Hi everyone,
Dani and I had great fun in Russia but we missed you all. It sounds like you all braved the short but intense rain storm for Thursday’s run – bravo! I have a friend who lives on St. John’s Wood Terrace and she said she was impressed at the number of you out running given how hard it had been raining just before 8:15.
This Week
As you know, this week we are going to Megan’s house after the run to have some social time over coffee and pastries, hear a bit more about the race and hear from former beginners who have gone through the program. I know some of you may not be able to stay and that’s fine – just let us know if you have any questions. Megan’s address is 22 St. John’s Wood Terrace – just down the street from Starbucks. We should be getting there by 9:30.
For the run this week, we are starting to increase our running increments, doing 4 and 5 minute segments.
Also, we may have two new runners joining us this week – Kerry and Mary. Please welcome them if you see them on Tuesday.
Running Next Week
Next week is ASL’s October break and many of the group may not be around for the Tuesday run. But not all of you are ASL and not all may be going away, so please reach out to each other to see who is available to run and when. If you are away, try to get one run in between this Thursday and next Thursday, even if it’s just a few 4 or 5 minute intervals. Don’t worry about keeping track of how many intervals – just get out there and run/walk for about 35-40 minutes if you can. We want your legs to get used to running on a regular basis.
For next Thursday (ASL parent teacher conferences), I only heard that a couple of you cannot do Thursday morning and we actually may have a bit of a coach availability issue as well so I think that we will run the session as usual on Thursday and those of you that cannot do it should get together on What’sApp and make a date. I will send you the route that we will do in next week’s email so you can follow it.
Running Kit
I know there have been questions about recommended gear for running and where to buy it. First, know that you don’t need to run out to buy things unless you want to (always good to have a shopping excuse!). My beginner year I bought super cheap stretchy cotton yoga pants at Sports Direct (for literally less than £10 each) and a super cheap running belt (that I still use) and then bought things like shoes and running tights when I went back to the states at Christmas. I was also not convinced I would last at this running thing beyond Christmas so was reluctant to buy running tights that I would never use again.
The coaches recommend you consider the following gear to get you through the training season:
Rain jacket – as you saw on Thursday, it does rain here and it’s not going to stop us. You want one that is breathable if possible (although again, I got by for almost 3 years with a super cheap not-breathable lightweight waterproof shell). They can be very expensive but I got one like this a few years ago and I like it:
The colour on that one won’t be for everyone (mine was black). As a jacket, the main drawback is the only pocket is at the chest.
There is also this one that seems to be similar – maybe slightly lighter (it says it’s 2.5 layer versus 3 layer, whatever that means)
Baseball cap – good for keeping light drizzle off your face, helping with sun, taming your hair; does not need to be an official running cap – just something you are comfortable in
Thermal layer/light fleece – I have two weights of fleece. As we get into colder months, the heavier fleece is all I’ve ever needed for a warm layer for running.
Running gloves – again, I have two weights of gloves for various temps. You just want something form fitting that won’t soak up sweat
Ear warmer band and/or warm hat – I have both of these because if it’s really cold, I want a full hat but sometimes I just want ear protection. Any wool or fleece hat that isn’t floppy is fine.
Running belt – this is a totally personal purchase – as I said above I am still using the cheap one I bought as a beginner even though I have bought at least 4 others to try. Ask others what they have and why they like it (or don’t). This is the current version of what I have:
I like it because it has two pockets so I can keep my keys separate from my phone/Oyster. But some people won’t like that the belt part is not stretchy.
Places to buy:
Runners Need (both in store and online) for clothes, gear and shoes (they do gait analysis)
Wiggle (online only) for gear
Asics store on Oxford St for shoes (they do gait analysis)
London Designer Outlets by Wembley (Asics, Nike, New Balance Adidas are all there) for better prices
Sports Direct/Lillywhites (not a great experience but can get cheap stuff there)