Training

Our normal training night is a Wednesday evening. We meet at 6:15pm to warm-up before starting our session. The session is usually finished by 7.30 (when many of us shower and retire to the nearest bar for a well earned drink). Each week, our coaches aim to provide a session that is challenging for our more able / experienced runners but also sufficiently flexible to allow our less able / inexperienced members to partake fully in the session.

Although our primary training centre is Garden Village FC (Gorseinon), to provide our club members with a varied set of training sessions we will often take advantage of other locations, including the Swansea University track for winter sessions. A defibrillator is owned by the club and available at all club sessions in case of medical emergencies. a list of nearest defibs can be found here..

Strava

Many of our runners are on Strava. You can see there their latest activities here.

Races

Leaderboards for 5k, 10k, Half Marathon and Marathons can be found here.

Run Britain

You can see our runners' Run Britain rankings here.

Training Schedule

Date	Who?	What?	Where?	Notes
19th Feb	Coaches - Paul, Linda, Mike		Swansea University Track	6.30pm
26th Feb	Coaches - Ross, Chris P , Linda		Swansea University Track	6.30pm
5th March	Coaches - Alan, Mike, Bev		Swansea University Track	6.30pm
12th March	Coaches - Fay, Karen, Ian B		Swansea University Track	6.30pm
19th March	Coaches - Lee, Ross, Caroline		Swansea University Track	6.30pm
26th March	Coaches - Paul, Bev, Ian B		Swansea University Track	6.30pm
2nd April	Organisers - Kev and Anna	Grand Prix #8 - 10k	Swiss Valley	6.30pm
9th April	Coaches - Alyson + TBC	Off Track	Swansea	6.30pm

Training Locations Map

Training Tips

The Basics

The basic techniques for endurance running:

Tall posture with high hips.
Relaxed shoulders with efficient backwards driving arm action.
Rhythm guides optimal speed and efficiency.
Foot lands naturally underneath the centre of mass, moving down and backwards.

Mobility Drills

Mobility exercises stimulate the main muscles we use to run and need to be 'woken up' before any workout.

The hips for example, are not just important for running strength. Increased mobility and therefore strength, could help avoid issues in later life. How many people do you know who have had a hip replacement?

The following mobility exercises will help your running and your lifestyle.

1. Hip flexor reach

2. Spiderman

3. Trunk Rotation

4. Hip Flexor Swings

5. Glute Swings

Running on Sand

With 2 x West Glams, 1 Gwent League, Sospan 10 and possibly the Welsh XC Champs all involving sand in various forms, here is a guide to running on sand.

Cooper Test

The aim of the Cooper test is to run as far as possible in 12 minutes. The distance covered will then give an estimate of your level of fitness. The test is good to monitor the development of your fitness. It is not designed to compare yourself with others. Instead, use it to measure your own progress.

The test is used by coaches to help work out whether training sessions with the athlete are working properly. It can also allow coaches to find weaknesses in their athletes and measure their improvement.