Park Run - is it possible with no training?

[Thisismyusernamefornow]

I know it's 5k and not a marathon but I've been invited to run this weekend and I'm worried it will be awful.

I have general fitness but I don't train for anything and I don't do any running.

Will this be a really bad idea?

Plenty of people walk it, just run when you can and walk when you can't!

You’ll probably be slow or might even need to walk for a bit but it could be a nice activity to do so why not?

Of course! If you're not up to running, you can alternative jogging/walking.

Don't expect to run 5 km without any running training. But loads of people walk and run.

I good rule is if you could sing, it's not enough, if you couldn't talk, it's too much. So run or walk depending!

God yes go for it. I did it at forty weeks pregnant and five days postpartum carrying the baby - obviously walked both, but I was only last in one of them, to reassure you that there are plenty of people walking or run/walking.
There is a volunteer tail walker whose job it is to come last. If you do find yourself in front of the tail walker, please don't ever think you are holding them up and they want to hurry up - volunteers expect to be out for over an hour and it's really important to them that people feel welcome at their parkrun. It's a social event so enjoy it and don't forget to go for coffee and cake after. Enjoy x

Please don’t feel nervous, the great thing about park runs are that anybody and anybody can take part and enjoy the event and nobody notices or cares if you run walk jog or sprint! I completed my first Junior parkrun with my kids on Sunday and everyone was so friendly and welcoming that we will definitely be back! Our target for our next run is to keep running for 5 minutes! Really hope you enjoy it and become a regular park runner!

I did it with general fitness (weights, HIIT, pilates 3/4x a week) and managed it in about 33 mins.

Not a stellar time and needed to walk a couple of times, but I did it easily.

HIIT particularly helped with the breathing aspect.

Thanks everyone. Your messages are really encouraging.

How long should it take to get around? Or is that a ridiculous question?

I'm frequently the slowest runner (not walker) and I do it in about 35-40 minutes.

Turns out slow and steady actually loses the race.

The times for my local one range from about 17m to an hour or more. No one gives a shit how fast or slow you are- it’s emphatically not a race.

I do it at a steady jog in 32-33 minutes and I'm far from the slowest. There are usually a few people walking, and they have a volunteer tail runner/walker so you won't be last....

I do it most weeks and I'm shit. It usually takes me about 44 minutes to run/walk.

I live in the UK and met a British couple at Parkrun in Berlin. They were both really shit, even worse than me. We had a great time running together though. They were on a tour of Parkruns across Europe and said it was great, everyone was really friendly (sometimes with coffee/ breakfast with other runners afterwards) and it was fine that they sometimes came last.

You might surprise yourself- 35 for a flattish Parkrun would be good for a first time- have a look at the course page and look at the fastest/slowest female times. That should give you a good idea.

There's always a handful at my local one who come in at the 40-minute mark.

I love that parkrun are really proud that the average time has got progressively slower and slower for the 15 years it has been going - it's not about elite runners, it's about having a crack at it.

Give it a go!
There’s always a tail runner so you won’t come last

I manage it!! I’m always at the end in about 40 mins but I’m nearly 60!! My best was 30 mins but that was five years ago!! And I was a stone lighter then I am now.

Nobody cares about how fast or slow you are you just compete against you personally best!!

If your are new to running look up couch to 5k

If you’re doing parkrun don’t forget to register and print off your barcode !

Definitely give it a go! You could also try the c25k app too!

The first few park runs I did, I didn't run all the way (ran as much as I could then slowed to a brisk walk until I felt able to run again, then repeated). There were still many people slower than me. 5k is 3.1 miles, so walking the whole way would be about an hour.
The first time I jogged (very slowly) all the way round it took me about 32 minutes.

So if you think you can run some of but not all the way it will probably take you around 35 to 45 minutes, although hard to say without knowing how fit you are!

You could look up last week's results for your area on the park run website to give you an idea of the spread of times. At mine it's a very wide range, from the super quick 18 minutes up to 50 minutes.

Good luck and enjoy it!

I'm really slow, but I don't care, I'm not training for anything! It's just nice exercise in a welcoming environment. Enjoy it!

Try it. Don't even think about times. Anyway, you are absolutely guaranteed a PB

I am building up to do my first Parkrun - I am up to 2 miles.

Try 'Jeffing' ....it's interval running....run/walk/run...I do 30 seconds of each...

45-50 mins is totally normal, don’t worry, just enjoy it!