The Crew Cut

If living in London seems dull and dreary, athlete-explorer and Crewroom Ambassador Anna McNuff will change your mind with her inspirational talk this Friday about how her exciting micro-adventures around the capital can spice up your life. Anna, who cycled across 50 states in America last year, and is planning to run the length of New Zealand next year, has turned her attention to energetic challenges closer to home this year, as she will explain at her talk at the Pop-Up, entitled 'Small Adventures Around the Big Smoke'. Come and hear her tales from a summer spent exploring the lakes, rivers and hilltops, all reachable within one hour of London. Find out how to weave adventure into your everyday life - and discover that the wilderness is closer than you think. "Life as an adventurous soul in London can be tough," says Anna. "Traffic, pollution, noise, concrete, and the people. Oh my! There are people everywhere. And yet, I've discovered that wilderness, peace and emptiness are closer than you think." The ever-irrepressible and always enthusiastic Anna has spent months exploring the wilds of Essex, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Berkshire and Surrey with friends, and her amazing experiences make fascinating and entertaining listening. Don't miss Anna's free talk this Friday November 7th at 6.45pm. 

Physiotherapist Paul White has great news for runners as he launches a series of new Running Clinic workshops at the Pop-Up this month, aimed at building your strength and avoiding injuries. Last month, more than 30 people packed out our store in Putney Exchange when Paul presented a talk offering tips and technical advice on how you can maintain training while avoiding injury. The session proved a big hit and now he's back by popular demand. New Zealand-born Paul has launched his new workshop series with a view to helping British runners. The 45-minute-long sessions will be held on Wednesdays at 7pm. "I loved sports as a child, hence really wanted to do something in that area and I trained as a physiotherapist," says Paul. "In the last 10 years, I have taken a special interest in all things running-related. "Through treating numerous clients with running injuries, I have learned some of the shortcuts to allow for more efficient running. I believe if you run more efficiently, the chances of getting injuries dramatically decreases. The less injuries you pick up, the happier you are as a runner." Paul's running strength workshops will be staged at the Pop-Up every Wednesday and cost £10. They are suitable for all levels of runners.

How does a great idea on the designer's drawing board become an item of award-winning sportskit? What drives a product from research and customer feedback through to becoming your favourite garment? Jordanna Andrews, Design Lead at Crewroom, throws a spotlight on this creative voyage in a special 'Design Workshop' at the Pop-Up. On Saturday November 15 at 1.30pm, visitors to the Pop-Up will be offered a rare insight into the creative process behind some of Britain's favourite high-performance sportswear, as manufactured by Crewroom. Jordanna, who graduated from the capital's internationally renowned London College of Fashion with a first class degree in Sportswear Design, now heads up Crewroom's design department. Her free, one-hour talk will explain the importance of customer feedback, technical reviews working with athletes and detailed research. Plus there's an opportunity for you to get involved by creating your very own pair of leggings. Those attending the workshop will have a chance to design their own leggings and the winning design will win a pair of Crewroom leggings worth £69. "I'll be explaining a little about the design process, the journey from research and customer feedback right through to the well-developed end product," says Jordanna. "We are always trying to improve our products. Listening to the feedback from reviews is an important part of my job. I'm also really look forward to working with people and seeing their designs for leggings. It'll be great fun."

Sunday October 12th marks a major milestone for Team Crewroom, reaching back months, even years, into our past. Our seven-year milestone harks back to 2008 when we were delighted to provide the official shirt for the Royal Parks Foundation’s inaugural Half Marathon. Since then, we’ve been proud to continue our involvement with this fantastic event and are now in our third year of sponsorship of the Ultra, whose race shirt we also provide, began when the first Ultra was staged in 2012. For the heroic runners, the day of the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon and Ultra is the day when those months of hard work and training finally pay off. We are proud to announce that 10 members of our very own Ultra team are taking part in this year’s 50km event. They’ll be wearing our orange race shirt – we hope you’ll be there to give them a bit of well earned encouragement. In charge of Crewroom’s Ultra team is Coach Paul Gascoygne, who has supported our ultra athletes through our Run Club and core classes staged at Crewroom HQ. We also want to shout out to the runners from Crewroom taking part in the Parks half marathon. We know it is no mean feat jogging 13.1 miles and we’ll be there on the finish line to cheer you home. Our very own Cara Devlin has coached the Crewroom half marathon team, and on Sunday they’ll be brightening up the towpaths and trails wearing our Hawaiian blue race shirt. The 2013 Ultra winner and Crewroom Ambassador Philippa Taylor unfortunately won’t be able to defend her title this year due to an Achilles heel injury. “I’m gutted not be able to take part,” she said. Spending the day with your feet up then? “Well, instead, I’m planning on a 50-mile cycle ride this Sunday.” For all those of you taking part or heading on down to Hyde Park to watch, get all the info you need in time for race day.

Look hard enough and you’ll see that the best things in life often pop up all over the place - and Crewroom is no exception. That’s why we’ve just opened our first-ever pop-up shop and fitness hub, situated in the Putney Exchange. All our collections are available in store, from our award-winning running kit to our very latest designs, and our friendly staff are on hand to help you find your favourite item of sportswear or search for something new. In keeping with our multi-functional design range, our Crewroom Hub pop-up is not only home to our kit, but is also a fantastic fitness centre, hosting a full range of exercise classes – a few of which we’re giving you for free. Come down and say hello!

The weather Gods smiled on us last month, causing thousands of spectators, runners and cyclists to flood into Richmond Park for the annual London Duathlon. Everyone at the run-bike-run race had a glorious day celebrating and taking part in the event, which we were a proud sponsor of and which is owned by leading British event organisers, Limelight Sports. Duathletes all looked great on the day - sporting Crewroom’s grey and lime-green race shirts. Now's the time to register for next year’s race.