Hi there! If you are reading this then most likely you have stumbled upon us online and want to find out more.
Well look no further, let me give you answers to five questions, I anticipate you have about running with Running Department.
1. When and where do we run?
Saturdays are long, while Wednesdays are fast and furious
Wednesdays are humpdays. It is usually the most dreadful time of the week especially after the bustling feel of a Monday and looking at your never ending to – do lists on Tuesdays…Wednesdays are like an outlet for you to get the mid week over and done with! So for Wednesdays, our runs are usually 8km – 10km long. Our meet up point is at UOB plaza and we start at 7pm.
Saturdays are really different as we love to celebrate the start of the weekend with a healthy dose of Vitamin D. These runs are usually 15km – 33km long. We mostly train in ECP on Saturdays. Check out our Facebook or Instagram page for updates on time and location of our runs.
2. But I do not have the required fitness to last 33km, can I still join?”
Oh hell yes! So if you have came by for a run with us before, you would have noticed that our group is huge and we have runners from all walks of life. You get the pretty quick folks who usually leave you in your wake, the usual run of the mill runner who just wants to maintain that IPPT Sliver and even the retirees. The point here is that we have something for everyone and we do make plans to ensure that the route is planned to accommodate everyone.
For long runs, we typically do loops of 3km. We start off at our “gathering point” which houses all our water and baggage. After every 3km, we would return to the gathering point so that you can get a sip of water or if you feel that you have had enough fun for the day, you may hop off the bus!
3. But how can I find a group that is apt for me and what is a bus?
Long runs are usually led by our friendly pacers! These folks commit to 14-16 weeks of training to prepare themselves (and YOU!) for the race day. There are 16 groups in total and we affectionately refer to the groups as buses where you can hop on and off! These 16 groups would also cater to various kinds of runners as the range of running pace is very wide.
The bus timings are above so do feel free to hop on/off anyone of them!
4. What do I need to bring for my runs with RD?
You, your shoes, a SMILE, some water and you are good to go!
5. What can I do to be prepared to run and train with Running Department?
If you really want to be prepared, then be prepared for the ups and downs of training. It is going to be tough but hey, nothing satisfying comes handed to you on a platter. Throughout the training months, there would be some sessions where you feel rock solid even after 21km. However, there would also be some sessions where you feel like crap after 3km. This is perfectly normal and all we ask of you is to knuckle down and hang in there. Of course, hanging in there can also mean stopping at 3km because your body isn’t feeling right. You need to stop so that you can hang in there for the next session! We are always in this for the long run and we strongly advocate taking care of yourself.
Runners can utilise our sessions for trying out new gear, or trying out a new hydration strategy -maybe having a swing at the salt tablets or even trying those pesky gels to acclimatize your body to them.
It is a training session and you can afford to try all of these so that you can fine tune a strategy for the race day. Actually one of the good things about coming for our runs or experimenting is that there is a big group of folks who are very experienced with running related matters. If you need an opinion or so, you can be assured that one is only a shout away.
We have been doing this for a while now and whilst we won’t say that we are experts, what we have is a training program that we believe in. It is put together by the good folks over at Coached and it has been a formula that we have tweaked and refined over the years.
Want to start running with us. Sign up for our training run account here and get started!
What are you waiting for?