Rachel – no more tripping over things for the next few weeks, OK?  Please?

We leave for Warsaw in two and a half weeks.  I’m hoping that’s starting to feel a bit more like “YAY!” rather than “YIKE!”  Or maybe a bit of both.  We are in the home stretch and you guys are STRONG.  If you had to, you could do the race now.  The next few weeks are just about making it easier.

As the trip approaches, Jane will send more detailed emails about the weekend including timing and where to meet for meals, the tours, and anything else scheduled.  She’ll also send some trip packing tips which I will emphasize and add to in a future email.  If you have any questions at all about the race or the weekend, please don’t hesitate to ask.  I know it can be scary not knowing how it’s all going to play out and we want to make you all feel as comfortable and psychologically ready as possible.

I think I have everyone’s photo book information.  If you haven’t already, don’t forget to respond to the dinner choice email survey.  And I believe Sue is collecting £5 for the bus that will take us to and from the race.

This week is a bit of a break week.  This doesn’t mean we get to take it easy, unfortunately.  It just means we don’t increase our time/distance.  We are letting our bodies recover a bit from the last few long runs, giving the muscles time to repair before we move on.  We’re going to do a Hyde Park/Sloane Square/Westminster run that will give you some stretches of non-stop running and a few red man breaks.  Neither Meg nor I will be there this week sadly for us but we will have at least one guest coach to help guide you and set the pace.

Don’t forget to bring your Oyster card for the ride home.  You won’t need your gels this week unless you really want the practice.

This week, we are going to start running immediately from Barclays.  In the race, you won’t have a walk to start running so let’s start to get used to running from the start.  Make sure you are warmed up a bit before you get to Barclays and keep moving while we wait for the group to gather.

Start out running down Circus to Hall Rd.  Cross Maida Vale and go left at Warrington Crescent at the traffic circle.  When you reach Warwick Avenue (you’ll see the tube), turn right onto Clifton Gardens.  At the end, turn right onto Blomfield and then right onto Westbourne Terrace Rd.  Go under the Westway and stay on Westbourne Terrace until Sussex Gardens when you’ll bear right and enter Hyde Park at the Italian Gardens.  Go diagonally right and hook around Round Pond and run back through the southern part of Hyde Park along the straight path.  Exit Hyde Park just after the end of the Serpentine, going past the French Embassy.  Cross Knightsbridge and turn right and then left on Sloane Street.  Run all the way down through Sloane Square and keep running on that road (which turns into Chelsea Bridge Rd).  At the river, turn left and run until you get to Westminster.