parkrunners (AOWALC) Anonymous Keep on Running into Spring

[OhOneOhTwoOhThree]

New thread for parkrunners old and new.

We are a long-running thread, but very friendly - please come and say hello, and chat about PBs, tourism, progress towards tee-shirts and anyything else about parkrun

Glad to hear it Thursday!

That would frustrate me too cheapandcheerful but at least it's a consistent PB! Especially after a rough night like that.

That's bittersweet MyBlackCat. But impressive considering the rain too.

A rainy slow parkrun for me but it was great to be back and see some of my running buddies. Thanks for spotting I had gone AWOL halle :)

Also great to be hearing all the news, blathers when is the first junior run? Mini Legos are keen to come !

I'm normally a lurker on here but I'm so exited that we had the inaugural Parkrun in my town today. The rain slowed a little and I bumped into people I hadn't seen for years and who I didn't realise are also runners.

To add to my happiness, I knocked 31 seconds off my previous PB time although the course is very flat so it should be easier that most other courses.

The rest of the greens did descend on Tring feet but I decided to be different I'm saving both Tring and Panshanger for when there's no trip away and I still fancy touring as I can drive to both of those on my own without feeling like a complete nutter.

Gadebridge was tough! Not as tough as Tring I'm told and definitely not as difficult as Lanhydrock but still hard work. It was about 99% grass and had loads of ups and downs too. Thankfully the rain held off so I didn't get too wet or muddy.

We've been told that we should keep the date of the juniors inaugural a secret Lego so that we don't get inundated on our first event. So I haven't told you that it's June 21st right? It's the first juniors event in the area so could be popular but there are two more starting in the two weeks after us so that should help things a little. 2 of the core team are current RDs for the 'big' parkrun too though so I think we can cope.

I maintain Lanhydrock is the hardest I like hearing that Blathers makes me feel hard as nails

Welcome Lorn! Sounds like you had a lovely morning, I'm v jealous of your flat course.

Blathers one our super speedy runners said he was a good minute or so slower at Gadebridge. He wasn't a fan. Where are the other Junior parkruns going to be? My DS would love to do it.

Woohoo, I got to run (and the RD was great Halle though I don't think he will try to wing the briefing again!) :o
Scraped under 30mins so not my fastest but I have a target to aim for now. It was great to be in amongst the runners and see just how good the volunteers are plus DS really wanted to run with me on my first one even though he thrashed me at the end as usual :o

We also had a tourist doing his 300th parkrun - felt a bit sorry for him as others were supposed to come with him but couldn't make it in the end so he was on his own - we cheered him in the run briefing and took him to the cricket club and fed him cake afterwards so hopefully he was OK :)

Blathers - Gadebridge has the underpass doesn't it?
DS really wants to come over for your Junior event but not going to be able to make the first 3. We might do a LW Juniors on tour during the summer :)

Lorn - I lurked on here for ages before I started parkrunning, less than a year later I'm ED at one I helped to setup - parkrunning is addictive, beware!

Well done everyone for running in the rain, hope you felt nice and smug for getting up and out and running?

Aylesbury and Buckingham Halle

Yes feet that's the one. It gets a bit tight through there but it all seemed to go OK.

The 3 new ones are all very close so it should be easy enough to tour them. I think I'll stay close for the first few at home as I'm one of the experienced RDs so will be able to help the others but then it would be nice to take my children to the others and see how they do it.

Well, did my first one today. Chucking it down with rain before we started but held off while we were running.
Feel a bit mixed about it.
Very muggy and damp, and I haven't run in that before so not very comfortable. Found it really hard to pace, it is a run that has 2 loops, I tried to keep with the 40 minute pacer but she went off ahead of me in the second loop so I was fighting to catch up and was knackered. My time was 41:37 which is rubbish. I was trying to do 40 (I know rubbish by your standards, but that is what I have done for the last week)

There is a hill up to the finish which is pants.

Dh came and found me and ran the last half km with me. I was so far back I was surprised the finish was still there.

Don't be put off steppe. The weather wasn't great today which made things tough and it sounds like you didn't pick the easiest of courses but 41 minutes is a perfectly respectable time. The tail runner should have been behind you and the finish line won't pack up until they get in so there was no chance of you being forgotten. The more you do it, the quicker you'll get too.

Oh steppe don't be so hard on yourself. Did you get around? Yes.
Have you got experience of new conditions? Yes.
Honestly, the bad runs come part and parcel of being a runner, and they really do make the good ones seem better

Is that the first time you've run your own parkrun proper feet?

Thanks blathers we are sometimes at mk on a Sunday so if see anything unusual on 21st when we just happen to be passing we will investigate

Well done minichutneypig, LornMowa and MyBlackCat!

Hope you find it ThursdayLast! Oooo glad you did . I've heard sheringham is the toughest but yet to do it and of course haven't done Lanhydrock. Our is definitely not a pb course.

Glad you got to run feetheart!

Nothing is rubbish steppemum, you're out there running and parkrun isn't about being fastest! Well done

I didn't enjoy my run this morning . Ds3 has been sleeping until 9.30-10 so I didn't want to wake him and leave him grumpy for dh. I expressed some milk before I left and spent the whole run worrying! I also thought I'd upset dh before I left so thought I'd be walking into a row when I got home. As it turned out ds3 slept until 10 (I was home by 9.50) and dh had no idea why I thought he was annoyed at me . Managed 28:47 so not bad and it was really wet here!!!

The only person you're competing against is the wee voice in your head. Well done for sticking at it and completing your run in such conditions!

Ola, buon giorno, guten tag. Been doing a lot if travelling in May-no park runs, though plenty of touristy walking around. First parkrun in a while today, was enjoyable enough, no pressure on myself for a decent time, just getting back into the swing.

We were joined by a local sleb doing his first run, David Meade, self-proclaimed mentalist.

It was really nice how the marshalls clapped us as we were going round and cheered us on. There were loads of people I know there including someone who is a serious runner and lots of them come back to the finish and clap people in, so it was all very friendly and encouraging.

That's what I love about parkrun steppemum, how friendly and encouraging everyone is. It really gives me a boost when the marshalls cheer me on and the quicker finishers clap me in at the end too . It really isn't about time so don't feel down about that at all, that is a perfectly respectable time anyway. I hope you enjoy the next one a bit more, they do get addictive though.......

Dry here this morning, bit of a wind but good running conditions underfoot. Lovely start to a Saturday as always.

steppemum - One of our marshalls this morning was doing a hilariously slow clap. I realise that it was probably because he's been clapping non-stop for about 15 minutes but it did come across as very sarcastic and could have been misconstrued if it wasn't so funny!

Don't be hard on yourself steppe. Like Melanie said, that voice in your head can be the hardest critic. It's difficult to put it aside but Im trying to really concentrate on how I'm feeling and doing each week. I'm never going to be fast, but I know I'm progressing. There's always something to take from each week. I was very little faster than my first run this week, which I felt exactly like you said at the time, but I know I felt much more comfortable with the run and enjoyed it more.

The marshals at ours were great, very encouraging for all of us but especially the juniors. DD really appreciated the encouragement to go for a sprint finish.

Well 4yo dd did her first junior parkrun today and despite lots of foot stamping and shouts of "I AM NOT RUNNING ANY MORE!" she says that she enjoyed it and wants to go again next week...

Semi-success I'd say

That sounds positive cheap. Did you go round with her?

I missed parkrun yesterday but have enjoyed living vicariously through the rest of you. And my parkrun buddy texted to say the post-parkrun brew wasn't the same without me . I will be missing next week as well

Oh and forgot to say, I have done Sheringham and I didn't find it that hard, although I've just checked back and my time was at the upper end of my slower runs. It was the middle Saturday of our holiday last year. This year we are going Friday-Friday for 2 weeks so I will get to visit twice

I've just been updating my calendar with the parkrun trips I have coming up! I'm actually missing 3 in the next few months!! I do have tourism planned for Walsall, Luton, South Oxhey, Conwy and Worcester though

I'm sure I can get a few more in before Christmas too

Ooh, and I should make 150 parkruns before Christmas!!

When are you planning on doing Walsall blathers I might be there on the 27th June cheering as the Telford one is cancelled due to boyzone!!

Our junior parkrun is starting up on the 19th July - the first date we got was back in May so it seems like forever to wait. I'm really excited, as I got a free run director whistle!!!

DH sid the liverpool Rick and roll half marathon on Sunday and he has already booked the hotel for next year. I'll probably do the half on Sunday, but they do a 5k on Saturday. I think I'd rather find a local parkrun than pay £12 get an extra 2 medals, but the extra bling would be nice ... Decisions decsisions!!