Getting older and getting faster - Burgess parkrun #584 - 18/10/25

Nisha is getting older and faster with no assistance! Photo credit Samuel Olara

‘Just absolutely abolished a 10 miler hahaha’

This is the message I received on Sunday morning from my friend Kristy who had entered the Cabbage Patch 10 miler on Friday, and broke their Personal Best from October 2024 by 8 minutes!

Kristy hadn’t run more than 6 miles in a session this year, but regular parkrun attendance alongside working with a personal trainer on her strength and conditioning has put her in incredible shape. To me, it's a powerful reminder that to run faster and stronger, we might need to focus on more than just running.  

Kristy is a proud member of the parkrun 250 club across 13 different countries! Photo credit Gemma Southren

This had very much been on my mind as the previous day I had been talking to Paula, who had explained her partner, Burgess parkrun legend John Greenwood, had mentioned he’d like to improve his running. Perhaps John is weighing up tackling finishing first in his new age category of 70-74 or perhaps he simply wants to ensure he’s doing his best to keep moving and to remain injury-free. Improvement is arguably something we should all be doing, irrespective of what age we’re at in life. 

John is a Burgess parkrun regular, running and volunteering. He started his parkrun journey over 15 years ago, now with 460 runs and 45 volunteer credits to his name. Across 63 different locations, John has accumulated an impressive haul of 12 country flags (on the 5k app), including France and Russia. John shared how he’d done 3 parkruns in Russia whilst following the English Men’s football team during the World Cup back in July 2015! With parkrun currently suspended in Russia and France, John’s parkrun flag collection is now unattainable by others! You can read more about John’s remarkable parkrun journey in his own words by clicking here.

John is closing in on joining the volunteer 50 club, but also has an eye on his running times too.

There is a plethora of running advice and coaching plans available these days, my top 5 recommendations are; 

1. This Messy Happy; my favourite running YouTubers. They offer free training plans, 1-2-1 training, and operate an online running community. You can learn more by clicking here. 

2. Ben Parkes is a South London chap who offers free running plans which you can access here.

3. Runna is an app which can integrate with Strava. I’ve previously used their paying plans to achieve running goals and they have worked every time. You can learn more about Runna by clicking here.

4. My most important recommendation for keeping me in running shape is to use a massage gun. There are a few different brands. I use Theragun, it’s the single best investment I’ve made in my running to date. You can see the one I use by clicking here. 

However, for John and anyone out there who ABSOLUTELY wants to crack their personal best, look no further than getting an exoskeleton! 

5. An exoskeleton is a wearable, robotic support structure that can make you run faster by enhancing your natural movements with powered assistance. I watched Nick Bester review one of these things and my jaw literally hit the floor. It claims they can improve your

   running performance by a whooping 40%

How soon until we start to see people wearing these at parkruns? Photo credit https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hypershell-Pro-AI-Powered-Exoskeleton-Anti-Cold/dp/B0F5JLGZMH?&linkCode=sl1&tag=nuhorizons03-21&linkId=f809245a2f2a599fbb6f06c81bddde49&language=en_GB&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

How much do you want a new personal best? For just under £900 this could be the answer 🙂

I’m already looking forward to more messages saying;

‘Just absolutely abolished a 10 miler hahaha’ or a 5k. 

Stay well and happy running, walking or volunteering. 

www.horizons.uk

You can read about how parkrun was created by the founder, Paul Sinton-Hewitt, a care leaver, in his book ‘One Small Step’ The Definitive Account of how a run became a Global Movement by clicking here