UP & RUNNING, the shop that keeps Birmingham running!

The Birmingham Up & Running shop is handily located in the City Centre, with an Evans Cycles shop downstairs. Call in for friendly and expert advice on running and fitness shoes, clothing, and accessories; video gait analysis and shoe fitting, information on local races and training.

25-29, Temple Street
Birmingham
B2 5DB

Opening Hours!

Contact us!

Telephone: 0121 6343600
Email: birmingham@upandrunning.co.uk

Dominic has been with Up & Running since January 2008 and was made store manager in December 2009. In this time he has seen a wealth of injuries and picked up unsurpassed product knowledge. He regularly trains between 5 and 10K and is a 'go-to guy' for beginner runners.

Natalie is an extremely keen runner and athlete, training night and day over a range of distances and at the gym, often running up to 80K weeks. Friendly and approachable, Natalie has a passion for sharing training tips, clothing advice and footwear guidance. She enjoys 10K races, spin classes and tough interval sessions.

Paul is our newest member of staff and debatably our most trim. He has an enthusiasm for fitness and is a regular triathlon and adventure racer and has a supreme knowledge of running technology and nutrition.

Will is our resident nutritional advisor and well of technological knowledge. A former Moseley rugby club player, Will has seen his fare share of injuries and can give advice on massive range of different physical activities.

Aidan is a graduate of Sports and Exercise Science at Worcester University and as such is our biomechanics and gait-analysis expert. A regular 10K runner, Aidan also enjoys soccer, badminton and table-tennis

It's important that your running shoes fit correctly: our trained staff can help find the right shoes for you: in a short session on our treadmill they can do a video gait analysis using sophisticated Dartfish software.

Find out more about gait analysis at UP & RUNNING.

NB if you would like to enjoy the full benefits of our gait analysis system and shoe-fitting service, please arrive at least half an hour before shop closing time.

Thanks!

Product Reviews

Informed opinion from our knowledgable staff and key customers ...

Brooks HVAC Pulse Synergy Tee

First off some jargon busting - HVAC stands for Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning. What this HVAC really amounts to is a couple of whopping great panels of extremely breathable material covering nearly the entire back of this tee and, uncommonly, the diaphragm area too. The HVAC tee is, quite simply, one of the most breathable products out there and has performed exceptionally, especially when wearing a potentially back-drenching rucksack, which is all the more surprising considering the affordable SRP of much of the Brooks clothing. Brooks have also given this tee a 'semi-fitted' cut which hugs the body well, allowing greater wicking, without giving that tight 'Miami Beach' look.

Review by Dom, Sep 2011

Brooks Racer ST5

A proviso I would offer with any lightweight shoe is that you should only run as far as you feel comfortable or able to in that shoe. As a result, I have only completed up to 10K but I have no doubt that the right runner could complete up to marathon distance in this shoe. And a mighty quick marathon one would run in it too. I certainly feel a greater confidence in this shoe than in other lightweights, it seems to feel a little more solid, the upper more structured and gives the impression of being a little more forgiving to the heel striking runner when compared to other shoes in the category. In terms of the stability offered by this shoe, it is not recommended for those who may need extreme amounts of support, but certainly holds its own against regular weight road shoes in the mild stability category and more than outperforms other ‘racer trainers’ when tested on gait analysis.

Review by Dom, Sep 2011

Brooks Ravenna 2

Having found myself overly attached to my Mizuno Inspires, I decided it was time to admit that I needed a change. I decided upon the Brooks Ravenna, as I’d enjoyed their ST 5 Racer. Straight off felt a little bit more built up, and noticeably softer. Having had it for 2.5 months now I would say they stand out in terms of comfort over any other shoes I’ve had previously. The support is very effective, whilst being relatively lightweight also. I’m enjoying my longer runs in these shoes, and even if I forget my racers they are more than capable of shorter faster runs and hunting down stragglers on the tow paths.

Review by Paul, Sep 2011

More Product Reviews from this shop

Gore Melbourne Shirt

It may seem ostentatious in these austere times to promote Gore clothing, traditionally the most high-end of the technical clothing brands, but the old adage of ‘you get what you pay for’ certainly applies in this case. As in the world of designer clothing, the first thing one notices on donning the garment is the superior cut. This Gore tee is no exception; the sleeves gather underneath the arm ever so slightly, the length of the shirt is seemingly just so, the angled seams pull the shirt in to the body allowing for greater productivity in wicking and avoiding areas of rubbing, but also giving the shirt a flattering looks.
Moreover, the Gore fabrics are of the utmost quality. From the firm that produces the infamous Gore-Tex, Gore shirts are constructed with extremely technical microfibres, endlessly scientifically developed and lab-tested. As a result the feel and performance of this shirt is exceptional, providing unparalleled breathability and touch.

Review by Dom, Sep 2011

Mizuno Wave Harrier 3

The trail category has certainly become much more creative over the last few years. Gone are the days of brands slapping a bit of grip on a standard road shoe and painting it black and green. The current crop of trail shoes from the traditional road shoe brands are a genuinely mixed bag, from high cushioned trail stompers, to ultra lightweight fell racers, the Harrier from Mizuno errs towards the latter category. There is more than enough grip on this shoe to keep you on your feet in muddy, wet terrain, while the low profile and low differential allow the foot to be mobile and flex across uneven ground. However, unlike the most minimal of the fell shoes, the Harrier does come with a bit of cushioning and a wider toe-box making it suitable as a transitional shoe, for those moving across to off road running, or those with wider than average feet.

Review by Dom, Sep 2011

Skins Men's Half Tights

My first impressions of the Skins was how much tighter they fit to your legs compared to other similar kit I had worn previously. Also the length of the tight was noted, it stretches right down to just below the knee cap thus covering major leg muscles of the hamstrings and quadriceps fully. The benefit of these two aspects is in the reduction it gives to muscle vibrations that cause small tears in muscle fibres which can then lead to delayed onset muscle soreness. Following on from this looking at the research undertaken into Skins the main performance benefits are to:
- Increase venous return meaning increased oxygen delivery to working muscles:
- Reduce the effect of delayed onset muscle soreness:
- Aid in the removal of lactic acid:
To achieve the best fit for you Skins sizing works on a height: weight ratio which can be worked out using the guide provided on the back of the pack. I have used the tights personally for a range of activities and have been impressed with them through the fit, feel and performance benefits they give. In summary the Skins half tights are a great piece of kit that I would highly recommend.

Review by A Staff Member, June 2011

Kamleika

No joke, if you are a mountain marathonite, orienteer, off road runner, hill walker or if you have EVER BEEN OUTSIDE, this jacket will change your life.

Review by A Staff Member, June 2011

Garmin 405

I've just upgraded from my trusty 205 to the new sleeker looking 405 (what can I say, I just like new gadgets!!!). Only been using it for a week but so far all is good. Similar features to the 205, but notably the GPS signal registers quicker at the start of a run. And obviously it looks much better! The scroll wheel is better than the arrow buttons on the older models, making it much quicker and easier to flick through the menus and switch between modes. I also went for the heart rate monitor version this time....although I was a bit reluctant to swap to the solid strap after Ive been using the polar wearlink. Good news is the Garmin transmitter straps are softer than the T31 Polars so more comfortable and seem to keep a closer contact. Also the digital transmission means that I dont get peaks of about 230bpm when I run by the railway lines!!! (Oh and I dont have to wear a Polar on one wrist and a Garmin on the other!). So far definitely a good buy :o

Review by Nicky, June 2011

Timex Bodylink Midsize

First impressions of the unit....too many bits!!! With the watch, GPS block and HRM strap all needed - that was a bit of a drawback, and then if you want to download to a computer afterwards you also need the data recorder. Hmm with all that I was starting to feel a little cluttered! But in fairness the GPS block wasn't as annoying as I expected, clipped on the back of my shorts in the middle of my back it sat pretty well and I didn't really notice it was there once I got going.
Performance-wise, I liked the watch. Big display, easy to use, nice and straight forward and neat enough to wear as an every day watch. Being able to set a target time for a set distance and then have the watch work out whether you are on target or not and by how much is a pretty cool function.
Would be great for a marathon (especially by about mile 18 when simple mental arithmetic becomes impossible!) instead of writing all the mile splits up your arm!
The GPS struggled to find a signal when I used it in the city centre with all the tall buildings, but it held its signal pretty well in the trees once I got out of the city and off the beaten track!
All in all I'd say it's great value for a great watch, with HRM and GPS compatibility. But for the lower price be prepared to carry the gadgets, as opposed to a Garmin with just the watch.

Review by Nicky, June 2011

Is there a product you'd like to see reviewed here? Contact the shop to get their thoughts.

Some local runs ...

A 10k route from the City centre

On Broad Street join the canal at Brindley Place/Hyatt Hotel. Follow the canal past Five Ways and all the way down to University rail station. You can leave the canal here and cut through the University grounds. Go through the University and join the Bristol road. Follow the Bristol road north, back into the city centre - you will arrive back in the city at the pagoda roundabout/Raddison hotel.

Quick 5K from the City centre

Go to Snow Hill and follow Livery Street under Queensway. Join the canal off Livery Street and run on the North (right hand side) of the canal. Follow the canal past the NIA and carry on until you pass under Ladywood Middleway, a few hundred yards further along the canal you can cross a bridge and follow the canal back into the city on the other side where you come out into Brindley Place.

Edgbaston/Harborne 10K ish

Follow a circuit of Edgbaston reservoir and exit from the Rotton Park Road end, go up the hill on Rotton Park Road and join the old railway line - Harborne walkway which is a pedestrian, tree-lined promenade. Carry on down Harborne walkway and you will come off on Park Hill Road at the bottom of Harborne. Go along the road and turn left up Nursery Road, continue up this hill, cross the Hagley road, carry on down Rotton Park Road and complete another lap of the reservoir.

Off Road

Good routes to be found in Sutton Park (North of Birmingham), Clent and Lickey Hills (South of Birmingham).

Ask our staff for advice on some great local training runs ....

Local Races

Drop into the shop for the latest race information and entry leaflets, and if you're an organiser let us know your race details.

• Aldridge Running Club - Meet on Tuesday evenings at 7pm at the 'Stick and Wicket Club' - WS9 8NH - as well as informal sessions on Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings. The emphasis of ARC is 'sport for all' and aims to support and encourage all levels and abilities. Range of ability groups and each group will be accompanied by a nominated member(s) who will ensure that no one runs unsupported.
• Bournville Harriers - Monday, Thursday and Saturday morning meetings, as well as additional structured and coached sessions. Bournville Harriers is colloquially known as Birmingham's friendliest club but also boast a performance team and a private race series 'Tour of Bournville'.
• BRaT Club - Running meetings: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday for a range of different training - technique, intervals, speed and endurance for all abilities. One of Birmingham's largest clubs they recently merged with Birmingham Rowheath. Fancy yourself as a bit of a triathlete? BRaT also offer swimming and cycling training sessions.
• Cobra Running and Triathlon Club - Running sessions on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday with a womens only session on Wednesday. Cobra actively encourages 'absolute' beginners and the club has an appointed Social Secretary who organises a variety of social activities which are well attended by members, their family and friends.
• Elmdon Women's Running Group (on Facebook) - The club meets at 8.45am on a Saturday morning at Tan House Farm road car park. Attending the group is free; all you need to do it register at www.runinengland.com Elmdon Women's Running Group is aimed at getting women up and active through running. If you've never tried running before, or just don't want to go out on your own, they provide a safe and friendly environment in which you can give it a go. There is also 'Run/Walk' programme in which beginners can build up their running in and around Elmdon Park and the surrounding area.
• Kings Heath Running Club - Kings Heath RC hosts a beginners 12 week introduction to running on Thursdays and Saturdays and two evening groups, catering for all abilities, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Meet at Kings Heath Park, Avenue road car park at 7pm for evening sessions. Beginner's sessions commencing May 12th (Thursday sessions) and June 4th (Saturday sessions) Very friendly running club providing a number of different runs, catering for runners of all abilities.
• Sparkhill Harriers - Meet in the annexe of Fox Hollies Leisure centre every Tuesday at 7 and Thursday at 7.30pm. For seniors (adults), Thursdays are usually less structured and less well attended so newcomers are encouraged to come along to Tuesday sessions initially. Whether you're an enthusiastic novice, junior or an experienced athlete, perhaps interested in track and field or cross country Sparkhill Harriers cater for runners of all abilities.
• West Bromwich Harriers - WBH meet every Wednesday night at 19:15 for a 19:30 start. HQ is Aston University recreation centre and showers and refreshments always available. A small, friendly athletics club catering for athletes of all standards WBH have been around since 1920!

Would you like to list your local running club here? Just call in with your details!

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