I'll just repeat what the others have said, doesn't matter if it takes you an hour. You've hauled your arse off the couch and are getting some fresh air and exercise. When I first finished Couch to 5K, it used to take me 38 minutes to do the 5K. When I first started it, I was 5 stone overweight and couldn't finish the first session where you ran for 30 seconds and walked for 90.
Ditto above buddy, you’ve knocked a 10k out this weekend, that’s a long way and amazing.
I make a real point when new runners to me say ‘I only do 5k or I only do parkrun’, no, it’s 3 miles it’s a long long way to run.
I am taking a real different approach this year. No pressure on Speed or PB’s, just keep the miles up and ENJOY. If a swift does come along then great. And, help and encourage others where ever I can.
Pitch
Thanks for all the encouragement, chaps.
I guess this is what this thread is all about.
Just need to get over a slight bug and I will be back out there running...slowly!
Maybe a long shot here but... Anyone:
- listen to music when running
- have a Garmin watch
- keep your music on YouTube Music?
It looks like Garmin only support Spotify but I've used Google Music, not YouTube Music for years and won't change.
I don't want to run with my phone. I used to use an ancient MP3 player (loaded with 90s hip-hop classics) with wired earbuds but would like to join the 21st century at some point and stream current music from my watch to bone-conducting headphones (I tried a couple of pairs in an airport recently and they weren't as bad as I expected).
Anyone solved my problem for me?
A quick search this morning directs me to 'Songate' which for a very reasonable 10euro/year reckons it will get my YouTube Music playlists onto my Garmin watch. Anyone use it?
I’ve got my first international Parkrun this weekend, I’ll be at Clermont Waterfront in Florida. Really looking forward to running in the sun again. It’ll be an early start though as it’s an hours drive to 07:30 start time.
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I’ve not tied to get my YouTube music on to my Garmin as they don’t play nicely. But we’ve also got an Amazon Prime subscription, so I just use music from there on my Garmin and have connected my headphones to my watch which works OK, it was just another way to get music on a run. However saying that at the moment, I’m not using music as I’m enjoying running without it. Just depends on the mood!
I’ll try to do the same. Being new to running this is my first opportunity, but I am finding the Parkrun tourism thing quite a fun motivator.
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So disappointed that Parkrun have dropped the Age Grading Stats - I know the "run not a race" argument, but it did give me an incentive (and held the age group records at some park runs).
It seems to be partially a reaction to the self declared gender within parkrun where "men" have been taking/holding women's records. To me it is very sad.
Yes you're right, they've removed all the records and top 200 times etc. That sucks balls tbh. I mean, I'm never going to trouble the leader boards, but the stats nerd in me likes seeing the records, and also a lot of people do treat it as a race, so why shouldn't they be recorded? I hope it doesn't get to to be like crap schools where everybody gets a medal.
Behind a paywall, but in the press now. Parkrun records transgender (telegraph.co.uk)
Christ, is that the reason? That's absolutely bloody ridiculous. FFS.
They’re now claiming it’s so as not to be off putting to new entrants. Chinny reckon.
Ah... good point... I have but never use Amazon Music as part of my Prime subscription. It looks like there was a period of time after Amazon Music started but before I stopped buying physical CDs which has resulted in some of my purchased albums being available through Amazon Music. It's a time slice of my musical history but there's plenty there for a bit of running soundtrack now and I'm sure I can add other (free) stuff to Amazon Music if I did a bit of research.
New parkrun PB today, 24:39. Pleased with that. Lovely conditions this morning. Hazy sunshine, bit of a nip in the air, and importantly at Rutland Water, no wind.
I need to go out tomorrow and do 10k or so to make my mind up if I'll do a 10 mile event next weekend. I've done the distance a few times before, so reasonably confident of that, but my plan to ramp up mileage in January was entirely scuppered by being ill for most of the month. We will see.
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
Well hope it goes ok, just take it easy and you’ll be fine.
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Congrats on the Parkrun PB ST well done buddy. Now some hard work to get that 24 min monkey off ya back.
Perfect condition’s at Britain’s most easterly Parkrun, nice chug for me with a stop on the prom for a pee.
@DaveE if you are comfortable at 10k a 10 miler will be fine, just dial the pace back to say 2-2.5 minutes per mile slower than your 5k full tilt pace. See how the first half goes and you can always pick it up to finish.
Well done all.
Pitch
I’ve just done my first international park run in Weedon Island reserve Florida.
Beautiful run through mangroves, boardwalks and trails. Got a PB and came 4th so happy with that. 8am race so he to get up at 6:30 thought but worth it.
It’s all about consistency, consistency and consistency. Rack up 25+ miles per week of that zone 2 very easy pace stuff with one interval/speed session and you will smash your half. Heart rate will fall and pace will increase over your training, it’s simple.
Don’t underestimate the possibility of injury as you fatigue but that’s when at least one strength and conditioning session per week will help and make you a stronger runner.
Good luck, when is the half ??
Pitch
Hi Pitch, it's the London Landmarks half on 7 April. We're mostly following a training prograamme we found online at the moment. One long slow run a week at the moment (currently at 14K). One interval speed session. A more varied one depending on what the plan says, then the 5K parkrun, which sometimes is a bit inconvenient but we both love it. Trying to do 2-3 sessions of strength and core training a week as well. I track everything using my Apple Watch, and everything seems to be going in the right direction. Resting ad running heart rate is down, VO2 is up, heart rate recovery is up. Thanks for the tips, really helpful.
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
How did you get on?
That's how it started for me... France (stopped near Fontainebleu driving to a ski trip), US (working for a fortnight in Palo Alto so ran at Byxbee and Crissy Field (great parkrun in San Francisco but no longer operating) and family visits to the Netherlands (Amsterdamse Bos, Kagerzoom, Schoterbos & Beatrixpark). But then I've also been just for parkrun to Ireland (Glen River), Norway (Tøyen & Løvstein), Austria (Hellbrun) and Germany (Riemer)
Might see you there one day. My brother's partner runs there a fair bit and I can combine with a family visit to Leicester on the way home.
Congratulations.
I got an out-of-the-blue 'event PB' of about 3 minutes yesterday but am still 30sec/km off a sub30 minute time.
London is a treat to run round, I did the big half last year, route not as nice as yours though. Training sounds spot on, great work.
I’ve got Cambridge half in a few weeks which I just love, it’s a fantastic event and weekend away. PB’d a couple of years ago 7:58 min/mile ave over the 13.1. My fitness is way off to get down to that but another two 30+ mile weeks and then a gentle week prior and who knows I might dip into the 1 hour 40’s something, would be nice to get sub 1:50.
Great to see this thread getting some traction again, G&D is getting too much about food LOL.
Right, now to split by big Caputo and Fior de Latte order up.
Pitch
~33 km today, including 3 blocks of 25 mins each @ target marathon pace, closed off my highest volume week ever at ~85 km. Absolutely knackered after today’s session … there’s no way that’s my marathon pace
That is a fantastic week, bloody well done.
Pitch
I have got the Wokingham half in two weeks time and a rather sore hamstring. I’ve booked my first ever sports massage.
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Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
Like Pitch said above, it's great to have the thread active again. Is everyone on thr TZ Strava? There was a good gang on it before it shut down and it was restarted. Not as many on it now unfortunately .
My running has been gradually increasing again after I relaxed my training schedule from the Dublin marathon.
I have a 10mile race in March.
I would have liked a spring marathon but nothing caught my attention and unfortunately I didn't get into London or Boston this year.
I'm in for Dublin and Valencia this year so that will keep me going for the summer !
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Worth adding the link to the Strava club to the thread again, then: https://www.strava.com/clubs/1080417
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
Thanks for the strava link, I have asked to follow a few of you. That is some great distances pitch!
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Thanks. It’s going to go up even more if things stay on track!
Thank you. It hasn’t been that long since my months were much smaller than 85km. And zero not long before that. While I’m bragging, last month was my biggest at a little over 328km.
Well done on going beyond your target today and good luck with the race!
Managed to get my first overseas Parkrun in Florida yesterday morning. Met some nice people from all around the world and even managed a half decent time for my current level of fitness, the difference 15 degrees will do eh.
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Training started in earnest here for my local half in April, can anyone guess what happened in mile 2?? :-)
Woke up this morning to see the news that Kelvin Kiptum has been killed in a car crash. Sad news and a loss to running.
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day