SQUAD IS PAUSED
Squad objectives
We aim to provide a friendly running group where members can enjoy the social side of running, the overall health benefits of elevated fitness, and the joy of improving your competitive performances through solid training. Sessions will suit those wanting to run a decent 5k to those seeking to fulfill their potential over the marathon distance.
Ability levels
All ability levels are welcome at the squad and the sessions will be tailored to your current fitness level. It would be helpful if you can run 5km before your first session but that is not essential. Faster runners will be allocated extra reps and vice versa for slower runners, so that session durations will be similar for all runners. Everybody is welcome, old and young, slender and less-slender, fast and slow, UQ and non-UQ, runner and triathlete.
Session Times
Tuesday and Thursday evenings commencing at 6:00pm sharp (we do not wait for latecomers). Meet at the end of the UQ jogging track adjacent to the rowing club (opposite the netball courts). See map below.
Session Format
Sessions commence with a 10-minute warm up jog, followed by some drills and run-throughs before the main set which ranges from 15 to 30 minutes. A 5-to-10-minute warm down jog occurs after the main set. Tuesdays are anaerobic sessions, comprising shorter faster work, with repetitions usually ranging from 1 minute to 3 minutes. Thursdays are normally steadier threshold sessions of more sustained efforts, often at approximately 10k pace. Both Tuesdays and Thursdays occasionally include some hill work. After the Thursday session, we often have the pleasure of a short set of core strength exercises – a key weapon for faster racing. Sessions are designed to suit those with 10k or half marathon aspirations, with adjustments for runners seeking improvement over longer or shorter distances (advise the coach of your focus when you commence).
Coach
Mark Jones is a Level 2 Accredited Coach in ‘Recreational Running’ with Athletics Australia and a UK registered ‘Coach in Running Fitness’. He will be undertaking the Level 3 Athletics Australia qualification in the near future. Mark was coach at West End Running Group prior to moving to the UK in 2015. During his time in the UK, he coached at a running club in Oxford. He has been a committed distance runner for some decades, running a sub-3 marathon in his 50s and going sub-40 for 10k at age 60. Mark’s runners have ranged from 33 or 34-minute 10k runners to 33 or 34-minute 5k runners!
Running technique
In many cases, improvement in running technique can be as beneficial to performance as many months of training. Mark provides advice on improving your technique where such improvements are available to you.
Training fees
Your no-obligation first session with the squad is free. After that session, training fees for UQAC members are $5 per session or $45 for 10 sessions and for non-members are $10 per session or $90 for 10 sessions. Your pass expires 3 months after purchase. Passes for the 10 sessions may be purchased online at the link above. Coach Mark will record attendance and advise you when your pass is about to expire.
QUEENSLAND ATHLETICS BASE MEMBERSHIP
Membership in the UQAC Road Runners requires a minimum of Queensland Athletics Base membership at $12. This membership gives insurance protection as well as access to the online payment of training fees.
UQ ATHLETIC CLUB MEMBERSHIP
UQAC Road Runners are encouraged to join the UQ Athletics Club at $50 for the year from October 1 to September 30. However membership has been reduced to $15 for the remainder of the present season (July to September). This membership offers fifty percent discount on training fees.
Kit
Squad singlets will be available for purchase by participants from October 2021. We will encourage you to wear your UQ Road Runners singlet to all running events such as Parkrun, BRRC, and major events. It would also be nice if most runners wear their squad kit to training sessions.
Safety Issues
Please avoid walking on the rugby oval and where field events are taking place. Take care crossing roads. Bring a water bottle to training. If you have pre-existing health conditions, consult a doctor before joining the squad. Training will be cancelled in the event of extreme weather. Please do not attend if you have Covid symptoms.
