A Parkrun practice!

[davidhwynn]

Fed up with myself, I've run the local Parkrun course non-stop before but didn't manage that today and had to walk part of it. Not far off my (very slow) PB, but disappointing all the same. I'm considering it a practice run and I'll do another one on my own next week before trying again "officially" next Saturday. Still pleased I did it, though, and it was still a 5K! Have a great weekend everyone.

[misswobble Graduate]

Fast five k's are very hard! I hate em 😝

Cut yourself some slack 😃🏃✔️👍

[davidhwynn Graduate in reply to misswobble]

Not yet! When I've actually done a reasonable time at 5K then maybe I'll cut myself some slack, in the meantime I'm strongly in plug away mode!

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Every run is training for the next one, David, so you are in a better place than you were before the run.

[davidhwynn Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Totally agree with you. Doesn't stop me feeling disappointed with myself ... but I'm still glad I did the Parkrun today, I saw some running buddies & did my Saturday 5K. Yes, in a better place!

[RebeccaSK Graduate]

But there may well be very good reasons why you didn't manage it. For example, I did the Hove Promenade Parkrun this morning (my very first Parkrun) and there was a very strong seabreeze belting us as we ran along the seafront. Clearly it impacted even the best runners as hardly any PBs were set today. There is a difference between reasons and excuses - and perhaps there's a perfectly good reason why you found it tougher today. I'll also hazard a guess that you still did it faster than me - 39.37!!!!!

[davidhwynn Graduate in reply to RebeccaSK]

You're very kind - I can't think of any real reasons but I've got a string of excuses! Honestly it was all in my mind today: but in the end it's just one more practice run (& I did a hell of a lot of those getting through the C25K programme), it was still 5K on a lovely morning in the park ... and I can try again on Monday, because although I might be disppointed with myself today I'm nonetheless happy I did it & I'm not giving up. I've done 5 Parkruns now and love them - in amongst I've started to get to know some new people as well and have found it incredibly supportive and friendly.

[Millsie-J Graduate]

I've done quite a few Parkruns, even more 5k plus runs including a couple of 10k events. All runs, no walking. But...........even now if I set off too fast I cannot keep running for the full distance. So start slow and once you are comfortable perhaps increase pace further into the run. Negative splits I believe it's called, starting slower and finishing faster.

Go David, you are doing just great!

[NeverSayNoToJeffing Graduate in reply to Millsie-J]

Good advice. It's so easy to go out so fast at Parkrun with the buzz of the other runners.

[RebeccaSK Graduate in reply to NeverSayNoToJeffing]

Nearly finished me off this morning but I slowed down and ended up passing some of the backsides I'd been staring at for the first km!

[davelinks Graduate]

I did PR this morning and started off nice and slow near the back and just took it very steady and managed to stay pacing 2 runners just in front who were going at my comfortable speed, later in the run I even went pass one of those runners, whom I sprinted against coming to the finish line, and I beat them!😁 no PBs, but so what! I enjoyed it.

PB can come another time, I look at it another way, Onwards and upwards and another Parkrun done & on the way to 50 PR milestone & t-shirt!😊

[RuthMargaret Graduate]

Awwww better luck next time - but you did more tgan I could at the moment! That's my next challenge - working up to the 5k run. Having cracked the 30 minutes, I'd be interested to know what time 5k will take me to run. Having got this far, it's difficult to know how far I can push myself.

Well done, and keep trying!

[MotherPip Graduate]

Hi, glad to see you're up and about again. Well done on doing parkrun. I just missed out on my PB today by 7 secs... Still not done a sub 50.. next goal. Don't be disappointed . You got out there and made 5k 😀🏃

[davidhwynn Graduate in reply to MotherPip]

My personal current 5K target is sub-40. Towards the end of my 7 month running career to date (yep, that's all it's been ... ) I joined a local running club's beginners course as well as completing the C25K. Sometimes I think I prefer running on my own but other times the company's good and I see some of the running club folks at PR, so that's enjoyable too. One running coach at the club reckons that I stay in my comfort zone too much and she's probably right: I have a personal trainer at the gym who says more or less the same thing! I've set myself the 5K sub-40 target but my club coach reckons I could get to about 35 mins in just a few eeks (sorry I guess that typo was how I envisage those few weeks). Now almost 5 weeks post-op I'm feeling fine, I'm glad to say. Have to be careful about some movements still but according to the cardiologist running's fine as long as I don't fall. Mixed feelings about today, disappointed with myself but happy I did it. Have a great rest of the weekend. x

[NeverSayNoToJeffing Graduate]

Hi David, I just saw your name on the Wardown roster. I was there too - I didn't realise you were local. If you're there next week I'll try to spot you. I was number 180 and I did ok today. You will crack it and the atmosphere is very supportive.🐢👣🏃🏿😊

[davidhwynn Graduate in reply to NeverSayNoToJeffing]

Hi, strange isn't it how you never know who on these forums turn up somewhere. It's great. I really struggled my way through C25K, taking nearly 7 months to get to the end. At my ripe old age and having not run since I was 14 at school I found it hard. I also joined Stopsley Striders beginners course towards the end of my C25K journey but had it interrupted for about 3 weeks because of an unscheduled heart-related operation. It's our Stopsley Striders Beginners' Course Graduation Run at Wardown PR next Saturday, so Striders folks will be there en masse! Look out for me in a bright green tee-shirt, it's got my name David on the sleeves as well as some silly slogans ... look forward to meeting you. This forum was sometimes the one thing that kept me going. Yes, love Parkrun. Say it quietly, VERY quietly, but even though I'm a bit fed up with myself today I have actually started to enjoy doing this running lark - I even missed it after my op and got special permission to re-start my jogging sooner than usual!

[NeverSayNoToJeffing Graduate in reply to davidhwynn]

I will definitely spot you now David. Have a great race - you've come so far, been through a lot with your op, but back on the road-fantastically well done. I'm a Dunstable Road Runner so see a lot of Stopsley Striders. See you next week.😊

[Dhiny]

I ran/walked/jogged my way around my local parkrun and finished in 40mins 17 seconds - slower than my pb but that doesn't matter a jot. It was very wet, slippery & muddy on the course today & I was absolutely soaked when I finished. It doesn't matter if you had to walk some, I've run it all before too but today I didn't. What's important is getting yourself out there and around the course. Well done xx

[davidhwynn Graduate in reply to Dhiny]

Thanks, I know you're right, but ........ The good thing definitely was getting out there and getting through the finish funnel. AND I enjoyed doing it. I'm going to use Parkrun as often as I can because I know how easy it would be for me to fall back, now I'm out of the structure that was C25K. I'm not yet sure I'm ready for follow-up programmes, but I suspect that my local running club coach has a different viewpoint!

[Dhiny]

I joined our local social running group - it's fab. I haven't been out for 5 weeks with them & haven't run parkrun for about 6 so was quite de-conditioned today and phew, did I know it! Still, I have started back on the road to a pb so hopefully, I will get better as I go along - well, that's the theory anyway