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Yaxley Runners finish 2nd in Frostbite League 2021-22

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Yaxley Runners have reason to celebrate after finishing 2nd in the 2021-22 Frostbite League. This is our highest ever finish position for seniors in the league’s 33 year history, finishing as leading Peterborough club.

And it wasn’t just our seniors team who were celebrating. Our Juniors finished a very impressive 4th on the day and finished in 5th place overall. It’s great to see their commitment at each race, with between 8-13 running for team Yaxley in each race this season.

The Frostbite Friendly League really brings out the very best of our club and shows what great team camaraderie we have. The League consists of 16 clubs from the Peterborough and surrounding area, competing in a series of six 5-mile cross country races from October to March. Everyone who takes part contributes to the team’s success.

At the second race of the season, we set a new record of 56 senior Yaxley Runners which shows the depth and commitment of our team.

10k Training Plan – Week 8

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This week is the last week with the “race” at the end.

Session 1: Easy run 30 to 40 mins

Remember easy runs should be a gentle pace your breathing should be relaxed enough for you to be able to talk normally.

Session 2: Fartlek run 50-70 mins

Include 5 to 6 1 minute efforts at 5k to 10k pace with a minute recovery in between. Don’t forget to also include a warm-up and warm-down. Remember to keep the efforts at the same level and adjust the recovery if needed. If you want to push harder for this one you could do the second half of the reps at a faster pace. So your workout might be: 40 min @ easy pace, 4 x 1 min @10k pace with 1 min recovery, 2 x 1 min @ 5k pace with 1 min recovery, then finish with 10 min warm-down. This is the last training session of the plan. Are you ready for race day?

Session 3: Race Day

Enjoy the race, don’t forget to smile! Trust your training and go for it – remember to pace yourself on the way round and save something for a strong, fast finish.

You should try to fit in 2 rest days in this plan where you don’t train at all, the other 2 days you could cross-train, go for an easy pace run or take the day off depending on how you feel. Try and make one of the rest days the day before the race – this can be either a complete day off or a cross-training day depending on what suits you best.

10k Training Plan – Week 7

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This week is the penultimate week so it’s the last big push to bring everything together & get ready for race day next week.

Session 1: Easy run 40 to 60 mins

Remember easy runs should be a gentle pace your breathing should be relaxed enough for you to be able to talk normally.

Session 2: Fartlek run 50-70 mins

Include 15 to 20 1 minute efforts at 5k to 10k pace with a minute recovery in between. Don’t forget to also include a warm-up and warm-down. Remember to keep the efforts at the same level and adjust the recovery if needed. If you want to push harder for this one you could do the second half of the reps at a faster pace. So your workout might be: 10 min warm-up, 10 x 1 min @10k pace with 1 min recovery, 10 x 1 min @ 5k pace with 1 min recovery, then finish with 10 min warm-down. This is the last big speed session so make the most of it. There’s another next week but it’s only a little one.

Session 3: Progression run 60 to 70 mins

A nice easy pace run but finish the last 10 minutes at a medium-hard effort.

You should try to fit in 2 rest days in this plan where you don’t train at all, the other 2 days you could cross-train, go for an easy pace run or take the day off depending on how you feel.

10k Training Plan – Week 6

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This week is quite a long week and you may find yourself running more than 10k on some of the sessions – it’s all about a final push on your endurance this week with some final speed sessions next week before we bring everything together for the final week.

Session 1: Easy run 80 to 100 mins

Remember easy runs should be a gentle pace your breathing should be relaxed enough for you to be able to talk normally.

Session 2: Tempo run 50-70 mins

Include up to 3 miles at Tempo pace and include a warmup and warm-down. Make sure you’re running in a relaxed manner with no tension in the shoulders, a straight body with your core holding everything together. Often when you start to tire during a run you might find you lean forward or your shoulders become tight so concentrate on your posture in the later stages. The core is what often lets runners down and then the pelvis starts to tilt which makes the running much harder and can result in injury. So make sure you engage your core and keep a good posture. We tell the juniors to imagine a helium balloon holding their head so they are running tall, so try that but also imagine your pelvis is a bucket of water and make sure you don’t spill any out of the front or back.

Session 3: Long 70 to 90 mins

A nice easy pace run. Another endurance building run to end the week. This should not be a challenge but if you’re sticking to this plan then you’ll have run for longer this week than any other so make sure you take the rest days and get ready for the speed sessions next week.

You should try to fit in 2 rest days in this plan where you don’t train at all, the other 2 days you could cross-train, go for an easy pace run or take the day off depending on how you feel.

10k Training Plan – Week 5

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Session 1: Easy run 70 to 80 mins

Remember easy runs should be a gentle pace your breathing should be relaxed enough for you to be able to talk normally.

Session 2: Fartlek run 40-60 mins

Include up to 15 x 1 minutes at 5k pace with 1 minute jog recovery between each rep. Don’t forget to include a warm-up and warm-down. Don’t forget to try to keep the effort sections similar in pace and effort expended and adjust the recovery if needed. This session is about trying to run in a relaxed way but at speed, it’s all about finding your race rhythm.

Session 3: Progression Run 60 to 70 mins

A nice easy pace run. Another endurance building run to end the week. This should not be a challenge. Finish the last ten minutes at a medium to hard pace finishing strong after already running for 50 minutes means digging into reserves and this is good practice for race day (although today shouldn’t be anywhere near as tough as race day).

You should try to fit in 2 rest days in this plan where you don’t train at all, the other 2 days you could cross-train, go for an easy pace run or take the day off depending on how you feel.

10k Training Plan – Week 4

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This week will be the 1st recovery week, so time to consolidate and let your body recovery before next week’s harder sessions.

Session 1: Easy run 30 to 45 mins

A shorter easy run to help maximise recovery to start the week. Remember easy runs should be a gentle pace your breathing should be relaxed enough for you to be able to talk normally.

Session 2: Fartlek run 40-60 mins

Include up to 5 x 3 minutes at 5k pace with 1 minute jog recovery between each rep. Don’t forget to include a warm-up and warm-down. This is the only hard session this week so go for it. Don’t forget to try to keep the effort sections similar in pace and effort expended and adjust the recovery if needed. This session is designed to test both your mental and physical strength and it will feel tough especially during the last couple of hard efforts.

Session 3: Long run 70 to 90 mins

A nice easy pace run. Another endurance building run to end the week. This should not be a challenge, if you’re finding it too tough then you might need to slow down your easy pace or think about circling back a couple of weeks to build a little more speed and endurance strength.

You should try to fit in 2 rest days in this plan where you don’t train at all, the other 2 days you could cross-train, go for an easy pace run or take the day off depending on how you feel.

10k Training Plan – Week 3

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A change to the training this week as we introduce a bit of speed into the regular runs.

Session 1: Easy run 40 to 60 mins

Remember easy runs should be a gentle pace your breathing should be relaxed enough for you to be able to talk normally. It’s important not to overdo easy runs and you’ll find that 70-80% of your training will be at an easy pace. Over time your easy pace may become faster but remember to ensure you finish with plenty of energy, the effort expended should be the same even if the speed increases.

Session 2: Tempo run 40-60 mins

Include 2 to 3 miles at Tempo Run Pace. This should be a pace that is harder than the easy pace runs. Your breathing should be fast but not out of control and you should end the run feeling like you’ve worked quite hard and you’re ready for the cool down. This run is about pushing your lactate threshold.

Session 3: Progression run 60 to 70 mins

A nice easy pace run. Another endurance building run to end the week Finish the last 10-15 minutes at a medium to hard effort. This run is about controlling your early effort in the run so you can finish strong.

You should try to fit in 2 rest days in this plan where you don’t train at all, the other 2 days you could cross-train, go for an easy pace run or take the day off depending on how you feel.

10k Training Plan – Week 2

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You’ll see that this week is very similar to last week but with a little bit extra work and slightly longer sessions as we build up the endurance strength.

Session 1: Easy run 40 to 60 mins

This session is for endurance building and will be the 1st session of each week. Remember easy runs should be a gentle pace your breathing should be relaxed enough for you to be able to talk normally. It’s important not to overdo easy runs and you’ll find that 70-80% of your training will be at an easy pace. Over time your easy pace may become faster but remember to ensure you finish with plenty of energy, the effort expended should be the same even if the speed increases.

Session 2: Fartlek run 40-60 mins.

Include 6 x 2 minutes at 5k to 10k pace with 1 minute recovery jog in between each repetition. Also include a warm-up and warm-down. So the session might look like this: 20 minutes easy pace, speed session (18 minutes), finish with 20 minutes of easy pace to cool down followed by some stretches. It’s important to keep the hard sessions at the same pace and not start too fast and not have the power to complete the session. Sometimes it might take a couple of reps to settle in to a comfortable fast pace.

Session 3: Long run 50 to 75 mins

A nice easy pace run. Another endurance building run to end the week. These runs will allow your body to run faster over longer distances so don’t be tempted to run faster than an easy pace on such runs. Remember, not every run is a race, stick to the plan and you’ll get the results.

Finally, remember that your training should be enjoyable, if you need to miss a session then it’s not the end of the world and if you find you’ve missed too many you can always loop back a week or two and build again.

10k Training Plan – Week 1

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This plan is designed to help you improve your 10k time. It is build around 3 training days per week, with 2 rest days and 2 optional days which can be used for an easy run of 30-60 mins or for cross-training.

Session 1: Easy run 40 mins

This session is for endurance building and will be the 1st session of each week. Remember easy runs should be a gentle pace your breathing should be relaxed enough for you to be able to talk normally. It’s important not to overdo easy runs and you’ll find that 70-80% of your training will be at an easy pace.

Session 2: Fartlek run 40-50 mins

Include 10 x 60 seconds at 5k to 10k pace with 60 seconds recovery jog in between each repetition. Also include a warm-up and warm-down. So the session might look like this: 15 minutes easy pace, speed session (20 minutes), finish with 10-15 minutes of easy pace to cool down followed by some stretches. It’s important to keep the hard sessions at the same pace and not start too fast and not have the power to complete the session. Sometimes it might take a couple of reps to settle in to a comfortable fast pace.

Session 3: Long run up to 1 hour

A nice easy pace run. Another endurance building run to end the week. These runs will allow your body to run faster over longer distances so don’t be tempted to run faster than an easy pace on such runs. Remember, not every run is a race, stick to the plan and you’ll get the results.

Finally, remember that your training should be enjoyable, if you need to miss a session then it’s not the end of the world and if you find you’ve missed too many you can always loop back a week or two and build again.

Resumption of Club Nights Monday 29th March

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Clubs, groups and coaching/leading activity can now take place in unlimited numbers if it is within a COVID-19 secure environment – what this means in practice is that Yaxley Runners have appointed an internal COVID-19 coordinator and have risk assessments in place.

By attending club nights and coaching sessions you are confirming that you are well, have not been showing any symptoms of COVID-19 and agree to sharing your details with the Government’s test and trace service.  A declaration form must be returned via e-mail prior to attending club nights.

You must also be a ‘paid-up’ member of Yaxley for the current season which started on 1st June 2020.

We will be asking members to sign in at the start of each session so that that your contact details can be shared upon request with the Government’s Test and Trace initiative.

EA guidelines apply to England only and are based on the use of public spaces, outdoor activity and exercise. We recommend that you stay up-to-date with government guidance at all times. Government guidance supersedes all advice given by the governing body and must be followed at all times.

The safety and wellbeing of all athletes, runners, coaches and the wider community is at the heart of any guidance that England Athletics is distributing, and embraced by Yaxley Runners & Joggers.  Please be sensible, run outdoors, don’t run in groups larger than 6, maintain a distance of 2m, and respect the public at all times.

Whilst this is great news there will of course be requirements of us all to allow this to happen. These are detailed below, and we would like you to review them carefully before considering attending.

Club Nights Procedure

It goes without saying that social distancing must be maintained at all times

  1. Before attending a club night a member must have paid their annual subscription and completed our declaration form. Completed declarations to be emailed to yaxleyrunners@gmail.com. For avoidance of doubt anyone who has not returned the signed declaration in advance will not be permitted to run on a club night.
  2. We will meet on the far side of the car park off Beaumont Way, where one appointed person, Karen Ives, will take the register recording both attendance and which group each member runs in.
  3. The members will be grouped together in up to 5 groups depending on expected pace and numbers. Groups as follows a) less than 8min b) 8-9 min c) 9-10 min d) 10-11 min e) 11-12 min
    The group size will be between 3-6 members.
  4. Each group to appoint a leader who will carry bum bag containing hand sanitiser, gloves, face mask and phone in case of a fall or other incident. The route for each group to run will be predetermined on a rotation basis and published as the club diary. The groups will leave at staggered times 2 mins apart to avoid leaving venue on mass. On no account will any members be allowed to switch groups once running has commenced. The group leaders are to hold on to the bum bags after the run and bring back the following week if possible. We will need volunteers to lead these groups (you don’t need to be a trained coach or have passed any qualifications).
  5. There will be no time for club announcements, these will be covered via other club communications on line.
  6. There will no toilets or changing facilities available.
  7. After the run has been completed runners are asked not to hang around chatting but instead make their way home as soon as practical.
  8. The attendance data will be keyed into a club spreadsheet each week to record who has attended and which group they ran in.
  9. Anyone who experiences Covid symptoms following a run must notify either Raeanne Elliot or Karen Ives. The club will then contact the national test and trace helpline so that other runners from the group can be contacted.
  10. We will review how each week has gone and ask for feedback from members and agree to change our procedures if deemed necessary.
  11. Initially the club only intends to meet on Monday nights. There are no current plans for seniors to meet on Thursdays or for juniors to meet.

Documentation

PDF – Returning to Club Training during 2020 in a COVID Secure Environment – please take your time to read it prior to arriving at a running/coached session.

Word – Declaration Form – which must be signed and returned to yaxleyrunners@gmail.com prior to attending a session.

Further information can be found here – courtesy of EA.