Parkrunners Assemble - the new thread that will remind you to "do not forget barcode" and that "you can walk, jog, run or volunteers"

I asked on another thread - the list of Parkruns that are running on Christmas Day and New Year's Day is here:

www.parkrun.org.uk/christmas-compendium/

My husband is doing two on New Year's Day - he'll do the first in around 25 minutes, then we'll all hop in the car and drive to the next one and we'll jog-walk it with our toddler in the buggy. I'll be 34 weeks and it will most likely be my last one before baby time!

Do New Years Day! Should be some later than usual 9am and many people will be slower...

That will be my New Years Resolution.
To do a Park Run before the end of January.

My three runs have been around the 35-33 minute mark as well and there are plenty of people around that sort of speed or slower; folk taking it steady, people with kids and dogs, mixed run-walkers. I like the motto "it's a run not a race!". The sub 20 minute runners aren't competing with us 35 minute people, you only ever "compete" against yourself and that's just if you want to try to get a personal best. It's very much the taking part that counts, that's the whole ethos.

Hi walkrunwalk and malovitt - that would be me too! It took me ages to pluck up courage to have a go - so long in fact that while I was faffing and hesitating a new parkrun started up, much closer to me... which kind of removed one of my excuses!

I'm still slow - have never got under 35 minutes after 11 runs - but it doesn't seem to matter. The other week I was overtaken by someone with a prosthetic leg (not a running blade, an ordinary prosthesis - and a limp ) but I didn't care. And even the week the weather was foul and numbers were really low, there were still people behind me There is always a tail walker anyway, so you won't be actually last

Next week I have volunteered for the first time - bit nervous, anyone got any tips?

No parkrun here - too much snow to drive to nearest one that was on!

Kept it local this weekend and did Finsbury Park with bump and buggy. Walked the hills but ran all the rest, finished in 36ish minutes. 31 weeks on Monday and it didn't kill me :) Cold as hell but I actually love that for running.

It was a bit chilly this morning -3 degrees when I arrived at parkrun. A few icey patches but I felt really good today and enjoyed my run. Hope everyone else did too x

walkrunwalk you sound like me. In my 50s and quite recent to running.

I also signed up last year and laminated my barcode but was reluctant to have a go as everyone at my local Parkrun is so bloody fast!
I finally plucked up the courage to go last week and knocked 3 minutes off the time I take when I run the course alone.
If you're anywhere near London, I'll come along and run with you. We can be slow together.

walkrunwalk 40 minutes is a perfectly respectable time for completing a Parkrun, and you won't be last either. And I don't just mean the tail-walker.

Have you looked at the results page for your local one/s? Have you counted how many typically come in at >40?

I suggest you just plunge in and give it a try! If there's one think about how I took up running that I'd change, it's that I would have started Parkrunning earlier.

A freezing run today at Sewerby, but a PB of 31.26 my 3rd parkrun.
Love it!
Hope everyone else had a good session this morning, and no injuries on the frozen ground.

Obviously I no longer smoke (haven't for 20 years)

Can I join you?
I've printed off my Parkrun barcodes (even had them laminated) but I haven't plucked the courage to actually do a parkrun yet.
I'm an older runner, in my 50's and reasonably fit and only recently disovered running.
When I do run I bloody love it! I wish I'd discovered it earlier, (instead of wasting my younger years smoking behind the bikesheds when I should have been running round the track for PE )
I've been training for about 6 months now. I started off with couch to 5k and when that finished, I started doing a combination of treadmill, hill repeats and a 3 mile slow 'outside mixed terrain' run on a Saturday or Sundays.
The problem is this.
I'm reasonably fit, I'm fairly slim and strong, but I am slow.

The slowest of the slowest of the slow. I have two speeds - Dead Slow and Stop.
Despite my best efforts, I can't for the life of me seem to get it under 40 mins!
For context, I still have energy when I finish the 5k and I'm not that out of breath and my legs don't feel tired - even though I'm dripping sweat and my face is a red, hot sweaty mess.

How can I get quicker? I really want to do a Parkrun but don't want to be last, where the kids and the people with prams and even the dogs are over taking me!
Help?

It was drizzly and cold but I went along and did my second run on Saturday. A lady with a greyhound finished just behind me - I suspect the doggo wasn't running at full speed!

Well I went along and did it - just under 34 minutes which I was pleased about for my first go.
Everyone was really friendly and there were quite a few First Timers so I wasn't anywhere near last!
Will definitely make it a regular thing.

Not sure what that emoji is. It was just meant to be a runner.

Ran today but have lost any sense of speed . Happy to plod round but hope I pick up again in the new year.

Hope everyone had a good morning 🏃‍♀️.

Managed to run and volunteer this weekend. Everyone in my family got a parkrun pb apart from my son. So there were some happy parkrunners. Also got to get dressed up as a bee. So was a lot of fun.

So now my parkrun pb is getting close to my actual 5k pb. Think I need to try and run somewhere flat the next time I have a chance but now DH has caught the bug I have to be nice to him.

I was funnel manager this morning ! It was very cold out of the sun but there were no problems and everyone was in sync with the numbers (only 213 participants so not too bad to count).
malovit if you go along to your Parkrun - maybe offer to volunteer as a marshal (no skills or previous experience required) - you can judge for yourself what the course is like and where you would fit. I was really unsure so did this first as I'm not really a runner (more of a fast walker) - I've found everyone encouraging.

Yes!!!! I broke my leg early last year and have been slowly building up my fitness and running this year. I am a total plodder but set myself a goal of under 30 minutes by the end of the year. 29.42 this morning! Go me!

I'd like to give it a go but upon checking the results page of my local Parkrun, it shows that nearly everyone finishes under 30 minutes, with just a handful over that.
A bit daunting for a slow first- timer!

I enjoyed my first go at the new run, and it was certainly very popular - 679 runners! Everyone from kids to dogs to a t-rex, so I did my slow jog around and was pleased to find I didn't need to walk even up the hilly bits. The organisers actually ran out of finish tokens and had to take several hundred times manually - kudos to them for getting it all recorded when they were clearly a bit swamped. There was some cake too which is always a plus in my book. I won't be able to make it every week but intend to run again when I can.

Back home to Highbury Fields this week - ran with a woman from my NCT group and we chatted the whole way around, was fun :) Got around in about 33 minutes, which I can't be complaining about considering that the third trimester starts on Monday!