Hello
No doubt there will be mixed emotions today as London marathon organisers share whether you have a spot in the 2023 event or not – congratulations to all those that were successful and commiserations to those that were not so fortunate. London marathon is an iconic event and I look forward to the opportunity of participating in it – one day! – but we are blessed with some beautiful countryside and a plethora of running opportunities so not all is lost!

Talking of beautiful running locations, on Saturday 19th November I am organising / leading a trail run in the New Forrest. It will be between 10 and 14km in length, not racing, predominantly off-road and #nooneleftbehind. You’ll need to bring water, snacks and be prepared to get muddy / wet – a mixture of terrain – trails and open countryside. Ideally car share to travel there. If you are interested in joining, then please contact me directly. Option for a pub lunch post run. Numbers limited to 9 runners ~£10 each.

This week there will be no #Strengththursday or #HillsThursday. #SocialFriday is still on, but I will not be there to lead it. Jo has kindly said she’ll take the lead this week 😊

From November I am also adapting the weekly program a little to account for the reduced day light hours.

Tuesday – #tracktuesday sessions at 6.30am and 1.30pm remains unchanged. £5 track fee.
Thursday – #runstrength will be at 5.30pm. £8 per person per 60 minute session. Pre book 4 sessions, minimum of 4 at the sessions. DM me for additional details.
Friday – #socialfriday will remain at 7am – 8am from Broadway Coffee Roasters. All welcome, no charge.
Saturday – #hillsaturday will start at 7.15am, for about an hour from the carpark near the Churchillian pub. All welcome, no charge and time to run parkrun after! It will be a variety of different hill focused sessions and great practice for those participating in the SCCL cross country races.

All details are in the Grasshopper Coaching App.

Congratulations to those members of Pompey Tri or other local running clubs that ran in yesterdays Southern Cross Country League 9.5km race at Folly Farm. A wet and slippery course that basically went up a hill and down again! Great fun was had by all and despite the morning’s thunder and lightening we were blessed with sunshine and blue skies.

Next weekend Dan (Portsmouth Running Podcast) will be taking part in the Track100 event – a mere 100 miles of running in loops around a track – and you thought Dan’s Smogathon was crazy! Good luck Dan we’ll be rooting for you – just as well you have an extra hour to complete the event in!

Have a safe and fun week of training
Steve
Grasshopper Coaching