Hi Everyone,

What a beautiful run in Regents Park on Wednesday!  Thanks to Dani for the stunning photo of our runners on a spectacular winter day.

This is another long email filled with information on our money collection, training schedules, energy gels and the lottery for the Royal Parks Half. Thanks for taking a minute to read it. On Monday we have a 7-mile loop out the canal west and then down to Hyde Park, entering near the Italian fountains. We head to Green Park and then turn back toward St. John’s Wood. Remember to watch your pace. We have a few weeks of 7-8 mile runs so that we can build to our 9-mile run to Canary Wharf on Feb. 8.

Wednesday we’re doing another new tempo/speed workout in Regents Park. We’re doing Fartleks! (Yippee! – with a hint of sarcasm) Make sure you read the directions in the route section. As always, these workouts are so much more fun if you stick together as a group and encourage each other along the way.

Good Luck Karen!
On Sunday morning, Karen is competing in the 3000 meter race walk as part of the London Games at the Lee Valley Athletics Center. She’s in the senior division which is considered anyone over 20-years old. I guess that’s a sign that not many women over 20 do this event! We are super proud of you Karen for taking on this challenge! We hope the race goes well and that you enjoy the experience!

Money Collection – Tuesday 26 January 8:30-11:00am
Tuesday is a big day! Please stop by McKenzie’s house at XXXX, which is at the corner of Ordnance Hill and St. John’s Wood Terrace (1 block from Starbucks) some time between 8:30-11:00am.  (THANK YOU McKenzie for letting us invade your house!) We’re collecting money for shirts, hats and all outstanding items for the Nice trip.  We’ll also be handing out the shirts and hats. IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT AT THAT TIME ON TUESDAY, PLEASE GIVE YOUR MONEY TO A FRIEND TO BRING. As a reminder, the shirts are £25 and the grey hats are £25. We also have extra race hats for £10 for anyone not going to the race. (If you’re going to Nice, you should have received an email on Wednesday with all the race costs.) Let me know if you have any questions.

Training Schedules
Up to this point, we’ve pretty much been following the same training plan from last year. However, now with the slight change in the school break and the race being a week later, the training plan is a bit different going forward. You can follow this LINK to see the training plan for the remaining weeks up to the race. They are on our website on the “Training Programs” tab. There’s a Standard Plan and also a Gradual Plan for anyone who wants to run slightly less weekly training mileage.

Save the Date – Key Training Runs
Here are the dates for the longest training runs. These runs are the same for both the Gradual and Standard schedule. Mark your calendar- they are so much more fun to do with the group! Note that this year we will do the longest run (Kew Gardens) after the spring break.

• Feb. 1 – Wembley (8 miles)
• Feb. 8 – Canary Wharf (9 miles)
• Feb. 29 – Battersea Park (8-10 miles)
• March 14 – Canal/Farringdon/Embankment loop (9 miles)
• March 21 – Greenford (10 miles)
• April 11 – Kew Gardens (10-11 miles)

ENERGY GELS for training and the race
Looking ahead to our longest training runs, it’s time to start to think about what type of gel or fueling you’ll use during the race. Fueling is different for each runner but I’ll give you some of Paula’s general guidelines. The rule of thumb is that after about 80-90 minutes of running you’ll have used up natural fuel sources and you’ll need to top up the tank with something. (That’s based on our type of running, if someone is running a marathon at a 6 min/mile pace, their fueling needs will be different!) Most of the women in the group use some sort of sports gel. If you’ve never used a sports gel before it is crucial that you try it out during some of our long training runs. The gels are very concentrated so a brand that might work well for one person could make another person feel sick. Some people like the gels which have a consistency of jelly or frosting and some people like blocks or chews that is similar to a gummy bear. Below are some recommendations from members of the group. (If you’ve never used one before I would try the Gu Energy brand first and make sure you note if the flavour has caffeine or not.) It’s worth stocking up now so you’ll have them for our longest runs. You can go to a Runner’s Need store or order them on the internet. Amazon also has a good stock. (If you have some leftovers at home, make sure to check the expiration date because they don’t last forever.)

• Amy – GU Energy, Tri-Berry
• Syma – TORQ, Forest Fruits
• Jane – GU Roctane (has caffeine), Blueberry Pomegranate
• Vicky – Clif Shot Bloks, Berry or Orange

We’ll review this again before our longest runs, but in general during a race you would take a gel somewhere between 7-8 miles and then don’t take another one for 35-45 mins. (Don’t be tempted to take more than one gel in 30 mins! – you’ll need to keep an eye on your watch.) If you don’t want to get into too much of the science of it all, Paula recommends that you take a gel at 8 miles during the race if you’re running at a medium pace for you (not as compared to anyone else) or 7 miles if you’re running fast for you. For me, during training, I will take a gel around 7-8 mile mark of a  9-mile or 10-mile run. Even if I don’t feel that I desperately need it at that point, it helps me feel better at the end of run, and helps me practice taking a gel. If you are interested in learning more about fueling, gels and the different brands, CLICK HERE to read Paula’s full note.

Royal Parks Half Marathon- October 9, 2016
The ballot for spaces in the London Royal Parks Half Marathon opens next week. The ballot will open on Tuesday 26 January and stay open until Wednesday 3 February. This is a great race because it is very close to home and you get to run in some of London’s iconic spots like Hyde Park corner and past Big Ben with no cars, only runners. (And it’s a great way to keep running over the summer as you train for this race!) We had a WRW group that ran this race last year, if you have any questions. Check out the website – http://royalparkshalf.com

Thanks for reading another long email – keep running!

Jane

ROUTES

Monday, 25 January – Canal West/Paddington/Hyde/Green/Mayfair Loop (6.89 miles)

Start out by heading west on Circus Road, turn left on Grove End to St John’s Wood Road and go west, running along Blomfield towards the canal.  Do not get on the canal but instead cross over the canal and take the Westbourne Bridge over the Westway A40.  Run south on Westbourne Terrace and at the fork, bear right to enter Hyde Park at Lancaster Gate.

Run along the west side of the Italian Gardens and continue along the south side of The Serpentine until you reach Hyde Park Corner.  Run through Wellington Arch and turn left to enter Green Park.  Run to the Green Park Tube, cross Piccadilly and head north (turn left) on to  Berkeley Street.  After Berkeley Square Gardens, turn left and then right onto Davies Street.  Run north on Davies to the Bond Street Tube.  Go left on Oxford and then right onto James Street.  Run north on James which becomes Marylebone High Street.  At Marylebone Road, turn left and then right to enter Regents Park at York Gate.  Once in Regents Park, turn left and run along the Boating Lake back to the Charlbert Street exit.  Take Charlbert back to SJW Terrace and Starbucks.