During the current lockdown all club activities are again suspended.
See here for England Athletics' guidance for runners during the various stages of restrictions in the coming months. Currently we are permitted to take part in outdoor exercise once per day, on our own, with other members of our household/bubble or with 1 other person if you maintain social distancing. This should be done locally wherever possible, but you can travel a short distance within your area to do so if necessary (for example, to access an open space). Socialising before or afterwards is not permitted. All competition licences are suspended so we are restricted to virtual events only.
Cross Country
The entire 2020-21 cross-country league season has been cancelled. Final decisions regarding March's National Championships have yet to be confirmed - at the moment they are officially 'postponed' rather than 'cancelled'.
The ARC women's team has been organising its own training/practice events this season, all at Aldridge Airport, and two successful events have taken place - in October and December. The final session, planned for February 20 is looking unlikely although there will be a government review of restrictions on February 15.
Details of the Aldridge Airport course can be found here and a gpx file can be downloaded here. You should be able to run this course on your own using this information.
The ARC women's team has been organising its own training/practice events this season, all at Aldridge Airport, and two successful events have taken place - in October and December. The final session, planned for February 20 is looking unlikely although there will be a government review of restrictions on February 15.
Details of the Aldridge Airport course can be found here and a gpx file can be downloaded here. You should be able to run this course on your own using this information.
Half Marathon Improvement training plan
Some of our members have decided to use this lockdown period to try to improve their half-marathon time. A copy of the training plan can be found here. This identifies two efforts sessions per week, to include with your other runs. It would ideally suit any member who is already up to half-marathon distance but wants to improve their performance. However, if you are not yet up to this distance you can adjust the long runs to whatever distance suits you - please don't launch yourself at a challenging 21k run if the most you've done recently is 4 miles! The first session of the week is usually designed to last about an hour but again this can be adjusted. Where efforts are based on distance rather than time you may well want to make adjustments to keep the length of the session reasonable. Of course you can start at any date, you don't have to stick with the dates given, which were devised to work up to a particular Half Marathon date. With many thanks to Adam Smith, Dan Day and others for devising and sharing these workouts and this plan.
Did you know that if you use a sports watch it is very likely that it will allow you to create and upload a workout, which can then be used to identify when you need to change from one part to another? For Garmin this is done on Garmin Connect.
Did you know that if you use a sports watch it is very likely that it will allow you to create and upload a workout, which can then be used to identify when you need to change from one part to another? For Garmin this is done on Garmin Connect.
This week's Club News:
The Winter Handicap competition started on Monday 12th October, running a week at a time (Monday to Sunday) and will finish on Sunday 28th February. All you have to do is run a 5k (usually - look out for 'special' challenges some weeks) and then enter your time next to your name on an online spreadsheet. You need to enter your 5k time in seconds please (eg 20 minutes 2 seconds would become 1202 seconds). Once all times are in for the week Mark O'Rourke compiles a leaderboard. There is no requirement to submit a time every week, although the intention is to spur members on to keep running! Full rules can be viewed here. We are very grateful to Mark for taking on this job again. To get involved please contact Mark directly or, if you do not have his address, please send him an email via ARCinTouch.
Results from week 17 of the Winter Handicap can be found here. Well done to those who took part, especially to those who topped the tables:
Results from week 17 of the Winter Handicap can be found here. Well done to those who took part, especially to those who topped the tables:
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Top 3, Adjusted times:
1. Henry Simpson (15:06) 2. Matt Emery (15:55) 3. Gemma Archer (16:47) |
Top 3, Absolute times:
1. Steve Blakemore (19:32) 2. Matt Emery (20:10) =3. Henry Simpson & Marcus Nye (23:07) |
Other News:
- It has been decided by the club committee that no fees will be charged this year, except for the £15 EA affiliation fee, which needs to be paid THIS WEEK please. Details can be found in your ARCinTouch email. If you have not received this please email us.
- Our club Chair, Sue Benzie, has issued a challenge for March: To celebrate her 65th birthday she would like club members to commit to running, walking or cycling 65 miles during the month of March 2021. This can either be done individually, with your buddy or in teams. Can you please let Sue have your names when you have completed this.
- Congratulations to Louise Berry, who completed the virtual Deal Half Marathon on Saturday 20th, in a PB time.
2021 in (some) pictures will be built up over the year below: Hover over the main photo and press 'play' to scroll through photos of events so far this year, or click on the thumbnails.
We like to think of ARC as a friendly, supportive club. The video clip below, taken from Cannon Hill Park, on the route of the Birmingham Marathon and Half on October 15 2017 shows us at our best. Some of the supporters had entered one of the races but had to pull out due to injury but instead of moping about it they came and cheered on all those who were running, despite the logistical difficulties of getting there with all the road closures. Well done Sarah Hinkley and crew!
Information for members:
Help us give credit to all who take part in races by letting us know your achievements. Email using this link by Monday lunchtime please.
See the Diary section for races that we know about, either local or that our members have enjoyed in the past. Social events now have their own page here although social events are currently on hold due to the pandemic.
Our annual handicap races have been replaced in 2020 by a weekly virtual challenge. Many thanks to Mark O'Rourke for organising. The results from the Spring/Summer handicap can be found here.
We also have a regular walking group. More details are on our About ARC page. All welcome.
2020 saw the Spring handicap in a different format - a weekly virtual challenge - results here
See the Diary section for races that we know about, either local or that our members have enjoyed in the past. Social events now have their own page here although social events are currently on hold due to the pandemic.
Our annual handicap races have been replaced in 2020 by a weekly virtual challenge. Many thanks to Mark O'Rourke for organising. The results from the Spring/Summer handicap can be found here.
We also have a regular walking group. More details are on our About ARC page. All welcome.
2020 saw the Spring handicap in a different format - a weekly virtual challenge - results here
New Members
If you are new to running or looking to improve we can help & support you all the way. To find out more, check out the About ARC page and the New Members section. We will be announcting new dates for our next Couch to 5k course after current restrictions due to COVID-19 are lifted - click here for details.