I can’t wait for next week!  We’ve got a great program going for our last big training week leading up to the Dorking race.  It’s going to be fun – I promise.  Here’s what we have scheduled:

Monday – to Kew (10 miles) – yeah!  I love this route.  Some of you have more than 10 miles on the schedule and if so I’ve probably already had a chat with you about how this could be done.  Some options:  you could run the north side of Hyde Park instead of the diagonal or what may work out better is to do an up and back once we get on the river or go past Kew and turn around and come back.  Most of you who have 11 miles on your schedule are our faster runners so and up and back may work very well.  All that means is once we hit the river and you start to edge ahead of the group (probably at about 6 miles into the run) then check your distance, run another 1/2 mile, turn around and run back 1/2 mile (probably seeing some of our runners on your way back), then turn around and carry on running to Kew.  This way we all sort of stay together (not exactly because you will pass people again after you’ve added the extra mile), but at least we get to see each other and our middle-pack runners can cheer you on as you are running.  Those of you needing less mileage can walk in the last mile or so, do the 10 miles anyway or you can always take the tube home from Hammersmith or the train from Barnes or do some sort of Hyde Park loop.

Tuesday – I’ll probably be running at 8:15 from Starbucks with whomever can’t run on their regular day.  So let me know if you want to run and we’ll come up with something fun.

Wednesday – many of you are doing some sort of tempo/speed work on Wednesdays.  I’m probably going to do Notting Hill again at my steady pace.  For you tempo-runners, the canal is a perfect place to do these sessions.  You can jog down to the canal, then do your tempo work out 2.5 miles, turn around, tempo back for 2.5 miles, then jog back to SJW.  It’s a straight 5 miles that way without having to worry about street crossings and such.

Thursday –  to Wandsworth Commons with the Ease Back into Running group.  Fun, fun!  This is a tough route, but the window shopping stretch just before we reach the commons is excellent.  One of these days we’re going to have to call it quits there and finish with lunch/shopping on that high street.  Please come out and run with us.  For those of you not doing Dorking, don’t be put off by the route or distance.  You said you wanted to train as though you were going to do the 10 mile race – so let’s do it.  The pace will be gentle, there are plenty of street crossings, and it’s something fun and different to go to this area.

Friday – the Heath

As always, feel free to join us, do your own thing or start with us and break off to do your own training.  No worries.

I’ll be sending out another email early next week about our Dorking plans.  One more thing, could someone forward this to Francesca?  I thought I had her email address but I can’t find it.

Hope to see you out running next week,

Paula