In Praise of Parkrun

I’ve always been active and have been a keen swimmer, runner, gym goer at various points in life. I’ve dipped in and out of running, but haven’t done any real running since just before I was pregnant with Harry.

I saw a Facebook advert for the Race at Your Pace challenge and thought it would be the perfect motivator for me to get back into running and would serve as a new target for me. I have lapsed a bit in the last couple of weeks with a bit of focus at the gym, so having this target will at least give me a nudge towards the treadmill each visit to tick off 1 mile.

The challenge started on 1 January and I’ve set myself the target of 50 miles to be completed. I saw that my local park was operating a New Year’s Day Parkrun so it seemed like the perfect way to get the first few miles achieved.

I’ve observed Parkruns in the past and found them incredibly inspiring – people of all ages and abilities taking part and the genuine encouragement shown towards those running super fast at the front and those bringing up the rear.

I registered, printed my barcode and the five of us tootled off to the park. The start point is in the centre of the park at the bandstand and it was great to see it was well attended and very welcoming.

I wasn’t sure what to expect but the course is a fun one, slightly undulating and along the pathways into the wooded area and back out onto the paths. It is three laps around to complete the run. It was good fun and I was pleased that I wasn’t too far away from my ‘old’ average time of 30 minutes. The children enjoyed watching me run and it was lovely to hear them shouting as they spotted me along the course.

For anyone thinking of joining a local Parkrun – just do it. It’s free to register and attend and I guarantee you will enjoy it. There are people walking, running, jogging, Jogging with pushchairs, running with children. It’s a fantastic atmosphere and I am going to try and attend when I can.

I did the new year’s day run and the one at the weekend. I won’t run this weekend as Damian is working, but I hope to make the week after. It’s a great example of local communities coming together and providing worthwhile events. Parkruns take place in so many places around the country (and in fact the world) and are free to enter. They take place at 9 am in local parks.

You can read more about Parkrun here and do let me know if you’re a park runner.