Updated 27 April 2023 to include details of Eagles 10k recce runs
Updated 21 June 2023 to include new location for Tuesday 7.30pm intervals
We are currently putting together opportunities from May to August 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 News from the Nest) for more details and for any changes or updates.
The club aims to cater for all abilities – if you are interested in increasing your endurance from 5k to 10k, please click on the relevant for information of specific interest to you.
Mon/Wed 7.30pm club runs
We are continuing with the routes for the summer designed in 2022 (with one minor modification) which take in more of Walpole and Lammas Parks and also avoid going alongside the north circular. Please see the club run route page for the route details. These routes will be used by the 7.30pm club runs from the beginning of May. Please note that both routes use the stretch from Gunnersbury Park along Elderberry Road, over the railway bridge and stay on that road as it becomes Ascott Ave and Kenilworth Road, turning left onto The Grove and back to Ealing Green.
HOWEVER, please note that the offer of these sessions requires the availability of volunteers to be club run leads and tail runners. The intervals / hills 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 email group list for the club run leads, please email coaching@ealingeagles.com
First Wednesday of the Month
We intend to offer a parkrun handicap before the club socials on Wednesday 3 May, 7 June and 2 August.
Because of events taking place in Gunnersbury Park at the beginning of July, we will not be offering a parkrun handicap on Wednesday 5 July. However, several Eagles events are being planned for July - more information anon.
Intervals on tour - Tuesdays 7:30pm
Varied paced interval sessions ranging from 1 mile to tempo (half marathon) pace
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 (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. All abilities of runners are catered for from post-beginner to park runner to seasoned runners chasing faster times.
Watercooler fact: an interval is actually the recovery part of the session not the fast bit!
With the popularity of the sessions in Lammas Park in 2022, we originally decided to offer intervals only at Lammas Park in the summer of 2023. Sessions at Lammas are often done according to time which means that everyone gets to rest at the same time.
Unfortunately, conditions in Lammas Park in 2023 have not been as good as conditions in 2022. We have therefore decided to offer Intervals on Tour with the sessions going to at Ealing Common from Tuesday 27 June (video clip taken last Tuesday 20 June) - meeting point the corner of Ealing Common closest to The Grange pub.
Hills on Tour - thursdays at 7.30pm
Training on hills
· prepare you for the hills in a race, such as Ealing Half Marathon;
· 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 for the session
We will be visiting different parks over the summer:
May – Churchfield Recreation Ground - meeting point corner of park/car park, opposite St Mary’s Church, Church Road, Hanwell, London W7 3BJ
June - Cleveland Park - Meet at the north east corner of Cleveland Park - near the junction of Scotch Common W13 8DL with Kent Avenue W13 8BH
July – Hanger Hill Park – Meet at entrance to Hanger Hill Park on Hillcrest Road W5 1HW (opposite Park View Road W5 2JB)
August - Elthorne Park / Rough - meeting point is Elthorne Park Extension / Elthorne Rough by the big Deer sculpture.
Daytime sessions
The morning sessions on Mondays will be intervals or hills sessions moving to different locations each week.
The morning slot on Thursdays will include:
5-10k group - aimed primarily at Eagles currently at the 5k level and wanting to progress to 10k by June, but everyone is welcome. The group will meet at 10am at Ealing Green from 27th April until 15th June and sessions will include a warm up at the start.
Other sessions may be offered after the completion of the 5-10k 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. The footbridge which crosses the Grand Union Canal at Boston Manor Park has been closed since late 2021 because of safety concerns around the support structure of the bridge. Please see the club run route page for a suggested diversion.
From June 2023, there will also be Summer League 5mile or 10k races taking place on some weekends
Sun 18 June – SL Headstone Manor (5 miles)
Sun 2 July – SL Perivale (5 miles)
Sun 9 July – SL Dulwich (5 miles)
Sun 30 July – SL Regents Park (10k)
Sun 13 August – SL Battersea (10k)
Ealing Eagles 10k (Saturday 20 May)- updated 27 Apr 23
Hills on Tour in May 2023 will be going to Churchfield Recreation Ground - meeting point corner of park/car park, opposite St Mary’s Church, Church Road, Hanwell, London W7 3BJ - which is the start and finish area for the Eagles 10k.
The first hills session at Churchfields will be on Thursday 4 May at 7.30pm
In addition, we will be offering recce runs of the Eagles 10k route on the following dates:
Mon 8 May, 10am - Eagles 10k recce (one lap 5k)
Thu 11 May 7.30pm - Hills on Tour offering Eagles 10k recce (one lap 5k)
Thu 18 May 7.30pm - Hills on Tour offering Eagles 10k recce (one lap 5k)
If you know the route, it would be great if you could come along to help show other Eagles the way and take the opportunity to remind yourself of the route before race day.
Ealing Half Marathon
12 week training plans for Ealing Half Marathon on Sunday 24 September will start on Monday 3 July. More details of Eagles training for this award-winning race will be published before July.
Next Step Improvers
Next Step Improvers is for people who are able to run 5k and want to continue running, in particular for those wanting to increase their distance above 5k and possibly to 10k. Possible targets for Improvers, depending on your current level of endurance are include the weekend races mentioned in the section on weekend long runs above and also:
· Osterley 10k on Saturday 17 June https://osterleypark10k.co.uk/
· Wedding Day 7k likely to be offered on Friday 28 July (evening race)
There will be a group co-ordinated by a run leader aiming to progress from 5k to 10k on Thursdays at 10am meeting at Ealing Green starting on 27 April.
For evening runners hoping to progress from 5k to 10k over the same period, we hope to provide suggestions for routes based on the club run routes which will help you to make this progression.
If you are on Facebook and would like to keep in touch with others at a similar level, there is a Next Step Improvers Facebook group.