So to all here who kindly supported me this last week, I confirm I did attend my First Park Run - I must be looking unfit (4st overweight) and old (57 yrs) as people kept talking to me as if I was there to volunteer or do the Parkwalk rather than jogging and did mention one 71 year old woman who walked one lap each week to maybe make me feel better!!!
Maybe they knew better than me - of course they did!
I started the jog with what was estimated 1200 others!! Mental block attack about 10 mins in and so I walked the remaining lap and a half. I came in under the hour at 49.37 and finished 1076th out of a field of 1084!
Will I try it again ? - I don't know - yes I will!🙄
But it does make me question the c25k and the 10k Zen app I've been using, although as I say I've just experienced some sort of mental block last Wednesday 31st on my 28 min jog and just stopped after 10 mins whereas on Monday 29th I jogged for 28 minutes no problem - well I was a bit tired but all good. I jog both outside as much as possible and on the treadmill at other times.
Can't see myself being entertained in the London Winter Run on 25th Feb which I entered last year to attend this year but dearly wish to - not sure whether to just continue with the 10K app or what to do - Any suggestions my Gurus out there?! Thanking you as ever for your support.
To be honest I think I'm so used to jogging so early in the morning when there is no one around that the huge numbers of people all together was quite different\overwhelming - aren't I a sad o'girl?! As I keep saying - just pull up your big girls knickers and get over yourself ! 🙂
Written by
JOP66
Graduate
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1084 at parkrun is a lot, which parkrun were you at?, well done to you JOP66 on getting out and running and walking at that parkrun, by all means get to the London Winter Run on the 25th February, take that run as they say on C25K slow and steady, you can walk run it, no harm in continuing with the 10K app,, good luck.
First, you aren't sad, you are amazing, you got out there, you joined in and I hope you smiled. 49.37 brilliant!!! If you'd been at Southsea you'd have beat me and many others. I often find I could stay home warm and snug on a Saturday but when I get up get ready and parkrun I feel great after.....Just run for fun, in the grand scheme of things....world poverty, child abuse and flipping COVID that messed up the economy and our lungs... .the important thing is to run and to enjoy doesn't matter for how long or how fast
Well done, and absolutely get a fistful of big girl pants in each hand and yank them right up. Actually, not right up, that’d make the eyes water.
Mental battles are the hardest battles to overcome because they know all your fears and weaknesses and use them against you. I promise you though that you are MUCH stronger than you give yourself credit for, and what your brain gives you credit for.
Don’t be too hard on it though, it’s just trying to protect you.
Go back, go again, tell your brain that you’re there because you enjoy it, and enjoy it.
Oh, you did it! Brilliant. That first one is a toughie. Excitement, nerves, etc. I think you did really well, it’s hard to run with so many when you’re used to running alone. You’ve proved you can do it!
You mentioned stopping after 10 minutes on a recent run. Maybe it’s the ‘Toxic Ten’? I have that sometimes. I am doing lots of similar runs and sometimes quite long runs - yet still I’m plagued with doubts after about 5 minutes. “I can’t do this today, I’m getting out of breath, how can I go on for another hour”. It’s a real ‘thing’. The feeling usually goes after about 12-15 minutes running. I find a longer warm up helps. Now I do 10 minutes warm up walk, and I include a few minutes very light jogging in the middle. Then I start to ease into the run slowly and start my watch while running.
My runs always involve a slow start anyway so I’m never running very fast when that horrible feeling hits but a longer warm up and a slow start both really help.
Well done on your first Parkrun. Maybe you were 'swept along' faster than usual for the first 10 mins (which are often hard due to toxic ten), not being used to running with others. I keep thinking I'd like to go to my local event, but it's pretty quick and even the slowest people are faster than my usual 45-50 mins, so, as I REALLY don't want to be last all the time, I haven't been! Yes, I know, someone has to be last, I wouldn't be last due to the backrunners, but...... . Anyway, jolly well done to you 👏and here's to many more!!
Fantastic run! With Parkrun it really doesn't matter if you're the first or last to finish, it really is about the experience of taking part.
My local Parkrun has 2 laps and I usually complete my first lap as the fastest guys speed past me to finish their second. Does it bother me? Not in the least, I'm a 60 something short slightly overweight woman and they are tall lads in their 20s. Mechanically we are worlds apart. We are all doing the run how we want to do it, for some of us the mere fact we are capable is more than enough
You're so right Yesletsgo, you are so very right - to be able to take part is indeed a lovely choice to be able to make - thinking I shall try the treadmill tomorrow and won't stop til I reach the 5k on the display as that has never happened despite jogging for 30 mins at any time!!! All the best to you too😉
Thanks, take it slow and steady and you'll get there. 5k in 30 minutes is beyond so many of us. If I run flat out as fast as I'm able I can manage about 30 seconds at the pace that a 30 minute 5k would require (and that's on a good day!).
Start your run by making yourself run slowly, you'll find that your speed increases naturally as you get further into the run and you get into the rhythm. Save any bursts of speed (sometimes it feels good to run faster) until the end. The main thing is not to overdo the early stages as that way you just run out of puff too soon.
Thank you, I shall. I am a slow jogger and normally am quite chilled just going at my own pace. I'm "mature!" and just doing it for me but am realising I was also taking reduced calories on the Dr Mosley's diet but still going full pelt so have I supposed "hit a wall" - I'm thinking 10 min sessions for a period of say 40 mins to get back into the rhythm as don't want to lose what I've achieved so far and on many times previously🙂 thank you Yesletsgo - all power to you too!
Brilliant! Well done for getting out there - I haven’t been brave enough yet and I’m waiting for my knees to stop complaining.
You seem to be quite down on yourself for what looks like a real achievement over here? Just getting yourself to the start line - with over 1000 people, which must have felt really strange and taken some adjusting too, which takes energy - getting round - and ready to go again!
I wonder what you mean when you talk about mental blocks and questioning the Apps? I guess it’s the feeling the need to walk at 10 minutes you are disappointed about? Like someone said here, don’t forget the toxic 10. I anticipate that I’m going to feel at my worst at about 10 minutes in; then inevitably (unless I started too fast) the run starts to feel easier. Depending on speed and fitness and terrain and sleep etc etc it then feels ok for quite a while, until it doesn’t.
Some people run/walk entire marathons and get better times than if they try to jog the whole distance. It’s a thing! You can adjust your targets and give yourself planned walk breaks over the 5k as the stamina builds?
Congratulations on doing your first parkrun JOP66. 🏅👏It sounds like you found the crowd a bit of a shock. Same thing happened to me. Do you have any other parkruns nearby? Have a look on the parkrun.org.uk homepage. You can zoom in to your region to see if there are any otherparkruns you might like better. If you click on any one of the little blue tree symbols on the map you will be taken to the information page for that particular parkrun. Scroll all the way to the bottom and find the Event Statistics, which gives the average number of finishers at that event. That tells you how crowded/popular the event is. eg. Boston parkrun is quieter:Average finishers per week: 134.2Bushy parkrun is busier:
Average finishers per week: 805.3
This is how I found my favourite one. Happy exploring and happy running.
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- of course they did!
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