Abingdon Athletics Club | Home

The new Abingdon Athletics website is live. Check it out!
Abingdon Athletics Club | Home

Tuesday evening 'Silver' couch-to-5K course starts Tuesday 13th October

The next Abingdon AC couch-to-5k will begin on Tuesday 13th October, 6.50 for 7 p.m., at Tilsley Park, Dunmore Road, Abingdon - meet in the foyer. 

Based in conjunction with your local parkrun, the course is 10 weeks to take those new to running from absolute zero, to absolute 5k parkrun hero - finishing with you running the Abingdon Parkrun on 19th December.

It will be led by John Styles, with help from the Abingdon AC jog leaders and other Abingdon AC club members.

Email abingdonacbeginners@gmail.com for more information and to sign-up!

You will need to wear suitable clothes for running in the evening - including suitable footwear for running, and for women sports bras are strongly recommended. As we will be out on the footpaths of Abingdon after dark you will need something bright and reflective - mesh vests are available for 5 pounds or less.

Spread the word!

Running is a great way of keeping fit, beating stress and making friends. For several years now, Abingdon AC have been offering running-from-scratch courses, which take beginners from running a minute at a time to running several miles in one go.

We have found that the most important factor in people keeping up their running is making lots of friends who also run and taking part in regular group runs.

Course details

Start: 13th October 
Session length: 30-45 mins 
Meeting place: Tisley Park building foyer - 6:50 for 7 p.m.
Course length: 10 weeks
Target distance: ... 5 km (3.1 miles) ... so you can do... 5k events including the weekly Abingdon parkrun.
Training: Warmup, walk/run (run segments gradually increasing) along the wide footpaths in the vicinity of Tilsley Park, cooldown, stretching.

Cost: Free!

Sign up

Sign up form

Tuesday evening 'Silver' couch-to-5K course starts Tuesday 12th October

The next Abingdon AC couch-to-5k will begin on Tuesday 12th October, 6.50 for 7 p.m., at Tilsley Park, Dunmore Road, Abingdon - meet in the foyer. 

Based in conjunction with your local parkrun, the course is 10 weeks to take those new to running from absolute zero, to absolute 5k parkrun hero, finishing with you 'graduating' at the Saturday 19th December Abingdon parkrun.

It will be led by John Styles, with help from Abingdon AC club members.

I (John) am going on holiday for 2 weeks so will post another blog entry at the end of September when I am back and available to answer questions. 

In the meantime have a look at the sign up form for the last course Sign up form  and if you answer yes to any of the questions 1 to 9 of the physical activity readiness questionnaire talk to your doctor by phone or in person. Tell your doctor about your questionnaire and which questions you answered yes to. 

Sign up for the summer 2015 couch to 5k course now!

The next Abingdon AC couch-to-5k will begin on Saturday 13th on June 2015, 8.30am, at Rye Meadow, Abingdon.

Based in conjunction with your local parkrun, the course is 10 weeks to take those new to running from absolute zero, to absolute 5k parkrun hero!

It will be co-led by Caroline H and Becks C.

Email us at abingdonacbeginners@gmail.com for more information and to sign-up! The sign-up form is at the bottom of this post.

Run for your life!

Running is a great way of keeping fit, beating stress and making friends. For several years now, Abingdon AC have been offering running-from-scratch courses, which take beginners from running a minute at a time to running several miles in one go.

This summer we will start a couch-to-5k course (the Silver course). It is led by club members who are qualified Leaders In Running Fitness, and aims to get beginners running regularly as part of a large established group of runners.

We have found that the most important factor in people keeping up their running is making lots of friends who also run and taking part in regular group runs.

Course details

Start: 13th June 2015 at 8.30am
Session length: 30-45 mins followed by coffee at Java&Co
Meeting place: Rye Meadow, at parkrun start
Course length: 10 weeks
Target distance: ... 5 km (3.1 miles) ... so you can do... 5k events including the weekly Abingdon parkrun.
Training: Warmup, walk/run (run segments gradually increasing) over the parkrun course, cooldown, stretching.
Associated group: Abingdon parkrun, a free weekly 5k event open to everyone from 4 to 400 (and their dog or pram!)
Cost: Free!

Find out more

More info and our bios!

Sign up

Sign up form

Whoops

I got the day of week and month right in my last post but not the date - the new course starts on Tuesday 14th April!

John

Tuesday evening 'Silver' couch-to-5K course starts 14th April

The next Abingdon AC couch-to-5k will begin on Tuesday 14th April, 6.50 for 7 p.m., at Tilsley Park, Dunmore Road, Abingdon - meet in the foyer. 

Based in conjunction with your local parkrun, the course is 10 weeks to take those new to running from absolute zero, to absolute 5k parkrun hero!

It will be led by John Styles, with help from Abingdon AC club members.

Email abingdonacbeginners@gmail.com for more information and to sign-up!

Spread the word!

Running is a great way of keeping fit, beating stress and making friends. For several years now, Abingdon AC have been offering running-from-scratch courses, which take beginners from running a minute at a time to running several miles in one go.
This spring we will start a couch-to-5k course (the Silver course). It is led by club members who are qualified Leaders In Running Fitness, and aims to get beginners running regularly as part of a large established group of runners.

We have found that the most important factor in people keeping up their running is making lots of friends who also run and taking part in regular group runs.

Course details

Start: 14th April 
Session length: 30-45 mins 
Meeting place: Tisley Park building foyer - 6:50 for 7 p.m.
Course length: 10 weeks
Target distance: ... 5 km (3.1 miles) ... so you can do... 5k events including the weekly Abingdon parkrun.
Training: Warmup, walk/run (run segments gradually increasing) along the wide footpaths in the vicinity of Tilsley Park, cooldown, stretching.

Cost: Free!

Sign up

Sign up form

C25K week 9 round up

We've come a long long way together

So the day is fast approaching; your last session of the C25K course. Your opportunity to try your first full 5k as a new runner.

Don't let it worry you though. You've already done the hard work during the previous nine weeks. The most important thing is that you try to enjoy it!

You've all come a long way. Just think about it for a moment. Nine short weeks ago you may have struggled to run for 1 minute, but last Saturday I watched you all run 15 minutes without stoping. TWICE! That is an amazing achievement and sets you in good stead for life as a runner. Whether you run regularly or just the occasional parkrun, you will continue to benefit from what you've done so far.

As a self-confessed run addict however, I would encourage you to continue pushing yourselves. A weekly parkrun is a great way to measure progress and there are plenty of races out there that are suitable for all abilities. Signing up for a race is a great way to stay motivated.
I'll make a few suggestions for future events in next week's final blog, but for now ...

Let's talk about parkrun

You will run your first parkrun without the whistle on Saturday, so I thought it was a good opportunity to take a closer look at what parkrun offers. At the risk of gushing, I'm going to share some of my thoughts about this most wonderful event.

For me, parkrun offers so much but asks for so little in return. I wrote a list of some of the things we can get from parkrun.

1. Well there's the obvious - a weekly 5k, timed run (not a race)!
2. It costs exactly nothing to join up and run.
3. It's well organised, safe and inclusive.
4. It is a community event.
5. It offers the opportunity to wear fancy dress for no particular reason.
6. If gives you an excuse to eat cake. 'I earned this cake!'
7. It allows you the smug feeling of having run a 5k before most people have even got out out of bed.
8. It's a chance to get together as a family to do something active (and free).
9. Allows you to set a good example to your kids.
10. It gives kids the chance to grow their confidence in a supportive environment (actually that applies to adults too).
11. It's a chance to meet people from your own community as well as those who have travelled from further afield.
12. It's something to be proud of.
13. It's a not very secret, secret club. A bit like the Free Masons but without the silly handshakes.
14. It's a chance to show yourself what you are capable of and then exceeding it.
15. It gives you targets to aim for - that all important 50 t-shirt that proudly declares how many times you have run around our muddy course.
16. It gives you a focus, motivating you to get out and run.
17. It gives you the feeling of belonging to something bigger.
18. It gives you the perfect excuse to buy new running shoes (well you need shoes for mud, shoes for the road and shoes to just look good in).
19. It allows you to wear hi-viz clothing in public, without feeling like a berk.

OK so that's my list. Maybe you could add a few more. What is obvious though, is that there is a long list of things we get from parkrun.

And what do they ask for in return? 

Your time. That's all.

So now that you are runners and have been welcomed into the parkrun fold, it is worth thinking about all of this. You can give back by joining in and volunteering. It's great fun and you get a lot of the things on the list without even running!

Bargain! 

The only way parkrun can keep going is by people like us giving up a bit of our time on a Saturday morning to enable and encourage others to run.

Of course you don't have to do it right away. You'll want to get a few runs under your belt before volunteering and that's great. This is something for the future. I just thought it was worth mentioning.

Session 9

What we did:

Drills to warm up.

(run 15 minutes + walk 1 minute) x 2 (31 minutes)

Session 10

Next session we will be:

Running parkrun! Woooohooooo!

Homework

Don't forget to get a few sessions in during the week. It will be particularly important if you want to be ready to run the whole 5k in one go.

Register

We'll meet again at 8:40 on Saturday. Try to get here in plenty of time before the start. We'll do a quick warm up before we join the other parkrunners on the start line.

C25K week 8 round up

The missing week

Ok so I missed last week's round up. It was a horrible week and I didn't get the time. However, I will just say that I was very impressed with the progress of everyone after the week I wasn't there. Brilliant effort!

Twelve whole minutes

Well if I'd been impressed the week before, this week knocked my socks off. Seeing everyone running for the full twelve minutes was fabulous. And we all did it twice!

It really is getting close to the final graduation parkrun and people are already clocking up good times for the run. Considering there is a walking element, this is brilliant.

Next week we will be running for even longer! We'll also replace the 5 minute walk warm up with some drills so that we can start running at the same time as the rest of the parkrunners.

Injury time

I know that there have been some niggling injuries within the group so I thought I'd look at that issue.

It's not unusual for new runners to suffer with aches and pains as their bodies get used to the increase in activity. The trick is knowing when a 'niggle' has become (or has the potential to become) a real injury.

It's not just new runners either. Recent research has shown as many as 79% of runners suffer at least one injury in a year.

There are some injuries that are considered more common among new runners, for example, medial tibial stress syndrome, or as it's more widely known - 'shin splints'.

There is no definitive known cause for injury but there are a few things that are thought to increase the risk for some people. For new runners, increasing distance or intensity too quickly can leave them vulnerable to injury, (particularly the aforementioned shin splints).

Biomechanical imbalance is another possible cause. Humans are rarely perfectly symmetrical. Weakness in one muscle group can cause excessive wear and tear in another, leading to possible injury.

However, there are plenty of wonky runners out there who never seem to get injured, as well as strong and physically well balanced runners who get injured just thinking about running.

So what can we do about it?
Preventing injury completely is impossible but there are things we can do to reduce the risk.

Warm up before a run, stretch properly afterwards and do core strength work on the side.

Also, you might benefit from a sports massage every now and then.

What if you are unlucky enough to pick up an injury?
There is a wealth of help and guidance about treating injury on the intranet. Some good, some not so good. Below are links to sources I've found helpful in the past.

• running.competitor.com/2014/07/injury-prevention/the-top-5-most-troublesome-running-injuries_11316
• www.athletestreatingathletes.com/
• www.kinetic-revolution.com/coaching-blog/strength-rehab-for-endurance-athletes/
• www.runnersworld.co.uk/beating-injury/running-injuries-a-z/199.html

Session 8

What we did:

5 minute brisk walking with swinging arms
(run 12 minutes + walk 2 minutes) x 2 (28 minutes)

Session 9

Next session we will be doing:

Drills to warm up.
(run 15 minutes + walk 1 minute) x 2 (31 minutes)

Homework

Don't forget to get a few sessions in during the week. It will be particularly important now that you are increasing the length of the run intervals.

Register

We'll meet again at 8:40 on Saturday. Don't forget to check in with one of us so we can keep a record of who is there for each session.

C25K week 6 round up

Mud mud mud mud mud mud

Let's talk about mud. Love it or hate it we've certainly had our share of it!

It makes even the short intervals of running feel harder than they have any right to be. Then there's the washing! It gets everywhere, "how did I get mud on my chin?!"

And those lovely new, shiny running shoes will never really be clean again.

Next time you're struggling through deep mud cursing under your breath about how hard it is, try to look at the positives. The extra muscles you are using to keep you upright are making you stronger and improving your balance. It's not just your calves and quadriceps that are getting a workout but also those smaller muscles in your feet and legs. Off road running brings challenges that will make you a better, stronger runner.

The best thing is though, that when it eventually does dry up, you are going to fly along!

So learn to love the mud, and remember that some people pay a lot of money to do this, you're getting it for free!

Get stretched

Now that you are increasing the distance you are running it is even more important to do your stretching. You should to try to make it part of your routine.

We are separating more each session where some of you speedy people are able to cover more distance during the run intervals. So if you get to the finish everyone has finished, gather in our usual stop and start your stretching. You can do it in a group to help each other remember all the different stretches.

Here is a reminder of at least some of the stretches we do:
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/c25k/Pages/how-to-stretch-after-a-run.aspx

Or if you want a few new ones:
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/staying-healthy/the-rw-complete-guide-to-stretching-for-runners/484.html

Session 6

What we did:

5 minute brisk walking with swinging arms
(run 7 minutes + walk 3 minutes) x 2 + run 5 minutes (25 minutes)

Session 7

Next session we will be doing:

5 minute brisk walking with swinging arms
(run 9 minutes + walk 2 minutes) x 2 + run 5 minutes (25 minutes)

Homework

Don't forget to get a few sessions in during the week. You might even notice how much easier it feels without the mud!

Register

We'll meet again at 8:40 on Saturday. Don't forget to check in with one of us so we can keep a record of who is there for each session.

C25K week 5 round up

Running is hard

I know, right? You probably don't need me to tell you that. I imagine that the increase in minutes of running over the last few weeks has brought that crashing home.

Yes running is hard, but it wouldn't be worth doing if it was easy. Sitting on the sofa watching TV is easy, lying in bed for an extra hour on a Saturday morning is easy, getting in the car to go to the supermarket is easy. But these things all lack something that running brings. A sense of achievement, an increased level of fitness and best of all, a rush of endorphins!

OK so you might not be quite at the 'rush' stage yet, but I'll bet you are feeling an lift in mood after a run. That's because, for all the benefits of running there are for your body, the benefits for your mind are tenfold.

Running (physical activity), is increasingly being 'prescribed' for improving mental well-being or even depression, and for good reason. All those lovely chemicals that are released when you run. The release in tension, or sometimes simply having a bit of time to yourself. These things are as important as lowering your blood pressure or dropping a few pounds off your waistline, and are not to be underestimated.

So welcome to the club of doing something that is hard but feeling good about it. Welcome to being a runner!

If the mental health benefits are of particular interest to you, here are a few links that you might find useful:
http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/mental-health-a-z/E/exercise-mental-health/

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/apr/30/running-shows-mind-whos-boss

http://www.thesportinmind.com/articles/the-benefits-of-running-and-exercise-on-mental-health/

Progression

I do hope you are continuing to enjoy our course. You are certainly progressing brilliantly.

Some of you were able to complete your first parkrun last week and others not but that's fine. It will come. The point is that you all ran more than ever before!

Caroline will be at the helm for the next session as I'm off to the inaugural Didcot parkrun to see if I can snag myself a PB!

Session 5

What we did:

• 5 minute brisk walking with swinging arms
• (run 5 minutes + walk 3 minutes) x 2 + run 7 minutes (23 minutes)

Session 6

Next session we will be doing:

• 5 minute brisk walking with swinging arms
• (run 7 minutes + walk 3 minutes) x 2 + run 5 minutes (25 minutes)

Homework

Don't forget to get a few sessions in during the week. Think of it as an opportunity to get out of the house and away from the kids/parents!

Register

We'll meet again at 8:40 on Saturday. Don't forget to check in with one of us so we can keep a record of who is there for each session.

C25K week 4 round up

So we made it to week 4! The most challenging run session so far. Everyone did really well with the longer run intervals. Some of you really surprised yourselves I think!

Drills or no drills? That is the question.

We didn't do any drills this week because of the jump up in effort and we'll probably not do them for the next few weeks. However, I'm planning to add another set to a future session so I'd be interested to know how you feel about them.

Do you love those high knees and can't wait to do them again, or hate them and hope they are never spoken of again? Or, most likely, hate them but realise that the benefits of doing a good warm up before running outweigh the momentary discomfort.

Whatever your feelings, let me know in the comments below.

parkrun

You will be challenged again this week as we join parkrun proper for the first time. If you haven't done so already you'll need to register here: www.parkrun.org.uk/register/, print your barcode and bring it with you on Saturday.

parkrun operates a strict NBNT (no barcode, no time) policy. So DFYB (don't forget your barcode!).
Of course you can ALWAYS (always) run parkrun without a barcode, you just won't get a time result, and where's the fun in that!?

Session 4

Just as a reminder here is what we did:

• 5 minute brisk walking with swinging arms
• (Run 3 minutes + walk 90s) + (run 5 minutes + walk 2 minutes) x2 (23 minutes)

Session 5

Next session we will be doing:

• 5 minute brisk walking with swinging arms
• (run 5 minutes + walk 3 minutes) x 2 + run 7 minutes (23 minutes)

Homework

So how are you finding the homework? Are you finding it difficult to get yourself out the door to run on your own, or are you just raring to go? Do you drag someone along with you for company?

It's always easier get motivated when someone is there with you. Simply making an arrangement with a friend to meet and run will help because you don't want to let them down by not going, (and they are thinking the same).

Try to vary your route to keep things fresh. Try different surfaces too. A park path one day and then pavement another day. This doesn't just help keep you motivated, but changing up the surface you run on is good for your body too.

As always, try to enjoy it!

Register

We'll meet again at 8:40 on Saturday. Don't forget to check in with one of us so we can keep a record of who is there for each session.

C25K week 3 round up

I hope you continued to enjoy your training. It was fantastic to see you all doing the drills with such enthusiasm. I was very impressed!

It was another cold day, and the snow came as a bit of a surprise to me, but it didn't stop us from striding out across the meadow.

I hope you found the whistle for change overs from run to walk a bit easier this week. It seemed to work, so we'll continue to do it that way. We are quite strung out at times and it is difficult to make sure that everyone can hear.

There were some more challenging run sections in this session but you all did great.

Session 3

Just as a reminder here is what we did:

• 5 minute brisk walking with swinging arms (10s High knees and 10s butt kicks).
• (2 minutes running + 90s walk) + (3 minutes running + 3 minutes walking) x 2 (19 minutes)

Session 4

Next week will be doing:

• 5 minute brisk walking with swinging arms
• (Run 3 minutes + walk 90s) + (run 5 minutes + walk 2 minutes) x2 (23 minutes)

Homework

Hopefully you have been able to get out during the week to do some sessions in your own time. It's these extra sessions that will help you to get the most from this programme.

Safety

If you are out during the evenings, don't forget to be safe.
I'm always surprised by how many runners go out all in black. There is a time and a place for the ninja look but night running isn't it!

It is really important that you can be seen by drivers, cyclists and other pedestrians. Wear high visibility clothing with reflective material. A head torch is great for lighting your way on bumpy pavements.

If you are going out on your own, let someone know you are going, where you will be and when you expect to be back. Take a phone if you can.

I wouldn't advise wearing headphones at night, so that you can be more aware of what is going on around you.

But most of all enjoy it! Running at night is fantastic fun, make the most of it!

Register

We'll meet again at 8:40 on Saturday. Don't forget to check in with one of us so we can keep a record of who is there for each session.

Looking forward to seeing you all on Saturday!

C25K Week 2 round up

A crisp and clear winter morning captured by runner Martine Stimpson.

Well it was a beautiful morning for our second session so it was lovely to be out along the river. Unfortunately the cold brought ice on the road sections and meant parkrun was cancelled for safety. A good decision as it really was dangerously slippy on the lock.

Of course us C25Kers are made of tougher stuff so we carried on regardless, just staying in the meadow where it was a bit safer.

There was some mild chaos when some of the braver parkrunners, who had decided to run anyway, came hurtling past us on the river path. At one point I couldn't tell who was a C25ker and who was a parkrunner. Still we managed to negotiate the narrow footpath and continued off across the field where I confused everyone again by turning us around!

All of our runners did brilliantly again and there was plenty of chat to go with the running.

Feedback

We always welcome feedback so that we can make the sessions better for you, so if there is anything you are having trouble with or think could be improved, do let us know. Either on the day in person, or by email whenever you want. It is a bigger group than we had expected so we are learning too!

Session 2

As a reminder this is what we did:

• 5 minute brisk walking with swinging arms.
• (90s running + 2 minutes walking) x 6 (21 minutes).

Have you done your homework!

Session 3

Our next session will be:

• 5 minute brisk walking with swinging arms.
• (2 minutes running + 90s walk) + (3 minutes running + 3 minutes walking) x 2 (19 minutes)

The register

We will meet by 8:40 on Saturday. Don't forget to check in with us so we can keep a track of who is there for each session. If you think you may not have done that last week could you drop us a line. I just don't want to miss anyone!

Looking forward to seeing you Saturday!

C25K Week 1 round up

A big well done to our new c25kers who braved the cold and snow to join us for session one.

The weather completely took me by surprise as I was confidently telling someone only the day before, that we wouldn't get snow!

It didn't stop us and after a bit of standing around to complete paper work and to go through the health and safety checklist, we set off across the meadow.

Everyone did extremely well and there was plenty of chatting. We managed to get right around the big meadow before the parkrun speedsters came blasting past us on their way to the finish. Oh to be that fast!

We all made it around in one piece and hopefully no one found it too difficult. We will always make sure that no one gets left behind as there will be some runners who are faster than others. The whole idea is that you progress at your own pace just in the company of others!

I suggest that, if you have handed your forms in, you should aim to arrive for 8:45 next week so that there will be less waiting around to get started. We'll be there from about 8:30 for those who have questions or forms to hand over.

I really hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as we did! Looking forward to seeing you all again next week.