parkrun 2020 - all welcome !

I ran my fourth park run on Saturday after completing couch to 5k about a month ago. I’m loving it! Although it was my first time on my local one...which has a hill I wasn’t planning for...

I have a question - what sort of pace do people run park runs at? I don’t mean timing - I think it’s fantastic people can go as quick or slow as they like and run jog or walk - all welcome. I mean do you tend to go at your easy pace or push yourself and go all out for a park run PB? I’m just nosy as to how different people see it.

rainbow I've noticed a lot of SA parkruns popping up on the walking pages. I didn't make the connection about the crime rates.
My neighbours are from SA. When they have guests over their children are amazed at the freedom UK kids can have playing out.

Thank you for all the encouragement. I'm feeling inspired so watch this space, Saturday may be my day to start a new habit

Thebeat you can check the results of your local parkrun and see the times of those coming in at the end. Anything above 50 minutes is likely to be a walking pace. I normally expect to take an hour when I'm tailwalking.

Woohoo Catya, 100! Will there be cake?

Doodle it’s absolutely fine. We are there until the last person crosses the line. 5k is 5k whether it takes 20mins or an hour. Please go back again next week.

thebeat absolutely fine to walk. Just start at the back so you don’t get stampeded! parkrun is for everyone so please don’t be put off.
As one very wise and amazing person once said at my parkun ‘the party is at the back’

Hi parkrunners, I ran this morning in Johannesburg, I live here not on some fancy holiday.
Parkrun is very popular here as crime makes it difficult to walk safely in parks.
We had a field of about 600 today and I was 10th lady, in just under 30 mins so it’s a slow field of families and real mix of ages.
We are at around 1400m altitude, and the course has around 150m elevation, plus it’s a trail run and we’ve had quite a bit of rain so the grass is very long so needed high knees! We start at 8am before it gets too hot but it was still around 24 degrees this morning.
I’d like to get my 50 run t-shirt this year, today was my 20th.

@Freshprincess yes it made a nice change. Definitely I'm going to do a bit more of, some relaxed park running 😍

@Salene I usually do similar. It’s a great way to get a long run in without it feeling like a slog. I always enjoy PR when I’m not racing for a time. 5k is too quick for me.

@thebeatofthedrum you’d be surprised at the number of people who walk. Last time I was the tail walker I had a group of 6 walking and chatting with me. I think I enjoyed this one more than when I ran it.

I ran today but made parkrun part of my long run so did 3 miles there , arrived just as horn went , ran a steady parkrun, quit stop for scanning and 3 miles back to collect my kids. I'm going to try and do more like that. Actually made a nice change from normal as up to now I've always gone eyeballs out and it's not remotely enjoyable 🤣.

I did parkrun this morning. I reckon about 1/3 of the people there walked the majority of it. I think it's brilliant to see so many people using the New Year to get into something new.
My parkrun usually gets 400ish runners, but we've been up to 700+ for the last two events. Most of those extra 300 are slow and steady. I really hope they don't feel "too" slow as there's no such thing

doodle you are fine walking it at that speed. The tail walkers are there for that reason 👍.

And thebeat there's a "walking at parkrun: Facebook group. So many people walk it, you won't be alone.

Running my 100ty next Saturday!

I signed up to MFP this week (again) and realised that part of my motivation was that I'd like to do a parkrun with my DDs. They both average times of around 35 - 40 mins.

I can't run (yet) but if I were to walk round it, and was very, very slow, would I be holding anyone up? Is it really okay to walk? How many walkers do you reckon you have on your parkruns? (Sorry, lots of questions.)

Obviously, I'd be aiming to run it some day but until then...

I did my second ever parkrun on new years day. My first was May 2019. I'm massively unfit but trying to get into running. I always feel bad because I'm SO SLOW. It took me 1 hr 4 mins on Wed. I just think all the volunteers must be thinking "get a move on, I want to get home". They all say lovely things, but they must be pissed off waiting for me.
I think I'll wait a while to do one again.

My son does junior parkrun, and I volunteer there every time he runs. I love volunteering

Probably!

The parkrun website has crashed - wonder if that is down to sheer numbers today?

We were (just) at a record breaking turnout for us (and usually it's even higher in the second week (ie the first one after school term starts and everyone is back from their hols)

Volunteered today. Was a bit crazy there were over 700 runners!

I’m gutted - can’t run today as had a Minor medical treatment yesterday and now I cant run for 48 hours. 😩

I'm at Lowestoft parkrun today. Forgot my headphones, argh!!!

I’m going to work :(, so I won’t be joining you today, but have fun!

I'm revisitng the one where I fell last year! I didn't finish it that time, but have been a few months ago and just fast walked round it. So I should manage a PB this morning, even at a gentle canter. Currently making sure my headphones are fully charged.

PBs are course specific, for newbies. It's the fastest tiem you have done THAT parkrun.

So where are we all off to tommorow? I've got to be up en at um for the 42mile drive to Macclesfield. I've read there's a fair few sections on grass but I don't have trail shoes. So we'll see how that ends up 🤣 But planning on going there as there's an independent running shop I can pay a visit to on the way home to finally update my trainers. Hopefully. I'm on a budget and finding any decent stability shoes in a size 6/6.5 is proving tricky.

'Please laminate or cover your barcode in sticky tape to protect it'

Be careful - phone app usually can't scan creased laminate/sellotape, but can work with remarkably crumpled and scuffed paper. Phones can sometimes take a dislike to wristbands which have white barcode printed on pale background, and wristbands are much easier to scan if you can hold them out a bit (but not stretch them) so the barcode is flat.

I keep my barcode in an old season ticket wallet which lives in my running belt so I rarely forget it. Hoping to hit my 250th parkrun next spring some time. I expect to be one of the slowest people ever to hit that milestone!