parkrun 2020 - all welcome !

[CalmConfident]

Our long running parkrun thread has gotten very quiet, so with the last 2019 results processed thought it was a good time to refresh ready for 2020

Parkrun is a force for good. Run, walk or volunteer. All are equally welcome. Saturdays 9am 5k.

www.parkrun.org.uk/

So if you are a newbie first timer, a volunteer, a local regular or a challenge chasing tourist come join us here. Ask questions, share stories and let’s encourage each other in 2020

...and Don’t Forget Your Barcode #DFYB

I signed up to MFP this week (again) and realised that part of my motivation was that I'd like to do a parkrun with my DDs. They both average times of around 35 - 40 mins.

I can't run (yet) but if I were to walk round it, and was very, very slow, would I be holding anyone up? Is it really okay to walk? How many walkers do you reckon you have on your parkruns? (Sorry, lots of questions.)

Obviously, I'd be aiming to run it some day but until then...

Running my 100ty next Saturday!

doodle you are fine walking it at that speed. The tail walkers are there for that reason 👍.

And thebeat there's a "walking at parkrun: Facebook group. So many people walk it, you won't be alone.

I did parkrun this morning. I reckon about 1/3 of the people there walked the majority of it. I think it's brilliant to see so many people using the New Year to get into something new.
My parkrun usually gets 400ish runners, but we've been up to 700+ for the last two events. Most of those extra 300 are slow and steady. I really hope they don't feel "too" slow as there's no such thing

I ran today but made parkrun part of my long run so did 3 miles there , arrived just as horn went , ran a steady parkrun, quit stop for scanning and 3 miles back to collect my kids. I'm going to try and do more like that. Actually made a nice change from normal as up to now I've always gone eyeballs out and it's not remotely enjoyable 🤣.

@Salene I usually do similar. It’s a great way to get a long run in without it feeling like a slog. I always enjoy PR when I’m not racing for a time. 5k is too quick for me.

@thebeatofthedrum you’d be surprised at the number of people who walk. Last time I was the tail walker I had a group of 6 walking and chatting with me. I think I enjoyed this one more than when I ran it.

@Freshprincess yes it made a nice change. Definitely I'm going to do a bit more of, some relaxed park running 😍

Hi parkrunners, I ran this morning in Johannesburg, I live here not on some fancy holiday.
Parkrun is very popular here as crime makes it difficult to walk safely in parks.
We had a field of about 600 today and I was 10th lady, in just under 30 mins so it’s a slow field of families and real mix of ages.
We are at around 1400m altitude, and the course has around 150m elevation, plus it’s a trail run and we’ve had quite a bit of rain so the grass is very long so needed high knees! We start at 8am before it gets too hot but it was still around 24 degrees this morning.
I’d like to get my 50 run t-shirt this year, today was my 20th.

Doodle it’s absolutely fine. We are there until the last person crosses the line. 5k is 5k whether it takes 20mins or an hour. Please go back again next week.

thebeat absolutely fine to walk. Just start at the back so you don’t get stampeded! parkrun is for everyone so please don’t be put off.
As one very wise and amazing person once said at my parkun ‘the party is at the back’

Thebeat you can check the results of your local parkrun and see the times of those coming in at the end. Anything above 50 minutes is likely to be a walking pace. I normally expect to take an hour when I'm tailwalking.

Woohoo Catya, 100! Will there be cake?

Thank you for all the encouragement. I'm feeling inspired so watch this space, Saturday may be my day to start a new habit

rainbow I've noticed a lot of SA parkruns popping up on the walking pages. I didn't make the connection about the crime rates.
My neighbours are from SA. When they have guests over their children are amazed at the freedom UK kids can have playing out.

I ran my fourth park run on Saturday after completing couch to 5k about a month ago. I’m loving it! Although it was my first time on my local one...which has a hill I wasn’t planning for...

I have a question - what sort of pace do people run park runs at? I don’t mean timing - I think it’s fantastic people can go as quick or slow as they like and run jog or walk - all welcome. I mean do you tend to go at your easy pace or push yourself and go all out for a park run PB? I’m just nosy as to how different people see it.

Love parkrun! I started back in November 2017 and I'm at just over 100 runs now, plus almost 20 volunteers across different roles. Got my sister and brother in law into it too now.

I was volunteering last Saturday and we had our second highest attendance, only beaten by a previous bonkers NYD second event turnout. I decided in early January marshalling would be a more chill role than my usually favourite finish tokens - the volunteers back at the finish were looking rather frazzled once we were packing up! Plenty of folk were walking - whether of the powerwalking or fairly gentle speed variety. The tailwaker and a handful of others were over an hour.

@Cyllie33 - personally I like to treat parkrun as a bit of a "tempo" kind of session and will usually run it fairly fast, for me. I don't try for a PB every time but unless I'm touring to a muddy technical kind of course I'm usually running "comfortably hard". Being around other runners makes me feel competitive somehow!

@Cyllie33 unless I have a big race on Sunday, I push myself quite hard at pr.
I don't always aim for a PB, but I always try and finish it as quick as I can.

It depends.
If I haven’t ran lat all the whole week I don’t push it, that’s how I get injuries. So I just plod.
If I ran my normal Mondays and Wednesdays, I choose segments I know I normally struggle (ie the bit up the hill) and try and get a better time there.
Sometimes it’s really muddy or wet, we run on grass, so I am sensible, not going to push then.

I've just registered and sent an email saying I can volunteer this Saturday.
I don't feel fit enough to run it yet but did 25 mins by myself yesterday. Ache like mad today though.
I just thought if I volunteer until I feel ready to run I will know what to expect.

@Cyllie33 totally depends. If it's part of my long run, I take it a bit steadier. Usually I do parkrun at tempo pace. But if it's a race-off for first lady I'll go all out!

Amyspickledlime, that's a good plan. I love volunteering at both parkrun and Junior parkrun.

@RainbowCookie that sounds amazing. I haven't done an overseas parkrun yet, but friends who have say its just as welcoming and friendly as it is here.

Cyllie the majority of time I end up pushing it at parkrun. Not always to the point of potential Pb but more than I do on any other training run. Just can’t help myself!

Cyllie33 when not tail walking, or going with a friend at their pace, I would run comfortably hard. Not all out, and not deliberately as a tempo run because it's meant to be fun. And I like to keep enough in the tank for a sprint finish.

I'm really quite slow on mud (encountered a couple of times during December gone-to-visit-the-family tourism)

I've done it - I've registered. I'll definitely be walking at first but even that's better than sitting on the sofa drinking coffee right? Looking forward to it now, especially as my home parkrun is flat and is along the seafront so a great view to boot!

Well done thebeat, I do love a seaside one!

Cyllie it really depends. If I'm training for a longer race, I'll be working on my pace. If I'm just havng a relaxed (honest!) morning I'll take it easier. As a serial tourist, who likes to visit different courses, my advice is always not to knock yourself out on your first visit anywhere - make it easy to go back and get a PB next time!

Cyllie33

I mostly run hard at a PR as part of my training plan I'm following and only doing them once every few months, but I'm now going to incorporate more of them into my long runs too so those ones are at very easy pace . I did my first one like at the weekend and I was 9 minutes slower than normal on that course.