Running goals, motivation and chat 2025

[Jumbojem]

All welcome! A place to share or goals and achievements and to motivate each other along the way.
A virtual mumsnet run club perhaps?

I have been on a half mara chat group the last few years but currently not training for one. So, my 2025 goals are:
Now until spring - get fitter for a 15 mile hilly trail run event in April.
Summer - try for a 5k PB, try to get faster?
Autumn - maybe do a half mara? Cross Country again ( I am slow and old but love this).

Who else wants to join me?

Ooh @SoapCollector tell me more, how was parkrun, was it as you expected? I am a bit intimidated by the whole idea of running around other people, I haven’t done that before. When I started running I was very self-conscious and went out early in the morning to avoid people. Now I go out early to get it done. So I’m not really used to other runners.

@SoapCollector @NormaMajors1992coat parkrun is one of the best things I've ever done. We moved to a new place 10 years or so ago. We didn't know anyone and I joined my local parkrun. The friends I've made are just the loveliest bunch of women of all ages, shapes, sizes and running abilities. During Covid times we replaced our weekly cake and coffee with a zoom call every week at 10.00. I've done quite a bit of parkrun tourism, and some are friendlier than others, but take your time and after a few weeks you'll start to recognise people to say hello to. I'd also suggest volunteering as a way of meeting people.

Evening all. I have been in Leeds with work so up v early, back late but instead of slobbing on the sofa I got out for a 30 min run. It was such a gorgeous evening and after all the rain we’ve had up here the last couple of weeks, I didn’t want to waste the dry conditions 😁

I agree about parkrun, once you’ve got that first one under your belt you’ll know what to expect and will want to keep going back.

Well I think I got a bit carried away and set off too fast 😂 Later I took a couple of walk breaks when I realized I was doing a running action but walking speed! I walked up the couple of hills on course and made sure I jogged down them. Lots of people were doing a run / walk all the way round. Some of the fast runners finished in 18mins! 🤯Others were taking part in park walk and not jogging at all. Some jogging along with children or dogs on leads. So a real mixture of people. Make sure you have your park run bar code ready to scan at the end. Seems well organised friendly and very welcoming. The park run volunteers do a welcome briefing for people new to park run or new to the course. I would say I've only had positive experiences at park run and it's worth giving it a try 😁

@NormaMajors1992coat I really enjoyed park run last week. It’s a real community event and if you’re local there will probably be quite a few people there you know. Well, maybe that’s less likely in a city, but I knew loads of people 😂. I also got chatting with a woman who was doing a bit of park run tourism. Everyone was super friendly.

there was every type of runner there from those who could run it in 18/19 mins to those who took almost an hour to get round it. Parents with kids up to people in their 80s. No one cares how fast or slow you are. No buggies or dogs where I am as it’s rough ground on a working farm. I’m trying to convince my dad to sign up for a bit of exercise. He would only be able to walk it at present but I think getting out and giving it a go would do him good.

The good thing about parkrun is you can look up the stats for the one your interested in online beforehand so you can see how many turn up on average and the spread of times. Ours try’s to help by suggesting timing groups to join the start line to avoid the lots of overtaking jossling in first 0.5k. So they will shout out those hoping to get under 20mins line up first and then they go up in 5min intervals to 35-40mins. We have volunteer pacers from the local running club and the 30min one is very popular. I’d also say volunteering is fun and a good way to watch it all, I’ve done it a few times with my daughter.

I’ve still not run since Sat as hip being tricky so focused on cross training with dog walks, a cycle ride, a short Seaswim and some a yoga & dumbbells workout. I may try a short slow run tomorrow see how hip feels. I really don’t want to aggravate it though as we go on holiday soon to the Alps and I was hoping to do lots of hiking / trail stuff with DH, and lake swimming.

Thank you all for your parkrun advice, I am nervous but looking forward to it. One more (maybe dumb) question from a newbie - it’s a mix of concrete paths and forest trails which can be muddy. Should I get some trail shoes or will road shoes be ok? I don’t know if trail shoes become essential the second you step off the pavement, or really only necessary for Barkley marathon type races 🤔 (no doubt somewhere between the two!)

I’ve always fancied a summer holiday to the alps, sounds great. DH isn’t very well at the moment so we aren’t going anywhere this summer (I might take the kids camping) - maybe somewhere warm in October instead.

@NormaMajors1992coat the route and terrain will depend on the park run you go to. You can find a description of the course online. Our local one is mainly rough trail across farmers fields with only a short bit of paving at the start and finish. Those that take place in city parks might be completely on concrete paths.

I wore my trail shoes because I have them and my novablasts are not good on that kind of terrain. But my old adidas road shoes would have probably held up fine on there. I wear them sometimes if it’s a mixed terrain course. So have a look at the course and see what you think.

Hope that your DH gets well soon.

Our parkrun has a Facebook page which is help to see the terrain and they put run reports & photos & videos on there. Maybe worth seeing if yours has one. It has been really dry over the last months here so most paths are hard / dry but we’ve had torrential rain in the last 24hrs with more thunderstorms forecast so not sure what your local run would be like. If you’d like a “time “you do need to register for free ahead of time so you get a barcode.

We’ve did a summer holiday in the Alps pre-Covid but kids we’ve younger so there was minimal trail hiking & a heat wave( we hit 40c ) made it tricker but it was still a great holiday. This time the kids are teens and happy to hang out alone (ie. sleep late..!) at the accommodation or pool whilst DH & I go off early running or hiking so I’m hoping it will be a great holiday for all of us.

Have a great time, that sounds like the perfect holiday!

I know the course well as it’s where I walk the dog, it’s about 50:50 concrete and mud at the moment. We’ve had a lot of rain over the last 24hrs but I’m not running it until a week Saturday and next week looks dry so I’m thinking normal shoes will be ok. I did buy some bargain trail shoes from Vinted and they came today but annoyingly they’re not trail shoes at all 😠

I’m waiting for my Vinted trail shoes to arrive @NormaMajors1992coat- what did you go for?

Long day at work, only finished at 6 and it is currently lashing it down (bloody ‘summer’) so I don’t think I’ll run tonight. Which is annoying as it was okay at lunchtime when I had to pop to the shop.

Will try to get a run in tomorrow evening after work.

I bought shoes described as Nike Pegasus Trail 3 but they are actually Pegasus 38 road shoes. So they’re going back and now I have an offer in on some Nike Trail 5s. My tactic when I’m not desperate or in two minds is to make an offer and let the universe decide 😂

thats really annoying about your shoes @NormaMajors1992coat

the rain has stopped here so I got out for a run this evening. Got a 5k PB too at 24:07 now let’s see if I can keep that pace up for 10k on Sunday 😬. I stopped going so fast after 5k tonight and jogged home but in my defence the 5k route ends about half way up quite a big hill and I was starting to die 😂. It’s then uphill all the way home. Sundays 10k looks pretty flat and if anything trending down hill so fingers crossed!! 🤞

I’ve just brought some new trail running shoes. I think I may have a shoe buying problem! They were a bargain though. ASICS gel trabuco 11 on the asics outlet. Got an extra 10% off and free shipping too. Would have been rude not to 😂.

Hello all! Really enjoyed catching up with what you've all been up to whilst I enjoy a lunch break in today's good weather.
Wondering how stuffy it will be when I run later after work?! Garmin is insisting on sprint intervals, I keep ignoring them and choosing an easy run, or long slow run but I guess I'll have to at some point if I want to get faster. I actually chose hill repeats over sprints on Tuesday, don't know what came over me but they weren't too bad.
@OhOneOhTwoOhThree I am in awe of that 26 mile run, and the top class fuelling!

Yeah sprints when it’s hot n humid @Jumbojem is not my idea of fun either. I have to trick my mind and do lamp posts or benches or trees or count strides to thumping dance music usual.

Got out for a 5k this morning early before the humidity rocketed nice to feel ok just a couple of twinges in my hip. I did do half beach, some coastal path and then concrete on last bit as I was running out time forgot my teenager was borrowing the car for college this morning so had to not return on the beach to go faster.

Hope you all have good runs this weekend!

@JanuaryOSunshine your holiday in the Alps sounds great, hope you have a lovely time.

@Whataninterestinglookingpotato good luck with the 10k this Sunday. Your 5k time this week was impressive, were you a lot slower when you first started running that distance? Please give me some hope that I will get better at running eventually!

@NormaMajors1992coat is it tomorrow that you are doing your first parkrun? Sorry to hear your DH is not well. Hope he is feeling better soon.

I was planning on going out last night but a few late nights and busy working days got the better of me. I'm planning on going out tomorrow for a jog all being well.

No, next week @SoapCollector
Hoping to try 30 mins tomorrow 🤞

Hope it goes well 😁 I've got the 30min runs next week so I'm currently looking for a very flat route!

Haha me too! Quite hilly round here so it does take a bit of planning! I have got a 4k route sorted, there’s no way I’ll get any further than that in 30 mins.

I found that hard when I first did c25k that I thought 30mins of running meant 5k. The reality is for many but women in particular running 5k in 30mins is really hard. Especially if you’re older or shorter or a bit overweight, as I was when I first did it. Any time or distance is better than when you started and your in that great bit where your only get better until plateau.

Evening all. I've had rather a grim week at work, wrote a long sob story on here about a broken oven and how I didn't want to go out for a run but knew I'd feel better afterwards but I'm saving you from all that.

Anyway I got out for a 25 min run and made it home just after the rain started and I am so glad I did.

No parkrun for me tomorrow as I'm having my hair cut but will get out for a longer run at some point this weekend.

I just wanted to add that I use the website plotaroute to plot my routes (funny that!) - it works on a laptop or a phone and it's really good. You can set it to go off road so it uses footpaths etc and if you create an account (it is totally free), you can save them too. I've used it for years.