Hi everyone,
Well, we are really starting things this week.  Up until now, we have been building our muscles and our lungs and our psyche to know that we can run for 60 minutes.  We will now start to add on a bit each Thursday to build you up to the distance you need to run that race.  The other thing to know is that while we plan the runs for a certain amount of time, we won’t all finish the planned distance at that time.  So depending on your pace for that day, you may run a little less than the expected time or a little more, but we will all need to run the same distance for the race so we all need to build up to that distance even if it takes different times for each of you.  I will start putting the expected miles so we all know how far we should be running each week since we aren’t running together.

Melissa will continue to coordinate coach/runner pairs on your What’sApp group.  I can’t wait to run with someone this week!!

Think of how far you’ve come – it really is amazing.  We can’t wait to watch you grow from here!

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 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

Training
We cannot emphasize enough that the way to build up to the half is to just put in the time and miles.  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.  Why?  Read on later in this email for our founder, Paula’s explanation.

HOWEVER – I know that these are extraordinary times and that many of you are away or otherwise unable to run with a coach on Thursdays.  If you are struggling mentally to get out there and do the increased time/miles, please just get out and do what you CAN do, even if it’s 45 or 60 minutes, 3 times a week.  Although we have the goal of the race, the REAL goal of this program is to turn you into runners (shhh!) who can get out there without fear.  ALL of you have done more than a 5K.  Once you do the 70 min run, you’ll be just about to a 10K.  That is a HUGE milestone.  We are still hoping our planned Hampton Court race will still happen (they have told us it’s still a go right now) but even if it does not, we hope to create a virtual event in line with whatever rules exist then, so we are going to continue on our training schedule and keep pushing you.  If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to any of us.

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 the Thursday run.  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.

OK – today’s lecture – why we run slowly.  This is from Paula Mitchell, our founder.

Why do we run the long run slower than race pace?
The quick answer is that it has to do with how your body builds fuel, which is something you’ll need for the race! I’ll delve into the basic science of fueling (which I have hugely over-simplified but hopefully it’ll get my point across). To fuel our runs we have 3 options – Creatine Phosphate (CP), glycogen and fat.

Creatine Phosphate– You have about 15 seconds worth of CP fuel – that’s it. Think Usain Bolt running the 100m – he fuels with CP and it works because he can run 100m in less than 15 seconds. CP is where your body will go first looking for fuel, particularly if you take off like a rocket from Barclays. Think of CP as kindling on a fire – it catches fire easily but burns out very quickly

Glycogen– Glycogen is the next fuel option. Glycogen is basically stored in your muscles and in your liver and because of that it makes glycogen a bit more difficult to burn as fuel (think of damp firewood – it will eventually burn but it takes quite a bit to get it going).

Fat– Fat is the 3rd source of fuel and most runners, even the very lean women, have an ample supply of it. Think of fat as a butane tank of gas on the BBQ grill – once it’s lit, you can have countless cook-outs before the fuel is gone.

Here’s the important part– All of those fuel sources – kindling, damp firewood or butane gas need something to ignite them and keep them burning. Physiologically speaking that ignition or burning “tool” is ATP which is created by mitochondria; so, the more mitochondria you have the more efficient you are as a fuel burning machine.

What is mitochondria and how do we get more of it?  Some of us are genetically blessed with higher mitochondria counts. Thank your mother for that – it comes through the maternal side of the genetic equation. If you didn’t win the genetic lottery, then the only way you can increase mitochondria is through LONG, SLOW, ENDURANCE training (LSE). When you go for a long run at a slow pace, you actually produce mitochondria. Kind of cool, huh? Now remember – we need mitochondria to help ignite our fuel sources. So what does that mean for you? It means SLOW DOWN on your long run – give your body a chance to become a mitochondria production factory. If you do your long run at a strong pace, you’re missing out on this benefit.So we will be keeping it SLOW on Thursdays, and now you know why.

Proposed Route – 70 min/about 6 miles – Hyde Park Loop
RunGo:  https://routes.rungoapp.com/route/ybk4zOsBh9
Starting point is Barclays.  From there, run down Circus Road and turn left on Grove End/ Lisson Grove.  Cross over Marylebone Rd (now you’re on Seymour Pl) and run until the road ends.  Turn right on Seymour St, cross Edgware Rd, and turn left at the next street (Stanhope Pl).  Cross into Hyde Park, cross over the Carriage Rd.  Turn right at the silver sphere after entering the park.  Cross over N Carriage Rd and turn left just after the Italian Gardens at the bottom of the hill.  Run along the water (it turns into the Serpentine) and turn right at the end to run along the southern edge of the park toward Hyde Park Corner.  Then turn left and head back up along the eastern edge of the park before exiting at the Upper Brook St/Animals of War exit.  After you cross Park Ln, make your first left onto Park St and keep going until you get to Park Rd.  Turn left on Park Rd and make your way back to Starbucks.