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parkrunners (AOWALC, #DFYB) Anonymous Keep on Going 5K at a time

999 replies

OhOneOhTwoOhThree · 15/08/2015 17:35

This is a continuation of the parkrunning thread where are all are welcome to chat about tourism, tee-shirts, PBs and everything else parkrun (and sometimes non-parkrun) related.

If you have been lurking on a previous thread now is the time to come out and say hello Grin. Like parkrun we're very inclusive and always welcoming to new starters Smile. And we love hearing about new courses we haven't been to Smile

OP posts:
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27
standingonlego · 21/11/2015 01:58

Just dragged myself home from school mums night out...including drinking with a fellow parkrunner...will we make it to the start line in the morning... Hmm Wine

chutneypig · 21/11/2015 06:52

It's blowing a gale here and very wet, weather predicts sunshine but cold by 9 - hope so! Not quite sure what to put the DC in to run in, layers I think but can see myself carrying a lot.

Is DS running this week steppe it's great he's enjoying it so much.

Hello and welcome reallyneedmoresleep Smile

That's a late night standingonlego, maybe a run will clear your head Grin

Our parkrun is on NYD and one of the other established local ones too, so might try that one. I noticed a couple more in striking distance have started up in the last month, so very keen to try those but I don't suppose they're likely to do extra while they're getting established.

Bodmin on NYD sounds fabulous Thursday.

cinnamongreyhound · 21/11/2015 07:32

Consider it steppemum, you walk the second if you need to. It's a lovely day to parkrun and to parkrun twice must be twice a good Wink. I'm currently running at 9 and volunteering at 10.30 but if we get enough other volunteers I'll run both Grin

Oh my goodness it's raining! Hope it slows down. Dh has gone to work so I'm dropping my boys at my mums at 8.30, parkrunning, showering and then collecting them to go out for the day with a friend and her ds. Dressing as a Hawaiin for our USA themed parkrun today.

chutneypig · 21/11/2015 07:42

Hope the rain goes away for you cinnamon it wouldn't be the most appropriate for a Hawaiin outfit, not to say a bit nippy!

steppemum · 21/11/2015 07:48

Shock cinnamon, I hope your weather is better than ours for your Hawaiin run, it is freezing here, blowing a gale and chucking it down. I am marshalling, with dd2 in tow, think it is going to be cold!

ds is running (not sure what he is going to wear in this weather.) He ran in his new shoes at school this week and said 'OH they are Luuuush!' So hopefully he will run well.

feetheart · 21/11/2015 11:54

Well we had proper snow falling at 7am, rain at 8am as we set up and howling wind at 9am Shock And we still had 106 turn up and run - we must be mad :o
DS and I were timekeeping and both looked like Michelin men with stopwatches! I'm now thawing out at home having eaten the cricket club out of Custard Creams :)

MyBlackCat · 21/11/2015 13:27

Absolutely freezing and blowing a gale at my parkrun, so much that only around 60 turned up, I was rewarded with my highest finishing place yet 24th and third female even though it was my slowest time for a couple of months Smile I felt for the volunteers today, I hope they had layers. A big thank you to all of them.

standingonlego · 21/11/2015 13:59

A hungover run in gale force winds...but I made it round :) bit of a wild one for everyone this am by the sounds of it!

Blatherskite · 21/11/2015 17:13

I missed parkrun again today! Spent 4 hours at a workshop apparently learning better running technique so stop me getting injured. We'll see. I definitely felt like I was running more fluidly after the session so hopefully it'll help

cinnamongreyhound · 21/11/2015 18:00

Weather was hideous! Fabulous cakes though, the RD made our RD who's leaving cry and I got y fastest parkrun since I got pregnant, yay!

Hope it helps Blatherskite!

ThatsNiceDear · 21/11/2015 18:27

Hello, I made myself a special username for this thread (ParkrunConvert) but it won't let me change back to it for some reason. Anyway, I was too excited to sleep last night for a while because it was parkrun day today! Then this morning I was feeling nervous. Maybe ParkrunAddict would be a better description! It was really cold and windy today and squidgy underfoot (the volunteers deserved a medal!). I was desperate for a PB but I didn't get one. I had to walk a few times. Aaah I just want to be fast already!

Does anyone have a goal about times? What's realistic? If I want to knock 3 minutes off my time, how many weeks is a realistic target to do that in - a minute a month? Ideally I'd love to break the 30 minutes.

FiftyNineOhEight · 21/11/2015 19:56

I started up late watching a Clint Eastwood film and drinking wine finishing off some knitting. So I was very slow today, although I did run all the way. I felt a bit sick after the first km, and it was so blustery and windy I couldn't get going.

ThatsNiceDear I used to find that I would plateau for ages, maybe shaving a second or two off my time, then PB by 20-30 seconds, then plateau again. 30 minutes is certainly achievable, you probably need to be running regularly (i.e. not just once a week at parkrun) and further than 5k. I'm told intervals are helpful Wink. My friend who has really improved (we used to finish about 30 minutes, now she's 26/25 minutes and I've got slower Hmm) says it's thanks to joining our local running club, because she's never do intervals on her own Grin

Well done everyone for getting out there today, volunteering and running Flowers Cake.

MelanieCheeks · 21/11/2015 20:26

Well done all,volunteers and runners, for getting out today!

I was timekeeping-experience has taught me that a volunteers essential kit is fingerless gloves.

Thatsnicedear-realiy, don't worry about a steady track of improvement by X minutes each week-running isn't like that! Over time you WILL improve. But it Won't be a nice neat step increas each week . Just get out and try to enjoy running.

ThursdayLastWeek · 21/11/2015 20:45

Hello Smile

DS & I marshalled today, but I don't think the RD got the pushchair memo so we were in quite an inconvenient place for a pregnant lady pushing a 18kg toddler.

DS did a sterling job of holding up the sign, and copying me calling to the runners but then it started hailing and he got a bit cold and emotional.

As did I as I had to push him all the way back up the hill Sad

We all survived though, and it was a successful day for the runners.

ThatsNiceDear · 21/11/2015 21:12

Well done Thursday, you're amazing! There was a little girl of about 2 marshalling with her mum today at ours, she was clapping all the runners, it was really sweet. Toddlers are awesome.

ThursdayLastWeek · 21/11/2015 21:18

Thank you ThatsNice - I didn't feel awesome, but the macdonalds breakfast I picked up on the way home helped Wink! I actually feel better exercised today than I do when I run!

steppemum · 21/11/2015 21:21

well I marshaled today, for the first time.
I was really impressed (and quite touched) by how lovely all the runners were to the marshals. So many of them called out Thank You Marshal as they went by on the first round.
The faster runners were the best!
It wasn't too bad in the end, sun came out and it wasn't too wet underfoot, but was very very cold.

Ds was frozen, and grumpy as he passed me both times (didn't stop him dumping his jumper and gloves on me though) but he ended up with a new pb! 30 seconds off!

steppemum · 21/11/2015 21:29

ThatsNiceDear - I started with couch to 5k in April, my first run was 42 minutes. I now run at 37:30. I had a gap over the summer with holidays, and then it took me a few weeks to pick it up again.

I run 2 times during the week, I run 7-8 km on one run and on the other I push myself for speed on a 5km, or run a hilly 5km. My dh said he only increased his 5k speed when he started running longer distances.
At the moment I am on a bit of a roll, regularly knocking another 20 seconds or so off my pb. But next week I am working away, so I will be very lucky to get 2 runs in, and I didn't run this morning.

There is another woman on parkrun, and she and I started at about the same time and we are making similar progress, so we often find ourselves chasing each other, this has really pushed us both on - 'Oh - Jane's in front of me I must catch up...'

cinnamongreyhound · 21/11/2015 22:29

I always thank marshals as I pass at parkrun and any race I'm running for that matter steppemum, I think it's the polite thing to do as if they weren't standing there you wouldn't be running! Especially considering the weather conditions today, volunteers are awesome Grin

Lovely to see so many volunteers this week, sorry your rd wasn't very accommodating ThursdayLastWeek!

ThatsNiceDear · 21/11/2015 22:29

Wow, well done Steppemum 8 minutes improvement is bloody fantastic, as is the marshalling. I always say thank you too if I have enough spare breath left.

steppemum · 21/11/2015 23:01

It was form a very slow start! (and is 5 minutes actually Grin)

chutneypig · 22/11/2015 07:22

Oh Thursday you poor thing. If it's the hill I'm thinking of I could barely haul myself up it. And hail too!!

That is wonderful to hear about DS steppe. DD grumped the whole way round about how cold she was. I managed to restrain myself from saying she was losing a lot of heat out of her mouth.

My PB progress has been slow Thatsnicedear verging on non existent. I am rubbish at pushing myself. I got my last one back in May but did get within a second of it last week. I do run in the week but have started going to a gym for some treadmill work as that's a real push to keep going at the right pace. Or fall off. I started mid 35 and PB is mid 31s, aiming to crack that then sub thirty. I'd say I'm an exception, I see people improving far quicker than me in that range. DS and DH run together and they usually get a PB most weeks. DH doesn't run at all apart from parkrun at the moment.

My overall fitness etc has really improved and I enjoy each run more, even thought thePBs haven't kept pace. I'm doing my second 10k today. My family have mocked how much different running stuff I have - they didn't this weekend Grin. I love my new running jacket.

DS and I both hit 20 this week, might just get to 25 before Christmas. DDs 10 T shirt is on its way too, guess they had another delivery in.

sweetvparsley · 22/11/2015 08:35

Thatsnicedear I was pretty fit due to copious amounts of cycling but an injury to my hand meant I couldn't operate the breaks so at the age of 48 I started running for the first time since leaving school. My first Parkrun in September 2014 I did in just over 30 minutes and in September 2015 I got a PB of 25:49.

I combined running with cycling and swimming so I was doing aerobic activity almost everyday and I did do a few sessions of intervals before getting my most recent PB.

My body seems to prefer the hotter days though. I was quite a lot slower trying to run in the cold yesterday. My leg muscles just seem to seize up.

ThatsNiceDear · 22/11/2015 13:47

and is 5 minutes actually Blush Oops, oh yeah! Still fab though, I'd love 5 minutes off mine. Blush I also think the cold doesn't help, especially with the wind.

I might have to start running further, but 5km is so much already! I had a look at our local running club. Looks fab, I bet it'd help loads and is cheap as chips but is the worst days a week for childcare. I'll think about it.

steppemum · 22/11/2015 20:55

don't rush to add kms. I did several months just thrilled to be able to run 5km at all, especially on my own (not good at pushing myself). Then one day I finished and realised that I could probably have run a bit more (ie I wasn't completely on my knees) At that point I started to play with 7km, intervals etc.