Park Run goal

[Lilacwhizz]

I’m on week 7 and aiming to do a 5K park run once I complete the whole programme. Will I be able to just run it straight away or perhaps need some practise of running with others to build up to the whole event?

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Welcome to the forum and well done on your progress..

Only a small proportion of graduates from this forum who responded to a poll, managed 5k in 30 minutes by graduation so you may be some way short of hitting 5k, for parkrun but you will be well on the way.

This post about parkrun explains our recommendation about how you handle parkrun healthunlocked.com/couchto5....

This guide to the plan is essential reading healthunlocked.com/couchto5....

and includes advice on minimising impact, stretching after every run, hydration and strengthening exercises, all of which will help.

Enjoy your journey

[Comte Graduate]

As IannodaTruffe has written, unless you can cover 5km in 30 minutes, you will require more training after the C25K in order to compete in a 5km parkrun. I used for my recent 5km race the Decathlon app on Google Play which has a 5km race training plan as well as many other training plans.

[j-runs Graduate]

Parkrun is great fun and you absolutely don’t have to run the whole way. Last week my local run had 544 finishers, with times ranging from 17:52 to 1:06:09. It’s possible to walk 5k in less than an hour, so if you add in your Week 7 run and walk the rest, you will be somewhere in the middle of the finishers for most parkruns. The parkrun results are all viewable online, so you can check your local results. Also you can do your own ‘notparkrun’ by working out a local 5k route, to see how your time compares before you go.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Rereading my response, I don't make it clear that you don't have to complete 5k in 30 minutes to take part in parkrun. As stated in the other post, many people walk some of the way and that is the wisest thing to do, rather than push further than you are used to doing..

[Cmoi Graduate]

Hi Lilacwhizz , despite the name, the aim of Couch to 5K is to get you to be able to run comfortably for 30 minutes without stopping. As IannodaTruffe has said, not many manage that, but it's certainly not a reason to not take part in parkrun.

You're advised to consolidate once you've completed C25K, so as a new graduate you could walk at the start to warm up, then run for 30 minutes, then walk whatever the remaining distance is to complete the course.

As for running with others, I run solo and have only ever run with others twice, both times during events. It's very tempting to try to keep up with faster runners. Don't! It's a recipe for tiredness, disappointment and even injury.

Enjoy completing C25K and discovering parkrun too! (Disclaimer: I've never done parkrun, not least because my nearest one is a 7-hour return drive away.)

[RollingPea Graduate]

Hi Lilacwhizz, well done on reaching Week 7 and thinking about what to do next. You can definitely sign up for parkruns once you reach W9R3. I find parkrunning is helping me to structure my consolidation phase after graduating from C25K, and it's helping to motivate me on these greyer, colder days. As j-runs and Cmoi said, do not worry at all about walking at parkrun. In fact, there is a campaign to attract walkers to parkrun at the moment. Parkruns are very inclusive and friendly events. You can walk the whole way if you want, run the whole way, or do walking and running according to where you are on your C25K journey. The main thing is to get out there in the fresh air and enjoy yourself. You can check out the course details online beforehand, so you have an approximate idea of the route, but basically, don't worry! There will be loads of other people there - just follow the crowd. In fact, some parkruns are literally crowded at the start and you need to be careful and patient for a few minutes until the pack begins to thin out. After that, you settle in to running at the pace you know by now is comfortable for you. There are volunteer marshalls posted at regular intervals along the route, so you cannot possibly get lost. Most importantly, don't forget to register before your first parkrun. This gives parkrun some essential contact details about you in the unlikely case of a mishap, but it also means the parkrun system will send you the time you took to complete the course and you will find out how you compare with other runners/walkers in your age group. It's really well organised.

[Madge50 Graduate]

You can go to parkrun anytime you like, you don’t have to run, you don’t have to have completed any part of C25K, there are no prerequisites to joining…..it’s not a race…..parkrun expects nothing of you other than to go along and join in, in whatever way you want to. It’s a great way to get a regular activity in the fresh air - my biggest regret is not going sooner….I thought you HAD to RUN 5k…..you don’t…

There’s are current push for more walkers to join in……if you want to know your result you just need to register and download your barcode - take a copy of it with you….

It only happens because of volunteers - we all take our turn….some only volunteer (absolute hero’s) - I’ve made loads of friends too….

If you’re not sure, go along, just watch - you’ll soon see if it’s for you or not…

Hope you give it a go - if you do hunt out anyone in a high vis….or the run director - usually blue and white vest…..you will be warmly welcomed oh and there's usually a cafe nearby to have a chat (coffee and cake) with your new friends!

Mx

ps I’m volunteering this week at my local one as parkwalker - this is a new volunteer role to be a friendly face to anyone who wants to join and to encourage more walkers……there is also a tailwalker who’s job it is to come in last…..

[jsh2803 Graduate]

As others have said you do not need to run it all, I use a run / walk method and have a PB around 35mins, though have run the whole 5k but that was 42mins, i did not register or do a Parkrun til I graduated C25k but in hindsight wish I had started sooner. And I use NHS C25k as my club as do many others.