So many of the things you mentioned I’ve stumbled across independently. Saturday after parkrun is when I knock over all the jobs I’ve been putting off all week. Parkrun is the bookend of my week. Thanks for your continued inspiration.
I am 16 yo and after i saw your videos i signed up for a parkrun. I was scared at first because i thought i wasn't fast enough but here i am 2 months later running in 24 minutes. Thanks to that video i overcame my fear
I used to run on and off for several years, then after watching many, many UA-cam running videos (including yours) I decided to give Parkrun a go in October. It's the main thing that's kept me running and now I run 5km at least once a week. I used to run 10km every session and if I did any less I'd feel like I'd failed. Parkrun has made me start enjoying (or not hating) running.
I did my first Parkrun aged 52 in 2017. I was doing it to save my sanity - not to achieve a PB. Years later - same old. It’s about getting it done. Pace is absolutely irrelevant. Parkrun saved my life. It’s still saving my life (150 as of Saturday). I’m nearly 60. 6 minute kilometres are fabulous.
The big problem with this channel having just discovered it is that I spend so much time laughing and enjoying than I do getting off my arse and putting it into practice 😂. Seriously though..,thanks for the motivation 👍
Forgive yourself for being late, you have a Garmin, you can still test yourself, also consider running/cycling to it every so often to Dave the planet please everyone!
I ran a PB in my local Parkrun this morning- 26.36. A lot of people will run faster than that and think that’s a rubbish time, but I’m really proud of it. I started doing Parkruns about a year ago and got 31.30 in my first one (and it felt awful, but at the time I was just happy I could run 5K without stopping). That 26.36 represents a year’s worth of effort to improve my health- your videos were the reason I started Parkrun in the first place Mark (I mean this literally- I only did my first one because I watched one of your videos and thought it looked like a good idea). So thank you so much for your content, it’s genuinely made such a difference to me and my health. (Also, last week I ran a 30 min Parkrun after a week of night shifts and it felt like hell- today’s legs are not yesterday’s legs- Mark is completely right when he says you just have to turn up and do your best on the day).
26:36 is a superb time - the average Parkrun time across all events is closer to 29 minutes. And it places you perfectly to start chipping away towards 25. 👍🏼💪
10: Volunteer! OK, it might not actually make your Parkrun faster, but it's the right thing to do :-) You don't pay for Parkrun, it's fully supported by volunteers and they need a break sometimes too.
I do both. As a Marshall, I think that you can really empathise with runners, if you are a runner yourself. However, I do appreciate that not all marshalls can run or even want to do run.
If your Parkrun is about 5k or so from your home cycle there, it’s a good warm up and gets the blood flowing nicely. That way you also get to do 15k of exercise whilst most people are still in bed
Spot on. I did my first Park Run at 41 in my pyjamas having never run in public and horrified at the prospect. No one laughed and I didn’t die. I’m now 47 and running sub 20. Park Run is the backbone of all my exercise and good habits, my finish time is more important than a drink on Friday night and I’ve made friends I don’t drink with. Concepts previously an anathema to me.
I wish Parkruns were more popular in the US, there’s only one in all of California 😢 Maybe someday I’ll stop rowing on Saturday mornings and see what it would take to organize one near me… Regardless, the tips in this video are excellent for feeling good about any relatively regular, higher effort than usual activity. Very grounded in reality and matches how I feel about pushing myself.
There are 5k RACES all over the United States, pretty much every weekend. They are not quite like what we see in these videos. As intimidating as starting a fitness journey with Parkrun can be, the (non-Parkrun) 5k races in the US are noticeably worse. No central organization where you can see all of them, expensive entry fees, and having to wear bib numbers with chip timers in them is all very intimidating for new runners, or even walkers for that matter. We need more Parkruns!
Well done, Mark. I need to be better about arriving early and warming up. Saturdays are long run days (winter) and trail race days for me. However, your tips still apply and are appreciated. Thanks for another great video.
Hey Mark, I'm a new subscriber but love your content. I'm 15 and I've been running for about a month and did my first 10k to try help my shorter distances and since then I've hit several personal bests since then in my 3km times which I'm doing for my PE GCSE's. Love your content! Great tips
More sage advice, Mr Lewis. I'm in a similar position to you; 18 months ago I was 145kgs and 6'4", with NO previous experience of running. Fast forward and I'm 101kgs and (still) 6'4", but now trying for the Manchester Marathon. I use parkrun in lieu of Threshold Intervals, as per my training plan, which seems like a sensible swap. Oh, and yesterday, I "only" shaved 26s off my PB.... Gutted 😉😉🤔 Keep up the good work, squire 👍
My missus set herself a goal of a 10k in Feb but its a chore to run on her own. So I got barcodes for my 6 and 8 year olds and we all did parkrun together, the 6 year old has the house PB. Such a wonderful family day ensued and now its the kids asking if we can go do parkrun again. Fully agree thats is a gret way to set yourself up for a good Saturday, feeling good about yourself and others. Love life, do parkrun! Look forward to watch Jenn do her first solo and you do your weighted thing this weekend.
Started my weight loss and exercise journey at 20st in September last year, now below 16st and achieved my first sub 25min Park Run today. You were a great motivator and inspiration, thanks for all of the great content Mark 👍💪🏃♂️
ParkRun is the start of my weekend, I also try and volunteer at least twice a month. I’m in total agreement with so much of what Mark is advocating here, my only slight change is to remember that it’s OK to not progress especially in winter. I love that so many people have improved their health and fitness through ParkRun.
My ParkRun times drop off by 2 / 3 mins in winter and I’ve learnt that’s ok. The air is denser, the courses are wetter / colder and you wear more layers. Not optimum conditions for good times.
Sleeping in late on the weekend actually destroys your sleep during the week. It's a cycle. Your body has a circadian rhythm, basically meaning it does better on a schedule. If you wake up at 6am for work, you need to wake up at 6am on the weekend. If that means going to sleep earlier, do that. If you can wake up later generally, even if that's simple things like laying your clothing out the night before so you don't waste time choosing, that can be part of your plan. Working in naps is perfectly valid and not a sign of weakness. Airline pilot training now includes that even if a pilot needs to sneak in a 5 minute nap to feel ready for the flight, that's scientifically proven to be superior to any amount of caffeine or "motivation". Get your sleep in however you have to. Hint: Waking up early for a park run might also feel good on the day, from all the adrenaline, but now your body is wondering what the hell to do with one mismatched day every week. If you could move your whole week to the same time as a park run, now you're not all groggy every morning with your body trying to figure out what day it is. In the long run, provably, statistically, your health will be much better for it.
ParkRuns have changed many people’s lives for the better. Well done to the organisation, sponsors and people like Mark, Jog On Harry, the running Bens and many more for their encouragement - and let’s not forget the awesome volunteers who make it happen!
I'm borderline religious when it comes to ParkRun! It's the highlight of my weekend (how sad am I!?!) They're what got me into running back in the day, and remain a staple. No disrespect, Mark, but you need to lose the facial hair 🤪
Great video 👍🏻, now up to my 48th Parkrun after starting Couch to 5k with my husband's encouragement in lockdown, (he's been running for several years). I felt really nervous going to my first Parkrun but thoroughly enjoyed it, my goal was to achieve a Sub 30 PB which I have now done on several occasions, some weeks are tougher than others and the weather definitely influences my runs. I have done a couple of 10k races and would love to achieve a Sub 60 min 10k at some point in the future. I love looking at the position in my age category and age grade % as this gives you a better picture of your performance. We're lucky to have several Parkruns in our County so it's great to try out different courses. I'm a 53 year old lady and would recommend anyone to give it a try, it's definately helped me in so many different ways.
I use to do park run and my pb was 39.40 and then I some how just stopped exercising, (a good 18months) have started and stopped the day C 2 5k a few times. Read r/v and running 3 times a week then able to do 5k just doesn’t sound practical 😮
I just did my very first parkrun in Montreal... it was amazing! It was my first attempt at a 5k "race", pushing passed my routine pace. TIP: Meet people before the race! I immediately connected with 3 guys who do it every week, and one of them asked me what time I thought I could do, then gathered some people and he paced us! I was pretty sure I could do 27:30 (5:30/km), and my official result was 27:29 lol. The run ended up being a bit more than 5k as it was a different path to accommodate other events, so my actual PB 5k on my Garmin was 27:00 flat. Amazing community!
I finally got a sub 30 at my last parkrun. I know this is still very slow and definitely not above average!! But I don’t care, I’m so pleased with myself. Next goal 28 mins lol.
Took me a long time to get some 30. You should be seriously proud of that - and also, now that you can go 30 it means you are running proper, so the improvements will come quicker.
Mark, thanks for the advice and motivation, your channel’s awesome. My wife and I did our first park yesterday and per your advice, we set planned times and got incrementally faster as opposed to being gassed out in the first 500m! Keep up the great vids! Cheers!
My only issue is that it takes a LONG time for me to get going. Take today for example, I did a proper warming-up, but I only felt I was really getting into it when I hit the 3km mark. By far my fastest split was the last one. Yet in the first 3km I felt out of breath at times so it didn't really feel like I could go faster. Next week I'll actually try a 10km run. I've done a few ones as training runs and I basically run nearly the same way as a parkrun, with km 6-10 pretty much all at the same split times as km 5.
Don’t be such a loser. I went from 100lbs over weight to a sub 20 park run without going near TRT - despite levels off testosterone that where off the bottom of the chart.
Training for a half marathon later in the year, I'm a cyclist normally so my cardio is half decent, but my running endurance is pretty poor, legs give up on me way before my CV system does, but I am chipping away at it having never really ran anywhere before, really getting the bug! I love your no nonsense approach, new sub!
Such great tips on this channel, thank you. I am 54 and used to do PR before covid and my best time was 33m. I would be lucky to do it in 43 atm so am currently doing the C25K with a few others and we have just started week 5. It is tough but I'm really looking forward to getting back to PR again. We are lucky to have ours right on the seafront (Clacton on sea) it really is a great location for running so here's hoping I can get a PB at some point this year.
Great content, although I run regularly I have never done one of these so will give it a go.. I’m at Hyrox thanks to you this Saturday, if I see you I will cheers you and Jen on. Good luck
Thanks Mark. An interesting take on what is solidly establishing itself as a national institution. I agree that parkrun isn't a race (sort of) but I enter it as one on Strava to differentiate from my day-to-training. Keep up the good work.
Started running last march and now do 20-25 miles per week, I'm signed up to do the London marathon in April aiming for a sub 4 hour! Still need to get to a park run, they look great fun
Hey Mark. In one of your videos you talk about running slower to run faster. Well I am also new to running and I also had problems running slow. I had no running rhythm. That’s until I found military running cadence music. It’s amazing to run to, a bit boring, but it motivates and it gives you a tempo to run to. 2 month of runningI don’t run every day and now I’m running 8km pretty easy !
I was a run director for 8 years, frigging love parkrun! Thank you for these tips, as someone who lacks confidence and always starts too far back (despite being a runner for over 12 years!), I loved listening to this video and nodding along whenever you spoke about Jen! Thank you!
Why did you take the changes to UA-cam video down? I also presumed that you had u-turned. UA-cam holds all my subscriptions I’m unlikely to add another location to visit to find some content it’s simply too fragmented for me to bother with in an already busy life, it’s inconvenient. Th video was watched with a bit of “that’s a shame” and I would love to see you continue to build your UA-cam and watch your success grow further which has been nice to see you do over the past year
another good one. after quite a while of subjecting my wife to your videos, she has started running. not sure if she finds them enjoyable or if she's trying to get away from them. either way, keep them coming!
I can't get enough of these Parkrun videos. I think you should do another one, it's been a while. I recommend something like "Return to Parkrun. Can I still get under 20 minutes" or a Parkrun series where you train toward beating your PB.
I think your attitude and inclusiveness is great. Next Saturday is definitely on for me..... My sister has done over 400 Park runs. I am an embarrassment but you are the best motivator!
I live in denmark and i didn’t think parkruns would be a thing you could do here. But there’s a park run quite close to me actually. Only problem is I’m training to run a half marathon and am doing my long runs Sunday, so I will probably wait till I’m in good enough shape to do a 5k the day before my long run… I’m excited to begin the parkruns though sometime next month I reckon
Nixon - Note To Self........Make sure I drink enough BEFORE dad takes me running, stopping during a NON RACE pisses him off........and he ends up spelling like a rabbit ......." ROLL WITH IT............And finally, a 10min video from Mark Lewis without the use of the word DONUT once, not acceptable. ( good stuff ) STAY HARD.
I had aspirations to start going again this year, but haven't so far. Rolling out of bed at 10am is standard for me on a Saturday, since I'll be up with the 5 year old at 7am on Sunday but my wife does it on Saturdays. It's a 7 mile cycle each way to the local flat one, so all told a decent amount of activity if I can get my arse into gear.
Mark said there were changes to the channel, but I am unsure about the facial hair change! Parkrun helped me reverse my diabetes 2 a few years back, but it also led to my injury last year as I pushed too hard on Parkrun. My top tip is to focus on running most of them at a fun pace, don't burn yourself out trying to beat your PB every race.
great advice, I stopped enjoying running from pushing too hard, only when I brought it back that I could enjoy both the benefits and the actual running itself
I'm 76 and still running slow (for my age) half-marathons. I do agree with all your comments but the realities of being an older runner put a different slant on it for me. The realisation that pausing running for a few weeks may mean an end to your running career forever. Throwaway wisdoms concerning preparation, diet. etc, which seem fairly obvious but tend to get ignored become vitally important. Being better than average at my age seems less important than finding the strength to keep going. Then there's the age groups... some races just have a 50+ age group, which makes you feel that including that was just an afterthought. I reckon I should get a prize just for finishing but by the time I get there everybody has moved to the food tent.
I was watching the first few seconds of this and wondering "What's up with Mark's hair? He's starting to look like Marv from Home Alone". Letting it grow to that length takes time and coming to terms with the fact that you'll look 10 years older (I should know), so doing it for a bit on a UA-cam video... that's dedication!
I ran a 5k when I was 21 years old. I was drunk, signed up on a whim and ran it in blue jeans and flip flops talking on the phone. I did not exercise during this time of my life. I ran it in 22 min and some change. 10 years later, I eat healthy, lift weights 4 days a week, quit smoking…. And I still can’t run a 5k as fast as that first race when I was a youngin. Lol.
Top tips! Don’t forget to help out every once in a while. parkruns are run by the parkrunners themselves. There are some jobs you can do AND run. If you have a race on the Sunday, why not marshal on the Saturday? It’s very rewarding and helps keep your local parkrun alive!
I do bring a 500ml running flask that my dog and I share. It’s mainly for him. I just pour it into a collapsible bowl for him. But I like that once the water is gone you aren’t stuck with a giant bottle. It fits in my pocket empty.
Nutrition, hydration and exercise - cardio and weights, you do more for general population's health than most medical professionals these days. I swear that even if you ask them "would sport and better eating habits would help?" I had one answer to me "(half mouthed)yea.... but i'mma give you this prescription anyway" (it was about cholesterol) it's sad that those noble profession, those people that you should be able to trust with your life are now just caring about the money grabs. (idk about the past but this is now) and also most of them are so unhealthy drinking smoking and obscenely overweight... You're awesome Mark.
Hahaha…vibram 5 fingers (even though they’re toes?!). We’ve all been through that phase. My kids love to remind me, and ask what the hell was I thinking 😂
I love parkrun Mark. I broke my foot a few months ago and it was the only few hours of the week I seen folk when I was volunteering. Now I’m mobile I’ve been walking. PS. You can rock up at 8.55 in Scotland. Love your videos ❤
Interesting, it looks like the Scotish Parkruns start at 9:30? I've gotten into a bad habbit of arriving late to the English parkruns... I've done 35 of them now and I've only arrived before 8:55 three times. (I've arrived when it's been cancelled three times too)
@@John-Smlth that funny, as long as you arive it’s all good ! I think because we are darker on Winter mornings it’s 9.30 here. Bad habits are so easy, it took me ten years to form good ones and twelve weeks to forget them.
Any suggestions for improving your breathing? I can do 10k runs and my normal run is 6 km but I find that I can can get very out of breath. I have tried a 3 in:2 out breathing routine, a 2: 2 and even a 2:1 for going up hills, all of which work to an extent. I agree with Mark's theory about a prestart warm up run as I did that a couple of weeks ago for an 8 km run and it went very well for me.
@@MarkLewisfitness hi Mark, thanks for the advice. I’m by no means the fastest runner there (PB is 29:52) so I usually start in the middle. I’ll try starting further up front next time and see how it goes
I don't run (yet) but I take a 5km walk almost every morning on an empty stomach (just a glass of water and some vitamins to kick off the day). I did sign up for my first official 5k in May today, so I have something to aim for. There are no park runs here and even 5k's are few and far between but I figured I can just run the morning walk I do now every now and then instead. Just have to start doing it which is the hard part 😂
Don't pressure yourself into running the whole thing... that pressure is what will keep you delaying. Just decide, once you're warmed up, to run to that tree, or mailbox, etc. Or if you're more analytical, add in timed repetitions... 1 minute running, 1 minute walking, etc. Then you can track your progress as you gradually phase out your walking. (A gradual approach also let's you toughen up your body and avoid injuries. ) Best wishes!
@@Kelly_Ben Thanks! I actually went for a short run yesterday, 2,43km. "Ran" the whole way, with an average pace of 6:29/km. So that's my starting point - I figured I'll slowly increase the distance until I can run the whole 5k, then start working on speed. Pretty happy with the initial result :)
I'm doing trail runs with a group where I'm one of the slower ones. They do their long run on Saturday, I join for their recovery run on Sunday. When I say they're faster, they'll do 20 miles on bridle trails* averaging better than 8 minutes / mile. (* Not sure if they call it that in England, bridle trails are for horses, and include lots of steep, technical single-track.) I'm still a little bit in the "event" mindset: Lay my clothes out the night before, have my nutrition planned out, etc. I think that's probably a good idea when I'll be running 2+ hours at *any* pace. I've known people who did a marathon on a whim because they heard someone talking about it at the hotel the night before. I won't go to a movie without more preparation than that.
How the hell did you mange to video yourself, killing an alarm clock? 😁are you secretly an evil genius?🤔 # 9 Role with it. Can I assume this was a deliberate spelling choice and not that you can't spell?
So true! I do the same, park run and then an active day. Sunday 10k another active day. I alway make sure I volunteer regularly at my local park run! They can always use a volunteer.
I bought a pair of vibrams a few years ago and I actually really like them. If you run in them for a while and then switch back to regular running shoes, you feel like you are running on a cloud.
I love doing Parkrun did my 250 in August last year and will do the 500 because I love blue. Missed this week because found glass in food I was eating.
Anyone else doing regular Saturday morning runs? I forgot how much I enjoy them 😁
So many of the things you mentioned I’ve stumbled across independently.
Saturday after parkrun is when I knock over all the jobs I’ve been putting off all week.
Parkrun is the bookend of my week.
Thanks for your continued inspiration.
I don't do regular parkruns now since the harness rule, but started a canicross group and do Barkruns. Absolutely perfect replacement for us.
I am 16 yo and after i saw your videos i signed up for a parkrun. I was scared at first because i thought i wasn't fast enough but here i am 2 months later running in 24 minutes. Thanks to that video i overcame my fear
I used to run on and off for several years, then after watching many, many UA-cam running videos (including yours) I decided to give Parkrun a go in October. It's the main thing that's kept me running and now I run 5km at least once a week.
I used to run 10km every session and if I did any less I'd feel like I'd failed. Parkrun has made me start enjoying (or not hating) running.
Never ran before in my life. I did my first parkrun 9 months ago and I haven't looked back. cant imagine a Saturday morning without parkrun.
I did my first Parkrun aged 52 in 2017. I was doing it to save my sanity - not to achieve a PB. Years later - same old. It’s about getting it done. Pace is absolutely irrelevant. Parkrun saved my life. It’s still saving my life (150 as of Saturday). I’m nearly 60. 6 minute kilometres are fabulous.
The big problem with this channel having just discovered it is that I spend so much time laughing and enjoying than I do getting off my arse and putting it into practice 😂. Seriously though..,thanks for the motivation 👍
'Habits, not goals'. Amen
Forgive yourself for being late, you have a Garmin, you can still test yourself, also consider running/cycling to it every so often to Dave the planet please everyone!
Need to shave.... You're looking a bit like Rolf Harris....😂
Can you tell what it is yet 😂
@@MarkLewisfitness Tie me Kangaroo down, sport
I ran a PB in my local Parkrun this morning- 26.36. A lot of people will run faster than that and think that’s a rubbish time, but I’m really proud of it. I started doing Parkruns about a year ago and got 31.30 in my first one (and it felt awful, but at the time I was just happy I could run 5K without stopping). That 26.36 represents a year’s worth of effort to improve my health- your videos were the reason I started Parkrun in the first place Mark (I mean this literally- I only did my first one because I watched one of your videos and thought it looked like a good idea). So thank you so much for your content, it’s genuinely made such a difference to me and my health.
(Also, last week I ran a 30 min Parkrun after a week of night shifts and it felt like hell- today’s legs are not yesterday’s legs- Mark is completely right when he says you just have to turn up and do your best on the day).
26:36 is a superb time - the average Parkrun time across all events is closer to 29 minutes. And it places you perfectly to start chipping away towards 25. 👍🏼💪
10: Volunteer! OK, it might not actually make your Parkrun faster, but it's the right thing to do :-) You don't pay for Parkrun, it's fully supported by volunteers and they need a break sometimes too.
This.
Always try and volunteer at least once a month. If everyone did that it would be fair. Everyone gets a chance then
I do both.
As a Marshall,
I think that you can really empathise with runners, if you are a runner yourself.
However, I do appreciate that not all marshalls can run or even want to do run.
I make sure I Marshall at least 10% of the time.
If your Parkrun is about 5k or so from your home cycle there, it’s a good warm up and gets the blood flowing nicely. That way you also get to do 15k of exercise whilst most people are still in bed
Spot on. I did my first Park Run at 41 in my pyjamas having never run in public and horrified at the prospect. No one laughed and I didn’t die. I’m now 47 and running sub 20. Park Run is the backbone of all my exercise and good habits, my finish time is more important than a drink on Friday night and I’ve made friends I don’t drink with. Concepts previously an anathema to me.
I wish Parkruns were more popular in the US, there’s only one in all of California 😢 Maybe someday I’ll stop rowing on Saturday mornings and see what it would take to organize one near me…
Regardless, the tips in this video are excellent for feeling good about any relatively regular, higher effort than usual activity. Very grounded in reality and matches how I feel about pushing myself.
There are 5k RACES all over the United States, pretty much every weekend. They are not quite like what we see in these videos. As intimidating as starting a fitness journey with Parkrun can be, the (non-Parkrun) 5k races in the US are noticeably worse. No central organization where you can see all of them, expensive entry fees, and having to wear bib numbers with chip timers in them is all very intimidating for new runners, or even walkers for that matter. We need more Parkruns!
You don't to have others there to do them. You could also start a group to do them.
Email park run and start a park run in your own town. It's all volunteers. Be one of the heroes 🙌
@@ahnilatedahnilated7703I certainly will, after my kids get a little older and my involvement in their extracurricular programs comes to an end.
love Nixon he is the star of the video
Just gone past 100 parkruns and counting! It’s very motivating to do and as you say it’s a way to continue the day in a positive way rather than not.
100% - start as you mean to go!
Well done, Mark. I need to be better about arriving early and warming up. Saturdays are long run days (winter) and trail race days for me. However, your tips still apply and are appreciated. Thanks for another great video.
I love the self awareness on the Vibrams, Mark! It's the athletic shoe equivalent of running across a picture of myself wearing carpenter jeans🤣
They are still a guilty pleasure 😂
@@MarkLewisfitness The have the X-men look about them.
Hey Mark, I'm a new subscriber but love your content. I'm 15 and I've been running for about a month and did my first 10k to try help my shorter distances and since then I've hit several personal bests since then in my 3km times which I'm doing for my PE GCSE's. Love your content! Great tips
Nice work! Run further definitely helps when you then run shorter 👍🏼
More sage advice, Mr Lewis.
I'm in a similar position to you; 18 months ago I was 145kgs and 6'4", with NO previous experience of running. Fast forward and I'm 101kgs and (still) 6'4", but now trying for the Manchester Marathon. I use parkrun in lieu of Threshold Intervals, as per my training plan, which seems like a sensible swap.
Oh, and yesterday, I "only" shaved 26s off my PB.... Gutted 😉😉🤔
Keep up the good work, squire 👍
My missus set herself a goal of a 10k in Feb but its a chore to run on her own. So I got barcodes for my 6 and 8 year olds and we all did parkrun together, the 6 year old has the house PB. Such a wonderful family day ensued and now its the kids asking if we can go do parkrun again. Fully agree thats is a gret way to set yourself up for a good Saturday, feeling good about yourself and others. Love life, do parkrun! Look forward to watch Jenn do her first solo and you do your weighted thing this weekend.
lovely that you all do it together and supporting your wife
Does Park Run allow for the time it takes to cross the line?
No
Started my weight loss and exercise journey at 20st in September last year, now below 16st and achieved my first sub 25min Park Run today. You were a great motivator and inspiration, thanks for all of the great content Mark 👍💪🏃♂️
ParkRun is the start of my weekend, I also try and volunteer at least twice a month. I’m in total agreement with so much of what Mark is advocating here, my only slight change is to remember that it’s OK to not progress especially in winter. I love that so many people have improved their health and fitness through ParkRun.
My ParkRun times drop off by 2 / 3 mins in winter and I’ve learnt that’s ok. The air is denser, the courses are wetter / colder and you wear more layers. Not optimum conditions for good times.
Sleeping in late on the weekend actually destroys your sleep during the week. It's a cycle. Your body has a circadian rhythm, basically meaning it does better on a schedule. If you wake up at 6am for work, you need to wake up at 6am on the weekend. If that means going to sleep earlier, do that. If you can wake up later generally, even if that's simple things like laying your clothing out the night before so you don't waste time choosing, that can be part of your plan. Working in naps is perfectly valid and not a sign of weakness. Airline pilot training now includes that even if a pilot needs to sneak in a 5 minute nap to feel ready for the flight, that's scientifically proven to be superior to any amount of caffeine or "motivation". Get your sleep in however you have to.
Hint: Waking up early for a park run might also feel good on the day, from all the adrenaline, but now your body is wondering what the hell to do with one mismatched day every week. If you could move your whole week to the same time as a park run, now you're not all groggy every morning with your body trying to figure out what day it is. In the long run, provably, statistically, your health will be much better for it.
I enjoy watching your videos on Friday nights. It keeps me motivated for parkrun on the Saturday morning.💪🏻🏃🏻♂️🏅
When did Vladimir Lenin start doing park runs??
Hi Mark, I'm willing to listen to your long rambles just to catch glimpses of your 3 cute Presidents. 😍
Nixon isn't buying that no water for 5k spiel 😆
I’ve just signed up for parkrun. I reckon what you say will prove to be great advice.
ParkRuns have changed many people’s lives for the better. Well done to the organisation, sponsors and people like Mark, Jog On Harry, the running Bens and many more for their encouragement - and let’s not forget the awesome volunteers who make it happen!
I'm borderline religious when it comes to ParkRun! It's the highlight of my weekend (how sad am I!?!) They're what got me into running back in the day, and remain a staple.
No disrespect, Mark, but you need to lose the facial hair 🤪
Parkruns in the UK is on a whole different level compared to Germany. We like only have a handful scattered across Germany. What a shame
Great video 👍🏻, now up to my 48th Parkrun after starting Couch to 5k with my husband's encouragement in lockdown, (he's been running for several years). I felt really nervous going to my first Parkrun but thoroughly enjoyed it, my goal was to achieve a Sub 30 PB which I have now done on several occasions, some weeks are tougher than others and the weather definitely influences my runs. I have done a couple of 10k races and would love to achieve a Sub 60 min 10k at some point in the future. I love looking at the position in my age category and age grade % as this gives you a better picture of your performance. We're lucky to have several Parkruns in our County so it's great to try out different courses. I'm a 53 year old lady and would recommend anyone to give it a try, it's definately helped me in so many different ways.
I use to do park run and my pb was 39.40 and then I some how just stopped exercising, (a good 18months) have started and stopped the day C 2 5k a few times. Read r/v and running 3 times a week then able to do 5k just doesn’t sound practical 😮
C25K was my springboard to ParkRuns. I’ve not looked back since.
Loving the stash but I am wondering if you are thinking of making some... ahem, niche movies?
hey man sorry to say this but that stache is a bit offputting, shave it for more money
I just did my very first parkrun in Montreal... it was amazing! It was my first attempt at a 5k "race", pushing passed my routine pace. TIP: Meet people before the race! I immediately connected with 3 guys who do it every week, and one of them asked me what time I thought I could do, then gathered some people and he paced us! I was pretty sure I could do 27:30 (5:30/km), and my official result was 27:29 lol. The run ended up being a bit more than 5k as it was a different path to accommodate other events, so my actual PB 5k on my Garmin was 27:00 flat. Amazing community!
I can't run without water. My mouth gets way too dry and affects my breathing 🙈
Nixon!!!!!!! - He's back!......Finally! and looking at those 5fingers reminds me about the Zola Bud barefoot run you never did :-)
Just signed up. They're held only 1 km from my house :D
I finally got a sub 30 at my last parkrun. I know this is still very slow and definitely not above average!! But I don’t care, I’m so pleased with myself. Next goal 28 mins lol.
Took me a long time to get some 30. You should be seriously proud of that - and also, now that you can go 30 it means you are running proper, so the improvements will come quicker.
If want a 10th and are over 60 go back and stick an H on the end of that first slide.
Mark, thanks for the advice and motivation, your channel’s awesome. My wife and I did our first park yesterday and per your advice, we set planned times and got incrementally faster as opposed to being gassed out in the first 500m! Keep up the great vids! Cheers!
Got up st 11:30am today. All plans out the window.
Is that the start of a dubious moustache? We know you like the 80s but you’re not Magnum PI. Go shave, now 😂
Ferrari next 😂
My only issue is that it takes a LONG time for me to get going. Take today for example, I did a proper warming-up, but I only felt I was really getting into it when I hit the 3km mark. By far my fastest split was the last one. Yet in the first 3km I felt out of breath at times so it didn't really feel like I could go faster. Next week I'll actually try a 10km run. I've done a few ones as training runs and I basically run nearly the same way as a parkrun, with km 6-10 pretty much all at the same split times as km 5.
Plot twist, the dog won every park run.
What do you normaly eat before runs like this? I am fit, but i want to get better at running.
Roll with it? Role with it? Either way, I appreciate the content!
Dude. You got TRT. It is not the things you listed made you change to the beast you are :) please do not give us hope :))
Don’t be such a loser. I went from 100lbs over weight to a sub 20 park run without going near TRT - despite levels off testosterone that where off the bottom of the chart.
I'm going to take my first parkrun in Reading tomorrow as an absolute newbie office worker. Thank you for your video
Training for a half marathon later in the year, I'm a cyclist normally so my cardio is half decent, but my running endurance is pretty poor, legs give up on me way before my CV system does, but I am chipping away at it having never really ran anywhere before, really getting the bug! I love your no nonsense approach, new sub!
Such great tips on this channel, thank you. I am 54 and used to do PR before covid and my best time was 33m. I would be lucky to do it in 43 atm so am currently doing the C25K with a few others and we have just started week 5. It is tough but I'm really looking forward to getting back to PR again. We are lucky to have ours right on the seafront (Clacton on sea) it really is a great location for running so here's hoping I can get a PB at some point this year.
Great content, although I run regularly I have never done one of these so will give it a go..
I’m at Hyrox thanks to you this Saturday, if I see you I will cheers you and Jen on.
Good luck
Running my first 10k this weekend! Single digit weather. Hope I don’t die!
1st Parkrun in a month tomorrow. Hopefully going to smash the 25 minute barrier. It's not a race though
Thanks Mark. An interesting take on what is solidly establishing itself as a national institution.
I agree that parkrun isn't a race (sort of) but I enter it as one on Strava to differentiate from my day-to-training.
Keep up the good work.
Great video. I use Park Runs (on my own without my dog) to get me ready for Canicross runs (just 5K) with my Whippet!
Started running last march and now do 20-25 miles per week, I'm signed up to do the London marathon in April aiming for a sub 4 hour! Still need to get to a park run, they look great fun
good going & good luck for the marathon
Would just like to say thank you, ran my first parkrun yesterday thanks to your advice. Did my first in 31:10.
Congrats 🙌
Hey Mark. In one of your videos you talk about running slower to run faster. Well I am also new to running and I also had problems running slow. I had no running rhythm. That’s until I found military running cadence music. It’s amazing to run to, a bit boring, but it motivates and it gives you a tempo to run to. 2 month of runningI don’t run every day and now I’m running 8km pretty easy !
What are these tee shirts Mark wears? Anyone know? Also do they do above medium (JK Mark 😂)
Tailored Athlete. All sizes available 😂
I was a run director for 8 years, frigging love parkrun! Thank you for these tips, as someone who lacks confidence and always starts too far back (despite being a runner for over 12 years!), I loved listening to this video and nodding along whenever you spoke about Jen! Thank you!
I’m glad you seem to have U-turned on the pushing Patreon as your main platform Mark👍
No U turn - Patreon get a video and two podcasts a week. UA-cam gets one video as it always did 👍🏼
Why did you take the changes to UA-cam video down? I also presumed that you had u-turned. UA-cam holds all my subscriptions I’m unlikely to add another location to visit to find some content it’s simply too fragmented for me to bother with in an already busy life, it’s inconvenient. Th video was watched with a bit of “that’s a shame” and I would love to see you continue to build your UA-cam and watch your success grow further which has been nice to see you do over the past year
@@harrywade8276 yeah the fact he took it down indicated to me he thought it was an error
9:00 as someone who now comes first at my local due to the top runners moving away, that bit hurt. Also 9:36 don't you mean roll?
another good one. after quite a while of subjecting my wife to your videos, she has started running. not sure if she finds them enjoyable or if she's trying to get away from them. either way, keep them coming!
I just recently found your videos and I’m so glad you have another running tips video! I want to run my first 5k this year
I can't get enough of these Parkrun videos. I think you should do another one, it's been a while. I recommend something like "Return to Parkrun. Can I still get under 20 minutes" or a Parkrun series where you train toward beating your PB.
Were you also a surgeon in days gone by? that scrub photo probably not the best to highlight you being overweight, #gunshow
I was waiting for one of my kids to be born 😂
I think your attitude and inclusiveness is great. Next Saturday is definitely on for me..... My sister has done over 400 Park runs. I am an embarrassment but you are the best motivator!
I live in denmark and i didn’t think parkruns would be a thing you could do here. But there’s a park run quite close to me actually. Only problem is I’m training to run a half marathon and am doing my long runs Sunday, so I will probably wait till I’m in good enough shape to do a 5k the day before my long run… I’m excited to begin the parkruns though sometime next month I reckon
I'm training for a 10k (100 pounds overweight with plantar fasciitis), and I love watching your videos. Thanks for being here.
Toe yoga!! Fixed my terrible case in a month. Best wishes on your journey, you've got this!
Nixon - Note To Self........Make sure I drink enough BEFORE dad takes me running, stopping during a NON RACE pisses him off........and he ends up spelling like a rabbit ......." ROLL WITH IT............And finally, a 10min video from Mark Lewis without the use of the word DONUT once, not acceptable. ( good stuff ) STAY HARD.
good points
I had aspirations to start going again this year, but haven't so far. Rolling out of bed at 10am is standard for me on a Saturday, since I'll be up with the 5 year old at 7am on Sunday but my wife does it on Saturdays. It's a 7 mile cycle each way to the local flat one, so all told a decent amount of activity if I can get my arse into gear.
Pretty soon the 5 year old will be kicking your arse - so get on it while you can 😂
@@MarkLewisfitness Facts! I remember when my older son (20 now) started being better than me at FPS games. Very upsetting times!
Just do it !
Mark said there were changes to the channel, but I am unsure about the facial hair change! Parkrun helped me reverse my diabetes 2 a few years back, but it also led to my injury last year as I pushed too hard on Parkrun. My top tip is to focus on running most of them at a fun pace, don't burn yourself out trying to beat your PB every race.
great advice, I stopped enjoying running from pushing too hard, only when I brought it back that I could enjoy both the benefits and the actual running itself
I'm 76 and still running slow (for my age) half-marathons. I do agree with all your comments but the realities of being an older runner put a different slant on it for me. The realisation that pausing running for a few weeks may mean an end to your running career forever. Throwaway wisdoms concerning preparation, diet. etc, which seem fairly obvious but tend to get ignored become vitally important. Being better than average at my age seems less important than finding the strength to keep going. Then there's the age groups... some races just have a 50+ age group, which makes you feel that including that was just an afterthought. I reckon I should get a prize just for finishing but by the time I get there everybody has moved to the food tent.
Joined up to my local park run today after seeing your videos. Do you think swimming 1 k half hour before running constitutes as a warm up ?
I was watching the first few seconds of this and wondering "What's up with Mark's hair? He's starting to look like Marv from Home Alone". Letting it grow to that length takes time and coming to terms with the fact that you'll look 10 years older (I should know), so doing it for a bit on a UA-cam video... that's dedication!
I ran a 5k when I was 21 years old. I was drunk, signed up on a whim and ran it in blue jeans and flip flops talking on the phone. I did not exercise during this time of my life. I ran it in 22 min and some change.
10 years later, I eat healthy, lift weights 4 days a week, quit smoking….
And I still can’t run a 5k as fast as that first race when I was a youngin. Lol.
Top tips! Don’t forget to help out every once in a while. parkruns are run by the parkrunners themselves. There are some jobs you can do AND run. If you have a race on the Sunday, why not marshal on the Saturday? It’s very rewarding and helps keep your local parkrun alive!
I do bring a 500ml running flask that my dog and I share. It’s mainly for him. I just pour it into a collapsible bowl for him. But I like that once the water is gone you aren’t stuck with a giant bottle. It fits in my pocket empty.
Saturday and Sunday both. Doing 4:1 jog to walk ratio with the goal of a half marathon at the end of April. Doing around 40 minutes presently.
Nice work. Half marathon is a serious distance 👍🏼 Good luck.
Did my first park run in around a year on Saturday 💪🏻
Nutrition, hydration and exercise - cardio and weights, you do more for general population's health than most medical professionals these days. I swear that even if you ask them "would sport and better eating habits would help?" I had one answer to me "(half mouthed)yea.... but i'mma give you this prescription anyway" (it was about cholesterol) it's sad that those noble profession, those people that you should be able to trust with your life are now just caring about the money grabs. (idk about the past but this is now) and also most of them are so unhealthy drinking smoking and obscenely overweight...
You're awesome Mark.
Hahaha…vibram 5 fingers (even though they’re toes?!). We’ve all been through that phase. My kids love to remind me, and ask what the hell was I thinking 😂
Simple and effective tips. Thank you Col. Sanders! When is the gravel bike content coming?
I love parkrun Mark. I broke my foot a few months ago and it was the only few hours of the week I seen folk when I was volunteering. Now I’m mobile I’ve been walking. PS. You can rock up at 8.55 in Scotland. Love your videos ❤
The social side is huge and very under appreciated 👍🏼
Interesting, it looks like the Scotish Parkruns start at 9:30?
I've gotten into a bad habbit of arriving late to the English parkruns... I've done 35 of them now and I've only arrived before 8:55 three times.
(I've arrived when it's been cancelled three times too)
@@John-Smlth that funny, as long as you arive it’s all good ! I think because we are darker on Winter mornings it’s 9.30 here. Bad habits are so easy, it took me ten years to form good ones and twelve weeks to forget them.
Ireland is also 9:30
Meanwhile in Australia, most states start at 8:00 whilst those in the far north start at 7:00
@@johnhamilton6003 I wasn’t wanting to sound like a clever clogs and say that 🤣👍
Really like that one Mark - full of common sense advice that lots of people don't do. I'm also not allowed to call it a race (although I'm racing me)
Any suggestions for improving your breathing? I can do 10k runs and my normal run is 6 km but I find that I can can get very out of breath. I have tried a 3 in:2 out breathing routine, a 2: 2 and even a 2:1 for going up hills, all of which work to an extent. I agree with Mark's theory about a prestart warm up run as I did that a couple of weeks ago for an 8 km run and it went very well for me.
I have the opposite issue where I’m all caught in the crowd and my first km is the slowest and then I need to play catch-up over the next 2
Start up front 😂 worry about people in front of you, not behind you - if they need to get past they will
@@MarkLewisfitness hi Mark, thanks for the advice. I’m by no means the fastest runner there (PB is 29:52) so I usually start in the middle. I’ll try starting further up front next time and see how it goes
I don't run (yet) but I take a 5km walk almost every morning on an empty stomach (just a glass of water and some vitamins to kick off the day). I did sign up for my first official 5k in May today, so I have something to aim for. There are no park runs here and even 5k's are few and far between but I figured I can just run the morning walk I do now every now and then instead. Just have to start doing it which is the hard part 😂
Don't pressure yourself into running the whole thing... that pressure is what will keep you delaying. Just decide, once you're warmed up, to run to that tree, or mailbox, etc. Or if you're more analytical, add in timed repetitions... 1 minute running, 1 minute walking, etc. Then you can track your progress as you gradually phase out your walking. (A gradual approach also let's you toughen up your body and avoid injuries. ) Best wishes!
@@Kelly_Ben Thanks! I actually went for a short run yesterday, 2,43km. "Ran" the whole way, with an average pace of 6:29/km. So that's my starting point - I figured I'll slowly increase the distance until I can run the whole 5k, then start working on speed. Pretty happy with the initial result :)
Love this 😄 Dry, funny and oh so true! Great advice Mark 👌🏽👍🏽
I wish Philippines would have at least 1 Parkrun available. People there just don't want to host anything free.
I'm doing trail runs with a group where I'm one of the slower ones. They do their long run on Saturday, I join for their recovery run on Sunday.
When I say they're faster, they'll do 20 miles on bridle trails* averaging better than 8 minutes / mile.
(* Not sure if they call it that in England, bridle trails are for horses, and include lots of steep, technical single-track.)
I'm still a little bit in the "event" mindset: Lay my clothes out the night before, have my nutrition planned out, etc. I think that's probably a good idea when I'll be running 2+ hours at *any* pace.
I've known people who did a marathon on a whim because they heard someone talking about it at the hotel the night before. I won't go to a movie without more preparation than that.
How the hell did you mange to video yourself, killing an alarm clock? 😁are you secretly an evil genius?🤔 # 9 Role with it. Can I assume this was a deliberate spelling choice and not that you can't spell?
Currently working up to braving my first 5K. These are great ideas/suggestions. Thank you, Mark!
So true! I do the same, park run and then an active day. Sunday 10k another active day.
I alway make sure I volunteer regularly at my local park run! They can always use a volunteer.
I bet Nixon was fuming at the negative split tactic… Definitely looks like he likes to go off quick 😂
I bought a pair of vibrams a few years ago and I actually really like them. If you run in them for a while and then switch back to regular running shoes, you feel like you are running on a cloud.
In different countries there are different start times eg parkrun in Australia is 8am because, you know, it’s hot.
Were you working in medical devices with those scrubs on or working in NHS ?
I love doing Parkrun did my 250 in August last year and will do the 500 because I love blue. Missed this week because found glass in food I was eating.