OUR NEXT COURSE will start 4th April 2023
General Info
If you have done no (or very little) running and don’t think you can run, but really want to get started, the Club holds two complete beginners course a year. You’ll be encouraged to jog/walk, jog/walk for gradually increasing distances along with others in the same condition as yourself. You’ll soon be jogging continuously and ready to face longer distances.
YOU CAN START PREPARING FOR IT BY ENSURING YOU DO 2 or 3 BRISK WALKS OF 20 – 30 MINUTES EACH PER WEEK.
DO THEM BRISK ENOUGH TO FEEL A SLIGHT EFFORT IN BREATHING AND PULSE, BUT NOT TOO HARD!
The group meets at the Cricket and Hockey Club at 6:15 pm each Tuesday and Thursday. If you can only make one day a week you can still join but we will ask you to make up the missing session.
The group is open to anyone, if you have any medical history or you are unsure then please talk to your doctor before coming along.
COST
There is no charge for the first 4 weeks, after that we will ask you to become a member @£30. Membership will last until the end of December
BOOKING
As with all our training sessions, you will need to book a place for each session you want to attend. Normally bookings open Thursday or Friday the week before.
To book for the first week please click on the button below for the days you want to attend.
See our calendar page for bookings
If you have any questions please send me an email info@staffordharriers.co.uk
During the first few sessions there will be advice on buying the right footwear, so please don’t rush out and buy new shoes for the first session.
However, if you have nothing then we would advise going to a sports shop that has trained staff and a treadmill. They can then check the movement of your feet and ankles when you run (the technical term is Gait Analysis).
Two local shops that do this are:-
Mammoth Lifestyle & Fitness (You need an appointment please check the current cost. Milford – 01785 664228). Please ring them before you travel.
Stafford Runner (Run & Ride Stafford) North Walls Stafford ( You need an appointment please check the current cost. Tel 01785 250783 https://www.staffordrunner.co.uk/
Other places include :
Alpha Sports (Lichfield) alpharunning.co.uk 01543 410662
Running-form.co.uk (Burton-Upon-Trent)
Running Bear (Alderley Edge)
Your first session will consist of introductions, talk about our club, some basic rules, talk about the kit and then the first session. We will start by running and walking within Rowley Park on the edge of playing fields. After about 4 weeks we will ask you to become a member of the Harriers.
If you have any questions please send me an email info@staffordharriers.co.uk
The training plan
The group meets at the Cricket and Hockey Club at 6:15 pm each Tuesday and Thursday. If you can only make one day a week you can still join but we will ask you to make up the missing session.
| Week 1 | Tuesday 4th April |
| Thursday 6th April | |
| Week 2 | Tuesday 11th April |
| Thursday 13th April | |
| Week 3 | Tuesday 18th April |
| Thursday 20th April | |
| Week 4 | Tuesday 25th April |
| Thursday 27th April | |
| Week 5 | Tuesday 2nd May |
| Thursday 4th May | |
| Week 6 | Tuesday 9th May |
| Thursday 11th May | |
| Week 7 | Tuesday 16th May |
| Thursday 18th May | |
| Week 8 | Tuesday 23rd May |
| Thursday 25th May | |
| Week 9 | Tuesday 30th May |
| Thursday 1st June | |
| Week 10 | Tuesday 6th June |
| Thursday 8th June | |
| Week 11 | Tuesday 13th June |
| Thursday 15th June | |
| Week 12 | Tuesday 20th June |
| Thursday 22nd June | |
| Week 13 | Tuesday 27th June |
| Thursday 29th June | |
| Week 14 | Tuesday 4th July |
| Thursday 6th July |
The last groups
Sept 2022 group started with 10 people
April 2022 group started with 8 people
No Sept due to Covid
May 2021 group started with 10 people
Sept 2020 group started with 25 people
April 2020 the event was cancelled due to Coronavirus lockdown
The Sept 2019 group started with 9 people
The April 2019 group started with 11 people
The Sept 2018 group started with 23 people
The April 2018 group started with 15 people
The Sept 2017 group started with 16 people
The April 2017 group started with 21 people
The Sept 2016 group started with 18 people
The April 2016 group started with 24 people
The Sept 2015 group started with 37 people
The March 2015 group started with 18 people.
The Sept 2014 group started with 14 people.
The April 2014 group started with 38 people.
The training plan
To check the schedule or start it if you can’t make the beginning of the sessions open this document.
complete-beginners-training-plan
September 2022 Course
April 2022 Course
Sept 2020 Course
April 2019 Course
The complete beginners group started 14th September 2015
Messages from previous people that have done the beginners course:-
“Back in September 2013 I saw that Stafford Harriers were starting a beginners session – I hadn’t run since I was a teenager and now at 34 weigh more than I used to. A friend who is a runner convinced me to try the beginners session. That was 18 weeks ago – I only knew 1 person and couldn’t run half a mile. I can now run 4.5 miles in 1 go and have many friends and the support of fellow beginners. I have lost about a stone since I started running and my health is great. I would recommend the beginners course to anyone who wants to start running but doesn’t think it is possible. Myself and many others are now running 3 times a week and can run between 4 and 5 miles – something we never thought possible. The support of the coaches, other runners and beginners has been amazing and continues to be the main thing helping drive me on – it is not to be underestimated. No matter how poor you think you may be at running everyone is always there to help you get to the finish of whatever run you may be doing. They will never leave you to run alone.”
Here are a group of past members of Complete Beginners – who ran the Race For Life at the County Showground BEFORE they finished our course:
