Summary
Currently we are running 4 5k sessions each week which are suitable for Beginners:
Monday 9.30am led by Pete from Freedom Leisure
Tuesday 6.30pm led by Sam (Samantha) from Freedom Leisure
Thursday 7.00pm led by Emma from Victoria Pleasure Park
Thursday 7.30pm led by Chris (Christopher) from Freedom Leisure
Freedom Leisure meet at outside Reception at Freedom Leisure, Downsview Crescent Uckfield TN22 1UB. Victoria Pleasure meet in the Car park Ground, Victoria Pleasure Ground, Old Timbers Lane, New Town, Uckfield, TN22 5BU
Your first week is free after that there is a small charge of £1 per week capped at £6 per month. Payment is by bank transfer monthly at the start of each month so please do not bring cash.
If you are not an existing member and are interested in joining one of our sessions new member are most welcome. If you require further information please email
Information
The Thursday evening group was started on Thursday 7 February 2013 and the Monday group on 9 September 2014. Both groups have continued to attract good numbers with typically 25 to 30 runners each week for the Thursday group and about 10 TO 15 for the Monday Morning Group. The second Thursday and Tuesday group were started in July 2020 following the resumption of club runs after the initial Covid lockdown.
All the 5k sessions cater for absolute beginners. The aim for non runners and beginners is to assist you in reaching a level where you can jog non stop for 45 minutes. This is a reasonable level of fitness and a level of which you would be able to join some of the other runners on the sessions of perhaps try one of the 10k to 12k social trail runs. The Run leaders are supported by other run leaders from the club which enable to the group to be split to cater for differing levels, so that those which with to maintain a steady jog are not held back whilst absolute beginners are not put under pressure to do more than they want.
The Beginners/Joggers groups meeting times are set out in summary above. Apart from Thursday evening at 7.00pm which meet at Victoria Park all the 5k groups at Freedom Leisure, Downsview Crescent, Uckfield, TN22 1UB. There is a small charge is £1 per week. Please do not bring cash, please pay monthly by transfer to the club account but this is capped at £6 per month.
Runners in the main group pay an annual fee of £20 which includes their English Athletics race licence (which gives a discount of £2 on races) and also allows discounts at certain sports shops and our annual Christmas meal. For Beginners/Joggers becoming a full member is optional: if you are interested in doing some races (even if you are not of a competitive nature they can be a lot of fun) and/or coming to the Christmas do (and you should it is a great so) you may wish to consider joining.
There was a write up of our beginners group on the Run England Website: click here to view.
If you are interested in joining the beginners group eitehr just come along to you choses group or if you want further information please contact
Emma Hyland and Laura Grove have completed the Sight Loss Awarness Guide Running guide course.
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Poor excuses not to run
This is a summary of points from the Running Bug website:
We’re used to hearing why you can’t run, but the truth is, there's no excuse! Here we discuss the five most common excuses that shouldn't stop you running.
- "I’m too fat." Whilst being overweight does make it harder to run there’s no reason not to follow a walk-run programme, which is what we do for complete beginner in the Beginners would, which will get you started on weigh tloss and get you in shape for running. And on the plus side, the more weight you carry, the more calories you’ll be burning!
- "It’ll hurt my knees." As a runner it’s one of those crosses we have to bear…Listening to non-running unfit people tell you: ‘Oh no, not for me. It’s bad for the knees’. It’s not! A longitudinal study that started in 1997 set out to evaluate the long-term damage to the knee joints of recreational long-distance runners. Ten years after their first knee scan the runners were found to have no damage whatsoever to their knees. Other studies have reached the same conclusion. However if you have existing issues with problems with your knees check we recommend you check with your doctor before starting running.
- "I’m not good enough." The Beginners group is intended for non runners to occasional joggers so this is no excuse. And the sooner you get used to putting yourself on the line, the quicker you’ll get running results!
- "I haven’t got enough money." Some will think that somehow money prevents them from running. Running isn’t expensive. Whilst the running bug says you can go out barefoot on the grass, this is true but not always practical! However whilst we do recommend you buy proper running shoes and a top of the range shoe may cost over £100 if you shop around you can find perfectly good running shoes from reputable manufacturers for under £50. What counts with running shoes is comfort not gadgets. You can typically expect a pair of running shoes to last 600 to 800 miles so they will last you a while. The Beginners group is only £1 per week: and if you wish to become a member of the main Uckfield Runners it is only £20 per year: won't break the bank.
- "I haven’t got the time." We all have one thing in common. We all have the same number of hours in a day. Using time as an excuse not to run is just bad time management. If you’re really short on time, just plan better. Running is actually very efficient in terms of calaries per minute: no standing around waiting for fitness machines, or for the ball to come your way. And unlike a cycle you cannot coast down the hills (jogging burns more than twice the calaries per minute of leisure cycling). Where there’s a will…!
Click here for original write up
So no excuses if you are not already a runner come along and join our beginners group.