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ParkRun / Running Thread
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Looked up park run for this weekend whilst in Poole and it is a beautiful course round a lake so was very tempted. Had a lot of wine Friday night and woke at 9.30am. Saw the lake from the bus to sandbanks. Ahhh well.Apparently they get average 800 people each week!1
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Not sure if it has been mentioned but In October, not sure exact date, Charlton Park will have a parkrun.0
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Haven't been able to run continuously for two months now (i.e more than a couple of hundred meters) without getting a searing pain in my lower calf and achilles.
However I have in the last month managed a kick around a few times and as such I am now braving an attempted running return at lunch time.
Will probably be around a mile with a warm up and cooldown all at an easy pace with full stretching routine after. Time to rebuild these legs I hope, otherwise it's off to the physio for some punishment and spending.
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Got some new shoes yesterday, replacing the Kalenji Kipruns I’ve had for 2-3 years. Always nervous buying gear from Sports Direct and just hopeful they turn out to be a good match.Never had New Balance before so fingers crossed0
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Mrs Hex suggested New Balance for my first running shoes - £25 from M&Ms. Considering the problems I had with my heels they have been perfect.AFKABartram said:Got some new shoes yesterday, replacing the Kalenji Kipruns I’ve had for 2-3 years. Always nervous buying gear from Sports Direct and just hopeful they turn out to be a good match.Never had New Balance before so fingers crossed1 -
New Balance shoes are goodAFKABartram said:Got some new shoes yesterday, replacing the Kalenji Kipruns I’ve had for 2-3 years. Always nervous buying gear from Sports Direct and just hopeful they turn out to be a good match.Never had New Balance before so fingers crossed2 -
Just a heads up on running shoes, unless you know yourself to be a neutral runner as opposed to an over/under pronator then you should be fine buying shoes online. Just make sure they're neutral.
If you over/under pronate, always get a shoe recommendation from someone that can do a proper gait and stride analysis.2 -
yep, I made that mistake also went to Runners Need who then gave me the wrong shoes, and then to the lovely people at the Running Hub in Tonbridge (thanks to @r@RodneyCharltonTrotta), and £120 later I didn't have the wrong shoesDazzler21 said:Just a heads up on running shoes, unless you know yourself to be a neutral runner as opposed to an over/under pronator then you should be fine buying shoes online. Just make sure they're neutral.
If you over/under pronate, always get a shoe recommendation from someone that can do a proper gait and stride analysis.2 -
Do worry about the sustainability of the explosion of new parkruns, particularly from a volunteer perspective. 2 new ones mentioned in the last few posts, Sutcliffe park started last week.I’ve only done Avery Hill and Danson and it’s a great feeling running with 200-300 others. Each requires around 25-30 volunteers. There’s only a limited poo of local people prepared to volunteer and having half a dozen Parkruns so close to each other I think will prove a real strain. Looks on initial look the Sutcliffe Park one has take roughly 50 runners off the Avery Hill and Danson ones. Charlton Park will then split the Sutcliffe Park crowd and I suspect Swanley Park might well kill off Footscray Meadows, who only had 68 this week.@InspectorSands you regularly volunteer, what do you (and others) think?0
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You're getting the explosion because of two things, one is pandemic, and two (I know this as I negotiated it with Parkrun at the time) is their funding from Sport England, which was built around expanding Parkrun out of nice middle class areas, into areas which are more challenging.
The good thing is that there is a massive untapped pool of volunteers in those areas, and Parkrun think and I believe it, that if you put the Parkrun infrastructure in, you provide the tools and ability for people to improve their lives. It's similar to the thinking the Scouts have with the introductions of Squirrels into the 200 most deprived communities in the UK.1 -
If it's any consolation @suzisausage that path around the lake is usually covered in foul, slippery goose crap...and the lake can get quite stinky too.suzisausage said:Looked up park run for this weekend whilst in Poole and it is a beautiful course round a lake so was very tempted. Had a lot of wine Friday night and woke at 9.30am. Saw the lake from the bus to sandbanks. Ahhh well.Apparently they get average 800 people each week!1 -
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@AFKABartram I volunteer most weeks at Danson (as am struggling with running at the mo ).. There is always a scramble to get enough people in... Also worth noting that Danson has not seen anywhere near a return to 'normal', pre-pandemic runner numbers since starting again...
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My ex-wife is regularly volunteering at Cyclopark ParkRun and was Race Director for the first time last Saturday after the two regular Directors have taken a step back.
Our daughter is barcode scanning next week. Give her a smile if you're there, she hates people smiling at her lol1 -
I think it's fine. As @Rothko says, a lot of it is about pushing parkrun in a more diverse set of communities - for example, the Charlton one's set-up costs were partly met by Charlton Triangle Housing, which runs the Cherry Orchard and Springfield estates and Valiant House behind the Valley. The rest came from council funding (which in itself came from government) aimed at areas with public health needs because of the pandemic - those estates again.AFKABartram said:Do worry about the sustainability of the explosion of new parkruns, particularly from a volunteer perspective. 2 new ones mentioned in the last few posts, Sutcliffe park started last week.I’ve only done Avery Hill and Danson and it’s a great feeling running with 200-300 others. Each requires around 25-30 volunteers. There’s only a limited poo of local people prepared to volunteer and having half a dozen Parkruns so close to each other I think will prove a real strain. Looks on initial look the Sutcliffe Park one has take roughly 50 runners off the Avery Hill and Danson ones. Charlton Park will then split the Sutcliffe Park crowd and I suspect Swanley Park might well kill off Footscray Meadows, who only had 68 this week.@InspectorSands you regularly volunteer, what do you (and others) think?
And a lot have simply been delayed because of the pandemic - Sutcliffe was in the works as lockdown happened so is probably a year late. I think a generous neighbour stumped up all or most of the costs for that.
Remember also that most of Greenwich borough was a parkrun desert - a lot of untapped demand. Very soon we'll have three. And there'll then still be a big gap between Woolwich and Erith. (And on a national level - Peel Park in Salford started this month, and instantly becomes the nearest run for Manchester city centre: that's a lot of people!)
They also build up in time: Catford parkrun started because a guy who lived in Catford couldn't be bothered to go two miles to Hilly Fields and started his own in Mountsfield Park - it's now almost as big as Hilly Fields, and the Catford team have helped start Sutcliffe.
Numbers are still a bit all over the place because of the pandemic so it'll be a while before they settle down - Footscray was always a smaller one anyway if you look at past runs, the one time I went it was swelled to about 250 by a running club turning up en masse! Beckton has similar numbers and survived Victoria Dock opening up on its doorstep so Footscray should survive Swanley Park opening up. (EDIT: Most of the Footscray registrations are from Sidcup postcodes too -https://wiki.parkrun.com/index.php/Foots_Cray_Meadows_parkrun)
For Sutcliffe and Charlton, I think there will be a bit of a pinch for volunteers at first, though, because of two new ones starting in fairly close proximity - it should work through in time, though. Volunteer numbers seem a bit wobbly in general at the moment.
And it would be easier if more parkrunners volunteered more often - if everybody did it once or twice a year, there'd be no problems.
(I will either be marshalling or tail-walking Charlton parkrun #1, like the goody two-shoes I am.)
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Mixed results from first outing.AFKABartram said:Got some new shoes yesterday, replacing the Kalenji Kipruns I’ve had for 2-3 years. Always nervous buying gear from Sports Direct and just hopeful they turn out to be a good match.Never had New Balance before so fingers crossedGood - really comfortable and run well
Bad - grooves of both soles caked in dog shit2 -
That boot buddy tool I linked on previous page is your friend re point 2 mate.AFKABartram said:
Mixed results from first outing.AFKABartram said:Got some new shoes yesterday, replacing the Kalenji Kipruns I’ve had for 2-3 years. Always nervous buying gear from Sports Direct and just hopeful they turn out to be a good match.Never had New Balance before so fingers crossedGood - really comfortable and run well
Bad - grooves of both soles caked in dog shit1 -
Bexley Parkrun is cancelled tomorrow0
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Brexit?ThreadKiller said:Bexley Parkrun is cancelled tomorrow2 - Sponsored links:
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My parkrun often struggles to get volunteers and 2 weeks ago couldn't get enough so they decided to go without timekeepers and gave eveyone a time of 59.59, we get between 550-700 most weeks and they said if everyone who runs volunteers twice a year they would never struggle to put the race on.
2 weeks on the spin now I've got round without stopping and a minute quicker each time, 50th one next week, gone from 39 minutes to 36 in 3 weeks so aiming for 35 next week.5 -
I see Charlton Park Parkrun started this week.0
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Hopefully things will improve now. Amazing to think that they can't get enough volunteers from that size turn out. I did Avery Hill for the first time yesterday - had intended to do Danson. 230 runners, which surprised me given the Danson cancelation. I don't get to run many park runs, but I really like the positive vibe created by several hundred runners/walkers and a welcoming and very enthusiastic band of volunteers using a community park. Long may it continue!Chef_addick said:My parkrun often struggles to get volunteers and 2 weeks ago couldn't get enough so they decided to go without timekeepers and gave eveyone a time of 59.59, we get between 550-700 most weeks and they said if everyone who runs volunteers twice a year they would never struggle to put the race on.
2 weeks on the spin now I've got round without stopping and a minute quicker each time, 50th one next week, gone from 39 minutes to 36 in 3 weeks so aiming for 35 next week.1 -
Hope you enjoyed it @Bermuda_red
Ive sacked off Avery Hill to play golf the last couple of months, but have been really missing it0 -
Great time btw!0
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Thanks! I'm getting back into it . Found course quite tough, not a fan of the off road stuff which messes with rhythm and accounts for a big chunk of course. Haven't been to Avery Hill in ages. 80s maybe, so an interesting trip down memory lane. Glad I did it though.AFKABartram said:Great time btw!
I did speak briefly to a fellow Charlton fan at the start line. No idea if he was a fellow CL member.0 -
*whistles*0
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@InspectorSands I’ve looked at the route map and can’t work out how it’s going to work with the fence that runs through the middle of the park along the path. What’s the plan?InspectorSands said:*whistles*
btw Sutcliffe Park has had higher numbers than Avery Hill two weeks in a row now. I look down the results and can see that one has taken large numbers from Avery Hill. Will be interesting if that continues over time.0 -
Thats the section that has an opening out on to the fields either side of that pathAFKABartram said:
@InspectorSands I’ve looked at the route map and can’t work out how it’s going to work with the fence that runs through the middle of the park along the path. What’s the plan?InspectorSands said:*whistles*
btw Sutcliffe Park has had higher numbers than Avery Hill two weeks in a row now. I look down the results and can see that one has taken large numbers from Avery Hill. Will be interesting if that continues over time.0 -
Anyone ever done the one at Beckenham place park?
ive barely done any off road running so keen to gauge how it is.0
