A typical week at a running club

We asked the ‘Stragglers’ running club from West London to give us an insight into their typical week:

Monday evening

The week starts with a beginners club called ‘Little feet’. It’s a friendly jogging group which focuses on gentle and short runs – ideal for novices, and those recovering from an illness or injury.

At the same time there’s an alternative group for the other club members in a local park.

Tuesday evening

Tuesday evening is traditionally a road training session. This week the coach created a session that focused on speed endurance. This session was built up of 3 minutes effort with 1 minute recovery, repeated 6 times.

This session took place on a safe, well lit road. It was structured so everyone started and finished at the same time, despite all the different levels of ability in the group.

We were really tired after the session, but still made it down the pub for a quick drink before we went home.

Thursday evening

Despite strong winds and icy temperatures, more than 50 runners turned up to this session.

Before the run, we talked about the club news and future events and races. This was also a chance to talk to other runners about our individual training and progress.

We started with a ‘social mile’ – a warm up exercise where everyone runs for a mile at the same pace and shares gossip and jokes. We then split into groups running for 3 to 4 miles or more.

Some of the runners met up afterwards for some hot food and a moan about the cold weather. Again, this was a great chance to meet training partners and plan the rest of the running week.

Saturday morning

Many club runners join in a Saturday morning time trial run. It’s a chance to monitor your progress in a friendly (but competitive) setting.

Everyone’s welcome to join in…

Sunday morning

Some runners meet up for a long run on Sunday. This session’s not just about running – there are lots of tales from Saturday night and arguments about sport!