| parkrun News
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Weekly Newsletter 2nd September 2010 |
|
|
Welcome to this week's newsletter
|
| This week’s newsletter is a bumper issue. There are loads of great feedback from runners and a fantastic graph of the week section from Chris. If you do one thing this week, click on the ‘graph of the week’ link in Crispy Corner. Not much more that I can say except, have a great parkrunning week. |
parkrun clubs celebration
|
| The parkrun clubs (250, 100, 50 and 10) are sponsored by Nike. Each member of these clubs receive an exclusive technical tee-shirt provided by Nike to celebrate tenacious, dedicated and loyal achievement at parkrun. |
Welcome to the following new members of the 100 Club who receive a 100 club jacket in addition to the technical tee shirt:
Keith MORRIS, Luke WILSON, Paul BUTLER, Sue MCINTYRE, Phillip BEARMAN (SNR), Rachel BRICE, Jonathan ANSTEE, Liz GREEN, Nick KIRBY, Duncan GRANT, Glyn SANSOM, Paul FALLOWS, David AINSLEY, Steve GILLINGHAM |
Welcome to the following new members of the 50 Club: Andy DEL NEVO, Andy WINGATE, Clare GRAHAM, Fiona MACNEIL, Greg BRYANT, Ian KITCHING, Janet TURNES, Kate SYMONS, Peter WEIR, Jo QUANTRILL, Carole VINE, Tim HOLBROOK, Davide METALLINI, Kay FAWCETT, John MATTHEWS, Paul MORRIS, Claire ENGLISH, Andrew FEATHERSTONE, John PATTERSON, Gillian SMITH, Petra ERIKSSON, Peter WALSH, Alex PARRIS, Richard ANTHONY, Iain MOORE, Steve EVANS, Anna Marie MORLEY, Jane BLACKBURN, Cliff EVANS, Bob HARDMAN, Eileen ADLAM, Rebecca HALL, Chris DANCE, Barry LONG, Gillian WEBER, Maria LAWRENCE, Wendy SUTTON, Jeannette RYAN, Pat WALSH, Royston HACKETT |
Welcome to the following new members of the Junior 10 Club: Thomas MARTIN, Gabzy TILL, Andrew WHITBREAD, Jacob GRIFFITHS, Christopher WILSON, Paul KNOTT, Jessica SAUNDERS, Ethan WALLER, Alfie HESTER, Jack NIXON, Joseph HALFACRE, Jack HEYLEN, Michaela HAY, Matthew BROWN, Simon ARMISTEAD, Jamie HOBBS, Emily MCGOUGH, Edward ASHCROFT, Daniel CLEMENSON, Jessica TRIMBLE, Alex FITZGERALD, Steven EASTWOOD, James GREEN, Robby RUSSELL, Emily BRAVERMAN, Samuel MCCREADY, Rose WOOLHOUSE, Robin WATSON, Bradleigh HARRIS, Kallum HARRIS, Christian GEORGIADES, Jack STRIDE, Jason TWIGG, Alexander GRAY, Max SALTER, Alec GIBSON, Lauren ELLIS, James SHERRIFF, Greg JOHNSTONE, Joshua HENRY, Katy SWORN, Thomas JUPP, Nathan WILKINSON, Ben BUTCHER-BIGLEY, Oliver COTTON, Melanie HODKIN, Miranda PEARSON, Saskia HAMMOND, Olivia GLOVER, Ben LOVEITT, Alex DAVIES, Tom DAVIES, Dan FISHER, Eilish GLADWIN, Nathan OLDFIELD, Kelsey MOSQUERA, Jordan MOSQUERA, Jack EASTMENT, Gabriella EASTMENT, Jamie WITHERS, Joseph EASTMENT, Phoebe LEES |
| Congratulations to you on your achievement. We hope to see you wearing your club tee-shirt at a parkrun soon. |
runbritain launches revolutionary online scoring for runners
|
 runbritain has today announced the launch of its revolutionary new handicap scoring system designed to give road runners of all abilities the ability to benchmark their progress and compare their results across a range of distances and terrains.
The scoring system, which has been developed in conjunction with the team behind the McCain Power of 10 website, enables runners to claim a ranking score based on any single performance at 5k, 10k, half marathon and marathon distances, and allow them to make comparisons against fellow runners of varying degrees of ability. It also offers guidance and support on future racing selections and opportunities to improve to the next level
Visit the runbritain website at (http://www.runbritain.com/home/) for more information and to claim your handicap ranking and you will be provided with a bespoke personal running biog page on (www.runbritain.com) featuring:
- current rankings at each distance
- personal progress graph
- direct comparisons with other runners with a ?head-to-head? function
- handicap score updated automatically after each run
- target times to bring score down by 1.0 handicap points
- and much much more!
|
Peter Chaplin - profile of a Sweatshop Shoe Prize Winner
|
|
The following report comes from Heidi, Cambridge parkrun Event Director:
"While I'm on the subject of all things lovely, I really should mention Peter who runs with us nearly every week. He's 79 and first joined a running club back in 1959. Owing to a lower number of runners last week, I was lucky enough to have some time to properly speak with him. He told me about how he still feels competitive at parkrun and although he's not at the sharp end of the field, he still enjoys trying to improve his times. We awarded him the Sweatshop prize in April and he was delighted! Turns out he's been parkrunning in the same pair of running shoes he bought from Chris Brasher when Sweatshop was young in 1974! Whenever the shoes have worn, he's simply glued on more rubber."
"A couple of years ago, Peter's wife sadly died. She'd been very actively involved in the running community and had been a great support to Peter throughout his own running exploits. From what I've heard from those close to him, he was utterly devastated and his inclination to run diminished after her death. His daughter told him about Cambridge parkrun and that was the motivation he needed to dig out his vintage trainers and join us. He arrives on his bike almost each week, determinedly runs his race and chats with his friends by the cafe after the run."
"Peter told me that he used to say to his wife that he'd really like to just be able to 'jog' - even though back in his day 'joggers' were few and far between, the only runners tending to be rather hardcore athletes. He remarked upon what a wonderful event parkrun is owing to its inclusive spirit and that he felt it's made it acceptable for athletes like him to take part in races. I think parkrun has really made Peter's life much happier."
I shared this article with Hugh who was moved enough to suggest we travel to Cambridge to meet Peter. Unfortunately Peter is not available to meet us this Saturday but he wrote the following:
"I bought the shoes in the first year the shop was opened, from Graham and Grenville Tuck, ( they also sold me a Russian stop watch that you wore on your wrist. Which was all metal, and weighed a ton. This was a novelty in those days. When I fist started running my wife bought me a hand held one the size of a pocket watch. I had many a good run in those shoes when I was a young veteran, Marathons in under three hours, ten miles in under 54 mins, and four miles in under 23 mins. And when they wore down you didn't buy a new pair, you repaired them with shoe glue."
"Please give my thanks to Hugh Brasher, tell him the one and only time I raced against his father was in a VETERANS Championship Cross Country at Gillford in Surrey, unfortunately I am unable to lay my hands on the result today."
|
Feedback from the field
|
|
Hi Paul,
I had a great time this morning at Cardiff parkrun, I am down in South Wales on holiday for the week and took advantage of being… close'ish to Cardiff (Swansea parkrun urgently required!)
The Cardiff team showed the usual warm reception and could not break the habit of explaining parkrun to new Cardiff parkrunners whilst we waited for the start.
I was surprised most of all to see a club mate Owen Flage all these miles from home and more surprising to be not too far behind him at the end.
I achieved a new PB (as hoped on a flat super course) 18:22 and my crispy challenge of 18:30 gone already (Need to beat it at Heaton really 19:26 my best so far).
Thank you to the Cardiff team for putting on a great event and being part of a record field made the morning even more special, back to work next week… a nice desk job on registration I think.
Kind Regards
Mark Kelly
|
 |
|
Hi parkrun,
Did you know 10.10.10 (10th October) is a World Environment Day. Running is a Low Carbon Activity. Any run that day will have special significance. I shall be doing the Marriot's Way TEN K in Norfolk. I wonder if there are other runs that people would like to make special Low Carbon Activities in order to promote the fact that we have gone past the recognised danger level (350ppm) for CO2 in the atmosphere?. It now stands at 385ppm!.
Happy low carbon running.
Dave (the Dungbeetle) Kelf, Gorleston Cliffs parkrun
|
|
|
The Glasgow Evening Times is Scotland's largest selling evening newspaper and featured a piece on Glasgow parkrun on Monday, as part of their 'Glas-goals' campaign to help get Glasgow more active:
http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk
|
|
|
Well, I ran my first parkrun on Saturday 28th which I hope will be the first of many. After running for the first time in the Great North Run in 1981, I was hooked and continued running all distances up to the full marathon until I started taking epileptic fits in 2006.
I decided to call it a day although I was clearly having withdrawal symptons. My brother told me about the parkruns and I decided to have a go. First of all I needed to get fit and at the age of 68. It was going to be hard. After about 12 training runs the longest being about 40 minutes I decided to test the water and made my debut on the above date.
Well I was happy with my time all things considered and I hope to bring that down in the following months but I have a small operation first and the doctor has said to take it easy for 6 weeks and by that reckoning it will be about November before I will see that improvement.
Anyway thanks for the incentive to start again.
One happy chappy.
Barry Hurst
|
|
|
Hi Paul,
Just wanted to thank you and parkrun for all your help in making our event so special and memorable.
Mark and Claire were fantastic on the day, being able to offer people timing for the run was awesome and his input into the route and advice had such a positive effect.
We've had some really amazing feedback and we're looking forward to doing this next year. Thank you too for all your and Nikki's help with advertising this through Sweatshop and for putting me in touch with Emma for some much needed recovery drinks.
If you ever want to come and have a look at our drop in you're really welcome and we would love to see you (sorry I couldn't say hello at parkrun on the day I was lending a hand with the signage). We were recently on Granada reports click on this link if you want to find out a little more about us.
http://www.itv.com/granada/helping-the-homeless31081/
bless you and hope to see you soon
thanks
Carol
|
|
|
I have just taken part in my 100th parkrun in Brighton and Hove. As most parkrunners will tell you, this weekly 5k on a Saturday has the incredible ability to become a very important part of your life, whether it is to meet new people, improve your time, or just to get out and exercise. A week ago I moved to Bristol and that means that I will no longer be a regular in Hove Park and I can tell you that I am missing it already – from the warm welcome of the people I have got to know well, to pacing runners to a new PB or just seeing people who are taking part in parkrun for the first time. I am going to miss my parkrun chums a hell of a lot and I hope that one gets started soon in Bristol and that I will be able to be a part of the continued success of this important weekly event.
Thanks
Nick Kirby
|
|
parkrunner of the week
|
 |
Name: Martin Wheeldon
Club: Wilmslow Running Club
Age: 58 and quite a bit.
Home parkrun: Bramhall
Occupation: Retired, now self employed Currency Trader.
Number of Runs: In total I think 7 but it's a while since I dragged my weary body round the park and certainly not this year!
Number of times volunteered: humm, well thats a tricky question because I don't know how many I have done prior to this year, in any event I have given out the finishing tokens every Saturday that we have had a parkrun this year. Thats a lot of sweaty smiling, or not, faces I have seen!
"Martin, we have recorded 42 instances of you volunteering! - Ed"
What do you do at parkruns: I am the finishing token guy. The end of the funnel is mine!!
How has parkrun changed your running: I have enjoyed the runs I have done, but not completed any this year.
What do you like about parkrun: I enjoy seeing those nearer the back of the field who started their running as a parkrunner improve over the weeks, the enjoyment they all get from it and the fun we still manage to have even when it's very busy. Not sure if this is the right place but I'd like to say thank you to all the many people who say thank you to us as volunteers, at all the parkruns, it's always appreciated but we do it cos it's fun really!
Most memorable or funniest parkrun moment: Many memorable moments but the best was when one of our young runners, Ben, all of 4ft nothing of him, crossed the line on 26 June with a bigger smile on his face than usual. He couldn't wait to tell everyone that he had finished 10 runs and that he was going to get a special T Shirt. A magical moment.
|
|
|
| Crispy Corner |
All parkruns are not the same - part II
Some weeks ago when I introduced the graphic of the week feature, we saw that all parkruns are not the same; the focus then, was on the demographic spread of the parkrunners at each parkrun, but we are often asked how different the events themselves are around the country, so I thought it might be worthwhile to address the same question from the perspective of the actual courses.
Geographically, they are all over the mainland UK (as well as our three thriving events in Denmark), as you will see on the event map (http://www.parkrun.com/events.aspx). We do have a few gaps, notably in northern Scotland, the far north west of England, north and central Wales, the far south west of England, and the oddest gap (at the moment) is East Midlands – the only UK administrative area we have no events. We are working on these gaps though, and hopefully Anita will have good news when she starts her new column ‘La rubrique d'Anita', shortly. We also have a number of clusters - south west London, greater Manchester, central Scotland, a developing greater Birmingham cluster, and our linear cluster up the north east coast of England. The locations are hugely varied from deep dark woodland to open playing fields, and from urban parks to the grounds of stately homes. A few are single lap courses, but most are 2 or 3 lappers. Inevitably many of our courses are very twisty-turny look out for the cryptic adjective ‘technical' which might also refer to the presence of minor obstacles such as tree roots or low hanging branches. While on the topic of euphemisms, watch out for the phrase ‘undulating' which can be used to describe anything from the odd mild incline to a full on fell race: we do try to be a bit more precise with our course descriptions, but beware! The surfaces are equally varied; many are on gravelled clay paths, some are fully tarmac'd, while a fair proportion are grassy tracks; it's fair to say that most of our events are a mixture of different surfaces which can be a headache for course measurers.
All of our courses are as close to 5km as we can measure them – we prefer to go long rather than produce a short course. At the very least we measure them all with a surveyor's wheel – we do not rely on measurements taken from maps – the accuracy is simply not good enough; nor do we use GPS units to measure our courses. Some of you may be surprised that we are not using this now almost ubiquitous piece of kit; even in perfect conditions they tend to produce remarkably variable results: I have lost count of the number of times I have been emailed by a runner saying ‘according to my GPS, course X is short',.. on the very same day I get another runner emailing to say ‘according to my GPS, course X is long'. Some of our courses do have an official course measurement certificate, but in the majority of cases this is not possible because of the multi-surface nature of our routes. As an aside, if any of you get the opportunity to go out with an accredited course measurer (with their Jones Counter), it will give you a fascinating insight into the science of course measurement – but whatever you do, don't offer to carry their rucksack for them!
Well anyway, that's all just a preamble to the bumper edition of Graphic of the Week... |
Graphic of the week - introducing parkrun labs – comments from statisticians wanted
This week's edition of Graphic of the Week contains not just a graph, but a table as well. Having expounded on what a varied running experience parkrun offers around the country every week, I wanted to demonstrate how many of you are making full use of this opportunity (see the ‘Num Runners vs Num Different Events' graph). This is a different way of presenting the most events results table (http://www.parkrun.com/results/MostEvents.aspx). Well done to Chris Cowell, who is currently our most travelled parkrunner having attended 32 of our events.
Which brings us to the table – we are often asked if we have any way to directly compare results from the different events. As I hope the first item above explained, there are hundreds of reasons why the results from event X cannot directly be compared with those from event Y. The table is my first attempt at producing a set of comparison factors – all is explained in much more detail on the graphics page, but in general terms the idea is that the table allows you to plug in a time you have run at one event and be able to work out what the equivalent time would be at another (all other things being equal). This is very much at the laboratory stage – it is effectively a working incomplete experiment – so don't take it too seriously; and I appeal to all statisticians out there to have a look at the table and join in the debate about how well this works (see comments section under the table).
Even if you are not a statistician, you can still help by providing us with raw data to base the table on. What do you need to do? Simple - run as hard as you can at as many different parkruns as you possibly can. The more records I have for different athletes at different events, the better the table will become, and I will also be able to add records for all the missing events. And in case you're wondering, no it makes no difference how fast you are, as long as you run as fast as you can at more than one event.
Cheers & happy calculating
Crispy Statto |
|
| Reminders |
Barcode Reminder
 Barcodes are used at all our events.
All questions answered
Have a question about parkrun? How do I collect my club tee-shirt? How do I get my barcode? All your questions are answered here.
Volunteering at parkrun
All we ask is that every parkrunner volunteer 3 times a year. You receive a full compliment of points when you volunteer. You can find the email address of your event teams volunteer coordinator on their volunteer page.
Children at parkrun
All children 11 and under must be supervised by a parent or guardian. Guardians must ensure that children place themselves appropriately so as to prevent a situation where they are being repeatedly overtaken at the start. This is to ensure the safety of your child.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
RATING:
|
|
|
|
Weekly Newsletter 26th August 2010 |
|
|
Welcome to this week's newsletter
|
| It’s been another one of those parkrun weeks: records were broken all over the place, 8 events broke previous attendance records and we started a new event in Richmond upon Thames, Jane Davies scored another 90 percentile age grade performance and 6 runners broke their event’s course record. So, just business as usual then! |
Our newest event, Cannon Hill, Birmingham starts on Saturday. Working in partnership with Be Active (a partnership between Birmingham City Council and the NHS that offers all Birmingham residents free swimming, group exercise classes and gym sessions) we bring you this outstanding venue which delivers a much needed resource to the local community. Both UK and England Athletics are based in Birmingham and so this event has been a long time coming.
There has been tremendous interest from the Birmingham running community and we are delighted to welcome Mary Ross as our newest Event Director. Like all other events, Cannon Hill parkrun belongs to the local community and for this reason we need you to offer your time to make this event as good as it can be. If you can help, please write to (Cannon-HillHelpers@parkrun.com)
The establishment of a new event in Cannon Hill means that the neighbourhood event in Solihull, Brueton parkrun, says goodbye to Robert Foster and Phil Innamorati, who stood in to manage this event while we found a new team, as they make their way to their new home event. Thanks to Robert and Phil and to all the folks who came forward to keep Brueton running.
All this change means that we are again delighted to welcome our newest event team who take over Brueton parkrun immediately. Trish Chambers, Larry Chambers and Nick Bowler have stepped into the breach and will be at Bueton to see that you all make it around the course. If you can assist this fledgling team in anyway please write to (BruetonHelpers@parkrun.com). Please give this team your full support. |
South Bucks 10k Road Race and parkrun
|
|
Information is now being circulated regarding a new race in the runner's calendar of events. It is the South Bucks 10k Road Race - www.southbucks10k.org.uk. The race is being organised by Black Park parkrun. Unlike normal parkruns this race is on a Sunday 3rd October.
Over the past year of parkruns at Black Park there have been a number of special occasions where volunteers have contributed items funded from their own pocket. Hallow'een décor and pumpkins, Christmas draw, Easter Eggs, Anniversary Run prizes and Certificates plus the ongoing small essentials that add up over the year. They do this because they are all passionate about the parkrun concept. However we do not want anybody to be personally out of pocket.
This race is going to address that situation and repay any expenses incurred in supporting Black Park parkrun. If we are embarrassed by the money we raise the surplus will be donated to a local South Bucks charity.
We are being supported along the way by Paul at parkrun who has provided the contacts with Lucozade and Sweatshop.
Black Park Country Park is giving us facilities for free. The race organisers have arranged a one-off payment for car parking, usually £2.50, to allow FREE parking for competitors in a dedicated race area. This together with the £5.00 Sweatshop voucher means the race is effectively giving you 100% return on your entry fee guaranteed. When you throw in Lucozade drinks, awards for category winners and the chance of picking up something in the prize draw then it really is ‘Good value for money'.
Two well known parkrunners, who always spot a good deal when it's on the table, are already entered and we are expecting many more. In fact I would be surprised if we do not reach our cut-off target of 300. The runners in question are Paul and Joanne Sinton-Hewitt.
This is not a chip-timed race and the roads are not closed. Hence the limit on numbers.
The roads are extremely quiet around Black Park on a Sunday morning so we do not expect any issues in running the race.
The Senior Ranger from Bucks Country Parks will be presenting the awards on the day.
Go to the website for entry details and remember if you can't make that date we are in business every Saturday morning and that also is ‘good value for money'.
With best wishes to all parkrunners and see you all soon.
Fred Ashford
Event Director
Black Park parkrun.
|
Nike Sports Bra Promotion
|
|
Experts from Nike will visit some parkrun events in the next few weeks to give free advice on sports bras. They will have a full selection of Nike sports bras and are offering the unique chance to "test drive" their products at the parkrun.
Getting the correct bra is at least as important as having the right shoes so please come along, get some advice and see the latest Nike advanced running wear.
Nike will be visiting the following events in the future:
28th August
- Newcastle
- Glasgow
- Brueton
- Forrest of Dean
- Heaton
- Richmond Park
4th September
- Strathclyde
- Coventry
- Brighton & Hove
Sunderland , Edinburgh, Milton Keynes, Swindon, Bramhall and Bushy parkruns all had the opportunity to try out these new bra's last Saturday and the feedback received was very positive.
We received a good response, interacting with over 150 women runners. A lot of women either tried-on or trialled the different styles of Nike Swift Bra and our staff have reported a high interest in the product. Those who didn't try the bra, quizzed our staff about everything from the fabric of the product and the level of support to the impacts of not wearing the correct support. Women were generally very interested to have the opportunity to learn more about bra support and ask questions to a trained staff member in a friendly environment.
Nike are bringing a changing area where you can fit the bra before the run and return it after the run. If you plan to take advantage of this offer, please make sure you arrive at least 30 minutes before the start of the run to be sure you can make the start of the event and to avoid dissapointment.
|
parkrun makes it onto the telly
|
|
In Denmark that is!
Local Danish event, Brabrand parkrun was featured in a brilliant article on one of the main television channels last week. (http://nyhederne.tv2.dk/video/index/id/32902738/)
For the few parkrunners who don't understand Danish it is enlightening to see how many words one can pick up from the dialogue: "parkrun", "London", "simples", "meercat" (I made the last one up).
The camera work on this clip is brilliant and appears well thought out as it captures the varied nature of the participants at a typical parkrun. What I found quite brilliant is that the Event Director – Bo Larsen is seen addressing the parkrunners at the end it appears that everyone is waiting for him to give them permission to go home. Imagine that at Bushy!
Well done Denmark and Brabrand for parkrun first.
|
Exciting changes to the Lucozade Sport website
|
|
Are you working towards an autumn half marathon, eyeing up a PB at a specific event? What better place to start your journey than with the Lucozade Sport Half Marathon Hub. We've worked with Lucozade Sport Running Ambassador Liz Yelling and Lead Sport Scientist Gareth Nicholas to bring you all the best advice and tips needed to get the most from your next challenge.
Find out when we're coming to you with our new look runners calendar and make sure you get the best advice from our Sports Scientists. Designed to let you select not only the race which matter to you, but also the best seminars and expos, our new tool will help find out when the Lucozade Sport Science Team are there in advance of your visit – check it out today!
|
Event News
|
| We have had some great feedback from the events: |
 |
Bromley parkrun celebrates it's first birthday this weekend. In honour of the birthday we plan to celebrate with homemade cakes and treats from Lucozade after you have run the course in the opposite direction which will be a little bit different this week (so look out for the balloons at the start), there will also be a small prize giving ceremony for our winners and other goody bag giveaways for all the parkrunners! So come over to Bromley this weekend for the party. |
|
The number of parkrunners at our events hit a new high last Saturday just short of the 6,000 mark. 5,898 brave souls made the journey to one of the 47 events and we welcomed 1,493 new members into the parkrun family. 1,215 runners ran their first parkrun!
|
Drop me an email if you have an interesting parkrun related fact, happening or comment that you would like to share with all parkrunners. |
Feedback from the field
|
|
Hi Paul,
I had just had to drop you an email to say how much I love parkrun. I think the job that you and all the organisers do is fantastic and it always blows my mind that it's free! The only down side is that I'm now completely addicted and can't imagine my life without it. Do you have patches to wean addicts off, or is complete slavery all part of the master plan?
I hope you had a wonderful 50th (it certainly looks like you did) and that parkrun will continue to bring as much joy to you as it does to all the thousands of runners out there.
Many many thanks,
Rosie (an adoring fan...)
|
|
|
Dear Paul
Ever since running my first Banstead Woods parkrun while visiting friends in Charshalton three years ago I have enjoyed keeping up with the program from afar ... The USA.
Since I was going to be running in a new age group, VM70-74, this time over, I looked for the top - times - on - the - course list. I could not find it nor results of less recent races. Where did that info go?
You can find a number of different reports on the results page. The one I think you are looking for is "Age Category Records"? All the columns are sortable so you can view these in an order of your preference.
I had a nice day in the woods on August 16 except for a couple dogs running loose along side their racing owners. I would have thought runners would know better than doing that.
All runners should keep their dogs under control - which usualy translates to keeping them on a lead!
Bob Hyten
|
|
|
Hello
I must have had more comebacks than Frank Sinatra!
Really thought I had done my last ever competitive run back in May 2005, but then parkrun comes to Eaton Park. Persuaded by my lovely husband to "just have a trot round" instead of the gym, I went to the first ever run. No chance of me not putting pressure on myself. Needless to say I had to come back for more this week - and knocked 48 seconds off the previous time. Doesn't sound much, but that is more than a quarter of a minute per mile!
To keep you in the picture, I started running and training aged 14 in 1966. Now 44 years on I have niggling injuries - mostly achilles tendons, so thought my running days were really over and I would have to stick to the gym and walking. Having now done 2 parkruns, I will be back for more - with, of course, some training in between. The target. Well I have to be running when I turn 60 next September.
I am not from Norwich (lived here since May last year) - but my parents are, and Eaton Park is somewhere I have spent happy days as a child and with my children - and also jogged round many times. It is great to be running there again. In the past (1980s) I did do 2 Norwich half marathons - when the start and finish were at Chapelfield. All happy memories.
Keep up the good work. If it can get oldies like me running again.....
Sue Nelson
|
|
|
Hello Everyone,
This is just a little e-mail to inspire I suppose. I have just started running and I suffer from Asthma which I have had since being 2yr old. I do the Bramhall fun run when I can but at the moment I can only manage one lap. I also end up being lapped a lot of the time and I am always last!!! However I keep going and I feel great when I finish. I just wanted to say thank you for keeping me motivated and understanding its not about how fast you can run, its more the fact that I can run and it doesn't matter what level of fitness I am.
The stewards/marshallers keep me going with their words of encouragement so to you all.
THANK YOU!
Allison Pritchard
|
|
parkrunner of the week
|
 |
Name: Lynn Brastock - Lynn of the Wednesday Lardy Arses (well we were before we started park run 2 whole years ago)
Club: I have made one appearance with the Chineham Park runners if that counts, and of course the Wednesday (now Tuesday) Lardy Arses
Age: 8 months to go before the BIG ?0
Home parkrun: Basingstoke. I started on the very 1st one and have only missed 3 during the 2nd year even though I was injured for 5 months, I still turned up faithfully to get my Saturday morning fix, to see my friends (all made through parkrun) and of course for Hot Chocolate in the cafe - now there is no excuse not to get me a drink, you all know my favourite and of course those squidgy Chocolate muffins.
Occupation: Catering manager - but let's not go there.
Number of Runs: 73
Number of times volunteered: According to the thingy, 62 out of 45 and every week for something.
What do you do at parkruns: Enjoy myself, sometimes go for that extra special time ! Chat to all the other park users. I have just embarked on becoming Race Director with Sue as my accomplice (that's not unusual) and it took us 6 hours to post the results but we are going to try again soon- so don't worry you will get results - just a few hours late.
How has parkrun changed your running: It has made it much much more enjoyable and also more competitve - see Basingstoke Ladies points winner 2008 / 2009.
What do you like about parkrun: Having a good reason to get up on Saturday morning, the comradeship that all parkrunners show to each other. The socials that have been initiated by being a parkrunner and having a free time trial to help with the training for the races that you pay for.
Most memorable or funniest parkrun moment: Going over the finish line after returning from my 5 months injured and everybody letting out the biggest cheer ever - It still brings tears to my eyes remembering it THANK YOU.
|
|
|
| Crispy Corner |
Crispy Challenge
I've taken my eye off Crispy Challenge for just a few weeks, and while I wasn't looking 94 of the 303 challengers have already beaten their old (pre-challenge PBs) and 22 have beaten their targets. Well done to them all, but particularly to Tom Stagles and Dave Thom who were veterans of the first Crispy Challenge. Oddly 82 of the challengers have yet to run in this challenge – come on guys, what are you waiting for? – it's not called “Crispy's Stay in bed on a Saturday morning Challenge”. It would be great if at least two thirds of us could beat our PBs by the end of the challenge, and at least one third were to beat our target. I'm slowly improving week by week, after my cycle related injury (or stupidity as it could otherwise be known). I rested for a while, listened to the physio's and did all their exercises (promise!), then started with some speed-walked parkruns, I'm now running and have been pleased with the progress over recent weeks – though I've still got a long way to go. |
Come on Reluctant Runners
We know that there are a sizeable number of you out there that register but then never quite get around to going down to your local run. Whatever the reason, it would be fantastic to see you – as you will find, all the events are super-friendly and whatever your ability level (run, jog or walk), you will be made very welcome. Hundreds of our regular (and I mean super-regular proud 100 clubbers) started off in your shoes, and never looked back once they dipped their toe in the pool that is parkrun – come on in, the water’s lovely! |
parkrun on tour
Not many new additions to the parkrun on tour gallery (www.parkrun.org.uk/parkrunontour.aspx) recently, but if you want to know why we had to get Paul into a studio to have his photo taken, have a look at his holiday snaps (taken before his recent elevation to the 50 Club); apparently he doesn't smile outside! Anyway there must be loads of parkrun on tour snaps lurking on people's cameras after recent summer holidays, please send them to me with details of where they were taken so I can also add them to the map (I would be grateful if you could resize them to about 600px wide first); email to chris@parkrun.com
Cheers and Ratty Running
Cratspy (Crispy in disguise) |
|
| Reminders |
Barcode Reminder
Barcodes are used at all our events.
All questions answered
Have a question about parkrun? How do I collect my club tee-shirt? How do I get my barcode? All your questions are answered here.
Volunteering at parkrun
All we ask is that every parkrunner volunteer 3 times a year. You receive a full compliment of points when you volunteer. You can find the email address of your event teams volunteer coordinator on their volunteer page.
Children at parkrun
All children 11 and under must be supervised by a parent or guardian. Guardians must ensure that children place themselves appropriately so as to prevent a situation where they are being repeatedly overtaken at the start. This is to ensure the safety of your child.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
RATING:
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|