Striders of
Croydon are based at the Sandilands Sports (see map) and social
club in Sandilands, Addiscombe, Croydon. If you are interested in joining us
contact one of the committee members listed on the committee page or come along to one of
our sessions and speak to whoever is leading the run. You are welcome to run
with us for a few weeks before formally joining and paying your
subscription. There are entry forms on
the club notice board or at Membership form
The runs leave promptly at
the stated time so aim get to the club house about 10 minutes before hand. There
are changing facilities at the club.
The Weekly Diary:-
Sundays
Sundays – 8.30am –
Generally a slow off-road run through the parkland and woods heading south out
of Croydon. It is possible to travel
from Lloyd Park out into the
Mondays
Rest
Tuesdays
Interval
Training – there are two parallel sessions:-
One at Croydon Arena . Meet
at the Arena by 7.15pm to warm up, stretch and two laps of ‘strides’ in time
for a 7.30pm start. Sessions split into
quick and not so quick groups for speed work/repetitions. An essential training component for anyone
seeking a significant improvement in their PB times. See latest monthly schedule for details.
Sessions last about 40 minutes.
The other from the clubhouse
with an emphasis on hill training. This is in Lloyd Park in the summer and on
the roads round Sandilands in the winter. Again meet in time for a 7:30 start -
sessions are about 40 minutes.
Wednesday
The largest run of the week leaves the club house at 7:30 usually as three
groups. The faster group for those who can manage 10K in less than 45 minutes, a middle group for
runners who can do 46 – 52 minute 10K and a final group for runners doing 52 –
70 minutes (roughly 11 minutes per mile). Groups run for an
hour but split to allow a 40 minute run.
In the summer months this is mainly off road, in the winter months it is
on the roads around
Wednesday is also the main
opportunity to meet for a drink in the clubhouse afterwards.
Thursday
Swimming
We hire the pool at
Friday
The social
run - a more leisurely run of 40 minutes at the pace of the slowest
runner. Beginners with very limited
running experience are welcome to this run. The aim is to keep together as a
group for a social chat and is a good introduction to the club. There is also a
separate group running at a faster pace. Both runs start at 7 p.m.
Saturday
Club members are encouraged to run in the various men’s and women’s league
cross country and road events which take place on Saturday afternoons. The more runners we enter the more chance the
club has of succeeding. The club pays
your entry fees for many of these events so please come along if you can.
At the end of 2009 we are
in:-
Women’s Surrey League cross country division 1
Men’s Surrey League cross country division 2
East Surrey League (mix of road and cross country)
Surrey Road League
Rosenheim League (track and field)
Southern Vets League (track and field)
The schedule of
events is at Fixture list
Other Events
The Striders organise a number of their own races. The highlight of the calendar being the ‘Switchback Five’, an open five mile multi terrain race around Lloyd Park and Addington Hills, which usually takes place in September as the cross country season is about to begin. The club also arranges a series of internal 5-mile handicap events in the summer. This is a chance for runners of lesser ability to compete on equal terms with faster runners.
Since 2003, the Club has
also been a leading partner in helping to stage the annual Race for Life
women’s 5k event in Lloyd Park. The
race/walk involves over 2,000 women raising money for cancer charities through
the Race for Life organisation.
At intervals during the
year we arrange Sunday morning runs away from the clubhouse.
E.g:- Catch the train out to Oxted, Coulsdon or Merstham and running back to
the club house.
Runs along the Thames path
from Clapham Junction to
Combined runs, swim and
Sunday lunch at Dorking and Box Hill.
A hash event, an informal
orienteering event
The club arranges a number
of it’s own social activities which have been as diverse as quiz nights,
barbecues, snooker, bowling, athletics meetings and a number of charity
fund-raising events.
We regularly participate in
events such as the London Marathon and the Great North Run. We often travel
overseas to running venues such as
Striders of Croydon was
formed in 1982 by a group of local athletes, most of whom were employed by the
Philips Electronics Group, in City House in Croydon. The Club was originally known as Philips City
Striders AC. In the
Since our formation we have
evolved and expanded to 150+ members. We
are still a friendly and a relatively small Club, with a large mix of age,
gender and ability. We positively welcome runners with little or no experience,
or more experienced runners who may have just moved into the area.
The emphasis of the Club is
on running, although we do participate in summer track and field programmes at
junior, senior and veteran levels.
‘Training’ is used is the loosest sense of the word. Some Striders reap maximum benefit from the
range of different sessions which the Club provides and which the training
manuals recommend – i.e. A mixture of speed, distance, hill and recovery
workouts. There is a wealth of experience from those who have joined the Club
that dedicated training pays dividends in improved results. Other Striders are equally happy to jog
around some nice terrain at chatting pace, followed by a drink in the Club
bar. It’s entirely up to you, and the
Club endeavours to meet the requirements of all those who run with us.
Being a member of a running
club has many advantages over being ‘unattached’. Financial advantages include
discounts on shoes, clothing and equipment. The club is affiliated to UK
Athletics (UKA) and the Surrey AAA, which qualifies us for entry discounts on
many race entry fees. A club offers the opportunity to train with people with
similar interests and standards. Club
members have a wealth of experience available to pass onto to those seeking to
take up running.
Come along