There was Serpie success at the two events on Saturday 9 March that finished off the 2012-2013 cross country season.

Weekly Training Sessions

Unless noted otherwise, all our training sessions are for senior members only.

The Summer League

The Summer League is an inter-club competition of five races between June and August at various venues around London. The clubs in the league this year are Dulwich Park Runners, Metros, Ealing, Southall and Middlesex, Mornington Chasers, Serpentine RC, Sudbury Court, Ealing Eagles and Queens Park Harriers.

The main event is a 5 mile or 10km race which covers all standards and is based at a park local to the host club. Following the main event there is a shorter'tenderfoot'(1.5-2km) race suitable for children, runners returning from injury and runners who prefer to run a shorter distance. Finally there is a series of optional, light hearted, age graded, 300-400m relays, again suitable for all ages and abilities.

There is no need to enter in advance - just turn up on the day in your Serpie vest/shirt, the entry fee is paid by the club. All levels, new and regular runners welcome, although you must be a Serpentine club member. The events are family oriented so do bring children, they can also participate in the tenderfoot race and/or the relays. 

Lunch, in the form of sandwiches and cakes, is provided by the hosting club. Trophies are awarded at the end of the year for individuals in their age categories based on their best three performances in the five races.

2013 Dates

The dates of the Summer League are also listed in the Serpentine Planner.

Contact

summerleague@serpentine.org.uk

Competitions for Junior Members

Junior members have many opportunities to compete all year round in athletics, cross-country and road running, both with the club at league races or meetings, or outside the club with school or family. Please wear your Serpentine club kit to compete if possible (we realise you may need to wear other kit because of the competition e.g. your school's vest).

Athletics

Everyone in the U17 and U20 age-groups, is encouraged to join our seniors to compete in the Southern Athletics League on Saturday afternoons from April to August. The team captains are particularly keen to hear from sprinters and hurdlers! We also compete in the Rosenheim League on Wednesday evenings, again for U17 and older only.

As our junior section develops, the UK Youth Development League or Eastern Young Athletes' League may be added to this mix but not for the 2013 season.

For all age-groups there are also athletics competitions organised by schools and/or the Borough of Westminster:

• The London Youth Games - Quad Kids and outdoor track & field
• The School Games - Sportshall Athletics
• London Schools Athletics - outdoor track & field
• Westminster Borough Athletics - outdoor track & field

Cross Country

From October to February, junior members of all age groups are encouraged to compete in the Metropolitan Cross Country League. There are also junior races in the London, Southern and National Championships and we hope to see Serpie juniors racing in these next season!

As well as the club competitions, The London Youth Games and London Schools Athletics both organise cross-country races during the season with entries coordinated by schools or Westminster.

Road Running

During the summer, Serpies take part in the Summer League, which has shorter races suitable for all ages. Races are held on a number of Sunday mornings from June to August and families are especially welcome.

In April, there is the London Mini Marathon (entries by qualifcation at borough heats), and in May it's the Westminster Mile (individual entry).

Throughout the year many Serpies compete in local 5k parkrun races which are suitable for age 11 upwards.

Club Kit

All of our new members receive a kit voucher (along with their membership card) which can be exchanged for a club running vest or short-sleeved t-shirt. Vouchers are valid for 6 months from the date of issue.

Our junior members can exchange their vouchers for their choice of vest or t-shirt on the first Tuesday of each month, at the end of the junior training session at Paddington Track (at approx 6.30 pm). This kit service will commence on Tuesday 7th May 2013.

Our Coaches

All of our coaches are fully qualified and CRB Checked.

Cory Wharton-Malcolm	Leonard Lionel	Gus Barker
	photo coming soon!	photo coming soon!
UK Athletics Level 1 Leadership in Running Fitness	Athletics 365 Indoor athletics Run, Jump, Throw	tbc

We have a clearly defined coaching structure based on UK Athletics guidelines. All our junior members are introduced to the fundamental skills of athletics which are vital to every sport.

To help develop our junior section, we would be delighted to hear from any parents, relatives or family friends who are keen to be involved with coaching. Please contact our juniors co-ordinator if you would like to help.

Volunteer / Paid Coaches Policy

Unpaid Volunteers Coaches form the backbone of all coaching at Serpentine and all members are encouraged to volunteer to coach on an unpaid basis. The club will pay for all relevant and reasonable training and qualification for said unpaid volunteers. Serpentine will not charge members for sessions where coaches are unpaid volunteers.

Where suitably qualified / experienced Unpaid Volunteer Coaches cannot be found to meet a specific training demand, as identified by the committee in consultation with the existing Unpaid Volunteer Coaches, the following procedure should be adopted and in this order:

1. Unpaid Volunteer Coaches should be requested (via the coach group email, Serpie News, Digest and Website) to come forward for specific training and upgrading of their qualifications / experience, at the Clubs cost, to meet this demand;
2. Suitable professional expertise should be sought internally (via the coach group email, Serpie News, Digest and Website) to meet this demand;
3. Suitable professional expertise should be sought externally to meet this demand.
   Note: In both cases 2. + 3. above the following should apply:
   
   1. Professional internal or external coaches should be urged to discount / loss lead where possible, as a reflection of the benefit they will get from being part of the Serpentine Structure in terms of private lessons and experience.
   2. Participating individual members should be asked to contribute a %age of the coaching fees (the exact %age to be determined by the Committee noting that for the existing Swim Sessions this is 100%) as well as 100% of the entrance fees/facilities hire as normal.
4. The club will conduct appropriate due diligence in partnership with the relevant coaching coordinator when it comes to the sourcing of the external coach (DBS? Qualified? Feedback? etc.)
5. The club will review the performance/value of external coaching services the club has paid for on a regular basis.

Becoming an Athletics Coach

Coaches are the foundation of Serpentine's training sessions, they all volunteer their services and financial support is available to coaches of all standards to help them progress through the UK Athletics 'Coaching Pathway'.

If you are interested please contact our Coaching Liaison for Running & Athletics to talk about how you can help out the club through coaching. Alternatively you can speak to any of the club's regular coaches about their experiences and see if you can help out in their sessions before you go on the relevant coaching course.

The information below is taken from the UK Athletics uCoach website and is correct as of spring 2010. Please visit the UK Athletics uCoach website to read more about the coaching pathway and the individual coaching awards.

To book a course and to find out about the dates/locations of coach training courses across England, please visit the coaching section of the England Athletics (EA) website. EA is responsible for implementing the UKA coaching strategy and the Coaching Development Programme including Coaching Education.

The coaching education has been restructured in spring 2010 to better cater for the needs of all individuals who wish to assist athletes in their preparation. EA offers two entry level roles with which individuals can begin their coaching journey – leaders and assistant role. In short, the Leaders/Assistant Award is a recommended entry pathway towards coaching as it covers the core – and essential – skills of organisation, safety, instruction and explanation, organising groups and managing behaviour.

The 'Coaching Pathway'

Leaders Awards

Leadership in Running Fitness (LiRF)

Leadership in Running Fitness is designed to prepare you as a Leader to provide a safe and enjoyable running experience for individuals of over 18 years, of any level of ability, size and shape. The course will enable you to deliver fun and safe sessions to multi-ability groups and give advice and support to the new runner, as well as developing pathways for those who want to progress. It focuses on understanding and overcoming barriers to participation in running and how to increase participation by those not traditionally attracted to a running club. On completion of the course you will be a qualified and insured leader and issued with a leader's ID card.

• Duration: 1 day, no formal assessment
• DBS/Disclosure check, free for club volunteers
• See Run in England website, Leadership in Running Fitness Award for more information

"We were aware before the course that there would likely to be some very experienced runners on the training, which can sometimes be daunting for tutors, but I can honestly say the attendees from yesterday were some of the most fun, willing and engaged learners I've ever had on a course." Sam & Jo, EA LiRF tutors

"The course was excellent and Sam and Jo are real stars. Good double act, full of ideas, energy and very engaging indeed. I can't wait to put the 'beans' game to practice." Abdul

"It was a great day and good to meet other Serpies in a different environment." Neil

"It was a lot of fun but we have also learn a lot." Pav

"It was really great and very informative." Vicky

"The course was very good and extremely well lead. I also learnt a lot from a personal training point of view as well." Clare

Athletics Leader

An Athletics Leaderwill be insured to lead a focused component of a session, will know how to organise activities and will provide a safe environment for young athletes to develop. Athletics Leaders will be required to lead activity whilst under the direct supervision of a Coach (Athletics Coach or an existing UKA Level 2 Coach or higher) and will organise work based on a supplied activity card. Direct supervision means that the supervising coach must be within visual and auditory range.

• Duration: 1 day, no formal assessment
• DBS/Disclosure check, free for club volunteers
• See UKA uCoach website, Athletics Leader Award for more information

Assistant Coach

A Coaching Assistant will be insured to take a coaching role working under the supervision of a Coach (Athletics Coach or an existing UKA Level 2 Coach or higher), working from a UKA task card or organising a session based on a plan written by the supervising Coach.

• Duration: 2 days, no formal assessment
• DBS/Disclosure check, free for club volunteers
• See UK Athletics website, uCoach for more information

Coaching Awards

Athletics Coach 

This qualification is the cornerstone of the Coach Education Programme. The course plus assessment period is a total of four days including the formal assessment. Candidates will be able to plan a progressive training programme for athletes coaching a range of activities to prepare the developing athlete to run, jump and throw.

When qualified you will be insured to coach without supervision, working with Coaching Assistants and Athletics Leaders to support you in delivering the sessions.

• Duration: The course and assessment period is four days in total. Two days delivered as a weekend, a third day several weeks later and then a formal assessment on a final day.

Children's Coach (tba)

Children's coach will support prospective coaches to meet the needs of athletes under 14 years old, predominantely with a multi-event focus and will address the issues of child development in a rigorous way.

• Duration: The course and assessment period is four days in total. Two days delivered as a weekend, a third day several weeks later and then a formal assessment on a final day.

Off-Track Endurance Coach (tba)

The Off-Track Endurance Award is for those who wish to work primarily with adult endurance athletes with a specific competition or performance target in mind.

• Duration: The course and assessment period is four days in total. Two days delivered as a weekend, a third day several weeks later and then a formal assessment on a final day.

Event Group Coach (tba)

Once qualified as an athletics coach coaches can focus on one or more event groups (eg, jumps).

• Pre-course study
• Duration: 3 days

Event Specialist Coach (tba)

A further, event specific coach award within the event group. For example, jumps event coach can specialise in triple jump.

• Duration: 2 days

Master Coach

The Master Coach award will reflect a true mastery of coaching and will be rigorously assessed to the highest standards. The award is likely to take five years or more to study for and pass. The only formal part of the course will be extensive oral assessment, practical observations of coaching and formal written exams.

Informal coach development

• Conferences
• Master classes
• Coach Development Programme

Saturday Hill Training in Greenwich

Bring some variety to your training, strengthen your legs and lungs – and even make new running friends – by joining in our tough but sociable coached hill session, held close to the start of the London Marathon on Saturday mornings, all year round. Greenwich Park is London's oldest enclosed Royal Park and includes 73 hectares of grassy hills both East and West of the Greenwich Meridian. And there are inspiring views across the Thames towards Canary Wharf, the Olympic Park, the Millennium Dome and the City of London. This well-maintained park provides an ideal off-road hill training environment. There are ample, clean public toilets, water fountains and a delightful café for post-training refreshments: what more does a runner need?

Where and when?

We gather near our car parked on Blackheath Avenue inside the Park in time to start the warm-up at 10.00am on Saturdays. This is near the Tea House at the top of the main hill near the Royal Observatory (see map below). You can store your gear in the boot at your own risk whilst training. Training is usually over by around 11.30 am. See the Greenwich Park page for full details. Pre-booking for each session is essential. Please sign up using the link on the right.

Aims

We try to provide a challenging and enjoyable session for all standards of runner. If you find yourself being overtaken on hills in road or cross-country races, then these sessions are for you. Even if you never plan to race on hilly courses, hill training makes you faster, stronger and more efficient on the flat. Sebastian Coe, Paula Radcliffe and the Kenyan national squad are all noted for doing lots of hill training!

This type of training builds leg-strength (especially the quadriceps and gluteal muscles – i.e. thighs and buttocks); develops good hill-running technique; strengthens your heart and lungs; increases lactic acid tolerance and – not least – increases your confidence on hills. And it can provide a refreshing change from pavement and track-pounding. You should begin to notice benefits after about 4 sessions.

The sessions are not recommended for new runners, people who don't want to make new friends, and/or those suffering from calf, achilles tendon or plantar fasciitis injuries. If in doubt, ask me for advice (details below).

Results from previous time trials.

What to bring

Bring water or other drinks, fell shoes (ideally), cross-country spikes or your muddiest trainers, and something warm to put on after training. Bring your Heart Rate Monitor too, if you have one.

What to expect

The precise content of the session varies from week to week, but in broad terms you can expect:

1. Social warm-up of around 2 miles jogging, followed by technique drills and strides. Change footwear (although the session can be done in ordinary trainers if you don't mind them getting muddy) and take off warm-up gear.
2. After some brief instruction in good hill technique, we do 3 sets of multiple hill efforts, lasting from 8–12 minutes per set with 3–5 minutes jogging between. The aim is to perform as many surges up the hill as you can in the allotted time, jogging back down as your recovery. You should be experiencing lactic acid in your quads and seeing your maximum heart rate on your HRM after 2–3 efforts.
3. We aim to mix and match the hills to give plenty of variety and reduce the risk of injury. Some hills are longer (around 200m); others short and steep and a real test of your technique. Sometimes we practice down-hill running, or run relays on the final hill for fun and variety!
4. Cool-down jog of up to a mile. Stretch.
5. Total distance to write in your training log: about 5.0–6.5 miles. Count it as a speed/strength session.
6. Adjourn to the Tea House for chat and refreshments (optional).
7. At roughly 6-weekly intervals, we hold a time trial (previous results here) up The Avenue (about 650m) to enable you to monitor your progress.

Contact details

Telephone: 07970 896440 out of office hours

e-mail: karhan90@btinternet.com

Karen Hancock
UK Athletics Level 3 Coach ("Endurance" and "Children in Athletics")

Read Karen's training articles here.

Distance Sessions at the Seymour Centre

Monday 9.00pm to 10.00pm

Location:Seymour Centre.

This is a freestyle (front crawl) session led by one coach overseeing four lanes. It is a 'yardage' rather than a technique session and is suitable for swimmers who can cover 400m in 9 minutes or less. Cost will be £40.25 for all sessions from June to August 2013. Coaching is by Terence Collins (BTF level 3 and ASA level 2).

You need to be a current member of Serpentine Running Club to sign up for this session. There is a waiting list in operation. Once the session is full it will allow for ten people to sign up at any one time. Those joining the waiting list need to provide us with their most recent race swim split to ensure that there is parity between lanes. Although we try to be as fair as possible, we make our selection based on the coach's advice, which means that despite being at the top of the list you may not be selected if it means that the lane most appropriate to your ability would then become overcrowded. If you are already signed up and attending the sessions there is no need to add your name to the waiting list as you will be given first refusal to sign up again.

Please note

• Please address any enquiries to the session coordinator.
• Because of the waiting list, you can't just drop in and try it out, but you are more than welcome to come down and spectate if you want a better picture of the structure and level.
• Payment will be made via EntryCentral; a link will be sent to all swimmers who have a place near the end of each block.
• The cost covers pool hire and assumes that each session will not get 100% attendance. This means that missed sessions may not be made up in future blocks, and you cannot offer your place to someone else if you know in advance you will miss a session.
• We only charge to cover costs, so when pool hire fees are occasionally revised we have to increase the cost to Serpies.
• Please think carefully before signing up as there is a policy of no refunds, transfers to another course or exchange of your place with another swimmer.

The Green Belt Relay

11th & 12th May 2013

The race is a two day, multi-stage, multi-terrain relay around London's Green Belt countryside and surrounding towns. The route is divided into 22 sections (between 5.7 and 13.8 miles each), and teams consist of 11 runners. This means that runners must run at least twice, once on each day of the race. This is pretty tough as you are racing two days in a row, but it's also great fun and a rewarding experience for those who have taken part. Those wishing to take part should have a good solid background in distance running (with at least 10 min/mile pace over distance) or be prepared for some tough training between now and then. More details are available on the Green Belt Relay website.

Register to take part

Full route map here

We enter four teams each year, usually including a men's A and women's A being made of of the strongest runners we can field with a hope getting in amongst the prizes (most recently Serpentine men won in 2005, 10, 11 & 12 and our women have won 8 of the last 10 years). However, the beauty of this event is that there's room for everyone since we have two more teams. There's plenty of room for everyone to have a go, whatever your standard. It's a great opportunity for newer Serpie members to get involved with the club and meet other Serpies.

Priority places go to those who can help the team by providing a useful skill such as minibus driving, first aid, map reading, physio etc. Let us know what you can do for the team. Travel to the start of the event is by minibus from several locations: Seymour Centre, Victoria, Clapham Junction and Hammersmith and we stay in a hotel overnight near the mid-point of the race so that we do not have to go back into London. This not only avoids a second pick up of runners, but also helps to create a good team atmosphere. The cost of accommodation this year is £29 per person (B & B, sharing a twin room).

Note. We expect runners to stay with the group the entire weekend, if possible, as this makes life a lot easier for the organisation and it also gives the team as a whole more flexibility.

We've produced a guide for you to download which has lots of details about the logistics of the weekend. Anyone who's registered to run is encouraged read it!

For more details contact the GBR team: greenbeltrelay@serpentine.org.uk