Training

We have several training groups at Trentham to cover all paces from the absolute beginner who has never run before, right through to elite, race winning athletes.

Absolute Beginners Group You may have woke up this morning and looked in the mirror and saw bits of you that weren't there before and decided that it's time you did something about it. You may have run years ago, but the thought of now pulling on your trainers and heading out in public frightens the life out of you. The thought of running a 10K race fills you with dread to the very core. This group is for you and led by qualified 'Run Leaders' aimed at people who have not run before. You will probably be running/walking at 12-14 minute mile pace!

(Beginners groups are only arranged periodically - please contact us or check for details here first)

Graduates Group Okay, you're wondering if it's appropriate to get some decent running shoes. The thought of racing a 10K still harbors fears of the light fading before you crossed the line, but with a little encouragement from your running friends you're prepared to take it on, you're not worried about the time, but you want to finish. You still like to keep it really steady and like a chat on the way round the 5-6 mile route. For you it's more about the social than the pace. This is the group for you! You will probably be running at 12+ minute mile pace! 

Improvers Group You now own a pair of proper running shoes and feel more like a runner. A 10K race is within your reach, but if you did run one you'd probably complete it in about an hour. You feel ready for a bit more of a challenge and maybe looking to push on to that next level. You still enjoy a chat on the way round the 5-7.5 mile route, but you're starting to understand what pace means. This is the group for you! You will probably be running at 10-12 minute mile pace! 

Middles Group You have progressed through the steadier groups and feel confident to move to the next level. You may also be doing some races at this stage if that's what floats your boat! The emphasis in this group is still on inclusion and the group regularly musters back to the slowest runner in the group to make sure we stay together. You might find these runs are a bit longer than you're used to in the steady groups being 6-8miles, but hey, you're an athlete, you're ready for that!!! You may be able to jump straight into this group if you've run before (but running for the bus doesn't count). You may encounter mud if there is any to be found in a 3 mile radius of the club. You will probably be running about 8-10 minute mile pace!

Fast Group There isn't really one fast group as such but rather 2 or three groups that go out, sometimes together and comeback separately. Whichever group you go in you will be running so fast that traffic coming in the other direction will start to blur and distort. These sessions are a little more structured with fancy words like Pyramids and Fartlek in them although no-one really knows what they mean. When you get back to the club you may find your watch is 'out-of-sync' with someone in the beginners group by as much as 2 seconds. This group is made up of the 'Super Fast Runners' you might say and some runners will aspire to join this select band of racers who will talk you silly with tales of 'Sub 36 10k' and the time they ran the Marathon in 2hrs 11mins and 22seconds and they would have been faster if their shoelace didn't come undone at 25 miles! You will probably be running about 5.5-8 minute mile pace!