Hi everyone,
You all rocked the 80 minute run last week to Dishoom. I know it got a bit hard towards the end but it should be hard towards the end – that is when you are building up!  You all did it – we are so proud of how well ALL of you are doing!  I think we definitely need to put some more Hugh Grant sightings on the schedule!  I put the photos out on the Flickr site if you’re interested.

If you are feeling tired and sore after your runs, you might try doing an epsom salt bath.  Melissa swears by them and the few times I’ve tried them it really does seem to help my legs from feeling tired.  You can get epsom salts from health stores or even Ocado.

This week
This week is ASL’s parent teacher conferences.  I am hoping most of you who are at ASL were able to schedule your conferences so you can run.  But let me know if you will not be able to make this Thursday.
We are doing 90 minutes this week, running down through Sloane Square, along the Thames, past Big Ben and on to Green Park.

Increasing your non-Thursday run time
Starting this week, you should increase your running time so you are running 45 minutes on the weekend and 60 minutes on Tuesdays (so start this on Tuesday if you can).  You’ll keep doing this for the rest of the training until the race. Remember to keep it nice and slow!  I’ll be there this Tuesday to run with you all.  

Winter 10K
Several of you are running the Winter 10K next Sunday.  For those that do, you should do a leisurely 45 minutes for next Tuesday (so you are basically swapping your 60 minute and 45 minute runs).  [For those not running, you can certainly do your 60 minutes on the weekend so you can line up with the others for the Tuesday run.]  So you would do:

• 60 minutes this Tuesday (8 Feb)
• 90 minutes Thursday (10 Feb)
• 70ish minutes Sunday at the race
• 45 minutes EASY PACE Tuesday (15 Feb)
• 100 minutes Thursday (17 Feb)

Just some thoughts about the 10K – don’t stress about it as a race – treat it as another training opportunity where you can get that feeling of energy that comes from the racers and also witness the mass of bodies at the start and how you will likely not move very quickly at the beginning.  Don’t push yourselves too much – we don’t want any injuries!  [Note – we had two beginners injure themselves in prior years – so BE CAREFUL!]   You may feel great that morning or you may not – every race day is different.  So if you’re feeling tired, slow down.  You have all run this distance before so you know you can do it.  The most important thing is to have fun!  

New Shoes?
If you are feeling like your shoes are getting old, NOW is the time to replace them.  You want to be able to fully break them in before the race.  Don’t feel that you have to get new shoes – if you are feeling good in yours, it’s fine.  You just don’t want to get new ones a week or two before the race.  When I get new shoes, I generally run a shorter run in them first just to make sure they don’t give me any problems.  I’ve definitely had shoes in the past that throw me off a little and cause some niggles.  They always break in, but it takes time and you want to make sure they are fully broken in by the race.

Route this week:
We start out by running to Hyde Park, taking the usual route: west on Circus Road, left on Grove End, all the way down to Seymour Place where the road ends.  Right on Seymour, across Edgware, left on Stanhope and enter the park. At the silver orb, turn left and run down to the southern edge, following the path to the right before it leaves the Park.  Run to big gated exit before the tall ‘One Hyde Park’ complex, cross over Knightsbridge at William Street, quick right on Knightsbridge then a left onto Sloane Street continue past Sloane Square down Lower Sloane St/Chelsea Bridge Road to the Thames.  Turn left on the Thames side of Grosvenor Rd and run along the Embankment to Westminster and continue left on Birdcage Walk, cutting through St James Park to the Mall, then left on the Mall towards Buckingham Palace, crossing before the circle to reach Green Park.  Run up to the Green Park Tube on Piccadilly St and take the tube home!