This is our main Club night, and the scheduled activity varies.
On the first Wednesday of the month, every month other than June (when we hold the club mile) we run a Handicap race. Two laps of a mile and a half, with everyone starting at different times. In theory, if everyone runs exactly to par, we would all finish at the same time – of course it never quite works out that way, and chasing down a slower runner or showing an approaching one the meaning of the phrase “sprint finish” (or even perhaps “my arms go wide, get round me now”) is all part of the fun. This race is for everyone.
Other Wednesdays will alternate between a hill session and a long run. The hill sessions are run on gradients near the club, and are a great way for any runner to build strength and improve speed. Again, these are for everyone regardless of pace.
The long runs vary depending on who comes along. Generally we split up into pace groups and may run anything from 4 – 14 miles though most groups will be doing between 6 and 10 miles. We don’t quite have the membership to guarantee a group will be going at your pace, so if you are at all unsure whether there will be a group to suit you we suggest you run on a Monday until you know a few faces and get a feel for who comes along on a Wednesday and how many people run at a pace that suits you. Equally, though, if you know the local area reasonably well then feel free to come along here, join in with a group if there’s one that suits and if not, form your own!
On the final Wednesday of the month we are lucky enough to have Chris Coghlan run a track session at Kingsmeadow, from 7.30-8.30. Great for improving your speed but also fun and a chance to do something other than covering several miles at one pace. The track charge about £3 for entry to each person.