Taking group leading to the next level in Gloucestershire!

Running group leaders in Gloucestershire were put through their paces at another highly successful workshop, this time held at the Prince of Wales Stadium in Cheltenham on Saturday 30 November 2013.

The morning session included presentations from Andy Herbert of Active Gloucestershire who also kindly provided the venue and the all-important refreshments which were much needed after the morning’s practical sessions! 

Jane Rackham, a local physiotherapist from the Rackham Effect and ex-elite hockey player, keen runner and ironwoman delivered a session on injury prevention, stressing the negative effects of sedentary lifestyles and the importance of muscle activation exercises for runners. Everyone involved was soon out of their seats having a go at a range of exercises from clams to squats and monster walks to wake up our lazy gluteal muscles!     

Run England Area Coordinator and coach Charlotte Fisher delivered a session on fundamental drills for runners, which was followed by a ‘practical session ideas’ workshop led by England Athletics Local Coach Development Programme (LCDP) coach and UKA Tutor, Kerry Newell.

Around 20 Leadership in Running Fitness (LiRF) and Coach in Running Fitness (CIRF) coaches took part in the morning’s activities, and Kerry said: “I’m so pleased with the take up for this event and there has been a real buzz this morning, with coaches and leaders bouncing ideas around and enjoying an opportunity to develop their skills.”

Many of the group leaders and coaches in attendance said that they would like to attend future workshops and it is hoped that similar events will follow thanks to the work being carried out to encourage more people to run in the county.

Group leader Caitlin Swanborough said: “I found the day very informative and really enjoyable. It was great to learn new stretching and warming up exercises for my runners.

“I think it’s a very useful thing for all group leaders to attend to keep learning and develop their knowledge and skills, and I can’t wait to put all that I learnt that day into practise. Thank you very much to Kerry Newell and others for organising it!”

Registered group leaders can access a variety of useful information and downloads from the Group Leader Area of the Run England website.