{"id":2081,"date":"2020-08-27T14:58:38","date_gmt":"2020-08-27T14:58:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/womenrunningtheworld.com\/beginners\/?p=2081"},"modified":"2020-09-05T15:37:53","modified_gmt":"2020-09-05T15:37:53","slug":"2020-21-beginners-week-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/womenrunningtheworld.com\/beginners\/2020\/08\/27\/2020-21-beginners-week-one\/","title":{"rendered":"2020-21 Beginners Week 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Hello Everyone!<br>If you are receiving this email, you are on the list for the WRW beginner running group for this year. &nbsp;It may have been a while since you were added but we hope you are still interested and excited to begin! &nbsp;In order for us to get a sense of the number of people to expect,&nbsp;<strong>please respond (<u class=\"\">not reply all<\/u>) to this email<\/strong>&nbsp;to let us know if you plan to be there. &nbsp;If you have changed your mind and are no longer interested in doing this group, or believe you may belong in the regular non-beginner group (see below), please let us know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong><em>This email is quite long but it is important that you read all the way to the end.<\/em><\/strong><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The beginner running group starts next Thursday, 3 September at 8:20 am at the St. John\u2019s Wood Church Gardens near the entrance on Wellington Place.&nbsp; We are so excited to get going! &nbsp; &nbsp;You can expect to receive an email from us each&nbsp;week&nbsp;explaining what we\u2019ll be doing the following&nbsp;week.&nbsp; We expect that there will be more beginners joining us over the next several weeks as the new school year starts. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Modifications due to Covid-19<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li class=\"\">Using guidance based on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/d192th1lqal2xm.cloudfront.net\/2020\/08\/EA-return-to-activity-guidance-road-running-coaches-04.08.2020.pdf_0.pdf\" class=\"\">guidance put out by England Athletics<\/a>, as well as the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-phased-return-of-sport-and-recreation\/guidance-for-the-public-on-the-phased-return-of-outdoor-sport-and-recreation\" class=\"\">UK gov&#8217;t guidance on &#8216;phased return of sport and recreation<\/a>, we will be creating groups of 6 or fewer each time we come together. &nbsp;We will mix up the groups so we all have a chance to get to know each other.<\/li><li class=\"\">Masks will be required when we meet at the church gardens and during our warm-up walk. &nbsp;We will remove them when we start to run. &nbsp;We are proceeding with an abundance of caution in order to keep all of you safe and running.<\/li><li class=\"\">As much as possible, we will keep 1 meter apart while walking and running. &nbsp;This should still allow us to talk and get to know one another while keeping safe.<\/li><li class=\"\">We will pay close attention to keeping distance from members of the public we might pass during our sessions.<\/li><li class=\"\">Although the ultimate goal of this program is to train to run a half-marathon, we cannot promise that there will be a half marathon to run given the current environment.<\/li><li class=\"\">As the government guidance changes, we will make changes as well so we all need to be willing to be flexible.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A bit about your coaches:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li class=\"\"><strong>Amy Grace<\/strong>&nbsp;will be leading the beginner group for her 7th year. &nbsp;She was a beginner 9 years ago when she was new to London.<\/li><li class=\"\"><strong>Melissa Kay<\/strong>&nbsp;is starting her 5th year as a beginner coach and has been running with WRW for over 7 years.&nbsp;<\/li><li class=\"\"><strong>Jess Browne<\/strong>&nbsp;is in her 3rd year of coaching the beginners and has been with WRW for 3 years.<\/li><li class=\"\"><strong>Paola Gelfusa Di Meo<\/strong>&nbsp;will be coaching her second beginner group this year. &nbsp;She was a beginner herself 5 years ago.&nbsp;<\/li><li class=\"\"><strong>Renata Figueiredo<\/strong>&nbsp;will also be coaching her second beginner group. &nbsp;Renata has been running with WRW for 3 years.<\/li><li class=\"\"><strong>Micki Heskett<\/strong>&nbsp;is the overall leader of Women Running the World and will also run with us some weeks because she would like to get to know everyone! &nbsp;She was a beginner 8 years ago and has been in London 9 years.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A bit of information about the program:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li class=\"\"><strong>Very important<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; this group is for women who have never run before.&nbsp; If you can run even a mile or two, you likely belong in the regular running group that meets Mon\/Wed\/Fri. &nbsp;We also have a group that is doing a ramp-up program if you haven\u2019t run in a while or are coming back from an injury. &nbsp;We need to all be working through this process together &#8211; if someone is running circles around us, it&#8217;s demoralizing. &nbsp;Plus, it will be boring and frustrating for you.&nbsp; Feel free to talk to any of the coaches about where you belong.<\/li><li class=\"\">The program is gentle, but it\u2019s still difficult.&nbsp; For the first few weeks, we will be out there less than 45 minutes. &nbsp;On the first day, we will do a 5-10 minute walk to warm up, then we will jog very, very slowly for 1 minute, then walk for 2 minutes.&nbsp; We will repeat the 1 min jog, 2 min walk pattern 10 times, then finish with a 5-10 minute cool-down as we walk back to Starbucks or Pret on the high street.&nbsp; So when we have finished our session we will have jogged for a total of 10 minutes.&nbsp; Over the weeks, the jogging intervals increase gradually but we continue to go at an extremely slow pace. &nbsp;<\/li><li class=\"\">We understand it&#8217;s difficult to believe, but by late December you will be running a steady 60 minutes without any walking breaks.&nbsp; By late March\/early April, you will be fully prepared for a half-marathon (13.1 miles).&nbsp; We have not yet chosen the half marathon location but we expect it will be in late March\/early April, assuming that the world has changed and races will be held.&nbsp; More on this to come! &nbsp;<\/li><li class=\"\">Our training schedule will prepare us for the half-marathon, but please know that you do not have to go on the trip or have any intention of running those distances.&nbsp; You do not have to commit to anything!&nbsp; That is the beauty of this group&#8230;. &nbsp;you don&#8217;t pay to be part of the group and you don&#8217;t have to commit to a long-term program.&nbsp; If you try it for a few weeks and don&#8217;t like it, you stop.&nbsp; No hard feelings &#8211; at least you will have tried.&nbsp; All of that being said, the women who end up most successful with the program are those who make a mental commitment to being there&nbsp;week&nbsp;after&nbsp;week.<\/li><li class=\"\">Each Thursday, the coaches will run with the group, set the pace, tell you when to run\/walk and set the route.&nbsp; We will also ask you to meet up&nbsp;one&nbsp;more day a&nbsp;week&nbsp;either as a group or as several small groups. &nbsp;Historically, the group has met on Tuesday mornings but if you can\u2019t, you can do the day of your choice. &nbsp;For the first 8-10 weeks, this second run each&nbsp;week&nbsp;will be a repeat of whatever we did with you on Thursday.&nbsp; Believe me, that second run each&nbsp;week&nbsp;(without us) will teach you just as much as the Thursday run.&nbsp;<\/li><li class=\"\">If you know of other people who want to join us, please encourage them to come and start with us.&nbsp; It is very difficult for people to join the group after a month or two as by then we are running quite a bit, so tell them to come and come&nbsp;now!&nbsp; Particularly keep an eye out for women new to London who might be interested in joining the group. &nbsp;For many new-comers, by the time they hear about the group, it&#8217;s too late (we&#8217;ve made too much progress) for them to catch up. &nbsp;<\/li><li class=\"\">We will address injuries\/aches\/pains as we go.&nbsp; Most problems can be dealt with without having to stop running.&nbsp; We have a list of specialists that we can guide you to.&nbsp; It is much better to see someone quickly than to let something minor turn into something bigger. &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A few guidelines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li class=\"\">Please bring a mask to wear at the start and end of the session<\/li><li class=\"\">Come dressed however you choose.&nbsp; There is no need to buy a lot of running clothes at this point and definitely do NOT buy a new pair of running shoes yet (unless you really have nothing suitable of course).&nbsp; We can tell you where to go in London once you\u2019ve settled into the program. &nbsp;One&nbsp;year a beginner ran in jeans for the first 3 months as she was convinced she wouldn&#8217;t become a runner and didn&#8217;t need to invest in running clothes.&nbsp; So no worries about how you look or what you wear, just show up (although a sports bra is highly recommended\u2026)<\/li><li class=\"\">Be on time.&nbsp; We do not operate on an RSVP system so whoever is there at 8:20 runs.&nbsp; If you&#8217;re late, you will be left behind.&nbsp; For any of you dropping off young children or if you have other complications, just let us know.&nbsp; We&#8217;ll try to figure something out.<\/li><li class=\"\">No dogs or strollers allowed (sorry!).<\/li><li class=\"\">Always carry with you a bit of money and an Oyster card or contactless payment (and possibly a Starbucks card).&nbsp; For awhile we won&#8217;t be getting very far from SJW, but it&#8217;s nice to know you always have the option mid-run to grab a cab\/tube\/bus if you have a problem.&nbsp; Also most of the women stay for a coffee after the run.&nbsp; This is a great time to ask questions or discuss concerns or just generally connect as sometimes we don&#8217;t all get a chance to talk to each other during the run. &nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The program works &#8211; we promise.&nbsp; Countless women have come through it successfully.&nbsp; It&#8217;s hard, but it&#8217;s good fun and the sense of accomplishment you will feel is simply more than we can put down in words.&nbsp; So give it a try, show up on 3 September and see what happens. &nbsp;We know it&#8217;s scary &#8211; most women are terrified, some don&#8217;t sleep the night before the first session, some show up feeling queasy, but don&#8217;t worry.&nbsp; We are all in the same situation.&nbsp; We are doing this to&nbsp;learn&nbsp;how to run &#8211; it&#8217;s impossible to &#8220;slow down the group&#8221; or &#8220;hold people back&#8221;.&nbsp; You can do this &#8211; we promise.&nbsp; We\u2019ll hold your hand or pick you up and carry you if need be &#8211; just show up.&nbsp; That&#8217;s all you have to do is show up &#8211; we&#8217;ll guide you through each step along the way. &nbsp;<br class=\"\">See you next Thursday!<br class=\"\">Your coaches<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hello Everyone!If you are receiving this email, you are on the list for the WRW beginner running group for this year. &nbsp;It may have been a while since you were added but we hope you are still interested and excited to begin! &nbsp;In order for us to get a sense of the number of people &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/womenrunningtheworld.com\/beginners\/2020\/08\/27\/2020-21-beginners-week-one\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">2020-21 Beginners Week 1<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-beginners","without-featured-image"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>2020-21 Beginners Week 1 - Beginners<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/womenrunningtheworld.com\/beginners\/2020\/08\/27\/2020-21-beginners-week-one\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"2020-21 Beginners Week 1 - Beginners\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hello Everyone!If you are receiving this email, you are on the list for the WRW beginner running group for this year. &nbsp;It may have been a while since you were added but we hope you are still interested and excited to begin! &nbsp;In order for us to get a sense of the number of people &hellip; 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