There will be opportunities over the next few months to do different types of training. With evening sessions on Mondays to Thursdays, sessions during the day midweek, and various training runs at the weekend, hopefully there will be something for all members of the club to join. A summary of the sessions is set out below but please keep an eye on the list of sessions for the week (link also sent to you with email newsletter) for more details and for any changes or updates.
The club aims to cater for all abilities – if you are interested in the run / walk programme (as a volunteer or returning from injury) or in increasing your endurance from 5k to 10k or ten miles, please scroll down this article for information of specific interest to you.
** Mara Q &A **
In place of a race / marathon preparation workshop this term, we are offering Eagles the opportunity on Monday 14 January at 7.30pm in the New Inn (so no official club run that evening) to quiz guest coach Mara Yamauchi. You will be able to hear Mara's thoughts on anything running-related of interest to you, whether it's the meaning of different running terms, how to prepare for a race, what to eat before a run or something about Mara's own running and racing experiences.
Please email questions to coaching@ealingeagles.com by Saturday 12 January so that we can collate the questions into topics.
** Strength & Conditioning **
We invited expressions of interest for a strength & conditioning session with Mara at St Mary’s Polygon (across the road and a bit from the New Inn) on Wednesday 30 January at 7.30pm and were slightly surprised to see over 50 on the facebook event within the first day. Obviously, we will not be able to accommodate all those people in one location and so we will need to decide:
· ** UPDATE 10 Jan 19 ** The committee has advised that, in view of the level of interest shown in Mara’s session, Eagles are to be invited to reapply for a place at the session in the knowledge that places are limited and:
the session is a general session so may not be suitable for injured runners;
coaches who may want to lead some S&C in their own sessions will be given priority;
otherwise it will be first come first served with people emailing coaching@ealingeagles.com after publication of the email newsletter on or around Friday 18 January (a code word will be included in the newsletter to ensure that people don’t try to jump the gun); and
people who have been allocated a place which they find they cannot use must aim to give at least 24 hours notice so that their place can be reallocated.
· What other strength & conditioning sessions to offer the club in view of the interest shown
Watch this space.
** Monday and Wednesday 7.30pm club runs **
Over the winter and spring period, we will be using the winter club run routes meeting at Ealing Green with a choice of two distances (3.75miles / 5.5k or 4.75miles /7k) but avoiding the parks. Please see the club run route page for the route details.
HOWEVER, please note that the offer of these sessions requires the availability of volunteers to be leaders and tail runners. The coached sessions require input from qualified coaches / leaders or experienced runners but anyone who is willing to help out and run at a gentle pace can tail a run (and make use of the time to have a recovery run, to work on your running form and to get to know other people in the club). If you have made use of the club training sessions, please play your part in making the club training sessions possible.
If you would like to lead club runs on a regular basis and you are not already on the leaders email group list, please email coaching@ealingeagles.com
** Hill Sessions on Thursdays 7:30pm West Walk **
Training on hills
· prepare you for the hills in a race;
· build muscle (improve leg strength while still working aerobically – strength = speed); and
· teach your body to run fast when you’re struggling for oxygen (if you did that type of speed work in winter on track – short reps – you would pull a muscle).
All standards are welcome – everyone stays in the same place. Meeting place is West Walk off Hillcroft Crescent
** Tuesday Track at 7.30pm **
Steady pace or easy training runs are done at an aerobic pace, i.e. not too out of breath. This builds up the heart, lungs and legs but will not adapt the body fully to run at a faster race pace. Interval training trains up the different energy systems used in racing at different distances. These energy systems range from anaerobic running at mile pace or faster to ½ marathon training run at around threshold pace using the Frank Horwill 5 pace system system (used by Seb Coe etc). To race at any distance you need to do intervals at race pace and faster and slower than race pace sessions. Also most club runners do a variety of distances and need sessions to train for these.
Tuesday sessions at 7.30pm in the darker months are based at Osterley track (120 Wood Lane, Isleworth, TW7 5FF). Each week will be a different session lead by a qualified Eagles run leader. Between January and April, we'll be delivering two eight-week blocks loosely geared towards half marathon and marathon training; depending on the effort you put in, the sessions will also be suitable for those wanting to improve their 5K and 10K times too!
Track fee of £3.00 (discount for Eagles so please bring proof of membership – EA card or confirmation email from club) payable at reception before coming on the Track. Lockers available for a refundable £1. Bring a bottle of water, a snack for afterwards and enough layers to keep warm when you're not running. All standards are welcome – everyone stays in the same place.
** Daytime sessions **
The 10am sessions on Mondays are being arranged to accommodate both new Improvers who are currently at the 5k level and more advanced daytime Eagles. Either there will be a choice of sessions at different places or both groups will meet in the same place with a choice of options. We expect many of the sessions to involve hills (see comments on hill training above) or track (see general comments on track above) but arrangements will need to be reviewed each week in view of the risk of frost affecting 10am sessions.
The 10am slot on Thursdays will be a run / walk programme for nine weeks starting on 10 January. There have been various discussions about what length run might be offered before or after the 10am session (or indeed at the same time as the run / walk programme if there are more than enough volunteers) so please check arrangements each week. Other sessions will be offered after the completion of the run / walk programme.
Tuesdays and Fridays 10k at 10am –self-led runs - please check the relevant Facebook group for arrangements.
** Weekend long runs **
The route of the self-led Sunday ten mile run is through the parks to the river, along to Richmond Lock and back via Syon Park. Please shout up on Facebook if you are planning to do this and would like company.
There are also various proposals for long runs at the weekends to accommodate anyone needing a longer run than can be fitted into a midweek evening – from people preparing for their first 10 mile race to people training for marathons and beyond. These will be advertised in the newsletter, on the website and on facebook as arrangements are finalized.
** Run / Walk programme **
The club offers a run / walk programme free to the local community to progress people from not running very much to running 5k or more without walking breaks (so that they can join the evening club runs). The next run / walk programme will be for nine weeks starting Wednesday 9 January at 6.30pm or Thursday 10 January at 10am.
Healing Eagles are very welcome to join for part or all of the run / walk programme if they have been advised to do some run / walking and would like some company. Please email beginners@ealingeagles.com to check the level at which the programme is operating when you are thinking of joining.
The run / walk programme attributes its success (125 people graduated through the run / walk programme in the period October 2017 to June 2018) to the support and encouragement provided by the volunteers. If you are happy to run at a relatively gentle pace (7 to 8min/k or 11 to 13min/miles though some people will be faster and a few may not be so fast) and encourage beginners while doing so, then please think about contributing to the club and the running community in this way. Running at a more gentle pace is also a good way of working on your own running form (running gently does not mean running lazily or sloppily). For more information, please join the volunteers facebook group or email beginners@ealingeagles.com
** Improvers **
Improver sessions are for people who are able to run 5k and want to continue running, in particular for those wanting to increase their distance to 10k by the end of April 2019 in time for Ealing Eagles 10k on Saturday 11 May or Osterley 10k on Saturday 15 June. For more information, please see the article The next step after 5k (also known as Improvers) January to April 2019
** TT Improvers **
TT Improvers are Improvers who are being encouraged to increase their endurance to run the Thames Towpath 10 (which means 10 miles) on Sunday 14 April. For more information, please see the article TT Improvers January to April 2019