New Members Evening: come along to our next club night at the Catalyst Building at Staffordshire University on Thursday 4th May from 6.15pm. You can find out about our different options for running and walking, as well as meet club members. Membership information will be provided. New Members: if you are not a member, but would like to join or re-join, please complete the membership form and email it to us ([email protected]) or contact us via our contact form. The membership fee for 2023/24 has been set at £20 for new members. Once you get in touch, we will then send you details of payment instructions and invite you along to club runs. We will send you a code to link to the our SPOND app once you have confirmed you wish to join. Please see our FAQs for more information about how we run. Current Members: all current members should have received information separately about how to renew their membership - renewals for 2023/24 have now commenced and should be completed as soon as possible. You will receive an email from England Athletics once we have processed your renewal. Kit Ordering: Potters Trotters club colours are a pink vest with black flash down the sides or pink t-shirt, with the club name and a small logo printed on the back in silver grey/white. A small club logo in silver grey is printed on the front. You can now order club vests, t-shirts and hoodies using our new order form.r Venue Details: We meet on Thursday evenings in the new Catalyst Building at Staffordshire University's Leek Road Campus. We have access to a meeting point and space for pre-run chats and post-run stretching. Toilets will be available and can be used to get changed. The Catalyst Building entrance we are using is on the ground floor, looking towards the Sports Centre. Free parking is available on campus from 5pm. There are multiple car parks available and usually no parking issues in the evening. More information about the Thursday Club sessions can be found here. Congratulations to Club Member Jackie, who completed the London Marathon last weekend. We are all very proud of you. Welcome to a New Year at Potters Trotters Our official club night will continue to be Thursdays - we will have run, run/walk and walking groups from our base at Staffordshire University (see below for more venue details). Interested in joining: please get in touch via our Contact page to find out more. The run group will cover distances of 3/4 miles plus over roughly 50-60 minutes, with everyone running at a pace comfortable to them including walk breaks as needed. Leaders will encourage everyone to muster/loop back and ensure no one is left to run on their own. The run/walk group will be following a couch to 5k programme suitable for current members, new runners or anyone who hasn't run for a while, whatever the reason. The walking group is also a great way to boost fitness and be part of a group. The walk will be approximately 50-60 minutes at a brisk pace. Whether you are recovering from injury, wanting to build fitness before starting running or using walking as a great form exercise, you are very welome to join us. Other club runs, including weekend runs, will be on an adhoc basis, with a semi-regular Tuesday meet-up at Sainsbury's in Stoke (followed by a chat in Starbucks when time permits). Members also take part in organised running and walking events, and event information is shared regularly with club members. Our next running target is the Alsager 5 in February. We also meet-up on Saturday mornings at local parkruns to run, walk and volunteer:
Hope to see you soon Best wishes from everyone at Potters Trotters Venue Details: We meet in the new Catalyst Building at Staffordshire University's Leek Road Campus. We have access to a meeting point and space for pre-run chats and post-run stretching. Toilets will be available and can be used to get changed. The Catalyst Building entrance we are using is on the ground floor, looking towards the Sports Centre. Free parking is available on campus from 5pm. There are multiple car parks available and usually no parking issues in the evening.
*** NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN BEGINNERS GROUP *** PLEASE GET IN TOUCH ***
We will be starting a new 10 week beginners group on Wednesday 6th April 2022. The group will meet every Wednesday at 6.30pm. The cost will be £20 which includes club membership and England Athletics Affiliation through to March 2023. After completion of the beginners course, you will be able to transition to one of our other running groups to continue your running adventure. Please get in touch via our contact form for more information and to sign up. If you are already running but interested in joining us, please do get in touch. There will be improvers group on Wednesdays alongside the beginners group - this is suitable for anyone who is already running but looking to challenge themselves, who wants to try running with a club for the first time or is recovering after an injury break. We also have a regular Thursday session (meeting at 6pm at the same location) open to all. We will be meeting in the new Catalyst Building at the Leek Road Campus. We will have access to a meeting point and space for pre-run chats and post-run stretching. Toilets will be available and can be used to get changed. Free parking is available on campus from 5pm. We recommend parking on car park 1 is immediately on your left at the mini roundabout as you enter campus from Leek Road. From car park 1, head towards the main buildings on campus. The catalyst building will be to your right and the entrance we are using is on the ground floor, looking towards the Sports Centre. What are we about?
We, the Potters Trotters are a group of friendly, enthusiastic and vibrant women who LOVE to run, but also laugh (a lot!), encourage (always!) and challenge ourselves – often achieving a variety of personal goals. We meet at the Brindley Building in Staffordshire University at 6:30pm every Tuesday and Thursday. The beauty of our club is that we run, yes to keep fit and to improve, reach new heights of achievement, but mostly, to meet people with same interest as us and to form some very special friendships. In my opinion we are the ideal running club – a combination of determination, resilience, inspiration … all sprinkled with FUN! Not that I am biased of course! ;-) If you don’t believe me, please read some of our comments from members below. Some have been coming to the club for years, but others perhaps only a few months: Sue: ‘We are real ladies who care about each other, we don't judge abilities and we support each other unconditionally. Everyone is very welcoming.’ Lauren: Before I joined I didn't push myself to run further distances, and didn't have the confidence to sign up for some races alone. The club gave me the motivation and the confidence to do more - the encouragement and kindness shown by everyone is amazing! Jackie: ‘I had never even done 5k before I joined, and yet I did 8 miles the other week thanks to the encouragement of ladies from the group! There are no worries about being slow, or holding people up.’ Rose: ‘I know many clubs say they are for all but we really are. All speeds and all ages from the very young to the the more mature. We all support and encourage each other’. Alison: ‘A group of ladies who enjoy running, caring about others within the club and being there for one another, giving support along the way.’ Charlotte: ‘For me, the club has inspired me to enter a wide variety of races and push myself - I never thought that I would do anything like the Thunder Run for example! That was completely out of my comfort zone. Most of all though, the friendships that I have made in joining our club are fantastic and the inspiration from such a lovely group of ladies has been wonderful. Love our club!’ Michelle: ‘I was never sporty at school and began running quite late in life. I find it unbelievable that I have managed two half marathons. Running raises my mood and zest for life. I have met some lovely ladies and formed lasting friendships.’ Helen: ‘I am proud to be a Trotter, I find running one of the hardest and challenging things I have attempted in life but the warm welcome, encouragement and support has made it one of the most rewarding and positive achievements. The group helps us to set and achieve goals.’ Jen: ‘Suffering with mental health issues means I don't always go out, meet new people or even have the will to get up in the morning, but I've got people who help motivate me to exercise, get outside, talk to strangers who have now become friends and just have a bloody good time! I ran/walked a half marathon. Me! I'm so pleased that I had the courage to join to better myself, push myself, get fit, be healthier and get involved.’ Louise: ‘Keep fit for amateurs and those who've done very little exercise in the past. A chance to do this is a supportive environment where you achieve and excel your objectives through the fab support and great friendships.’ Alison: ‘ A few thoughts include: Healthy body, healthy minds. Endorphins are us. Gets those synapses connecting. Connecting communities. Healthy hearts. Community spirited. Inspiration, motivation, respiration, perspiration, destination!’ Melanie: ‘I remember the first night I went along to fill in the registration form for the beginners course, I was so nervous and anxious I felt sick. But I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and did it. I've struggled for years with mental health issues and find it so hard to do things, but I feel very supported by Potters Trotters and have made lots of pink pals! We encourage and support each other and the club helps with my confidence. Potters Trotters are a truly wonderful group of ladies. All shapes, sizes and abilities and non-judgmental. I've never had so many friends. Thank you all.’ Ruth: ‘The exercise makes me feel better both physically and mentally. Great friends made through club. Non-judgmental, supportive and fun.’ Julie: ‘To have a group of women that are all there for the same purpose and are there to support one another is so beneficial and important. I have never been able to run, even at school, and the few times I have tried before, I had always given up. Now doing it in my 50s has been so inspirational, because of sharing and getting such great support from the others in the group. I have made some lovely friends, and there is always without exception someone to run with and support you when it gets tough. It's not something I find easy or natural, but the benefits physically and mentally are many, and can be life changing. I think everyone can benefit greatly by belonging to such a group. It's also much cheaper than other forms of exercise so accessible to everyone. Having great support, and meeting such a diverse group of women is truly inspirational. These woman can!! Lindsey: ‘We are a no frills ladies’ running club which caters for all ages, shapes, sizes and abilities. If you want to be a serious runner you can be, however, if you want to laugh, chat and run then we are the club for you. We are Potters Trotters!’ I think that these comments sum us up perfectly! :-) Ali started the beginners group in September 2015, having never run before. This is her story:
By the end of October, I had completed my first 5k race (Spooky Sprint - Nottingham). I then took part in the National Trust "Night Run" in January, followed by the Cancer Research Snowflake Run (10k as a penguin). Most recently, in March, I completed the Stafford Half Marathon. I have the Potters 'Arf and the Birmingham Half booked for the remainder of 2016. Potters Trotters are a really inspirational group of ladies - all shapes, sizes, abilities and ages and always hugely positive. If anyone has ever thought of getting a bit fitter, then this really is the place to start! I'm looking forward to meeting new starters in a few weeks! On a damp, cold evening in January, 12 intrepid ladies from the club met at Lyme Park near Stockport to take part in a National Trust Night Run. It would be fair to say that most of us didn't really have a clue about exactly what to expect, or just how important our headtorches were going to be. We painted our faces with neon paint, snapped glow sticks round our wrists and laughed at head torch hair, whilst eating cake and drinking tea! At 5.45pm, we left the coziness of the cafe and headed out into the drizzle with about 400 more intrepid participants. We split into two groups of 6 and agreed that the groups would stick together all the way round - no one left on their own. After a bit of shuffling about in the rain, a hooter sounded and we were off. The sight of runners snaking up the first hill looked really impressive, like a torchlight procession heading "up" into the darkness. It wasn't long before we faced our first challenge - a muddy climb followed by an equally muddy descent. We shuffled, slid down on bottoms or crawled on hands and knees, but everyone made it, amidst lots of laughter and the occasional squeal. Ruth: Much more challenging than I expected but loved it! Janet: One fantastic night! A great team building, trust building, friendship making night. You felt alive! That difficult uphill followed by a squelchy downhill set the tone for the rest of the run (with lots of walk breaks). We took turns to lead the way, shouting out puddle warnings, looking for the steadiest ground and making sure everyone was ok. Michelle the mountain goat led us up one steep track, resulting in a burst of song (Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo). The singing was repeated a few times as a distraction from the wind, rain, sleet and mud! We climbed over stiles (or crawled under them), we crossed over streams, we slipped and skidded and took a few tumbles, we nearly lost our shoes. But we never stopped laughing, chatting and encouraging one another. Justine: Well ladies wot can I say about that truly surreal experience lol xxx really enjoyed it and what a laugh lol xxx Sarah: I've never laughed so much - what an experience- it was brill Our route through the woods was well sign-posted - glow in the dark arrows looked quite spooky through the trees - and their were loads of marshals out on the course, offering encouragement and giving us a few hints on the driest routes and how much further we had to go. As we tired, there was a lovely marshal to assure us there were no more uphills. There was one last steep descent with even more mud and puddles on the way down and then suddenly, we were back on proper paths - resulting in a little dance of delight from a couple of our runners. We followed the path back towards the start and the magnificent sight of Lyme Park House all lit up - wow. We knew we were nearly back now and managed a bit of a "sprint" for the finish. Each of the two groups of 6 had stuck together and got round together. We warmed up with hearty soup and admired our medals, before all heading home for hot baths and mud removal. Linda: I think we should have done a before n after photo, some of team looked quite glam when we first arrived, oh did that change Lol X Michelle: Such good fun We followed the path back towards the start and the magnificent sight of Lyme Park House all lit up - wow. We knew we were nearly back now and managed a bit of a "sprint" for the finish. Each of the two groups of 6 had stuck together and got round together. We warmed up with hearty soup and admired our medals, before all heading home for hot baths and mud removal. Charlotte: Thank you for the laughs ladies!! Loved it 🌠🌙 xxxx Jen: I don't think I would have even done that without you all being there xxx What was amazing about the experience on Saturday was seeing everyone work together, all taking a collective step outside their comfort zones and doing something out of the ordinary, if a little bit daft. The last word goes to Ali, who was one of the interpid 12 at Lyme Park, completing her first "proper race" and being inspired to do so much more: Ali: I started the Potters Trotters beginners group in September 2015 having never run before. I was never a sporty one at school and had plenty of gym memberships that I'd set up and then not used, so I was apprehensive to say the least. All the ladies are inspirational. They are all ages, all levels of fitness and ability; what they do all have in common is determination, a sense of humour and the ability to support each other to do their best. I am proud to be a Trotter and am in the process of training for my first half-marathon; something that six months ago I'd have never thought possible. Thank you Potters Trotters! These 5 ladies took part in our Beginners Course in Spring 2013. Read about camaraderie, encouragement, friendship, support, self-belief and inspirational success!
Juliet - A journey begins with the first step. Sue’s whistle blows on a cold February night and with our first step off we go into the unknown where a minute is a lifetime and a flat road is a challenge! 10 weeks of preparation later and suddenly The Finale – our first “parkrun”. The camaraderie, support and friendship, along with a lot of motivation, keep us all going and we enter our first road race, The Strawberry 5. Think sunshine, strawberries, cream teas – think again – rain, rain and more rain! Still, never mind the weather, we’re there for the race and we all finish with a smile (although somewhat drenched), helped along by the wonderful finish line support and, of course, the thought of tea and cake! Several runs later we are forward planning for the rest of this year and into next, including yet another 10K, “multiple” half marathons (yes really!), and a 15K – there is no end to the goals we are setting ourselves. Ladies, just look at how much we’ve achieved in the 9 months of our journey. A huge thank you, Potters Trotters, you’ve inspired us, we couldn’t have done it without you! Ruth - Until this year, the only running I'd ever done was training for then running the Milton 10k with my sports mad family at the age of 10. I finished last, having cried for the last 4k with mum running alongside begging me to get in the minibus which was driving about 6ft behind, holding up the traffic as far back as Leek. At the finish my dad (having finished miles before us) had managed to get medals for us before they were packed away. After that I spent the rest of my childhood avoiding sports at school and holding the family coats at weekend races. I never thought I could be a runner. Now I run 3 times a week and 'feel' like a runner. I can run 10 miles and feel fantastic afterwards. It's thanks to Sue Rushton for encouraging and supporting us beginners to start with, then the supportive feel of the club, the community spirit of parkrun and mostly the friendships which have developed in our little group that keep us all going. Michelle - I’ve never been a runner before in my life and didn't find it easy at all, but remembered a quote at the presentation evening that Ken (Sue's husband) said that “running is about being consistent and determined”. Those words are in my head and have pushed me to run. Running with our group and the camaraderie we have by encouraging each other makes it so much fun and achieving Stoke 10k is something I never thought I'd ever achieve. Now I know I can work towards a half marathon with the support of our group. I look forward to running every week and setting new targets and really enjoy my new found friendships. Indi - I have run for years but never managed more than a mile due to painful knees until I joined Potters Trotters. The course is perfect and really works and I am now running 6 miles without stopping. I really would like to thank Sue who trained us in our 10 week course and really helped me. Her expertise is amazing. She knew it was incorrect trainers causing the problem, now I run with absolutely no problems with my knees. I had 6 weeks off but came back to lots of support and encouragement, and soon built up distance and speed again. I run with such lovely women and still look forward to joining them each Tuesday and Thursday. Thank you to all the organisers of Potters Trotters, it is run brilliantly. It keeps me fit, I feel safe and it gets me out... even in the rain, (which is something I would never have done before). The target now is Potters ‘Arf… Lisa - I was asked by a friend to join the beginners group back in February and thought I’d take the plunge. Running for 5 minutes was a challenge, praying Sue would blow her whistle so we could walk. Now we're running 7 or more miles, running for over an hour without stopping - it's still hard to believe now how far I can run. Entering races and crossing the line at the end never felt such a buzz. Joining Potters Trotters is one of the best things I've done, not only for the running and keeping fit, but also for enabling me to meet a lot of lovely ladies who have been so friendly and supportive. |
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