Hi everyone,
WELL DONE to ALL of you on Thursday!  We had a looonnnggg 3 weeks off and I know it was difficult to keep up the running.  But you guys kicked ass on Thursday.  You may have been a bit sore after Thursday and that is totally normal.  I can tell you that many of the regular MWF runners were sore last week from getting back into the routine.
A few reminders:

• You should be running 3 times per week now
• The Tuesday run should be about 45 minutes and the weekend run should be about 30 minutes (Tuesday runs will get longer in a few weeks, but not yet)
• It is OK to break up into smaller pace groups on your weekend and Tuesday runs but it is normal for pace groups to ebb and flow from week to week
• It is OK to try to run a bit faster on the weekend run, but only if you want to
• Bring water for the Thursday runs
• Eat something before the Thursday runs
• The Thursday run is SLOW

Remaining Schedule after this week
Week 22 Jan 23 – 70 min – Borough Market
Week 23 Jan 30 – 80 min = Brompton Cemetery/Whole Foods Kensington
Week 24 Feb 6 – 90 min = Sloane Sq/Green Park (note – this is parent-teacher conf at ASL)
Week 25 Feb 13 – 100 min = Big Ben and back 
Week 26 Feb 20 – February break – 60 min run
Week 27 Feb 27 – 110 min = Wembley
Week 28 Mar 5 – 120 min = Canada Water
Week 29 Mar 12 – 90 min = TBD
Week 30 Mar 19 – 130 min = Kew Gardens
Week 31 Mar 25 – 45 min = easy run through Regents Park (note this is a Wednesday since we leave for the race the next day)
RACE DAY!

Training
We cannot emphasize enough that the way to build up to the half is to just put in the time and miles.  Also, it is important to understand that the pace groups will continue to morph throughout our training and that is completely normal.  Some days you feel like you want to be towards the front, sometimes you feel like it’s just not your day and you’re slower.  This happens in the M/W/F group, too.  We have lots of time and as you know, it’s about finishing and feeling good about it, not about how fast you can go.  Save that for next year.  Also, as we run for longer times on Thursdays, we will continue to make you run more slowly than you might otherwise.  Running slowly builds your body and muscles in a different way.  I will send our founder, Paula’s, lengthy description of that next week.

Water and Nutrition
As our runs get longer, you will want water along to hydrate.  It will make you feel better on the run and will help your body recover faster.  Also, please please eat something, just a little something, before our Thursday runs.  We don’t want you feeling faint from lack of energy.  Maybe some yogurt or a banana – just a little something for your body to use to fuel you.  As our runs get longer in a few weeks, we will talk to you about fueling for much longer runs and during the race, but we’re not ready for that yet.

This week’s route:
Start out on Circus Rd to Hall Rd.  Just past Randolph Ave, go left onto Warrington Crescent and at the Warwick Ave tube, turn right onto Clifton Villas.  Left onto Blomfield Rd and then right onto Westbourne Terrace Rd over the canal and under the Westway to Westbourne Bridge/Westbourne Terrace.  Keep right onto Sussex Gardens to Lancaster Terrace.  Enter Hyde Park at the Italian Gardens and run so the fountains are on your left.  Keep to the path closest to the water, run under the bridge and hook around to the right at the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain to go up to the road.  Turn right to run across the bridge and go diagonally across the park to Speakers Corner.  Turn right and then left past the Animals in War Memorial.  Cross Park Lane and turn left at the next street, Park St.  Run up this street as it becomes Gloucester Rd and turn left when it ends at Park Rd.  Run up Park Rd to St John’s Wood High St and Starbucks.