Leadership in Running Fitness (Jog leader)

jogscotland is the recreational running arm of scottishathletics. Our fun, friendly jogging groups have something to offer everyone, from complete beginners to experienced runners.

Our Jog Leaders are the lifeblood of jogscotland. Our army of fully-trained, enthusiastic and patient Jog Leaders have inspired thousands of people across the country to embrace a healthier and more active lifestyle through running.

You don’t have to be a fast runner to be a Jog Leader – in fact some of our best Jog Leaders are very new to jogging themselves and remember just how it feels to start for the first time. The most important thing is that you have lots of enthusiasm for inspiring others to get active, and stay active.

Leadership in Running Fitness course

To become a Jog Leader you need to attend a one-day training course which covers everything you need to know, from the warm-up to the cool-down. As well as learning about jogscotland‘s gradual fitness programmes, you’ll cover other useful topics including promoting your group, risk assessment, and helping people overcome common barriers to starting exercise – such as lack of confidence, perceived lack of time, lack of support etc.

The one-day course typically lasts from around 9am to 5pm, though exact timings may vary on each course. It includes both practical and classroom sessions. The course fee is £110.

Once you have passed the course:

• You will be able to set up your own jogging group using the jogscotland name
• Your group will be advertised on our Group Finder
• Your sessions will be covered by our insurance
• You can contact our team at jogscotland HQ any time for help and advice
• You will have access to the jogscotland Jog Leader group on facebook, where you can receive advice, support and friendship from other leaders.

Leadership in Running Fitness (LiRF) (Online & Practical)

The Blended version of the LiRF Course has been developed and is now available.

The course consists of a series of Online Learning Modules and a Practical session (Half Day). There will be four Online Learning Modules covering the following;

• Individual Centred Leading and the Role of the Leader
• Running Fitness Session Content
• Performance Factors, Energy Systems and their Application
• Injury Avoidance.

These Online Learning Modules will take approximately an hour each to complete and should be completed before attending the practical session.

The Practical session will look to apply the theoretical knowledge covered in the online modules. This session will also provide an opportunity to practice leading mixed ability groups effectively, exploring the How-2 lead skills, components of a session and the running technical template. There is no assessment element.

Upcoming courses

Upcoming Leadership in Running Fitness courses are listed on our Coaching Qualifications page.

Booking process

If you are not already a member of jogscotland, you must become a member before you do the Jog Leader course – it’s free, and you can do it online via the jogscotland website.

Bookings are now made on the new online booking system – Athletics Hub. Please contact the coaching team for information on how to book.

If you have any questions about Leadership in Running Fitness courses and bookings, please email coaching@scottishathletics.org.uk.

Scheduling and requesting courses

Up to 24 people can take part in each of our Leadership in Running Fitness courses, and we are keen to make sure as many places as possible are filled on each course.

We deliver a core number of pre-planned courses across the country, and prioritise filling these courses. Where a course is full and there are requests for further courses, we will endeavour to schedule them. No ad-hoc courses will be organised where there is capacity on a local course (within 30 miles), within eight weeks of any requests. Rural courses will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

If you have any questions about scheduling Jog Leader courses and/or would like to request a course, please contact the coaching team at coaching@scottishathletics.org.uk