The programme has been seen and endorsed by the committee and by representatives from all our running groups. It builds upon the work done by Andy, and by Nigel before him. It begins with a preliminary week, during which we will thank Andy for all he has achieved during his tenure, followed by sixteen weeks of training.

The plan is based on a fairly simple principle: runners improve through consistent, purposeful training rather than by chasing one hard session after another. It includes easy and chatty runs, tempo work, hills, intervals, strides, long runs and recovery. Each session has a clear purpose, but these can be adapted to suit the runners who attend on the night.

We will follow the same overall programme across the club. The pace, volume, recovery and route will vary between groups, but the purpose of each session remains shared. The Blue/Walk Group will continue to provide an inclusive alternative.

The main ideas behind the programme are effort before pace, quality before quantity and consistency over time. Where appropriate, the aim is to finish feeling that you could have done a little more, rather than finishing exhausted.

This is our programme, and everybody has a part to play in making it work. Coaches, Run Leaders and Run Helpers will turn the plan into safe, enjoyable and purposeful sessions. As runners, you can help by joining the appropriate group, listening to the session briefing, running at the intended effort and continuing to support those around you.

We recognise that work, family commitments, illness, injury and other events mean that not everybody will attend every week. Each session therefore has value in its own right, while also contributing to the wider programme.

Performance and improvement matter, but so do enjoyment, inclusion and the feeling of belonging to our club. In simple terms, we are trying to develop better runners, not simply faster runners.

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