Marathoners are Built Here

Who we are?

Who we are?

Welcome to the web page of the running club ERA.RUN. In our case “ERA” stands for Elkonin Running Addicts. We are united by the dependence on running and by our coach – Alexander Elkonin.

We are amateur runners of different levels and with different goals. Some of us run to lose weight, some are eager to run a marathon in less than 3 hours, some prefer to run 100+ km ultra-trail. And, surprisingly, our sports goals are fulfilled thanks to the regular and varied, sometimes difficult, but always reasonable training and thanks to the scientific approach of coach Alexander Elkonin.

Alexander has been training runners since 2014. He is a doctor by first diploma, PhD in medicine. Trail runner, ultramarathon runner. Lecturer at “Welcome to Run” school for coaches and at “Sportmarafon” auditorium.

When working with his students, Alexander Elkonin comes from the fact that running is only a hobby for them. So running has to be seamlessly built into their life mainstream along with job, family and other important activities. Therefore, he builds an individual training plan for everyone, not only on the basis of sports results, but also taking into account the specific current situation in his life. Yes, immersion into the personal circumstances of each one requires additional time. But it is important for our coach not to overload, not to break a person if job, household and sports tasks suddenly fall on him at the same time.

How does it all begin?

How does it all begin?

If you decide to train at the ERA club, then at the first meeting coach will ask you 4 questions in order to develop individual plans just for you:

  1. Your motivation and goal setting – why do you run?
  2. Running and sports background?
  3. Age, height, weight, best time at different distances, heart rate zones?
  4. Resources and restrictions: convenient time and place for training, weekly rhythm, injuries, illnesses, preferences.
  • If a person comes to lose weight, the coach provides him with sufficient physical activity within his current physical condition, so the task is not to break a first-time-runner.
  • If the goal is to run faster, then we improve running form, increase strength and develop stamina.
  • If you want to participate in a specific race, we prepare for it, we investigate what is missing, we concentrate on the specifics of the track, the start conditions.

And, of course, a special story – the mountains. Alexander Elkonin is in love with mountains and sooner or later he captivates his students with the mountains, even those who started with flat marathons. Therefore, if you are thinking about a mountain trail, then the ERA running club is your best choice.

What the training process consists of?

What the training process consists of?

  • Individual or group lessons with the coach take place in winter in the sports hall Krylatskoye, in summer – in different parks in Moscow and the region.
  •  Workouts the athletes do on their own in accordance with the training plan. The coach writes weekly plan for each individual on the TrainingPeaks platform. The plan should lead to the achievement of the students goals. Why is the planning horizon a week? On the one hand, runners would like to see the longest possible perspective, but on the other hand, the coach adjusts the plan according to the well-being, results and personal circumstances of the athlete. The basis for adjusting plans is the comments that runners leave in their training log on the TrainingPeaks platform. Also, at least once a week, they call or write to the coach and tell how the week passed, how hard/easy the training was, what awaits at work next week: emergency, business trip or freedom at remote job – the coach will take into account all these factors while making a plan for the next week.
  • Trips for training camps, usually in the mountains, for 7-10 days, 3-4 times a year.
  • Working on running form – video analysis: shooting video at high frame rate, scrolling slowly, evaluating movements, looking for what can be changed to run easier, faster, safer.
  • General physical training: the vast majority of those who run need to take care to load the whole body. For some runners whole-body workouts is a permanent component of the training plan

Training formats

Training formats

Remote conducting of the athlete:

On the TrainingPeaks platform, the coach writes a plan for each week, the runner executes it; the process and the result are recorded in the training log in TrainingPeaks. Accompanied by face-to-face sessions with the coach and consultations by phone or in messengers;

Group workouts:

a) Outdoor all year round: Regular group sessions in the city of Haifa, Israel:

  •  on Fridays at 8:00 am from the sports ground 32.789163, 35.010553 – the crossroads of Yokhhanan Ratner St and Derech Simha Golan   

בצומת דרכים יוחנן רטנר ודרך שמחה גולן

  • on Saturdays at 8:30 am from the beach 32.833983, 34.976885 – the crossroads of Sderot Bat Galim and Retsif Aharon Rosenfeld St

בצומת דרכים שדרות בת גלים ודרך רציף אהרון רוזנפלד

 Individual training:

Place and time to be agreed. Training program: warm-up, exercises (work on running technique or strength exercises), work (interval training / variable pace / tempo run).

Locations and schedule of group trainings in the city of Haifa, Israel:

on Fridays at 8:00 am

  • 32.789163, 35.010553
  • from the sports ground 32.789163, 35.010553 – the crossroads of Yokhhanan Ratner St and Derech Simha Golan
  • בצומת דרכים יוחנן רטנר ודרך שמחה גולן

on Saturdays at 8:30 am

  • 32.833983, 34.976885
  • from the beach 32.833983, 34.976885 – the crossroads of Sderot Bat Galim and Retsif Aharon Rosenfeld St
  • בצומת דרכים שדרות בת גלים ודרך רציף אהרון רוזנפלד