Well, I have to say I am disappointed that it looks like we can’t run in larger groups until 29 March.  For our currently scheduled destination runs in a couple of weeks, we might try to get a little creative, depending on how you all and the coaches are feeling then.  As much as we treasure our runs with you all individually, we miss the energy, connections and dynamics of the group and can’t wait to see you all together again.

I hope you had a good break week and are ready to get back into increasing our distance!

This week, we reach another milestone where the scheduled route is running to Big Ben… and back!  Remember when it was such a big deal to run to Big Ben?  And now you are running there, with no walk breaks, and coming all the way back.  Incredible!!  This is just a half-mile increase from your pre-break week run so not too much stress 🙂

If you are not currently up to 8 miles for this week and aren’t sure what you should be doing, let me know or work with your assigned coach for the week.

This week – gels
I’m going to copy the information I sent last week about gels:This week we are going to try gels on the run.   Gels are basically carbohydrates to give your body some extra fuel during the race.  For the most part, we train in a way to teach our body to use fat as a fuel.  Fat is easier to access as an energy source and requires less fine-tuning in terms of timing carb intake during exercise.  Our bodies have about 1000-1200 “easy access” calories available which will get most ladies about 10-11 miles (depending on their weight and fitness level).  After that we will use gels (carbs) to fuel that last 2-3 miles of the half-marathon.  We, your coaches, will tell you when you should take the gel.  We will plan to use them on our longer runs going forward so we get used to taking them – we don’t want anything “new” on race day to throw us off!  Hopefully, we can get us coaches organized enough to each have a few gels to bring next week for you to try.  It’s a little trickier to coordinate this year!  The idea is to try different flavors and brands and decide what you like (it may be helpful to keep the packet if you like it so you remember it).  Then you can buy some either online or at running stores.  In general, gels don’t taste great but they will either give you a boost after about 6 – 8 minutes or, if you’re like me, they will keep you from losing energy.

Some of the gels we have are called isotonic and have more liquid so you may not need water with them.  Others are more like the consistency of jam and you’ll want water to wash it down.  So please please bring your water with you.  We will also try to have some Shot Bloks and energy jelly beans if you want to try those.  Some people like the Shot Bloks which are chewy rather than jam-like.  Note that half a package of Shot Bloks (3 pieces) is equivalent to one gel.  This is a very individual thing – some people like fruity flavours, some like chocolate, etc.  Jess claims she likes running long distances so she has an excuse to eat the chocolate and caramel gels!  

Different brands can have different effects on your stomach so it’s important to try them first.   In general, the energy jelly beans (I like the Jelly Belly brand) are good for a pick-me-up during a long run when you can take a few at a time but not the whole pack.  The whole pack is equivalent to a gel and personally, a whole pack of jelly beans at once would not feel so great in my tummy!  There are also energy gummies that some people like as well that are used similarly.
Places to buy gels/beans/Bloks:
Runners Need stores or runnersneed.com (individual GU, SIS, TORQ, Shot Bloks, sport jelly beans)
amazon.co.uk  (gels may only be available in boxes but you could share with others in the group, sport jelly beans)
wiggle.co.uk
energysnacks.co.uk (individual packets available)https://www.ultramarathonrunningstore.com (individual GU, TORQ, Clif Shot Bloks and gels)
Ocado (Clif Shot Bloks, SIS isotonic gels)

The Schedule
Week 26 Feb 25 – Big Ben and back – 8 miles
Week 27 Mar 4 – Belgravia Wander Art Loop – 8.5 miles
Week 28 Mar 11 –  Canary Wharf – 9 miles
Week 29 Mar 18 – 60 min
Week 30 Mar 25 – Wembley – 9 miles
Week 31 April 1 –  Canada Water – 10 miles
Week 32 Apr 8 – April  break – 60 min run
Week 31 Apr 15 – Kew Gardens – 11 miles
Week 32 Apr 22 – 45 min = easy run through Regents Park 
RACE WEEK!
Don’t forget – your Tuesday runs are now 60 min long and the weekend run is 45 mins.  It is CRITICAL that you are running 3 times a week at this point.  Put it in your calendar and get it done 🙂

The route this week – to Big Ben and back
It was a huge deal when we ran here in October.  Now we are running there AND back!  For this run we head to Hyde Park via the usual route and run along the eastern edge of the park to Hyde Park Corner, under the arch and down Constitution Hill.  Run pass the Victoria Memorial down the mall and enter St. James Park.  Run over the pond and out of the park, turning left onto Birdcage Walk and down into Parliament Square to Big Ben, then turn around and run the same route back to Starbucks.

Hi all!

Happy Valentine’s Day!  So fun to see the photos of the London runners checking out the Wander Art in Mayfair this week.  And so impressed with you guys getting out there in the cold.  Luckily, the weather should be kinder to us this week.
This week is a break week for those of you who have been following the schedule.  If you are not up to the current mileage of 7.5 miles, use this week to continue to build up if you can.   Continue to do a 45 min “short” run and another 60 min run this week as well.   We plan to coach this week as usual for whatever mileage you are doing.

Aches/Pains
It feels like more of you are experiencing various physical issues.  This is not unusual for beginners at this stage as we are really ramping up and asking a lot of your body.  I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to go see someone if you are experiencing more than just minor pains.  I was reminded of this this week when I went to see a new physio for the sciatica that just won’t go away.  She determined that my left side, where the sciatica is, is not nearly as strong as the other side and is likely causing a lot of the issues.  She gave me some exercises to start strengthening the areas that are weak, and I could tell right away the difference in ability between the two sides.  Having a professional review your body is so important to help prevent future injury and keep you up and running (pun intended!).  If you want a recommendation, let me know.

More about gels
Next week we are going to try gels on the run.   Gels are basically carbohydrates to give your body some extra fuel during the race.  For the most part, we train in a way to teach our body to use fat as a fuel.  Fat is easier to access as an energy source and requires less fine-tuning in terms of timing carb intake during exercise.  Our bodies have about 1000-1200 “easy access” calories available which will get most ladies about 10-11 miles (depending on their weight and fitness level).  After that we will use gels (carbs) to fuel that last 2-3 miles of the half-marathon.  We, your coaches, will tell you when you should take the gel.  We will plan to use them on our longer runs going forward so we get used to taking them – we don’t want anything “new” on race day to throw us off!  Hopefully, we can get us coaches organized enough to each have a few gels to bring next week for you to try.  It’s a little trickier to coordinate this year!  The idea is to try different flavors and brands and decide what you like (it may be helpful to keep the packet if you like it so you remember it).  Then you can buy some either online or at running stores.  In general, gels don’t taste great but they will either give you a boost after about 6 – 8 minutes or, if you’re like me, they will keep you from losing energy.

Some of the gels we have are called isotonic and have more liquid so you may not need water with them.  Others are more like the consistency of jam and you’ll want water to wash it down.  So please please bring your water with you.  We will also try to have some Shot Bloks and energy jelly beans if you want to try those.  Some people like the Shot Bloks which are chewy rather than jam-like.  Note that half a package of Shot Bloks (3 pieces) is equivalent to one gel.  This is a very individual thing – some people like fruity flavours, some like chocolate, etc.  Jess claims she likes running long distances so she has an excuse to eat the chocolate and caramel gels!  
Different brands can have different effects on your stomach so it’s important to try them first.   In general, the energy jelly beans (I like the Jelly Belly brand) are good for a pick-me-up during a long run when you can take a few at a time but not the whole pack.  The whole pack is equivalent to a gel and personally, a whole pack of jelly beans at once would not feel so great in my tummy!  There are also energy gummies that some people like as well that are used similarly.
Places to buy gels/beans/Bloks:
Runners Need stores or runnersneed.com (individual GU, SIS, TORQ, Shot Bloks, sport jelly beans)
amazon.co.uk  (may only be available in boxes but you could share with others in the group, sport jelly beans)
wiggle.co.uk
energysnacks.co.uk (individual packets available)https://www.ultramarathonrunningstore.com (individual GU, TORQ, Clif Shot Bloks and gels)
Ocado (Clif Shot Bloks, SIS isotonic gels)

The Schedule
Week 25 Feb 18 – February break – 60 min run
Week 26 Feb 25 – 100 min = Big Ben and back – 8 miles
Week 27 Mar 4 – 105 min – 8.5 miles
Week 28 Mar 11 – 110 min = Canary Wharf – 9 miles
Week 29 Mar 18 – 60 min
Week 30 Mar 25 – 110 min = Wembley – 9 miles
Week 31 April 1 – 120 min = Canada Water – 10 miles
Week 32 Apr 8 – April  break – 60 min run
Week 31 Apr 15 – 130 min = Kew Gardens – 11 miles
Week 32 Apr 22 – 45 min = easy run through Regents Park 
RACE WEEK!
Don’t forget – your Tuesday runs are now 60 min long and the weekend run is 45 mins.  It is CRITICAL that you are running 3 times a week at this point.  Put it in your calendar and get it done 🙂

Routes this week
A 60 min run for all of you should be between 4 and 5 miles.  There are a bunch of options that are mainly loops from our runs this past fall in the Beginner RunGo group here:  https://routes.rungoapp.com/group/wrw-london-beginners
Happy running!
Amy

Hi all!  

So fun to see the Pink House with so many smiling faces!  You ladies are really getting this stuff DONE!
This week is just a small increase – 95 minutes or 7.5 miles.   We have one more week of building and then next week we get a break to let your body rest.  But you will still need to get in your 3 runs…

Next week – ASL break week
Next week is a rest week to let your body recover from the work it has been doing to build up your muscles.  The schedule has you running 60 minutes on Thursday. of that week  You’re also supposed to now be running 60 minutes on Tuesday.  I assume that those of you who are in London now will still be here over break so we will just keep on matching you up with coaches and continuing as usual.

Sport beans/gels
I know many of you are feeling exhausted at the end of the run and that is totally normal.  After break, we will start to introduce the concept of sport gels that we will use on our longer runs which may help this a bit.  However, for the run this week, you might want to consider bringing along some candy that can give you a little pick-me-up when you’re starting to feel tired.  I’m not talking a big chocolate bar (sorry!) but maybe some Starbursts or a hard candy of some sort that will wake up your mouth and give you a little sugar.  Runners often use sport jelly beans – a common brand is Jelly Belly.  You can usually get them on Amazon.  You might be able to get them at Holland & Barrett (a Google search shows they have them on their website).  You can pop a couple in your mouth and it makes your body pay attention and “wake up” a bit.

Keeping Yourself Engaged During Long Runs
For those of you not able to run with coaches for your long runs, or even for those 60 minute runs, it can be hard to keep yourself motivated and engaged.  For me personally, I start to get tired of my playlists after a while.  So I turn to audiobooks or podcasts to try to make the runs feel a little less long.  Micki recently put a call out for podcast recommendations from the MWF group so I thought I’d share those here if you’re interested.  For audiobooks, I find that a good mystery or thriller keeps me wanting to keep running a bit more to find out what happens…
If anyone has other podcast or audiobook recommendations, please share!

• How I Built This, with Guy Raz – looks at how people came up with ideas for things and how they built their companies– everything from Dyson to Jazzercise!
• Revisionist History (Malcom Gladwell) – looks at various events in history that might have been misunderstood or overlooked
• The Daily from NYT
• The Argument from NYT – topics discussed by columnists with a range of views
• Planet Money from NPR – interesting insight on economics related topics told at a digestible level
• The Way I Heard It (Mike Rowe) – short, true, anecdote-type stories (until recent ones) that end with a twist in the reveal of who or what familiar or famous people they are actually about
• Smartless – Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett interview random people that they know, from actors to chefs to politicians to authors to comedians, fascinating, informative, and very lighthearted 
• Bear Brook – in the vein of Serial – a true murder mystery from NH Public Radio
• Blood Ties – a fictional murder/thriller story
• No Such Thing as a Fish – four smart (and hilarious) hosts each find an unusual fact for the week and the discussion winds entertainingly where it will
• This American Life from NPR – good storytelling, interesting and varied topics
• Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard – explores ‘the messiness of being human’ through stories and interviews
• Ask Me Another from NPR – silly nerdy games with celebrity guests
• Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me from NPR – news quiz show with comedian contestants
• Dolly Parton’s America (multiple submissions). “She is a force to be reckoned with and it’s unusual to know of a celebrity who is loved by almost everyone!”
• Here’s the Thing (Alec Baldwin) – Baldwin interviews artists, policy makers, and performers
• Amy Schumer Presents, 3 Girls, 1 Keith … it’s Amy Schumer 🙂
• The Moth – stories from the famous story-telling organization
• Modern Love – from the New York Times column 
• Welcome to Night Vale – an NPR-style broadcast from America’s strangest (fictional!) town, where weird is completely normal– bizarre and entertaining
• My Dad Wrote a Porno (Warning! Some may find it offensive, but some will find it hilarious if you don’t mind the subject matter).  Jamie reads aloud the series of books his father was inspired to write based on the success of Fifty Shades.  Terrible writing, truly horrifying books, but amazingly funny reactions and commentary by James and his 2 friends who are at least as horrified as you are as the listener

The Schedule
In prior years, before now, I would have been listing out our upcoming schedule so you would know the destinations and be able to block off your calendar appropriately.  Since we haven’t been able to do destinations in the past month, I haven’t, but I am going to be optimistic and believe that we will be able to be back in small groups and able to run to destinations after 8 March.  This schedule may change – especially the longest, Kew, run – but we will go with this for now.
(this week) Week 24 – 95 min = 7.5 miles
Week 25 Feb 18 – February break – 60 min run
Week 26 Feb 25 – 100 min = Big Ben and back – 8 miles
Week 27 Mar 4 – 105 min – 8.5 miles
Week 28 Mar 11 – 110 min = Canary Wharf – 9 miles
Week 29 Mar 18 – 60 min
Week 30 Mar 25 – 110 min = Wembley – 9 miles
Week 31 April 1 – 120 min = Canada Water – 10 miles
Week 32 Apr 8 – April  break – 60 min run
Week 31 Apr 15 – 130 min = Kew Gardens – 11 miles
Week 32 Apr 22 – 45 min = easy run through Regents Park 
RACE WEEK!

Don’t forget – your Tuesday runs are now 60 min long and the weekend run is 45 mins.  It is CRITICAL that you are running 3 times a week at this point.  Put it in your calendar and get it done 🙂

This Week’s Route
RunGo:  https://routes.rungoapp.com/route/irwAvCNBXV
Thanks to Tamar Brooks for the idea for this run.This run takes you through Maida Vale and part of Hyde Park before guiding you past 5 cool outdoor art installations sprinkled around Mayfair.  The run then goes up Regents Street to Regents Park and back to SJW.  The art installations are called Wander:  https://mayfairandbelgravia.com/wander-art#aboutI hope to see some fun photos of you all this week with the art!

Directions:
Head down Circus Road, past Maida Vale and bear left onto Wellington Crescent.  Continue straight onto Warwick Ave and make a right onto Blomfield.  Take the first left to cross over the canal and onto Westbourne Terrace Rd.  Go under the highway and continue on Westbourne Bridge.  This will become Sussex Gardens – continue straight to cross Bayswater Rd and head into Hyde Park.  Turn left, cross over N Carriage Dr and get onto the path heading towards Speakers Corner.  Continue on the Broadwalk and turn left to cross Park Rd past the Animals in War Memorial.  Go straight onto Upper Brook St and take the first left onto Park St.  Take a right onto North Row (the block before Oxford) and then turn right onto North Audley St.  You will see the first artwork here.
Turn left onto Providence Ct and a left onto Balderton St.  A right on Brown Hart Gardens takes you to the second artwork.  Turn around and run back to Balderton St where you will turn right to find the third artwork.  Turn around again and run to George Yard where you will turn right.  Take a right onto Duke Street and bear right to enter Grosvenor Square.  Run around the periphery of the square, looking for the fourth artwork on the south side.  Exit the square and turn right onto Grosvenor Square and then left onto South Audley St.  In 2 ½ blocks, turn left at Grosvenor Chapel to head into Mount Street Gardens where you will find the last artwork.  Cross the park diagonally and head onto Waverton St.  When it ends, turn left onto Charles St.  Run past Berkeley Square and onto Bruton Lane. Turn right onto Bruton St and continue straight onto Conduit St.  Turn left onto Regents Street and run all the way up to Park Crescent, turn right to run around the crescent.  Cross Marylebone Road and head to Regents Park, running around the outer edge.  Head back to SJW via the regular Charlbert St exit.