Stafford Park Run

littleme

250,000th poster!
Spoke to a group of blokes from Blyth (my part of the country) yesterday - they left at 5.30am to do Staffordshire Park Run as they are trying to complete the Park Run Alphabet, they just had ''I" (Isabel trail), "Q" & "X" to complete the set, I think they said they will have to travel to Poland for "X" .... Anyone else doing the same?
 

kyoto49

Well-Known Forumite
Spoke to a group of blokes from Blyth (my part of the country) yesterday - they left at 5.30am to do Staffordshire Park Run as they are trying to complete the Park Run Alphabet, they just had ''I" (Isabel trail), "Q" & "X" to complete the set, I think they said they will have to travel to Poland for "X" .... Anyone else doing the same?

God's country. I'm from Seaton Sluice by ancestry!

Yes, its a popular thing to do this park run 'a to z'. Apparently 'I' was hard to find in the UK so the Isabel Trail pr is getting a significant number of tourists!
 

littleme

250,000th poster!
God's country. I'm from Seaton Sluice by ancestry!
Ashington for me, & Byker in Newcastle by ancestry for me :)

I would of thought "I" would be easy...Ipswich etc but apparently not, seems like cheeting to replace Stafford with the Isabel Trail though.
 

c0tt0nt0p

Well-Known Forumite
I would of thought "I" would be easy...Ipswich etc but apparently not, seems like cheeting to replace Stafford with the Isabel Trail though.
Just Inverness and Ipswich along with the Isabel Trail...

I don't have an issue with the naming of it, if it gets more people visiting the town then good stuff...
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Some 'journalism' has appeared.

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kyoto49

Well-Known Forumite
Still struggling for volunteers every week if anyone fancies some Saturday morning fresh air and volunteering.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
I had no idea this existed, is it still ongoing?

I actually did my very first run today on the couch to 5k thingy, it didn't hurt as much as I expected but I'm aware they break you in easily!
 

c0tt0nt0p

Well-Known Forumite
I've done the Isabel Trail Parkrun 4 times and I must admit i've not really enjoyed any of them !! Something about the "straight out and back again" route that I can't get on with....much prefer the inclines of Cannock Chase Parkrun !!
 
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peggy

Well-Known Forumite
I've done the Isabel Trail Parkrun 4 times and I must admit i've not really enjoyed any of them !! Something about the "straight out and back again" route that I can't get on with....much prefer the inclines of Cannock Chase Parkrun !!
Cannock Chase is a beautiful park run and probably one of my favourites.
 

c0tt0nt0p

Well-Known Forumite
Cannock Chase is a beautiful park run and probably one of my favourites.

I've not done many, but Tamar Trails in Devon takes some beating. You run around a World Heritage Site (it used to be a copper/tin mining area)....Very hilly but well worth it....
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
So I ran twice, over stretched myself, panicked as I was going to climb mountains n stuff so stopped. Until last week when I went out twice, doing one from week one and one from week 2 of c25k. It was too easy, and I didn't really like the start/stop nature, so I decided to can that.

This week I ran on Tuesday, still listened to c25k to maintain an idea of timing, but really I was only interested in the music (late 90s / early 00s metal). Did 5k, the only break was to tie my shoelace, and it felt good! Last night I drank (balanced life and all that), but tonight I was back on it. Did 5k again tonight, and knocked off over 30s from my pace bringing it down to 5:07. I'm really enjoying it, something I never thought I'd say!

Something that concerns me though is my heart rate. I don't feel bad running, but my (most likely rather inaccurate) chinese tracker thingy reckons I was averaging 168bpm. That seems excessive! It also put me almost constantly in vo2 max section. Now my resting heartbeat reads about right, currently 62, so is the watch going wrong or that really what your heart gets up to in a workout? I've never done exercise, this is all new to me! I've been told I'm running too fast, which I know, but I can't seem to go slow. Maybe the choice of music is wrong but it;s what gets me going.

So, to those who have been a newbie to running, am I pushing myself too much? I don't have an end goal, neither distance nor speed, but when I get out I just want to see what I can do. I'm not even breaking a real sweat, but my hamstrings are really tight so I'm aware I need more stretching (they've always been bad since I cycled to wales and buggered them up due to not actually doing any practice) and the tendons in my inner thighs feel tight as well. Any tips to force a pace, short of running with others? I don't really want to run without music, it's what drives me, so not sure how well I'd get on with other people.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
The above isn't really about the park run, maybe it should sit elsewhere?

In other news my shins are sore today. Not really bad, but enough that I'm aware of them.
 

Lucy

Well-Known Forumite
I don't think your heart rate is excessive. I can't get mine up that high, but looking at the OHs Garmin stats for the 10k he did yesterday he averaged 161, and he's running most days so I'd expect it to be lower.
 

Thehooperman

Well-Known Forumite
In other news my shins are sore today. Not really bad, but enough that I'm aware of them.

That might be shin splints which can be caused by a number of things such as your shoes or the way you run.

Might be worth trying other shoes to see if that helps.

I find elevating your legs and using ice helps or ibuprofen gel if they really hurt.
 

c0tt0nt0p

Well-Known Forumite
There are so many variables in play @tek-monkey . Your heart rate tracker might not be accurate (take it manually for 30 secs at rest and double it to compare with the wearable). My first parkrun at Cannock Chase 2 years ago was 26:30 and my average heart rate was 166. My PB of just over 23mins at the end of 2018 I had an average HR of 164.

Once you are happy with your tech being accurate look out for your max heart rate. They generally say it should not exceed 220 less your age. In regards to resting heart rate I wouldn't worry. I have one that's between 45-55 which technically makes me elite but I'm anything but....

I'd agree you have shin splints....they'll go in time but ice them if you want.
 
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