Parkrun..

edisonolmy

Sligo was good fun today. Awful weather and a massive puddle at the start/finish but a nice course and great volunteers. I would Iike to run it again in good weather.

No more inaugurals until March so Ill stay at my home run for the next few weeks

Gael23

Caprica wrote: »

Did my first parkrun today in Waterstown Park. Very enjoyable event, nice atmosphere, well organised with a turnout of just over 100. It's a tough two lap course, there is a flat section along the Liffey (but wind was in your face today) and the rest of the loop is hilly, coming of the second lap to the finishing section there is a tough hill. So it is not a PB friendly course.

Haven't run in over two months due to injury so I expected it to be tough, was happy to get home in just under 20 mins.

Watertown have come up with what I think is a fantastic idea. They are looking for the leading competotors to do an extra lap and act as pacers to slower competitors. To me that really brings home the fact it's taking part that counts because now the slower runners or even those walking the course won't be left behind. Should hopefully encourage more to take part too.

beertons

Any here do Naas today?

Pawwed Rig

Wubble Wubble wrote: »

trundling around in 23:04

I hate you so much :mad:

I dream of times like that

sporteamon3

Wubble Wubble wrote: »

Ran my "home" parkrun of Hartstown for the first time this morning, trundling around in 23:04 (14th place FWIW) while I try and get the running mojo back. There's no real hills to worry about. First lap is considerably longer than the second, and there was a major windchill to boot. Malahide was where I ran my first, and it's still my favourite; the run through the forest on lap 2, and running up that little hill at the end can take a lot more out of you than you might think!

Times slightly out. If I have it right you finished in 22.52. Either way good run in the cold and bitter wind.

kingtut

So the closest 5k to me is castledemense in Cork (although still a 45 min drive away) but I'm going to do it on Saturday. I do work in Dublin during the week so perhaps some weekend I'll stay up and do Marlay on a Saturday.

One question - I printed the sheet that had the barcode on it (in fact it had 6 on one page) do you just cut one out and attach it to your t-shirt or something? Also in terms of finishing the race does someone immediately scan it or is there a risk that a few mins pass before its scanned (meaning your finishing time will be inaccurate?)

crisco10

kingtut wrote: »

So the closest 5k to me is castledemense in Cork (although still a 45 min drive away) but I'm going to do it on Saturday. I do work in Dublin during the week so perhaps some weekend I'll stay up and do Marlay on a Saturday.

One question - I printed the sheet that had the barcode on it (in fact it had 6 on one page) do you just cut one out and attach it to your t-shirt or something? Also in terms of finishing the race does someone immediately scan it or is there a risk that a few mins pass before its scanned (meaning your finishing time will be inaccurate?)

Just cut one of the barcodes out and stick it in your pocket. Some people cover it in plastic to protect it a bit.

At the finish line, you get handed a token with a barcode. In effect this token corresponds to your finishing time. You then get the finishing token barcode and your personal barcode scanned to link the two. So even if you waited 10 minutes to get scanned, your finishing time wouldn't change.

Tis a great system altogether!

JohnDozer

kingtut wrote: »

So the closest 5k to me is castledemense in Cork (although still a 45 min drive away) but I'm going to do it on Saturday. I do work in Dublin during the week so perhaps some weekend I'll stay up and do Marlay on a Saturday.

One question - I printed the sheet that had the barcode on it (in fact it had 6 on one page) do you just cut one out and attach it to your t-shirt or something? Also in terms of finishing the race does someone immediately scan it or is there a risk that a few mins pass before its scanned (meaning your finishing time will be inaccurate?)

What they advise is to laminate the barcode, either cut one out and laminate that, or laminate the whole sheet and cut one off. No harm to leave one in a few different places, car, gearbag etc. You can carry it somewhere or pin it on you. It doesn't have to be visible until after the finishline.

The timing system is very accurate once you have your barcode, You cross the finish line and you get beeped by a handheld timer. You get given a finish token with your position on it and then you present this with your barcode to a person who scans both. The timing itself is accurate once you do the scanning section correctly.

kingtut

crisco10 wrote: »

Just cut one of the barcodes out and stick it in your pocket. Some people cover it in plastic to protect it a bit.

At the finish line, you get handed a token with a barcode. In effect this token corresponds to your finishing time. You then get the finishing token barcode and your personal barcode scanned to link the two. So even if you waited 10 minutes to get scanned, your finishing time wouldn't change.

Tis a great system altogether!

JohnDozer wrote: »

What they advise is to laminate the barcode, wither cut one out and laminate that, or laminate the whole sheet and cut one off. No harm to leave one in a few different places, car, gearbag etc. You can carry it somewhere or pin it on you. It doesn't have to be visible until after the finishline.

The timing system is very accurate once you have your barcode, You cross the finish line and you get beeped by a handheld timer. You get given a finish token with your position on it and then you present this with your barcode to a person who scans both. The timing itself is accurate once you do the scanning section correctly.

Thanks for your help!! Greatly appreciated.
I look forward to the day that I meet you both at a park run, just be sure to wave as you speed past me

I'll let you know how Saturday goes! I'd love to get 25 mins but my PB is 27:13 and I'm still very unfit so not sure how achievable it is ... let's see

Amigaman

Hi KingTut - the process is simplicity itself - the barcodes you have are your unigue parkrun I.D. you need to bring that along to the run as the parkrun motto goes "dont forget your barcode - #DFYB , I started out by sticking mine onto an old piece of credit card sized plastic , you can laminate it or you can invest in one of the parkrun I.D. tag or wristband solutions from ERS ( http://www.parkrun-barcode.org.uk/ ) . After you finish you are given a position token in the finish funnel , in your own good time , no rush you gring this position token and your parkrun I.D. barcode up to one of the Volunteers doing scanning and they will scan both - this matches your I.D. to a position and later that position is matched to a time and this information is then published on the website for the event after the run , all very straight forward - enjoy your first parkrun ..

JohnDozer

kingtut wrote: »

Thanks for your help!! Greatly appreciated.
I look forward to the day that I meet you both at a park run, just be sure to wave as you speed past me

I'll let you know how Saturday goes! I'd love to get 25 mins but my PB is 27:13 and I'm still very unfit so not sure how achievable it is ... let's see

No bother! Sure if you're heading Tralee way give a shout. And I won't be 'speeding' past anyone, but its a nice thought

And best of luck Saturday...

robinph

Don't forget to take your own personal barcode to the parkrun with you...

...also don't forget to leave behind your position token barcode after the nice person has scanned the two barcodes after the finish line.

MarkY91

kingtut wrote: »

So the closest 5k to me is castledemense in Cork (although still a 45 min drive away) but I'm going to do it on Saturday. I do work in Dublin during the week so perhaps some weekend I'll stay up and do Marlay on a Saturday.

One question - I printed the sheet that had the barcode on it (in fact it had 6 on one page) do you just cut one out and attach it to your t-shirt or something? Also in terms of finishing the race does someone immediately scan it or is there a risk that a few mins pass before its scanned (meaning your finishing time will be inaccurate?)

I cut one out and put it in a bus pass plastic cover thingy to keep it from getting wet or bent

HelenAnne

Has anyone run Vicarstown parkrun? It's all on grass so would you / should you wear spikes?

edisonolmy

Vicarstown is tough. Spikes could help, although I have no experience in wearing them. I wore my normal shoes and was about a minute slower than usual.

It's an out-and-back course too so if it's a windy day, it's going to affect you.

Nice team down there and one of the best post-run cups of tea I've had as well.

edisonolmy

"is there a risk that a few mins pass before its scanned (meaning your finishing time will be inaccurate?)"

No. Even if you wait for ages before getting scanned, your position and time are linked and your time is usually pretty accurate. I'm only ever about a second out from what my Garmin says.

You get handed a finishing chip as you cross the line. It has your position and its own barcode.

So say you finish 10th. It'll say 10 in the barcode. The timer would have also pressed the watch for the 10th time as you crossed the line - it's all linked.

HelenAnne

edisonolmy wrote: »

Vicarstown is tough. Spikes could help, although I have no experience in wearing them. I wore my normal shoes and was about a minute slower than usual.

It's an out-and-back course too so if it's a windy day, it's going to affect you.

Nice team down there and one of the best post-run cups of tea I've had as well.

Thank you! Maybe I will so ... I presume they're allowed? It's not like an adventure race or something where you might be crawling and could spike someone in the face .

robinph

I've done a few different parkruns on wildly varying terrain, but only one has been totally tarmac or gravel free and even on that I'd not wear spikes for it. Trail shoes would be suitable for off road courses, but I think I'd feel like I was going a bit OTT and taking myself far too seriously if wearing spikes for a parkrun.

HelenAnne

edisonolmy wrote: »

"is there a risk that a few mins pass before its scanned (meaning your finishing time will be inaccurate?)"

No. Even if you wait for ages before getting scanned, your position and time are linked and your time is usually pretty accurate. I'm only ever about a second out from what my Garmin says.

You get handed a finishing chip as you cross the line. It has your position and its own barcode.

So say you finish 10th. It'll say 10 in the barcode. The timer would have also pressed the watch for the 10th time as you crossed the line - it's all linked.

But make sure to stay in the position you finished as you move through the chute to get your finishing token. Say you finish 10th, don't let finisher number 12 pass you in the chute and take his token before you get yours.

HelenAnne

robinph wrote: »

I've done a few different parkruns on wildly varying terrain, but only one has been totally tarmac or gravel free and even on that I'd not wear spikes for it. Trail shoes would be suitable for off road courses, but I think I'd feel like I was going a bit OTT and taking myself far too seriously if wearing spikes for a parkrun.

I've done loads that have bits of trail - Malahide has a good bit of forest / trail and Marlay has grass - but it looks like Vicarstown is ALL grass. I thought that was pretty similar to cross country (loads of cross country I've done have been basically around a field, so just grass, no rivers or bogs or anything. I'd always wear spikes to an all-grass cross country and even for intervals on grass in the park - not because I'm such a serious runner, but just because at the women's meet & train XC I've seen people slipping and sliding in road shoes and it doesn't look like fun.

But if it's against the parkrun spirit I won't . Was just wondering if people did.

robinph

HelenAnne wrote: »

I've done loads that have bits of trail - Malahide has a good bit of forest / trail and Marlay has grass - but it looks like Vicarstown is ALL grass. I thought that was pretty similar to cross country (loads of cross country I've done have been basically around a field, so just grass, no rivers or bogs or anything. I'd always wear spikes to an all-grass cross country and even for intervals on grass in the park - not because I'm such a serious runner, but just because at the women's meet & train XC I've seen people slipping and sliding in road shoes and it doesn't look like fun.

But if it's against the parkrun spirit I won't . Was just wondering if people did.

It's not against the parkrun spirit, I'd just feel a bit odd doing so.

Sound like a pair of trail shoes would be a good investment though, and would then be suitable for courses that are a combination of different surfaces. Trail shoes will also be better for a hilly course where you might be going downhill as spikes are generally rubbish on the way down. People just get away with it on the downhills in XC races because everyone is out of control on the way down the hill to the same extent.

Krusty_Clown

HelenAnne wrote: »

But if it's against the parkrun spirit I won't . Was just wondering if people did.

I'd be a little worried about the damage that people would do to the surface, wearing spikes. I mean obviously it's just short-term (the grass will be fine come summer-time), but if a load of park runners ended up wearing spikes regularly, then week on week, they're going to turn it into a muddy quagmire, which will put off other non-spike runners from participating. Plus there's the risk of spiking another runner (which is an acceptable risk during an XC race). If the Parkrun was positioned as an XC race, it might be different (and I'd love to give it a lash if it were).

Amigaman

Hi Helenanne - there is no rule in parkrun that mandates a particular type of footwear, if you chose to do it in a pair of slippers the choice is yours :-)
However if you are worried feel free to contact John Scully the Event Director of Vicarstown and ask him (vicarstownoffice@parkrun.com) - he will let you know if he or anybody might have an issue with you running in spikes ...

HelenAnne

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

I'd be a little worried about the damage that people would do to the surface, wearing spikes. I mean obviously it's just short-term (the grass will be fine come summer-time), but if a load of park runners ended up wearing spikes regularly, then week on week, they're going to turn it into a muddy quagmire, which will put off other non-spike runners from participating. Plus there's the risk of spiking another runner (which is an acceptable risk during an XC race). If the Parkrun was positioned as an XC race, it might be different (and I'd love to give it a lash if it were).

Good point! I WAS worried about spiking, but as you say, it would be even worse if I did it when I was the only one wearing lethal weapons on my feet, rather than in XC when everyone is.

I think I'll wear trail shoes. Thanks for the advice everyone! (You'd think I was going to win, the way I'm going on -- I'm really just checking what would be the best for keeping my footing, not because I want some crazy advantage. (Or am I?? Maybe I'll be siphoning out loads of blood and replacing it with cheetah's blood before next week ))

Good point re the grass too.

Thanks, everyone.

edisonolmy

HelenAnne wrote: »

But make sure to stay in the position you finished as you move through the chute to get your finishing token. Say you finish 10th, don't let finisher number 12 pass you in the chute and take his token before you get yours.

Indeed. Make yourself big and don't allow anyone to pass you in the chute, although if you cross the line at the same time, there'll be at most 1 or 2 seconds difference.

Once you have your position token, you can take as long as you want to get scanned, provided they don't pack up and go home.

I missed the chute entirely in Sligo on Saturday because I was daydreaming. I also took my time getting to the scanner, so loads of people that finished ahead of me were scanned before me. I still had the correct position and time.

edisonolmy

Vicarstown is most definitely all grass. Oldbridge is almost all grass. Portrush is all sand.

edisonolmy

Lees Road in Ennis now has its own FB page

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lees-Road-parkrun/1537775853150315?fref=ts

We were told by people who know these kind of things that Ennis is probably going to start on March 14 now, instead of March 7.

edisonolmy

Johnstown Castle page is live
http://www.parkrun.ie/johnstown/course/

PVincent

New route for MARLAY next week. Will be a new start and finish at the top end of the park at College Road. Full route to be published after tomorrow's race to avoid confusion

gerard_65

pac_man wrote: »

Anyone why the Phoenix Park doesn't have a parkrun or is it a case that a volunteer group hasn't come forward?

The OPW wouldn't allow it. Their excuse was there are too many events in the park.