Hello Everyone!
Well, we survived last week. We did it! That was a tough run. I thought that we’d have lots of mini-breaks at lights running through Chelsea, but no such luck. It was as though all the street crossing signs were stuck on green men, but we made it. This week’s long run will be 100 minutes of running time. We’ll keep the route interesting so we are all distracted from the running. Our route will take us out the canal to the west. We will run past Notting Hill, past the Sainsbury’s at Ladbrook Grove, and come off the canal at Wood Lane. We will basically run south on Wood Lane to Hammersmith Bridge, cross over the river Thames, and run along the river back to Putney. We will come home by train from Putney to Waterloo, then the Jubilee Line to SJW. It’s a quick trip home. We will do gels again this week. I’ll bring a bunch for you to sample. Some of you found the gel you like last week and have already ordered some for yourself. If you need help in finding these gels online, let me know. Don’t forget your water bottles!
This is our last long run for two weeks – during the ASL break you have a recovery week. Your long run that week will be 60 minutes. It will feel great! Ladies, we are really almost done. Get through this week, then you have a rest week, then we have 3 more long runs. That’s it. You’re almost there. Psychologically these long runs are tough. I have no profound words of wisdom on how to prepare for them. Just remember to get back to the basics – eat a good breakfast, eat well the night before, hydrate, try to have a restful night, and most important… tell yourself positive things. Pump yourself up. If you hear that negative tape playing in your mind, choose to shut it off. You can do this. I know you can. I also know it’s hard and can be overwhelming. Think of your friends – they are all doing it and they are all as scared as you. Show up – just make yourself show up at Starbucks. Once we get going, you’ll be OK. You have a group of people ready to hold your hand or give you a pep talk, but you have to get yourself there.
Your Tuesday, mid-distance run should be 60 minutes from now on unless it’s a recovery week (Tues, 14 Feb and Tues, 6 March). I’ve given a route option to your fearless Tuesday leaders, but know you can always just run along the canal in either direction, run down to Hyde Park or run loops around Regent’s Park until you have your 60 minutes done. No worries.
Lastly, the weather should be slightly better by Thursday. We run in all conditions except ice. If it’s snowing, that’s fine. If it’s raining, that’s fine. But, if there’s a risk of hitting ice, it’s not worth it. If that’s the case, I’ll send out an email the night before to cancel and we’ll figure out how to adjust our schedule to do a “make-up” run.
See you Thursday if not before!
Happy Running,
Paula