If you are a top athlete, or want to be, then training will be hard and will occupy your focus for many hours every week.  Some top distance runners manage 120 miles per week, running twice virtually every day.  Many field event athletes spend hours every day in the gym as well as in the arena, pushing weights and practising techniques.  A lot of our most successful Members train many times each week, on their own or in small groups. 

 

But not everyone wants to be so obsessed!  There are also a lot of our Club Members who meet at the Clubhouse and enjoy the communal training sessions, keeping themselves fit and healthy, with just the occasional competition to spice things up.

 

We have many different training groups, and some of these get together on other nights, training at other venues.  More importantly, the groups cover a wide range of ages and abilities, so any athlete should be able to find the right training group: enough of a challenge without being too hard.

 

If you are new to athletics, you may be worried about the possible cost of clothing and equipment.  Our Coaches and experienced athletes can advise you and avoid you wasting your money.  As far as javelins, other throwing equipment, and starting blocks are concerned, the Club has a good stock which you can borrow on training nights.  Club vests (a distinctive yellow with the famous liver bird on the front) are available at our Club Shop, as are sweat tops and other kit.

 

We have a great set of Coaches (click to see a list of our Coaches), several of whom are part of the GB team setup, who provide technical know-how and general guidance - especially for our younger Members.

 

For the more experienced Distance Runners (or possibly those Members who enjoy a country walk), we have a growing selection of Running Routes.

The main training nights are on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, when we book the all-weather track from 6pm to 8pm, but some senior and more experienced athletes do train on other nights at the track.  There is an indoor facility for sprints and jumps, and the location is a good place to start road running training sessions. 

 

Different training groups and their coaches may operate at slightly different times, but most sessions start formally around 6:30, preceded by the group getting together at 6:15.

 

Before you use the changing rooms or the track, you must sign-in at our Reception Desk and pay a Training Fee of £1 each night.  This helps us pay for track hire and the running costs of our Clubhouse.  If possible, to avoid queueing, you should arrive at 6pm or a bit earlier.  You should come to the reception desk before 6.15pm on your first night, so that any formalities at the club can be explained to you.  If that sounds frightening, don't worry.. it's all very friendly really!  Here's the "new starters" desk on a typical evening: