Absolutely exhausted after Parkrun.

[Neolara]

I am wrecked after Parkrun every week. Properly exhausted, lying on the sofa for the rest of the day, feel slightly unwell. I don't want to feel this bad. Any ideas how to become more resilient?

I run a couple of times a week pretty slowly and am 56. I run Parkrun faster than my usual pace (although still pretty slow) and have been recently getting some PBs.

As PP’s have said, eat a little something before you go, also make sure you’re hydrated before and after. Have an electrolyte in your drink afterwards.
I always find I push myself a little more than normal at parkrun, thinks it’s because I’m running in a crowd.

Lucky parkrun is on Saturday then 🤣🤣

If you’re running at 60-90 seconds per mile faster than your easy training runs that means you’re treating it as a race. Which is fine, you can take it as hard as you like but every Saturday is probably a bit too much without breakfast first.

🤣🤣 fair play!

That is a very big time difference! No wonder you are shattered.

If you enjoy really pushing yourself and find it rewarding, I'd say Go for it! and enjoy the sofa-time afterwards.
But if you don't feel that the after-effects are worth it, then give yourself permission to treat the run the way that many others do - as a gentle bit of fun. Perhps you could have a rota, in which you pushed yourself hard in just one PR per month.

I did my first PR a few weeks ago, and because of the newness of the experience I was really psyched and pushed myself so hard I thought I was going to be sick during the last km. I achieved a time that was fab for me. I was first in my age/sex category, and in terms of the age-graded percentage score I was 31st out of 535!

I was chuffed to bits but now I feel literally afraid to do a second run, because I won't be as fast. It is completely daft that I am sabotaging myself in this way, in something that is meant to be for fun.