There is a wide variety of training activity within the club and a wide range of coaching capability.  Most of our coaches are UK Athletics (UKA) level 2 or above and have many years of coaching experience between them.  Sessions are seasonal and mainly focussed on races coming up in the club race calendar.

There are primarily 3 different coaching groups and these are based on athlete capability.  Athletes can move between groups as they feel or as ability improves.  Coaches will advise on the most suitable group if an individual is unsure which group they ought to be training with.

The 3 main groups are split based on either 5k, 10k or half marathon times as detailed below:

	5k	10k	Half marathon
Group 1	< 16 mins – 22 mins	< 33 mins – 44 mins	< 01:09:00 – 01:34:00
Group 2	21 mins – 28 mins	42 mins – 55 mins	01:29:00 – 01:55:00
Group 3	27 mins – over 30 mins	54 mins –  over 65 mins	01:53:00 – over 02:00:00

Click on the group name for more details of group training sessions.

For our regular club training runs, we meet twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday year round, meet time 6:45pm.  Sessions vary according to the time of year, winter (Sep-Mar) and summer (Mar-Sep).  We meet at our Birchwood Community High School base, except for summer Tuesdays when we normally meet at Victoria Park Running Track (occasionally elsewhere if the track is needed for a special event - details will be posted on this web site).  The specific dates for changing over between summer and winter sessions will also be posted on this web site.

Tuesday training is usually focussed on speed and strength.  This can be sprint reps, lactate threshold, hill work or a combination of these.  These sessions change depending on the season and whether we are at the track at Victoria Park or training around Birchwood Boulevard.
 
Thursday nights are when all 3 training groups combine to run what is called a "muster", a run of about 7 miles.  There are markers at even stages along the route where we regroup to avoid the group becoming too spaced out, so the faster runners do more distance than the slower runners.  There is also a shorter muster for runners if required and this is tailored to suit the runners involved.

In addition to our regular runs, there are also usually informal sessions on many Saturdays and Sundays throughout the year.

Please note:  It is now compulsory to wear a light coloured top or (preferably) a proper reflective bib or jacket after dark for winter road training with Spectrum Striders, otherwise you will not be allowed to run with the group.  This is for obvious safety reasons - you know it makes sense!  Please note that black clothing with a few limited reflective stripes is not acceptable.  The Kit Secretary has stocks of reflective bibs for sale at very reasonable prices. Alternatively each coach has a small selection.