Hi all!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Happy Valentine\u2019s Day! \u00a0So fun to see the photos of the London runners checking out the Wander Art in Mayfair this week. \u00a0And so impressed with you guys getting out there in the cold. \u00a0Luckily, 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. \u00a0If you are not up to the current mileage of 7.5 miles, use this week to continue to build up if you can. \u00a0 Continue to do a 45 min \u201cshort\u201d run and another 60 min run this week as well. \u00a0 We plan to coach this week as usual for whatever mileage you are doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aches\/Pains<\/strong> More about gels<\/strong> Some of the gels we have are called isotonic and have more liquid so you may not need water with them. \u00a0Others are more like the consistency of jam\u00a0and you\u2019ll want water to wash it down. \u00a0So\u00a0please please bring your water with you<\/strong>. \u00a0We will also try to have some Shot Bloks and energy jelly beans if you want to try those. \u00a0Some people like the Shot Bloks which are chewy rather than jam-like. \u00a0Note that half a package of Shot Bloks (3 pieces) is equivalent to one gel. \u00a0This is a very individual thing – some people like fruity flavours, some like chocolate, etc. \u00a0Jess claims she likes running long distances so she has an excuse to eat the chocolate and caramel gels! \u00a0 The Schedule<\/strong> Routes this week<\/strong>
It feels like more of you are experiencing various physical issues. \u00a0This is not unusual for beginners at this stage as we are really ramping up and asking a lot of your body. \u00a0I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to go see someone if you are experiencing more than just minor pains. \u00a0I was reminded of this this week when I went to see a new physio for the sciatica that just won\u2019t go away. \u00a0She 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. \u00a0She 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. \u00a0Having a professional review your body is so important to help prevent future injury and keep you up and running (pun intended!). \u00a0If you want a recommendation, let me know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Next week we are going to try gels on the run. \u00a0\u00a0Gels are basically carbohydrates to give your body some extra fuel during the race. \u00a0For the most part,\u00a0we train in a way to teach our body to use fat as a fuel. \u00a0Fat is easier to access as an energy source and requires less fine-tuning in terms of timing\u00a0carb intake during exercise. \u00a0Our bodies have about 1000-1200 \u201ceasy access\u201d calories available which will get most ladies about 10-11 miles\u00a0(depending on their weight and fitness level). \u00a0After that we will use gels (carbs) to fuel that last 2-3 miles of the half-marathon. \u00a0We, your coaches, will\u00a0tell you when you should take the gel. \u00a0We will plan to use them on our longer runs going forward so we get used to taking them \u2013 we don\u2019t want\u00a0anything \u201cnew\u201d on race day to throw us off! \u00a0Hopefully, we can get us coaches organized enough to each have a few gels to bring next week for you to try. \u00a0It\u2019s a little trickier to coordinate this year! \u00a0The idea is to try different flavors and brands\u00a0and decide what you like (it may be helpful to keep the packet if you like it so you remember it). \u00a0Then you can buy some either online or at running\u00a0stores. \u00a0In general, gels don\u2019t taste great but they will either give you a boost after about 6 \u2013 8 minutes or, if you\u2019re like me, they will keep you from\u00a0losing energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Different brands can have different effects on your stomach so it\u2019s important to try them first. \u00a0 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. \u00a0The 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! \u00a0There are also energy gummies that some people like as well that are used similarly.
Places to buy gels\/beans\/Bloks:
Runners Need stores or\u00a0runnersneed.com<\/a>\u00a0(individual GU, SIS, TORQ, Shot Bloks, sport jelly beans)
amazon.co.uk<\/a>\u00a0 (may only be available in boxes but you could share with others in the group, sport jelly beans)
wiggle.co.uk<\/a>
energysnacks.co.uk<\/a>\u00a0(individual packets available)https:\/\/www.ultramarathonrunningstore.com<\/a>\u00a0(individual GU, TORQ, Clif Shot Bloks and gels)
Ocado (Clif Shot Bloks, SIS isotonic gels)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Week 25 Feb 18 \u2013 February break \u2013 60 min run
Week 26 Feb 25 \u2013 100 min = Big Ben and\u00a0back – 8 miles
Week 27 Mar 4 – 105 min – 8.5 miles
Week 28 Mar 11 \u2013 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 \u2013 120 min = Canada Water – 10 miles
Week 32 Apr 8 \u2013 April \u00a0break \u2013 60 min run
Week 31 Apr 15 \u2013 130 min =\u00a0Kew Gardens – 11 miles
Week 32 Apr 22 \u2013 45 min = easy run through Regents Park\u00a0
RACE WEEK!
Don\u2019t forget \u2013 your Tuesday runs are now 60 min long and the weekend run is 45 mins. \u00a0It is CRITICAL that you are running 3 times a week at this point. \u00a0Put it in your calendar and get it done \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A 60 min run for all of you should be between 4 and 5 miles. \u00a0There are a bunch of options that are mainly loops from our runs this past fall in the Beginner RunGo group here: \u00a0https:\/\/routes.rungoapp.com\/group\/wrw-london-beginners<\/a>
Happy running!
Amy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"