Hello Runners!
I hope it was a great week for everyone.  I have been out of town, but seeing the pictures from Thursday’s run with the Beginner’s Group absolutely made my day.  Thank you to all who went out to meet them in Hyde Park– that first Big Ben run is such a milestone, and getting the surprise greeting from M-W-F runners makes it so memorable!  I’m sure the beginners were feeling the WRW love and beginning to catch on that they’re on to something special!

Running this week.  Monday we have a group favorite– the Richmond to Hampton Court adventure run.  This beautiful run out in the countryside along the Thames begins and ends with a train ride, so plan to give it the entire morning.  Please read the complete directions and maps found below, but it’s also important to note here that WE DONOT MEET AT BARCLAYS for this one! Instead MEET AT FINCHLEY ROAD AND FROGNAL OVERGROUND STATION at 8:30 for the 8:41 train (you can use your contactless card or Oyster).  The station is an easy bus ride up Finchley Road, or two stops on the Jubilee line to Finchley Road and a short walk further up the road to the overground station (not the Finchley Road tube station!).  We will arrive in Richmond around 9:15 and gather at the station entrance to start running, so if you are meeting us there, please plan to arrive by 9:15.  It’s a good idea to communicate amongst ourselves, via Whatsapp, about who is going on the adventure, so we can look out for each other– but please do be on time!  It’s a big time commitment for everyone already, so waiting around at the station is not in the plans!  If you are unable to clear the whole morning for the adventure run, no worries!  Either connect with others via Whatsapp to make your alternate plans, or show up at Barclays at the usual time and there will likely be others meeting up for alternate runs.  Wednesday we are back to our local routes, with the 6+ mile Notting Hill loop.  And Friday we head back to the Heath for the hill route of your choice.

Announcements and Shoutouts.  Congratulations and well done to the five ladies who ran the Royal Parks Half Marathon last weekend:  Laura Beal, Marigold Dooley, Roni Fransis, Katherine Greig and Meredith Snizek!  I hope I’m not missing anything, but I’m not aware of any WRW runners having race plans for this weekend.  Keep us posted on any upcoming races, so we can send out well wishes and kudos!  
A big shoutout to Tamar Brooks for organising and rallying runners to support the Beginner’s Big Ben run last week, as well as for the great photos!
You should have received the Prague Half Marathon “next steps” e-mail this week, with Carolyn’s detailed instructions for race registration and hotel reservations.  Please let us know if you did not receive this, or if you encounter any difficulties in the process.  And meanwhile, keep running to build a strong training base! 

Save the Date.  We have some fun mornings ahead, thanks to our wonderful Routes team.  Here are a few you might want to put on your calendar:
Oct. 30 (Wed) – Halloween Run to Whole Foods Kensington via Brompton Cemetery (start working on your costume!)
Nov. 11 (Mon) – Remembrance Run
Nov. 25 (Mon) – Crazy Tights Run (Holland Park to St James’ Park Benugo Cafe)
Dec. 4 (Wed) – Christmas Lights Run (early morning tour of the city lights before sun-up)

I’m so excited to get back to running with you all this week– especially looking forward to breakfast at Hampton Court Palace, rain or shine!  Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and see you soon!
xx Micki

ROUTES
Monday 21 October – Hampton Court Adventure Run (8 miles, or 6-mile option)
We will meet at the “Finchley Road and Frognal Overground Station” at 8:30 for the 8:41 train to Richmond. We will arrive in Richmond around 9:15 to start our run. You can take a bus up Finchley Road to the station or take the tube to Finchley Road, turn left and walk up to the Overground Station.

Leave the Richmond Overground Station, cross the road at the traffic lights and go straight through the narrow Old Station Passage. At the end, turn left on Little Green and follow straight past the Richmond Green until taking the left fork onto Friars Lane. Follow Friars Lane as it winds down to the river path.  

Now we stick to the river path along the Thames for the rest of our run. We will pass the grand red brick Ham House on the left, and eventually join Lower Ham Road. Keep right at the fork at Canbury Gardens, staying with the river just to your right. As you approach the center of Kingston you’ll run under a metal railway bridge; continue along as close to the Thames as possible until the next bridge, called Horse Fair Bridge. 

At the bridge you have two options — turn left into Kingston to stop at 6 miles, or cross the bridge to continue to Hampton Court Palace for 8 miles.

6-mile route: Go up the stairs on the near side of the Horse Fair bridge and turn left into town. Follow the road to the Kingston train station.

8-mile route: Go up the stairs on the near side of the Horse Fair Bridge and cross the bridge. Turn left at the end of the bridge onto a very pretty path called Barge Walk, which follows the river all the way to Hampton Court Palace. Once we arrive at the Palace, take a few snaps, and if you can stay for a coffee, we’ll meet at the Tiltyard Cafe, a restaurant on the Palace grounds with lovely outdoor space (and indoor too in case of inclement weather!). Cross the courtyard in front of the palace and then walk past the rose gardens to the cafe; no need to pay the Palace entrance fee.

Head back to London via Hampton Court train station. To get there, cross over the Thames on Hampton Court Bridge and the train station will be on your left. Be sure to check your travel sites to confirm the options for the trip home. There are usually local and express trains that go into London Waterloo.

Wednesday 23 October – Notting Hill (6.5 miles)
Start out heading west on Circus Road, turn left on Grove End to St John’s Wood Road and go west, turning left on Cunningham then right on Aberdeen to work your way to Blomfield Rd.  Run down Blomfield Rd to Westbourne Terrace Rd, being careful at the crossing at Warwick Avenue.  Turn left to cross the canal at Westbourne Terrace Rd.  Turn right after the bridge, follow the sidewalk along Delamere Terrace, and join the canal path heading west at this point.  Run to the Ladbroke Grove exit then run down Ladbroke Grove to Elgin Crescent and make a left. Cross Portobello Road and continue on what is now Colville Terrace until it meets Ledbury Road where we turn right and then left at Westbourne Grove. Run down Westbourne Grove to the top of Bishop’s Bridge, then left down the steps into Sheldon Square (across from the Paddington Station entrance). Stay along the canal to where you entered, then run back on Blomfield to SJW and Starbucks. 

Friday 25 October – The Hill (4 – 8 miles)

It’s Friday so up the hill we go!  There are multiple mileage options below, and this link will take you to all the Heath route descriptions.  Below is one of the standard 6-mile Heath routes.

4 miles:  A great way to ease into running the hill. Run up to the Hampstead tube station and back. If you have trouble running up, think about how easy it will be running down!
5 miles: The Betsy Route
6+ miles:  The partial Heath route OR the Reverse Heath route OR Pergola route
7.5 miles: The Highgate route
8 miles:  The full Heath route