New Year Resolutions for 2008 -
This post is mainly aimed at those of you who are new to the running scene. Looking through the recent Bandon 5 mile race results, I noticed that about one third of all runners were listed as independent. So, if there is one thing you might consider doing in 2008, then why not make a New Year's resolution to join one of the many local athletic clubs?

I can imagine that from a beginners point of view, an athletic club might seem too advanced or too serious for someone starting off or for someone who is not running so fast. The truth is that most clubs are made up of runners of all different abilities, and that they are all looking for new members.

So, why join a club?
There are probably many reasons but here are a few that I came up with...
1) Training...Many clubs organise training runs and it is a lot easier to do a long training run with someone else rather than on your own.
2) Safety.....Some people may not feel comfortable running on their own, especially in the dark.
3) Teams...In many of the local races, there are team prizes. By running with a club, you might help them win a prize. Sometimes, clubs are just short one person in a race to get them into the prizes and you could be that person.
4) Ballycotton 10 entries!!...The demand for entries for this race is so high, that the window for independent runners getting their entry forms in on time is getting shorter every year. By joining an AAI affiliated athletic club, you have a full 2 weeks to get your entry in.

Which club to join?
I am not to going to recommend any particular club, it's up to you to decide. Some clubs are slighty different from each other. Some organise training runs, some do not. Some have 50+ members, some have a lot less. Perhaps you might consider joining a club in your own area? Maybe one of the smaller clubs where you could have a larger impact because of the small numbers? Just look through some of the results on this website and see what clubs are out there. Most of them are pretty obvious as to where they are from...i.e. Bandon AC, Mallow AC, etc.
Here are some of the not so obvious ones...Eagle AC, St.Finbarr's AC, Leevale AC are based in Cork City. Rising Sun AC is based near Ballinhassig between Cork and Bandon.

So, look around the net, talk to people at the local races and decide which club suits your needs best.
No matter what your ability is, I'm sure that the local clubs would love to have you as a member.