Following the recent members survey, the Committee has decided to make some changes to club training nights. With effect from Monday 9th April, we will offer a club run only on Mondays, with no optional speed session organised by the club. The Wednesday track sessions run in conjunction with the Tri-club will continue, unless there is a race, such as the 5ks and cross countries. Every other Monday, commencing 16th April, will be a “run together” night, with preset checkpoints for faster runners to run/jog back and “gather up” the slower runners. We are aiming to make club nights more sociable for existing members and more welcoming for our newer runners. Once a month, on a Monday, we will have an after training social in the Rowing club bar, starting about 7.30. We are looking to reinstate Friday night runs at Haugh Woods, but this is dependent on ensuring that sufficient experienced guides can regularly attend on a Friday. Anyone interested (and qualified) to undertake this role, please let me know.
Club training nights will continue to be Mondays and Wednesdays starting at 6.15, as now, but we will keep this under review. The routes for the coming weeks, which will be mainly off-road once the weather improves, will be published on the website shortly. We also want to make greater use of the excellent facilities that we have at the Rowing Club and will be organising a number of running/social events over the summer, based at the club. The first of these will be a quiz. Look out for details.
We will continue to support other popular ad hoc events such as the Cotswolds Relay and alternative runs, which will begin again later this month, or next.
We appreciate that some of these changes will not be welcomed by all, but we needed to do something to ensure that club nights cater better for the majority of our runners and potential new runners. This is what most of you told us in the survey. For the quicker members and those wanting to improve their running, we will be looking at other ways to support you, supplementing the Wednesday track sessions.
If you want to discuss any of these changes or make any further comments, speak to me or one of the Committee. We are always prepared to listen and consider different viewpoints.
Some changes to club training nights
