Anyone else had a go at parkrun?

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Was wondering whether anyone else on V2 has had a go at "Parkrun". It's a 5k run every Saturday morning at 0900 in parks or other similar venues. It's free and is organised by volunteers. There's loads of venues all over England and in several other countries as well.  It's not really a race, other than you against yourself, you can see all your timings on line, including how fast you are for your age group, and (if applicable ) how much you've improved week on week. Many venues have several hundred people of all ages taking part.  I'm *ahem* well into middle age, and was completely unathletic. But my daughter got me started and now I take part nearly every week.

Stella wrote:Got any races coming up, Dave?

Was going to do Leeds HM at the beginning of next month but my wife is a bit touchy about it...first and foremost, she's concerned I'll collapse and die whilst running (me sitting on the sofa drinking heavily doesn't seem to concern her as much though) She's not overly familiar with Leeds and the parking situation, there's the sheer number of people likely to be doing it, they estimate between 8 and 9 thousand runners and then there's the two kids she'll have to keep occupied whilst I'm out "enjoying myself"

Yesterday showed I'm not quite HM standard either so I'm doing the Bradford HM in October.

Good plan. May as well be in better shape for when you do run a HM.

DAVE667 wrote:

Stella wrote:Got any races coming up, Dave?

Was going to do Leeds HM at the beginning of next month but my wife is a bit touchy about it...first and foremost, she's concerned I'll collapse and die whilst running (me sitting on the sofa drinking heavily doesn't seem to concern her as much though) She's not overly familiar with Leeds and the parking situation, there's the sheer number of people likely to be doing it, they estimate between 8 and 9 thousand runners and then there's the two kids she'll have to keep occupied whilst I'm out "enjoying myself"

Yesterday showed I'm not quite HM standard either so I'm doing the Bradford HM in October.

I'm probably doing either the Bradders one or the Abbey Dash let me know so we don't breach cup rules mate....

DAVE667 wrote:Shut up you ****!!!!!!

Anyway, did 11.84 miles in 1hr 42mins last night

Bloody traffic jams.

Pleased that parkrun is not giving in to the attempt by a parish council to charge runners for using the local park for a free non profit making activity to boost the health of the local population. Interesting example of the approach which led to the word "parochial" coming to be a term of abuse!

Tbf I expect some in the parish council never for one moment expected parkrun to pay - they just wanted to boot out the runners, and this was a convenient way of achieving it.

Did a 10k today (Goudhurst) Kent. Smallish local event (131 runners) through very attractive countryside. 50:25

Nice time Corps, what's your 10k PB now??

TopHat24/7 wrote:Nice time Corps, what's your 10k PB now??

Thanks Tophat. It was my second fastest 10k in a race. My 10k PB is the 48:58 I got on the almost flat Chichester 10k road race in Feb. The course yesterday was very gently undulating (overall elevation gain just under 200ft) over surfaces that were not bad (mainly a private road in some need of resurfacing.)

Good run, corporal.

I have a 10k race two weeks today. I'm hoping for a time close to 50 minutes, depending on the course. I ran 7.6 miles today but forgot to start my watch for the first lap. Ran the last 3.8 miles in 33.15. Not a great time but my main aim today was to get through it.

You fellows are all coming along nicely by the look of things

Have to say following this thread has inspired me to launch my best "comeback" attempt for a couple of years . I should explain that I was for several years a reasonably "good for age" distance runner who competed regularly in road races of varying distances , mainly in winter when not playing cricket...but a succession of wear and tear injuries to knees etc has crimped my style to the point that I've not run a marathon for more than a decade and even shorter races have been off the radar recently. I missed it ; but every attempt to return to proper training as opposed to "maintenance" running just ended up with another overuse injury...
Last few weeks I've actually been able to get into a bit of a pattern again: still baby steps , back to what I was doing thirty odd years ago when I first embraced road running ; but hopeful. The enforced rest seems to have fixed my knees (touch wood !) and I am actually starting to feel like a proper runner again...maybe I can hope to get back to a semi respectable 10 k again in the not too far distant future...

Keep the inspiring stories coming !

Great stuff Alfie

Good on ya, Alfie!

Ran 10 miles the other morning, and will try and do 13 tomorrow, then 15-16 on Tuesday. If all goes well then I will have a go at the marathon on bank holiday Monday. If not then it's the Shinfield 10k!

Well done Alfie! Take it gradually and steadily. I hope it goes well - look forward to hearing about progress.

Alfie - I'm finding 10k is an ideal distance for a race. Long enough to be a real challenge and to get a good rhythm going (if all goes well) but doesn't leave me knackered for weeks afterwards!

All the best Stella! Sounds quite demanding to do 15+ two days after 13 miler.

Tip top, Alfie!

My uncle is in his early 60s and, like you, was a fairly accomplished distance runner in his day but had a decade or two 'off' for a variety of reasons.

He got back into it a couple of years ago, is now running every day and competing every couple of months. Earlier this year he did a half marathon on Saturday and 10k on Sunday.

Stick with it and smash it, champ.

Yay! Pleased to get my all time PB at parkrun this morning (24:36)  Particularly pleased that, as well as knockling 34 seconds off my time at Tunbridge Wells, I lowered the time I set on the much flatter Tonbridge course a while back. Feels good when it goes well!

Congrats Corporal, back to the hill training for you? It seems to agree with you

Thanks, Shah. I guess I'm partly getting the benefit of having continued parkrunning through the very sodden and sometimes slippery conditions of recent months. Amazing the difference when the grass starts to feel nice and springy. Will certainly carry on with at least some hill training.

If anyone's running the London Marathon tomorrow be sure to wear your 606v2 name on your vest so I can hurl abuse at you if I can be arsed to get up on time.

My friend ran it - she did a bloody impressive time of 4h11m.

Virgin were running a live tracker which was great, could see she was running a very consistent pace the first 30k and only started to drop off the last 10km.

A dad from school ran it in 3hr 57. His training included two short and one long run per week, with the long run being no further than 17 miles. I questioned it at the time, but it worked, and is proof it's the amount of miles per week you can do, rather than in one hit, like I stupidly attempted.

Hoping for some good news any time now on the issue of local councils charging for parkrun. Judging by what local (parkrunning) mp said at our parkrun on Saturday. He just happens to be SofS for Communities and Local Govt....

Quite like Greg Clark. Think it's good to have non-career politicians in senior leadership roles - time at somewhere like Boston Consulting should be a real asset.

What did he have to say, Coprs? (given, as you say, he runs the dep't that specifically tells councils to take initiatives to get people more active E.G. PARK RUN!!!).

It sounds like Govt intends to prevent Councils from charging for "normal" activities in parks. We'll have to see the specifics, but I imagine that means having some legislation. (I imagine it could well mean making a regulation or some other form of secondary legislation which can be relatively quick to achieve if there are regulation making powers in primary legislation). No doubt it would be drafted so that it didn't prevent councils from charging for using specific facilities like football pitches and tennis courts, or charging event organisers if they are using park to generate income.  

Preventing Councils from charging would, presumably, not prevent them from taking reasonable decision that any particular park was not suitable for parkrun.  

As I say, we will have to see the details, but it sounded very promising.

Good parkrun yesterday. Chipped another 20 seconds off parkrun PB - down to 24:16. First time for months that I was able to dispense with trail shoes.

well done corporal

Ran the Shinfield 10k today. Chip time has been confirmed as 49.14. Happy with that as it did get a bit warm, and I did run out of water, add to that the water station was pretty pants.
It was a well organised run but the goody bag turned out to be a towel only, which I used to wipe the dog poo off, which had found it's way onto the bottom of my trainer.

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:Hoping for some good news any time now on the issue of local councils charging for parkrun.  Judging by what local (parkrunning) mp said at our parkrun on Saturday.  He just happens to be SofS for Communities and Local Govt....

I think the delay in announcement re the issue of Councils not charging for parkrun is down to the period of "purdah" pre-(local) elections when, by convention, governments are not supposed to use their position of power to make announcements which could be seen as trying to influence the result.

Stella wrote:Ran the Shinfield 10k today. Chip time has been confirmed as 49.14. Happy with that as it did get a bit warm, and I did run out of water, add to that the water station was pretty pants.
It was a well organised run but the goody bag turned out to be a towel only, which I used to wipe the dog poo off, which had found it's way onto the bottom of my trainer.

Good run Stella, great feeling when you get sub 50 mins for 10k! I see on the reviews that various runners not too keen on the contents of the "goody bag"!

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:

Stella wrote:Ran the Shinfield 10k today. Chip time has been confirmed as 49.14. Happy with that as it did get a bit warm, and I did run out of water, add to that the water station was pretty pants.
It was a well organised run but the goody bag turned out to be a towel only, which I used to wipe the dog poo off, which had found it's way onto the bottom of my trainer.

Good run Stella, great feeling when you get sub 50 mins for 10k!   I see on the reviews that various runners not too keen on the contents of the "goody bag"!

Cheers, corporal. I reckon I could have broke 49 if I had been hydrated....possibly?

No, one towel was all we got. A medal is the least you should have received, especially as it says so when you enter. As a poster said, people run these races for medals. Apart from that, the course was nice and flat and there was a good atmosphere. There was also a 2k under 7's race, so my twins ran in that. I did have to run with them with stiff legs, mind!

Ran my first park run today, in 23.45. Started quite near the back, so maybe wasted a few seconds getting past a few people at the beginning.

Just catching up after couple of weeks away. 23.45 That's an excellent time for parkrun, Stella - and it sounds as though there may be more to come.

Enjoyed 10k race at Raby Castle, Co Durham, while I was up north. Pleased to manage my second sub 50 mins at that distance - 49:48.

Not the most momentous announcement - but managed to shave 1 second off parkrun PB yesterday - down to 24:15. It was very nice morning for a run and ground conditions were perfect.

Any improvement is good news, corporal

Agreed, I've managed to get off my ar$e a few times recently but haven't set any PB's for a while. My running app doesn't congratulate me for not wishing I was dead after three miles or thinking I should have stayed in bed but my times are still fairly consistent. Am once again going to try run ten miles before work and, if I don't feel like **** will try push on and go for a half marathon distance. Closest I've got is 11.5 miles

Any races coming up, Dave?

No races lined up, my wife wants to drag the kids along as she seems to think I need the support and I'm looking at doing more than 10k which means they'd be out for ages with little or nothing to occupy them til I got back. This, in turn, means that I get back to an angry wife and screaming kids which isn't in my post race plans (which include a nice bath, a sit down and a beer).

She and my 4yr old daughter did the Race for Life the other week. Me and my son (2 yrs) cheered them on but I'm not one for all that "come on dad, you can do it!" malarkey.

I know I can do it, I wouldn't have signed up for it otherwise!

I get ya with that.

I wanted to do the maidenhead half marathon this year, as it's quite close, and more importantly flat, but the wife didn't fancy hanging around for two hours, so she has picked out a half at Stanwick Lakes, as there's plenty do for her and the kids. On the plus side, the course looks reasonably flat.

Did 11.12 miles this morning in 1hr 38mins. Drank a third of a bottle of Jack Daniels watching the football last night so I'm quite pleased that I did as much as I did without dying or puking.

My head would have been pounding after that much JD.

Champion effort all round.

Got my first run outside after 8 weeks off and 5 weeks of intensive physiotherapy next Friday.......in a duathlon race

Really fancied beating last year's time as I know I'll be quick on the bike but, IF I am able to finish the first 5km run it will be several minutes down on my usual pace. Took me 25 mins to do 3.5km on the treadmill yesterday, my longest distance and duration since starting physio........

Toppy, remember that no matter how slowly you run, you're still doing better than every lazy **** sat on the sofa

DAVE667 wrote:Toppy, remember that no matter how slowly you run, you're still doing better than every lazy **** sat on the sofa

That's no consolation to toppy, he runs painfully slowly to the sofa. You just made him feel like sh*t Dave. Well f*cking done.

Went for a barefoot run this morning. Only about half a K but that was long enough. The surface was ok on feet, but my back and knees did not like the jarring.

Some sort of post-Brexit penance? WTF?!?!?!!?!

DAVE667 wrote:Some sort of post-Brexit penance? WTF?!?!?!!?!

I did suspect that anyone who saw me might think I'd gone mad after this morning's news!

I can't even put the bins out without wearing something on my feet

DAVE667 wrote:I can't even put the bins out without wearing something on my feet

Northern softy!

Stella wrote:

DAVE667 wrote:I can't even put the bins out without wearing something on my feet

Northern softy!

The crushed skulls and shattered bones that litter my driveway are quite sharp

Ran 5K in 21.36. Not an official parkrun but as good as. Got the heart pumping!