Our group is run by volunteers who are all members of the club, our New Beginners group leaders are Jen Forkin, Vicki Hamer and Shirley Robinson. Jen and Shirley are graduates of the New Beginners group and want to support others who are just starting out, they have all along with Vicki taken part in numerous racing events. They will run alongside you and offer encouragement.  Ask them about their experience, why they started running, what motivates them,  and what helped and what didn’t when they were starting out.

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If you complete the beginners programme and intend to continue running with us on a Monday evening we ask you to become a club member. ( see the benefits below) Details on the club membership can be found here, the membership year starts in January.  

 

Why run?

Many of us run for health reasons, and running has great benefits for both physical and mental health. It’s a great stress buster and a good way of maintaining a healthy weight. It also offers time out from our busy lives where we can enjoy being outside. 

Running is like most things in life, you get out of it what you put in. There are no short cuts to improvement, but if you can build running into your routine you will soon start to see the benefits.  The beginners programme should be effective if you can commit to running at least 3 times a week and stick to the suggestions on the plan

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Health issues or injuries 

It’s important that we know about anything likely to impact on your running 

Please have a word with the run leader if you are concerned about anything at all. 

Any health conditions – please check out with your GP before starting on the beginners group 

 

Opportunities to run in the week 

Running solo is great, and many of us really enjoy getting out on our own. Some of us run to or from work, or get out for a quick half hour at lunch time or after we’ve dropped the kids at school. 

Running with other people is also good fun. Lots of us have made great friends through running, and once you’re over the first few weeks of feeling a bit breathless, a run with others can be a great opportunity for a chat. 

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Other training nights

Tuesday morning - Bolton Arena free Community Track Session at 10am

Wednesday evening – 1 Foot on the Track – Leverhulme Park – 7-8pm (£1 per session) 

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Opportunities to run with others in the local area: 

Saturday morning –5K Park Run – Leverhulme Park, Haigh Hall, Worsley Woods, Pennington Flash-  9am  (Free) You can bring the dog, the kids and run/walk this 5K timed course - 

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What to wear 

Running is great because you don’t need to wear anything special and you don’t need any equipment other than a decent pair of shoes and a sports bra for women. Once you improve and are running for longer periods you will find you don’t need to wear as many clothes, but as a beginner you may want to wear a couple of layers which will keep you warm while you are run/walking 

 

Local specialist sports shops will advise on footwear for your gait. If you are going to be a regular runner, a good pair of running shoes is a great investment and can help you to avoid injury.  

Safety – It’s important to be seen when running. Wear reflective gear in the dark, armbands and head torches can be useful.  Be careful if you are running with earphones, running to music can be great, but it’s also important to be aware of traffic and other people. Stick to populated areas if you’re running alone in the dark