parkrun USA Newsletter 22nd April 2013

Posted on by

welcome to this month's newsletter

Cherish every day, every run, every minute. Hold those in Boston, and the running world, in the light. Tomorrow we will rise again and run again. Don't let those responsible diminish us or the sport we love and the goals, dreams. roads or races we choose to pursue.

Run. Often

Rick and Lori (get in touch)

Event News

USA

We’ve a new parkrun starting!! We welcome Clermont Waterfront parkrun to our global parkrun community beginning April 27th at 7am. Clermont offers a historic downtown district and is still much the same as it was in 1960. Tim and Karen Bowler are the event managers and have a great management and volunteer team with a nice out and back waterfront course

Post run coffee is at Cheeser's Palace Café just across the parking lot.
If your vacation or business travel plans take you to Orlando or Clermont, bring your running kit!

Watch for new parkrun event activations in Durham, NC; Houston, TX and Atlanta, GA in the coming months.

Multi World Record Holder Haile Gebrselassie has often said the world would be a much better place if everyone was a runner. While we want everyone to come to parkrun, we know their needs to be some incentive for you besides the great atmosphere, new friendships and post parkrun coffee. This is why there is the point’s competition for both parkrunners and volunteers. Here’s the leaderboard for Livonia through April 13th.

Livonia parkrun current standing in the Women's and Men’s annual points’ competition

Men's annual points’ competition:
William PEDERSON (Unattached) 2948 pts.
Greg COYNE (Unattached) 2464 pts.
Spencer GREVE (Unattached) 1880 pts.

Women's annual points’ competition:

Jennifer GREVE (Unattached) 3213 pts.
Kim ZAMORA (Unattached) 3123 pts.
Darci MEROLLIS (Unattached) 2507 pts.

Volunteer News

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You to our volunteers. parkrun will continue to happen because of our volunteers. Every Saturday parkrun needs volunteers to set up course direction markers, marshal runners and walkers, hand out finisher tokens and scan registrant bar codes. Our rule of thumb has always been that we ask all our most regular runners to volunteer three times a year. There are roles to suit everyone including children.
Contact Us to Volunteer.

Livonia parkrun meets for coffee, hot chocolate and bagels or muffins at Bigbee Coffee - Livonia, located 33443 West Seven Mile, and west of Farmington Road. Come and join us after your Saturday morning parkrun is completed

The Seven Wonders of parkrun

Testing your fitness on a regular basis is a great way to monitor progress and enjoy the gains your hard work has deserved. Here are seven reasons why parkrun provides the perfect platform for this kind of workout.

Regular fitness test runs are great for novice and experiences runners alike. Beginner or novice runners are most likely to experience frequent improvements from consistent training. More experienced runners or advanced competitors aiming to improve their personnel bests or competitive position should lay down work for an end result months into the future. Using parkrun will keep motivation and training confidence high while focusing on fitness gains toward long term competition goals. Add in great camaraderie and parkrun offers a fantastic, weekly social, fitness activity for everyone.

1. Ideal distance

5k is long enough to be test endurance, but short enough to be incorporated into schedules without needing to lose training days in taper or recovery. You can be sure of the distance so you don’t have to worry about GPS or other inaccuracies.

2. Just run

The timing is all done for you. Just get out there and run. You even have a personal profile on the website that tracks your performances.

3. Fair test

Think back to school science lessons and how a fair test involved keeping variables constant. It’s the same course on the same time of the same day and changing these from one fitness test to another can influence performance when the variable you are really trying to measure is fitness. Factors like weather and stress levels are subject to change and nobody will improve on every outing, but the philosophy is to measure progress over a period of time, not from one run to the next.

4. Limitless learning

Running with others gives a better idea of how you might perform in a race than running on your own. Gauging your run against others can also show up a weakness to work on such as hills or starting too fast. You’ll also find a supportive community and friendly rivalry with those around you. Is someone you’ve been running with suddenly ahead of you? Find out why! Speaking to other runners at parkrun, my running club or races was the single biggest learning experience when I took up the sport.

5. One for all and all for one

With times ranging from sub 5 minutes a mile to more than 15 minutes a mile, parkrun attracts the full spectrum of ages and abilities ensuring nobody is left feeling out of place. If you think you’re not a runner, then parkrun will soon have you thinking differently.

6. Controlled environment

There are no road crossings, traffic hazards or similar external factors that can scupper an individual timed effort.

7. How much?

Finally, it’s completely free. I’ve put this at the bottom as it shouldn’t be a reason for doing this, but is a bonus.

Facebook and Twitter

Follow Livonia parkrun on Facebook and Twitter

Follow parkrun USA on Facebook

You’ll find everything you need to know about parkrun community news, updates and new events

Feedback from the field

What a great program - let's bring it to Chicago! There must be forward thinking companies here that can see the immense value of a program like this. Paid races do incredibly well here, so I can only imagine how popular a free, weekly program would do... Come on, Chicago! Figure this out! Improving Krys

OMG! I need this somewhere close. I haven't even started running for my first race of the year yet and I'm already worried that I can't afford to race. I live a bit of competition it makes it so much more fun. Yolanda Rivera · Kennel Tech at Broadway Veterinary Clinic

I run at the local parkrun on the Gold Coast Australia. Hope you can spread it across your county 'cause it is a great way to run. Stephen Kofod · Gold Coast, Queensland

I have always had doubts about 'sponsors'. 'parkrun' is pure and healthy. No surprise that use corporate commercial interest is minimal in the land of the 'free'? market. corporate usa can't see an immediate profit in it! The customers, us, will show what we want................and we want parkrun. Joe Ellis Graves’s parkrun UK.

You would expect parkrun to be just a run in the park, but it's so much more than that, in the UK we are all proud to be part of the parkrun family and it can change lives! If only a US sports goods company realized that if they advertise on a bill board 95% of people who see it aren't interested but if they advertise at parkrun 100% are interested, we all need running shoes, shirts etc. Best wishes parkrun US, hope you crack it soon and you can share in the amazing event that we all get out of bed for every Saturday.

Drop me an email if you have an interesting parkrun related fact, happening or comment that you would like to share with all parkrunners.

parkrunner of the month

Name:  Lynn Boven

Club:  Team Dyno Rat

Age:  55

Home parkrun:  Livonia

Occupation:  Experimental Automotive Internal Combustion Engine Developmental Test Technician (Dyno Rat)

Number of runs:  15

Favourite volunteer role:  I'm a little shy so all I've done so far is hand out finisher tokens.

What do you do at parkruns:  Run, drink coffee, and say/do stupid things to fire up my fellow parkrunners because, "Anger is a more useful emotion than despair". (Arnold in The Terminator)

How has parkrun changed your running:  The social aspect is new for me. Ultra distance runners don't get much social contact since few are interested in 30+ mile training runs.

What do you like about parkrun:  The initial goal was to gain some speed. I'm still slow but find inspiration in almost every participant's drive to improve. Maybe I just won't get as slow as fast.

Most memorable or funniest parkrun moment:  Jumping into a puddle with both feet to splash everyone as the pre-run instruction was to watch out for or avoid the sloppy mud and puddles.

Reminders

Barcode reminder

barcode

Barcodes are used at all our events to record your result. Please collect and print your barcode here. No barcode, No result!

All questions answered

Do you have a question about parkrun? How do I collect my club T-shirt? How do I get my barcode? All your questions are answered on our brand new support site

Volunteering at parkrun

We ask every parkrunner to volunteer 3 times a year. When volunteering you receive the maximum number of points towards the yearly competition.

Children at parkrun

All children under 11 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Guardians must ensure that children place themselves appropriately so as to prevent a situation where they are being repeatedly overtaken at the start. This is to ensure the safety of your child.

the parkrun show

The parkrun show

You can download your copy of the parkrun show here. (iTunes)

The parkrun show is the audible roundup of the "goings on" of everything that caught the teams eye from the weekend in parkrunworld.

Brought to you by Marathon Talk.


 

parkrun USA Newsletter 21st March 2013

Posted on by

Welcome to this month's newsletter

We bring you updates from parkrun events around the USA, parkrun USA in Runners World, feedback from the field, Livonia parkrun point’s standings, our parkrunner of the month feature and we begin to get tough on barcodes.

No barcode, no time, no exceptions.

In the early days of parkrun, when you crossed the finish line you were given a metal disc with your position on and you took that to someone sitting at a laptop who was able to type in your name, find you on the system and credit you with the correct finish position. Forgetting the fact that we were often sat in a field in the rain and cold with a soaking wet laptop this system worked pretty well, at first.

If you’ve ever asked someone for their name and date of birth 30 seconds after they’ve crossed a parkrun finish line you’ll know that it’s not as simple as most people think. Multiply that by more than one person a second during peak minutes and you can see where mistakes start to creep in. Adding to this problem of course is the rapidly increasing numbers of registered parkrunners as new parkrun events are activated across the USA.

Although some volunteers are happy to spend this additional time, it certainly impacts on their non-parkrun life and creates expectations on all of our event teams which we don’t believe is fair. I should also point out that even the most dedicated volunteers eventually grow weary of the ever increasing admin. In the summer of 2009 the barcode systems was introduced with the aim that this would eradicate mistaken identities and dramatically reduce the amount of time our volunteers had to spend sat in front of a computer screen.

At first bringing a barcode was optional but despite our best attempts at increasing non-barcode queues, and decreasing barcode queues, people still largely failed to bring them. In January 2010, well before parkrun usa I might add, decision to make barcodes compulsory was made. This, amazingly, made some people very angry! All we are asking in return for 50 odd free runs every year (which incidentally you can still have without a barcode), plus the Club t-shirts when you complete a number of runs, plus the soon to be implemented Monthly Prize if you’re fortunate enough to be awarded it, plus all the amazing benefits associated with being part of our wonderful family, is that you print out a small piece of paper and bring it with you on a Saturday morning. I’d also like to suggest that we are probably unique in the World of organized sporting events that if you forget, can’t be bothered, or don’t want to bring a barcode then you are still welcome to take part in pretty much the same way as any other parkrunner. You just won’t get a time. I should also add that whereas you just need to bring a piece of paper, the volunteers have to get up early and stand in a freezing cold park for a couple of hours.

So, if you do forget your barcode, then yes you will have to wait seven more days for your 50, 100 or 250 t-shirt, or come back next week to have a crack at your PB but please take a moment to consider whose responsibility that really is. Should our 20,000+ hardworking volunteers around the world be expected to spend more of their precious time adding you in manually or should you understand that you still got to run with your friends? That’s what parkrun’s really about, right?

I do realize that many of you will be reading this unsure as to the correct parkrun barcode form so here are a few bullet points to keep you on the straight and narrow...

  • If you don’t have a barcode you should still cross the finish line and take a position token, but then just hand the token to the person with the scanner. You will appear as an ‘unknown athlete’.
  • If you bring your barcode but it won’t scan we can write your number down and add you to the results. Please do not bring that same barcode again as it is unlikely to scan in the future, you’ll need to print out another one for the following week. I advise our teams to confiscate unscannable barcodes.
  • Even If you know your athlete ID, that does not count as bringing your barcode.
  • Our scanning devices do not scan from mobile phones so please bring hard copies. My advice is to print out all six, laminate them with Sellotape and spread them around your car, running jacket, wallet etc.
  • As new usa events are activate, I will email all of our event teams around the USA with updates from the parkrun world and ask each to adhere strictly to the ‘no barcode, no time, no exceptions’ rule so please don’t be offended if your forgetfulness is met with a simple ‘there’s always next week’.

Run.Often

Rick and Lori (email us)

Volunteer News

Livonia parkrun will continue to happen because of our volunteers. Every Saturday Livonia parkrun needs volunteers to marshal course direction, scan registrant bar codes and finisher place cards. Our rule of thumb has always been that we ask all our most regular runners to volunteer three times a year. There are roles to suit everyone including children. You’ll get your name in lights and you’ll gain points for the yearly competition!! We’d be delighted to have new volunteers each week! Contact Us to Volunteer

Come and join your parkrun community for coffee, hot chocolate and bagels or muffins at Bigbee Coffee, Livonia, located 33443 West Seven Mile, and west of Farmington Road.

Facebook and Twitter

Follow Livonia parkrun and parkrun USA communities or Twitter. You’ll find out everything you need to know about parkrun community news and updates.

Event News

USA

Runner’s World Magazine presented a feature on parkrun USA recently.

Clermont Waterfront parkrun begins April 27th Starting time is 7am. Website and new registrations will begin April 13th. Watch this newsletter or the Clermont Waterfront parkrun Facebook and website for more information.

Livonia

Livonia parkrun current standing in the Women's and Men’s annual points’ competition

William PEDERSON (Unattached) 2657 pts.
Greg COYNE (Unattached) 2165 pts.
Spencer GREVE (Unattached) 1793 pts.

Current standing in the Womens's annual points competition:
Jennifer GREVE (Unattached) 2924 pts.
Kim ZAMORA (Unattached) 2633 pts.
Darci MEROLLIS (Unattached) 2123 pts.

Feedback from the field

John Jaap

You would expect parkrun to be just a run in the park, but it's so much more than that, in the UK we are all proud to be part of the parkrun family and it can change lives! If only a US sports goods company or other corporation realized that if they advertise on a bill board 95% of people who see it aren't interested but if they advertise at parkrun 100% are interested, we all need running shoes, shirts etc. Best wishes parkrun US, hope you crack it soon and you can share in the amazing event that we all get out of bed for every Saturday.

Pat Heine

I was in the UK for two weeks once, and did the parkrun in Sheffield. It's an amazing program.

Callie Kane · Physical Therapist at Dwight Orthopedic Rehabilitation Company

We love our parkrun in Livonia! Thanks to Rick and his wife Lori for bringing it here to us!

Jim Clinton · St. Augustines Belfast

Having recently been awarded with my 100 t/shirt and jacket I can tell anyone reading this who has not taken part in a parkrun that it will change your life. Someone in America will see the rewards that this brand will bring to their company/organization. The model has worked everywhere that has adopted parkrun so I don't see the need to change it.

Stephen Ferguson - Imperial College London

I've run 50 parkruns, 48 of them in the UK, and twice in Livonia, where Rick and his team made me very welcome (and I even miraculously got a top-10 finish). For those that have never seen a parkrun, it's hard to describe the level of enthusiasm and commitment it generates. As well as the sponsorship issue, the distances involved are also challenging. At the UK events there is lots of cross-fertilization between events, with people from one event splitting off and starting a parkrun closer to home. I'd love to see parkrun US really take off, and I can't wait to show off my new "50" t-shirt in Livonia later this year.

Richard Lyle

really hope that parkrun thrives in the US. It really is a grassroots movement which fits well with the American ethos of individuals and communities working together to make things better. I'm grateful for the financial support from our corporate sponsors, public authorities, running clubs and individual donors and from the National Trust who allowed us to run on their beautiful Wimpole Estate. It really is a partnership.

om Williams · Works at parkrun UK

Loving your work Rick! All 400,000 of us here at parkrun UK are right behind you!

Tim Oberg, parkrun Australia

I am the Country Manager of parkrun Australia. We launched in April 2011 with the backing of adidas and now have 20 parkrun events every Saturday morning with over 24,000 registered parkrunners. We also have two other major sponsors, Suncorp Bank and Stockland (a property developer). parkrun is the most inspiring organisation I have ever been involved with. It is amazing that something as simple as a free, weekly, timed 5km running event can have such a huge impact on the local community but it truly does. Good luck Rick, we are all cheering you on from Down Under!

Drop us an email if you have an interesting parkrun related fact, happening or comment that you would like to share with all parkrunners.

parkrunner of the month

parkrunner of the week

This week’s parkrunner of the week resides in the city of Livonia with her husband and three sons, Drew, Alex and Adam; all parkrunners. Lori is the calming balance and voice of reason for husband and parkrun usa country manager Rick.

Name:  Lori Brauer

Club  Embrace Each Step

Age:  48

Home parkrun:  Livonia

Occupation:  Jewelry artist and mom of 3 boys

Number of runs:  I would have to look that up – a handful of times

PB Time  Every time I started and finished was my PB. To me, that is what is about. Toeing the start and finishing. Can’t count the run if you don’t get out the door.

Number of times volunteered:  Since the beginning, lost count – I am here for our parkrunners. LOVE my parkrunner family

Favourite volunteer role:  Cheering for the runners and taking pictures – Now if I could remember to get the pictures uploaded to Flickr and Facebook

What do you like about volunteering at parkrun:  I love seeing the change in our runners. There are some that never thought they could run a 5K and now they are.

Most memorable or funniest parkrun moment  1.) Running with my husband, Rick, and 2.) running one minute and face planting into the snow the next (while running with my husband).

How can we improve parkrun  The weather is out of our control.

Reminders

Barcode reminder

barcode

Barcodes are used at all our events to record your result. Please collect and print your barcode here. No barcode, No result!

All questions answered

Do you have a question about parkrun? How do I collect my club T-shirt? How do I get my barcode? All your questions are answered on our brand new support site

Volunteering at parkrun

We ask every parkrunner to volunteer 3 times a year. When volunteering you receive the maximum number of points towards the yearly competition.

Children at parkrun

All children under 11 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Guardians must ensure that children place themselves appropriately so as to prevent a situation where they are being repeatedly overtaken at the start. This is to ensure the safety of your child.

the parkrun show

The parkrun show

You can download your copy of the parkrun show here. (iTunes)

The parkrun show is the audible roundup of the "goings on" of everything that caught the teams eye from the weekend in parkrunworld.

Brought to you by Marathon Talk.


 

parkrun USA Newsletter 19th February 2013

Posted on by

Welcome to this month's newsletter

We bring you updates as parkrun USA continues to grow; our search for a national sponsor is closing in; no more blokes shuffling around in the snow; top reasons to join parkrun; Livonia parkrun points standings and our parkrunner of the month feature.

Livonia parkrun, the first ever parkrun event in the USA currently has 415 registered. Fantastic to see the interest and enthusiastic support from so many interested in being a part of our global parkrun community. As the day light hours grow longer and winter moves to spring, I fully anticipate those who are not fond of winter running or those reluctant runners who have registered but not participated to date will begin to show and truly appreciate what parkrun is about.

parkrun is not only about running as a sport, but offers participants in every other sport the opportunity to come out and run with a group, to socialize and ready yourself for your specific sport whether it be cross country, track and field, road racing, swimming, football, hockey, soccer, basketball, baseball or whatever activity requires solid aerobic conditioning. It’s also a wonderful way to meet new friends and enjoy a morning workout with a close knit group of like-minded people.

With new parkrun USA communities ready to launch over the coming months and the looming interest from a national sponsor, the growth of parkrun USA will very soon compare to parkrun Australia, South Africa and United Kingdom. More information will be forthcoming about the USA national sponsor. I am very excited for what this partner / sponsorship will bring not only to parkrun USA, but also to their brand and market presence amongst the running consumer.

During my ongoing search for partnership / sponsors, I have contacted and spoken with “C” Suite Level Marketing / Promotions decision makers of nearly every major healthcare plan, pharmaceutical company, retail wellness pharmacy corporation, sports nutrition company and many outside the health, wellness or running industry, yes even McDonalds with minimal success. I find it ironic parkrun countries with a “government sponsored healthcare” model are readily sponsored and endorsed by the private healthcare companies to support and grow parkrun communities across their respective countries and truly find great value in what parkrun is all about. Certainly not the same here in a country exceeding thirty plus percent obesity rate amongst the population and a continuing upward trend in cardiovascular related disease.

"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease."
-Thomas Edison, Inventor

am not going to drag out my soapbox, but let’s just say, if you have been to parkrun, you know the sense of community, family, exercise and lifestyle changes parkrun offers to each of us.
parkrun is really all about... small groups of amazing people spending time together on a regular basis and appreciating the wonderful outdoor spaces that are there for all of us to use.

Have a great week. See you at a parkrun event somewhere.

Run.Often

Rick and Lori (email us)

Top 6 reasons to be a parkrun regular

From the parkrunfans.blogspot, these are the top 6 reasons to be a parkrun regular:

1) You will get fitter and faster.
2) You will make parkrun friends and feel part of the parkrun community.
3) You will earn your parkrun 50, 100 and 250 t-shirts.
4) You will become addicted (in a good way).
5) parkrun and therefore exercise will become part of your weekly lifestyle.
6) You will be eligible for sponsor prizes and monthly parkrun award

You may have your own opinions. There are plenty of reasons to be a regular at parkrun, but this list is limited to my top 6, so there clearly wasn't enough room for all the many and varied reasons that we all have.

If you would like to comment and add your own ideas they would be very welcome. Email us or parkrunfans blog to share your comments.

Volunteer Reminder

Big Kudos to our volunteers who are not letting winter get in their way of parkrun! We need more of You!! Livonia parkrun will only continue to happen because volunteers will make this happen. Please do not wait to be asked, we are delighted to see emails asking to volunteer. Every Saturday Livonia parkrun needs volunteers to marshal course direction, scan registrant bar codes and finisher place cards, assemble and clean-up the finish chute funnel and take photographs, (we’ll even provide the camera). Our rule of thumb has always been that we ask all our most regular runners to volunteer three times a year. There are roles to suit everyone including children. You’ll get your name in lights and you’ll gain points for the yearly competition!! We’d be delighted to have new volunteers each week! Contact Us to Volunteer

Come and join your parkrun community for coffee, hot chocolate and bagels or muffins at Bigbee Coffee - Livonia, located 33443 West Seven Mile, just west of Farmington Road.

Facebook and Twitter

Follow Livonia parkrun and other parkrun USA communities on Twitter and Facebook. You’ll find out everything you need to know about parkrun community news and updates.

Event News

USA

Follow-us on Facebook and Twitter to find out launch dates and venues in the following parkrun communities coming to you in 2013:

Raleigh, NC; Durham, NC; Houston, TX; Gainesville, FL; Orlando, FL; Clermont, FL; Philadelphia, PA; Chicago, IL; San Diego, CA; Santa Barbara, CA; Walnut Creek, CA; San Francisco, CA; New Haven, CT; Atlanta, GA; Kennesaw, GA; Social Circle, GA; Phoenix, AZ; Prairie Farm, KS; Lexington, KY; Nashville, TN; Howe, OK; Bergen County, NJ; Rochester, NY

Livonia

So much for blokes running around in the snow! Newcomer to Livonia parkun Thomas Priess has come out and dropped the course record by more than fifty seconds over the last two weeks in less than desirable running conditions. His 17:30 effort over frozen grass and rutted dirt bodes very well for sub 17 club efforts later this spring. British International Team Representative Mark Draper, from Bedfordshire, England, with best of 3:56 for the mile and 13: 27 for five kilometers on the track is currently living and training in Indianapolis, IN. Mark is a regular at UK parkrun events and has expressed his interest in “popping over to Livonia parkrun to give it a go” this spring and summer. Mark has run 14:20 at the Bushy Park parkrun event in the UK, so will be good to see what he can do at Livonia parkrun.

Current standing in the Women's annual points competition:
Jennifer GREVE (Unattached) 2729 pts.
Kim ZAMORA (Unattached) 2433 pts.
Callie KANE (Unattached) 2082 pts.

Current standing in the Men's annual points competition:
William PEDERSON (Unattached) 2462 pts.
Greg COYNE (Unattached) 1868 pts.
Spencer GREVE (Unattached) 1793 pts.

parkrunner of the week

parkrunner of the week

This week’s parkrunner of the week resides in the city of Livonia with her husband and family, Her consistent arrival just miuntes before the 9am start signal Livonia parkrunners to make their way to the start line.

Name:  Kim Zamora

Age:  46

Home parkrun:  Livonia, MI

Occupation:  Theoretical Physicist

Got your attention now don’t I?
(I had to spellcheck physicist)

In real life I am now…oh…what do they call it? A Homemaker? I refuse to put that lame title in this spot – plus my husband would argue that I have not done diddly squat in the last 12 years to make this house a home, so legally I don’t think I can even claim to be one of those.

Number of runs:  22 (which just happens to be my favorite number...yes, I know you didn’t ask)

Number of times volunteered:  3

Best parkrun performance to date:  31:21

What do you do at parkruns when you volunteer:  Course marshal. I point parkrunners in the right direction and sincerely shout motivating words of wisdom to them like “Woo-hoo!, great job!, Looking’ good!, and Keep it going!’” and many other super inspiring and motivating sayings that you won’t hear anywhere else. I won’t reveal what those others are at this time…if you want to hear them, you have to actually come to parkrun…come to parkrun – come to parkrun…(hint , hint – to the 415+ people who are registered to date for Livonia parkrun!

Most memorable or funniest parkrun moment:  Well….If I would have actually seen the snow angels Lori or Darcie fall face first into the snow last Saturday, then THAT would most definitely have been my most memorable park run ☺ (you know I am just joking ladies ) -- but since I did not, I guess it would have to be the one where I “ran” (I still prefer to say jogged) the entire 5k w/out stopping. I didn’t plan on doing that, I just realized I felt pretty good and kept checking in with myself at various points in the run, like this:

Me: Do you really think you need a walking break?

Me: You know what? I don’t think that I do….let’s see if we can make it ‘round the bend without one, shall we?

It gives me something to look forward to every week!

I like running on the grass and around the park. It is really beautiful and I love doing park run in all the different seasons

I love getting my little e-mail a few hours after with my official time and info for that days parkrun.

I love running by the Rugby players when they are playing --- kind of a nice distraction.

I love going to BIGGBY coffee after - hanging out and chatting about running stuff and this and that.

Oh, and I love that it gives me an excuse to escape my “homemaker” duties and responsibilities for a short time every Saturday morning.

I love that park run wants people in the community to just be more active, to be out & about running, jogging, walking, etc.

love that people of all ages do it and that family members come and do it together – I think that is so great! I wish my family would come!.........or do I?

I love that it is close to my house

I love that it is totally free

I love that parkruns never get cancelled –if you show up, there will always be others to run with

Future running goals:  To never miss a parkrun unless I absolutely have to!
To try trail running and see how I like it
To run the Livonia parkrun course under 30 minutes

Reminders

Barcode reminder

barcode

Barcodes are used at all our events to record your result. Please collect and print your barcode here. No barcode, No result!

All questions answered

Do you have a question about parkrun? How do I collect my club T-shirt? How do I get my barcode? All your questions are answered on our brand new support site

Volunteering at parkrun

We ask every parkrunner to volunteer 3 times a year. When volunteering you receive the maximum number of points towards the yearly competition.

Children at parkrun

All children under 11 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Guardians must ensure that children place themselves appropriately so as to prevent a situation where they are being repeatedly overtaken at the start. This is to ensure the safety of your child.

the parkrun show

The parkrun show

You can download your copy of the parkrun show here. (iTunes)

The parkrun show is the audible roundup of the "goings on" of everything that caught the teams eye from the weekend in parkrunworld.

Brought to you by Marathon Talk.


 

parkrun USA Newsletter 23rd January 2013

Posted on by

Welcome to this month's newsletter

We bring you updates of new parkrun events across the USA, parkrun surpasses the 2 million run mark across the globe, Valentines parkrun contest and our parkrunner of the month feature.

2013!! Here we are!! I expect the holiday celebrating and time with friends and family was enjoyable and rewarding for all. As one of my favorite musical artists said “When all you get to keep are the memories, you’ve gotta make the good ones last.” Our Christmas Cheer Party at George Murphy’s was a great evening out. Fantastic to see everyone and thank you for joining your fellow parkrunners behaving “younger than we think we are!”

Each week I have the pleasure of meeting new parkrunners at our event and then watching from Saturday to Saturday as these new parkrunners “go” from reluctant runner to “I just missed my personal best and “I need to begin adding additional runs per week, do you know if there is a group I can meet up with?” At one December parkrun, I was chatting with a gentleman who was enthusiastically describing his run that morning. “I enjoy the camaraderie; the participation points awarded and post run coffee but most of all the personal satisfaction of getting up on Saturday morning, coming out to challenge myself and seeing my improvement from week to week month to month.” Personal Satisfaction. In two words, he summed up parkrun quite nicely.

Happy Running!

Rick and Lori (email us)

Volunteer Reminder

Big Kudos to our volunteers who are not letting winter get in their way of parkrun! We need more of You!! Livonia parkrun will only continue to happen because volunteers will make this happen. Please do not wait to be asked, we are delighted to see emails asking to volunteer. Every Saturday Livonia parkrun needs volunteers to marshal course direction, scan registrant bar codes and finisher place cards, assemble and clean-up the finish chute funnel and take photographs, (we’ll even provide the camera). Our rule of thumb has always been that we ask all our most regular runners to volunteer three times a year. There are roles to suit everyone including children. You’ll get your name in lights and you’ll gain points for the yearly competition!! We’d be delighted to have new volunteers each week!
Contact Us to Volunteer

Facebook and Twitter

Make sure to follow parkrun cities and parkrun USA on Twitter and Like Us on Facebook. You’ll find out everything you need to know about parkrun community news and updates. You can also drop us a message and let us know what’s on your mind.

Event News

USA

The list of USA cities enthusiastic to bring parkrun to their community continues to grow rapidly. Currently at fifty-two, the following new USA parkruns will be going live over the coming months:

  • Raleigh, North Carolina
  • Seattle, Washington
  • Walnut Creek, California
  • Houston, Texas
  • Atlanta, Georgia
  • Clermont, Florida
  • Orlando, Florida
  • Chicago, Illinois
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Bergen County New Jersey

If you are planning a business trip or vacation to one of these destinations or any of the other parkrun countries make sure to pack your running shoes and barcode. Visit the Facebook pages for the parkrun cities mentioned or parkrun USA.

Around the world, parkrun has recently surpassed the two million runs completed mark with more than 400,000 parkrunners and nearly 100,000 volunteers. Each week, parkrun offers each of us with our own unique perspective of what we want parkrun to be for us that week. At every parkrun event around the world, lives are changed through friendships made, stresses relieved, challenges overcome, relationships strengthened, health improved, families bonded, communities grown, race entries filled, times broken, smiles made and many more come about through very different journeys. For some of us it's about getting together with a group of friends every week, for others it's about turning up, blowing off seven days of accumulated stress and for others it's about the feel good factor of that amazing two letter word beginning with a P and ending with a B. Personal Best. I encourage you to visit other parkruns where ever your travels take you.

Livonia

Livonia – Looking for a solution to prevent slipping and falling from running or walking in the snow and slippery conditions? I encourage you to give either of the following a try. Check out YakTrax at a run specialty or outdoor activity retailer or stop by your neighborhood hardware store and purchase ¼ inch sheet metal screws to insert in the outer sole of your running shoes. Both work very well and will allow you to run or walk more comfortably and confidently under slippery winter weather conditions.

With St. Valentine Day coming up, Livonia parkrun will have a “couples” contest on February 16th. Watch for more information at our Facebook page.

Join us after parkrun for coffee, hot chocolate and bagels or muffins at Bigbee Coffee - Livonia, located 33443 West Seven Mile, just west of Farmington Road.

Feedback from the field

Hi Rick,
Having experienced parkrun in the UK (where I am originally from), I would love to see it catch on in the US, my home since 2003. What would I have to do to create a parkrun in the Bergen County area of NJ? I suppose I should have realized that sponsorship is the issue - and that I was unlikely to be the only person in this entire country who has seen how brilliant the parkrun concept is. That's very unfortunate you are finding so little interest from other parties though. Having experienced parkrun first hand, it's hard to believe that companies are not eager to get on board; there are so many different positive aspects to parkrun that it can surely only have a positive effect on a sponsor's public image. I couldn't claim to be knowledgeable in this field, however (I'm a runner, a mother and a registered nurse, in no particular order), so I'm sure there are factors I'm overlooking.
I do know that the idea of helping to bring parkrun - one of the first in the country, no less - to my neighborhood is very exciting to me, and I'm open to whatever thoughts you have as to how we can make it happen.
Thanks,
Gemma Dunhill

Drop me an email if you have an interesting parkrun related fact, happening or comment that you would like to share with all parkrunners.

parkrunner of the week

parkrunner of the week

Name:  Jennifer Greve

Age:  41

Home parkrun:  Livonia, MI

Occupation:  Online concent editor

Number of runs:  23

Number of times volunteered:  4

What do you do at parkruns when you volunteer:  Take pictures and cheer people on

Best parkrun performance to date:  36.05

What do you like about parkrun:  The community that’s developing is very encouraging, which makes it more fun to show up every week.

Most memorable or funniest parkrun moment:  Will “Wheaties Man” Pederson’s Halloween costume (a Wheaties box)

Future running goals:  In 2013 I plan to enter a 5K or two to help raise money for cystic fibrosis.

Other fitness activities you pursue:  Yoga

Favorite music or band:  Depends on my mood

What's on your iPod for parkrun:  Green Day’s American Idiot. It’s paced just right and helps me keep track of my time

Reminders

Barcode reminder

barcode

Barcodes are used at all our events to record your result. Please collect and print your barcode here. No barcode, No result!

All questions answered

Do you have a question about parkrun? How do I collect my club T-shirt? How do I get my barcode? All your questions are answered on our brand new support site

Volunteering at parkrun

We ask every parkrunner to volunteer 3 times a year. When volunteering you receive the maximum number of points towards the yearly competition.

Children at parkrun

All children under 11 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Guardians must ensure that children place themselves appropriately so as to prevent a situation where they are being repeatedly overtaken at the start. This is to ensure the safety of your child.

the parkrun show

The parkrun show

You can download your copy of the parkrun show here. (iTunes)

The parkrun show is the audible roundup of the "goings on" of everything that caught the teams eye from the weekend in parkrunworld.

Brought to you by Marathon Talk.


 

parkrun USA Newsletter 5th December 2012

Posted on by




<br /> parkrun USA newsletter 5th December 2012 WEB VERSION<br />




Welcome to this month's newsletter
We bring you updates of new parkrun events in Florida scheduled to launch in January and February 2013, A Christmas Gathering Holiday Party is planned for December 15th, Ghosts of Christmas at Livonia parkrun? Top Ten reasons to do parkrun and our parkrun volunteer of the month feature.

Wow!! As I sit in my cap and not my kerchief writing this month’s newsletter, Christmas is less than three weeks away. Where has the time gone? Seems like only yesterday Mr. Paul Sinton-Hewitt, Founder and President of parkrun and I sat having tea at George Murphy’s discussing parkrun in the USA. What a fantastic year! I have been very blessed with many new friendships across the country and from around the world. From Paul and his team in the UK, to the country managers whom I look forward to speaking with monthly, to renewing old friendships from the running industry and mostly with each of you who come out Saturday morning for a run or walk and to share a coffee and many a laugh with after. When I look back at what my running career has given me, the races won and personal bests will come and go, but the friendships afforded me will last forever. I wish each of you all the best this Christmas and much health, happiness and many parkruns in 2013.

Merry Christmas. Happy Running.

Rick and Lori (email us)

Volunteer Reminder

We need more of… You, our Volunteers!! Livonia parkrun will only continue to happen because volunteers will make this happen. Please do not wait to be asked, we are delighted to see emails asking to volunteer. Every Saturday Livonia parkrun needs volunteers to place the course direction signs, scan registrant bar codes and finisher place cards, assemble and clean-up the finish chute funnel and take photographs, (we’ll even provide the camera). Our rule of thumb has always been that we ask all our most regular runners to volunteer three times a year. There are roles to suit everyone including children. You’ll get your name in lights and you’ll gain points for the yearly competition!! We’d be delighted to have new volunteers each week! Contact us to Volunteer.

Facebook and Twitter

Make sure to follow us on Twitter and Like Us on Facebook. You’ll find out everything you need to know about Livonia parkrun news and updates. You can also drop us a message and let us know what’s on your mind.

Top 10 Reasons To Do parkrun…

As listed on the UK based parkrunfan blog

1) parkrun is a challenge - For most people, 5km is not an easy challenge. And then there is the weekly challenge to improve your PB.

2) parkrun is free - No cost to join. No cost to do any parkrun.

3) parkrun is addictive - But far better for you than most addictions!

4) parkrun gets you out in the fresh air in a lovely park location on Saturday morning.

5) parkrun helps you meet many new like-minded people.

6) parkrun gives you free T-shirts - Complete 50, 100 and 250 parkruns (and 10 for kids) and you get a very smart free technical t-shirt at each milestone.

7) parkrun stops you drinking (as much) on a Friday night.

8) parkrun will get you fit - Well it can certainly help.

9) parkrun is suitable for people of all ages and abilities - It is for all the family, kids, adults, grandparents, everyone is welcome.

10) parkrun starts at 9am and by 10am you have done your exercise for the day and you can smugly get on with the rest of your weekend.

What are your reasons for doing parkrun?

Event News
Clermont, Florida

parkrun will begin in late January. I am very excited for Karen Bowler and her team who are in the process of getting parkrun underway in the Clermont Orlando and Winter Park surrounding areas. The enthusiasm and support from the city officials, running / walking and triathlon groups has the community sponsors committing to multiple parkrun events throughout the state in 2013. Watch the parkrun newsletter for more information.

Livonia

Are there Ghosts at Livonia parkrun? 345 registered and only a dozen or so have been recently coming out for parkrun fun on Saturday mornings? Can’t be. It sounded like many, many more from the jingle bells on parkrunners shoes this past Saturday. I think we have many a parkrunner Ghosts of Christmas walking or running. Come on. Show yourself, put on a pair of jingle bells, a Santa Cap and join us for a festive experience this time of year. Everyone is welcome, including dogs. Please only one dog per runner and each dog must be on a lead. Begin your New Year resolution three weeks early.

image
Just Put One Foot In Front Of the Other
And Soon You’ll Be Running or Walking at Livonia parkrun

William Pederson, Doug Ware and a few other ‘parkrun social committee types have planned a Christmas Gathering at George Murphy's George Murphy's Saturday, December 15th 6:30pm until? Please email us email us to RSVP. We’ll need to confirm guests for seating space.

When you finish your run or walk on Saturday morning, join us for a post parkrun coffee, hot chocolate and bagels or muffins at Bigbee Coffee - Livonia, located 33443 West Seven Mile, just west of Farmington Road.

Even though the calendar says December, the weather has not been so frightful that Livonia Park and Recreation Dept. have been keeping the gate open to the drive. Should you arrive on a Saturday and see the gate closed, please use the west most parking lot between the golf course and last baseball field near the fitness par-course and playscape; we’ll continue with the same course; just slightly altering the start and finish area.


feedback from the field
Drop me an email if you have an interesting parkrun related
fact, happening or comment that you would like to share with all parkrunners.

parkrun volunteer of the month
parkrunn volunteer of the week
This week’s parkrun volunteer of the month resides in Saline with his wife Sara and two young daughters Olivia and Elizabeth. He drives from Saline each Saturday to come out and take care of the timing for Livonia parkrun.

Name:   Robert (Bob) Vance
Age:   44
Home parkrun:   Livonia, Michigan
Occupation:   IT Hardware Support
Number of times volunteered:   16
What do you do at parkruns:   Timing and Finish Chute coordination
What do you like about parkrun:   Meeting new faces, Helping people enjoy their participation in parkrun, and the socialization
Most memorable or funniest parkrun moment:   1) “We had a deer almost take out one of our participants as it came out of the woods and across the course.” 2) Our Halloween Parkrun with everyone wearing Costumes.



Reminders

Barcode reminder


barcode
Barcodes are used at all our events to record your result. Please collect and print your barcode here. No barcode, No result!

All questions answered


Do you have a question about parkrun? Who organises parkrun? How do I get my barcode? All your questions are answered on our support site.

Volunteering at parkrun

We ask every parkrunner to volunteer 3 times a year. When volunteering you receive the maximum number of points towards the yearly competition.

Children at parkrun

All children under 11 must be supervised by a parent or guardian. Guardians must ensure that children place themselves appropriately so as to prevent a situation where they are being repeatedly overtaken at the start. This is to ensure the safety of your child.

the parkrun show

The parkrun show

You can download your copy of the parkrun show here. (iTunes)

The parkrun show is the audible roundup of the "goings on" of everything that caught the teams eye from the weekend in parkrunworld.

Brought to you by Marathon Talk.


Older Posts ⇒
⇐ Newer Posts