Discussion
RizzoTheRat said:
If that was Brockenhurst then it's about the most boring course I've done, 4 laps of a playing field. Their winter course is apparently much nicer as they move out to one of the forest enclosures, but Iv'e not done that one.
You nailed it. Torbay was worse still! Still, good people make up for it.I was first yesterday.
Age graded.. does that count ?!
Not a race of course, loads of first timers at mine yesterday, old/young/fat/thin all out there on a dull Saturday.
It’s inventor certainly deserves a hell of a lot of credit.
I begrudge shelling out the current extortionate prices for local 5k/10k/half’s etc, when parkrun is free & on my doorstep. Race & back home/showered/out & about by 10. No faffing about.
Age graded.. does that count ?!
Not a race of course, loads of first timers at mine yesterday, old/young/fat/thin all out there on a dull Saturday.
It’s inventor certainly deserves a hell of a lot of credit.
I begrudge shelling out the current extortionate prices for local 5k/10k/half’s etc, when parkrun is free & on my doorstep. Race & back home/showered/out & about by 10. No faffing about.
New local to me parkrun has its inaugural event on Saturday. Have run those trails before and it looks like it's going to be a good one.
http://www.parkrun.org.uk/wendoverwoods/
http://www.parkrun.org.uk/wendoverwoods/
smn159 said:
New local to me parkrun has its inaugural event on Saturday. Have run those trails before and it looks like it's going to be a good one.
http://www.parkrun.org.uk/wendoverwoods/
Looks a treat!http://www.parkrun.org.uk/wendoverwoods/
Jimboka said:
I was first yesterday.
Age graded.. does that count ?!
I think age grade counts (particularly for those of us who are getting on a bit!)Age graded.. does that count ?!
It's not absolutely accurate but a good guide to compare old v young and M v F
Jimboka said:
Not a race of course, loads of first timers at mine yesterday, old/young/fat/thin all out there on a dull Saturday.
It’s inventor certainly deserves a hell of a lot of credit.
PSH didn't really invent it - he'd seen free regular 5ks done by clubs in South Africa and copied it, gradually from there it just sort of happened - other people saw it, liked it and said can we have one and it's just kept growing and then became more formalised. By his own admission "It was never supposed to be like this" but he does deserve the credit keeping it going in the right direction to become what it is.It’s inventor certainly deserves a hell of a lot of credit.
Jimboka said:
I begrudge shelling out the current extortionate prices for local 5k/10k/half’s etc, when parkrun is free & on my doorstep. Race & back home/showered/out & about by 10. No faffing about.
Agree - I don't mind paying for a club 10k when you know the profit goes to the club, you don't get a medal and another shirt you don't need, I don't do the more expensive ones though.Even though we all know it's not a race, and it's important for the "old/young/fat/thin" to be out there, I do still like to see a good smackdown for finish, these 2 at one of our local events were P1 and P2 and weren't just out for a bit of a jog!
Asking for some advice for a friend, as there are a few event and run directors here...
She's recently taken up parkrun as a walker and has grown to love it very quickly, citing sleeping better, lower anxiety and reduced depression, etc. She's one of the people that parkrun has sought to reach out to over the last year or two.
She wants to volunteer to give something back and I suggested she could be the tail walker and kill two birds with one stone. She responded that it wouldn't work as she's very often the penultimate person at her small event, and she doesn't have the ability to work her way up to the next group of fast walkers/slow runners.
Is she right and that it would be an expectation to be able to move up to the next group (safe guarding as a reason?), or can she be the tail walker and literally walk the entire thing without worrying about catching up to the next group of people?
She's recently taken up parkrun as a walker and has grown to love it very quickly, citing sleeping better, lower anxiety and reduced depression, etc. She's one of the people that parkrun has sought to reach out to over the last year or two.
She wants to volunteer to give something back and I suggested she could be the tail walker and kill two birds with one stone. She responded that it wouldn't work as she's very often the penultimate person at her small event, and she doesn't have the ability to work her way up to the next group of fast walkers/slow runners.
Is she right and that it would be an expectation to be able to move up to the next group (safe guarding as a reason?), or can she be the tail walker and literally walk the entire thing without worrying about catching up to the next group of people?
Cybertronian said:
She wants to volunteer to give something back and I suggested she could be the tail walker and kill two birds with one stone.
Do they have a junior parkrun? I often volunteer there and it can be a lifesaver when there's a big local race on that Sunday (which I rarely enter myself).
Cybertronian said:
Asking for some advice for a friend, as there are a few event and run directors here...
She's recently taken up parkrun as a walker and has grown to love it very quickly, citing sleeping better, lower anxiety and reduced depression, etc. She's one of the people that parkrun has sought to reach out to over the last year or two.
She wants to volunteer to give something back and I suggested she could be the tail walker and kill two birds with one stone. She responded that it wouldn't work as she's very often the penultimate person at her small event, and she doesn't have the ability to work her way up to the next group of fast walkers/slow runners.
Is she right and that it would be an expectation to be able to move up to the next group (safe guarding as a reason?), or can she be the tail walker and literally walk the entire thing without worrying about catching up to the next group of people?
I am an ED and would have no problem with her as a tail walker as they are there to ‘sweep’ the course and release the marshal(s) as they pass. If someone ahead has a problem then she wouldn’t be far behind and almost all events have people that walk round in 50 mins or do.She's recently taken up parkrun as a walker and has grown to love it very quickly, citing sleeping better, lower anxiety and reduced depression, etc. She's one of the people that parkrun has sought to reach out to over the last year or two.
She wants to volunteer to give something back and I suggested she could be the tail walker and kill two birds with one stone. She responded that it wouldn't work as she's very often the penultimate person at her small event, and she doesn't have the ability to work her way up to the next group of fast walkers/slow runners.
Is she right and that it would be an expectation to be able to move up to the next group (safe guarding as a reason?), or can she be the tail walker and literally walk the entire thing without worrying about catching up to the next group of people?
You can have as many tail walkers as you like so she could always do it one week with another as backup to see how she found it.
Cybertronian said:
Asking for some advice for a friend, as there are a few event and run directors here...
She's recently taken up parkrun as a walker and has grown to love it very quickly, citing sleeping better, lower anxiety and reduced depression, etc. She's one of the people that parkrun has sought to reach out to over the last year or two.
She wants to volunteer to give something back and I suggested she could be the tail walker and kill two birds with one stone. She responded that it wouldn't work as she's very often the penultimate person at her small event, and she doesn't have the ability to work her way up to the next group of fast walkers/slow runners.
Is she right and that it would be an expectation to be able to move up to the next group (safe guarding as a reason?), or can she be the tail walker and literally walk the entire thing without worrying about catching up to the next group of people?
Surely if she doesn't tail walk she'd be walking it near the back anyway, with the tail walker either with or behind her, so the only difference if she was tail walking is she might have to go a bit slower to accommodate whoever usually comes in behind her.She's recently taken up parkrun as a walker and has grown to love it very quickly, citing sleeping better, lower anxiety and reduced depression, etc. She's one of the people that parkrun has sought to reach out to over the last year or two.
She wants to volunteer to give something back and I suggested she could be the tail walker and kill two birds with one stone. She responded that it wouldn't work as she's very often the penultimate person at her small event, and she doesn't have the ability to work her way up to the next group of fast walkers/slow runners.
Is she right and that it would be an expectation to be able to move up to the next group (safe guarding as a reason?), or can she be the tail walker and literally walk the entire thing without worrying about catching up to the next group of people?
RizzoTheRat said:
Surely if she doesn't tail walk she'd be walking it near the back anyway, with the tail walker either with or behind her, so the only difference if she was tail walking is she might have to go a bit slower to accommodate whoever usually comes in behind her.
This was the odd part - I've checked the results and she, more often than not, is the penultimate person. However, the tail walker appears not to have walked with her for whatever reason.Anyway, I've relayed the thoughts from here to her and she's going to volunteer as a tail walker. She's already starting to feel like part of a community and seeing the benefits of it, so I do hope she does get stuck in even further.
PB For me on Saturday. Went up to Cannock Chase for my 22nd venue.
I have nipped below 26 mins once (25:43) and tend to run just over 26 mins but want to get to below 25.
Started the run at 5m/km pace which was good and then felt myself slow down slightly to 5:05 - 5:10, got to 4km and saw the 25min pacer up ahead and thought damn he must be way off pace. Until i looked at my watch, 20mins for 4km!!.
So carried on at the same pace just keeping tabs with the 25 min pacer, tried to push in the final stretch but couldn't push anymore, checked my watch....24:55!!!!!! which matched my parkrun result!!
Overjoyed with that and shows that increasing the length of runs has helped massively. Now to start getting more 25-26 min runs to show it wasn't a fluke at an easy course.
Now officially over 10 mins off my first parkrun,.
I have nipped below 26 mins once (25:43) and tend to run just over 26 mins but want to get to below 25.
Started the run at 5m/km pace which was good and then felt myself slow down slightly to 5:05 - 5:10, got to 4km and saw the 25min pacer up ahead and thought damn he must be way off pace. Until i looked at my watch, 20mins for 4km!!.
So carried on at the same pace just keeping tabs with the 25 min pacer, tried to push in the final stretch but couldn't push anymore, checked my watch....24:55!!!!!! which matched my parkrun result!!
Overjoyed with that and shows that increasing the length of runs has helped massively. Now to start getting more 25-26 min runs to show it wasn't a fluke at an easy course.
Now officially over 10 mins off my first parkrun,.
Well done!
I need to break that 25 minute barrier one of these days. I'm sure I could do it. Fastest to date is a 25:14 on my first ever tourist run at Swansea Bay & I'd had a few beers the night before. Doing sub 5 minute kilometres is a proper goal for old & slightly fat runners like me
Longer runs have definitely helped and I smashed my 10k PB on the weekend, now 53:42, on the Worcester 10k. Was well pleased with that, 58:16 last year as my first proper timed 10k so 4:34 improvement in a year.
Only problem is that I currently use my local Parkrun as part of my longer run by running down there and back. Have to take the car one day when I feel the need to set a new PB. Even so I managed a 2nd best 5k time there a few weeks back.
Half marathon in the first half of next year is my target so hopefully more distance equals faster 5 & 10ks.
I need to break that 25 minute barrier one of these days. I'm sure I could do it. Fastest to date is a 25:14 on my first ever tourist run at Swansea Bay & I'd had a few beers the night before. Doing sub 5 minute kilometres is a proper goal for old & slightly fat runners like me
Longer runs have definitely helped and I smashed my 10k PB on the weekend, now 53:42, on the Worcester 10k. Was well pleased with that, 58:16 last year as my first proper timed 10k so 4:34 improvement in a year.
Only problem is that I currently use my local Parkrun as part of my longer run by running down there and back. Have to take the car one day when I feel the need to set a new PB. Even so I managed a 2nd best 5k time there a few weeks back.
Half marathon in the first half of next year is my target so hopefully more distance equals faster 5 & 10ks.
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