Over the years, I’ve coached many runners during marathon training who still want to include Parkrun in their weekly schedule. The question is, how can you include a 3 mile run in marathon training with the least amount of wasted or misplaced time and effort?
Long run day
Since most of my clients are club runners, many of them have a routine of a hard Parkrun on Saturday, easy longer run on Sunday and their club run on a Monday evening. That’s before we begin working together anyway, since I generally recommend a switching of long run days to a Saturday for runners in this routine.
It makes more sense to have the extra recovery time before the Monday interval session, and including Parkrun within a long run means we can use higher intensity long runs which would otherwise be unsafe (imagine hard running 5k Saturday, challenging long run Sunday then an effort session on Monday!), and avoids having to back off the effort completely for Parkrun.
Parkrun prioritisation
It’s a great event and organisation, but the way people often approach it, as something that mustn’t be missed, or has to be run near flat out, honestly kind of baffles me. So many people I’ve worked with or talked with over the years treat it like an unofficial race, and must run it hard even when they’re returning from injury or meant to be taking it easy.
I’ve written about the topic before, but when you’re training for a marathon, it should be given the respect it needs, with training for the 26 miles put above all other fitness goals.
The occasional hard effort Saturday Parkrun and easier long run Sunday can work, but are best used before a Bank Holiday Monday, when clubs generally don’t run.
Parkrunning in your long run
If the socialising and Parkrun milestones are important to you, let’s see how we can add Parkrun into your long run.
You have 3 times to add it in. As a warm-up, as your cool-down, or in the middle of your long run, commonly known as the Parkrun sandwich.
What I probably see most often is the Parkrun sandwich, but the sandwich metaphor doesn’t really fit with how people then run this. More often than not, they take large stops before the start of Parkrun and after the 3 miles, before they head off for their remaining miles. You eat a sandwich with all parts in one bite, rather than chewing a piece of bread, then some cheese, then some bread to finish. What I’m saying is, if you’re unwilling to change your Parkrun habits for a couple of months while you focus on the larger challenge of a marathon, you need to actually do long runs, not 2-3 separate runs.
Using Parkrun as your warm-up or cold down is usually less problematic in this respect, since you only need to stop once.
Parkrun warm-up
I’d often lean towards this option as a way to discipline yourself to not run hard, but also because it matters a little less if you do go a bit too fast since it’s when you’re freshest and most likely to move well, before the rest of your run.
The only real downside to using Parkrun for your warm-up is the much later finish to your day. Depending on your fitness and distance, it could easily take up your entire morning by the time you get home, shower and eat.
Parkrun cool down
Logistically a bit more tricky, since you need to time the end of your long run to finish as close to 9am as possible, but a better option in other respects. If you arrive a little too early, just keep jogging at an easy pace until the start.
By the time you finish Parkrun, all your miles are done and you can chat and catch up with friends as long as you like (or can handle during Winter).
Imperfect compromise
I’d be lying if I said it was ideal, since no matter when you include Parkrun in your long runs, it’ll include stopped time that will take away from the continuous running we want and need for your marathon. That said, I get it, not everyone is a solitary runner and although the marathon is hopefully your number one running priority, there are always small compromises that can be made with few negative side effects.
The takeaways
Whenever you include Parkrun in your long runs, please follow these tips;
- Don’t stop for any longer than necessary to take part.
- Be honest with yourself and which of the three timing options will work best for you.
- Don’t try and blast out a hard effort at Parkrun, because it’ll increase your risk of injury and/or mean worse running in the rest of your long run.
- If you notice yourself not doing the three things above, skip Parkrun until your marathon is over. Return after your race as a hero with success and stories to share.
Written by Kyle Brooks, Running Coach based in Norwich, Norfolk