10 qualified Run England Group Leaders and Coaching Assistants attended the England Athletics Run Leaders Forum on “Warm-Up/Cool-Down ideas and form drills”. The Run Leaders forum was organised by England Athletics, attended by Leaders in Running Fitness (LiRF) and Coaching Assistants (CA) across the Essex and Hertfordshire region and delivered by Endurance Running Coach Urban. The aim of the workshop was to equip running coaches with new ideas on warm-ups and cool downs. The practical session introduced the concept of the dynamic warm-up routine in a familiar coaching environment.

Run England aims to get the nation running

Club Coaching Support Officer (CCSO) Karen Stephanou presented on England Athletics‘ Run England participation initiative. Run England is aimed at all non-affiliated running groups. Run England provide guidelines for running groups and supports them transitioning from a running group into a fully affiliated running club. Beyond the Run England initiative Karen highlighted various funding opportunities which exists for run groups and run leaders within their region.

Local Coach Develop Programme supporting Run England Group Leaders

“It is really great to see so many volunteer coaches keen to learn and getting actively involved in the workshop. I am always impressed by the passion volunteer coaches bring and the amount of time they dedicate to support and help others new to running. I think the workshop delivered on what the run leaders user forum asked for. In 3 hours we covered a lot on all aspects of dynamic warm-ups and technique drills.”, says Coach Urban.

National Coach Mentor for Endurance, Neville Taylor added: “I think the Run England Run Leaders Forum is a great way to share knowledge and learn from each other’s experiences. From a coach education perspective we gain a better insight on Run Leaders’ coaching needs. Run Leaders have a form to share their experiences across Run England Groups and will be able to acquire endurance specific coaching knowledge.”.

Attendees found the 3 hours session useful and felt engaged throughout the morning. Coach Urban tailored dynamic warm-up, cool-down and form drills for Run Leaders.The session was held at Lee Valley Athletics Centre, which provides indoor and outdoor facilities. Attendees felt motivated and were keen to put their new knowledge into practice.

Please e-mail Coach Urban, if you have any questions regarding warm-up/cool-down ideas for LiRF and CAs.