Crewroom kit is always really good quality, reliable and one of my absolute go tos for great training kit.
The Crew Cut
Stand up and paddle
Standup for the Cure came to Paddington Basin, in London on September 12th, an important event in many people’s calendar.
Everyone had a great time on their board and the day proved to be an active way for SUPers to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer.
Crewroom was very pleased to be part of this event, staged in the capital for the first time. Previously held in California and Florida, participants seemed to have brought with them some warm California sunshine.
Our bespoke kit including visors, base layers and hoodies proved very popular the boarders, all of whom entered into the spirit of the event, making Paddington a wash of pink in honour of the charity.
Big thanks to our buddy Paul Hyman (pictured below), the pioneering Founder of top UK paddleboarding company Active 360 for helping to organise this event.
It’s because of the success of paddleboarding get togethers like these that we are now working closely with Paul to boost our fitness calendar by adding a twice-weekly paddleboarding class out of our Putney Embankment HQ.
Sessions are on Fridays at 3-7pm and on Sundays 12 – 5pm. At just £20 for novices and £15 for experienced SUPers, it's great value fun.
Trail running for Londoners
Now that the clocks have changed, and the sun has started streaming through the windows in the morning, the team at Crewroom can't wait to get into their running kit and hit the trails.
Living in London - some people think it's not possible to find a good trail running route, and so either always pound the pavement or wind up on the treadmill in the gym.
We're here to disprove that theory and give you some Spring time inspiration! Here are our favourite trails in London, and a short distance from London to get you off the beaten track in the middle of the urban jungle:
The Capital Ring: a 78 mile route spanning the boroughs of Greater London. All sections are within a distance of tube stations making it easy to jump on and off easily. If you want a challenge, try the uphill 10km from Wimbledon to Richmond, great for the historic landscapes and odd deer sightings!
North Downs: The train from Clapham Junction can have you in Guildford in under half an hour. From there, make your way through the town and up a hill Pewley Down and it's view of the North Downs. A 153 mile trail between Farnham and Dover and is one of the major National Trails in England and Wales.
Bushey Park: Head out past Richmond and you're in Teddington, where you'll find Bushey Park - which we've heard more than one person say is a trail runners dream. Also accessible on mainlines, a short walk from Hampton Court Station.
Hampstead Heath: If you are really tied for time, and that 30 minutes to get to one of the two above trails is time best spent running, we've just the place for you that is simply central. Hampstead Heath in Zone 2, is a 2 minute walk from it's overground station. By hitting the perimeter of the Heath you can stick on trails, grass and woodland for at least 5km. The variety of trails is so vast, it's possible to run twice that distance back and forth over the Heath without retracing any steps. Pick your time for this trail if you want to avoid weekend picnickers.
Lee Valley Park: Finally, if it's a river run you're after - without the concrete of the South Bank or Bustle of the Embankment, you can head East to Waltham Cross and pick up the tow path at Lee Valley Whitewater Centre and run north around the edge of Bowyers Water. Lee Valley Park offers 26 miles of riverside trails.
Trails vary in length, and how long you yourself plan to be out on them - but it's important to come prepared!
Don' forget:
Water
Energy bars
Rain jacket: With English weather, we all know it can be unpredictable. Prepare for any inevitability with either our Microlight Drizzle Jacket or our wind and water resistant Evertek Grid Trail Jacket.
Warm layer: Keep your core warm - especially on the return journey home with our thermal Seadog base and mid layers
Money: because you never know when you might need it.
Your phone
A sense of humour!
Yoga returns to the Crewroom hub
After a few classes last year, we've brought Yoga back to Crewroom by popular demand. Starting Saturdays a 9:30am, and followed by our increasingly infamous (in Putney anyway!) brunch!
If you're thinking about joining our Yoga class and you're new to Yoga, here are to top tips to bring along to your first yoga session...
Breathe: There is a lot to learn about how breathe healthily in yoga. Breathe into your whole body in the poses and relax.
Be aware of the space around you: Leave enough space, so that if you do lose your balance – you won't knock your neighbour!
Laugh it out! Yoga is a focused meditative activity, but here at Crewroom we don't take ourselves too seriously. If a pose makes you feel awkward or stiff at first, we don't begrudge a giggle!
Don't overstretch yourself: Don't push yourself to do anything which feels harmful to your body. Talk to our yoga teacher about any poses to avoid in certain circumstances such as if you're pregnant or have an injury.
Wear comfortable clothing: As you'll be stretching in every direction, it's important to wear something that won't restrict your movement. If in doubt, check out Crewroom's (products here)
We look forward to seeing you at our Saturday Class, and we'd love to hear your feedback afterwards during brunch! Check back to the Crewroom blog soon – we'll be sharing photos from all of our Crewroom activities! Namaste folks!
Our shiny new truck!
Many of you will remember seeing our faithful Mazda Bongo out and about during the event season. It was pretty hard to miss with all the colourful Crewroom bubbles covering the van. Well, it served us proud but it was time to trade it in for something a bit more sturdy and reliable.
In keeping with tradition, we made sure our new truck was equally as noticeable so we gave it a chrome wrap. Now that's something you definitely won't miss!
Personal trainers, we want you!
You might have noticed by now, since the opening of our hub on the embankment in Putney, slowly but surely we've had more and more to offer by way of daytime and evening classes, groups and events.
All the friends of Crewroom will know that we're all about building the community of people around us, and encouraging everyone to come and get involved, from our run club (and that all important breakfast after run club!) to our twice weekly core classes with Paul, and our new Pilates class on Wednesdays with Laoeny.
In 2014, we only want to get bigger and better, and are calling on all personal trainers and fitness instructors to bring their skills and classes on down to the hub and host your class right here!
Fours Head of the River Race, Putney
Excitement was building around the hub for sometime, our first year on the embankment for the UK’s biggest autumn rowing event; Fours Head of the River Race, and we were not disappointed.
The weather, threatening at times, but managed to hold out; we put up the marquee, stocked to the brim with the JL thermo tops and leggings, put the tea on and waited with baited breath for the crew. Checkout some images from the day: http://www.jetphotographic.com/browsecat.php?id=10133
This year the Tideway Scullers, with a quad full of Olympians took the 59th title with a 24-second victory across the 4.25 mile reverse Boat Race course – quite something to cheers our tea to we thought!
We hope you enjoyed it too, we’d love to see your photos from the day, you can tweet them to us on @Crewroom