Well not ALWAYS in a forest!
Bracknell Forest Runners is a UK athletics Affiliated Club founded in 1989. The club aims to run on an informal, friendly basis and seeks to cater for a broad range of running abilities and ages. Qualified coaches who actively participate in training sessions and events are available to give advice on training needs.
Now I imagine most people are thinking ‘I’m not a runner’ or ‘I’m not fast enough’ as they read this, but you couldn’t be more wrong! BFR aims to run on an informal, friendly basis and seeks to cater for a broad range of running abilities and ages.
Yes of course we have super speedy folks who look like a gazelle when they gracefully run whilst barely skimming the floor who I could just gaze at in awe all day but they also have people like me!
Two years ago I had not run since school (I’m 38 by the way) I was smoking 30 a day and exercise was the worst possible swear word you could use in front of me. Now, thanks to this wonderful club and its fantastic members, in 2015 I have run my first Half Marathon, my first Full Marathon and now in my second Cross Country Season just last weekend I took 13 minutes YES 13 MINUTES off my time for the same course last year. Pretty impressive right??
Now I know I will never be a gazelle, but I feel that with this club I have found a home, a home with a hobby that is helping me to be stronger, fitter (and THINNER!) than I have EVER been and I am breaking new ground every week with a group of lovely, like minded people who all want the same thing as I do.
The Club meets 4 times per week – Wednesday is track night at Bracknell leisure centre running track from 6:45pm here we take part in organised coaching sessions to improve speed – this is a great starter for anyone new as we’re just running round in circles so everyone can go at their own pace and no one gets left behind!
Monday’s we have ‘recovery runs’ which are a social run to catch up with what everyone has been doing at the weekend – we have a beginners run/walk group on a Monday as well so another ideal opportunity for new runners to join us without fear! – I’m leading the beginners group tonight 🙂 we have a further three groups that run on a Monday at various paces. again we meet at 6:45pm on a Monday but this time in the sports centre par park, next to the all weather pitches
Fridays we have a ‘Friday night run’ again with various pace groups that meet a 6pm and 6:50pm respectively
And Sundays we have a club run at the look out in Bracknell meeting at 9am for a lovely little run through the forest.
As well as our club runs we take part in various events including the Thames Valley Cross Country League, various club championship races and many of our members take part in Parkrun at Bracknell (although this is not affiliated to the club)
As well as running we also drink! On the second Friday of every month we have a social activity. These activities include skittles, quiz evenings, dances, “Pub of the Month” and more recently “Grub of the Month”. Other ad-hoc social activities include our mince pies evening on a Wednesday just before Christmas, rounders on a Sunday afternoon in August and at least one barbeque each year. Trips to far-off events in the UK and abroad have always possessed a strong social element as well as running. Club news, articles and future events are regularly posted on the website and “Blogs” from the chairperson are e-mailed on a regular basis.
So if you fancy Running….. in a Forest (or on a road or a track!)………. in Bracknell come down and see what we are all about and for more info check out the BFR website HERE
Hope to see you at track or on a club run soon!
