Postgrad week 1 - park run 🌳 πŸƒπŸΌβ€β™€οΈ 🌳 - Couch to 5K

Couch to 5K

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Postgrad week 1 - park run 🌳 πŸƒπŸΌβ€β™€οΈ 🌳

EmmaA-F profile image
EmmaA-FGraduate
β€’24 Replies

Yay!!!!

Completed my first park run today πŸŽ‰πŸ˜πŸƒπŸΌβ€β™€οΈπŸ™ŒπŸ»πŸŒ was hoping to finish in 45 min or less (slow and steady) unofficial time was 39 mins

woohoo!! πŸ™ŒπŸ» πŸŽ‰

I’m over the moon 😁 even managed the walk back to the car πŸš—

Circuit 3 was a little tough in places, I usually run at 6 am and not used to people or the heat... and I was lapped by a lady running with a pushchair 😳 but felt AMAZING to finish. Looking forward to next week πŸƒπŸΌβ€β™€οΈ

Also had to slay a tonne of gremlins πŸ—‘ at which I’m becoming a pro! β€˜Emma just do it’ has become a popular phrase!

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EmmaA-F profile image
EmmaA-F
Graduate
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24 Replies
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Madge50 profile image
Madge50Graduate

Well done! What great time too, you did it! Bet you’ll have a smile all day πŸ˜„ I love parkrun, best invention ever.....now, there’s just the matter of those milestone t-shirts......πŸ€”πŸƒβ€β™€οΈ.....

Mx

EmmaA-F profile image
EmmaA-FGraduate in reply to Madge50

What!? 😳 there are t-shirts πŸ˜ƒ excellent!

It was great, couple of gremlins on lap 3 but they are now at the bottom of the lake πŸ˜‚

Madge50 profile image
Madge50Graduate in reply to EmmaA-F

Ah yes.....just to keep you going, free t-shirts for 50, 100, 250 and 500 runs, plus the one I am most proud of a volunteer shirt for volunteering 25 times...did I mention, it’s the best thing ever? ....πŸ˜„

Gremlins belong in a lake, at the bottom of it of course, or in the bin....they will never win at parkrun, that’s a proper fact....πŸ˜‰

Mx πŸƒβ€β™€οΈ

MatildasPb profile image
MatildasPbGraduate

Brilliant - well done.

Seems like gremlins are becoming an endangered species.

EmmaA-F profile image
EmmaA-FGraduate in reply to MatildasPb

Thanks 😊 they still keep sneaking up on me, couple more weeks and the should become quite rare 😁

Well done you!! I’m graduating on my next run and quite like the idea of the park runs!

I also run 1st thing usually 5am so not sure about all those other runners.

Did you enjoy it?

Would you do it again?

EmmaA-F profile image
EmmaA-FGraduate in reply to

Thanks Dave, I planned to do it last week as my graduation run but was too excited to wait till 9am to graduate πŸ˜‚

Honestly, overall yes I loved it, a third of the last lap was tough... the gremlins told me we aren’t doing it next week, but I told them we are! I let the people go off in front of me, I wasn’t last but I didn’t want to be in the crowd either. I’m planning on doing a 10k in April so this is an ideal opportunity to get me used to running with people.

Definitely give it a go, the people today were lovely 😊

It sounds like fun-ish πŸ˜‚.

I’m glad you enjoyed it. As soon as I graduate I think I will look for a park run.

Do you have to pay to run in them?

Do you just turn up? Sorry for all the questions. Such a newb

EmmaA-F profile image
EmmaA-FGraduate in reply to

Ha ha it’s ok... I’m still quite new to this too and asking questions is what I’ve been doing the last 9 weeks.

I found this park run by looking on Facebook but google will give you some local ones.

You don’t have to pay and you don’t even have to run, walkers are welcome.

You just sign up online, print off your barcode and run. At the one I went to when you get to the end they give you a token, you take that token to the scanning team and they scan it and your ticket 😁 I’ve just got my official time by text... Emma, your time in position 361 today at Lincoln parkrun was 39:30. Well done on your 1st run here.

Some people run with dogs, kids and pushchairs and as I found out today their very young children, who I desperately wanted to finish in front of but not sure that I did... but by the end I got into my all about me zone and kept left out of the way of the true athletes.

Next week I’m running it in 38 mins 😁 10 weeks to sub 30!

in reply to EmmaA-F

Thank you for the help. Well I think it’s better when you’re in your own zone. At the end of the day we are all here doing this for ourselves and competing against ourselves to run longer and further.

So it doesn’t matter who is overtaking us, it’s about smashing our own goals and setting new ones!

Madge50 profile image
Madge50Graduate in reply to

Parkrun will never charge, its free, all it asks is you go along and join in, and hopes to become a regular habit with you, whether you walk, run, skip or hop..... its all run by volunteers, just google parkrun uk, and you’ll find it, hope you find one near you.

There are participants of all shapes and sizes, all ages, from racing snakes, gazelles, plodders, walkers and you will never be last ( there is always a tailwalker) if you want a recorded time you will need to register and print off your own unique barcode - that is scanned with your finish token, then you’ll get emailed your time.

If you can, give it a go, be brave, talk to people....the volunteers all wear high viz vests, so it’s easy to find someone to ask if you’re not sure, but I’m sure you’ll find your fellow parkrunners approachable and friendly.

My only regret is I didn’t go sooner, I thought you had to be able to run 5k, and you don’t.

Mx

in reply to Madge50

Yeah I think I will give it a go!! I’ll have a look tonight and see where they are near me. I like that you say it’s all shapes and sizes and speeds of people. Thanks for the really helpful info!! πŸ‘

grannymilly profile image
grannymilly

Well done I am thinking of graduating to a local Park Run too thanks for your post it’s s good incentive for me

EmmaA-F profile image
EmmaA-FGraduate in reply to grannymilly

Do it Grannymilly! It’s a great feeling when you do it and everyone is so encouraging 😁 see my reply above for what happens and how I found one πŸƒπŸΌβ€β™€οΈ

ChettyAl profile image
ChettyAlGraduate

Brilliant, well done! Another piece of cake deserved I think!!

EmmaA-F profile image
EmmaA-FGraduate in reply to ChettyAl

Haha well... I’d have to agree but I’m off to a BBQ tomorrow night so saving myself for a couple of steak and cheese burgers πŸ” but maybe after the 6K next week 🍰

EmmaA-F profile image
EmmaA-FGraduate in reply to ChettyAl

How is postgrad treating you?

ChettyAl profile image
ChettyAlGraduate

😁😁. Postgrad great.... I think, did a 5k in 38 mins which is an improvement though I have a bit of shin pain 😒. Booked in for a Movember 5k in Manchester, so getting conditioned I guess - loving it!

EmmaA-F profile image
EmmaA-FGraduate in reply to ChettyAl

I was told by the PT at my gym to foam roller my calf as I get a cramp on the treadmill, I’ve also found putting it on an incline helps but I think shin splints are a different matter.

Last 2 runs I’ve had tingling left toes at about 4K which google tells me a means my toes need more room. so I’m off Wednesday evening to our local running shop for new trainers. It’s time to make a financial investment 😁

MOVEmber... I like what they did there 😁 10 weeks 1 min quicker per week and you’re sub 30 😊 if only it were that easy hey πŸ˜‚ that is my goal for park run 😊

Duracellqueen profile image
DuracellqueenGraduate

Can I ask , did you do your 5min warm up walk as part of the park run? I'm nervous of doing a park run because I do loads of warm up and 5min walk before I run and with loads of people about I'm going to look like an idiot!

EmmaA-F profile image
EmmaA-FGraduate in reply to Duracellqueen

Ahhh that was my worry too... do I walk dont I walk, should I stretch, will people be looking, will I be judged, can I do it, will I come last, what if I can’t finish... the gremlins were in force! I slayed them all βš”οΈ to calm my nerves I went the night before to see when it was and a guesstimate time walking as I decided to park at my gym, 10 min walk away and classed that as my warm up walk and the walk back my cool down walk.

There were all kinds of people all smiling and welcoming, kids, dogs, old, young and a lovely blind lady that different runners guide each week.

10 mins before the start newbies had a separate briefing and we were told we would never be last at there was always a Marshall at the back who would be last 😊 we were told about the finish and collect time token etc.

We joined the main runners and congratulated the milestone runners (new goal right there) then went over to the start. As a newbie I didn’t want to get into the regular runners way and started at the back. I soon started to overtake the walkers that had started to fast and then was lapped by the real runners at about 1k, I was fully prepared for it as i looked at the stats and knew that many people could do this in about 20 mins 😳

The Marshalls were smiling and encouraging.. although I haven’t got a clue what they said as I had my headphones in.

There were people clapping and encouraging and it was lovely, I did feel tense still but next week I will be fine as I know I can do it and I can focus more on getting into a rhythm and enjoying the scenery

Hope this helps with the gremlins 😊 give it a go, even if you walk it’s better than not going at all 😊

Duracellqueen profile image
DuracellqueenGraduate in reply to EmmaA-F

Thanks ! You've made me feel a lot better and great idea to park a walk away. I'm going to do it next Sat I'm not working x

seaspaniel profile image
seaspanielGraduate

I wouldn't worry about the being overtaken by a pushchair. Go to 4 mins 18secs in on this. youtube.com/watch?v=SDnzP71...

it's by Oli Williams and shows the runners just behind him on a parkrun and one of those is pushing a buggy. I think Oli runs these in around 16-17 mins.

EmmaA-F profile image
EmmaA-FGraduate in reply to seaspaniel

Ahhh that was great. I’m not worried, as I’ve said in another reply I’m in absolute awe of this lady 😁

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