Just call me 'Speedy'!!!

[Beads]

Saturday morning is my long slow run, or that's what I call it. Long in this sense means over an hour, generally before the kids are up and squabbling. So that means parkruns are out, they're only half an hour or so. Or not!

Following a good peruse of the relevant map I decided I was going to do a gentle parkrun (going round like the clappers takes it out of me and makes me want to collapse at the end) and then carry on round the other paths on Riddlesdown that the parkrun doesn't use, sort of an extended lap.

So parkrun done, Garmin paused for barcode scanning, Garmin restarted and I did a large loop down to the start, through the start and along the first part of the route, this got extended before I looped round and started back on myself, got back to the parkrun route and turned off along another path rather than following the track and a huge loop round (leaden legs around 8k, but I was telling myself I could run for 90 minutes so I could do this, this wasn't even an hour) and back to the scanning station (which had all been cleared away, no evidence of all the earlier runners), now I was at 9.6k, so back down the track towards the start and loop up towards the normal finish took me to the magic 10k! 6 seconds after the Garmin beeped that we'd done the final 'lap' in 5.35 (not sure where that number came from) I decided enough was enough!

10k, 59:43!!!!!!!! Blimey!

[Aftabs Graduate]

Well done! I ran my first 10km today in 63 mins so will be working towards a sub 60 min 10km now. By the way I inadvertently ran past the beginning of a Parkrun when I changed my route and ran through a park rather than around it! I think your idea is good, I wasn't interested in Parkruns because my Saturday run is my longer run, I don't think I could find the time on a weekday. But joining the Parkrun and continuing afterwards is a good idea.

[Beads Graduate in reply to Aftabs]

Malcy's idea, he runs his park run then runs it again backwards, but I couldn't face doing another two laps so did a longer single lap.

Well done on your 10k! 63 minutes is good for a first go, my best before today was close to 70 minutes. Doing the parkrun first is good if you're looking to beat your time as it pulls you round that first half slightly faster, I know I didn't settle into my 'long distance plod' as I normally do.

[AliB1 Graduate]

Or what about finishing with Parkrun then you get to stay for chat, coffee and cake (at ours anyway)

[ju-ju- Graduate]

amazing....you have done so well, I bet you feel fantastic

[lizfish]

Wow that is fab! Not sure if 10k is my next goal or not, but 5k is a start and I'm not far off it now.

I'm going to probably do Riddlesdown as my first one on the 13th July (I have two saturdays of events before then) so will have to remind you when I'm going and we'll exchange secret signals so I can wave at you in proper stalker style. You are free to decline though.

Looks like a load of quite serious runners from the photos (and the times), but I am determined not to let that put me off. I am a runner too, even if I do persist in wearing my tracky bottoms when everyone else embraces lyrca!

I think Ali's idea of doing parkrun at the end is a good one, as the tea and cake comes after... nom nom.

[Beads Graduate in reply to lizfish]

Not sure if I could do a parkrun after a fast 5k, it needs a whole different mindset, I could have given up at any point during the second 5k (which is probably what kept me going, I'm contrary like that!). And I'm a bit too antisocial for tea and biccies afterwards, but I have brought cake for the finishing line.

But I'll say hello and run your 5k with you if you remind me what the secret handshake is! I'm usually the one chatting all the way round (except at the start, see the comment about being anti-social), or giggling as I run through the puddles! And yes, it's a fast run, I conned my son into doing it several weeks ago, he finished in 46 minutes and they were thinking of packing up and going home by that point, it's only coz I was marshaling and said he'd not been through that they knew there was still someone out there running!

[lizfish in reply to Beads]

We'll have to make up a handshake. Not really, if you're not usually big on the social, I'll leave you be. I was half-joking as I tend to be in my own little world at these things.

I'm going to be honest, the times put me off a bit. I'm not going to be far off 40 mins, and while I am resigned to be last, I'd rather they didn't forget about me altogether.... it's the one that's most local though and I've got to start somewhere right?

[Beads Graduate in reply to lizfish]

Come! The social thing is just with crowds etc, I'm OK one to one. The 13th is probably a good one if you're worried you'll get forgotten, it's when they're celebrating the 2nd anniversary so there'll be more there than normal. It is a faster route than you'd expect (dead flat, just about, pretty strange for round here), so don't let the times put you off, when the ratchild did his run and clocked an impressive 46 minutes that was half walked and half puffed round, he's much more used to the couch.