HOME Page

Wootton Road Runners

Training Groups

Winter training is focussed on building a strong aerobic base with an emphasis on stamina and strength sessions; in Spring and Summer we can add more speed work, with an emphasis on shorter efforts and preparation for the road racing season.

Thursday night training is split into groups based on times for 5 miles. This forms the basis of the groups but is a guideline only. Group leaders will encourage members to run in the appropriate group but it is ultimately left to individual choice.

The objective of defining the training groups is to provide a safe training environment for all our members in which they can improve their performance and work towards fulfilling their potential.

New runners joining the club will be given guidance to determine which group is most suited to their level of development and those new to running will be asked to run with the development group (6).

Groups 1 to 5 will follow the published training schedule but group leaders have the discretion to tailor the sessions to the needs of their runners if required. The sessions for group 6 will follow similar principles but will be devised to assist the development of newer members or those experienced runners recovering from injury.

Starter Group's for complete beginners will be held on a periodical basis. Click Here for starter Group details.

In addition to the structured groups an easy run will usually be available for those not wanting to run in an organised session.

Thursday Training - Group Dynamics

The club has grown in numbers over the last 3 years and this has created considerable challenges for the organisation of our Thursday training groups. We moved from 4 groups (A, B1, B2 and C) to 6 groups (1 to 6) with 2 key objectives:

(i) To make the steps between groups more manageable, allowing runners to move up more easily as they improve.

(ii) To keep the number of runners in each group down to a safer level and make life easier for the group leaders.

It is however very disappointing when individuals choose to run in a lower group and effectively push the pace of the group beyond the ability of the majority. It is perfectly reasonable for those returning from injury to 'feel' their way back into the thursday sessions, but individuals should be mindful of their effect on the group and in particular those at the lower end of the ability range if they disappear into the distance. Similarly some runners like to have an easy run before or after a race. This can be achieved by either undertaking a separate steady run or simply running at the back of their normal group.

We also need to take collective responsibility for the safety of the group we run in. Simple disciplines like running on the left and overtaking on the right should be observed wherever possible. As a club we are always looking to improve what we do and one of our key actions on coaching for this year is to ensure we have a minimum of 2 trained leaders for each group. We need to be able to split the group if the numbers are too great, so a second trained group leader is essential. Groups 3 and 4 have traditionally seen the highest numbers and I will be working over the next 3 months to address this issue. We have funded several coaching courses over the past 18 months and will be looking to all those who have benefited from this funding to take an active role in assisting with group coaching.

We are always looking to support any member who wishes to undertake formal training and if anyone wants to find out more information please contact me either on a Thursday evening or by e-mail mmexley@yahoo.co.uk. There are several courses run by UK Athletics annually and these give you a greater insight into your own training as well as giving you the opportunity to contribute to the club. I will also be developing a new coaching page on the website with some guidelines on middle distance training and marathon training along with a register of our coaches.

Mark Exley