Joining the Park gang and getting to 5K

[lardofale]

Hi gang! I've settled into a period of consolidation with this running lark. After a strange first week off the rains without the app & Mr Smooth I've settled into a pattern of just running 5k and seeing where it gets me. The Garmin Forerunner watch has been a perfect addition though it's novelty is yet to wear off and I've come close to running into lamp posts more than once! Previously I had to pretty much guess the distance covered (generally ended at around 4k) and the time (based on my playlist, just as well I haven't got any Hawkwind on it or I'd still be out there now!). The times are dropping and the legs are lasting. A few weeks of this and I'll start looking at some of the extra training options the good folks on here have suggested, no rush of course!

This Saturday is my first Parkrun and with it the realisation that I've finally become what I thought I would never be, a runner for enjoyment as well as fitness. During the fantastic programme you get named a runner after completing week 6 and the great feeling you get from that spurs you on for the final 3 weeks. In my case I've run solo in the early mornings and have no experience with other runners joining me so to voluntarily join other people to get sweaty running around near the North Sea on a Saturday morning is a real turning point for me. I'll let you know how it goes :0)

[Mummycav Administrator Graduate]

Brilliant....I'll be looking for your post!!!!

[damienair Graduate]

Enjoy it. You are going to love it. My advice is to start at the back of the crowd. Run at a nice comfortable pace and take it nice and steady. Remember this will be your first PB time, so make it one that will be easy to beat the next week.

Parkrun is amazing, all ages, shapes and sizes take part. Everyone who turns up fits in. Enjoy.

[lardofale Graduate in reply to damienair]

Thank you! I promised myself just before I graduated 3 weeks ago that I'd do my first park run as soon as my cricket season finished so here we are! Thanks for the advice, my best 5k with a GPS device is 33:32 so somewhere around there would be a good start but I'm not going Mo Farah for it!

[SueKen Graduate in reply to lardofale]

Quick tip - Depending on the size of your Parkrun, don't be disappointed if your official Parkrun time is a bit slower. Due to the number starting at mine, my Parkrun time can be up to 30s slower than my Strava time.

[lardofale Graduate in reply to SueKen]

Thank you for that tip, I'm not too hung up on the time at the mo but will have my watch and strava for personal gratification if there's a big gap in official and gps times!

[HeleneCorsa Graduate]

Sounds brilliant! Glad to hear that you are still getting so much out of running post-graduation. I imagine I will try to take the same approach as yours once week 9 is over.

Good to hear you're enjoying your new gadget as well, and that it is showing that you're making progress.

Hope the Parkrun goes well - do let us know how you get on!

[lardofale Graduate in reply to HeleneCorsa]

Thank you! I never would have believed I'd do it, I don't think many people I know would have believed it either! Good luck with the rest of your C25K adventure, you're getting along brilliantly!

[HeleneCorsa Graduate in reply to lardofale]

Thanks! I am thoroughly enjoying it.

[Whatsapp Graduate]

Its always nice to find a bunch of like minded people. You will love it!!

[lardofale Graduate in reply to Whatsapp]

Thank you, looking forward to it and a chinwag afterwards!

[clairey3 Graduate]

Good luck with your Park Run, will follow to see how it goes 😌

[lardofale Graduate]

Thank you fellow August Graduate!

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LofA, i am missing Mr Smooth so have him every third run just as a calming voice, not least reminding me to take it easy! Like you I am taking the consolidation route. Can't do Park runs here as nearest is in Milan, which at an 8 hour round trip in the car, is a little excessive. But hope to do Park runs when back in London, so interested to see how you get on. happy running next time out by the North Sea...

[lardofale Graduate]

Luckily Lowestoft is only 8 miles from home so a teeny drive compared with yours! I'll try and keep a steady pace though a certain part of the route may make get my skates on as it goes past a chip shop which usually has a very large and imposing posse of seagulls hanging around who usually give me the beady eye, I'm not the bravest when being 'eyed up' by seagulls! I'll tell all over the weekend!

[misswobble Graduate]

Ooh Hawkwind 🙂 That's a blast from the past 😃

I got a silver machine. I love that helicoptery intro. 😁

Parkrun is lovely. Don't get caught up in chasing times/other runners at this point though

Have fun 🙂

[lardofale Graduate]

I've got an old cassette which has 3 Hawkwind tracks which take up all 45 minutes! Might come in handy for a long run one day I guess!

Thanks for the advice, it's for the experience this time so I just want to finish it regardless of time and position (hopefully the position will be upright though!)

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

You, my friend have done so brilliantly...Good luck with that first Park Run..

[lardofale Graduate in reply to Oldfloss]

Thanks Oldfloss! No misty eyes or anything but you latched onto me very quickly when I started all this and I put you at the top of my inspiration pile! Hopefully I can be added to the no doubt enormous pile of successes in the Oldfloss stable!

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to lardofale]

I am very privileged to have been part of your journey You are going to do wonderfully!

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Have a great time.

Did you know you can register your club as NHS C25K on your profile page? It just lets people know where you came from.

I wonder where you are going....,.

[Michael_W Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

That reminds me...way back when, someone used to post the weekly parkrun consolidated report for the NHS Couch to 5k club. Here's the link, for old times' sake: parkrun.com/results/consoli...

[lardofale Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Thank you sir! I saw one of your replies to a post some time ago about NHS C25K as a running club for Parkruns so I used that when I signed up! I hope that I don't let the side down 😀👍

[PaulaHud46 Graduate]

Hope the park run goes well, shall look out for your posts as looking to do one myself soon.

[lardofale Graduate in reply to PaulaHud46]

Cool! Thank you, I'm quite excited about trying it out. Hopefully it'll go well and I can encourage some of the good folks on here to have a go. Best of luck to you too ☺