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. We will make sure that there is someone to run with you.
Tuesday runs
We meet at 6.45 pm in the stands at Tilsley Park on Tuesdays. We start with social events, race results, and other club news announcements. We will also have a round-up of upcoming races and events.
Thursday track sessions
We have three track groups specifically for adults. They all take place at Tilsley Park on a Thursday evening all year. The group you choose will depend on your level of ability, your goals and your interests.
The coaching is free to club members but there is a track fee payable to Tilsley Park.
Run routes
We publish the run routes on the website and in the email newsletter by the Monday before. There are usually a choice of three distances (the shortest is around 5k). All routes are available Strava maps on the Tuesday run routes page.
Before each run, we make sure that everyone has a group of similarly paced people to run with.
Races
As a club, we have an active race calendar. Racing is a great way to stay motivated, get together with clubmates and participate in various types of running. Also, there is usually cake.
Year-round races
We announce the upcoming races included in our Club Championships competition on Tuesday runs. You will need to register and pay for the races yourself, but we provide details on this website.
Club champs races tend to attract more members, but there are many other local races you can run. A useful resource for finding them is the Oxon races website. The site is run by Barry Cornelius, who also photographs most local events, making the pictures available for free.
Winter races
We participate in the county cross country (XC) league during winter. XC is open to all club members, so if you'd like to participate, look at the cross country page for details.
Summer races
Over the summer, our club competes in the hugely popular Mota-vation series. There are five races on Thursday evenings, each around four miles. The series is organised by Kidlington Running Club and are for club runners only. The series is very inclusive and a lot of fun. 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. There are several 'open' athletics events over the summer that anyone can enter. They are an excellent opportunity to get some track and field experience. The fixtures will be posted on this website and at Tuesday evening announcements.
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 to your entry also makes finding you in a list of race results easier.
Club champs races
If you wish to take part in the Club Championships, you must wear 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.