Potters Trotters is a ladies only running club that supports, encourages and welcomes everyone who comes to join us, whatever their goals, background, experience or interests. We have been affiliated to England Athletics since 2008.
Who are Potters Trotters? Our members come from a range of different backgrounds and have lots of different reasons for running. If you want to run faster or further, we are happy to help and support you. If you want to run to provide you with cheerful company, an escape from life’s pressures or make sure you leave work on time, that’s absolutely fine. If you want to learn new skills, we can provide training opportunities. If your goal is to learn how to run and talk at the same time, then we will do our best to make sure you achieve it. If you want to run but never take part in a race, that’s ok, you don’t have to. If you aren’t able to run, we still want you to be part of the club. We work hard to organise club sessions and events with all these goals in mind. How is the club organised? The club has a small committee of volunteers who look after memberships, our finances, race entries, training and communications. We are supported by other club members, who organise social events, running events and trips to races. We also have a number of qualified run leaders, who have completed the England Athletics Leadership in Running Fitness Course. Our leaders and can advise runners on aspects of training, warmup and cool down exercises. Our club chair has also completed the Level 2 Coach in Running Fitness course. How can I join? Please get in touch to let us know you are interested in joining the club. You can come along for a couple of sessions to meet club members, ask questions and come for a run with us before deciding whether you would like to join. We hope you will receive a friendly welcome. What if I’ve never run before? If you are a complete beginner, we have offer regular beginner's courses which run for 10 weeks. These are run at different times throughout the year. The goal of the course is to get everyone running for at least 40 minutes without stopping. Beginner groups are supported by our run leaders, most of whom started running as adults and completed similar beginner programmes with Potters Trotters or on their own. I already run so would I be able to join? If you are already running, or have run previously and are looking to get back to it, you are very welcome to join us. We will have a chat with you to find out more about your running experience and goals and buddy you up with one of our regulars to make sure you get to know other club members and can find your feet. If you've not run for a while, remember to start slowly and only increase your distance/speed gradually. Where and when do you meet and are there changing facilities? We don't have a permanent base at the moment but meet at various venues around the city. Our club runs are advertised to members on an app called Spond. We can't offer changing facilities. How are club sessions organised? Alongside our beginner's group, we run a mixture of different sessions each work and runners are organised into groups depending on the session. Sometimes, we all run together. Sometimes, we split into smaller groups to cover different distances, routes or terrains. We also include warm-up drills, technical coaching and stretching exercises in most of our sessions. Special sessions can include hill training, interval sessions or time trials for those who want to take part. Club sessions last about an hour but every month we will also include a longer run option lasting about 90 minutes. I can't come every week, does that matter? We know that time is precious; everyone has busy lives and limits on the amount of time they can spend on running or club activities. That’s one of the reasons that club sessions usually only last about an hour. We understand completely if you can only come every now and then or can’t make it to the club nights at all; we still want you to feel like you have a place with us and feel welcome when you join us for special events or weekend runs. Where do you run? We try to vary our routes as much as possible. Some routes will be flat, other times undulating or even hilly - hills are our friends. The distances also vary so that different abilities can be accommodated. During the winter, we stick to main well-lit roads. During the summer, we use a wider variety of routes, including parks, the canal towpaths and river paths. We also occasionally meet at alternative locations to explore and try out different routes. Can my children come along too? Unfortunately, we are not able to include junior members aged under 18. We want to make sure they get the correct support for their age and so would recommend joining a club with a specific junior section e.g. Newcastle (Staffs) AC, Trentham Running Club or Stoke AC. How much will it cost me if I decide to join? The annual Membership Fee for new members is £20 inclusive of individual registration with England Athletics. Membership runs from April 1st to March 31st each year and is renewable by 30th April. Late payments will be subject to a £5 administration fee. Membership fees are subject to change and review annually by the committee. Club membership also provides our insurance and entitles you to reductions in race entries for some events as well as discounts at some retailers through offers provided by England Athletics. You'll get a membership card and access to online information through England Athletics as well. Will I be left on my own? No, you should never be left on your own. Our number one rule is that we do not leave anyone to run behind on their own. We encourage runners to stay together and that is why we organise into groups for each run. Our run leaders may ask runners to loop back or muster (wait at fixed points) if groups are becoming too spread out on the route - we ask all our members to support the leaders in this in order to ensure no one is left to run on their own. Looping back allows some runners to run a little bit further on the same route - it's a great way of challenging yourself to run further or a bit faster too. What kit do I need? Being comfortable is the most important thing. If you are joining us in winter, layers are the key. If you are joining in the summer, it's all about light-coloured, loose-fitting clothes that allow heat to escape. However, the most important items of kit are:
Do you have club kit? You can buy various items of club kit, which is produced by one of our club members. You can order running vests, t-shirts, hoodies and much more. We encourage members to wear club colours for races. However, it’s not compulsory except for official team events such as cross country. Do you run at the weekend? Members get together at different times over the weekend for a variety of options, sometimes running longer distances than there is time for at club sessions. Weekend runs are not necessarily organised by group leaders but we ask all members to continue to run together and loop back / muster to ensure no one is left to run on their own. The venue varies and run details are posted in our closed Facebook group and on Spond. Weekend runs are often organised with a café visit afterwards. We also meet at local parkruns on Saturday mornings. Some of our members also arrange daytime runs during the week if they are not able to make club sessions due to work and family commitments. Will I be able to enter races? Lots of our members take part in races - you can read reviews from some of them on our blog. A particular local favourite is the Potters 'Arf in June each year. We also organise trips to races a bit further afield and have been to Windsor, Anglesey, Blackpool and London. We can help you plan your training for a special event. We also take part in the local cross country league during the Autumn of each year, which gives members a chance to try something a bit different if they want to. How do you keep in touch? We send regular emails and also produce a monthly newsletter. We have a closed Facebook group for club members only, where members post updates, ask questions, share details about upcoming races and make plans for weekend runs. Once you've joined the club, you are welcome to join the group - please ask for more details when you come along. If you have any further questions please just ask. We are here to help. Updated January 2022 |
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