NRC (slightly!) disagreed! 🤣

[nowster Graduate10]

That parkrun has attracted a lot of fast runners if you're coming in at that position with a time of 33 minutes. Well done!

My old Garmin watch often measured my local parkrun at about 4.4km, and my newer one records the same one as 5.3km. Lots of corners close together and plenty of tree cover does that.

[Gthants 60minGraduate in reply to nowster]

Ah - I see! I was telling someone else that I spoke to a guy about 17 minutes in and his watch said he'd been running for 23 seconds as it had just found a satellite! The wonders of technology!

[Irish-John Graduate10]

Well done G!!!! It's so much fun to run in an event - and you did it do well!

Congratulations Runner 🙂👍🏻