Hey there everyone! This is ME! Like the t-shirt?! Irish-John has a lot to answer for I know there are lots of us graduating this weekend and I promised to do a write up about Park Run - apologies it's a bit of an essay. This is the Swindon one, at Lydiard Park, where Fabulous450 ran the other day but we do the other end. It's an 'average' difficulty regarding gradient changes. So, today was the big day - graduation!
The park's manager is incredibly pro-Park run so we have our own parking field every Saturday morning. It costs £2 for 2 hours, but as I go often I get an annual pass for just this park for £45 - saves queuing at the machines. I cocked up this morning as I was too excited and I forget to take my barcode with me, nor a bottle of water.
Park up and follow everyone else to the gathering point outside the cafe. There is a gazebo. If you are new to PR then get there a bit earlier than 9am and listen to the briefing. They'll explain the route and whether you should run on the left or right of the path to allow the faster runners through. Swindon is a 2-lap circuit.
Some PRs set off at exactly 9am and others, like ours, do all the talking and so on so we normally start 9:10, or even later. If you know roughly when that is you can do the walk warm up while you wait to start properly - which is what I did today. Mid-programme I'd start in walk. The announcements are then made while you line up and pick your pace-runner. The pacers run with a tabard and the time they will be finishing at. We normally have a 45 minuter but not today - it's all run on volunteers. I stood close to the 40 minute guy based on previous experiences doing my Run 3 of the week during the event.
OK - so for those that are worried there are all super-athletes and everyone is a racing-snake physique - take a look at the people in the photos and chill out. People with prams, nervous first-starters, older runners - it's not competitive with anyone but yourself.
So finally the countdown commences and we are GO! Start your music, un-pause MJ, or your trainer, get the watch running and then you're off! Typically, some will start too quickly, let them go! Keep your eyes off everyone and just do what you've always done, or stick with the pacer.
This is the first one I've done running right at the start but my experiences from walking the first 5 minutes served me well. I realised soon the 40 minute pacer had set off too fast. I stuck to my guns and the play-list helped. Up the first incline the noobs started walking. Some people start doing the Park runs by running downhill sections and walking uphill sections - which is fine - you soon get to spot who is doing what. So I keep my cadence to the music and am so relieved my legs feel better than they have for weeks! Now is NOT the time to push it, though!
Towards the end of the first lap the fast guys and girls are coming past. Each week I've got a bit further round before being lapped and it's nice to see my own progress. They are amazingly quick. I don't even notice the incline towards the end of the first lap. The Marshalls en-route are all cheering and clapping and it's good form to gasp a 'Thank....you!' with a smile as you trot past them. But here at Swindon there is a very special lady that helps direct you at the end of the first lap. Jo is the most amazingly bubbly, enthusiastic cheerleader - and she knows I'm graduating today, so I get clapped at and cheered as I turn to do the second lap.
The field has thinned out and you'll find yourself running with people you'll tend to clock every week. For these 9 weeks I've noticed some of these guys ahead of me before, because I've walked the first 5 minutes. Now I'm running with them. The pacer has finally realised he's gone too quickly and is walking - ah-ha! Gotcha! I'm still a few yards back but its all the gentle uphill to half-way round the second lap. I've got the playlist almost spot-on, finally, so ELO 'Rock and roll is king' and Portugals 'Feel it still' follow some Taylor Swift 'Shake it off'. Knew I'd need that towards the end. Just before I turn the last corner to run downhill (mostly) to the end of the second lap and the finish, MJ signs off on the app. I almost cry! I will miss him! But I keep running. I am comfortable, getting my wind back, and I catch the 40 minute pacer just as I need to get up the last incline to where Jo is again.
I am met by hollers of encouragement from Jo who also lets everyone else know - including the pacer - that this is my C25k graduation and the first time I've not walked for the whole park run. The pacer say's we should be about 15 or 20 seconds under the 40 minutes. Not what I was aiming for today so it's a bonus! Right - everything is feeling brilliant so lets sprint the last 30m to the finish! Here we go! GO! Touch the chequered flag on the wheelie bin and I'm done. YAAAAY! The volunteers but the bin make a note of the time.
Walk along the little funnel, careful not to go past anyone or we don't get the right time. You are then given a little bar-code token with your finishing place on it - I'm 330-ish! Then you walk back to the cafe bit and there are volunteers there with bar-code scanner. So you hand them the finisher token you were just given, and your personal bar-code (if you've not been a complete idiot and forgotten it like I have).
And now you can do your walk warm-down, grab a free jelly baby and grab a coffee if you like (Park runners get a discount after in the cafe at Swindon). I also walk back up the course and thank the volunteers on my warm-down. The 40 minutes pacer gives me a hug and congratulates me and we get some photos.
What happens in the background is the times that were recorded by the wheelie bin get matched with your finishing position and linked with your personal barcode. It's all be up on the website later so you can see how you've done week-on-week.
So that's it! I went back to the car for a stretch. My unofficial time was 39:15, which is a PB, but I wasn't really aiming for a PB - I just wanted to run the 30 minutes and if I felt well enough to run the whole thing.
It's an amazing feeling - a real celebration today - and I thought of everyone I've commented on and have supported and encouraged me too. THANK YOU everyone! Thank you for this forum and the awesome support I've been given. And if you are only part-way through this programme YOU CAN DO IT - YOUR WAY!
Written by
Equi-geek
Graduate
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Huge congratulations Equi, massive well done!! Thank you for a great informative post, really motivating me to start this park run malarkey. Enjoy celebrating your awesome achievement!
No worries - it's fear of not knowing what to do and getting it wrong or being last - there is always a volunteer tail-walker who will finish last so no-one feels bad Give it a go!
Yes, I’m a bit of a control freak so it’s good to know in advance what to expect - I even thought about going along to spectate and spy 🕵️♀️😂🙄 I need be more impulsive!
That’s amazing! Well done you! And your write up is fantastic, we have a park run near us too, which I hope to do once I’m finished the c25k, but I wouldn’t have thought about half the stuff you’ve mentioned...will have to come back and reread this when I’m parkrun ready. Have a fab wkend!
Great! Yes, that was the idea - to take the mystery out of it. I've only done this location but I spoke with others about what happens elsewhere regarding timings and so on. It's a very friendly atmosphere!
Fantastic write up Equi-geek! Lots of great info in there for newbies. Running it all is a big milestone and you PB'd too - well done! PS love the t-shirt 😁
Now I'm thinking we here FForumites should wear our own "Running Family" tee shirts - the "Sahara Death Race Indestructables" lol Would be fun to spot each other at events
Thank you David_G! I think I'll be feet up and watching the tennis with a really annoying smug-face that will take a few days to subside Looking forward to some consolidation and then 'big school' beckons!...
I did another volunteer session at ond of our local runs this morning, a few miles drive away. Last night they were still 6 volunteers short, a plea went out so I let them know I would do it at short notice. Im a regular volunteer if I dont run.
Just a plea to all pr runners...... please volunteer a few times a year at least, its great fun and it a bit of pay back. No volunteers, no parkrun🏃🏻♀️🏃🏻 Happy running all
Absolutely - thanks for volunteering! It always amazes me how much the volunteers make it a special event, every single week. There were calls last night for a tail-walker and a few other roles on Facebook, but I couldn't help today - obviously. However, now I don't have to worry about the program I will volunteer as tail walker next week and make sure I do my bit. I'm a bit of a 'joiner-in' anyway.
Great report. Well jell of the tshirt, that is awesome work getting it made up!
Given all of the real congratulations you’ve had out there this morning this virtual clap feels slightly hollow but it’s been great seeing you come up to the finishing line and flying through it.
Thank Knees - you're experiences definitely help me get through the last few weeks of this - as mine have been rather reluctant to embrace running! All the best!
Yay! Massive congratulations! Love the t shirt!!!! Hope to see you there at the start of September! That's our aim- I run with my sister! 🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾
Yes - it's why I've not been too worried about times and paces and so on since W5. Just tried to stay sound enough to get to the end of this, and wasn't confident after an achey slog through W9R2 on Thursday. Other than that, it was uneventful, so didn't get around to posting. Looking forward to it being a bit cooler for sure!
Congrats on your graduation. 👍🏻👏🏼 I registered for park run 3 weeks ago but not been brave enough to do it yet!! However after reading your very informative write up I might do it in s few weeks time when it’s hopefully cooler?! Well done you 🏃♀️😀
Well done for your graduation at the Parkrun and running it all. That’s really impressive. Our Parkrun is slightly different as we don’t have the wheelybin or pace runners but the philosophy is the same - just try to be the best you can.
Yes, I was a bit mystified about the wheelie bin. We just have a funnel with tonnes of volunteers along it. A guy at the funnel entrance is clocking your time, while another is handing you the order barcode, then you go to one of 3 who scan the order barcode alongside your Parkrun ID barcode - resulting in “hey presto” and your name gets matched up to your place, time and a tonne of other stats online in the results.
As it was our parkrun’s 3rd Birthday today, it had volunteers in fancy dress, balloons, and cakes at the end today! Would have done you a good graduation party, Equi-geek ! 😃❤️
That sounds great fun. Ours was run 250 2 weeks ago but we didn’t have any of that . Some of the runners had balloons to celebrate 100 and 150 runs though. Do you think we can make that? I think winter might hold me back a bit.
Think it’s going to take us a few years to get that many in even at a max of 52 per year, Dexy! I’ve a walking friend who enjoys being a tourist at lots of different ones. That sounds like fun later. (Perhaps we can go and try them in warmer countries for the winter!😃😎 We should be well acclimatized after this summer!😂)
Great post from you telling us in detail all the information regarding your and everyone elses 5K park run and what is involved, nice photo of you, I notice your T-shirt you have the Sahara Death Race logo, are you thinking of signing up for that one for your next run? I'll answer that question-no.
Congratulations, Equi-geek ! Fab write up of a very special day out. Love your t-shirt and pics, you look lovely! Enjoy the consolidation runs and whatever comes next for you!
Thank you!!! What a fabulous post. I’m itching to do a parkrun now, but I’m not at the end of the programme yet, so I need to wait!
Brilliant description of how it all pans out. I was almost there with you 😀🏃♀️
Congratulations on your brilliant time too.
I think I might feel like crying when MJ signs off for the last time. I don’t know what I’ll do without him guiding me. Still, I have 3 more weeks to worry about that!
Don't forget you'll be covering 5K including warm-up and cool-down earlier and many people go along and do these inside the Parkrun. If you're the type who can ignore other people and stick to doing your thing it can work. If you fear you'll get caught up in it all and run the whole thing then best wait until you're ready for it.
I signed up with the possibility of doing it for my graduation run but things didn't pan out. Still a PR virgin!
Thanks Robert! It is nothing like school - it reminds me of this forum to be honest. If you bring a positive friendly attitude you’ll have a blast, because most people just want to have fun. It’s a no-pressure way to understand how to run in a bigger event too. Yes there are serious runners and they are training or trying to test themselves against the terrain and their times, but they are a minority, and even then I’ve had encouraging words from them like ‘well done’ and ‘keep going’ as they’ve lapped me!
Yay well done EG! Congrats on graduating & Park run too. Ive been off line for a while but glad I saw this now. Can't believe you got the T-shirt printed, it rocks 👍😂 👏🙌
Thanks! You can find your local run on the Park Run website and see the latest results. This will give you an idea of how many run and what their times are, if you are worried. Or go along and just watch.
Thank you for your really informative post and well done on your amazing achievement. I keep thinking of doing a park run ‘one day’ once I’ve graduated and am able to run 5k, but you’ve made me think I should just go and try it and see what happens.
Certainly go along and at least watch, so it doesn’t become a big mental block. I was fortunate to know the route before I went, as I usually walk the dog there. So I knew I could walk it at a reasonable pace. It was 2 laps, so if I fell too far behind I could duck out after a lap and ‘not be a nuisance’. But I didn’t need to, as there were plenty of others in the same boat. I wasn’t fussed about coming last because I had already resolved to walk/run following the app. In my mind that took the pressure off. Each week of C25k meant I ran for more minutes, so I started moving up the field without having to run any faster - in fact I slowed down my run pace to nurse home my knees 😁
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I know there are lots of us graduating this weekend and I promised to do a write up about Park Run - apologies it's a bit of an essay. This is the Swindon one, at Lydiard Park, where Fabulous450 ran the other day but we do the other end. It's an 'average' difficulty regarding gradient changes. So, today was the big day - graduation! 
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