click here for our diary, including Tuesday club night schedules
Tuesday runs - we meet on the car park of the Stick & Wicket from 7pm. Please make sure you sign in with Sue (or whoever has the clip board) on arrival.
Efforts groups have two options. Les Reeves is running coached efforts sessions fortnightly and there are also weekly Race Training sessions. If you wish to join in the race training sessions please contact Toby Oury, Adam Smith or Daniel Day to be added to the messaging group for updates.
Thursday social runs are also available, starting at 6.30pm from the gate and there is usually a 9 mile group leaving from the gate at 9am on Sundays. A separate group often runs in Cannock Chase on Sunday mornings - see Steve Blakemore or Kevin Adams for details.
Efforts groups have two options. Les Reeves is running coached efforts sessions fortnightly and there are also weekly Race Training sessions. If you wish to join in the race training sessions please contact Toby Oury, Adam Smith or Daniel Day to be added to the messaging group for updates.
Thursday social runs are also available, starting at 6.30pm from the gate and there is usually a 9 mile group leaving from the gate at 9am on Sundays. A separate group often runs in Cannock Chase on Sunday mornings - see Steve Blakemore or Kevin Adams for details.
This week's Club News:
ARC had 40 parkrunners on Saturday 4th December, with 27 at Walsall Arboretum and 6 at Sutton Park. Chasewater remains closed until the New Year.
Congratulations to our top-10 finishers: Lisa Wakeman (1st lady), Laura Kirwan (3rd lady), Steve Blakemore (4th), James Whitehouse (4th) and Simon Rhodes (10th), also to those who finished with a top 10 age-grade in their event:.Steve Blakemore (4th) and Lisa Wakeman (7th).
Well done to Richard Moore, Kat Stevenson, Judith Toase, Victoria O'Connor and Lucy Baker who gained parkrun PB's this week, and to Victoria O'Connor, who recorded a personal 5k PB on her first outing to Cannock Chase. Special congratulations to Eamon Lyons, who completed his 100th parkrun, Lisa Wakeman and Kat Stevenson who both joined the 50 club this week, and to Sarah Baggott, who completed her 50th different tourist parkrun.
Our runners:
Many thanks, as always, to those club members who volunteered in any capacity.
Well done to all club members who completed races over the weekend:
Saturday 4th:
Congratulations to our top-10 finishers: Lisa Wakeman (1st lady), Laura Kirwan (3rd lady), Steve Blakemore (4th), James Whitehouse (4th) and Simon Rhodes (10th), also to those who finished with a top 10 age-grade in their event:.Steve Blakemore (4th) and Lisa Wakeman (7th).
Well done to Richard Moore, Kat Stevenson, Judith Toase, Victoria O'Connor and Lucy Baker who gained parkrun PB's this week, and to Victoria O'Connor, who recorded a personal 5k PB on her first outing to Cannock Chase. Special congratulations to Eamon Lyons, who completed his 100th parkrun, Lisa Wakeman and Kat Stevenson who both joined the 50 club this week, and to Sarah Baggott, who completed her 50th different tourist parkrun.
Our runners:
- Walsall Arboretum: Steve Blakemore, Simon Rhodes, Lisa Wakeman, Brett Antill, Gordon Walker, Luke White, Peter Dimbleby, Harshad Patel, John Pearce, Michael Mason, Todd Nash, Daniel Ford, Lisa Dimbleby, Michael Davis, Victoria O'Connor, Roxy Babla, Ian Boneham, Lucy Baker, Mark Chapman, Abby Wright, John Quinn, Jason Vigrass, Anita Passmore, Terry Hastings, Jane Quinn, Helen Hirst and Gill Hastings.
- Sutton Park: Laura Kirwan, Tony Baker, Kat Stevenson, Sarah-Anne Fitzsimmons, Rebecca Steele and Judith Toase.
- Cannock Chase: Richard Moore, Sharon Fern.
- Edgbaston Reservoir: Steve Hammond and Tony Dutton.
- Dallas Burston Polo Club (Warks): James Whitehouse.
- Bushy: Sarah Baggott and Eamon Lyons.
Many thanks, as always, to those club members who volunteered in any capacity.
Well done to all club members who completed races over the weekend:
Saturday 4th:
- Midland Women's Cross Country League Div 2 2021-22, Race 2 (Northampton):
'A' Team: Amy Johnson, (28, 00:27:22), Helen Beecham, (30, 00:27:42), Karen Kiteley, (35, 00:28:34), Joanna Stevens, (94, 00:33:40)
'B' Team: Wendy Sargeant, (99, 00:34:13), Anne Kelsall, (100, 00:34:16), Rebecca Beale, (107, 00:34:34), Rossella Bigongiari, (117, 00:36:36)
Masters Team: Helen Beecham (12), Karen Kiteley (17), Joanna Stevens (60), Wendy Sargeant (65)
Other ARC runners: Claire O'Brien, (133, 00:38:12), Abigail Wright, (137, 00:38:58) - Birmingham & District Invitation Cross Country League Div 2 2021-22, Race 2 (Stratford):
'A' Team, 9th place: Liam Harrold (20, 00:36:49), Toby Oury (22, 00:36:58), Bruce Fanshawe (26, 00:37:26), Michael Morley (69, 39:42), Lee Harris (91, 00:41:06), Dan Williams (93, 00:41:10).
'B' Team, 6th place: Luke White (94, 00:41:10), Peter Dimbleby (115, 00:43:01), Stephen Marshall (122, 00:43:17), Daniel Day (124, 00:43:27), Philip Brayford (145, 00:44:37), Harshad Patel (173, (00:46:32)
Other ARC runners: Scott Davies (200, 00:50:26), Simon Brown (204, 00:50:42), Simon Hudson (215, 00:55:46), Leslie Reeves, (216, 00:56:10), Stephen McCann (219, 00:57:39)
Both 'A' and 'B' teams moved up one place in the overall league table, to 9th and 6th respectively. Well done all. - Salcey Forest Christmas 10k: Sharon Shirley (01:06:11), Sue Desborough (01:06:12), Emma Desborough (01:06:37)
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 were replaced in 2020 and 2021 by a weekly virtual challenge. Many thanks to Mark O'Rourke for organising. The results from the 2020 Spring/Summer handicap can be found here and the winter 20/21 handicap results can be found here
We also have a regular walking group. More details are on our About ARC page. All welcome.
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 were replaced in 2020 and 2021 by a weekly virtual challenge. Many thanks to Mark O'Rourke for organising. The results from the 2020 Spring/Summer handicap can be found here and the winter 20/21 handicap results can be found here
We also have a regular walking group. More details are on our About ARC page. All welcome.
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.
Half/Full Marathon Improvement Plan
Members of the Race Training Group are now working through a 15-week Half- and Full marathon improvement plan, targeted at the Lichfield Half Marathon Details can be found here. It is aimed at those who have already completed the target distance and want to improve their time. It is not a full training plan but it outlines two 'effort' sessions a week.
When reading the plan, "off" shows the recovery between efforts, so "1k, 800m, 600m, 400m off 2mins, 3 mins
between sets" means "1k effort, 2 min recovery, 800m effort, 2 min recovery, 600m effort, 2 min recover,400m effort, 2 min recovery, 3 min rest then repeat." Recovery can be jog or walk, or a mixture, depending on individual fitness and preference. The length of recovery can also be adjusted if necessary.
Obviously this plan can be started at any time and/or adapted to meet individual needs. In particular, slower runners can benefit from the plan but would need to reduce the number of repetitions (sets) or the individual distances in most of the sessions. If you just want to try out some efforts sessions to make your training a bit more interesting and productive there are a good number included here that you can try.
Previous training programmes from this group are still available. First Half-Marathon plan is here and the more recent 10k plan is here
When reading the plan, "off" shows the recovery between efforts, so "1k, 800m, 600m, 400m off 2mins, 3 mins
between sets" means "1k effort, 2 min recovery, 800m effort, 2 min recovery, 600m effort, 2 min recover,400m effort, 2 min recovery, 3 min rest then repeat." Recovery can be jog or walk, or a mixture, depending on individual fitness and preference. The length of recovery can also be adjusted if necessary.
Obviously this plan can be started at any time and/or adapted to meet individual needs. In particular, slower runners can benefit from the plan but would need to reduce the number of repetitions (sets) or the individual distances in most of the sessions. If you just want to try out some efforts sessions to make your training a bit more interesting and productive there are a good number included here that you can try.
Previous training programmes from this group are still available. First Half-Marathon plan is here and the more recent 10k plan is here