Hello Everyone. 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 afternoon Damien, I am so annoyed with myself, I had intended to go to Dunfermline parkrun but decided to go to Drumpellier Parkrun instead, unfortunately the bus to Drumpellier Parkrun was cancelled so I ran a 3K maintenance run instead, if I had gone to Dunfermline I would have got a lift back from a runner I know from Palacerigg parkrun.
Thanks GTFC, MissUnderstanding and RunaroundSue, lesson learned, don't change your mind regarding the parkrun you intend to go to, the 3K was fine and one of the quickest I have 🏃🏾run 👍 ✔️
I understand those things happen, there are plenty of cancellations with both trains and buses, people wait for hours for the next bus or train, luckily I only waited for 5 minutes before I got another bus back to the place I ran that 3K.
Ah that’s such a pity Al. But the beauty of parkrun is that you can do it next week, well done on your 3K maintenance run and wishing you a happy Easter.
Yes OGR, looking forward to next week, believe it or not I noticed on one of the Drumpelliier parkrun photos there was a runner who ran with a 20 Kilograms weight on his back. 😊
I went to Clevedon Salthouse Fields with my husband this morning. Glorious weather, although I was too hot-I should have worn my shorts, t shirt and sunglasses! It was really busy and I found it a bit frustrating trying to navigate past the other runners. I didn’t love doing three laps but that’s my personal preference. The scenery was wonderful, especially running alongside the marine lake and waving at the swimmers. It was a great run, slightly slower because it was so busy but we celebrated with coffee and pastries all round.
That is a nice parkrun but a shame that it is so busy. We were lucky when we went as there were fewer people, although a film crew had unexpectedly set up and got in the way near the start
I don’t think I’ve ever had content with a film crew! We were warned about paddle boarders setting up by the lake and seaweed on the ground… that was a bit more in the realms of expected hazards!! I’d love to have another go on a quieter day although I suspect that might mean waiting for a rainy day!
Now that is more like it! Lovely Spring weather and backdrop to a nice run. What more can a runner ask for? Ok…maybe the odd PB, but we mustn’t be greedy. 👏👏👏 great work 🙂
Lovely to see that blue sky after the last few days MissU. I found myself in the wrong place too, but I don’t worry too much at a tourist run. Gives some chance of beating it if I return.
Happy Easter everyone. This morning I joined my friend Ida and we went to Galway to get our U for the alphabet challenge. We ran at University of Galway parkrun. It was a lovely course with a couple of 500m loops followed by an out and back trail beside a river. Loads of tourists getting their U’s like us. Official time not in yet but I got my fastest finish time this year and a sub 30 minute too. Garmin finish time was 28:46. Delighted with that and not expecting it. I’m getting my running buzz back again.
Marshaling at Hyde parkrun for me today, although I am still chasing the credit.But what a lovely bright day for standing in a park, although we were in a windy spot so I was glad I had lots of layers, hat and gloves.
Hyde is the noisiest parkrun I have ever been to, they have a box of percussion items although I had come prepared with my guiro.
We haven't been to Marple for a couple of weeks although I will be Tailwalking at Juniors tomorrow so I will see what it is like. That course misses the worst of it though
Only a 4.11k for me today. An out strong: back fast intervals run where the idea is to come back a minute quicker than the out run. I made it for the first time; so I am ridiculously pleased with myself! Negative splits, V02 max up another point and a beautiful spring morning. Did I hear “it will never last “ 😂. I hope everyone enjoyed their runs this morning.
You will get there Dexy5; you have the determination! My VO2 max has really improved over the last 4 weeks. The big change is lower average heart rate on most runs (mid 130s) which I attribute to losing over half a stone on this pesky pre diabetic “inspired” diet. We will see what it makes of a 10k with a hill in it on Monday😈.
Choc brownies ….gone! All of our recipes and menus have been revised. It has taken a while to work out what we can actually eat; which is why we have both lost a lot of weight quickly. With Mrs BC having Type 2 now, we have to be really careful. We will get there 👍
Thanks TC….it would be a good habit to get into. I guess that particular run is geared up for it really; warm up lap, 12 minutes out and 11 minutes back trying to hit the start point of the 12. Bit of a dad “sprint” at the end 🙂
It’s a good one. My club has it on our weekly list of runs, it’s called The Empire Strikes Back, 1km out, check watch, 2 min recovery, then turn around and do the 1km quicker going back. Nothing wrong with a dad sprint, probably better than dad dancing 🕺😁
🙂 Thanks JP. I am not really a pessimist. I just accept the highs and lows with equanimity. Doing rehab exercises is actually enjoyable, because every day is a step towards getting back to running; but upping the pace only works for a limited period for me. That is ok; I am so lucky that I can run at all.
I went over to Huddersfield parkrun this morning to do a parkrun not my local one but one of my favourites and one of the biggest in my area. 31.13 not a pb but one of my quickest times this year.
Regular mountain goat stuff Tessie! Obvious I know, but the more I run hills, the quicker I get. I have just started to reintroduce hills into my routine after a winter on the flat. It will take a while, but it will make me stronger in the end. Certainly my 10 mile PB was on a hilly route….2years ago! Time to get moving again..
Hello and Happy Easter Damienair, (not) parkrunners,and parkrunners . This is the first of a few posts as UpTheStanley , Oldgirlruns and I did a tourist run to Bognor Regis, home of -David-G .
It is unusual for us to run in a real park, and Hotham Park was most delightful, complete with a miniature railway (which we crossed 14 times),, a bandstand, and of course , a great cafe.
The route looked a little crazy on paper, with one small loop and 3 large loops but it was lovely in the spring sunshine. I didn’t start near enough to the front as I felt I wanted to run faster than those in front of me but by the end of the first lap it stretched out a bit.
Marshals were great, direction signs very helpful, and a very good atmosphere. I got to see UTS twice and lapped OGR on my final lap.
David very kindly treated us to post run bacon baps and coffee, sitting outside in the sunshine. It was good to catch up again.
parkrun time 34:25 (Garmin 33:26 for 5k) which I was pleased with on that course, and gives the opportunity to do better should I return. It also gave me my 3rd B in the Staying Alive challenge and my 26th location.
Lovely run in great company Dexy5. I am just off to walk Molly after my morning run…she clearly fancies the nicer weather too…..keeps stealing things to get my attention…she even tries to knock the IPad out of my hand! It’s just satisfying to feel a bit of warmth in the air again. Safe journey home everyone.
That warmth was so nice. My first run in just a T-shirt this year I think. I understand another cold snap is on the way, so make the most of it while we can.
It was a great morning wasn’t it Dexy? I clearly didn’t listen to the brief - I thought it was 16 not 14 times over the tracks! But a lovely parkrun and I think we should go again one day!
Wow that was a very busy parkrun for you today. Huge congratulations to you on your 5K and parkrun PB. Absolutely fantastic performance. Great way to celebrate Easter weekend.
More parkrun tourism for me and this time my lovely sister too. Pocket parkrun in Cambridgeshire. A really lovely 3 and a bit laps on what is often flooded marshy land. Lots of wildlife including a swan crossing in front of us and giving us a few hisses 🤣. The weather was completely perfect and I must say the friendliest volunteers and runners ever.
At least it should have been flattish Mudita11. Some prophet of doom said it was going to rain for my long run on Monday! Why do some people have to prick your ballon?🙂
That’s the lovely thing about parkrun Mudita, you never know what you’ll come across - but hissing swans is probably in the more unusual range! How lovely to be able to run with your sister as well!
Well I had a milestone today - Parkrun #100 for me. I was visiting Sandringham and they had record attendance of over 400 runners and walkers. Also what is new for Sandringham is that they are now a venue for "5K your way" which is part of Move Against Cancer moveagainstcancer.org/
This is an organisation that promotes running for anyone whose lives have been touched by cancer. At the venues it links with it has meets on the last Saturday of each month at the parkrun.
I had to set the alarm this morning Damien! Most unlike me but Dexy5, UpTheStanley and I were headed along the coast for a mini meet-up with @DavidG at Bognor Regis. What a lovely morning, sunny, mild, and no wind - yay! A short loop, followed by 3 longer loops round the park, crisscrossing paths and the mini-railway tracks (16 times if you must know!). I came 310 out of 323 runners and was first in my age group (out of 1🤣!); a Parkrun time of 50:44 (Garmin time 49:52). Our host kindly treated us to coffee and a bacon butty sitting in the sunshine at the park’s cafe afterwards - all in all a lovely parkrun morning!
Good evening Damien and all, first Stratford parkrun in a few weeks. Our first with us being there when eldest kitten has been RD and he did a sterling job.
The river was in flood yet again and it was really touch and go. I was on course check so got up early to assist in decision making, taking photos etc, and after listening to the rest of the core team we came to the decision to go ahead, with Katnap marshalling by the flooded path (no, the photo isn’t Katnap!). We also had youngest kitten as marshal on the first corner so that we could spread the other marshals out a bit more.
We had about 400 turn up today. It’s always a busy one at Easter so it would have been a real shame if it hadn’t happened. I don’t know how eldest kitten did it but everyone went quiet when he started the briefing! It was quite amazing! I was so proud 😊 He’d also made the decision to move the funnel so it didn’t finish in a quagmire, and it was a really good move as it meant it was along a tarmac path away from those still doing laps and other park users.
My HM training plan said 30 minutes easy today and I did just over 30 mins. Strava said it was easy so I was happy. I’d got a lot of steps in as I hadn’t gone home after turning up early to check, so I was very happy for a warming cuppa and a tea cake at the local cafe afterwards.
All in all we had a very successful morning and we made lots of people happy, and you can’t ask for better than that. Isn’t parkrun brilliant? 😍
It’s getting a bit wearing Dexy. Only the waterfowl are happy about it. We’re losing a lot of trees as well as the top soil is being washed away and branches are rotting. I really hope it dries up soon but judging by next weeks forecast it won’t be just yet.
Of course you’re proud of the kittens TC, they’re a real credit to you! It sounds as if eldest kitten is turning into a really thoughtful RD! I’m pleased you were able to go ahead this morning but it looks as though you’ve still got a lot of water to contend with!
Thanks OG. He did so well, I don’t know anyone else who has managed to quieten 400 people in the way he did! His next stint is on 4th May and he’s really looking forward to that as he gets to do Star Wars Day 😀 Let’s hope it’s stopped raining by then 🙄🤞
Well done TC on your parkrun and well done to eldest kitten too on his great job being RD. Great experience for him and definitely something to put on a CV. Happy Easter to you and your lovely family.
Realised I hadn't volunteered for a while so did first timers briefing at Portsmouth Lakeside yesterday morning- for the first time! Nice to see quite a few complete first timers, as well as a good selection of tourists - at 367 finishers it was our best-attended since 2019! Unsurprising when it was such a beautiful day. A most enjoyable run - the comeback continues after my blip a couple of weeks ago with a time of 33.07. Still aiming for my first post-hernia sub-30 but it will take a few weeks yet I think.
Well done JP, it’s a good role that allows you to both volunteer and run. It’s great that you are finding running less painful now and building up pace and distance again.
I didn't feel like doing parkrun yesterday, but decided to go anyway. I came in at 2 mins quicker my time from the last time I did it twice weeks ago, so pleased with myself.
This Easter Saturday, I went to Lordship Recreation Ground parkrun. A really nice event in a wide, open park in North West London.
I ticked off L from my Alphabet challenge and did my 32nd event in London, which means I'm half LonDone.
I also got a PB according to Strava. Sadly it wasn't recorded as a parkrun PB cos I took a loo break in between, which added to my parkrun time, but the Strava time paused. I'm still happy about it
Not Park Run done... Sunday.. , it did not rain... the uphill bits fine.. the run on the flat.. slow... all good practice for the Monsal trail next Sunday though! There will be rain then , apparently
update
Here in derbyshire now... and guess what... it is raining
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.
