Parkrun as a tail runner :)

[amateurwriter]

Hi everyone, I'm truly sorry about this being really late and I think the next few parkrun reports will be just as late as this one was so I will apologise now about the next few parkrun reports being late, I'm having some health and home problems at the moment, trying to sort everything out it's just taking a while for everything to get sorted,

I went bed around 10pm on friday after going out for a short slowish run and after packing my bag for parkrun for saturday morning, I was on the way back when I thought it was sunday, should've known that was a bad sign for the weekend, I woke up on saturday thinking it was a monday, thought oh I don't need to get up right now I can have another hour before getting up for the day ahead, so hence I went to sleep for another hour woke up at 6am (which I'm glad) in a right state after realising it was a saturday and not a monday, hence the fact that I ran around like a headless chicken,

I'm so glad I had gone and packed my bag the night before, I luckily managed to have a shower, change, have some breakfast and double check I had everything before running out the door at 7:10 *phew* I managed to get to the parkrun for 8 in time to help set up the course, I am so glad, to make matters worse on the sunday I had put my name down to volunteer at junior parkrun and I woke up at 5, had an extra hour since I was extremely tired and then I don't know what happened between 6 and 7:10, I was awake but I didn't move all I did was look at the ceiling for over an hour even though it felt like it was 5 minutes, my mum said I must have fallen asleep but I honestly didn't and I think it was just me suffering from a bit of amnesia where I lost the hour and a bit (not the first time this has happened but hopefully the last time it will happen but who knows if it will be) but glad I managed to get to the junior parkrun in time

So anyway back to parkrun, I helped set the cones out around the track, the starting cones and the cones directing people off the track, I managed to finish all that off after wobbling around the track as my balance wasn't that great on saturday, I then went to the table and proudly donned a hi-vi's jacket as I had put myself down as tail runner for last saturday,

I put on my running jacket just in case it rained then my arms wouldn't get too cold, am glad I did put it on because part way round it chucked it down, nowt new there it's the british weather after all,

So we all get shouted in for the runner's briefing, we all get told of any milestones, birthdays and all the house rules, and then we go to the start, I was tailrunning so made sure me and the other 2 tail runners was at the back of the group so didn't go past the start line for around half a minute to a minute as there was late starters, and then part way round I started panicking I remembered that not one of us out of 3 tail runners had a lanyard with the emergency number on so I ran off the track grabbed the first lanyard I came to and raced back to the tail runners and then went off the track,

Me and the other 2 tail runners supported a first timer around the course, I had spoke to her husband as we ran around the course previously, felt guilty how I didn't know his name (I do now though only through the results) where as he knew my name, we used a lot of techniques around the course, the woman did a lot better than she thought she would, that's what she told us all afterwards, I found it interesting how the woman used a technique that I taught my siblings which is the rope technique a technique that I used mainly for trampolining but this woman used it to help her get up the hill the 2nd time round and even managed to run up half of the last hill, I'm so proud of her, I'm proud of each and every runner that runs at parkrun whether it takes them under 20minutes or it takes around 60minutes, everyone is a runner and everyone has ran 5km no matter how long it takes everyone to cross that finish line, everyone is lapping everyone on the couch

I came in with a time of 48:07, at first when I first started going to parkrun I wanted to get the quickest time, but now I'm much happier helping people get around the course whether it takes us around 35 minutes or 60 minutes just to witness that smile on their face afterwards knowing they achieved something is just an amazing feeling in the world and I look forward to helping someone around the course hopefully once a week whether it's the same person for a few weeks or it's a different person each week, it doesn't matter because I love to help out

Hope everyone has had a great weekend, I have with the volunteering anyway if you are still unsure about whether to go to parkrun or not there are plenty of people who was like you who was unsure about going to their first parkrun, I know I sure was but do you know what it's been one of the best decision's of my life, I'm now going to get trained to help either take a class or assist a class with brain injury survivor's I've been asked to become a run director for the junior parkrun and even been told to organise different events for parkrun on a saturday, I've put my name forwards for different events as well, it's been like a snowball effect with parkrun and I hope it never stops

Oh for everyone who has asked when the bury10k is it's on the sunday 18th september so I'm good to tail run on the saturday at parkrun, I'm due to go out for a small slow training run tonight but not feeling 100% I probably will feel a lot better after the run, still got time to go out for the run,

I also had my appointment with the nurse today to have the asthma test, she said that my oxygen levels (think that's what she said) if it comes under 80% then you are asthmatic well mine was on average 102%, the nurse gave me a prescription for an inhaler to see if that helps, then go back to see the nurse on the 29th july to see if the inhaler helped or not and go from there

Take care everyone and enjoy your week,

Siobhan xx

[dddd4 Graduate]

You have had another just weekend! You are doing a good job of tail running and I am sure everyone appreciates you being there for them when they are struggling.

[dddd4 Graduate in reply to dddd4]

Busy weekend not just weekend!

[runswithdogs Graduate]

I love reading your reports AW. Don't ever worry if they come in late, life gets busy and complicated for everyone. I hope things smooth out for you soon. Happy running.

[Shireenjoon Graduate]

I'm really intrigued as to what the 'Rope technique' is? Please share

[amateurwriter Graduate in reply to Shireenjoon]

The rope technique which the woman used was picturing yourself pulling on a rope that is attached to the top of either a really long and/or steep hill,

I taught my siblings the rope technique in many sports as you can change it but basically what ever you want to do, you imagine a rope attached to a specific body part or in the woman's case at parkrun holding the rope, so in trampolining which is where I started using the rope technique, you picture a rope attached to your feet doing a seat drop (which is where you land on your legs and bum and have your hands next to your bum/waist and you push yourself off the bed/trampoline to standing again, the rope is attached to your feet as your feet shouldn't go too far away from the trampoline when you bounce back up again so you picture a smallish rope pulling on your feet from the centre of the trampoline which is where your feet should land, it helped my siblings a lot, they even managed to move on to the box (the beginning of a front drop) whilst using the rope technique and the eldest moved on to front drops (landing on your front with your hands in front of your head to allow extra push coming back up) and then I just started using it in different sports e.g. tennis, badminton, football etc

[Ullyrunner Graduate]

Such a busy weekend Siobhan! It's people like you that make parkrun so welcoming!

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Siobhan, what a time you are having.

You are doing super job, as usual, and must not worry if you think your posts are late. We love getting them, whenever.

You need to try to take a bit of time for you too, you are having a bit of a rough time with all that is happening to you.

Hope your breathing sorts, and look after yourself x

[Realfoodieclub Graduate]

Siobhan there is no need to apologise we are so happy to read the reports whenever they come in. Please don't feel under pressure because of us. I hope things ease up a bit for you soon on the home and health front. It so nice to read your report about parkrun at the back. The people you help are people like me, I'm always in the last 4 when I do parkrun and it's good to read such a positive way of thinking about us at the back, thank you.

[amateurwriter Graduate in reply to Realfoodieclub]

Thank you,

Me and the 2 other tail runners, her husband and their friend called ourselves the woman's fan club to make her feel a bit better about being at the back it seemed to make a bit happier and she even managed to smile about it, as we all knew how it felt to be right at the back, me on several occasions when I first started going to parkrun hence why I love to tail run, my 2nd parkrun there was me and my friend julie who was right at the back and there was no tail runner that event so I kept julie company and we chatted whilst getting round the course