parkrun registrations this week...15th March 2013

There is still a little time for new registrations this week, but at the time of writing and compared to the figures in my post this time last week....

Totalling up new registrations across parkrun globally, shows that parkrun has attracted a further 5,293 registrations in a week.

This takes the total number of global parkrun registrations (according to my official source page on the parkrun website) up to 465,998 (up from 460,705). That is a growth in total registrations of over 1.1% in a week.

As far as I am aware, there are 2 new parkruns starting this weekend:
Eglinton parkrun and Mulbarton parkrun

For the fourth week running Marlay parkrun is at the top of the charts with the most new registrations this week.

8 different parkrun events have added 50 or more new registrants this week and they are:

Event	Total	This week
Marlay parkrun	949	169
Malahide parkrun	3465	97
New Farm parkrun	4877	79
South Bank parkrun	1322	70
Cardiff parkrun	8948	62
Sheffield Hallam parkrun	6609	60
Poole parkrun	4459	58
Newy parkrun	3018	51

No great surprises in the "largest parkrun in the world" (by total registrations) category this week, where it is still the same top 5:

Event	Total
Bushy parkrun	21779
Glasgow parkrun	13018
Leeds parkrun	11815
Brighton & Hove parkrun	10593
Wimbledon Common parkrun	10206

And at the other end of the spectrum (with the lowest number of registered parkrunrunners), but just as worthy of a mention (as these are new or future parkrun events) we have:

Event	Total
Cross Flatts parkrun	9
Woodlands parkrun	10
Riverway parkrun	31
Maidstone parkrun	33
Mulbarton parkrun	35

One new future parkrun event appear in this list for the first time: Woodlands parkrun

Half marathon approaches

It's that time of year....half marathon season!

Had you said that to me in years gone by I would have replied "so what" or "not for me". But this time round I find myself 4 days away from my 3rd ever half marathon.

This fills me with both excitement and trepidation. Trepidation due to past experience: my first half marathon was in 2004, long before I became a regular runner. I ran the Great North Run a little too hard and finished it being carried the last few yards and taken straight to the hospital tent where I spent many hours on a drip with severe dehydration and memory loss. What a shame that I ran the GNR and have no recollection of finishing it!

My second half marathon in 2009 was purely about setting those demons to rest. I still wasn't into running at that time (I hadn't yet found parkrun which would really get me started), but I managed my (still) PB of 1 hour 33 minutes (plus change).

This time round I consider myself a runner. This time I have targets. The only problem now is that my long term calf injury has shown worrying signs of returning. Fingers crossed it doesn't!

So firstly I want a PB, secondly I have to go under an hour and a half and thirdly I'd like to set a time that I am proud of. Maybe I am setting my sights a little high aiming for an 8+ minutes PB at around 1 hour 25 mins, but a man can dream right?!

As long as the calf injury doesn't bite me in the leg, I should have a chance!

I'll let you know how I do.

Good luck to all other parkrunfans taking on a half marathon this weekend!

parkrun stats of the week...9th March 2013

The parkrun statistics of note for this week are:

213 parkrun events run (up 2 on last week). This is yet another new record number of events on a single parkrunday - we are breaking the record most weeks at the moment!
27,920 runners, down 525 on last week.
The average number of runners per parkrun event run was: 131 (down 3.8 on last week).
12 events recorded new record attendances, as follows:

Event		Record Attendance
Brandon Country Park		57
Hackworth		71
Huddersfield		359
Kawana		106
Launceston		102
Marlay		370
Newent		59
Parramatta		114
Sandgate		162
Southampton		360
Walsall Arboretum		152
Wynnum		146

The longest standing parkrun attendance record is:
Amager Faelled  146 28/08/2010

And in the UK it's:

Waterworks

215

23/04/2011

The highest attendance this week was 842 at Bushy Park.

The lowest attendance this week was 9 at both Fritton Lake parkrun and Vejen parkrun.

9 new male course records set this week:

Event	Athlete	Time
Brandon Country Park	Steven ROBINSON	17:09
Claisebrook Cove	Dean MENZIES	15:49
Delamere	Matthew SHEEN	16:27
Hackworth	Jason Conrad ALLISON	17:38
Marlay	Des KENNEDY	16:26
Nahoon Point	Luthando HEJANA	19:16
Newent	Steve MILLWARD	18:14
Parramatta	Thomas DO CANTO	14:49
Telford	Wayne DASHPER	16:39

14 new female course records set this week:

Event		Athlete	Time
Balyang Sanctuary		Natalie MENSCH	18:10
Brabrand		Katrine Louise SVANE	19:22
Brandon Country Park		Bryony SMITH	23:07
Cheltenham		Victoria Jane WILKINSON	20:01
Delamere		Jocelyn PAYNE	19:24
Hackworth		Elizabeth WOOD	22:49
Harrogate		Caroline Louise LAMBERT	18:49
Havant		Angela CARPENTER	20:14
Marlay		Justine O'CONNELL URELL	19:04
Newent		Jackie ASHMAN	22:19
Parramatta		Anita DOIG	20:55
Southampton		Ceri MITCHELL	16:55
Tuggeranong		Kerry Leanne SMITH	20:51
Wallace		Katherine SMITH	22:21

74 runners ran times under 17 minutes this week. 10 of these runners ran under 16 minutes. And just 1 of those ran under 15 minutes!

The fastest parkrunner in the World this Week was Thomas Do Canto, running 14:49 at Parramatta parkrun. Not bad for an inaugural event - it sounds like a fast course!

The fastest 5 were as follows:

Event		Athlete	Time
Parramatta		Thomas DO CANTO	14:49
Cardiff		Owen WALPOLE	15:21
Newcastle		Ian HUDSPITH	15:39
Cannon Hill		Philip HINCH	15:42
Nonsuch		Kevin QUINN	15:44

The top age grade performance this week was:

Event		Athlete	Time	Age Group	Age Grade
Cheltenham		Martin Christopher FORD	19:18	VM65-69	90.33%

The fastest (valid) freedom run on the "most recent 100" list at the moment is:

Runner	Date	Location	Run Time
Alex BALL	09/03/2013	Sheffield Hallam	19:48

Peeeee Beeeee!

I did it, I did it, I did it! (I am a big kid when it comes to parkrun). I only went a got myself a nice, shiny, new PB at Coventry parkrun yesterday!

Completely unexpected. Certainly not intended. At least a month ahead of schedule, but somehow I did it!

I have to be honest, I did take a fairly close look at my entire parkrun history on Friday. If you can count copying and pasting my results from the parkrun website into Excel, adding a filter and then ordering them from  fastest to slowest as "a fairly close look" that is!

As a result I realised that I had only ever done 9 sub 18 minute parkruns at Coventry. For a nearly a year now I have considered that sub 18 minutes is where I should be as a matter of course on any parkrunday that I decide to "try". Clearly, the fact I had only done it 9 time before suggests that it is not quite my default time yet. Anyay, I also noticed that after my PB of 17:28, there was a substantial gap to my second best of 17:46 and I decided that it was about time I stuck another tme in that gap. So my aim was for 17:45 or just a bit quicker.

Something else that I noticed when looking at all my results was that my most common position at parkrun is 2nd place. Before yesterday I had finished 2nd on 11 occasions. Make that 12 then now after yet another 2nd place yesterday.

Even during my run yesterday I never really considered the possibility of a new PB. I was just planning my second fastest run at Coventry parkrun. The first lap was pretty quick, but comfortable, as I sat in behind a group of 3 decent club runners. A couple of times I thought they were going to drop me, but I just ensured that I sat on the back of the group. Equally a couple of times I thought I could go a bit faster, but sensibly (and tactically?) I stayed in behind them, for my second fastest first lap (that I can remember) of 8:48.

As soon as we passed the finish line at the end of the first lap I decided that was the time to start to wind up my pace. Looking back now I think I may have gone even faster had I stayed in behind them a while longer. The 2nd lap certainly felt a bit harder. Somehow though I managed to make the second lap faster than the first and I believe it was my fastest lap ever at Coventry parkrun, completing it in 8:39 for a new parkrun PB of 17:27, beating my previous PB by a single solitary second. All the pleasure of a PB without making further improvement too hard!

When I crossed the line and glanced at my watch to see that it was very possibly a PB (depending on official timings) I even gave the air a little punch of delight. I don't think I have stopped smiling since!

Thank you parkrun, for getting me into running, for making running my sport of choice and for giving me great feelings like this. I am officially, at the age of 38 years old, faster than I have ever been before (at 5km at least!).

That is part 1 of my summer of 4 PB targets done. I do still want to improve my parkrun PB further this year, but anyway it is 1 down and 3 to go. Next weekend it's the half marathon!