The Club Run – or the Tuesday Run, as it is also known – is PRR’s group training run of the week. It’s been a regular and staple of the PRR diet for as long as anyone can remember. In general – but see the new ‘touring’ fixtures below – intending Tuesday runners gather at the doors of Bell’s Sports Centre (on Perth’s North Inch) at 6:30pm sharp on Tuesdays, all year round. When we say sharp, we mean it: there is invariably a strong urge among the group to get away quickly (before getting cold), and latecomers can often be found at 6:35pm wondering which way the group went…
Club Runs are the ideal introduction for would-be new members. We typically suggest that a new recruit’s first run with us be on a Tuesday. Do feel free to come and meet us there!
The Tuesday run bravely/foolishly seeks to be what it never should: all things to all men (and ladies). Some Tuesday-ers are out for a fairly serious blast with other pace-setters around them. Others are out for an altogether more gentle run to shake out the legs and have a social chat.
Our runs cater for both markets and those in between. Most runs are between 6 and 9 miles – very occasionally, we may just cross the 10-mile threshold. Routes vary, but those that start at Bell’s invariably work the roads and tracks out to the edges of Perth, often using the eastern/left bank up to Bridgend and Scone, or up the slopes of and towards Kinnoull Hill (the latter being more extensively used in the daylight of the summer evenings).
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To this end, half of our Club Runs break into groups of varying paces. All groups run the same course (or a slightly shortened adaptation for the slower groups), just at different speeds.
If at all confused below, the Club Diary shows the club runs in play each week.
Thus, on the second, fourth and (if one exists) fifth Tuesday or each month, the Club Run will start at Bells at 6:30 and will split into pace groups of approximately the following paces:
Group 1: Faster than 5 mins/km (ie faster than 8-min-miles);
Group 2: ~5:30 mins/km (ie around 9-min miles);
Group 3: ~6 mins/km (ie around 10-min miles; and
Group 4: Slower than 6:30 mins/km (ie slower than 11-min miles).
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The other Tuesdays of the month – the first and third Tuesdays – are our social runs. Everyone runs together at a leisurely pace. If you want to hare off/splinter the field, these runs are not for you.
The first Tuesday sees that social run start and finish at Bell’s (6:30pm).
The third Tuesday takes these social runs on tour out of Perth (also 6:30pm), to add variety and take the runs out to non-Perth-based PRRs. For 2024, those runs are:
Feb (20th): Broxden (Park and Ride)
March (19th): Bridge of Earn (Institute)
April (16th): coincides with the Sidlaws Saunter in the HAA series, see here
May (21st): Almondbank (Post Office)
June (18th): Guildtown (Community Association)
July (16th): coincides with Ben Vrackie race in the HAA series, see here
NB: July (30th): is a recce of the Mob Match course at Murthly
Aug (20th): coincides with the Mob Match at Murthly
Sept (17th): Perth Racecourse and East Bank – Waulkmill, Colenhaugh etc – meet at Perth Racecourse car park – course is shown here
Oct (15th): Scone (Park & Ride)
Nov (19th): Bertha Park (High School car park)
Dec (17th): back at Bell’s for the Christmas lights!
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It’s not mandatory, but we ask intending Tuesday-goers to book in using the PRR Spond group (up to a week in advance). Over 100 PRRs are now on this group. This allows the week’s organiser/route planner to know and who how many are coming along. It also allows potential attendees to see who else is going to aid their decision. For the pace group weeks, it is possible to book into your intended pace group. This is done using the Tasks feature showing for that week; each group is separated as a different task and you simply sign up to the ‘task’ you choose. You can view all tasks (and click on each) to see who else is in that group. If new to the group, please ask the Webmaster for the Spond code (or join our Facebook group, where it is displayed).
We also ask Tuesdays runners to show good judgement and common sense in where and how they run. A risk assessment for our Club Runs will soon appear here; it essentially condenses the obvious steps we expect Club Runners to take (not taking daft risks, looking after each other, being visible etc).