Why I LOVE Parkruns!

This is my NEW Parkrun PB Video.

Four weeks ago now I made a video about my 2023 Parkrun PB attempt.
Last January, a whole year ago now, I made a 2023 New Years Resolution video and one of the targets I set myself was to run a Parkrun in under 30 minutes.
That video I made exactly a year ago, unbelievable how fast time flies when you’re having fun.

I love Parkruns, these videos I make about Parkruns are all mini love letters to Parkruns.

Can I run a sub 30 minute Parkrun? VIDEO – https://youtu.be/wVo4FIYpoT0?si=2TWxsLsZmwzNyds8

Find your nearest Parkrun – https://www.parkrun.org.uk/events/events/#geo=3.11/51.55/3.2

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Don’t get dropped in Zwift! – https://youtu.be/sDwpzQbBfTI?si=iFGyQ…
Can I RUN a 100K Ultra Marathon? – https://youtu.be/xtpdwNH4FPw?si=gqLWQ…
My First Marathon – Running The London Marathon – https://youtu.be/4oTgrUilYVI
The Value of overcoming a Hard Challenge! – https://youtu.be/PMCBABD_m5A?si=f7pPj3yfdhZDznBg
Can I run a sub 30 min PARKRUN? – https://youtu.be/wVo4FIYpoT0?si=Y7y0J4pMeaNixLaO

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This video is my new parkrun PB video it’s also a love letter to park runs this video is about both aspects four weeks ago now I made a video about my 2023 park run PB attempt last January a whole year ago now I made a 2023 new year’s resolution video and

One of the Targets in that video that I set myself was to run a park Run in under 30 minutes that video I made exactly a year ago now unbelievable how fast time flies when you’re having fun but the sub 30 minute 5K is a really good challenge for

Me running 5K over a park run Terrain in under 30 minutes is my Everest at the moment when I’ve done it I’ll find my new Everest two years ago I couldn’t run a 5k without stopping let alone at any kind of decent pace I love Park runs

These videos I make about Park runs are all mini Love Letters to park runs the best thing about Park runs are their obvious USPS and the three biggest unique selling points they have according to me are that they are completely free of charge they’re absolutely everywhere and they’re completely

Non-judgmental all three of these benefits make Park runs completely accessible to all these are the reasons I started running them in the first place and why I get so motivated by them every time I run one I enjoy being surrounded by all the different types of people from experienced Runners to

Absolute beginners they’re all there and they’re all there to make changes and improve their physical and mental health and secretly I get hugely motivated by those at the back of the pack running jeffing and walking their way to better well-being everyone has to start somewhere and park runs are great for

This they’re a great starting point they’re perfect if you’re out to get running for the first time or even the 10th time if you’re slow it doesn’t matter as there will be someone slower to run with or walk with and if you’re fast then there’s always someone faster

Than you to try and be and especially if you’re competitive like me and of course there is everything in between which is probably where I am anyway I could talk about how much I appreciate Park runs and how great they are for all Runners including beginners but this video isn’t

About necessarily just how great Park runs are and is a part of this video which is why I’m making it but it’s also about my sub 30 minute park run attempt it’s just half an hour little bit longer if you run slow even if you walked it you it’ be 45

Minutes so last January I set myself a sub 30 minute park run Target sub 30 minutes is an invisible barrier most Runners especially Park Runners want to pass as soon as they start running for the first time and sub 30 minutes is not a time anyone with minimal cardio

Ability can just wake up and run easily and as a heavy Runner continually looking to get stronger and better at running while simultaneously getting lighter going from my previous 5K PB of 33 minutes to sub30 was a great Target shaving 3 minutes off and one that felt completely achievable and unobtainable

All at the same time it was a really hard challenge that I needed and really wanted to overcome and it held huge value to me I also love Park runs because you get the buzz of an official Running event with finish times a start line a Finish Line Etc without that run

Writing off the rest of your day like other long running events sometimes do you get your running fixed as well as being able to go shopping with the family afterwards and not having to walk like John Wayne anyway a few weeks ago I made a video where I officially went for

My new Target of a sub 30-minute park run and in a second you will see why sprinting for a Finish Line is so important I turned up at my favorite park run location and I went for it and I ran a 29 minute 59 second park run

Time that video is on my channel link is in the [Applause] Description because of my aim for the Stars mentality I achieved an official park run result of are you ready for this 29 minutes and 59 seconds it was unbelievable that I did it but with only 1 second to spare I did run a sub30 minute park run but only by 1 second I

Was absolutely over the moon that I had achieved my 2023 new year’s resolution after the run when my heart rate had dropped and I had time to reflect I realized that I had held back in the last couple of kilometers not a lot but I could have

Held on for a slightly faster effort I realized that even with a decent Sprint finish like I attempted I felt I could have pushed harder especially in that last kilometer meaning that I felt like I had another parkrun PB attempts left in me it’s that awful feeling where you

Achieve what you want to achieve and then you think could I have done slightly better that’s exactly what I was thinking so two weeks ago now on Christmas Eve Eve so the 23rd of December I forced my reluctant two teenage daughters to a park run along with my very supportive but annoyingly

Naturally Fit partner and we went for it again this time I had my family to hopefully pce me the last time I ran with my family was last Christmas so it’s now become a bit of a family tradition to run Park runs on Christmas Eve with teenage enthusiasm now they’re both very

Reluctant to appear on camera as their teenagers but they tried really hard so Christmas Saturday park run and I’m here where she gone so we turn up at this really really busy park run I love it full of enthusiastic and hopeful run of all types it was brilliant and I had one

Goal sub 29 minutes and 59 seconds I set myself a 27 minute Target and if I could hold a 524 Pace per kilometer that would get me my not only my sub 30 minutes but it would get me 27 minutes which was smashing my target I’m not sure how many

Times in this video I’m going to say sub 30 minutes but it’s going to be a lot all right they don’t want to be in it but I’m here with the fam here’s Tracy hello now I knew Maddie my eldest had no intentions of running at my Pace she

Already told me and said this to me before the run that she would run at a happy pace and if she’s happy then I am happy she’s running with me in the same race and is this is good enough for me but my youngest Scarlet who is 14 said

She wanted to try and Pace me and she wanted to Pace me to success she wanted to help me get my sub 30 minutes which I really appreciate so the annual Christmas I’ve got to be honest with you I really appreciated them all wanting a

Run with me which was was a big deal for them because it was giving up their whole morning to come and do something which was my thing and not necessarily their so I really appreciate that sh this Saturday morning with us we thought nobody would turn up considering this

Was both of their first runs this year I was grateful that Scarlet wanted to try and keep up with me she does a lot of other sporting activities and I was confident that her natural Fitness level will carry her through and as it’s only 5K I knew she had a higher enough cardio

Ability to carry her through as well I wasn’t worried about her killing over or giving up halfway tracing my partner is awesome and her natural Fitness level allowed her to run between us me and Scarlet and Maddie who was having fun at the back running at her happy Pace well they mean

Business see you later the race was on and Scarlet and I went for it we shot off the line so fast I had to slow to 524 at one point within the first 500 M we were running a sub 4 minute kilm pace good job not good for endurance so

We had to slow to 524 and we sustained that for another kilometer which was phenomenal we were absolutely flying and I felt fantastic we pushed the first Hill and then Scarlet hit her wall she isn’t used to pushing through the wall and wanted to walk I stayed with her

Held her hand and kept her running as much as I could at a much slower Pace we run it together it’s important to me that she enjoys this run for what it is a hard challenge to overcome but not so hard that it puts her off running or

Running another park run for life okay our Pace has dropped off we’re not going to do a sub30 but she’s powering through aren’t you Scarlet give me she’s doing such a good job there’s a bit of a beasty heill on this park right so I think we’re going to walk that but

We’re doing well and most importantly we’re having fun on Christmas Eve no having fun no she’s doing so well my wife and other daughter are back there somewhere at least we’re beating them aren’t we she absolutely smashed it I said that she could stop whenever she wanted to

But she didn’t want to stop which was you know a great attitude to have I said she could walk if she wanted to and even though on occasion she did stop to walk she very quickly started jogging again and kept pushing herself this is a really nice downhill section

Here where we can run a bit faster so we’re now doing a six minute kilometer Pace downhill but whatever happens today Scarlet’s going to get her PB aren’t you cuz this is officially on paper her first ever Park one the last one she did well over a year ago she didn’t have a

Barcode for so she didn’t register this one she has got a BARC code and we have registered so we’re going to have a park on PB today come on whatever you do don’t walk she doesn’t want me filming her don’t walk then keep jogging she’s doing awesome she’s doing so well so that’s

One lap down we got one lap left to go we’re nearly at 2 and a2k she’s filming me filming her we’ve got the Beast of a hill here and I’m going to see if she’s got it in her to run up it I don’t apparently she doesn’t

We will see I also kept shouting motivational things at her come on don’t walk she’s doing so well she just does not run she does a lot of sports and activities but she doesn’t run and for the fact that she’s done this with me I’m so grateful that I’m able to do this

With my family where the other two are God knows and afterwards she did say that she appreciated the support keep going all right I’ll stop filming right we got a monster hill now come Little Steps Little Steps she didn’t say anything to me at the time because she

Was so busy just focusing on what she needed to get done that I sounded like a crazy dad forcing his daughter to run against her will and even though if you ask her now that’s what she’d say I knew she had fun what she did say was that

She found it hard at the time but she felt proud that she kept pushing and didn’t quit in a normal teenage matter OFA way and this put a huge smile on my face this feeling she got of overcoming her own personal heart challenge is why

I run and why I wanted to run with her and my other elder daughter who was conving her way around the course like Mary Poppins in that scene on the fairground horses oh Riders would you be so kind to let me pass certainly M thank you not they both had a small

Insight into why I love running so much and especially why I love Park runs you’ve absolutely smashed it you’ve done more than 99% of everyone else is still sat in the so for a lightning bed there’s only 1% .1% of the population out right now running

We part of it and we’re part of it she done her dad and left her bottle by tree so she didn’t have to carry it for the first lap that’s it we’re still going come on we’re doing a 7:30 Pace 7:30 pace is great oh we’re going to stop for a

Drink okay having a drink oh my there some tree in it yeah ready okay we’re not ready yet come we’re losing the pace people over tasting us oh well what do you mean how well come on let’s go let’s go go go oh no look who it is scar look who’s caught

Us where’s Maddie oh my God Tracy was having fun running between us and our eldest who stubbornly refused to Sprint or even break a sweat but in her own way I knew she enjoyed it and took pride from completing it in in her own way in her own stubborn independent

Way we’re going to run as fast as we can listen from that green sign always Sprint for a Finish Line Scarlet pass she got to go and then we reached the last 400 m I told her we were going to Sprint for the Finish Line she said no she didn’t have

It in her to Sprint which was absolutely fine ready are you ready come on come on come on I went for it and to her massive credit she tried to keep up with me and she tried to Sprint because I had run the whole race

In my zone one I had loads of energy for the Sprint and because Scarlet had put absolutely everything she had into this race running the wholeway in her zone five she was at a disadvantage but she still went for it she ran as hard as she

Could to keep up with me and she later told me after the race that she didn’t want the man next to her to beat her to the Finish Line even with a max heart rate exhaustion level she was still as competitive as me she is definitely my daughter Scarlet I crossed the Finish

Line in 33 minutes looked over my shoulder just in time to see her stop only a few feet from the finish line thank you scarlet and start to do that dreaded dry rection that we all get from pushing ourselves too hard in the mon get she eventually crossed the Finish

Line in just under 35 minutes if she stayed with me for another 6 feet and then collapsed after the Finish Line she would have had a parkr PB of 33 minutes I was incredibly proud of both her and her older sister who very calmly and elegantly crossed the Finish Line in a

Little over 35 Minutes well done mad go and get your bar code good job girls good job give me five mad give it to the you smashed it come here I’m so proud of you so proud of you well done good job give me five what on my girls

Jesus it’s like they just Wun a marathon and Trac would have smashed it if she wasn’t running between us and Maddie but the most important thing here was that we all enjoyed the run as a family in our own way that’s it done Park R

Finished we did it in well my watch said 35 minutes so oh mine said 34 34 we did it we did it in about 33 34 minutes yeah cuz I was after you and I was 34 yeah smashed it smashed it and that’s with you stopping on the Finish Line to throw

Up he doesn’t like the camera we’re done it seems like a really sentimental thing to say but us doing this park run together was more important to me than running a PB just slightly that I could complete this week next week or the week after doing this as a family is why I

Love Park runs it’s probably one of the only events that’s open to all capabilities and you can rock up with absolutely anyone your family included and someone can get something out of it it’s phenomenal so having said all that I still had time before the end of the

Year because this was Christmas Eve Eve to set my new park run PB of a sub 29 minute 59 second park run the best thing about the Christmas period is they don’t just do Park runs on Saturdays they run them over quite a few of the bank

Holidays so I had a look on the park run website and I saw that there was a local one running on the 30th of December unfortunately my favorite one wasn’t running but I found a new local one Colchester castle that was running on the 30th of December okay

I’m with Tracy it is Saturday morning uh the 30th of December it is New Year’s Eve Eve day before New Year’s Eve uh got two days left of 2023 and this is my second park run in two weeks two Park runs on the Trot so normally we work Saturdays which is why

I don’t normally get to do Park runs I love Park runs love doing them don’t we Tracy we love doing them Tracy’s been forced to do Park runs um her Fitness always amazes me cuz she does Zero running and then is able to keep up with me in a park run and

Makes it look easy and doesn’t even break a sweat yeah so today’s challenge sweating today no it’s cold today it’s about 5° at the moment luckily there’s no wind um there’s been wind all week it had been raining all night and was still raining when we woke up on the 30th so

My two newly indoctrinated parkrun loving daughters decided one motivational Park R per year was enough so they stayed in bed there no children today they refused to get out of bed even though they’d promised me to come and help me at least film um no children

For the park run today to be fair it was absolutely chucking it down when I woke them up so I’m going to start doing a warmup run in a minute however today’s challenge my Park R PB which I set two weeks ago is 29 minutes 59 seconds I

Beat the sub 30 minute challenge by 1 second so today I want to cement that this is going to be my last chance to run a park run in God knows how long because we work Saturdays and uh even though I can do a 5K run with my watch my garment watch I

Want to set an official Park R PB so I’m going to aim for my 27 minute Target which is a 524 km Pace I know I can’t sustain that for 5K but I’m going to aim to start with that but I need to do a warm-up run

Cuz I’m freezing so on our own Tracy and I rocked up at coester Castle Park run on a very wet New Year’s Eve Eve so the 30th of December not realizing how hilly this course really was we parked up and I started my 30 minute warm-up Run Tracy

Said she wasn’t going to do a warm-up run as apparently 5K was enough run in for one day today’s venue is Colchester Castle Park run so this is we’ve never done this before um it doesn’t look particularly hilly but then no look at that up there oh yeah that’s that looks very

Hi yeah okay I take that back there’s a there’s a big old Hill over in that direction it was only during my warm up that I realized just how hilly this course really was okay there was a meaty Hill I mean steep steepest parkr hill I’ve ever run up

Which Hills don’t bother me not bother by heels but heels affect PB time and every second counts it’s cold here to Castle and I had a slow realization that no PBS would be in set today I was gutted knowing no matter how hard I

Pushed I was never going to set a new PB on these steep steep hills so instead of going for a PB I changed my mindset and decided to go as hard as I could from the start you use it as a zone five workout and run for fun irrelevant of

The time okay 3 2 1 [Applause] go so both Tracy and I got on the start line right at the front and we went for it the Crazy Fast Runners sped past us and we hurtled down the hill for the first time to the first

Turn Tracy and I burst off the line as normal she got a little in front of me which was great things were looking good for both her and me at this point I love it when I’m able to run with her we get to run laps of the castle

Which is at the top of the hill and after each turn of the castle we need to head right back down to the bottom of the hill and we need to do this three Times when you run downhill on a loop unfortunately this means you need to run back up morning good morning [Applause] filmer okay that’s 2K down now we’re back uphill got to run uphill now and this long hill with loads of turns in it back up to the castle was really really steep okay Pace has dropped off a bit going downhill now though what goes down must go up there’s some brutal

Climbs this is a very hid course oh my God this this is so hilly come on it’s downhill R st been a wimp down here come on H mate got that it so this route was a killer the climbing felt Relentless my cardio was really really put to the test I run the

Entire route in zone five a Max effort with my heart rate maxing out at 188 190 is my absolute capacity and I average 173 BPM this was truly a Max effort run I hadn’t run this hard in a long time even when I race on zwift my heart rate doesn’t always get this High I’m back now my Target Pace originally was 524 per kilometer and I ran the first 2 kilom unbeknownst to me at 528 but with a Long Hill that I had to climb three times my Pace then dropped to 615 in kilometer 3 and four come on try just a k to go

Brutal Hill I tried really hard to keep filming but all my energy was spent on trying to keep a faster Pace you know you’re in zone five when you can’t speak or even think about anything else other than just the pace the heal on this course was a killer it destroyed

Everything I was trying to achieve thank as I came around the castle for the third and final time I looked at my watch for the first time in the run and I saw that I was seconds away from 30 minutes I genuinely couldn’t believe I

Was still on for a 30 minute finish time and if I sprinted I was possibly quite possibly still on for a sub 30 minute Time by only seconds but I had to Sprint if I wanted to achieve this I was convinced that my Pace was so slow I was

Miles off 30 minutes to look look at my watch and see I was only seconds off 30 minutes with my Finish Line in sight this was an awesome feeling and gave me a big boost I went for it sprinting as hard as my maxed out heart rate allowed

Me to and I crossed the line I didn’t feel had more in me I couldn’t have run any harder or any faster unlike my last PB attempt where I reflected and thought I could have pushed a bit more I knew I was at Absolute maximum in this run and my time was drum

Roll I couldn’t believe it it was again exactly 29 minutes and 59 seconds with my garming watch back in this up I had run exactly the same sub 30 minute time I had set only a few weeks previous now this 29 minutes and 59 seconds was a

Blessing and a curse I’ll come on to that in a second now I knew this course was tough and I had passed Tracy in the second kilometer and when I finished I watched Tracy come around the corner over 4 minutes behind me she had really struggled with the heels I shouted at

Her to Sprint as she approached the finish line and she was not amused she refused to make eye contact with me she did not enjoy this cold wet run uphills even at her own pace apparently Park runs are not fun in the winter rain and uphills feel can you [Applause]

Breathe she done very well yep got it got it thank you good job thanks very much anyway there were loads of posi from this run but two stuck out for me going back to what I was saying about this time being a blessing and a curse now

This was my second sub 30-minute park run so this proved that the first one was not a fluke so first off hoay for me but the second benefit and also probably a curse was that this finish time was on a course with a huge climb in it and we

Had to climb that climb three times it had significantly increased trac’s parkon finish time and because of the climbing involved in the amount of effort I put put into climbing these climbs I knew that I could potentially have gone for a 28 minute time on a flat

Call so I reckon that these heels increased my finish time by 2 minutes that’s just me guessing and being optimistic probably but I definitely think on a flat course I would have smashed 30 minutes we will have to wait and see this might have to go into my

New Year’s resolution video which is going to come out next week I have loads of exciting new hard challenges from smaller fun ones like this park run PB to some of the most audaciously hard challenges I think I will ever face in my entire life all planned in for 2024

So first off here’s to a bigger and better 2024 thanks for watching this video please don’t forget to like And subscribe if you see value in my channel and happy New Year to you and your whole family if you fancy running or even walking your first park run then I’ve

Left a link in the description to help help you find one near you I’m a massive Advocate and don’t forget they don’t cost a penny so they’re completely free of charge good luck and I hope to see you in next week’s New Year’s resolution video see you Then a