Hello Runners!
I hope you are enjoying this fabulous, fabulous weekend! It was such a pleasure to run with you all this week– Friday, especially, was a gorgeous day for a run to the Heath Pergola!
Running this Week. We’ve got another great week of London runs ahead. Monday we head to Hyde Park for your choice of route from 5-8 miles. Have a look at the maps/directions below to decide which option you’ll take– they all are beautiful runs. And please do be careful of pedestrians as we run down Abbey Rd/Lisson Grove– we’ve received feedback in the past that we overwhelm the sidewalks in that area. Wednesday we’ll repeat the Regents Park Inner/Outer Loop for 5 miles before returning to St Johns Wood for our Welcome Coffee at The Gate (see below). And Friday we’ll do our first official Borough Market destination run. The 6-mile route takes us down to Westminster and across the bridge, then along the South Bank all the way to London Bridge. Don’t forget your Oyster or contactless card, and do think about what gourmet treats you might need from the famous food market!
If you are new to WRW, please let us know if you’re having difficulty finding a pace group that works for you. We are so happy to help, and there really are so many great pacing options, as well as the flexibility to move between them. When you do find the pace that works for you, ask to be added to the WhatsApp group. These have become an indispensable means of communication (practical and social!) for most of us, and we do want everyone to be in the loop!
Welcome Coffee this Wednesday! WRW is pleased to host a Welcome Coffee for all runners Wednesday, September 18 after our run (approx 9:30) at The Gate, 87 Allitsen Rd, St Johns Wood. Coffee/tea/juice and light breakfast items will be served. Please join us! It’s fun, free, and a great opportunity to get to know a few more people, and to meet some of the women who make WRW work. Even if you can’t run that day, stop by to say hello if you can. And be sure to say thanks to Magali for organising this!
Announcements and Shoutouts. Marissa will have a handful of black WRW hats available for purchase at the Welcome Coffee on Wednesday. She is also working on the annual WRW shirt, so it’s time to put out a call for 2019-2020 shirt slogan suggestions. They really have to be about 6 words or less. Here are some examples from years past:
2013 – “Run Like A Girl”
2014 – “We Run London”
2015 – “Sorry, Gotta Run!”
2016 – “In It For The Long Run”
2017 — “This Is My Happy Pace”
2018 — “Keep Calm and Run On”
2019 — “Anytime, Anywhere, Any Pace”
A shoutout to recent WRW alum Maureen Scheckel, who is running her first triathlon (Long Beach Island Triathlon) tomorrow in the U.S. Good luck to ‘Mighty Mo!’ Next weekend, WRW will have THREE teams (10 women each) running in the Reebok White Cliffs Ragnar relay! Each runner will take on 3 legs of between 3-11 miles on a 170-mile course straight through the weekend, including running in the middle of the night! Last year’s team of 8’s had an amazing experience, so our hope is that it will be a memorable weekend (for all the RIGHT reasons) for all!
Please let us know if you have race plans in the works, so we can give you a shoutout! We’re also happy to help connect runners who are training for upcoming events. And finally, we’ve recently met some runners whose schedules don’t allow them to run at our MWF morning times, and we’d love to help connect them with one another if possible. If you are one of these ladies, feel free to e-mail us with your mobile number (for WhatsApp) and we may be able to connect you with some running partners.
I’ll sign off with another couple of photos, shamelessly pulled from our Facebook Group page (but don’t forget to scroll on past the photos to see the route maps and descriptions!). Can’t wait to get back out there with you again this week– keep running happy!
xx Micki
ROUTES
Monday 16 September – Hyde Park 5, 6, 6.5 or 8 miles
Click here for all of the Hyde Park interactive route maps
We start from Barclays, run down Circus Road and turn left on Grove End/Lisson Grove. Cross diagonally at the light to go onto the west side of the street. Cross over Marylebone Rd (now you’re on Seymour Pl) and run until the road ends. Turn right on Seymour St, cross Edgware Rd, and turn left at the next street (Stanhope Pl). Cross into Hyde Park, cross over the Carriage Rd and you’re ready to go.
Hyde Park 5 miles
With this route, run straight when you enter the park and turn left when the path ends. Turn left again at Hyde Park Corner and head back up along the eastern edge of the park before exiting at the Upper Brook St/Animals of War exit. After you cross Park Ln, make your first left onto Park St and keep going until you get to Park Rd. Turn left on Park Rd and make your way back to Starbucks.
Hyde Park 6 miles
Here, turn right at the silver sphere after entering the park. Turn left when you get to N Carriage Rd and run down to the Serpentine. Turn right and then left to run over the bridge. Turn left to run along the Serpentine. Turn left again at the end of the Serpentine and head back up along the eastern edge of the park before exiting at the Upper Brook St/Animals of War exit. After you cross Park Ln, make your first left onto Park St and keep going until you get to Park Rd. Turn left on Park Rd and make your way back to Starbucks.
Hyde Park 6.5 miles
Like the 6 miler above, you turn right at the silver sphere after entering the park. Cross over N Carriage Rd and turn left just after the Italian Gardens. Run along the water (it turns into the Serpentine) and stay right at the end to run along the southern edge of the park, all the way to Hyde Park Corner. Then turn left and head back up along the eastern edge of the park before exiting at the Upper Brook St/Animals of War exit. After you cross Park Ln, make your first left onto Park St and keep going until you get to Park Rd. Turn left on Park Rd and make your way back to Starbucks.
Hyde Park 8 miles
This run takes you around the periphery of the park. As before, you turn right at the silver sphere after entering the park. Cross over N Carriage Rd and keep going until the end of the park. Turn left to run along the edge. Just keep turning left until you’re heading back up along the eastern edge of the park. Exit at Upper Brook St/Animals of War Memorial. After you cross Park Ln, make your first left onto Park St and keep going until you get to Park Rd. Turn left on Park Rd and make your way back to Starbucks.
Wednesday 18 September — Regents Park inner and outer loop, 5 milesFrom Barclay’s head down Wellington Road to the traffic circle at Lord’s Cricket Ground and bear left onto Prince Albert Road. Run to the pedestrian crossing where we will cross and head to the Outer Circle. Turn right and run on the inside of the circle past Winfield House which will be on your left. Continue around the Outer Circle until you reach the traffic light at intersection with York Bridge. Turn left and proceed to the Inner Circle. Run one complete loop of the Inner Circle and back out across York Bridge where we will take a left and continue on Ulster Terrace which is part of the Outer Circle. At the next large intersection take a left and continue on the Outer Circle, heading north back towards the Zoo and Camden. Pass the entrance to the Zoo on your left and continue to the bridge at North Gate which we will cross to reach Charlbert Street. Run up Charlbert Street until St John’s Terrace where we turn left and run back to Barclay’s for a stretch before heading to Starbucks.
Friday 20 September — Borough Market via Westminster Bridge, 6 miles
Let’s mix it up with a destination run to Borough Market, official address 8 Southwark Street SE1 1TL. Grab coffee at Monmouth or Rabot before catching the tube at London Bridge station back to SJW. Don’t forget your Oyster!
We start by heading to Hyde Park via the usual route. Head west on Circus Road, turn left on Grove End Road. At the corner of St. John’s Wood Road and Grove End Road, cross diagonally at the light and continue south on Lisson Grove. Cross over Marylebone Road and continue south on Seymour Place until it tees into Seymour Street. Turn right and cross over Edgware Road and then take the first left on Stanhope Place to enter Hyde Park at the intersection with Stanhope Place. Run along the eastern edge of the park to Hyde Park Corner, under Wellington Arch and down Constitution Hill. Run past the Victoria Memorial, cross The Mall at the light and turn right at the grand wrought iron gates into St. James Park. Run over the pond and out of the park, turning left onto Birdcage Walk and down into Parliament Square to Big Ben. Continue past Big Ben and cross Westminster Bridge. After the bridge turn left down the stairs to run along the Thames until the river path ends after Southwark Bridge. Just past Southwark Bridge, head right and then a quick left to go into a short tunnel that puts you onto Clink Street. Make a right on Stoney Street to get to the market (and Monmouth Coffee!).
