2026 Winter Programs (12 weeks - Jan 10-March 28) 

To register complete this form: 2026 Poco Run Club Registration Form 
 and e-transfer your fee to [email protected]

2026 Winter programs (Jan 10 - Mar 28):
Our Winter season begins Saturday January 10 with a warm-up at 8:50am in the lacrosse box across the street from Hyde Creek Rec Centre. The Winter season prepares for the Up The Creek 5k/10k Run in Port Coquitlam on Saturday March 28. This is also a great program to prepare for the Vancouver Sun Run on April 19th. In fact, come join our team!  Here are our 5 Winter season programs: 
  1. Interval walking 5k (**NEW**) - this is a beginner program aimed to improve the fitness of those who prefer not to run. The program will begin with a 3-minute walk/stroll, followed by a 1-minute brisk walk using your arms to help drive your walking pace. This program is for anyone looking to begin a structured exercise program with research-backed benefits.    
  2. Walk/run 5k (AKA Couch to 5k) – this is a beginner program for anyone wanting to start running. It starts with a 3-minute walk and a 1-minute run that repeats for 3k. Gradually, the walking decreases and the running increases until you get to a 5k run on March 28. It is also good for runners returning from an injury or those who have been away from running for a while. 
  3. Walk/run 10k (intermediate) – this walk/run program starts with a 3-minute walk and a 1-minute run for 5k and either increases the running segments by 1 minute per week or decreases the walk segment until you get to a 1 min walk/9 min run interval for 10k. If you find yourself struggling with this distance, just move to the 5k walk/run (AKA the FUN group) program.  
  4. Run 10k program – this program will begin with a 5k run. It will continue with progressive mileage and speed training for those who have that as a goal. This is for those who would like to have a casual running program or push themselves to improve their 10k times.
  5. BMO Half Marathon program - This run program begins with an 8k run and gradually progresses to a 20k run. This program prepares specifically for the 2026 BMO Vancouver Half Marathon on May 3rd. Register for the race early as it will likely sell out again.​
How it works:
1. Every Thursday, I send an email to all registered runners containing the plan for our Saturday run along with a message of interest. Register early as you may miss some important notes leading up to the start of our clinic.

2. Saturdays are our regular clinic days. Show up at 8:50am and go through a group warm up. Break into groups based on the program that you choose to join. A group leader explains the route and the program goal of the day. Each group will have 3-5 leaders to guide, assist, and motivate runners along the way.

3. After your Saturday session, you will need to get 2 training runs done before the next Saturday clinic session. A day of rest between sessions is best. On Tuesdays, we have a group that meets at Hyde Creek to complete session #2 in the program. These are not necessarily leader-led; however, they are an opportunity for you to get together with other runners in your group to get your training done. Be prepared to time your intervals. This is the designated Tuesday route: https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/4858937770

4. We also have a group that meets on Thursdays at Tinhouse Brewing for session #3. Thursdays are known as “Thirsty Thursday”.  We meet at 6:30pm and our route is an out and back on the dyke. After our run, we encourage people to come inside for a social. This has proven quite popular and a lot of fun. Tinhouse offers a range of non-alcoholic drinks as well as wine, cider, and of course beer. This is a great opportunity for runners in all programs to mingle and have wonderful conversations. In fact, there are times that we almost solved all the world’s problems. lol 

5. Changing groups - you can change program groups at any time throughout a season. If you ever struggle to keep up to a longer or higher intensity program, just move to a different group whenever you feel like reducing some mileage or intensity. Our 5k walk/runners are known as "The Fun Group", so don't ever hesitate to join these fun runners! 

6. Our runners have various goals: some runners just want to come out to organized runs and enjoy the social part of the club. Others may have goals of a half marathon PR and will be out tempo training and hill training to really push themselves. Whatever your goal might be, there is a program and pace group for you. 

​7. ​Memberships are non-refundable; however, they can be transferred in the event of an injury or moving out of town.

Get ready for day 1:
  1. All registered members will receive an email on Thursday morning outlining the plan for Saturday. This email contains exact meeting location, timelines, each program’s route that they will be running, along with some important notes for the week.
  2. Please do not just show up on Saturday morning without having completed your health screen/waiver and payment.
  3. Arrive 8:45am and park on Laurier Ave or in the Hyde Creek parking lot.
  4. If you are new to the group, arrive 5 minutes earlier. When you arrive on site, look for the leader holding the sign with your group name on it. Introduce yourself when you arrive.
  5. We will begin the group warm up 8:50am.
  6. After the warm-up, we will break into program groups for the day’s training instructions from your leaders.
  7. Pacing…at first go a little slower than you think you need to. There will be various pace groups in each program. Your leaders may ask the faster runners in front to loop back to keep the group from separating too far apart. We leave no one behind.
  8. There will always be a leader at the front of the group and a leader at the back of the group. No matter how slow you go, a leader at the back will be there to guide you. 
  9. After your first training day, I will email all programs ONLY to registered runners, on Sunday January 11.  

Our annual plan below, will be updated should any changes occur:

2026 Spring Season (April 4 - June 20)
Here are the 5 Spring season programs: 
  1. Interval walking 5k (**NEW**) - this is a beginner program aimed to improve the fitness of those who prefer not to run. The program will begin with a 3-minute walk/stroll, followed by a 1-minute brisk walk using your arms to help drive your walking pace. This program is for anyone looking to begin a structured exercise program with research-backed benefits.  
  2. Walk/run 5k (AKA Couch to 5k) – this is a beginner program for anyone wanting to start running. It starts with a 3-minute walk and a 1-minute run that repeats for 3k. Gradually, the walking decreases and the running increases until you get to a 5k run on June 20th. It is also good for runners returning from an injury or those who have been away for a while. 
  3. Walk/run 10k (intermediate) – this walk/run program starts with a 3-minute walk and a 2-minute run for 5k and either increases the running segments by 1 minute per week or decreases the walk segment until you get to a 1 min walk/9 min run interval. 
  4. Run 10k program – this program will begin with a 5k run. It will continue with undulating mileage from week to week. This is for those who would like to have a casual running program or push themselves to improve their 10k times.
  5. BMO Half Marathon program - This program began in January and ends May 3rd. On May 10, current Half Marathoners will recover and ramp back up for the Vancouver Half Marathon on June 21st. 

2026 SUMMER SEASON: (June 27-Sept 6) Prepare for the POCO TRAIL RELAY
Here are the 5 programs that we will be running:
  1. Interval walking 5k (**NEW**) - this is a beginner program aimed to improve the fitness of those who prefer not to run. The program will begin with a 3-minute walk/stroll, followed by a 1-minute brisk walk using your arms to help drive your walking pace. This program is for anyone looking to begin a structured exercise program with research-backed benefits.  
  2. Walk/run 5k – this is a beginner program for people wanting to get active with running. It starts with a 3-minute walk and a 1-minute run that repeats for 3k. Gradually, the walking decreases and the running increases until you get to a 5k run on Aug 30. Finish the summer by running leg 1 on the POCO TRAIL RELAY Sept 6.
  3. Walk/run 8k (intermediate) – this walk/run program starts with a 2-minute walk and a 2-minute run for 4k and increases the running segments by 1 minute per week up to a 1 min walk/9 min run interval for 8k. The program will then maintain a 1 min walk/9 min run throughout the remainder of the program.
  4. 8k run program – this undulating program will begin with a 4.5k run. This is for those who would like to have a casual summer running program and run one of the longer runs on the Poco Trail Relay Sept 6.
  5. 15k run program begins with an 8k run and gradually progresses to a 15k run. This is a great way to prepare for a half marathon in the Fall and to run multiple legs in the Poco Trail Relay on Sept 6. 
For info on the Poco Trail Relay on August 31st, click here: ​Poco Trail Relay 

2026 FALL SEASON (Sept 12 - Dec 5)
We begin Saturday September 12th in the lacrosse box across the street from Hyde Creek Rec Centre at 7:50am.
This Fall we will be running 5 programs: Here are descriptions of these programs:
  1. Interval walking 5k (**NEW**) - this is a beginner program aimed to improve the fitness of those who prefer not to run. The program will begin with a 3-minute walk/stroll, followed by a 1-minute brisk walk using your arms to help drive your walking pace. This program is for anyone looking to begin a structured exercise program with research-backed benefits.  
  2. Walk/Run 5k – this is a beginner program for people who have never run before or who simply want to ease back into running slowly. Our first day begins with a 3-minute walk, followed by a 1-minute jog that repeats over the designated route that day. There are 2 homework sessions to be done on your own during the week.
  3.  Walk/Run 10k – this program follows the same intervals as the 5k program only for a longer distance. We start with a 3-minute walk, followed by a 1-minute jog for 5k. The walk/run programs gradual increase in running time and distance while slowly reducing the walk time. There are 2 homework sessions to be done on your own during the week. 
  4. 10k run – This is a running program starting with a 5k run on day 1. There will be speed training in this program that will emphasize getting stronger and building endurance. There are 2 homework sessions to be done on your own during the week. 
  5. Half Marathon program – this program begins with a 9k run on day 1 and gradually builds to a 21k run. The target race is the Vancouver Historic Half on Sunday November 29. Your long run will be at a Comfortable Training Pace (CTP) AKA Zone 2/3, while your midweek runs will be a combination of CTP, tempo pace, and speed/hill training.
2025 Review: ​
​We saw a record number of runners in our programs last year: (131 members + 24 leaders) a total of 155 runners. The 2nd Annual POCO TRAIL RELAY saw an increase to 154 runners. We look forward to welcoming a wonderful community-centred group in 2026. 

2025 Seasonal Plan:

Winter season:
Our Winter season begins Saturday January 11 with a warm-up at 8:50am in the lacrosse box across the street from Hyde Creek Rec Centre. The Winter season prepares for the Up The Creek 5k/10k Run in Port Coquitlam on Saturday April 5th. This is also a great program to prepare for the Vancouver Sun Run on April 27th. The Winter season runs from Jan 11 - Apr 5 (13 weeks). 
 Here are the 5 Winter season programs that will begin January 11th. 
  1. Walk/run 5k (AKA Couch to 5k) – this is a beginner program for anyone wanting to start running. It starts with a 3-minute walk and a 1-minute run that repeats for 3k. Gradually, the walking decreases and the running increases until you get to a 5k run on April 5th. It is also good for runners returning from an injury or those who have been away for a while. 
  2. Run 5k (NEW) - this program is for runners who simply want to keep running 4-5k. This will incorporate some occasional 1-minute walk breaks. The pace for this group will be beginner to intermediate pace. 
  3. Walk/run 10k (intermediate) – this walk/run program starts with a 3-minute walk and a 1-minute run for 5k and either increases the running segments by 1 minute per week or decreases the walk segment until you get to a 1 min walk/9 min run interval. 
  4. Run 10k program – this program will begin with a 5k run. It will continue with undulating mileage from week to week. This is for those who would like to have a casual running program or push themselves to improve their 10k times.
  5. BMO Half Marathon program - This run program begins with an 8k run and gradually progresses to a 20k run. This program prepares specifically for the 2025 BMO Vancouver Half Marathon.

​Spring Season
Programs begins Saturday April 12 in the lacrosse box across the street from Hyde Creek Rec Centre at 7:50am.
 Here are the 5 Spring season programs: 
  1. Walk/run 5k (AKA Couch to 5k) – this is a beginner program for anyone wanting to start running. It starts with a 3-minute walk and a 1-minute run that repeats for 3k. Gradually, the walking decreases and the running increases until you get to a 5k run on June 14th. It is also good for runners returning from an injury or those who have been away for a while. 
  2. Run 5k (NEW this year) - this program is for runners who simply want to keep running 4-5k. This will incorporate some occasional 1-minute walk breaks. The pace for this group will be beginner to intermediate pace. 
  3. Walk/run 10k (intermediate) – this walk/run program starts with a 3-minute walk and a 2-minute run for 5k and either increases the running segments by 1 minute per week or decreases the walk segment until you get to a 1 min walk/9 min run interval. 
  4. Run 10k program – this program will begin with a 5k run. It will continue with undulating mileage from week to week. This is for those who would like to have a casual running program or push themselves to improve their 10k times.
  5. BMO Half Marathon program - This program began in January and ends May 4th. On May 10, current Half Marathoners will recover and ramp back up for the Vancouver Half Marathon on June 22nd. 

SUMMER SEASON: (June 21-August 30)
Here are the 4 programs that we will be running beginning June 21st.
  1. Walk/run 5k – this is a beginner program for people wanting to get active with running. It starts with a 3-minute walk and a 1-minute run that repeats for 3k. Gradually, the walking decreases and the running increases until you get to a 5k run on Aug 30. Finish the summer by running leg 1 on the POCO TRAIL RELAY August 31st.
  2. Walk/run 8k (intermediate) – this walk/run program starts with a 2-minute walk and a 2-minute run for 4k and increases the running segments by 1 minute per week up to a 1 min walk/9 min run interval for 8k. The program will then maintain a 1 min walk/9 min run throughout the remainder of the program.
  3. 8k run program – this undulating program will begin with a 5k run. It will increase to 8k, reduce to 6k, and increase back up to an 8k run. This is for those who would like to have a casual summer running program and run one of the longer runs on the Poco Trail Relay August 31st.
  4. 15k run program begins with an 8k run and gradually progresses to a 15k run. This is a great way to prepare for a half marathon in the Fall and to run multiple legs in the Poco Trail Relay on August 31st. 
For info on the Poco Trail Relay on August 31st, click here: ​Poco Trail Relay 

​​FALL SEASON (Sept 6 - Dec 6)
We begin Saturday September 6th in the lacrosse box across the street from Hyde Creek Rec Centre at 7:50am.
This Fall we will be running 4 programs: 1) walk/run 5k, 2) walk/run 10k, 3) run 10k, and 4) a half marathon program. Here are descriptions of these programs:
  1. Walk/Run 5k – this is a beginner program for people who have never run before or who simply want to ease back into running slowly. Our first day begins with a 3-minute walk, followed by a 1-minute jog that repeats over the designated route that day. There are 2 homework sessions to be done on your own during the week.
  2.  Walk/Run 10k – this program follows the same intervals as the 5k program only for a longer distance. We start with a 3-minute walk, followed by a 1-minute jog for 5k. The walk/run programs gradual increase in running time and distance while slowly reducing the walk time. There are 2 homework sessions to be done on your own during the week. 
  3. 10k run – This is a running program starting with a 5k run on day 1. There will be speed training in this program that will emphasize getting stronger and building endurance. There are 2 homework sessions to be done on your own during the week. 
  4. ​Half Marathon program – this program begins with a 9k run on day 1 and gradually builds to a 21k run. The target race is the Vancouver Historic Half on Sunday November 30. Your long run will be at a Comfortable Training Pace (CTP) AKA Zone 2/3, while your midweek runs will be a combination of CTP, tempo pace, and speed/hill training.