Today I did the Southend parkrun for the first time in several years, after my son James suggested we do it together. I’ve been running regularly over recent months, gradually building up my distances. I’ve done most of my training on my own, so it was a nice change to run with James and a few hundred other runners. I was interested to see how I’d get on after such a long break from parkrun and whether my recent training would make a difference.
Back on the Start Line
One thing I like about parkrun is that it brings together people of all ages and abilities. Some run as fast as they can, others work towards their own goals, and plenty simply enjoy a bit of exercise on a Saturday morning. For me, the objective was straightforward. I wanted to complete the 5K at a reasonably comfortable pace and see how my recent training translated into an organised event. Having James there made the morning more enjoyable, although we weren’t planning to run at the same pace. We each had our own run, and I was happy to let him get on with his.
Five Kilometres in 37 Minutes
My Garmin recorded 5.01 km in 37:02, giving me an average pace of 7:23 per kilometre. My official parkrun time was 37:43, placing me 277th out of 334 finishers and 162nd among the male participants. My Garmin was 41 seconds off from the official result. That’s understandable, as Garmin measures the activity from when I start and stop my watch, while parkrun records the official finishing time. For my parkrun record, it’s the 37:43 that counts.
I was quite pleased with how the run went. My average heart rate was 128 bpm, with a maximum of 140 bpm, and although I rated the effort as 6/10 (Hard), I also felt strong afterwards. That was probably the most encouraging part. I was running at a reasonable pace for me, but I didn’t finish feeling completely exhausted.
What the Garmin Tells Me
Looking at the statistics afterwards, a few things stood out.
Garmin classified the run as Tempo (High Aerobic), with an aerobic Training Effect of 3.9, Impacting, and an exercise load of 114. That suggests it was a worthwhile training session. My average cadence was 162 steps per minute, with an average stride length of 0.84 metres. My average pace of 7:23/km was also a little quicker than I’ve generally been aiming for in training. I’ve been focusing on building endurance, so it was encouraging to run the 5K at that pace without feeling like I’d pushed myself too hard.
Running with James
One of the best parts of the morning was sharing the experience with James.
He finished in 34:43, exactly three minutes ahead of my official time, placing him 262nd overall and 157th among the male participants. His average pace was 6:56/km, compared with my official parkrun pace of 7:32/km.
James and I ran the first two laps together, which was nice, especially since he suggested doing parkrun in the first place. On the final lap, he picked up the pace and went ahead, while I kept a speed I felt comfortable maintaining. I wasn’t going to try to keep up with him, as I’ve learned from my recent training that running someone else’s pace is rarely a good idea.
However, I found one statistic rather amusing.
James finished three minutes ahead of me, but the age-grading figures were interesting. His score was 39.03%, while mine was 45.74%. Age grading accounts for age and sex, comparing each runner’s time with an appropriate reference standard. So although James was clearly the faster runner, my performance was relatively stronger for my age. I rather liked that statistic, even if it doesn’t change who crossed the finish line first!
So although James finished three minutes ahead of me, I actually came out ahead on age grading. I’m not suggesting that makes me the faster runner, because it clearly doesn’t, but I’ll take that small consolation!
It’s Not About Where You Finish
Finishing 277th out of 334 won’t make the record books, but that doesn’t particularly bother me. I’ve mentioned before that I sometimes have to remind myself not to worry about being overtaken by runners who are considerably younger and probably train far more than I do. The same applies to parkrun.
I’m much more interested in continuing to run, gradually improving my endurance, and enjoying taking part than in comparing myself with someone thirty or forty years younger. There will always be faster runners, and there will always be people who find 5K much easier than I do. But that’s not really the point.
The useful comparison is with what I could manage a few months ago. I’m running further now, feeling more comfortable, and starting to see some improvement in my pace. That’s enough for me.