On the first Tuesday of each month a  5K Time Trial will take place for all members

click here for latest Time Trial results (04/01/12)

Next Time Trial - Tuesday 7th February 2012
on the road at Grangefield

Meet the Coaches...

Training Schedule 2012
Training to take place every Tuesday evening

Core / conditioning  -  Shaun Denham

Open session - this is the coaches choice on the night

Thursday's Schedule for New Runners / Beginners

Running Sessions Explained

One of the best things about running is that it can be whatever you want it to be – easy or hard, fast or slow, competitive or fun, if running at the same speed over the same distance every time you go out is what suits you then that’s fine, you’re not doing anything wrong, if though it leaves you feeling a little bored then there are all sorts of different running sessions you might want to try so that is why the club has decided to put a training plan / structure in place for all members of all abilities.

Below are a few sessions that we are going to use over a set period of time, the idea is that you choose the group that you want to be in, if you want to move up or down through the groups then that’s fine, it’s your choice.

On the first Tuesday of each month (spring and summer only) we plan to run a 5K Time Trial around the perimeter of Queens Park, this will give you a measurement of how you are improving and it will be open to all members, it’s not a race, it’s you against the clock, all times will be recorded so you will be able to see exactly where you are month by month.

Fartlek Running;- This is a Swedish word meaning speed play and this session asks you to do just that – to play with your speed so you can have fun at a variety of different paces eg. start with a steady warm up then maybe run slowly up a hill then put in a fast sprint down the other side, slow down again until you reach a lamp post then run fast till you reach the next lamp post, fartlek is a means of getting your body used to running and working at different speeds.

Tempo Running:- This can be a hard session but your running will come on in leaps and bounds so it would be best if this session was done once you have been running a while, on a tempo run your effort level has been increased, you are now breathing hard, you can’t talk to your friends like you were doing earlier, it feels tough so why bother to put yourself thru’ this ?   because it’s a brilliant fat burner, it works your heart and lungs and it boosts your fitness level without having to run for hours on end, running like this will give you the best aerobic workout you can wish for, start with a five minute warm up then do five minutes of tempo running, recover for two minutes then repeat it twice more, a great workout in under thirty minutes !

Interval Running;- For this type of running you need a bit more inner grit and discipline, what you do is alternate between timed bursts of hard running and timed easier recovery periods which allow you to slow down and get your breath back. For your first session try running hard for one minute then recover at a slower rate for one minute, try building this up to about eight times if possible, the idea is to keep going at the same pace during each of your hard efforts rather than gradually tailing off, if this is to hard you can do an easier version of intervals where you work at a slightly less intensity in the hard efforts, again these sessions are great calorie burners and train your body to be able to run faster for longer periods.

Hill Running: -  Ever driven up a hill in your car and thought I could never run up here, well you can !   powerful and potent for your body and mind hill running will improve your mental muscle as well as the muscles in your legs and bottom, once you take on that dreaded hill facing up to just about anything else seems easy, start of gradually with just a couple of bursts of hill running and work up to doing eight to ten, run up the hill for twenty to thirty seconds then gently jog or walk back down then go up again repeating the whole process about eight times, you might ask yourself what’s the point ? having to work against the upward slope of the hill challenges your body in a new way, forcing it to work harder and it really tests your quad muscles, doing hills are worth trying for the mental boost alone.

Core / Conditioning -  Core strength training is an important part of any running or sports fitness program, a strong core will support your running, racing, training and any other sport or physical activity that you participate in, your core strength involves the supportive muscles in your torso and hips, strong core muscles provide you with a strong base on which to build, if these muscles are weak then your other muscles are working from a flawed foundation