UPDATE The coaching team is continuing to encourage Eagles to return to the previous norm of intervals / hills sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays evenings and some Mondays at 10am.
In view of the government decision to delay step 4 on the roadmap, the coaching team has decided that it would be worth doing pilot sessions which take into account some of the relaxations already permitted in step 3 as well as taking into account our experience of offering sessions under Covid 19 restrictions. We have been consulting with the Covid-19 team and the Committee and booking for the next group of sessions will open on Thursday 17 June at 9.30pm.
Osterley track
We are hoping to offer track sessions at Osterley track on Tuesdays 29 June, 13 July and 27 July. While Osterley is operating under Covid 19 restrictions, Eagles will book exclusive use of the track for one hour from 7pm as the facility will close at 8pm and will ask attendees (including those who already have a track pass) to book in advance and pay a non-refundable track fee of £3.15. We aim to open booking on the first 29 June session at 9.30pm on Tuesday 22 June after we receive confirmation of the booking from Osterley.
Numbers
As the limit on social gatherings outdoors is 30 in step 3, we have decided to increase gradually the number of athletes permitted to attend each training session. In the first week of pilots w/c 21 June, numbers will be increased to 15; if no concerns are raised by the public and the numbers are found to be manageable, numbers will be increased to 20 in the second week of pilots w/c 28 June.
Social Distancing
We will continue to maintain social distancing at club training sessions (at Osterley track, this will involve running in lanes 1, 3 and 5). However, the use of cones to define lanes in the parks has been of mixed benefit - defining only a running lane and an overtaking lane means that the person overtaking may get close to the person they are overtaking if they are watching the cones rather than the other person; whilst defining a lane in the middle to ensure social distancing will create a confusion of cones. We will therefore trial not defining lanes and, instead, simply asking people to maintain social distancing when they overtake.
Eventbrite
As previously advised, we have also modified our eventbrite arrangements so that those co-ordinating the sessions can access the attendee lists themselves allowing Eagles to book closer to the time of the session subject to availability.
Spaces on sessions in the previous booking period Mon 7 to Thu 17 Jun
Intervals and Hills for the booking period Mon 21 June to Thu 1 July (booking will open on Thu 17 June at 9.30pm)
And a reminder of the arrangements
Please read the instructions
Ealing Eagles is normally a very sociable running club with an informal and relaxed approach to our training but we know many members have missed being able to train together during lockdown. The Eagles Coaches and the Committee have worked behind the scenes to see what we might be able to offer while minimising the risk of Covid-19 transmission. This has involved the setting up of a Covid 19 team, and the writing of a Covid 19 plan, risk registers and risk assessments to identify Covid 19 secure environments.
It also means that your access to coached sessions might involve different arrangements and certainly more admin than we would like. SO PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS.
Meeting points may be different from normal (particularly at West Walk) so that the meeting arrangements can more easily satisfy the requirements for social distancing so please read the instructions which say where you should meet.
It’s a pain to have to book sessions and what should you do if you can’t make the session and have to cancel? The cancellation instructions are set out on the relevant Eagles webpage and have now been added to the information you get sent when you book. There is an option to cancel via Eventbrite if you have an account - if you don’t have an account (or aren’t sure), please email coaching@ealingeagles.com Please don’t offer your place at the session on Facebook as all attendees need to answer various questions before they attend the session.
In a club of over 800 members with a limited number of spaces on intervals / hills sessions, we want to give as many people as possible the chance to take part in an intervals / hills session. We are therefore offering the sessions in two week booking periods and members are asked to book only one session when the sessions are first advertised. If places are still available for any session a week after this first advertisement (as notified in your News from the Nest email), then members will be allowed to book a second session in the booking period to encourage all places to be taken. (If this all sounds confusing, please feel free to check arrangements by emailing coaching@ealingeagles.com). Please don’t think that all the sessions look exciting and so book more than one session at the same time - this will simply result in you being sent to the back of the queue so that you only get a place if there are spaces left after the booking period has closed.
Don’t worry if there’s a problem - we all make mistakes (and the mistake may be in the original instructions for which apologies in advance). However, it will help your coaching co-ordinator and reduce the total amount of admin if you try, as far as possible, to read and follow instructions.
Spaces on sessions in previous booking period Mon 7 to Thu 17 June
The following session had spaces at the time of writing and has been advertised more than once. Please feel free to book even if you have attended another session in the period Mon 7 to Thu 17 June (current password for Eventbrite pages in News from the Nest)
Thu 17 June 7.30pm to 8.30pm West Walk - hills with Mike Limpert (booking deadline 5pm on the day) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/west-walk-hills-730pm-thu-17-june-tickets-157851310519
Intervals and Hills for the booking period Mon 21 June to Thu 1 July
UPDATE We have now received approval to offer more places at the sessions at Lammas Park and West Walk and also to offer sessions at Osterley track.
To give as many people as possible the chance to take part in a club intervals / hills session, we are offering the sessions in two week booking periods and members are asked to book only one session when the sessions are first advertised.
Mon 21 June PILOT 10am to 11am Lammas Park - intervals (booking deadline 8am on the day) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pilot-mon-lammas-intervals-21-jun-tickets-159722224473
Tue 22 June PILOT 7.30pm to 8.30pm Lammas Park - intervals (booking deadline 5pm on the day) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pilot-tue-lammas-intervals-22-jun-tickets-159734469097
Thu 24 June PILOT 7.30pm to 8.30pm West Walk - hills (booking deadline 5pm on the day) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pilot-west-walk-hills-24-june-tickets-159736118029
Mon 28 June PILOT 10am to 11am Lammas Park - intervals (booking deadline 8am on the day) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pilot-mon-lammas-intervals-28-jun-tickets-159735512217
Tue 29 June PILOT **7pm to 8pm** Osterley Track - intervals (non-refundable track fee of £3.15 per person - eventbrite page will be published and booking will open on Tuesday 22 June at 9.30pm after the date has been confirmed by Osterley track - booking deadline 5pm on the day)
Thu 1 July PILOT 7.30pm to 8.30pm West Walk - hills (booking deadline 5pm on the day) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pilot-west-walk-hills-1-july-tickets-159736745907
How we’re mitigating Covid-19 risks
The Eagles Coaches and the Committee have been working behind the scenes to see what we might be able to offer while minimising the risk of Covid-19 transmission. This has involved the setting up of a Covid 19 team, and the writing of a Covid 19 plan, risk registers and risk assessments to identify Covid 19 secure environments.
How you can safely participate
The demands of Covid-19 planning to allow us even to attempt to offer any training sessions together with the size of the club means that we will need to ask people:
To book a session in advance.
To supply your contact details for track and trace (and also in case a session needs to be cancelled or arrangements changed)
To answer a pre-activity health questionnaire included in the booking – and not to book or attend the session if you are not able to answer the questions positively
To note and follow arrangements set out by the co-ordinator to enable social distancing during the session including overtaking lanes where offered.
To treat members of the public with courtesy which may include slowing down or even stopping in your training if a member of the public comes too close to the area being used for the Club session.
Not to socialise together before or after the session
More details of the questions, notes and disclaimers are set out in the appendix.
How to book a session
We are aiming to offer intervals / hills sessions on a regular basis, subject to the availability of co-ordinators as well as changes in Government, London, Local Authority and England Athletics guidance, which can change at short notice.
The sessions will be booked via Eventbrite - the link for each event is set out above. Tickets are limited and issued as one per booking. For sessions from 7 June, we hope to make the deadline for booking (subject to availability) to be closer to the day of the session.
To enable as many members as possible to attend a session, we will be offering the sessions in two week booking periods and members are asked to book only one session when the sessions are first advertised. If places are still available for any session a week after this first advertisement (as notified in your News from the Nest email), then members will be allowed to book a second session in the booking period to encourage all places to be taken. (If this all sounds confusing, please feel free to check arrangements by emailing coaching@ealingeagles.com).
And finally, we ask that you do not go to a session meeting point if you have not been able to book a place. It will not be possible for you to join at the session. Your presence may mean that the session is not Covid 19 secure.
If you have any questions, please contact coaching@ealingeagles.com
How to cancel a session
If you do book a session but then decide that you are unable to attend, there are two preferred ways for you to cancel.
If you are able to cancel on Eventbrite yourself, that releases the space as soon as possible in case someone else can book it and will automatically inform the club that you have cancelled.
However, as that may require an Eventbrite account - the alternative is to email coaching@ealingeagles.com (messaging Wei Hei Kipling on facebook runs the risk of the message being overlooked and emailing info@ealingeagles.com adds an extra step in requiring the email to be forwarded to coaching@ealingeagles.com ).
Please don’t make a private arrangement with someone else or offer your place on Facebook as all attendees need to answer various questions before they attend the session.
Appendix
During the booking, the pre-activity health questionnaire will ask you to state:
"I do not display any of the typical symptoms of active Covid-19 infection (fever, cough persisting more than 4 hours, loss of taste and smell, etc - pls check official guidance for details)"
"I have not tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 7 days"
"I have followed all social distancing guidelines set by the government or appropriate for my occupation for the last 7 days."
If this changes, please could you contact coaching@ealingeagles.com asap. If you can not meet the disclaimers above you should not book a session.
In addition, the following disclaimers and notes will apply regarding the intervals / hills sessions offered by the Club – if you are not willing to accept these disclaimers and notes, please do not book a session.
.a. I agree that attending this session is done so at my own risk.
b. I understand that the session may be cancelled at short notice if no-one is available to co-ordinate the session or if the risks at the time of the session are considered too great.
c. I will arrive dressed to run.
d. I will keep to a minimum what I bring to the session. I will make arrangements to look after my own valuables (keys, card, phone) and will not expect anyone else to look after them.
e. I intend to follow all social distancing guidance with anyone who is not a part of my own household during the Club’s intervals / hills session – so no physical greeting, hi-fiving or supporting one another during stretches etc.
f. As well as following the social distancing guidelines between people, I will not touch with my hands anything belonging to anyone else (including any cones) and will not share drinks, snacks or hand sanitiser.
g. I will note and follow arrangements set out by the co-ordinator to enable social distancing during the session including overtaking lanes where offered.
h. The session will be taking place in a public area and I will treat all members of the public with courtesy which may include slowing down or even stopping in my training if a member of the public comes too close to the area being used for the Club session.
i. If I show symptoms of Covid 19 within 48 hours of attending the session, I will inform the Coaching co-ordinator on coaching@ealingeagles.com