Welcome
to
New
Members Running Pack
The
aim of this ‘Information Pack’ is to give you an insight to the running calendar
and what goes on during the year. There is a copy of our current newsletter
in this pack and you will now begin to receive a monthly newsletter, which
should keep you up to date on events.
If you have
email please ensure we have your email address details as this is the quickest
way to get the newsletter each month. Send your email details to the membership
secretary. We can of course print out a copy of the newsletter for you to
collect at the Tuesday night club run.
We also have a
runner’s forum on the Internet, which you can join by contacting the chairman
to get further details. This forum is useful for arranging transport to races
and keeping up to date with any news as well as reporting how you got on at
a race and giving support to other runners.
Although we aim
to keep all the information up to date, there are always changes so check
the notice board (situated near the lockers outside the changing rooms at
the Heath Sport Centre) regularly and use our website www.royston-runners.org.uk or give
a committee member a ring if you are unsure about anything.
Details of
all current committee members are listed each month in the newsletter.
Contents:
Click on the headings below
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The Health benefits of running
Frequently asked questions
Calendar
Midweek league
Cross country
Speed work
Running a Marathon
Marshalling
Coaches and group leaders
Acknowledgements
The Health Benefits of Running
If you have 2 legs
and you are able to walk, then you can run. Running is simply a faster version
of walking. It’s not necessarily easy, but it is very, very simple. And
the more practise you get, the easier it becomes.
People start to run for many different reasons. For
many, events such as the ‘Race for Life’, the Great North Run or the Flora
London Marathon are the inspiration to start running for charity. Others
start because they wish to lose weight, improve their fitness or simply that
they have friends who run too and they want to see what all the fuss is about!
Whatever your personal
motivation, there are huge health benefits in taking part in this activity.
We must remember that running is a natural activity and as soon as the first
modern humans evolved 200,000 years ago, they had to be able to run as a matter
of survival.
Today, modern living is about convenience. We no longer
need to walk or run to get somewhere because we have transport; we no longer
need to walk or run to catch our own dinner because we buy it ready prepared
in supermarkets; we no longer need to run to escape the dangers of wild animal
attack because we live in safe communities with other people, not in the wild
with the beasts. With convenience come lack of physical activity, with lack
of activity can come ill health.
Weight loss: A huge majority of new runners take it up in order
to lose weight. There is no doubt that the effort required to run burns significant
calories – in fact, roughly 80 - 120Kcals for every mile you cover (depending
on your speed). With the correct running programme and progression for your
ability, running can contribute hugely to a successful weight-loss endeavour.
Added to the aesthetics of a leaner body is the fact that with less weight
to carry around there is less stress on the organs both during activity and
during rest.
Fitness: Or more specifically, cardiovascular fitness. Your heart is a muscle,
and like any other muscle, to gain strength, this muscle must be worked and
challenged. To increase your heart rate, you must increase your activity.
If your only cv exercise is walking, then jogging or running will provide
that increase in activity intensity.
Bone density: Running is a weight-bearing activity. Weight-bearing
activity strengthens bones. Stronger bones can help prevent diseases such
as osteoporosis and can make the risk of breaking a bone in a fall a lot smaller.
We must remember, however, that running is not weight-bearing for the upper
body. So it is important to include some sensible resistance training exercises
for your arms and torso too. Just ask one of the experienced gym instructors
at The Heath Sports Centre for advice.
Joint, ligament and tendon strength: How many times have you heard from a non-runner
that “running is bad for your knees”.What they should say is that prolonged
overtraining on hard surfaces in rubbish shoes might create problems with
the knees for the unlucky few who are prone to such issues! Running sensibly
and building up your mileage/intensity gradually will only serve to improve
the strength and flexibility for your knees, hips, lower back and ankles.
For expert advice on building up your training in the right way and for what
type of shoes to wear etc., just ask one of the group leaders or coaches at
Royston Runners Club.
Motivation: When you are part of a running club with set meeting
times or when you have arranged to meet up with someone else for a run, even
if you don’t feel like going, the negative motivation of thinking you’ll let
the group/other person down can be just what keeps us going. More often than
not, once the run is finished, you’ll feel better for it and glad that you
did go in the end.
Self-achievement: Knowing that you are doing something good to your
physical body is an enormous boost to your sense of self-worth. The encouragement
you’ll receive from other running club members and the participation in running
events will hike up your self-esteem a notch too. Running on your own takes
discipline and gives you time and space to focus on yourself for a while.
What is good for your body is good for your state of mind.
Social: Joining a running club is an excellent opportunity to meet with likeminded
people. There is a chance to form new friendships and try out some new running
activities such as track work, cross country or team relay events. Being
a club member gives you a feeling of exclusivity and for newcomers make them
feel like a ‘proper runner’. If motivation is an issue for you and you struggle
to get out and run on your own, then being part of a club is the solution.
You are never alone!
Diet: Taking an interest in physical activity inevitably leads to taking an
interest in your overall health and wellbeing. Having access to group leaders
and coaches within Royston Runners Club and experienced fitness instructors
and personal trainers at the Heath Sports Centre, as well as literature such
as Runner’s World magazine, means you have professional information regarding
your diet. To run successfully you have to eat successfully.
Ask any of the long term runners and you’ll find most
of them will tell you that running is not just an activity; it is a lifestyle.
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For ladies a good
sports bra is essential.
You will lose fluid very quickly especially in hot weather. Carry
a small bottle of water to minimise the risk of dehydration. Carry bottles
are available from all good sports shops. If you know you are going on
a long training run put water on the course beforehand. At organised events there are usually water stations on
the route, see the organisers information when your race number arrives.
Although it is recommended to use sports drinks never try a different drink
in a race that you have not tried in training. This is due to the fact that
it could upset you by giving you stomach cramps or even make you sick.
At
the beginning of the run, just take it slowly; this will warm your muscles
up ready to run. At the end of the run stretch exercises can be done, as
your muscles will be warm and loose. Please contact the personal trainers
at Heath Sports Centre to find out more about how to stretch.
For more information
about races, social events, club kit, results etc. Royston Runners has its
own notice boards and two drawers which are found by the lockers and changing
rooms at the Heath Sports Centre. If you wish to contact other club or committee
members you can leave correspondence in the drawers. Other information can
be found in the monthly newsletter and on our website.
We also announce
any forthcoming events before the club runs on a Tuesday. For events further
a field, Runners World magazine, available from newsagents or their website
www.runnersworld.co.uk is good for all
round information on events and other running related topics.
When running
with the group please following the guidelines below, for courtesy to others
and safety for yourself and others
.
- Always take
instructions from the group leader
- Run towards
the traffic flow; use footpaths at all times where possible.
- Be aware of
the traffic and obstacles around you
- Cross the road
as a group, don’t string out across the road
- Be aware of
pedestrians particularly when running behind people, it can be scary when
a group of heavy breathing individuals run out of nowhere behind you.
- If you decide
to turn back early ensure the group leader is aware
- Leave enough
space between you and the runner in front in case of a change of direction
or stopping for traffic
- If you are
ahead of the group please ‘loop back’ and join the rear of the group. This
will ensure the group stays together and will ensure that everyone in the
group is getting the best from their run.
Most first timers are terrified that they’re going to
be made to run a marathon as soon as they join the club. Well I’ve been a
club member for almost 10 years and have no desire to run a marathon. I’ve
never even come close. So please do not worry! You will not be out running
for hours. Beginners are well looked after and you will only run as much
as is comfortable for you. That may be a couple of hundred yards, or it may
be as much as a mile (or more). It will depend upon you.
Another misconception about joining a running club is
that it’s going to be full of elite marathon runners who charge along at 90
miles an hour. A very small percentage of our club members are fast, competitive
runners. The vast majority is made up of people seeking to become/keep fit
through running and many of them have no desire to enter a race or take part
in club-night speed work sessions.
As there are so many club members, everyone is divided
into groups of the same ability. The absolute beginners will run with other
absolute beginners, those with a little more experience will run with those
of the same speed, fast runners will run with other fast runners.
You will never be alone. The group will always stay
together even if some members of the group are faster than others. See final
point under the heading ‘runners etiquette’
Absolutely not. As mentioned, it is the club etiquette
for the group to stick together. Those who are faster and end up pulling
ahead must loop back and join the back of the group for a while. They will
end up covering more ground and therefore getting the longer run that they’re
capable of. Everyone then gets to run their own distance while staying part
of the team. There is no chance of you holding anyone up.
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Calendar
Royston Runners
do it on the Heath
At a glance
Schedule of Events, please see the notice board for exact dates and extra
events.
January
- Official club
marathon training begins. Sunday mornings 9am HSC
- Dinner Dance
with annual club awards
March
April
- London Marathon
- Pasta Party
for our London Marathon Runners
- Sawston fun
run—a good first time run
May
- Start of the
mid-week league—May—July
June
- 3k relays and
BBQ
- Pink Ribbon
Run on The Heath
July
- Annual race
for life in Cambridge
August
- Marathon entry forms released
September
- Harvest Trail
run
- Men’s weekend
away
October
- London Marathon
entry forms need to be in
- Lots of good
local runs, Standalone 10k, Cambridge wildlife trust
November
- Royston Runners
Birthday run, followed by an auction at HSC.
December
- London Marathon
entrants will find out if their application has been successful
- London marathon club places allocated
- Christmas run
and buffet lunch
- Buntingford10
race. A 10 mile race hosted by The Royston Runners
PLEASE NOTE
THAT THESE DATES ARE ONLY A GUIDELINE AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE
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The objective
of the league is to provide a number of mid-week road races, held under SEAA rules, every year in the months of April, May,
June and July.
The league comprises
of two divisions - A and B. At the end of the season the bottom two clubs
in Division A are relegated to Division B, while the top two teams in Division
B are promoted to Division A
Each course is
between 5 and 7 miles long and the host club must provide a race organizer
to take overall charge of the meeting. The races can be as far away as Chingford
or as close as Letchworth. This depends on which teams are in which division.
There are normally 4 divisional races with a ‘mob match’ as the last race,
where teams from both divisions run.
All runners need
to wear an identifiable club vest or t-shirt (Black and Red for Royston Runners)
and a race number specific to them. This number is handed out by the club
captain at the beginning of the league. It must be kept safe, as it is needed
for the duration of the league for use in all races.
The races are
open to first claim members only and all runners must be 15 years of age or
over.
There are team
and individual prizes in all age categories to be won, making it worthwhile
for everyone to take part.
If it’s not the
prizes and the honour of racing for your club that grabs you, then there is
always food and drink supplied after each race, so you can replace all that
energy you’ve used up. It’s also a chance to run in different towns and with
members of other clubs, many of whom are just as friendly as us!
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The
aim of the Sunday Cross Country League is to promote cross-country running
in the Hertfordshire Area A number of clubs host a race and are responsible
for the course, marshals and officials. Each race is combined, with both
men and women starting at 11.00. The distance can be up to 7 miles. See
the notice board for further information during the cross country season.
The term “cross country”
will bring the feeling of terror back to many, but there are no pompous PE
teachers to shout at you if you decide to walk up the hill. Being in the
middle of winter, it can be cold and wet and muddy. If it wasn’t at least
one of these it wouldn’t be cross-country and you might as well run on the
roads. All the courses are run in very natural areas, some of which you’d
have never thought to run on. The courses are, in some ways, more satisfying
to complete than road races, as they appear to be more of a challenge.
The first eight men from each Club and the first four women make up the scoring team. Veteran athletes have their own team scoring (four for men and three for women) but are also included in the senior competition. The more runners we put in each race the more places we can take away from the other clubs. Every runner has a part to play.
The team gathers on the club groundsheet, where bags and much needed warm clothing can be left during the race. Many partners and children or runners who are not competing due to injoury will be around to keep an eye on things and give a supporting cheer as you pass by on the course. Everyone hangs around until the end of the race to moan about the slippery, muddy hill or the big, deep puddle. Then it’s back in the car to Royston for a well-deserved afternoon nap!!
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Most
of us can come up with plenty of reasons to avoid speed work: we might say
it hurts; it increases our chances of picking up an injury; it makes us too
tired for our other runs… the list is endless. The thing is, they’re all unnecessary
fears. What’s more, whether you want to beat an ancient 800m PB set on the
grass track at school, or out-kick the runner who always sprints past you
in local 10Ks, adding speed will be immensely rewarding.
Speed work doesn’t just make
you run faster. It makes you fitter, increases the range of movement in your
joints, makes you more comfortable at all speeds, and it will ultimately help
you to run harder for longer.
If you’ve already added a speed
session or two to your schedule then you’ll know all of this already. If you
haven’t, then here are a few things to remember:
Ease into it When you started running, you ran for just
a couple of miles every other day, and have gradually built up to your current
mileage. You didn’t suddenly start running 35 miles a week, so adopt the same
approach to speed work. Put at least three months of steady running behind
you, then start with just one session every 10 days or so.
Not too hard Speed sessions aren’t about sprinting flat
out until you’re sick. They’re about controlling hard efforts and spreading
your energy evenly over a set distance or time, just like you would in a perfect
race.
Warm up and warm down Before each session, jog for at least 8-10
minutes to raise your blood temperature, increase blood flow to the muscles
and psyche yourself up for fast running. Follow that with some gentle stretching
and then run a few fast strides before getting down to the tough stuff. Afterwards,
jog for another 5-10 minutes, before stretching once again.
Find a partner Speed work takes more effort and willpower
than going out for a gentle jog. It’s much easier and more fun to train with
someone else – and if you really want to improve, try running with someone
just a bit quicker than you.
Quality not quantity Speed training should not account for more
than 15 per cent of your total mileage. So slot in your speed sessions around
the regular work you’ve been doing all along.
Royston Runners speed work sessions
are held weekly throughout the year. See the notice board for details of
days and times
Summer sessions - The track at
Greneway School
Winter session - The King James
Way car park
When
you start speed work you might find pacing yourself difficult. If you’ve run
a 5K race and a session calls for that pace, then you’ll have an idea of what
it feels like. But if you haven’t raced the distance indicated for the session,
don’t worry, because you’re most likely to find the right pace through trial
and error anyway.
While the idea of speed work
is obviously to run quickly, you’ll rarely be running flat out. Instead, the
time for each rep should be pretty similar, unless indicated otherwise. Run
too hard at the start of a session and your times will fall off; take it too
easy to begin with and you will speed up, but the session won’t benefit you
as much as it should.
In fact, for your first sessions
it’s better to be cautious, because you don’t want to immediately hate speed
work, and you’ll know that next time you can push yourself harder.
Repetitions/intervals
Periods of hard running at 5K pace or faster, between 200m and 1200m in length,
or 30 seconds and five minutes. Recovery periods can be short (30-90 seconds),
or of an equal time or distance to the reps. Running at harder than race pace
for short periods not only improves speed, but also allows you to work on
your running form. When you’re pushing hard, it’s important to concentrate
on things like arm and hand motion, posture and stride length. If you can
keep these together during a hard session of reps, it will be easier to do
so during a race. Don’t attempt reps until you’ve tried other types of speed
work for a couple of months.
Tempo intervals
These are longer than ordinary intervals in that they take between 90 seconds
and 10 minutes (or between 400m and two miles) and are run a little slower
than your 5K pace. These work a bit like threshold runs – they raise the point
at which lactic acid builds up in the muscles.
Fartlek
Fartlek is Swedish for ‘speed play’ and is the fun side of speed work. Best
done on grass or trails, you simply mix surges of hard running with periods
of easy running. Run fast bursts between phone boxes, lamp posts or trees
when you feel like it, and as hard you like. Great for newcomers to speed
work.
Hills
Simple: find a hill that takes between 30 seconds and five minutes to climb
at 85-90 per cent effort and run up it. Jog back down to recover. A great
alternative to track intervals.
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Well you’ve taken
a good first step by joining a club! Training with others will help you enjoy
your running, especially during the long runs and on those dark winter nights.
In addition there are many members in the club with a vast range of experience
of running marathons at all levels that you can turn to for advice.
It is very difficult
to provide advice on preparation here as this will very much depend on your
background in running, current fitness level and goals for the marathon. For
specific advice we strongly recommend that you talk through your plans with
one of our coaches (see the website). In the meantime here are some very general
initial points for you to consider if you are new to running:
·
A marathon is a very
long way! You will need a good “base fitness” before ‘training for a marathon’.
Consider aiming for shorter races first such as 10ks.
·
Marathon training requires a commitment to train
regularly (likely to be at least three times per week) over a long period
of time (typically a minimum of 3 months, more likely to be 6 months).
·
Gradually building
up the number and length of training runs is absolutely vital to avoid injuries
(a rough rule of thumb is not to increase weekly mileage by more than 10%).
·
Invest in a good
pair of trainers, suited to your running ‘style’ (a number of shops carry
out a “gait analysis” free of charge if you purchase trainers from them).
·
Try to run off-road
as much as possible
·
Recovery/rest days
are just as important as hard training
For many people
running a marathon is a lifetime ambition and for many they only want to run
one marathon in their life time and The London is THE ONE.
For most marathons
there is no problem to get a place but the more popular marathons are decided
by a ballot.
Entry forms are
available from most sports shops from August to October. The entry form will
need to be sent with a cheque or postal order before the closing date on the
form (it differs each year, but is usually the end of October). The places
are allocated at the end of November.
The Royston Runners
are allocated some club places for the London Marathon. The number of places
that are available is decided upon by the number of club members we have at
the time of the ballot and are applied for by the club secretary. If you have
been unlucky in the ballot you might be eligible for a club place.
If you are unlucky
in the ballot this is the criteria to be able to apply for a club place:
- You must be
a paid up member of the club
- You must have
been a member for at least one full club year (October-September)
- You have never
run the London Marathon before
- You must have
applied and been unsuccessful (We will need to see a copy of the letter
sent by London Marathon to say you have been unsuccessful).
A list will be
placed upon the notice board the first week in December and if you wish to
apply for a place you will need to put your name on the list.
The names will
be drawn from the people applying after the last Tuesday night club run before
Christmas. The draw will take place with 2 witnesses independent of the people
applying for the places.
If there are any
spare places after the draw then the places will be open to all club members
and drawn in the bar after the first Tuesday night club run in January.
Although this
is a tight schedule it will enable those lucky enough to get a club place
to commence their training in January.
It is the responsibility
of the club member to ensure that they put their name onto the list to be
entered into the club ballot.
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Essentially
a race marshal is there for the safety of the runners. The marshal ensures
that there are no problems with traffic if it is a road race, or if it’s off-road,
to make sure that the runners take the right route.
If a runner becomes distressed or has an injury, a race
marshal can be on hand to give assistance or if at all possible first aid.
Organising race marshals is done by a chief marshal,
who will assess the qualities of each individual marshal and place them in
a position to gain the best advantage at the event.
Race marshals can be car parking attendants or a white
knight in extreme cases. In a race event, you might possibly require about
sixty people or more depending on the size of the event.
A race marshal is an essential part of the risk assessment
of the event and an essential part of any race.
All races need marshals and it’s a rewarding job. If
you have never been a marshal before do not worry we will show you the ropes.
We would be unable to host races without the help of our club members. When
a race is coming up we will have a list on the club notice board giving the
dates and times that marshals are needed. If you put your name down the chief
marshal will contact you prior to the race. Please help us to ensure that
the Royston races are a success and try to marshal at least once a year for
the club.
Race marshals give encouragement to the runners and
can make all the difference to someone entering an event for the first time.
A coach is a person qualified under UK Athletics. They
can organise, advise and educate their group members.
A coach is responsible for devising suitable training
plans for the individual runner and the group with whom the runner trains.
Royston Runners Club has qualified Level 1 and Level 2 coaches for
all levels of ability and fitness. Whatever you wish to achieve from your
running and whatever goals and ambitions you may have; from being able to
run for 20 minutes without stopping to improving your marathon time; there
will be a coach with knowledge and experience available to help and advise
you.
You will find a list of Royston Runners Club coaches
enclosed in this pack.
If anyone would like to train to become a coach for
Royston Runners, the club can help with funding your training.
Becoming a coach will suit both active runners and non-runners
alike. Once you have learned the skills necessary to coach other runners,
you will be qualified to help out with leading or supervising under a more
senior coach within the club.
Please contact coaching co-ordinator (details are in
the newsletter) for more information.
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No special skills or coaching ability is required to
be a group leader. Just the possession of common sense and motivation is
necessary.
A group leader is a general runner within the club who
has the initiative to head the group and just get them started on their run.
You just simply need to be able to make the first move and get everyone with
you to start their run.
Group leaders will liaise with the coaches and follow
through the plan set by the coach that is suitable for that group. There
might be a specific type of session to follow, or it might just be a certain
route in mind. The coach is there to make suitable suggestions.
Group leaders will take an active part in the training
session with the rest of the group and will be on hand to give encouragement
all the way.
Anyone who is familiar with routes around Royston and
has a passion for their sport can become a group leader, no previous qualifications
necessary.
The more group leaders we have the more freedom there
will be with leaders only needing to commit to as few or as many sessions
as they wish.
If you are interested in becoming a group leader of
any ability, please contact any committee member.
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Acknowledgements
This information
pack was produced and edited by Christine Brown and Cathryn Norman.
With special thanks
to
Richard Lowden
Chris Maxwell
Don Lay
Maurice Hill
Mel Hill
Neil Huke
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Text edition 1
January 2007
Web edition 6 June 2007
