Monday Night Heeley Training

Time: Meet at 18.20 for an 18.30 start. Some sessions may start slightly later at 19:00. The 8 miles group meet at 19:00, see the Striders Facebook group for more details.
Venue: We meet in the car park of the Serhat Furniture Store opposite the Heeley Swimming Pool (Heeley Baths, Broadfield Rd, Heeley, S8 0XQ).
Facilities: There are shower and changing facilities at Heeley Swimming Pool, and there is a car park next to the baths (opposite Tesco Express). Note: changing and showers are free for Fitness Unlimited members, £2.00 for Lifecard holders and £2.50 for everyone else. Non Fitness Unlimited members must report to reception / gym to make the payment. All users will then be issued a ticket to give to the gym staff, so the venue is aware of who and how many runners are using the showers/change facilities.

N.B. The car park next to the baths (opposite Tesco Express) is ONLY available to SIV members. There is unrestricted street parking available near the Hardy Pick public house on the other side of Broadfield Road. Please do not use the baths car park unless you are a SIV member.

Distance: Groups from 5 to 8 miles. We may occasionally offer other groups, please see our Striders Facebook group for up to date information.
Main Contact: Kevin Rains (via the contact form) or Chris Smith (chris1240@hotmail.co.uk)
Run Leaders: See the dedicated Run Leaders page with photos

We have created a Frequently Asked Questions page that may already provide answers to your queries. Please note: as the majority of our training runs are in the evening or after dark, for your own safety please wear high visibility clothing otherwise you won’t be able to run with us. This and other advice can be found on our Guidelines for Running Groups page.

This is the club’s weekly training night at Heeley. There are usually 50+ runners including a significant number of female runners. Typically there are four different groups run from this venue; all of which are detailed below.

We try to cater for all abilities with a range of paces and distances to make the night accessible for new and experienced runners alike. Winter runs stick to well-lit roads. Summer runs often include off road sections. As with all Striders training runs, they are completely free, and newcomers are more than welcome to attend to try us out under no obligation. Please come along and give us a try!

Typical group paces and distances

Pace and distances listed set out a minimum standard. To ensure that you join the group that is best for you see the guidance below:

Group Approx pace Approx 10k time
5 miles in 65 mins 11.5 – 12 min/mile 1:10 – 1:20
6 miles in 70 mins 10:5 – 11 min/mile 1:00 – 1:10
7 miles in 70 mins 10 min/ mile 0:55 – 1:00
8 miles in 70 mins 8:4 min/ mile 0:50 – 0:55

Please note: The above is for guidance as the pace will always be dictated by the slowest member of each group on each night.

It may not always be possible to run all groups as this is dependent on the availability of leaders or others prepared to provide a route, all of whom are volunteers. There are some pinch points, particularly during the summer, when leaders are involved in races. In such a case groups will be merged. On occasions, particularly large numbers attend to run in which case groups may be split to ensure that none exceed 12 runners per group if there is one leader or 15 when a back runner can be provided.

Whilst every effort will be made to provide a qualified run leader or coach for each group this will not always be possible. In such a case a runner will be invited to suggest a route for their particular group which members of that group may follow at their own risk. With all Striders training runs, no one is left behind and the faster ones in the group will always double back for the slower ones. So please don’t feel under pressure to run beyond your capability.

However, you will be expected to:
– Choose a group within your capability
– Be willing to swap groups if this is needed to allow the session to run smoothly
– Accept advice from your group leader with regard to moving up or down a group
– Double back if you find yourself ahead of the group
– Discuss any concerns with the group leader and if these cannot be resolved on site contact. Please note: Facebook is not an appropriate forum on which to raise complaints.

The run leaders have discretion with regard to chosen routes and any variation of those routes as determined by prevailing conditions and group numbers.