Practical tips for running a parkrun from EIS practitioner Ian Pyper
Practical tips for running a parkrun from EIS practitioner Ian Pyper
Ian has worked for the English Institute of Sport for 11 years as a Strength and Conditioning coach and now works with British Triathlon as their Head of Physical Preparation helping triathletes to reach their potential.
In this article, Ian gives some tips for runners participating in the nationwide #teamparkrun event on Saturday 19th August, from warming up to cooling down and everything in-between.
More information on the #teamparkrun events across the UK this summer.
“Before you head off to the parkrun it’s important to have an appropriate breakfast and think about how long before running you eat it. Hydration levels will also be important so make sure that’s taken into consideration before hand,” advised Ian.
“From a motivational perspective, you may want to listen to music or a podcast – it’s important to get this all organised and charged the evening before, especially if you are using a running app to track your progress. I would advise doing this the night before to eliminate any last-minute stress! Also remember your parkrun bar code if you want to record a time to compare with you friends.
“Before starting, I would recommend a full body warm up paying attention to the main muscles that you’re going to use. This mainly includes the muscles of your posterior chain such as calves, hamstrings, glutes and lower back. These will be the main areas that are going to be under stress during your walk or run.
“A warm up for this can be as basic as a brisk walk from where you park your car right up to a specifically designed warm up if you’re going to be running hard – therefore this area is really individual.
“Prior to the run it might be worth looking into how many laps of the course you will complete as some courses differ and this may impact how you pace your effort. For example, where are the hilly parts of the run and where are the downhill or flat sections? It is also worth thinking about a race plan so you don’t go too hard too early and can then measure your effort across the whole distance. You could also divide the run up into sections, like running the first section and then walking the next section and so on. It all depends on what you want to do.
“As it is a mass participation event there will be people who set off very quick and eventually finish behind you or people that are running to try and win the Parkrun but remember it’s your own challenge and you need to go at a pace you’re happy with.
“In terms of a cool down make sure you are stretching the key muscle areas- the same as the ones mentioned earlier in the article. In addition, having some squash with water or an electrolyte in the car will help with your hydration and having something to eat will help with recovery.
“Having said all of this, the most important part is to make sure you enjoy exercising outside in the fresh air in a great atmosphere and of course have fun while doing it!”