Hi everyone!
What a great run down to see the lights on Oxford & Regent Streets last week.  You all continue to amaze us – it was a HUGE jump up in running time and you all made it seem so easy.  It might not have felt so easy, but it was definitely nice having the lights as a distraction.  And the rain (mostly) held off!

We have just two more weeks until winter break and we will accomplish a lot before then.  You all can DO this!  We are so excited for all of you, how well you are doing.  We have several pieces of information below but not quite so long-winded as the past few weeks 🙂

RSVP System
Given the varying paces in the group now, we are going to try out pre-sorting you all before the run on Thursday so people are running similar paces.  By doing it ahead of time, we can get the run started more quickly.  Jess is back in the UK but in quarantine so can’t run with us yet, but she will be the group coordinator because she misses you all!  Please RSVP to her so we know you are coming.  Tanya, Ash and Sony – we know you will not be there so you’re all set 🙂

Non-Thursday RunningJust a reminder that you are running about 30-35 minutes on the weekends and 45 minutes on Tuesdays.  Your segments should not be longer than what we run on Thursday – so nothing longer than 25 min this Tuesday and 30 min next Tuesday.  Please please get in both of these runs each week.  It will make the Thursday runs so much more enjoyable and less intimidating!

Shoes
Some of you may have already purchased new shoes since you started running, but some haven’t.  If you haven’t, it would be good to get a new pair before we start increasing our mileage in January.  If you’re going back to the US for the holidays, you could pick up a pair there (that’s what I did my beginner year).  It’s a good idea to go to a store that knows what it’s doing – that will evaluate your gait and suggest an appropriate shoe for you.  In London, Runners Need (a chain with many locations) or the Asics store on Oxford Street offer gait analysis.  You want to get new shoes soon so you can make sure they are comfortable and don’t cause any issues.  When I was a beginner, I ran the first few months in cross trainers and when I got “real” running shoes, my knees started hurting because I was landing differently in the new shoes.  It took several weeks of alternating with my old and new shoes before everything settled and I was glad to have that time.

Lululemon Event
Reminder about the Lululemon event that is this week.  Shop in person or via phone, mention you are with WRW and use the code BE KIND.  The details are in the graphic below if you are interested!

This Week
For Thursday, we are going to run down to Hyde Park.  A few of you went before during lockdown but we are going to go again as it’s a great place to go for your future Tuesday runs – easy to get to, and then you get the park to run in.  We will end at the Green Park tube so BRING YOUR CONTACTLESS OR OYSTER CARD!  We can get coffee at Starbucks or Joe & the Juice nearby.

Directions for the run:
RunGo:  https://routes.rungoapp.com/route/YTQBKBvaQe

From the church gardens, run straight out and up Cochrane St and turn left on Circus Rd.  Cross Wellington, head down Circus Rd and turn left on Lisson Grove.  Run to Marylebone Road and cross over to Seymour Place.  At the end, turn right, cross over Edgware Road (be careful at this light) and run straight for one block on Seymour Road.  Turn left on Stanhope Place and then cross Hyde Park Pl to get into Hyde Park.  When you see the silver globe, after crossing North Carriage Dr, turn right.  When the path curves left, go straight and cross the road (be careful!) and head down the hill.  Turn left at the far side of the fountain and follow the path along the side of the Italian Gardens, keeping to the path right along the water.  You will go under a bridge, still keeping the water on the left.  When the path diverges, run down to the right to join the paved path, taking care to avoid the bicycles.  At the corner of the park, turn right and make your way out of the gates to Hyde Park Corner and cross over Knightsbridge to run through the Wellington Arch and into Green Park.  Run diagonally to the left to go towards the tube station at the far end.