Have you participated in a Park Run? I had walked through a Park Run many times and asked myself what on earth was happening at my local park on a Saturday morning at 9am? There were hundreds of the nutters running relentlessly at a fast pace, there were some chatting to the next person and there were some running with prams or dogs. I presume the prams had a baby in but you never know in this day and age and it would not surprise me if there was a poodle or some trendy dog sat there under the covers reading Vogue. Also I’ve sat down and watched the running masses at a Park Run a couple of times whilst I was waiting on some students to take part in a cricket match on a Saturday morning. There were a variety of ages, abilities and there were smiles galore. I had no excuse sitting down in my flip flops at the height of summer and looking back I should have joined in but the sun, the orange juice and chocolate croissant were just too enticing.
I have previously mentioned that the human brain plays funny tricks on the mind when you start out on new activities. You worry, panic and have a shot of anxiety through your body. You worry about what others think, whether you will get lost, whether you will arrive on time or even if people will talk to you. I am not talking about my daily walk to work but starting something new like a Park Run, joining a fitness class or even walking regularly every day. The fear of the unknown can worry lots of people as self-doubt kicks in and for that I fully sympathise. Starting something where there is an established sub-culture where routines are routine and people know what they are doing can be daunting. Starting my boot camp was nerve wracking as everyone knew what they were doing and I was putting myself out there in an established group. Going to university was particularly nerve wracking at 23 years of age because everyone was fresh from school and still in the education mode. I hadn’t even seen a PowerPoint before and was blown away at this technology during my open day. I soon learnt that Leeds Metropolitan University was a place where there was no need for nerves and watching football, playing football, drinking vodka and red bull was the same anywhere in the country. Oh and studying wasn’t that bad either. My point is we all worry at times and that is natural but for some it easier to overcome.
This brings me to the Park Run experience. I have only participated in thirteen since August 2018 but it’s an event that I feel everyone should participate in at least once in their life. This is not trying to force feed the run and the experience down your throats, far from it. Just for that community vibe and spirit that you get form that Saturday morning 9am start that kicks off the weekend with a bang. What I love is the variety of people that attend and the positivity it prescribes. You feel a sense of community, belonging as well as mentally and physically enhanced through doing something that takes as long as you require to feel fantastically fresh. It has something for everyone. Everyone is chasing their own goal. It could be the motivation of time and personal bests, to have a gentle stroll, a catch up with some friends, to walk the dog, walk the baby or even to give a friend a kick up the you know what to enable them to become physically active. The key to it is it is personal to you. You decide. To quote Aaron Phipps, ‘it’s your choice.’ Your choice to get whatever you want out of it.
As a first timer you are greeted by a couple of the superb volunteers that marshal the event. They give you a briefing of the course, advice but most of all support and encouragement. Once you participate you are part of a community that has spread world-wide. You may feel self-conscious in your new trainers and running kit but they key thing to take note of is that you have opened your new trainers out of the box and actually worn them outside towards some meaningful physical activity. How many of you reading this still have trainers in their box?
Then you participate in this community event and I guarantee you feel massively better at the finish line. What a way to start your weekend? It is your choice as to how you attack the run. Please note it is a run and not a race. It is aimed to encourage runners to congregate from their local community or visit another part of the country through sharing this awesome experience. If you are intending in running around 16-18 minutes then I suggest you listen to the brief as you will be one of the front runners but fear not if you get lost because there are marshals that volunteer scattered around the course cheering you on and guiding you (remember to say thanks when you go past them). This takes me back to the atmosphere created at London 2012 and those ‘Games-Makers’ well and truly made the games with their happiness, humbleness and heroic efforts. The positivity exuded from the volunteers at a Park Run can only benefit those involved, especially in a negative culture of reality television where people mock those that are not good at something (think any singing talent show because I cannot bring myself to name any). If you want to run it at your own pace then fine and equally you are allowed to walk it. It’s been mentioned before but the choice is yours.
If you want to track your times, personal bests or the amount of Park Runs you have participated in then you can either log the results manually or register with https://www.parkrun.org.uk/register/ to get your notifications and a personal page that shows all your statistics. I am motivated by my personal best score at the moment but soon know the scores will go the other way at some stage. If you register remember Run 41 is an option for a team and I think we have four at the moment. Join the gang! You will get a barcode and then once you finish you get given a finish token that gets scanned alongside your personal barcode. You hand in the token so it can be used again the following week and you can either join the fellow competitors for a cuppa and a biscuit after or go home feeling all smug with yourself. You will then get to enjoy it all over again the following week or whenever suits you. It is addictive.
I think that is it for now regarding the Park Run but I want you to know that I am not being paid or anything by promoting the Park Run (I do wish I had come up with the idea though) but just feel passionately about people improving their quality of life in a supportive free environment. Of course there are other ways to get fit and active and I respect all of these avenues people take. The most important thing to consider is something is better than nothing. If you Park Run after reading this then enjoy, have a good one and post your comments.
Remember if you’re not one step ahead you’re one step behind.
Run41 - inspiration to run 