Week 7 Run 1, Inside a Parkrun - Lots of milestones

[gary_bart]

During c25k I'm running alternate Parkruns (and volunteering on the others). Just to remind everyone, this is something you can actually manage From Day One, it turns out. There are all sorts of runners at Parkruns, including those who walk the whole thing, so in Week 1 of c25k, even, you could walk your Parkruns. A benefit is that they keep a record of your times, so you'd be able to track your progress against a standardised measure as you went, if you did this.

I warmed up before the Parkrun started, and then joined at the very back when the run began, jogging slowly through the walkers for the first part. Laura told me when I'd finished 5 minutes, when I hit half way, and I think when I had 5 and then 1 minutes left, and the c25k run went fine. I held back a bit just to make dead certain of completing the main objective.

Then it was over into the cool down music, trying to run as much more of the rest of the Parkrun as possible, while trying to speed up very slightly as well. Result? I crossed the 30 minutes running mark. And I kept going. Next result? I ran to the very end!

So I've now run for more than 30 minutes (35:08 I think), and I've run 5km.

I will NOT be doing that again on Monday, when I run Wk7 R2. I'll do my 25 minutes, and try to finish at speed, the way the programme does. (Well if I have anything left in my legs after finishing on a high, I'll run it out, but I already know my legs will be jelly, and all effort will have to be directed at just not falling down).

It was fun, but not as fun as the previous run. My knees were a bit wobbly for the first time since I've started this life-changing experience, and I needed a long cool down to get everything operating nicely again.

It's actually amazing how fast some people walk the 5km! The fastest walkers are up there with us slow runners at the end.

[Joh2020 Graduate]

Well done!

[Pigivi]

That's brilliant! well done, and your plan to keep going on with week 7 is very good - I know I would be tempted to skip to 30 minutes!

And a very good time too for 5k!

Parkruns are great, I only been to one - due to the distance I have to drive to get there but it is there that I got my PB of 36 minutes - and I've been running for 14 months now - Woke up with the intention of going again today, but had a very achy knee...

The difference with the local PR here is that it is a very small event - and at 36 min I was the slowest - most days everybody finishes within 30 minutes!!!

[gary_bart in reply to Pigivi]

Ours is a big Parkrun, so anything under about 1h 15m is probably in the fastest 80%. I could go inland to a smaller one at a place called Shongweni, but that's hilly and unpaved. I think they're a generally faster crowd, too. I think I'll stick to this one. It works as a kind of datum line.

[agedsnailspace Graduate]

We have a guy at our parkrun (admittedly a speed walker) who walks around in about 32 mins! He was my nemisis for a long time...

You're right though. Parkrun is 'do-able' right from the start of the program. I didn't do my first until well after I'd finished and I wish I'd started earlier now.

Love Parkrun!

[goonkeepgoing Graduate in reply to agedsnailspace]

He walks it in 32 minutes!!!!!! Blimey!!!

[agedsnailspace Graduate in reply to goonkeepgoing]

He walks it in 32 mins and he's in his 70's!!!! I felt so bad the first time I managed to beat him when I realised I was celebrating having managed to run faster than a 70+ year old was walking...

[Bazza1234 Graduate]

Yes -- I incorporated parkrun each week into my C25K training, right from Week 2. I used the podcasts ( with Laura talking into my ear) and just did what she said to do during the parkrun - warmup and cooldown walks included !! I invariably hadn't covered 5K by the time that the C25K session had completed - so I just continued on in any way that I felt like ( walking or running) until I had crossed the line. I believe that it helped me maintain my motivation and interest in the programme.