The beauty of Ramsbottom Running Club is its diversity. We have allocated more than 400 RRC numbers to runners who want to be part of our inclusive, friendly club, and we are so proud of each and every one of them. Whether you’re taking your first steps towards 5K or planning your next ultra marathon, you are always, always welcome here.
Our Tuesday night social run sessions are inclusive to all. We offer runs (and walks!) across a range of distances and terrains, so that there’s something for everyone..
In the past, we have described our sessions as either leisurely or standard, and you’ve told us that it’s not always clear what the difference is. So this week we’re proud to announce a change to our naming system so that you always know what to expect.
Keeping it sociable
From Tuesday 20 April our leisurely runs will become sociable runs. DON’T PANIC. This is a change in name and not a change in the runs themselves. It reflects that for the vast majority of our members and runners, leisurely is what they come to us for. Chatting with mates? Exploring new routes? We’ve got you. We don’t set a minimum pace and we never leave anyone behind. Standard. So sociable is the new leisurely.
My standard might not be your standard
Also from Tuesday 20 April our standard runs will become stretch runs. The same applies to all of our routes and run leaders, no-one is ever left behind and we go at your pace. But these runs offer an extra chance to push yourself. Want to see whether your clubmates can help you feel stronger on a familiar route? This is the one for you! Training for an event and need a chance to try out your pace before the big day? Talk to our volunteer run leaders who will help you make the most of the session. These groups will still chat, and will still muster regularly so that no-one is left behind, but if you want to run a bit harder this week, choose a stretch route.
Strava stalking put you off? Our runs go at the pace of those attending on the night. If our group tells us that they want to push it then our run leaders will help them to do this safely. Please don't ever let this put you off stepping up to a stretch group if you want to though. Every run is built around you, so please don't make your choices based on the pace of a particular group the week before. The type of run is the most important thing.
Trails are always leisurely
That’s it, that’s the rule. Off road we’re all about enjoying the views, keeping safe in beautiful spaces and yes, walking the steep bits. We love exploring the West Pennines in our backyard and we want you to share them with you too. We might ask you to bring a head torch or to make sure you have the right footwear, but these routes are open to you even if you’ve never tried trail running before.
Ram rating
All of our routes come with a ram rating, a score of 1-5 on the Rammyo'meter, so you can get an idea of how challenging the route might be. These scores are set by our volunteer run leaders and are subjective, but they’re intended to function as a heads up so there are no surprises on the night. You can also make up your own mind by looking at the Strava routes that we share ahead of our club runs and clicking on the elevation.
Here’s how, roughly, we allocate the rams:
🐏 - laps of Nuttall Park, wide flat paths with very little elevation gain
🐏🐏 - running from the park back to the centre of Ramsbottom via Nuttall Lane … it’s uphill, but gently so. You might not even notice it!
🐏🐏🐏 - a route which has a number of ups and downs in it. We might be running up through Stubbins to Edenfield (anyone else always ‘stop to take a photo’ by the school and catch their breath?!) … but what goes up must come down
🐏🐏🐏🐏 - a route with more hills than flats. You might go up, up again, across a road and up AGAIN. But we’re with you, you’ve got this, and hills make us strong
🐏🐏🐏🐏🐏 - The Rake. Followed by the path to Peel Tower. And maybe some hill reps.
Actually, we’re nicer than that, and we won’t judge if you need or want to walk up the steep bits, but a five ram route is as tough as it gets. Though it’s never tougher than you.
So that’s it, a whistle-stop tour to help you to choose the run for you. Still got questions? Drop us a line and we’ll talk you through it.
See you on Tuesday!
#loveRRC