Thanks for all the positive feedback about our new meeting place in front of Barclays. I love the fact that we have the corner all to ourselves and we’re not in the way of anyone.
There’s a lot of important stuff in this email because we’re starting our pace groups this week. I’m going to try to avoid bombarding you with too much training information all at once. I’ll give you the basics and point you to the website for more specifics. We’ll come back to these training principles often throughout the year.
PACE GROUPS
Each training week is planned to have one longer/slower run, one shorter/faster run and one hill run. The pace groups are for the longer/slower run and the pace listed is the training pace (not race pace). For the tempo/faster day and the hill day the groups will not necessarily be together. Some folks may want to push it more than others.
For those who are interested, there is a nifty calculator on our website to determine your training pace as compared to a target race pace. For many, the pace calculator might be too technical. As a rule of thumb, you should run your long run at a pace that allows you to carry on a conversation. Not too fast, not too slow. (I know that is easier said than done!) The slower run is an important part of your training because it helps build mileage without injury but it also helps your body build fuel. For more info about pace and the science behind the slower run, click here.
Leaders
We have chosen 2-3 women in each group to be pace group leaders for the long run day. They’ll help keep the group together, which will be increasingly important as we do more longer runs and/or new routes. Two of our groups will do their long run on Monday and two on Wednesday. I’m going to wear my bright yellow hat again next week, so if you need help finding your group, just ask me.
The “Nines” Group (9:00-9:45 min/mile)
Leaders: Vicky Timbers and Yianna Xenakis
Monday long run
The “Tens” Group (9:45-10:30 min/mile)
Leaders: Jen Cohen, Amy Grace and Erin Roth
Monday long run
The “Elevens” Group (10:30-11:15 min/mile)
Leaders: Christina Foy, Carrie Mendes and Michelle Morris
Wednesday long run
The “Twelves” Group (11:30-12:30 min/mile)
Leaders: Gudny Reynisdottir and Sonia Takkar
Wednesday long run
TRAINING SCHEDULE
We have two training schedules to prepare for the spring half-marathon posted on the website. To summarize, the Gradual Schedule starts with a base of 4-mile runs in the fall and builds to a 6-mile run in early November and a 7-mile run in early December. The Standard Schedule has a base of 6-8 mile runs in the fall and builds to 9 miles in early December. Click here to see the details of both schedules.
We don’t want to make things too complicated but we need to provide a little structure to make it as easy as possible for similar runners to train together. For the next few weeks we’re going to stick to some of our more familiar routes so we can get familiar with our pace groups. Let’s give this pace group structure a try but if something isn’t working, just let me know, and we can adjust.
Keep running,
Jane
Click here to go to the interactive route maps
ROUTES THIS WEEK
REMEMBER, we now start from in front of Barclays on Circus Road!!!
LONG ROUTE (Either Monday 23 Sept or Wednesday 25 Sept) – HYDE PARK! (4 – 8 miles, your choice)
NB: Ladies training for Ealing, Windsor or San Antonio have 6 mi on their schedules.
Start: Everybody starts the same way… head west on Circus Road, turn left on Grove End Road and follow south as it becomes Lisson Grove. Cross over Marylebone Road and continue on Seymour Place until the end. 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. Cross into the Park—you’ll see a silver orb just inside the park.
4 Milers: turn left, follow the carriage drive to the exit by the Animals in War memorial [near food kiosk], follow Upper Brook Street to Park Street, where you turn left. Park Street becomes Gloucester Place, then merges into Park Road and takes you back to SJW. At the SJW Church roundabout, veer right to the crosswalk which goes to the SJW High Street.
5 Milers: upon entering Hyde Park, go straight then veer left at the edge of the Park towards Hyde Park Corner; loop back up/north on the carriage drive. Exit the park at the Animals in War memorial and follow Upper Brook Street. Turn left on Park Street which becomes Gloucester Place and then Park Road back to St. John’s Wood.
6 Milers: upon entering the park, turn right at the silver sphere and run until you meet N Carriage Road where you turn left. Run down to the Serpentine, crossing over the bridge then left to run along the Serpentine. At the end of the Serpentine, turn left again and make your way to the eastern edge of the park before exiting at the Upper Brook St/Animals in War exit. Continue along Upper Brook Street to Park Street, turn left, take it to Park Road and into SJW.
8 Milers: follow the 6 mile run but do not turn left at No Carriage Rd, instead cross over [this is tricky, be careful] and follow until you reach the large broadwalk where you turn left. Run past Kensington Palace (on your right) and take a left to run along the southern edge of the park towards Hyde Park Corner, then turn left on the eastern edge and exit at Upper Brook St/Animals in War exit as above. Take Upper Brook Street to Park Street [left] to Park Road and home to SJW.
FAST ROUTE – (Either Monday 23 Sept or Wednesday 25 Sept) – THE WALL (3 or 6 miles, your choice)
REMEMBER, we now start from in front of Barclays on Circus Road!!!
6 Milers: Run South on Finchley/Wellington Road to the SJW Church Roundabout, follow the sidewalk to the left and cross Prince Albert Road at the crosswalk just beyond the SJW Church. Continue east and enter the canal at the Charlbert entrance. Run east [left], cutting through the Camden Lock Market until you run out of canal path at Islington. Touch the canal boat tunnel wall—this is The Wall!—then turn around and re-trace your steps back to SJW. When you come of the canal at Regents Park, take Charlbert to Allitsen to SJW High Street to Starbucks.
3 Milers: Start as above but when you reach the Camden Lock Market, turn around and head home.
Notes: This is a great time to do a faster ‘tempo’ run. Be very aware of bicyclists who commute on this canal path. Move into single file lines whenever someone yells out ‘bike!’
Friday, 27 September – The Heath
It’s Friday again. so everyone up Fitzjohn’s. You can pick your distance and whatever you choose, there will certainly be someone else interested in running that distance. All of these routes are on the website.
In addition, every week there are a group of women who prefer to do a flat run. We can help make sure that you find each other.
4 miles: A great way to ease into running the hill. Run up to the Hampstead tube station and back.
5 miles: The Betsy Route
6-7 miles: The partial Heath route
8 miles: The full Heath route
Click here for maps of all of the Heath routes.
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