Beginners’ Programme
The Ealing Eagles Beginners’ Programme is for those new to running, or returning after a break. Please check out this link for stories of people who have gone through the programme. The aim of the programme is to build to running a continuous 5k and then, if you wish, to progress to the main club runs and training sessions. If you can already run 5k, please do not join the Beginners course - but please do join the club!
Our Autumn 2024 Ealing Eagles Beginners programme is now full. Keep in touch with us to hear when the next beginners session will be offered.
If you have missed or cannot attend the most recent programme and wish to join the mailing list to be kept informed of future programmes, please register on this link.
Frequently asked questions
***Is this a proven programme?***
Ealing Eagles Beginners is a proven programme which has been offered since 2012. Since then, hundreds of new runners have graduated from the programme, many of them now volunteers, helping new beginners through the programme.
***What is involved?***
In weekly sessions you will start the session with a gentle warm-up before a gentle run/walk, finishing the session with some cool-down stretches. The running is entirely at your own pace (you should still be able to hold a conversation), and over the weeks we will slowly reduce the amount of walking and increase the running until you can complete a continuous run of 5k (for parkrun) or 3.5 miles (to enable you to take part in our club training sessions).
Our experience is that most people will take six to eight weeks, going out twice a week (homework is to repeat the same session some time over the weekend), to progress from not running at all to running 5km.
You don’t need to have any special equipment to start (a good pair of trainers, hi-viz with reflective strips if you are running in the dark or at dusk and a sense of humour)
You don’t need to have any particular level of fitness (30mins unaided walking should be fine) or to be able to run a certain distance to qualify
Just turn up on the day with enthusiasm and a commitment to follow the programme!
Please note that you will be encouraged to run more slowly than you might expect – every runner, however experienced, has a “long run” or “conversational” pace at which they can talk while they are running. So that we can check you are running at this pace and so that you can chat with other beginners and the volunteers to encourage and learn from one another and to hear the instructions of the run leaders and volunteers, you will not be allowed to use headphones while you are taking part in the sessions. (Many races discourage or disallow the use of headphones so it is a good idea not to get used to running with them.)
We strongly encourage everyone to plan to go out twice a week:
going out twice a week increases the likelihood that you will form the habit of exercising and so continue after the programme finishes;
going out twice a week increases your fitness more quickly; and
**planning** to go out twice a week means that you still have the option to go out once in the week if life gets in the way and you miss the midweek beginners' session.
***How long will each session last?***
At the beginning of the programme, run / walking is time based and so we know about how much time each unit of the session will take. These earlier sessions should take no more than one hour. Towards the second half of the programme, the run / walking is distance-based as we aim to cover the distance of the club short club run (about 3.5miles or 5.5k) and so the limiting factor is then how much time will it take for your group to cover that distance. Our experience is that the less fast group(s) may take more than one hour to complete the sessions in the second half of the programme.
***How do I sign up? Do I need to register in advance?***
We need to take some basic information from everyone intending to come along (our privacy policy is set out here), and in order to maintain the quality of the sessions we do have a limit on places.
***Where and when?***
For Wednesday sessions, the routes will depend on the time of year and when the parks close; if the parks are not available, our running will be along quiet pavements. For the Thursday sessions, the earlier sessions are primarily in the parks while the later sessions will include some running by the roads to accommodate the longer distances. All the roads by which we run are relatively quiet - the busiest roads will be Popes Lane and Northfields Avenue (and we no longer run by the north circular in the autumn and winter).
***Cost***
The sessions are currently free of charge. (This remains under review).
***What is the aim?***
The aim is, over eight or nine weeks, to build up to a 5k or 3.5 miles run (without walking) so that you can then join the club and the main club sessions, or take part in a local parkrun.
***Is this a Couch to 5k programme?***
The Ealing Eagles Beginners Programme aims to get you running a continuous 5km and so is, in that sense, a couch to 5k programme making use of run / walking intervals to progress you to continuous 5k running.
However, please note it does not follow the same progression as the nhs couch to 5k programme. In particular, the nhs couch to 5k programme aims to get people running continuously for 30mins and some people may need to run for more than 30mins to cover 5k.
***What do I need to bring?***
Just yourselves, your sense of humour and perhaps a drink for during/afterwards. We do not have any changing facilities so please come ready to run. We hope to make arrangements for a local business to provide a bag drop but this is at your own risk (please do not leave valuables).
***Can I wear headphones?***
So that we can check you are running at a conversational pace to increase your endurance and so that you can chat with other beginners and the volunteers to encourage and learn from one another and to hear the instructions of the run leaders and volunteers, you will not be allowed to use headphones while you are taking part in the sessions. (Many races discourage or disallow the use of headphones so it is a good idea not to get used to running with them.)
***Who are the sessions designed for?***
Adults (age 16 and over) who cannot run a continuous 5k. You don’t need to have any particular level of fitness (30mins unaided walking should be fine) or to be able to run a certain distance to qualify
***Are the coaches/leaders qualified?***
We aim to have at least one (and usually more) UK Athletics qualified coach or run leader at every session.
***Privacy Policy for Ealing Eagles Beginners***
Ealing Eagles Running Club is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. For any personal data you provide for the purposes of your participation of the Ealing Eagles Beginners Programme, Ealing Eagles Running Club is the Data Controller and is responsible for storing and otherwise processing that data in a fair, lawful, secure and transparent way.
Initial Contact
· What personal data we hold on you
We will hold the data that you have supplied on the website or by email and any other information which you supply in emails (Athletics Data) which may include sensitive data relating to your health.
· Why we need your personal data
The reason we need your Athletics Data is to be able to provide the services you are signing up to when you ask to join the beginners programme. Our lawful basis for processing your personal data is that you have expressed interest in the beginners’ programme and thereby provided consent for us to contact you regarding the beginners’ programme.
· How long we hold your personal data for
We will hold your personal data for as long as you are intending to be a participant in the beginners’ programme.
When you fill in the joining form intending to participate in the beginners’ programme
· What personal data we hold on you
We will hold the data that you have supplied on this form and any other information which you supply in emails (Athletics Data) which may include sensitive data relating to your health.
· Why we need your personal data
· The reason we need your Athletics Data is to be able to provide the services you are signing up to when you ask to join the beginners programme. Our lawful basis for processing your personal data is that we have a contractual obligation to you as a participant in the beginners’ programme to provide the services you are registering for.
· Why we need your sensitive data
The reason we ask for sensitive data relating to your health is to check that you have considered how an increase in exercise may impact on existing health conditions – for some health conditions, you may need to defer participation and for other health conditions it may be appropriate for you to proceed at a more gentle rate through the programme. You are at liberty to decline to give this sensitive data but it does mean that we cannot then help you to accommodate any existing health condition in the programme.
· We may use or share anonymised data as stated above
· Who we share personal data with
The Club does not supply any personal data it holds for this purpose to any third party. Your communication with the Club and the beginners programme is conducted via the beginners gmail account and your emails, Athletics data and data relating to your attendance are stored on google documents which are shared only within the Club Committee and beginners’ run leaders on a need-to-know basis. We will take reasonable technical and organisational precautions to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of your personal information. Of course, data transmission over the internet is inherently insecure, and we cannot guarantee the security of data sent over the internet.
· How long we hold your personal data for
We will hold your personal data:
a. for as long as you are a participant or intending to be a participant in the beginners’ programme;
b. for five years after you first expressed an interest in the beginners’ programme to enable us
· to administer the Most Improved Beginners’ Award for people completing the beginners’ programme and joining Ealing Eagles Running Club;
· to collect data to determine the progress of those who joined the programme and thereby determine the effectiveness of the programme; and
· to identify those who apply more than once to start the beginners’ programme so that we may give appropriate advice.
· Your rights regarding your personal data
As a data subject you may have the right at any time to request access to, rectification or erasure of your personal data; to restrict or object to certain kinds of processing of your personal data, including direct marketing; to the portability of your personal data and to complain to the UK’s data protection supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office about the processing of your personal data.
As a data subject you are not obliged to share your personal data with the Club. If you choose not to share your personal data with us we may not be able to register or administer your participation in the beginners’ programme.
· Social Media
The Beginners programme may encourage participants to join a beginners facebook group for mutual encouragement and also to receive information and notices from the run leaders. However, this is not an essential feature of the programme. If you join Facebook, please note that Facebook has its own privacy policies and that the club and the Beginners programme do not accept any responsibility or liability for these policies. Please check these policies before you submit any personal data in the beginners facebook group.
Privacy Policy for Ealing Eagles Running Club
The privacy policy for Ealing Eagles Running Club is set out on this link https://www.ealingeagles.com/privacy-policy which includes information regarding the club’s website privacy policy as you may have used the club website to find out about Ealing Eagles Beginners.
***Any More Questions***
If you have any more questions about the beginners’ programme please contact us