A new jog group for Shirland

After finding Couch to 5k programmes tough to complete on her own, health and wellbeing coach Natalie Touray was keen to introduce a jog group to Shirland which would offer people a more supportive and sociable option.

Without the capacity to take on the leader training herself, Natalie took to her local Facebook group in search of someone to lead the group. The post was spotted by local resident Amy Shelton, a member of Jog Derbyshire group Alfreton Jog Club who set up and is now running Shirland Jog Club.

The beginnings of Shirland Jog Club

Amy explains:

“I’d been running with Alfreton Jog Club for a while so I think it was just the next logical step really and I thought it would be nice to give back and do what I got when I first started.

“It’s nice because I’ve grown up in Shirland and it’s just means a bit more that I’ve set it up where I live. Lots of people do live in Shirland and you’ve not seen them before.”

Support and funding for the Jog Derbyshire group

With support from Jog Derbyshire and Councillor Barry Lewis, funding was secured to enable Amy to undertake her LIRF training. She then started Shirland Jog Club on a Couch to 5k programme which is now more than half way through.

Amy said: “I was pretty nervous for the first session. I think anyone would be, it’s literally like right you’re running the group, you’ve got to know exactly what you’re doing.

“It’s a big step really, you’ve gone from not running a group and then you’re running it for a whole group and remembering everything. But after the first session I did feel a lot more confident. Thinking that went well, everyone was enjoying it.

“Now it comes a lot easier and it’s very relaxed and chilled.”

Joining the Jog Derbyshire family

Being part of the Jog Derbyshire network has been a great support for Amy and the group and she’s also been supported by other trained leaders – Tim and Lin – from Alfreton Jog Club.

Amy said: “It’s given me another qualification. It’s a good network to be a part of. The Jog Derbyshire leaders Facebook page that you can just post on. If you’ve got any questions they’re all people doing the same thing. Like little things you’re unsure of you can get an answer pretty quick.”

From Couch to 5k to a long term jogging group

Shirland Jog Club’s Couch to 5k programme will culminate in a visit to a local Parkrun to celebrate the group’s achievements and it’s really important to Amy that the group offers a continuation for people.

She said: “When the couch to 5k programme has finished I’m going to keep it as a jog club. A lot of people were saying they’d done couch to 5ks before and once that was complete they didn’t do anything and then they’re back to square one.

“We’ll run three maybe four miles once a week just to keep running at that same level and improving. Rather than being able to run 5k, stopping for a year and starting again.”

Shirland Jog Club meets at 6.30pm on Wednesdays at the Red Lion. Although they are now well into the Couch to 5k programme, new members are still welcome to join and there may be further Couch to 5k programmes coming in the new year.

For more information, join their Facebook group here.