Couch to 5k – Stokesley, Northallerton, Bedale & Virtual

Couch to 5k – Stokesley, Northallerton, Bedale & Virtual

Our next Couch to 5k is starting on Tuesday 6th April and registration is now open! You can find further details and register by visiting https://harc.uk/c25k. The programme is suitable for complete beginners and those returning from injury. The sessions will be offered in-person from our Stokesley hub (and in Bedale/Northallerton if there is demand). You can also join in via Zoom (from anywhere!), and this will be the method of delivery for everyone if Government plans change and Covid restrictions at the time do not allow us to meet in groups. If you have any questions at all, please get in touch - coaching@harc.uk....
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Stokesley Couch to 5k

Stokesley Couch to 5k

Our Stokesley Couch to 5k is starting on Tuesday 19th January and registration is now open! Please visit https://harc.uk/c25k for further details and to register. It is suitable for complete beginners and those returning from injury. We will be running the programme from our Stokesley hub (meeting outside Let's Run) and virtually (via Zoom). If you have any questions at all, please get in touch - coaching@harc.uk....
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What a year for HARC!

What a year for HARC!

2020 brought the formation of our wonderful club, which has swelled to 70 members in its first six months. This has led to lots of fun and laughter with friends old and new. We have managed to keep on running throughout these strange times, in groups or with “buddies” around Bedale, and through our pioneering virtual running option, which has been a huge success. We are proud to have welcomed 24 new athletes to the world of running via two Couch to 5k programmes, with a further eight due to graduate in January. Plans to develop a hub in Stokesley have progressed as we begin interval sessions and a Couch to 5k programme there. Although many events have been cancelled, our determined club members have tackled several Lakeland Trails courses, a couple of Gin Runs, the Falls and Castle, and the Three Peaks Challenge, not to mention a first marathon achievement. We even squeezed in a few “away runs” – Cod Beck,...
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Stokesley – new year, new hub!

Stokesley – new year, new hub!

We are very excited to announce a Couch to 5k programme and speed intervals in Stokesley, the first steps in establishing our Stokesley hub. This will mirror our Bedale hub and ultimately provide the same range of activities as we do from the established Bedale venues. The new Couch to 5k programme is starting on Tuesday January 19th. This is suitable for complete beginners or those returning from injury, and will be run both in-person (meeting outside our good friends Let's Run in College Square) and virtually (using our pioneering Zoom-based system). We have found that running these sessions virtually not only allows us to carry on even if the strictest lockdown restrictions are imposed, but also allows you to join in from a little further afield or if you prefer to start out on your own rather than in a group. This C25K programme will be led by Caroline Horton, who we are delighted to welcome to the club. Caroline is...
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Lee Kemp and Shelli Gordon speak to head coach Chris Lees

Lee Kemp and Shelli Gordon speak to head coach Chris Lees

Last night our head coach, Chris Lees, headed over to Stokesley in the east of our Hambleton district to meet up with Lee Kemp and Shelli Gordon in their running shop, Let's Run. As always, there was a warm welcome and what followed was a fascinating, instructive, but above all fun thirty minute chat covering Lee's team GB ultra-running experience, Shelli's record holding performances, and lots of solid advice for people about getting started with running clothing and equipment. The discussion was streamed live on Facebook and Q&A from those watching led to some great insights and interesting digressions! Grab a cuppa and a biscuit and enjoy the 30 minute recording on Facebook here: https://harc.uk/lee-and-shelli...
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Quick guide to common stretches

Having trouble remembering the correct position for our post-run stretches? Fear not - here's a quick guide! If both feet are on the ground, they should be parallel / pointing in the same direction - check that back foot: is it pointing in the same direction as the front one?Feet should be flat on the floor for all stretches belowHold each stretch for a maximum of 15 seconds to prevent the stretch becoming an exercise Place front foot so that there is a full foot-length between the feetKeep front leg straight (and front toes on the ground)Bend back leg at knee until knees are more-or-less levelPivot forward at hip until the stretch is felt in the hamstring of the straight leg Stand on one foot, with a slight bend in the knee of the leg you are standing onHold the other foot above the laces (e.g. at the ankle)Raise the ankle up to the bum (or as close as it will go)With an...
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Getting started with our web app

The HARC web app has a lot of bells and whistles for both the athletes and coaches. However, this post gives you some of the basics! Signing-up and signing-in Your profile is linked to your email address. You'll have a profile if you're a club member, if you've participated in any of our programmes, or if you've registered yourself or someone else for one of the events we've hosted. If you don't have a profile, or if you're not sure, it's easy to check and get signed-up: If you're not sure if you have a profile, or if you have one but can't remember you login, go to https://harc.uk/sign-in-or-register/?form=resetpwd, enter your email address, and choose a new password.If you don't have a profile under that email address, you will get a message "email not registered". Either try another email address if you think you may have registered with it, or go on to the next step to register a new profile If you don't have...
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What’s all the “PE” about?

You might have seen some of our athletes adding the letters 'PE' and a number at the end of their Strava run names. Wondering what that's all about? Well read on! An important part of any training plan or program is to manage the training 'load'. Load is a measure of the total amount and intensity of training over a period - usually a week. Load matters for two key reasons: For a training plan to be progressive, we would usually look to increase the load steadily for three weeks before dropping it back (a 'recovery/rest' week) and then building up again. This pattern allows the particular areas of fitness being focused on to be developed. Research shows (see reference 1 below) that spikes in load - i.e. a week with significantly higher load than the preceding weeks) can increase the risk of injury very significantly. Therefore it is important for us to be aware of our loadings and ensure we aren't creating...
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