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Original poster

Parkrunners anonymous

996 replies

IsThatTrue · 27/10/2013 18:37

Hi everyone. I thought we could do with a new shiny thread.

All runners are welcome here :)

A massive well done to all runners this week. I managed to get out today and did 3.5 miles in 32 minutes. It made me feel slightly less guilty about missing parkrun on Saturday (although it is the first since August so not too bad).

OP posts:
OhOneOhTwoOhThree · 09/02/2014 09:29

Salty - I agree with the comments about breathing, other training, sleep and looking for patterns.

Also thinking about nutrition - do you have a decent carby breakfast before you go to parkrun, and enough time to digest it so you get the benefit? Have you gained any weight since the summer? I have put some on since my marathon in November (when I was looking a bit skinny) and that, along with hardly any mid-week running, have meant that I am a bit slower now. Are you really pushing yourself hard - I know I often don't because I'm so familiar with the route and have to remind myself to work harder Smile. Do you have a way of checking your pace, e.g. a garmin watch/app on your phone - it can be motivating to see if you are doing well. Are there other runners who you know are just a bit faster than you that you can tag a long with - I have a friendly rivalry with a couple of people at mine and a not so friendly rivalry with someone who pushed in front of me at the finish a few weeks ago

OhOneOhTwoOhThree · 09/02/2014 09:30

Sorry - some question marks missing in that stream of consciousness Grin

melliebobs · 09/02/2014 10:19

In terms of speed I've noticed a few things have helped me. Up until Xmas I was floundering between 33-35mins n thought that's it. That's as fast as I can go I'm built for comfort not speed.

But since January I've consciously been running 3/4 times a week. I do a long run Tuesday (60 mins or so) at a slow/moderate pace so usually do about 5 miles. I do this before breakfast as well.

Wednesday I go to running club. They normally do 3-5 miles n longer if you do loops at the meeting points. So in its nature I use it as an interval training session. I Go as quick as I can from a to b and use the loop point as a recovery. There's often hills so that helps too.

Saturday I do ParkRun. If I do a 4th run I save it Till Sunday. I never run the day before.

This running with sensible eating I've lost 7lbs since the start of the year and this has helped immensely too.

I've also tried playing around with what I eat on a Saturday morning too. I find 1/3 tin of beans on dry whole meal toast works for me.

Aaaand I'm down to 30:42 which I would never have dreamed of last year. AND I think it's possible for me to get sub 30 as well

cinnamongreyhound · 09/02/2014 10:45

Hydration is definitely a big one for me SaltySeaBird, I also agree that you need to be doing something else during the week. I haven't done any interval training recently because I hate it can't get to training at the moment so I haven't increased in pace. There will be a natural pace for you but you can definitely push that, I enjoy longer runs because I can feel pretty comfortable all the time but don't enjoy 5ks because you should be pushing you comfort zone all the time, I was once told 5k should be painful! My cycles don't really affect my running but my friend who I run with finds it makes a big difference to her.

karatekimmi · 09/02/2014 17:50

Salty Is it worth asking someone to pace your run with you? Ours do paced runs every couple of months or so, but on the facebook page people ask and offer to pace someone to get a target time. I find it hard to run at a pace which makes me uncomfortable, but this is what I need to do to get better.

SaltySeaBird · 09/02/2014 21:17

Thanks everyone for the helpful comments, I didn't expect so many Smile

I used to run regularly pre-DC and was doing around 27:30 for 5k then, but I was a lot lighter too. I'm not doing well on that front.

My aim was to get to sub 30 for my 50th ParkRun but I had hoped to be speeding up, or at least finding it easier by now. I can't imagine doing that now.

I don't run in the week at the moment so ParkRun is my only run. I do BodyCombat on a Wednesday.

My husband runs with me sometimes and paces me with his Garmin, those are the weeks I run faster but it is still a struggle and I'm still around the 34 minute marker.

Interesting comment on breakfast, I tend to only have a banana or one slice of toast before a ParkRun and don't really drink that much, just a small orange juice. I don't always get a good nights sleep (18 month old teething!). It doesn't always correlate though as my PB was done on very little sleep - I can't work out why I'm so inconsistent. One week 37 something, then 34 something, then 37 something ...

I'm about ready to collapse at the end of 5k, I don't think I could do a longer run. I'm just getting so disheartened.

rosy71 · 09/02/2014 22:36

I am having difficulty getting faster too. My pb is 31.14 & all my runs have been 31 something. I've started going running in the week too (previously I only ran at the weekends) & doing a longer than 5k run at a weekend if I'm not doing the parkrun. Ironically, I did my pb before I upped the running & immediately after a 3 week break due to having flu!

I do find now I'm not totally exhausted at the end, which I was at first, so I should be able to increase my pace. I never time myself, so perhaps I need to check my pace. Another thing is that I tend to start near the back. There are lots more runners now than when I started; the week I did my slowest time, I had to walk for the first 10 seconds or so, which must've contributed to the slower time. I need to work out the best place to start.

Standingonlego · 10/02/2014 10:19

Salty random thought - have you had your iron levels checked recently? That crashing tiredness you describe sounds just like i was when I went a bit anaemic, it used to fluctuate through the month too :(

BodyCombat is quite high intensity so you will definitely be getting the cardio benefit from that.

What are you eating and drinking on Friday night? That makes a bigger difference to me on Saturday than breakfast. Once i laid off our traditional Friday night curry and Wine things got better Blush

Standingonlego · 10/02/2014 10:21

Rosy you sound like a perfect candidate for a paced race. After a long long time plateau the pacer dragged me round and knocked 25 seconds off my PB in a week of no training. Ask on their facebook page for someone running in the 30 minute zone to team up with you?

MelanieCheeks · 10/02/2014 10:49

Volunteering this week, which means I can enjoy a Valentines meal guilt-free!

Blatherskite · 10/02/2014 11:50

I'm travelling up North to do Pontefract parkrun with my Brother this weekend. Means DH and I will be crashing his Valentines with his GF but he invited us up as it's his 50th run. DH is about as romantic as a brick so I won't be missing out, I've just got suppress my jealousy when I see what DBro has got for his GF Wink

Will be my 61st. I did try to work out if I could manage to get to 100 this year but I've got something like 6 spare weekends if I do that and gievn the amount of 10ks and halves I'm booked in for this year - not to mention the Wolef run - I doubt that will happen. Maybe I'll save it for the 5th birthday next year instead.

cinnamongreyhound · 10/02/2014 21:17

Sounds nice blatherskite, we don't do anything for valentines day either. Dh doesn't understand romance at all, it just doesn't compute!

I'm rd this week as no one else volunteered and I would have been there anyway running so didn't feel is could say no! Got 5 volunteers already so should be a smooth one uh oh jinxed that now!

Blatherskite · 10/02/2014 21:52

Is he a computer geek too cinnamon? DH needs weeks of nagging if I'm even to get flowers!

cinnamongreyhound · 10/02/2014 21:59

Nope, not at all! He's getting better but until about 6 months ago he'd ring me from work to get help with spreadsheet Shock. He says he doesn't buy me flowers because he'd get it wrong, I'm apparently such an ogre he's terrified of getting/doing the wrong thing he just does nothing! I'm babysitting valentines day! I kind of think you should do things all the time not just because it's 14th feb and everywhere is busy but it would be nice to be surprised just once Wink

Blatherskite · 10/02/2014 22:08

DH is a huge computer geek. The presents he buys me generally have an electronic nature to them to Valentines stumps him completely.

cinnamongreyhound · 10/02/2014 22:20

Dh won't buy me anything unless I've specifically asked for it, amazon wishlist is the only thing that gives me a slight surprise! We just give cards for valentines day and our anniversary we go out for a meal where we had a wedding meal so that saves him stress for that too Wink

pennygallops · 11/02/2014 21:30

Had a parkrunning recruiting moment at parents' evening on Monday. The parents of one of the girls in my class were asking about a running club - I suggested park run and make it a family event. She told me today that her dad, big sister and her had registered and will there on Saturday. Grin

slalomsuki · 12/02/2014 09:24

Knackerelli,at the risk of outing myself that's the one and also Walsall. Won't be here this week or next due to other events but will be back. Trying to do Walsall as a change also.

I admire all of you for doing park runs.

Blatherskite · 12/02/2014 09:46

We've got another local parkrun starting soon and they're looking for RDs. I was really tempted to volunteer but am convinced I'd mess it up.

Was chatting to my friend who is an RD about it and she said I'd be welcome to be one at my usual parkrun too!!

Maybe one day....

EauRouge · 12/02/2014 10:11

Ooh, where's the new one?

Blatherskite · 12/02/2014 10:24

Buckingham

EauRouge · 12/02/2014 10:55

Oh, that's a bit of a trek for me. Will defo do some tourism after my HM though.

cinnamongreyhound · 12/02/2014 11:15

Yay for recruitment pennygallops and if I can do it I'm sure you can blatherskite, which bit are you worried about messing up?

Blatherskite · 12/02/2014 12:16

Ah just all of it :)

I've marshalled a few times and tail run a lot but the only time I was back up timer, the timer didn't start! Friend thinks I'd be great but I really daren't.

EauRouge · 12/02/2014 13:47

Huntingdon is cancelled again :( I might head up to Peterborough instead.