Discussion
thepritch said:
Seems everyone here is a seasoned park runner 
hoping to join in at the end of Nov and really looking forward to it - two reasons it’s not going to be sooner :
1. After years of being very cycling fit, I lapsed a couple of years with injury and now doing C25k. Hard work! It’s trail running paradise from my front door and just love it so far, and working my way up to a full 30min effort by end Nov.
2. The first run will be the local event’s annual Kilted park run. Seems a hoot, and it’s the course is in/out forests so looks a lot of fun.
How did others find their first park run? How did you make sure you didn’t go faster than you should at the start ? (I’ll add, I’m just a tad competitive). As part of the goal I’d like to run the whole 5k and not walk.
I finished C25K before doing my first parkrun, and then discovered that was silly, I should have just gone along and done my C25K run at parkrun and then walked the rest. There are always people walking, and most parkruns tend to have the tailwalker finishing in about 1 hour, so if you running even a few minutes of it there will definitely be multiple people behind you. I'm currently doing 3 minutes run 1 minute walk and there are people finishing in half an hour behind me. hoping to join in at the end of Nov and really looking forward to it - two reasons it’s not going to be sooner :1. After years of being very cycling fit, I lapsed a couple of years with injury and now doing C25k. Hard work! It’s trail running paradise from my front door and just love it so far, and working my way up to a full 30min effort by end Nov.
2. The first run will be the local event’s annual Kilted park run. Seems a hoot, and it’s the course is in/out forests so looks a lot of fun.
How did others find their first park run? How did you make sure you didn’t go faster than you should at the start ? (I’ll add, I’m just a tad competitive). As part of the goal I’d like to run the whole 5k and not walk.
Setting off too fast is always a problem for me. Once you've done a few you'll get to recognise the people who go at your pace and can use them to pace yourself. If you have a running watch most have a "virtual pacer" or similar function that lets you set a target pace and then tells you how far ahead or behind that pace you are, very useful for trying to ruin at a consistent pace.
thepritch said:
How did others find their first park run? How did you make sure you didn’t go faster than you should at the start ? (I’ll add, I’m just a tad competitive). As part of the goal I’d like to run the whole 5k and not walk.
spikeyhead's comment is a good one, well worth listening to.My first parkrun was on June 1st and I probably walked three or four times for a couple minutes at a time and recorded 43:25, really slow. But I was 21 stone 9lbs that day..... since then, I started and completed C25K which was a massive help and on parkrun 15, I jogged very steadily and completed the 5k without stopping. Since then, I have had one parkrun where my preparation was poor and there was nothing in the tank however the rest of the time, I've completed the distance without stopping and my PB is sub 35 minutes now.
markh1973 said:
john2443 said:
Trip over to Tonbridge today (in my friends very non PH electric van!) as it was my NENYD.
620 finishers on a very nice route partly in a park but also through the woods and round a lake - only downside was a few narrow bridges that brought us almost to a halt in the first 2k.
Tonbridge is my usual run. Start can be a bit chaotic as everyone charges across the grass but soon spreads out. It's surprising how close to the front you can be yet still be almost at a standstill across a couple of the bridges. 620 finishers on a very nice route partly in a park but also through the woods and round a lake - only downside was a few narrow bridges that brought us almost to a halt in the first 2k.
I almost achieved groundhog day with 21:09 in consecutive weeks but sadly last week was at Tonbridge (21st place) and this week's at Bushy (136th).
Re: pacers - we often have 30 and 33 minute pacers, but as previously mentioned, it varies enormously week-to-week and by event.
Re: pacing - I did my first after trying C2-5K (but not completing it) and just took it very easy and started at a pace I thought I should be able to maintain for the distance. I didn’t have one at the time, but any sort of running watch would definitely have helped me understand what mins per k I felt good with. In any case, don’t worry too much about the time - there’s always next week and getting into a regular habit of running has been the main benefit for me.
thepritch said:
How did others find their first park run? How did you make sure you didn’t go faster than you should at the start ? (I’ll add, I’m just a tad competitive). As part of the goal I’d like to run the whole 5k and not walk.
There's two ways to run a 5k quickly. Start off at close to max effort and then try and hang on (the last 2k will be really miserable) or start at a pace that feels slightly too slow then wind it up gently and finish strong. The latter is almost always faster, most elite distance runners run this way (negative splits).Don't wait until the end of November, give it a go as soon as you can! The biggest misconeption with parkrun is that it's only for serious runners - it's more about participation and encouraging healthy habbits. If you're at the run/walk stage of C25k you'll be quicker than 10-20% of the participants already.
If you're competitive, pick a course with laps as it will soon humble you and make you want to train like a madman. Seeing the front runners come past gives you something to aim towards but also lapping people yourself makes you appreciate how far along your own journey you are.
resolve10 said:
thepritch said:
How did others find their first park run? How did you make sure you didn’t go faster than you should at the start ? (I’ll add, I’m just a tad competitive). As part of the goal I’d like to run the whole 5k and not walk.
There's two ways to run a 5k quickly. Start off at close to max effort and then try and hang on (the last 2k will be really miserable) or start at a pace that feels slightly too slow then wind it up gently and finish strong. The latter is almost always faster, most elite distance runners run this way (negative splits).Don't wait until the end of November, give it a go as soon as you can! The biggest misconeption with parkrun is that it's only for serious runners - it's more about participation and encouraging healthy habbits. If you're at the run/walk stage of C25k you'll be quicker than 10-20% of the participants already.
If you're competitive, pick a course with laps as it will soon humble you and make you want to train like a madman. Seeing the front runners come past gives you something to aim towards but also lapping people yourself makes you appreciate how far along your own journey you are.
resolve10 said:
thepritch said:
How did others find their first park run? How did you make sure you didn’t go faster than you should at the start ? (I’ll add, I’m just a tad competitive). As part of the goal I’d like to run the whole 5k and not walk.
There's two ways to run a 5k quickly. Start off at close to max effort and then try and hang on (the last 2k will be really miserable) or start at a pace that feels slightly too slow then wind it up gently and finish strong. The latter is almost always faster, most elite distance runners run this way (negative splits).Don't wait until the end of November, give it a go as soon as you can! The biggest misconeption with parkrun is that it's only for serious runners - it's more about participation and encouraging healthy habbits. If you're at the run/walk stage of C25k you'll be quicker than 10-20% of the participants already.
If you're competitive, pick a course with laps as it will soon humble you and make you want to train like a madman. Seeing the front runners come past gives you something to aim towards but also lapping people yourself makes you appreciate how far along your own journey you are.
It blows me away at the pace the front runs. Some are running home the opposite way as we are 3/4 the way around the lap....lol
Thanks for all the replies - I can’t seem to easily format a multi person quote in one post on the phone so until I get access to a PC at the weekend to structure a proper reply, just wanted to say thanks to all who replied as to pacing and how not to blow up on a debut park run!
Looking forward to running one
Looking forward to running one
RizzoTheRat said:
I finished C25K before doing my first parkrun, and then discovered that was silly, I should have just gone along and done my C25K run at parkrun and then walked the rest. There are always people walking, and most parkruns tend to have the tailwalker finishing in about 1 hour, so if you running even a few minutes of it there will definitely be multiple people behind you. I'm currently doing 3 minutes run 1 minute walk and there are people finishing in half an hour behind me.
Setting off too fast is always a problem for me. Once you've done a few you'll get to recognise the people who go at your pace and can use them to pace yourself. If you have a running watch most have a "virtual pacer" or similar function that lets you set a target pace and then tells you how far ahead or behind that pace you are, very useful for trying to ruin at a consistent pace.
I did my C25K within my parkrun when it got to the longer runs towards the final three weeks of the programme. So I would do the longer runs at home on Tuesday & Thursday then on Saturday, complete the last of the three longer runs within parkrun - it's a good way of keeping you going too as you don't want to have to stall the programme. Setting off too fast is always a problem for me. Once you've done a few you'll get to recognise the people who go at your pace and can use them to pace yourself. If you have a running watch most have a "virtual pacer" or similar function that lets you set a target pace and then tells you how far ahead or behind that pace you are, very useful for trying to ruin at a consistent pace.
GloverMart said:
it's a good way of keeping you going too as you don't want to have to stall the programme.
Definitely this. Going out on your own for a run/walk can be a chore and the lazy among us (ie me!) might skip the occasional one. One huge benefit of parkrun to me is that it's become a thing I do every Saturday morning, so even if I haven't been out during the week for a run, I will get out for one on Saturday morning....and then try a lot harder than if was out on my own if my nemesis who's beaten me by about 3 seconds a couple of times is there!
RizzoTheRat said:
GloverMart said:
it's a good way of keeping you going too as you don't want to have to stall the programme.
Definitely this. Going out on your own for a run/walk can be a chore and the lazy among us (ie me!) might skip the occasional one. One huge benefit of parkrun to me is that it's become a thing I do every Saturday morning, so even if I haven't been out during the week for a run, I will get out for one on Saturday morning....and then try a lot harder than if was out on my own if my nemesis who's beaten me by about 3 seconds a couple of times is there!
Tbf, I found that to be a great way of getting quicker.
There's another Insurance Broker runs at my local Parkrun regularly. So first I wanted to beat him.
Then I noticed I was quite close behind a client - have to be careful with that one - so I aimed to keep her in sight.
I inexplicably beat one of the Mums from Primary School without realising it one week. Could hear someone behind and put everything into the finish straight to make sure whoever it was didn't take me. She didn't look best pleased and has made sure not to let that happen again ever since!
The BDM for the IT firm we use is quicker than me. Both at Parkrun and the town's annual 10k. I've decided perhaps I need to join the Tuesday evening running club he attends.
Amazing how it gets you going. I finished C25K at the beginning of 2020 - how about that for timing?! - and never envisaged I'd get so into it. In fact, my daughter and I usually miss Parkrun and go for an 11k run these days instead. I once said to a friend that I couldn't understand why anyone would choose to run further than 5k!
There's another Insurance Broker runs at my local Parkrun regularly. So first I wanted to beat him.
Then I noticed I was quite close behind a client - have to be careful with that one - so I aimed to keep her in sight.
I inexplicably beat one of the Mums from Primary School without realising it one week. Could hear someone behind and put everything into the finish straight to make sure whoever it was didn't take me. She didn't look best pleased and has made sure not to let that happen again ever since!
The BDM for the IT firm we use is quicker than me. Both at Parkrun and the town's annual 10k. I've decided perhaps I need to join the Tuesday evening running club he attends.
Amazing how it gets you going. I finished C25K at the beginning of 2020 - how about that for timing?! - and never envisaged I'd get so into it. In fact, my daughter and I usually miss Parkrun and go for an 11k run these days instead. I once said to a friend that I couldn't understand why anyone would choose to run further than 5k!
A lot of my early PBs were running with a mates daughter who'd got a bit too quick for her mum, and dad was running with thier son. It's amazing how much more you can pull out of the bag when you're absolutely knickered but the 8 year old you're responsible for is starting to pull away from you 
I really don't think I can overstate the benefit of the social/competitive aspect of parkrun to me, I was running on my own or with my Mrs (who's slower than me over 5k) through lockdown, and the first parkrun back I was over a minute faster than I had been doing on my own, purely through trying to keep up with people around me.
I really don't think I can overstate the benefit of the social/competitive aspect of parkrun to me, I was running on my own or with my Mrs (who's slower than me over 5k) through lockdown, and the first parkrun back I was over a minute faster than I had been doing on my own, purely through trying to keep up with people around me.
RizzoTheRat said:
A lot of my early PBs were running with a mates daughter who'd got a bit too quick for her mum, and dad was running with thier son. It's amazing how much more you can pull out of the bag when you're absolutely knickered but the 8 year old you're responsible for is starting to pull away from you
I really don't think I can overstate the benefit of the social/competitive aspect of parkrun to me, I was running on my own or with my Mrs (who's slower than me over 5k) through lockdown, and the first parkrun back I was over a minute faster than I had been doing on my own, purely through trying to keep up with people around me.
The best is when you get overtaken by not one but 3 runners pushing prams....I really don't think I can overstate the benefit of the social/competitive aspect of parkrun to me, I was running on my own or with my Mrs (who's slower than me over 5k) through lockdown, and the first parkrun back I was over a minute faster than I had been doing on my own, purely through trying to keep up with people around me.
Some must have been running low 20's!
PB broken this morning, knocked 1.25 off my previous best which I'm pleased with. Didn't feel THAT fast but maybe my FAST has got faster than my previous FAST. (if you see what I mean!).
Was at the Somerdale Pavilion course in Keynsham and wore trail shoes so even more surprised to get such a good time.
Was at the Somerdale Pavilion course in Keynsham and wore trail shoes so even more surprised to get such a good time.
GloverMart said:
PB broken this morning, knocked 1.25 off my previous best which I'm pleased with. Didn't feel THAT fast but maybe my FAST has got faster than my previous FAST. (if you see what I mean!).
Was at the Somerdale Pavilion course in Keynsham and wore trail shoes so even more surprised to get such a good time.
I got a really good time there. 1 second off my all time pb. Course came up short but probably just gps struggling with the never ending bends.Was at the Somerdale Pavilion course in Keynsham and wore trail shoes so even more surprised to get such a good time.
Master Bean said:
GloverMart said:
PB broken this morning, knocked 1.25 off my previous best which I'm pleased with. Didn't feel THAT fast but maybe my FAST has got faster than my previous FAST. (if you see what I mean!).
Was at the Somerdale Pavilion course in Keynsham and wore trail shoes so even more surprised to get such a good time.
I got a really good time there. 1 second off my all time pb. Course came up short but probably just gps struggling with the never ending bends.Was at the Somerdale Pavilion course in Keynsham and wore trail shoes so even more surprised to get such a good time.
GloverMart said:
Master Bean said:
GloverMart said:
PB broken this morning, knocked 1.25 off my previous best which I'm pleased with. Didn't feel THAT fast but maybe my FAST has got faster than my previous FAST. (if you see what I mean!).
Was at the Somerdale Pavilion course in Keynsham and wore trail shoes so even more surprised to get such a good time.
I got a really good time there. 1 second off my all time pb. Course came up short but probably just gps struggling with the never ending bends.Was at the Somerdale Pavilion course in Keynsham and wore trail shoes so even more surprised to get such a good time.
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