Hi everyone,You all continue to impress us!  Last week was a tough run because most of the second half was uphill.  You all did it so amazingly well!
A few quick reminders for the run this week:

• eat something before the run
• bring your Oyster card
• we will be bringing the gels again this Thursday.  Bring water!  Try a different gel and then go out and purchase a few of your own.  We will keep bringing our stash until it runs out but you will need gels for Canary Wharf and Kew as well as the race.  You will want to have two for the race just in case.

**** Money Collection – Tuesday 12 Feb 8:30-11:00am ****
You should have already received an email, but just a reminder that Tuesday is money collection day.  Here is the info if you didn’t, or if you’ve misplaced the email.

Please stop by Megan Marine’s house at 12 Loudoun Road (right next to ASL’s Loudoun Gate) sometime between 8:30-11am with cash (cash only, please!) to cover the costs as detailed below.  An enormous thank you to Megan for letting us take over her house for the morning!!  IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT AT THAT TIME ON TUESDAY, PLEASE ARRANGE FOR A FRIEND TO TAKE YOUR PAYMENT FOR YOU AND COLLECT YOUR KIT!

We also collect for the race expenses at this time, because the restaurants and tour company require large deposits well in advance (and these have already been covered by our organisers).  For similar reasons, please note that after this date we cannot give refunds on the meal or tour costs if you need to cancel later, as we’re being billed on the numbers we submit now.

The total cost to all Milan Race Attendees will be £165, which includes dinner all three nights, and is broken out below.  The optional tour is £25 if you signed up for it.  And your Nike total depends, of course, on how much you ordered.  The attached pdf shows the Nike totals for everyone who ordered, sorted by first name.  Just add that total to the race costs that apply to you, and you’ll have your total.  On Tuesday, we’ll have a master list of the amount each of us owes, but if you can do a tally for yourself and bring the correct change, it would really be much appreciated.
Cost and Kit Breakdown
All Milan Race Attendees £165, which includes:
Friday dinner — £30*
Saturday dinner — £45
Sunday dinner — £65
Race hat — £10 
WRW fee — £15**
*If you are not arriving until Saturday, the cost of the Friday night dinner will be deducted from your total.
** WRW fee helps to cover the costs of WRW, including appreciation gifts, the end-of-year “leavers” celebration, and website costs

Optional Milan Extra:  Saturday tour — £25

WRW Apparel (by order):
Annual Short-sleeve Shirt — £25
Long-sleeve Shirt — £30
Nike hat — £25
Tank top — £25    
Half-zip — £50
Please let me know if you have any questions about it.  I will see you all there!

We’re coming into the final stretch
I know you all know this, but we have 6 weeks until race day and we have 3 longs runs left.  You all are amazing and you ALL can do this.  Don’t worry about the times and the distances – they are long but we are in this together and we will DO THIS!

For break next week, do your best to get your runs in (45 min weekend, 60 min on Tues and Thurs), but if you can’t do it all, it’s OK.  Your muscles have been working hard and it’s good to give them a bit of a break.  If you are in town next Thursday, I will be here and would be happy to run with you all – just let me know.  We could find someplace fun to run to…
The rest of the schedule:
Week 25 – 14 Feb – 110 min = Wembley
Week 26 – 21 Feb –  60 min – ASL BREAK 
Week 27 – 28 Feb – 120 min = Canary Wharf
Week 28 – 7 Mar – 90 min – TBD
Week 29 – 14 Mar – 130 min = Kew Gardens
Week 30 – 21 Mar – 45 min = easy run through Regents Park
RACE DAY!

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 run
Wembley is one of my favorites.  There are many people who do not love this run as much as I do so I am going to tell you why I like it and you can tell me your own opinions of it at coffee 🙂
Why I like the Wembley run:
1) You see many sides of London along the canal
Some runners complain that parts of the canal are very ugly.  This is true.  However, I enjoy seeing the transition from city and the older buildings along the canal and newer gentrified condos to the industrial parts to the country parts, with glimpses of Wembley Stadium along the way.  I feel like it’s the real London – many sides, not always so pretty but always something to look at.  And as you keep going, it changes.

2) You see a part of London you otherwise wouldn’t – Wembley
No, not the stadium but the streets.  There is a large Hindu population and there are many shops with brightly coloured saris and trinkets that are fun to look at.  And there is an amazing Hindu temple that was built in 2010 that took 14 years to build from stone from India.  It is incredible.  Look for it on the left hand side of the street.

3) It has a long, uninterrupted stretch of canal running
Once we get on the canal, we run for about 6 miles.  I believe this will be the longest stretch of uninterrupted running you will have had so far.  One of the things that makes me love this run is that it was on this part of the run in my beginner year that I had a running epiphany – I felt like I could just keep running forever.  I think I had settled into that pace where you feel good, you feel like you’re just cooking along and you can chat and run and all is good.  I hadn’t really felt like that before and it was a great feeling.  Some of you may have already had that feeling, some may never get it, but having a nice long uninterrupted stretch may put you in a similar place.  I hope so!

4) You get to say you ran to Wembley!
Most people have heard of Wembley.  And people in London know it’s a ways out.  So it’s fun to be able to say you ran there – so impressive!

The route
Start out heading west on Circus Road, turn left on Grove End to St John’s Wood Road and go west, turning left on Cunningham then right on Aberdeen to work your way to the canal entrance on Blomfield. Continue out the canal and exit at Alperton, see photo below, not quite 7 miles in. Turn right at the top of the stairs, cross the bridge and take the first right onto Ealing Road. Just after the turn you’ll see the Alperton station on your left. Follow Ealing Road to the High Road and turn right. You’ll see Wembley Central on your right for the 8-mile route. For 9 miles, continue until you make a left on Park Lane which becomes Wembley Park Drive. Continue past the turn off to the stadium on the right and up to Wembley Park Tube Station.  There is a Costa just down the steps towards the stadium so we will head there for coffee afterwards for those who can stay.