New members’ handbook
If you have joined the club or are thinking of joining, you may have questions about how things work. Hopefully, this page can answer a lot of those questions.
First-timers
You are welcome to try out a few sessions before you decide if you want to join.
When you come to a Tuesday run for the first time, let a current member know that you are new, so we know you are there.
Tuesday runs
We meet at 6.45 pm on Tuesdays at Tilsley Park. We start with announcements for upcoming social events and races, race results, and other club news.
If you are new, we will ask you how far and at what pace you want to run. Don't be intimidated! This is to ensure we place you with other runners of a similar pace. We want you to be comfortable!
Thursday track sessions
We have three track groups specifically for adults. They all take place at Tilsley Park on Thursday evenings throughout the year. The group you choose will depend on your goals, interests, and, in some cases, level of ability.
The coaching is free to club members, but a track fee is payable to Tilsley Park.
Road run routes
We publish the Tuesday run routes on the website and in the member email newsletter on the Monday before. You can usually choose from 3 distances (the shortest is around 5k). All routes are available as Strava maps. View the winter routes and the summer routes.
We have several 'special' routes throughout the year and will publicise them in advance. In the winter, we have the occasional off-road head torch run (a head torch is required for these and trail shoes are recommended). These usually coincide with 'chip Tuesday'. There are always alternative road routes for these runs. In the summer, we run a series of 'river runs'. These are also off-road but are not technical and can usually be run in road shoes.
Before each run, we ensure everyone has a group of similarly paced people to run with.
Races
We have an active race calendar as a club. Racing is a great way to stay motivated, get together with clubmates, and participate in various types of running. Also, there is usually cake!
Many of the races on our calendar form our Club Championships. The club champs is an in-club competition open to all adult members.
Year-round races
We announce the upcoming races in our Club Championships competition before Tuesday runs. You must register and pay for the races yourself, but we provide details on this website.
Club champs races tend to attract more members, but you can run many other local races.
Winter races
We participate in the county cross country (XC) league during winter. XC is open to all club members and is a fun challenge to keep you motivated over winter. Forget school cross country (unless you loved it). It's way more fun as an adult!
Summer races
Over the summer, our club competes in the hugely popular Mota-vation series, exclusively for club members across Oxfordshire. All five races are on Thursday evenings starting in May. The series is very inclusive and a lot of fun. The longest race is 5 miles, although most are around 4 miles. All the races are in pretty Oxfordshire villages on quiet roads.
As a club, we also compete in the Midlands League and the Vets League for athletics. Several 'open' athletics events over the summer are open to anyone and are an excellent opportunity to get some track and field experience. The fixtures will be posted on this website and in announcements on Tuesday evenings.
Running a race as an AAC club member
You are an 'affiliated' member unless you opt out of England Athletics (EA) membership when you join the club. Affiliation means that you often get a discount on race entries. Look for the race registration form section for 'club affiliation'. Where asked, enter your EA number (sometimes called URN) and the club name. Adding the club name to your entry also makes finding you in a list of race results easier.
Club champs races
If you want to take part in the Club Championships, you must be wearing an AAC vest for it to count towards your score. You can order your club vest from our club shop. If you're not bothered about the club champs or are running a race not on the fixture list, you do not have to wear a club vest. But it does make you easier to spot!
parkrun
parkrun is a great place to meet other local runners, including many AAC members. The nearest event is very close to Abingdon town centre. Check out the Abingdon parkrun website for more information.
Find out about stuff and get advice
We post news and events (including social) on our homepage. In addition, our private Facebook group is a great way to find out what's happening around the club and keep in touch with other members.
How to ask questions about the club
Our contacts page provides email addresses for some members of the committee. Contact us to be put in touch with a club member with no email address listed. If your query is personal or sensitive, you can ask the person to contact you.
Where to get help or advice if you are new to running
Asking a club member about running is a great way to make new friends. Most runners can talk for hours about running, injuries, running kit and shoes.
Our qualified run leaders organise couch to 5K courses if you are new to running.
We have an advice section on this website where we add documents and links to content. Contact us if there is anything you'd like to see on the website.