Hello ladies!  Wow!  You did 80 minutes last week and are about to embark on 90 this week.  You are incredible!  We are so excited for all of you.  Thanks to Vicky and all our coaches for making it possible to do two long runs last week.  This week we have a beautiful route as described below…

The route is named “Sloan Sq, Westminster, Green Park” in the WRW Map My Run account.  It is a little over 7 miles…. run to Hyde Park, down Sloane Street to the Embankment, along the river, past Westminster to end at Green Park.  

Please remember your Oyster cards as we will take the tube home from Green Park.

A few of you have been asking about gels.  Attached please find the gel information from Jane and the WRW website.  If you have any questions, please ask any of the coaches.

ENERGY GELS for training and the race

Looking ahead to our longest training runs, it is time to start to think about what type of gel or fueling you’ll use during the race.  Fueling is different for each runner but I’ll give you some of Paula’s general guidelines.  The rule of thumb is that after about 80-90 minutes of running you’ll have used up natural fuel sources and you’ll need to top up the tank with something.  (That is based on our type of running, if someone is running a marathon at a 6 min/mile pace, their fueling needs will be different!)  Most of the women in the group use some sort of sports gel.  If you have never used a sports gel before it is crucial that you try it out during some of our long training runs.  The gels are very concentrated so a brand that might work well for one person could make another person feel sick.  Below are some recommendations from members of the group.  It is worth stocking up now so you’ll have them for our longest runs.  You can go to a Runner’s Need store or order them on the internet.  Amazon also has a good stock.  (If you have some leftovers at home, make sure to check the expiration date because they don’t last forever.)

Amy – GU Energy, Tri-Berry

Syma – TORQ, Forest Fruits

Jane – GU Roctane (has caffeine), Blueberry Pomegranate

Vicky – Clif Shot Bloks, Berry or Orange

We’ll review this again before our longest runs, but in general during a race you would take a gel somewhere between 7-8 miles and then don’t take another one for 35-45 mins.  (Don’t be tempted to take more than one gel in 30 mins! – you’ll need to keep an eye on your watch.)  If you don’t want to get into too much of the science of it all, Paula recommends that you take a gel at 8 miles during the race if you’re running at a medium pace for you (not as compared to anyone else) or 7 miles if you’re running fast for you.  For me, during training, I will take a gel around 7-8 mile mark of a 10-mile run.  Even if I don’t feel that I desperately need it at that point, it helps me feel better at the end of run, and helps me practice taking a gel.  If you are interested in learning more about fueling, gels and the different brands, CLICK HERE to read Paula’s full note.

Enjoy the weekend and we will see you Thursday!

Meg and Vicky