parkrun returns

[secondchapter]

Parkrun is back on Saturday and I'm quite emotional. Anyone going?

sadly not cos it's only back for England

It's back in Northern Ireland and Shetland/Orkney too. Not sure when Wales is due to start, I think Scotland more widely is middle of August.

About time too.

I feel fairly safe outdoors in the summer. Sorry it's not back everywhere yet

I'd like to but I'm getting my second covid jab instead! Hopefully will the following week!

Nope. Hubby has baggsied the first one, I get to go the following week (we take turns watching the kids)

Me! Can't wait

I have been volunteering at junior Parkrun since it restarted.

Think I’m going to wait a few weeks before running parkrun to let things settle a bit, then pick the courses locally that are normally quieter. One is 3 loops and a pretty popular one so I wouldn’t fancy that at the moment but the one loop quiet one I would

Yes, can't wait. There is a new one closer to me than my usual so hoping to try that.

I'll be there and DD is going to be volunteering

I'm pregnant so volunteering at my local one instead of running in a couple of weeks

I am marshalling first week, might try and get there early to run a lap but I'm just looking forward to seeing people!

Hope you won't mind the question but how common/welcome are walkers rather than runners? I'd really like to go but my knees aren't up to running anymore

I can only speak for the one I volunteer at @Weirdfan but we welcome the walkers just as much as the runners.

@Weirdfan

Hope you won't mind the question but how common/welcome are walkers rather than runners? I'd really like to go but my knees aren't up to running anymore

Extremely common and very welcome.

My favourite volunteering role is tail walker, and by being at the back, I get the meet all the best people!

It's absolutely fine to walk some or all of it. Some parkruns (like the one near my DMum) have a group of regular walkers. The volunteers know that people might prefer to walk, and it's all set up so they can.

At mine, most people would have some jogging interludes (hilly course, sometimes jog the downhills) but there is one regular whose medical condition means she cannot run, and it's always nice to see her when she's there. Her aim was to speed up her walking, and take less than 1 hour. She'd nearly nailed it before lockdown. It's the kind of PB that means as much if not more than those by the racing snakes at the front

I'm going to avoid it for a few weeks. I'll be back there eventually.
Ours is crammed in and too close for comfort at the best of times, think Friday evening beer smells last nights food and unwashed clothes. I'm a middle pack runner so I can never get away from people.

@Weirdfan

Hope you won't mind the question but how common/welcome are walkers rather than runners? I'd really like to go but my knees aren't up to running anymore

I often tail walk, I am very disappointed if I have to break into a run!

Go along and enjoy. If your nervous when you get there talk to the tail Walker who I am sure will reassure you

That sounds great, thanks both for replying. Was thinking I might take DD(12), is she old enough to do the 5k? We walk a lot anyway so she wouldn't struggle at all and I could probably manage a bit of downhill jogging, think we'd both enjoy trying to beat our times. I'm sold I think, thanks again

12 would be fine to do it as long as she is happy. It’s great family activity.

If you think she may struggle at first to do the 5k then junior parkrun (Sunday mornings) is 2k and that is going back to 4-14 this weekend

@Weirdfan

Hope you won't mind the question but how common/welcome are walkers rather than runners? I'd really like to go but my knees aren't up to running anymore

It depends on which one, IME. My local one is one that attracts all sorts of really fast club runners all trying to get PBs. I can run 5K in about 29 minutes but that puts me very close to the back of the pack!

I read all the time about how welcoming and inclusive Parkrun is but I have to say I don't find mine to be massively welcoming and I've never seen anyone walking it . I wish it felt more like an actual Parkrun, i.e. no competition, everyone welcome, kids and dogs everywhere.

We walk at least 5k (at a decent pace) regularly so pretty sure she'd be ok, excited now

You know your DD best!

Yes a 12yo is fine at parkrun, but children have to make sure they do not lose their responsible adult and are always within arm's length of them (sone adults are better trained that others!) - though separating for a final sprint to the finish funnel once there is clear line of sight is OK in practice.

(It's not like junior parkrun, which is set up to be safe for unaccompanied children; parent or other adult needs to be responsible for DC throughout. This is only a problem when your young teen is way faster that you can ever dream of!)

If you want a finish time, you will need to register, and print a barcode.

Do you want to be talked through that?

It’s only under 11s who have the arms length rule isn’t it? (Trying to remember back that far!)

Yes, the arms length rule is only for under 11's.

For anyone nervous about times, have a look at the "latest results" on an individual parkruns page. Each event has its own personality.

About an hour is common for most tail walkers, and I've taken that long with a young DC quite a number of times. Fast and flat is usually attractive to newbies too and one of my locals is one of the fastest in the country, but also very attractive to C25k groups.

If I'm running solo, I'll go to my nearest one which has missed both its first and second birthdays. It had been running at about 200 ish runners. Ds2 prefers my home run (previous closest) which is about 500-600 ish. There's also the fast and flat one relatively close, of a similar size again and a hillier trail course that is quieter.

I'll try and stick to my normal, predictable ones while the numbers settle.

I've been at junior parkrun every week, mainly volunteering since we were allowed to return and it was amazing to get that atmosphere back into my life again. Real food for the soul.

weird I've been to four different parkruns and they all have walkers at the back. When my kids were younger we'd be taking 50 mins to an hour to do it.