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Original poster

Parkrunners unite!

999 replies

IsThatTrue · 25/07/2013 14:15

Right, lets find all the park runners we have on here. I did my first park run on sat.

I am very impressed with my time of 33.18 :) I am ridiculously pleased with myself.

So park runners, where are you?

OP posts:
TheMagicKeyCanFuckOff · 18/08/2013 19:43

Bakingnovice that's not embarrassing. You got out there, you ran. You did better than all the people who aren't doing any exercise. You got 297? You did a hell of a lot better than the others who sat at home or didn't dare to go outside.

When I started, I found it helped to walk the course once a week more. I also advise doing stretching before and after, not just leg stretches. I make sure to do quadriceps, hamstring, gastrocnemius, and also to do ones for my arms because my arms would ache afterwards as I'd use them for my jogging of course. Doing a 5k walk made me a lot fitter in an easier way and got me used to the surface of the area ifyswim, sometimes I'd jog stretches, but only for a few minutes.

MelanieCheeks · 18/08/2013 19:47

My favourite carb and protein after a run is chocolate milk. Sometimes just knowing that it's in the car waiting for me is enough to spur me on a bit!

Original poster
IsThatTrue · 18/08/2013 19:55

Oh another quick diet titbit is that eating within an hour of a run is the best time to eat as your metabolism is working at an increased rate due to the exercise.

OP posts:
Bakingnovice · 18/08/2013 19:59

Thanks for the tips everyone. Yes, thank god for the lovely walkers at the park run. If it weren't for them I'd be last and THAT would be embarrassing. Next week I'm going to try to stretch more and eat better the night before.
Is that - I've tried for 6 months to give up sugar. It's more addictive than drugs! I've cut back totally but it's still finding its way into my two cups of tea a day.

Thanks for the lovely words of encouragement everyone. It means a lot.

Original poster
IsThatTrue · 18/08/2013 20:11

baking I think we all fear being last, but tbh, you're still there you're still trying to improve your fitness and keep yourself healthy. Who cares if you're last? You could be sat at home shovelling in biscuits, but you're not. :)

OP posts:
MelanieCheeks · 18/08/2013 20:34

Do you know, that was one of the nice things about marhsalling - seeing the different categories of Park Runners. The first wave of super duper ultra fit speed ninjas that no-one is going to catch. Interestingly enough, most had no headphones in. Then the pretty fit, keen, sporting their 10k Tshirt guys, all with their little white earbuds. Then the obviously new to running crew - often pairs of women having a natter as they went around. And, bless her, my tail end runner - a woman in her 60s, it was clearly hard work for her, but obviously she was enjoying it too.

OhOneOhTwoOhThree · 18/08/2013 20:45

I agree Melanie - we have a similar cross section of runners. What's really nice is when the super-fit front runners stay and clap us slower runners through the finish.

MyDaydream · 18/08/2013 22:03

Baking, it was better than my time and as everyone says at least your out there rather than in bed saying 'I'll do it next week'. Your time will come down as you run more and get to know your route. I ache today but I'm not sore, I stretch before (just copy someone else) and do some jumps to get myself going, although part of that is to make my DS laugh too! I stretch after, and if I feel something tensing up I stretch it out again. I also had a long bath in the afternoon, I don't know if it helped but it was lovely.
I love the super fit speed running women who tell me how awesome and brave I am to try it with a pram, they give me a burst of energy.

BIWI · 18/08/2013 22:27

You should be eating something protein-based in the 45 minutes after your run. Not fruit-based though, as that is too high in sugar.

Blatherskite · 19/08/2013 08:53

IsThatTrue - Yes, volunteers are requested at the start of every run and we've been known to go down the queue of runners waiting to have their barcode scanned with a clipboard too :(

Baking That's not embarrassing at all. You got up and got out and did it which is the important thing. Everyone starts somewhere. I'm tail running next week and am allowing at least an hour to do it. Even the runner at the back doing a run/walk is achieving something and that's what Parkrun is all about.

On of our faster Parkrunners tends to do the course 2 or 3 times while everyone is running! I always hang around afterwards to cheer on the runners behind me. It's one of my favourite bits of the run :)

Bakingnovice · 19/08/2013 11:18

The massive cheers are the finish line for every runner were amazing. So many stayed on to cheer. It's brilliant.

Can I ask everyone whether they run on a Friday? I'm shredding and running and was wondering whether to not run on Friday to save my energy a bit on Friday? Also, is it better to shred/run on alternate days or do them both on the same day (as I do now) and have rest days in between? I try and shred twice a week and run three times and have 2 total rest days. What does everyone else do?

Blatherskite · 19/08/2013 11:29

My running club nights are Tuesday and Thursday and then Parkrun is Saturday obviously which gives me alternate rest days but I've found recently that I've been running almost every day because I've felt like I wanted to and had no injuries. This week I only missed Tuesday and Wednesday and that was because I couldn't get out rather than didn't want to.

I did Juneathon in June which was a challenge to exercise every day for the month and I found that I needed to rest and do something other than running (usually swimming) every 3 or 4 days or my knees got really sore. I found shredding to be very good cross training for my runs and my speed improved a lot when I was alternating the two. I really should start again. I have a friend who shreds and runs most days so as you build up, it can work to do both.

I guess what I'm trying to say is listen to your body and just try to do as much as you can without hurting yourself. I'd probably start with alternate runs and shreds and then build up from there.

Original poster
IsThatTrue · 19/08/2013 13:26

Oh I need to start shred again. Hard when working from home with an 8mo, and 2 school age dcs. God knows when I'll find time.

I run tues, thurs, sat. Tues is interval/hills, thurs 10k sat 5k.

OP posts:
Blatherskite · 19/08/2013 13:30

Almost the same as me true. I do 10k on Tuesdays, Intervals/Hills on Thursdays and 5k on Saturdays :)

Recently, I've been doing Half Marathon training on Sundays too so yesterday I ran 9 miles!

I'll start shredding again once the kids are back at school. Not enough space in our tiny house at the moment while the lounge is full of toys!

OhOneOhTwoOhThree · 19/08/2013 22:25

ATM I run Tues, Thurs, Sat and Sun. According to my training plan I should also run on Weds, but I tend to cycle instead.

Standingonlego · 20/08/2013 07:03

Morning. I am thinking about some interval training now after reading this...or might get out for a longer run. I have been really excited by seeing my times come down the last couple of weeks and want to maintain my progress - my pb is in sight now!. The shred has defo helped my leg strength :)

Standingonlego · 20/08/2013 07:05

blatherskite I have had to move to a bigger room for shred level 2 !

Blatherskite · 20/08/2013 08:39

I like level 2 more than level 1. Level 3 scares me though!

Original poster
IsThatTrue · 20/08/2013 08:41

I shall start shred tomorrow maybe Hmm

OP posts:
Blatherskite · 20/08/2013 09:04

It's worth it. It's hard work but it definitely helped me slim down and run faster.

I'm really tempted to try and fit it in today but I'm running 10k tonight and tomorrow and replays on Thursday and the extra might kill me!

Bakingnovice · 20/08/2013 11:45

Yes I find the shred really improves my runs. Undoing my first run since theparkrun on Saturday and in hoping to try and beat my park run time.

OhOneOhTwoOhThree · 20/08/2013 22:45

I ran 6 laps of my parkrun park this morning (the parkrun is 2.5 laps but I needed to do 7 miles today). I stuck to 10 minute miles, and now that I have been up the hill 6 times today 3 times on Saturday will feel easy Grin.

Towards the end I saw another regular parkrunner coming the other way with her dog - it was so nice to recognise someone and say hello, we haven't lived here long.

Blathers - I NEVER had any knee trouble until I shredded earlier this year (and it was not the first time I'd shredded, so was fine the other times).

Original poster
IsThatTrue · 21/08/2013 08:13

Well I did some hills last night as all my running group were busy and I tend to do hills alone. I am absolutely awful. Must try harder. I did some intervals on the way home though and was pleasantly surprised by my sprinting ability now.

I'm going to dog out the shred when DS sleeps today.

OP posts:
Blatherskite · 21/08/2013 09:33

I haven't shredded for ages so it's not that messing my knees up, it's the half training definitely. Did lots of stretches over the past couple of days and they feel fine now despite doing 9 miles on Sunday and 6.5 last night. Planning another 6-ish tonight too - I must be mad!

I love the fact that I've made so many friends from Parkrun. I wouldn't be doing the run tonight if it wasn't for my Parkrun friends

MelanieCheeks · 21/08/2013 17:42

I should shred again. Did it last year, loved some bits, hated other exercises.