Parkrun failure

Well done for doing it! You should be proud of your self! Every runner has had the experience of being or feeling last in a race. Next time it will feel easier.
Just enjoy the experience of running / walking at a pace that feels comfortable, and when you've had enough, stop!

I was still in bed while you were running your park run OP! Think of that! It's pretty impressive to manage a 5k, I reckon I could do about 1!

Realistically someone has got to come last, if it's your first one it's probably going to be you or someone else on their first. Most of the people will have done them before so will naturally do a bit better, doesn't mean they weren't also like you on their first time. Next week you will do a bit better and then a bit better, that's the point of park run, you are competing against yourself only. You should be proud of yourself for completing it!

That's not a failure! Its a success! You completed your first PR in under an hour. Great result. The amazing thing about PR is that you can never be last. And you are only 'racing' against yourself. So next time you do it you can compare to your first result and see how you are improving. PR is great to do alongside C25K.

You're absolutely not a failure. You ran your first parkrun, completed it and got your time scanned. All of that makes you a success.
I'm a slow runner and I have to try not to get annoyed when DH complains about a time thats 10-15 mins faster than I am. You weren't even last which is pretty darn good for your first attempt. Keep going and try to reframe success and failure to what's pertinent to you.

Parkrun tailwalkers are usually the friendliest most encouraging people OP. Seek them out, have a chat and time will fly! You’ll soon be too far ahead of them though! Parkrun is made for this! Loads of people start with a walk and build up.

Definitely keep going OP! genuinely I've found the park run to be really supportive - people genuinely want you to do well. Who cares if you came in the last few people, you still got up and out there and did 5k before 10 on a Saturday morning. More than most people do! It's great when you go back and see your progress too. You can do it :)

Im terrible at running truly truly terrible. But i started out barely able to be able to run for a bus and last month i did a half marathon. I was last over the line but i pootled all the way round and there were a fair few who had to drop out along the way

When i started apps were a new thing so i started by walking to a lamp post, run to a lamp post and on and then run for a song, walk for a song and gradually built up from there.

Keep going op :)

Do the junior one. I do it with my 4 year old - he is very competitive yet easily distracted so it's RUNRUNRUN - Ooh, a ladybird (2 minute break while I limp up and breathe painfully) - RUNRUNRUN - Look, a poo! A big poo! What animal did that poo, Mummy? - RUNRUNRUUUUN! And we still dont come last.

When you can run the 2km without stopping (or pain) then you ditch your kids and move on to the adult one.

You had done 5k before many people left the house! There are always people who walk ours and the tail walkers are there for a reason. Keep going, you will get faster if you want to but walking it every week is great too. Chat to tailwalkers if you want company, I’ve never known anyone volunteer to tailwalk who doesn’t enjoy chatting. Parkrun is fabulous, totally inclusive and full of friendly people.

I agree Summerhouse. Having spent 40 years regarding myself as someone who couldn't run, the first time I went out for a run was massive. And I felt such a fraud when I entered my first event - because I wasn't a runner was I, I don't look like one and so on.
This isn't one of those inspirational stories where you go from fat middle aged woman to super fast age group winner as I'm not fast and never will be. But determination means I've run a marathon, and the confidence from finding out I could do so more than I ever thought has meant I have tried triathlon, outdoor swimming (going to swim 2.1 miles in the sea this July!) and other things. And my son sees that willingness to give it a try even though I'm rubbish and is more willing to try things himself

I have done a marathon. I can wholeheartedly confirm that the first "runs" I did were the hardest. Your achievement is in how hard it is and how you keep going. It's not about time or anyone else. I just did a 10k 4 minutes slower than my personal best. But actually given the circumstances (it was just not my day, I seriously thought of dropping out) I actually aced it!!! Take your achievement and be proud. And keep going.

Well done on getting to park run and on completing it.

C25K isn't the only way to start running. I would have struggled with it because I hate schedules and plans: I would have given up the first time I missed a run.

What I did instead was have a route from my house, it's a loop, maybe just less than two miles? I just tried to run more and walk less each time. You don't even have to start with something that long? You could find a 1 mile loop from your house. You say the park is near and small- that sounds ideal.

Another poster recommended Strava. I would really agree with that. It's an app you download. Take your phone with you and press go when you start running. It's so motivating to record your progress. Just go out for 15/20 minutes when you have the chance. Even ten is fine. If you don't get out for a week fine. If you go out two days in a row, fine!

C25K is amazing, it's helped so many people lose weight and get fit. But it's not the only way, particularly if you worry about having the time, or missing sessions. It's really prescriptive which lots of people love but I would have found overwhelming.

You did it OP, that's a huge thing. There has to be last finishers, but we're all finishers. If you don't look at people finishing around you with scorn, then why would anyone feel the same about you?!

One of the great things about parkrun is that it's the same every week, and it's always there. So you know the score, you know you can do it and there is always a tail runner to accompany the final finishers.
Well done.

we had a lovely bunch at our parkrun, they were among the fastest runners, but they came back to the end and cheered in the slower runners. They used to have a saying, -don't worry about your time, it was better than all those people who stayed in bed.

I used to help sometimes, and we never, really genuinely never mins how long someone takes, as we all remember being there.

It doesn't matter that you walked it. All that matters is that you did it and it will have done you good.

If you can't make big Parkrun every week and your dc's aren't old enough to sit and wait while you do it then see if there's a junior Parkrun nearby. You can all run those, adults just can't enter the finishing funnel.

C25k graduate here. I'm doing my first full marathon on Sunday 😬 you can do this!

Well done - you went and you finished.

I echo using an app. I began with c25k and never looked back. Trust it

I was 668th recently in 49 mins with the tail walker about 5 mins behind

Admittedly when I'm right at the back, it's because I'm with my 6yo and he gets stiches and plods slowly for the middle third of it, but it's still a great experience and the people are lovely. When I'm running it in my middle of the pack speed, I don't get time to apprciate it so much as it's so busy as my head's pumping and half the world and their dogs are coming in too

Stick with it. The improvements will come with practice.
I've been known to do beep tests on my drive, or laps of playgrounds when the DCs are off school

I second junior parkrun if there is one nearby. My DCs love it as they are able to do it at their own pace as it is more thouroughly marshalled (all in sight of eachother). Adults don't log a result but are welcome to join in, just don't enter the finish funnel.

You suceeded in completing it. 🏆

Good lord. This is the opposite of a failure, you can get the notion of having failed out of your head immediately you completed 5k when half the country won’t walk to the shop. Fair play.

I know loads of people who started off with C25K, many of whom were very unfit or overweight to start off with, and have gone on to run a whole 5k and beyond. Definitely give it a go. But stop beating yourself up, if you did parkrun every week and it took an hour every time you’d still be achieving something.

54 minutes really isn't awful for a first attempt. I'm pretty fit and have never got it under 40 and so maybe I'm just a slow runner... Try again and see if you can peel.a few minutes off. That's alot easier for beginners than for experienced runners and the sense of satisfaction is immense. Well done!

You went
You finished

I manage not to go, every week

You went AND you finished it, how is that failing?! Good on you

Well done at least you did it .
And why won't you get better if you go every other week ?
Next time you go you'll be prepared and if you knock a few seconds off your pb you'll feel great .
Listen I'm no runner but I like running I put my headphones on and off I go . I feel great afterwards if I've had a bad day it makes me feel tons better .
I think park runs are brilliant I really think exercise is the best medicine.
I too can't go every week due to childcare I try and go alternate weeks . Honestly don't worry about coming last you should be proud of yourself.

Nothing wrong with hundreds of laps! I read somewhere about a lady who wanted to run a marathon, but didn't have any childcare (I think she had a son with autism) - so she trained by running up and down her small garden. And she ran her marathon in the end!