Hello Runners!
Kudos to all of you who have been getting out there for your runs– rain or shine! There’s nothing like powering through bad weather for a good run, to make you feel strong and amazing– which, of course, you all are!
Thank you for being so conscientious about maintaining social distance at meetup and after the runs, and for continuing to run in 6-packs. I love that this week’s photos show how skilled some have become at taking selfies while everyone keeps socially distant! Also look for the “Hill” message one group is sending…
Running this week. This week our official runs will keep to our new, basic schedule, with the two different routes to Hyde Park on Monday and options to do the loops back to SJW or to run on to one of our destinations from Hyde Park. Wednesday we will do our new Regents Park routes, swapping which groups are doing which. And Friday we will head up the hill as usual, with the option, as always, of running to Borough Market for a flat, destination run.
Announcements and Shoutouts. This weekend the 40th London Virgin Marathon will finally happen! It’s gone virtual, in the sense that there is no official, marked-off race course for regular participants (there is one for elite runners). But the race will be very REAL for a few of our runners who are participating! Kelly Willis is officially running the marathon, and she will have support runners Miki Neant and Bjorg Fridbjornsdottir, as well as Marissa O’Malia as a one-woman support crew carrying all the extra gear on bike. A big apology from me to Kelly and crew for missing them in last week’s announcement!! And as I did mention last week, Laura Beal is also officially running the marathon, with Jess Browne as her support runner and an assorted crew meeting her with supplies/gear at various points along the route. Good luck, ladies!! As with everything this crazy year, this is not the marathon you had planned for… but I hope you will feel all the excitement and triumph of a ‘normal’ year, plus a lot more because of how you’ve managed to rock this despite all the setbacks!
To cheer on these strong ladies, you can download the London Marathon app here and search them up by last name or by bib number. Kelly Willis is bib number 12324, and Laura Beal is bib number 11011 (both great numbers, right?). Miki, Bjorg and Jess do not have official race bibs, but will presumably be in the same vicinity as their official runners. Below are the planned routes each of them has shared with us:
Kelly’s Route: She is starting at 6:30am near Blackfriars Bridge. Her route will first take her down around Southwark, across Tower Bridge, through the City and then on to East London. Follow her on the London Virgin Marathon app to track her on her route below. Her team estimates she will be entering Regents Park at Portland Place around 8:00, running anti-clockwise around the outer circle, with a loop of inner circle, and exiting the park the same way about 8:20/25. She will then be running the perimeter of Hyde Park, anti-clockwise from about 8:40 to 9:05, then through Mayfair, Charing Cross and Embankment, and across Westminster Bridge (a good viewing spot on the Eye side) close to 9:30 to finish at Blackfriars Bridge.
Laura’s Route: Laura and Jess are starting at the top of the Kensington Garden Broad Walk at 7:30am. They will run straight down the path and through South Kensington, crossing through the Brompton Cemetery from the north at mile 2, and then weaving down through Chelsea Harbour toward Wandsworth. After a detour up toward Parson’s Green, they will run along the north bank of the Thames all the way to cross at the Barnes Bridge, then will cut inland to connect with the south bank before Putney Bridge. They’ll run all along the river to Battersea Park (where the “Power” mural tunnel is) and then will cross briefly to the north side, then back over to run along the South Bank area to Borough. Keep an eye on her on the tracker, as there are excellent viewing spots along the way here! They will cross the Thames again at Tower Bridge, take a lap of St Katherine’s Docks, come around behind the Tower and along the river again to Embankment to finish near Buckingham Palace if the roads are open following the Elite Marathon finish.
I hope to see many of you out running again in what they’re saying will be another wet week– remember, nothing stops us! And there’s a special kind of satisfaction and fun in getting out there ‘no matter what.’ Take care of yourselves and each other…
xx Micki
ROUTES
Monday, October 5 – Hyde Park via two Routes (4 – 7 miles)
8s and 10s pace groups – Hyde Park via Westbourne Terrace
RunGo link: https://routes.rungoapp.com/route/HjtdobwsPm
Options – your choice in Hyde Park to increase or decrease distance! See here for all of our old, familiar Hyde Park routes!
9s and 11s pace groups – Hyde Park via Regent’s Park
RunGo link: https://routes.rungoapp.com/route/WV7sVAqTR5
Options – your choice in Hyde Park to increase or decrease distance! See here for all of our old, familiar Hyde Park routes!
Wednesday, October 7 – Regents Park New Routes (5-6 miles)
8s & 10s pace groups – Regent’s/Primrose
RunGo link: https://routes.rungoapp.com/route/m8IcEJxNpp
From the church gardens, run down Prince Albert Rd to the Charlbert entrance to Regent’s. Run straight, pass The Hub and at the next intersection after that, make a sharp right and run with the water on your left. Curve around and then turn left to run over the bridge. Turn left after the bridge to run past the Boating Lake and keep running around the edge of the park (keeping inside the park). The path will start making its way to the left, putting you at the fountain at the highest part of the Broad Walk. Go straight over the Broad Walk and keep to the right to run along the edge of the zoo. Cross over the Outer Circle and then Prince Albert Road. Once in Primrose Hill Park, turn right and run to the far edge, then turn left and run at a slight diagonal and make a left to run up to the top of Primrose. Head back down towards the Elsworthy exit and go out and turn left on Elsworthy. At Avenue, turn left and cross where you can, then turn right on Acacia to head back to SJW High Street.
9s & 11s pace groups – Reverse Inner/Outer
RunGo link: https://routes.rungoapp.com/route/BoeFK1Khvv
From the church gardens, make your way to Allitsen Road and run down Allitsen to Primrose Hill. Enter the park and turn right. Cross over Prince Albert Road to head into Regent’s Park. Once across the Outer Circle, turn left to run around the outer edge of the park. After 1.5 miles, turn right on York Bridge to get to the Inner Circle. Run all the way around the inner circle and exit the way you came in on York Bridge. Turn right to continue running around the outer edge of the park, exiting at Avenue Road (NOT Charlbert). Turn left to run along Prince Albert Road to SJW High Street and Starbucks/Pret.
Friday, October 9 – Reverse Heath Routes (5-8 miles)
8s and 10s pace groups – Hampstead Heath via Elsworthy Rd
RunGo link: https://routes.rungoapp.com/route/OGdOHtpFkK
Exit the church gardens at the gate on the St Johns Wood High Street side, cross the street, and run a short distance to make a right on Allitsen Road. Make a left on Townshend Road and follow it to its end, then make a right on Acacia Road and a quick left on Avenue Road. Cross Avenue at the first crossing to run down Elsworthy Road. At the end of Elsworthy, turn left onto Primrose Hill Road and follow it until you turn right onto England’s Lane. At the end of England’s Lane, cross Haverstock Hill and go right just to take a left onto Parkhill Rd. Follow Parkhill to its end, then take a right onto Mansfield Road and a left on Roderick Road. At the end of Roderick, you will see the Heath entrance across the street.
Elsworthy to Heath Reverse 6 – 6.4 milesOnce you enter the Heath, turn right and run along the path above the track. Turn left after you pass the cafe on your left. Run straight along the path until you reach the end of the second pond. Turn left and run straight along the path until it reaches a T. Turn right and follow the path as it curves gently and then joins up with the path we take to enter the Heath on our standard 6-mile route. Exit the park at Spaniards Road and turn left to run down Heath Street and Fitzjohn’s Avenue to Swiss Cottage. From Swiss Cottage take St Johns Wood Park to Ordnance Road and turn right on St Johns Wood Terrace to end on the High Street.
9s and 11s pace groups – Hampstead Heath via Thurlow Rd
RunGo link: https://routes.rungoapp.com/route/i8RgRtOTQE
From the Church Gardens, cross SJW High Street and take either Greenberry St or Barrow Hill Rd to Bridgeman St. Turn right onto Allitsen and left onto Charlbert. Take a quick left and then a right onto Ordnance Hill and run up to Swiss Cottage. Pass the tube and turn right onto Belsize Lane. Take the first left onto Daleham Gardens, keeping left onto Akenside Rd. Turn right onto Lyndhurst Rd and then the first left onto Lyndhurst Terrace. Turn right onto Thurlow Rd and run straight until you enter the park. Take the first path on the left and follow the curve to the right between the two ponds. Then… follow the directions below for your distance/hill preference.
Parliament Hill – 6 miKeep running straight to go up Parliament Hill the way we normally do. At the top, take a left on the dirt path and veer to the left at the second path and then turn left at the next path. Veer to the right and shortly rejoin the path we usually run down (turn right to go up the hill). At the entrance to the Heath, turn left and run back via Fitzjohn’s and to SJW via SJW Park/Ordnance.
