Hi everyone,
SO SO fun to run to Big Ben last week! Big Ben was a huge milestone and you all did it with smiles on your faces. Now if only it wasn’t covered in scaffolding, darn it! You guys did 40 minutes of running – so amazing!
We have a jump up in time intervals this week but don’t be nervous – you can do it! You are all doing so well. If you are worried about the time, or feel tired during the run, just slow down. We’re not in a hurry!
I know some of you have started adding in an extra run on the weekend. This is the time for all of you to start doing that if you haven’t already. This will really help you continue to build your stamina and will make the runs during the week easier. In general, you don’t want to run a longer segment on the weekend than we are doing during the week – so if you ran next weekend, it shouldn’t have segments longer than 10 minutes. The run should be no more than 30-35 total minutes including walk time. Pay attention to your pace, too, so you don’t go too fast. Your muscles have been building so you can add that third run, but we don’t want you to push too much and get injured. As we run longer segments, it will become more important to have that extra run on the weekend so the longer runs during the week aren’t so tiring.
Some of you have asked about eating before the run. In general, it is good to have something in your stomach before you run, but not too much. The key for all of you is to experiment. A little later, as we are running for longer, I will send a long, information-packed email put together by WRW’s founder, Paula, on the science and theory behind what to eat before and after a run. But I don’t think we need that level of detail yet. For now, you should be trying different things to see what works for you because everyone is different. Personally, I usually have a yogurt or a banana along with coffee and whole milk. It’s enough to keep my stomach from grumbling and will give me a little energy, but won’t sit like a lump. I know other runners like oatmeal or a smoothie or maybe half a bagel with cream cheese. The important thing is to have something. As we start to run longer, you will need a little more energy and it’s good to start trying things now.
Also, most of you will experience an increased appetite as a result of this training. That is normal. Many runners will say they didn’t lose a pound when they started running. Usually it’s because you’re hungrier with increased activity levels, so you eat more. Generally, women don’t lose or gain weight in training, but they have more energy, they can eat more and often digestive issues disappear.
Let us know if you have any questions about any of this!
WRW SHIRTS AND HATS – ORDER NOW
It’s time for the new WRW T-shirt order and this year we are also offering some additional WRW kit. (Thank you Carol Bertolino for organising all these great offerings!) Orders are due by5pm on Thursday 2 November. Since we have such a large order, we need to work with the Nike “teamwear” vendors as the inventory levels are always changing. So once we get confirmation that our preferred colour/style is in stock, we need to order ASAP. That means that we can’t extend the deadline or make late additions once we have submitted the order. Don’t be late, or you’ll miss your chance to order! We don’t have an exact price yet from our vendor (depends on the number we order) so we’ve provided you a price range.
2017-2018 T-shirt
We’re offering the same Nike Legend Dri Fit shirt we’ve had the last five years. We’re keeping the shirt and race-hat color a surprise, but trust us it’s going to look great! (The shirt color will be a standard color and not anything sheer or a color you wouldn’t normally wear.) We’ll have our WRW logo on the front and a new saying on the back. If you want to see a sample, I will wear one from a prior year on Thursday. Note that the shirts run a bit big. I wear a size small in this shirt. Many runners order a size smaller than their usual size. The price will be £25 – £30 per shirt.
WRW Kit Hat
We’re offering the same Nike Dri-Fit featherlight cap that we’ve had the last two years with the WRW logo, London and the British Flag in classic red/white/blue on the front. At the moment, the only colour in stock is the charcoal grey that we offered two years ago. However, I know that many of you missed a chance to get that hat so we’re offering it again. The price will be between £25-£30 per hat depending on the number we order. Please note that this is NOT the race hat for Utrecht. (We’re ordering a race hat in a fun bright colour for all those who are going to the half marathon.)
WRW Kit Long-sleeve T-shirt in two colours
This year we are also offering a long-sleeved Nike Legend Dri-Fit T-shirt. This is the same style as the short-sleeve shirt just with long sleeves. The colours available are black and cardinal (which actually looks more like a raspberry colour – there is a picture on the google form) and it will have the WRW logo, London and the British Flag in accenting colours printed on the front. The price will be between £35-£45 per shirt.
How to order
If you would like to place an order, please click on the WRW Apparel Order Form to complete the Google Doc. It’s very simple, just follow the directions. If you want to order multiple shirts in multiple sizes, you should submit the form for each shirt size with a different name. For example, Jane Novak1 orders one small shirt and Jane Novak2 orders one large shirt.
If you have trouble with the Google Doc for any reason, please email Carol Bertolino.
Money Collection
We’re going to collect money when the shirts/hats arrive, probably not until January.
If you have any questions about the kit, just let me know.
Also, if anyone still has not received the information about the race hotel and registration, let me know.
Route for this week:
Start down St John’s Wood Terrace to Charlbert and then down to the canal entrance at Regent’s Park. Run east on the canal towards Camden Market where we exit the canal over the bridge and turn right onto Camden High Street. We’ll run down Camden High Street to Mornington Crescent Tube Station and veer right onto Hampstead Road, which we will take down to Robert Street. Turn right on Robert for a few blocks and then a left on Albany Street and then the first right onto Chester Gate. Run on the Outer Circle of Regents Park until you get to the exit for Charlbert Street. Take Charlbert back up to St John’s Wood Terrace and then to Starbucks.
