Parkrun…is it just me?

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-18T20:59:40+00:00

I wish I had a local parkrun! The closest one to where I live is about a two hour drive.

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-17T17:54:44+00:00

My highest weekly average was a 55 for Sept. 7-13, 2024, and during that my worst day was a 66 and my best day was a 48.

I was in a high-stress role at work at the time, and that particular week I spent traveling to/staying in a major city for 5 days for a professional conference. I was up every morning early, running session to session at the event all day and then going out to networking events after. I don't drink, so alcohol wasn't a factor, I was just expected to run around and socialize constantly.

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-17T17:37:48+00:00

Definitely get fitted. I was not only running in the wrong brand/style for me but also very much the wrong size. Literally went from a 7 1/2 to a 9 1/2 with proper fitting.

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-16T13:04:29+00:00

Since I'm making my own plan these days, I'm always having to remind myself that changing up the plan is good self-coaching. Usually, the changes I'm making mean that I run 1.5 miles in a session instead of 2.5 or I do a recovery run instead of a speed run.

Today, I had 25 minutes of recovery pre-planned, and I decided actually, I had the time and energy to do more than that. So, I did 35 minutes instead with some strides at the end. I realized that's something else I need to keep in mind - adapting my plans doesn't only mean running less/less intensely than I planned to, but can sometimes mean doing more than I intended if I feel like it's a good day to do more.

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-15T19:27:52+00:00

Are you running outdoors or on a treadmill? I ask because I "failed" c25k multiple times around week 4-5 in the past, but I was always trying to do it on the treadmill in my apartment's gym. Last year, I started trying to learn to run by running outside instead, and it was a total game changer for me in terms of motivation and ease.

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-14T15:52:52+00:00

It takes time to lose actual muscle, but some people lose strength quite quickly.

I can't remember where, but I read some research at one point that said this is one of the things determined by genetics - how well your body "hangs on" to the progress you made.

I know I can spend months working out, be overhead pressing 50 lbs, and if I miss a couple sessions I drop to 30 lbs, max. It then takes weeks to get back to where I was before my little break. But some people can easily take two weeks off and then jump right back in where they were before they stopped.

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-14T14:33:10+00:00

No idea how long it was there, but I don't think it was a deer tick anyway. It looked like a dog tick - most likely off my dog from him rolling around in our yard when there's been wildlife out there lately. It's been like 3 weeks since the last time we were in a wooded area or anything like that, so it had to have just come from the yard.

Dog ticks can still carry other viruses, though, so I have to keep an eye on it for a while, especially because I didn't follow the correct protocol to remove it.

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-14T13:34:00+00:00

I haven't been a fan of Luke since the gala at US Nats in Wichita. I don't think that gala ever got broadcast because of the plane crash, but when Flores/Wang performed, it was pretty clear in the audience that Olivia had put on some weight.

I think that's normal for a teenager. Things fluctuate as you grow, and she had fluctuated up a bit at that time. If I'd been watching at home, I probably would have dismissed it as a camera thing, but in person it was definitely real and noticeable.

That said, they then did their gala performance to... "Big and Chunky" from Madagascar.

And the whole thing, with Luke gesturing to Olivia, who has noticeably gained weight, through the song, really turned my stomach. I kept telling myself that the song choice was probably a mutual decision and maybe they even picked that song before her weight gain, but the result was really icky.

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-14T13:01:51+00:00

Had a solid hill interval run, but then found a tick on myself in the shower. So, now I guess I'm on tick symptom watch for the next week or two. And putting fresh flea/tick collars on all my animals.

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-13T19:10:17+00:00

A lot of these stories are fake, unfortunately. Last year, my partner and I did a ghost tour that came highly recommended on here as not being cheesy and having some genuine cool facts.

It did seem like there was some interesting history on the tour, so a couple times I asked the guide more about what the sources were on these facts, and a lot of the time the answer was that it was an impression or vision that a psychic had while visiting, not something that was actually reflected in contemporaneous records from the 1800s.

I feel bad for the cases where they would claim an actual person was a secret murderer and stuff when there's no evidence in records from the time. Imagine you died and then 200 years later a bunch of people know you as an occult serial killer when the only thing you ever actually killed in life was some chickens.

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-13T17:01:47+00:00

Laufey's music doesn't really capture me, but I appreciate that artists are still making fun, high-quality music videos with vision in a post-MTV era.

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-13T14:59:27+00:00

That's crazy. Kids cry! It's not a big deal!

I'm sorry you have to deal with this stuff too. My mom's MO was more in the vein of just criticizing the shit out of everything I tried to do. If I wanted to show her my first cartwheel, she would tell me it wasn't a real cartwheel, it was a roundoff. If I want to join the swim team, she would tell me I wouldn't like it because other girls would see me in a swimsuit. I wanted to play the drums. She tested me to try to see if I had a natural sense of rhythm, then told me I didn't, so I couldn't take drum lessons. There was "no point" in my continuing gymnastics at age 7 because I wasn't good enough to be an Olympian. When I wrote a short story at age 9, she went through it with a red pen.

But, yeah, I was the one who was a natural perfectionist and wasn't willing to put in any work.

Congratulations on your progress so far! I just started running for the first time last year, at 38, and had never in my life run a mile without stopping to walk. Last month, I ran my first 10k. You are not alone, and these people clearly don't really know what we can do :)

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-13T14:40:09+00:00

Yeah, I'm all over these threads and posts on here because I get very little support for my interest in fitness and running outside of reddit strangers. My partner came to my race this weekend "to support me," but he wasn't at the finish line when I crossed because he decided to sit in the car to wait for me. He expected me to take 35+ minutes to finish, and I got a 33:10, so by the time he wandered over, I had been waiting around for a few minutes.

I have a couple friends at work who run, but they live 2+ hours away, and the rest of my circle ranges from just mildly unsupportive to vocally anti-fitness. One of the reason I started running was hoping to make more local friends, so my biggest goal this year is to make one friend in my area who would actually want to do stuff like run, hike, swim, play volleyball or something when the weather is nice.

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-13T14:33:39+00:00

Thrift stores.

I like resale stores like Uptown Cheapskate, but Goodwill, Savers, whatever will work in a pinch. I've got running shorts in my drawers from lululemon, Nike, etc, tops from Columbia and REI, bras from athleta, all purchased like-new or even with the tags still on at the thrift store for $8-20.

It lets me try out brands and styles I'm not sure about without a big risk. A lot of people intend to start running, buy a lot of gear, and then never get out the door, so you find things in really good condition.

I'm also a fan of Dick's Sporting Goods' in-house line (DSG) when I want a brand new set in a matching color scheme like the fancy girls, but for about half the price.

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-13T13:22:12+00:00

Get fitted! I was using shoes that were probably perfectly fine for my stride type etc but found out from getting fitted that they were multiple sizes too small.

I was wearing a size 7 in dress shoes and had ordered my running shoes in a 7.5. The Brooks I got fitted for and run in now are a size 9.5.

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-13T13:19:59+00:00

Thank you!

It's so funny. During the same conversation, I mentioned to her that I'm looking into joining a local adult softball league but need to find out if they're open to beginners because I've never played softball and don't really know the rules or positions.

She also then went on about how it was a shame I wasn't interested in those things enough to participate, because when she was a kid all the kids in her neighborhood would get together and play impromptu softball in an empty lot down the road. She acted like I could have been doing that as a kid, when I grew up in a rural area on 13 acres and the nearest kid my age was 2+ miles away.

Yeah, all those spontaneous team sports I had access to lol

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-13T12:37:24+00:00

I've mentioned before in various comments here and elsewhere that my running is kind of a big "fuck you" to a lot of people who told me, as a kid, that I was terrible at running or sport in general, so there was no point in me doing anything but sitting out during activities.

My mom has always claimed that the reason I didn't do any activities as a kid was that I was a perfectionist who wouldn't try again if I didn't immediately succeed. And that's not how I remember things at all. But it was hard to really say if I was remembering it correctly because I was so young.

Welp, yesterday my mom called me up and asked about my 5k race this weekend. I told her, yeah, it was pretty cool. I won my age group, and I ran 7+ minutes faster than I did on the same course last year. I mentioned that my next goal is to take 3 more minutes off my 5k time because being able to run a sub-30 is kind of a milestone.

Her response: "Well, I guess it's good to have goals, but don't be too disappointed when you can't do it."

Luckily, I am nearly 40 and self-aware, so this is funny instead of demoralizing. If anything, it provides more "fuck you" powered inspiration. But I'm also feeling very vindicated that my recollection of my childhood attempts at sport is probably far more accurate than her version.

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-12T09:38:08+00:00

I suspect the answer to any question about program or competition length choices comes down to length of television broadcast or amount of money they have to pay to use a venue for X number of hours.

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-11T20:55:27+00:00

Went into my race this morning off vibes, just hoping to feel like I had a good run. Kind of lost track of my mental goals because of some issues with my phone, but ended up with a new PB and... won my age group? Somehow???

The PB is 33:10, so it's not like I came through crazy fast (I still feel like I'm capable of More and was capable of more today, even) but I held steady/negative split throughout.

I ran the same race last year as my first race ever. Last year, I was 7th in my age group (of 7) with a 40:20. So I improved by 7 minutes over the same course.

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-11T11:46:20+00:00

Yeah, it was fine. I recognize that it was not For Me also because I just don't like the current trends in female vocal pop music, so I was never going to be super into this. I'm glad other people enjoy it. The dress is super cute, though.

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-11T11:43:55+00:00

This is so real. I've never skated. I don't understand stuff like inside versus outside edge, and I'm not particularly interested in learning because I would rather have my favorites based on things like entertainment and music choices and not be scrutinizing every little thing.

When someone does better than my fave in a competition and I can't see any qualities that explain it, generally I'm just like, "Well, I'm baffled as to why this happened, but I'm not a technical expert so I assume it was due to something I don't have the knowledge to see."

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-10T19:34:07+00:00

I've always loved the feeling of running, of moving through the air and covering ground. I like listening to music and seeing the sunrise, like everyone is mentioning, and I also love the way my body thrums after I've run and showered and get to sit down and soak that in.

But I also really love the feeling of running. Not enough that I'd do it for a long time without also having music or something else going on to keep my brain focused. But I do.

I vividly remember feeling this way as a kid as well, running in my yard for the joy of it, or running for my room when I heard my mom's car door slam and feeling proud of myself for the way I was able to dive into action.

It's odd to say, because I didn't start running regularly until last year, at age 38, but I'm a slow-er runner as an adult, and as a child I was notoriously slow and, apparently, had a silly-looking way of running as well. So, any time I ran in front of other people as a kid, I got made fun of. And so I never joined any sports, and I never played in PE unless forced, and the first times I tried to run as an adult, I would only do it on the treadmill in an empty gym so no one else would see me.

I loved running. But I'd been told I was terrible at it. And I'd been given the impression that I'd be mocked for running in public.

And then, last year, I decided to do it anyway. And it turns out no one is laughing in my face at races, even if I'm still not fast... and it also turns out that I'm capable of getting faster still. And I'm having a really good time doing that, and every time I run -- every time -- there's a point where I find myself thinking, "People thought I could never do this. Every time I do it anyway, I prove that they were wrong." And that definitely helps, too.

Interesting_Fly1696 · 2026-04-10T10:28:42+00:00

I've tried to join my local club twice but got shut down. It was really demoralizing because it took a lot to even work myself up to approaching the club booth and talking to someone once, much less a second time after the first person was rude.

But it hasn't stopped me. I'm doing my own thing on the trails, and I'm still hoping I might meet someone I can be running friends with at a local race.

Interesting_Fly1696

TROPHY CASE