Parkrun newbies and trying a sub 30 - keeping each other motivated! 🏃‍♀️ 🎉

As a core team volunteer, those times are absolutely fine from a volunteer point of view and not at all unusual. Keep going back and you will chip away at the times and reach your next goal.

waves

I'm not sure whether I fit in here.

66 and i've done two Parkruns. First was the end of July - 54 minutes 24 seconds...

Then held up because I had to have a dental procedure which had complications. Second Parkrun a couple of weeks ago: 56 minutes 59 seconds. Oh dear.

In my defence I'd had 6 wks training after 40 plus years of no running at all before the first one. I've signed up for another block of Running Club sessions at the local gym.

I'm afraid that my current goal is try to get below 50 minutes. Apart from anything else, it's embarrassing when you know you're holding up the marshals and tail walkers.

My initial hope was to finish before 60 minutes, so I guess I've done that.

I seem to be getting slower and it wasn’t even hot this week. Had a nice time though with DD and friends so I’m not complaining (that much).

Dd1 and I have managed to be parkrun tourists at different places for weeks now. I like to try and be 1st in my age category but today 1st lady overall was my age so didn’t manage it. Went with a group from the running club and it was a nice course, if a bit of a slog of a hill in it.

today was my 25th parkrun. I’m not the most committed park runner but have been making the effort while dd1 is home from uni as she enjoys them. Dd1’s is next week so she gets to choose where we go.

Well done @NoCareNoFair. I’m impressed by the 10k training too, I couldn’t contemplate running more than 5k!

I went for the first time in two months and managed to knock 18 seconds off my PB - I was amazed! Feeling it now though…

How did we all get on this morning? I am feeling quite pleased as I got a PB (just). I still have around 90 seconds to shave off for the glorious sub 30, but I am happy I'm getting closer. All three extra running I am doing to train for the 10k is definitely helping!

I did a double parkrun as part of my plan to stop the knee aggravation by doing my longer run in Saturday instead of sunday. Didn’t work! Knee pain kicked in after exactly 3 miles so joined the end of parkrun very late and shuffled my way painfully to finish. Managed 7 miles in total but feel very despondent about the knee 😖

well done to everyone who got out and did it and @Ricecrispiesatsix that is crazy and impressive!!

I've found my people! Volunteered today. I achieved Sub 30 last year after 7 years of trying! Due to injury trying to get close to 30 minutes is difficult at the moment as I still have to be careful with the knee. It is great to hear everyone's stories and 5k journeys.

@RicecrispiesatsixWow! And they say Parkrun isn't a cult! 🤣

@countrylifeorcitylifeWelcome! That's an amazing improvement in 3 weeks. When is your half? Good luck!

Can I join? My time 3 weeks ago was 42 and today was 35! I’m hoping to do a half marathon soon so have started parkrun to get me going!

Well done @Ricecrispiesatsix! I’m not sure I’d get round if I’d cycled 20k to get there 😂

The reason I ‘couldn’t’ go this morning is that I was doing another sport this afternoon and I knew how knackered I’d be doing both (tried it once, never again…)

I had a craaaazy morning - we’re camping the Netherlands and although the plan was for the whole family to go to Delft, we were all kept awake by a huge thunderstorm and I couldn’t bear to wake everyone up and drag them to parkrun. So at 7.40 (6.40 uk time!) I decided to borrow my 11 year old daughter’s bike and cycle 20km in the rain to Delft parkrun.

I arrived just as the run director’s brief was starting and ran way too fast as I was full of adrenaline from my bonkers journey. Still can’t believe I actually made it. DH and kids came to meet me at the cafe and couldn’t believe I’d cycled what was a 30 minute drive down motorways 🤣 and we still got a nice day out in Delft. My legs are absolutely DEAD now!

How did everyone get on?

I am quite chuffed as, despite the heat and dust, I managed a 32 minute-r! Also I didn't find it too challenging (it was still tough though!) so I reckon the 10k training is helping! I hope that when it gets cooler in Autumn I might be able to make the magic 30 mins. Maybe...

The heat makes such a difference. In the winter I was doing sub 28. But since June I have barely made it in under 31.

For the moment, as it's still hot, I'm just going to go for a 33 minute one this week, which would still be quite good for me!

Hi, can I join? Started running this year with couch 2 5k and have now done six or seven park runs. I have managed a sub-30 (just - by 7 seconds!) but I've not been able to go for ages, and have just had two weeks away where I didn't do any running at all, so I doubt I'll be achieving that next time. I can't go tomorrow but aiming for next Saturday.

I went for a run this morning though and managed 5k but in 32 minutes. Never achieved a sub-30 5k on my own - I blame the hills (I'm in Yorkshire so hills are everywhere!)

I hope everyone going tomorrow has a good run and the heat isn't too debilitating.

I made it to the London parkrun! We ended up at Highbury fields as Finsbury Park was cancelled. It was pretty packed and I did a lot of weaving around but I didn’t find the 5 laps as arduous as I thought I would and I actually ended up with a PB! I couldn’t believe it as I hadn’t set out with a mind to PB this morning and we ran 3 miles to get there.

it all felt quite easy. Maybe I need to run a few miles at a steady pace before trying for fast times over shorter distances!

How did everyone get on today?

I did my first park run since mid June. I have another commitment on Saturday mornings, so I can’t often go, but I was free today. I took 18 seconds off my last time and finally got under 35 minutes! I did run out of steam around 4.2km though, so I need to work on that!

I’ll now continue to increase my distance with a target of 10k in October. I’ve run 10km three times during the summer, with my best time so far being 1hr 24mins. This includes a few walking breaks during the run. I’d like to get down to 1hr 20mins. Slow but steady 😄

We’re away for the weekend so will be parkrun tourists in Whitby. Looking forward to a nice leisurely run, no more PB chasing until I get this IT band issue under control

I don’t know what it is. Maybe the numbers and as it’s an affluent part I imagine people will be really professional and well turned out. Our local one is literally around a farm! 😂.

Finsbury Park has a lot more runners than our usual haunts at home but less than the one she attends in her uni city. Though her city isn’t as fancy an area 😂.

I’m assuming it’s the number of runners that feels intimidating? Because we’re nice parkrunners in London, promise! Maybe avoid Highbury as it’s very crowded being 5 laps.

We are up in London at the weekend and dd1 is keen to drag me to a parkrun there as she loves a bit of parkrun tourism. Thinking of either Finsbury Park or Highbury fields as they’re the nearest. A London parkrun seems quite intimidating to me as a country bumpkin 😂😂.

Hello, this feels like a good thread for me! I only started running last year but have now done 60 parkruns. I’ve gradually improved my time from 41 minutes to about 34.5 but seem to have plateaued a bit. I’m training for a half in October which is seeming a bit unrealistic right now, but it is getting me out running three times a week. I’ve got a runna plan and it’s always telling me to run slow ehich is fine with me, but I feel like I’ve got into such a habit of running slow (especially in this heat) that I’ll never get my parkrun time down!