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 did my 160th parkrun. Following my rib injury from 4 weeks ago I decided to try running again and took it easy. It was a gorgeous frosty morning with blue skies. Very cold 🥶 and the paths were frosted over but safe to run on. I ran and walked finishing in a time of 38:09 according to my Garmin Forerunner 35 watch. Happy to be back running again after a 5 week break.
Great run and really glad you’re back again. Frost on the paths is so pretty-as long as there’s no slip risk it’s one of my favourite things to run on!
Today we ran Bushy Park Parkrun which was something we always wanted to do 😊 A great way for Tasha's friend Steph to mark her 100th Parkrun. It really is an absolutely huge event 😆
Well done Tasha, Bushy park parkrun is the Mecca for all parkrun runners, they all should run there at least once, now both you and Dean have achieved that. 😊 🏃🏾 ❤️❤️✔️✔️
Morning friends. I’m revisiting C25K again for several reasons; easy-win goals to kickstart my lost mojo, lack of fitness due to said missing mojo, and finally a cough which I first had on December 16th (I know because I was carol singing with difficulty!) Running hasn’t been much of an option recently.
So today was W1R3 (did R1 and R2 at the gym this week) and I thought I might as well incorporate it into PR. And since I don’t take Flossie to PR to run nowadays, I figured since I’d mostly be walking, today she could come! 🐕🥰 She was thrilled to see so many friends.
Started by strategically jogging down the hill, and started C25K on the first uphill for the 5 minute warmup walk. Cheeky! Then did my 60s running 90s walking intervals eight times, plus the 5 minute cooldown walk, leaving (handily) a lovely jog down from the top of the park. Walked the final uphill and jogged in. My time was 48:18 - I thought I’d be over 50 minutes tbh - and it was definitely a win. 🙏
I was doing mental arithmetic RunaroundSue ! I knew that if I started with the 5 minute walk, it would dump me at the bottom of the first hill for the first run, and where’s the fun in that? 😅
Sounds a perfect place to find your lost mojo Cheeky, and a trip out for Flossie too, a win win all round. I mostly walked the one I went to this morning and finished in 49.20
I’m a box ticker SueAppleRun , and C25K certainly gives you that. I wouldn’t have been able to run Eastville in its entirety in my current unfit state in any case, so this made perfect sense! I forget what W2 brings - guess I’ll find out on Monday! 😅
I too am using C25K to get back in to my running after injury. It certainly takes me back - and I have chosen the lovely Laura, who guided me through over 8 yrs ago. Currently on Week 3 (with a little extra thrown in 😉) but am loving it all over again!❤️🏃♀️
It’s magic isn’t it Sandraj39 ? I have Denise Lewis this time round as MJ has taken leave, but she’s ace too. I feel as proud completing a run as I did 5.5 years ago - and yes it makes it fun again! 🥰 Good luck on your renewed journey. 🍀
Well done cheekychipmunks and a great idea to take Flossie along too. You will romp through c25k and I’m sure your mojo is realising the error of it’s ways.
I do believe it is Dexy5 . It’s such fun and it was lovely having Flossie at my side again 🥰 I learned the error of my ways piling through races with my last virus, and whereas this one is purely an irritating cough, I didn’t want to make it worse, so C25K seemed the perfect solution. 😀
To true Sandie1961 . I love running too much to spoil the experience just because. This is me being sensible and ticking boxes is my favourite too! Flossie couldn’t believe her luck. 🐕🥰
So pleased to hear that it went well and you and Flossie enjoyed your mojo hunt !!!! By the Spring you'll be cruising around those Parkruns and preparing for your next challenge!!
We were offered a lift to Alexandra Park today, so a nice flat, slightly icy, misty run around a park. But it was very busy, the RD had a megaphone but we couldn't hear him. We didn't hear the start and started watches when we saw heads bobbing at what we thought was the front, then I looked up and saw lots of people quite a way ahead as the path curved round. It was another 23 seconds before the crowds started to thin and we could start running so there were 46 seconds difference between parkrun and Garmin times. Despite that and a few icy patches I had a good time of 36.39.
I seem to suffer less than my friends on the icy patches, probably because my cheaper (but very comfortable) Decathlon shoes are more grippy 😀
Well done Sue! Is that the Stockport one, not the London one, I’m guessing?! Have you got a quick cadence? I find my little steps help in icy conditions.
Well Manchester rather than Stockport.I had to look at my cadence to answer this because I don't generally look at any stats apart from time and pace. Oh and how many parkruns to my green shirt (answer: 6)
So my average run cadence was 178, average stride length 0.76
Both of those are slightly higher than my last two runs this week.
I know that I have a slightly higher step count when running than walking, which my husband says shouldn't happen!
I suspect it is more to do with grippy shoes and a steady pace as I trot round
I hadn't thought about the celebration, apart from a set of t-shirts. Probably cakes to shareI hope the mud will have chance to dry by then because I want to do it at Marple. Otherwise I might have to volunteer then do the last one in March after a fortnight in Lanzarote.
We are ticking off the last few within the M60 at the moment, partly to go with someone whose knee wants to run flat courses and avoid twisting it in the mud.
Hi Damien. Back to Saturday 5ks today. No ice, but loads of mud up on the walkway, especially in the first 1k. A 7:25 first 1k and then negative splits for an overall 34:42. Come on Spring time!!
One of the benefits of living next to a forest Damien. I happily run over the same routes because there is something different to see or hear every day.
Good morning (whoops, afternoon) damienair and parkrunners. My granddaughter suddenly twigged that parkrun wasn't just Lancing and Worthing but all over the world last night and said it'd be good to do a different one. After a bit of Googling she suggested Preston Park, so that's what we did. I walked a lot of it and came in under 50 minutes, she ran more and came in under 40 minutes, it took at least a minute to reach the start, there were 724 runners and walkers and we were right at the back. We really enjoyed it though and off we went for our reward of the steam room and sauna afterwards.
So many parkrun choices near you SueAppleRun . Hove park will be worth trying too. They didn’t do parkrun when I lived there. Mind you, I didn’t run when I lived there. 😂
Oh I like the idea of a steam room and sauna after parkrun nearly as much as a full English breakfast! What a fab thing to do Sue! Preston Park must be lovely to do a parkrun in - does it still have the statue of Steve Ovett?
I didn't see the statue, would have liked ked to because I followed his racing career years ago, I'll look out if we go again. We do like to reward ourselves with steam room and sauna, then relax on the hot benches, we try to go to the gym one evening a week as well, not that we are getting any fitter, but we are well steamed 😁
TailChaser and SueAppleRun I read that it had been moved, after being cut off! Apparently a replacement is now on Brighton seafront ( where it can be watched more closely ).
Glad to hear you had a good ParkRun and now on the mend.
Opted for a localish off road one (Tunbridge Wells) which was surprisingly going ahead (quite a lot weren’t ) so we prepared ourselves with trail shoes and no expectations of times.
It was very very muddy and at times was a struggle to stay upright. Thankfully both shoes also stayed on. Hats off to a chap who was pushing a double buggy with 2 kids through the mud at quite a pace.
Not my best time there but significantly muddy 38.36. Husband did 25.14.
Well done Beth! If you want a really muddy one, try East Grinstead. My niece and her husband run in spiked shoes this time of year and are often first as their main rivals run elsewhere. To be fair he’s mostly first whenever he takes part.
Hello everyone, 168th parkrun for me today, and my motley crew continue to go down like flies with ailments. But the lovely Coddfish was able to join in today which was good to see.
463 joined in today, our highest participation since moving to our new start point. It’s the same every year with New Year’s resolutions. Hopefully they will reduce again soon, as people ignored the briefing, and the rules set for everyone’s safety, including members of the public. Hey ho.
Anyway I came in 1st of my age group, 33:49. 10 seconds less than NYD so my best time this year. 🤣🤣
It was chilly at 5C, but so nice not to be windy or wet. Full English breakfast followed.
I doubt if I’ll ever get to sub 30, but I’m sure I can knock another minute off at some point. It took 40 seconds to get to the start so I may have to go somewhere else to get closer to the front. 😂
Ha ha, my main friendly rival wasn’t there again. I did introduce myself to her at Christmas. Coddfish volunteered on NYD but it was good to see her taking part today.
There was definitely a New Year’s resolution boost today Koala. Plus a lot of parkruns cancelled due to flooding. Give it a month and hopefully we’ll drop back to normal. 😂
I finally felt well enough after my Twixtmas virus to go back to parkrun, despite a disastrous 2k run on Wednesday. I decided on Yarborough as it is sheltered and unlikely to be too wet or muddy being a leisure centre. It was cold at 4c and started raining just after we set off 🥶 but I managed to run it all and came in with a time of 35.28. Not very fast but my fastest time this year 😂😊
It was another good run at Portsmouth Lakeside today - a crisp morning although somewhat soggy round the lake. There were 346 finishers, our largest since Feb '20. After a recent niggle which fortunately didn't come to anything, it was my second sub-32 min in a row (31.55).😀
Someone pushing a double buggy came in first on 19.41 - when I congratulated him, he said 'it was a bit easier today because I only had one in there'!😯
Mud, mud glorious mud. Today was a fun run. As soon as the time keepers said go, I step back and straight into a bog, trainers soaked in gooey mud.
There were a number of people that slipped in the mud down the hill. No one hurt. I put my arms out like aeroplane wing to keep upright, probably looked liked a ninny but I avoided the mud.
It was a bumper parkrun, 327 people, I came 266, in 34.05 mins, 8 secs off my pb of 33.57.
Really enjoyed the run, the mud adds an extra dimension!
Good evening (!) Damien and all, apologies for the late reply but we’re just on our way back from a busy day parkrunning and dropping youngest kitten back at uni.
Our local parkrun was cancelled on Wednesday due to flooding so youngest kitten suggested we take him up to uni and do a parkrun on the way. He had a rotten train journey when he came home for Christmas so we could totally understand the logic. We chose Cannock Chase as Katnap has his own challenge, 10CCs, which he has worked out is possible (we have done Coldham’s Common and Clare Castle so far).
Although it seems quite innocuous being mainly on tarmac, it is a bit undulating and the last 500m are quite tough. Also, the tarmac is not in good condition, with lots of deep holes and jagged parts. Add to that dog walkers, mountain bike riders and freezing fog, it was a challenging course!
Still, we did ok. Katnap was sub 24, youngest kitten was sub 29 and I was sub 30, so we were all happy with that. Youngest kitten is psyching himself up for his first HM plan. Considering he’s hardly run for months, I think he’ll be all right.
On our way home now. Hope everyone has had a lovely day 😀
Great times for the whole Kat family there. I wouldn’t be surprised if youngest kitten did a HM with minimal training. Oh to be young again (or maybe not 😂)
Yes, that wouldn’t surprise me either Sandie. I hope he does a little more though as I’ve just stocked him up with a new pair of leggings for the remainder of the winter and a pair of shorts for the spring.
We’re on a tourist roll at the moment Damien, thanks to all this flooding! Our next two parkruns are planned tourist trips so it may be our longest streak 😀
Hello everyone, I logged my second Parkrun today at Cudmore Grove, Mersea, and was joined by my wife on her very first Parkrun! We were made very welcome too! It was a little muddy and chilly this morning, but we had a great time, finishing with an official time of 39:42.
Congratulations to you chrisl72 on completing your second parkrun at Cudmore Grove and to your wife on her first parkrun, despite the mud I am glad that you both enjoyed it 👍 🏃🏾 ✔️
It was very cold, misty and murky at our parkrun yesterday but that didn't stop over 800 people taking part! After walking most of the way last week I decided to do it by intervals this week. Enjoyed the challenge of different speeds/effort. Still not up with the first 100 (or even the first 500!) but am making new friends every week and feel great when it's all over! 22 done so on the countdown to my first milestone 🏃♀️
I did Castle Park on 30th. My PR time was ca 3 minutes faster than my real time. Yesterday at Tooting , it was the other way round! I thought it was very wet and rather muddy. Then I saw the Facebook video for Bedford - it is worth a search!!!
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week3run1 ✅. 3 x 17 mins with 1 min walks. 
week 2 begins! 
