Month: March 2016

Beginners Week 29: 21 March 2016

Hi Everyone!

You guys are SO fabulous!  I am sad I missed last week’s run – it sounds like it was incredible with the weather and everyone feeling good about the run.  I loved seeing your happy faces at the end of the run.  You all can DO this!  We are all so excited for you!
This is the week – the legendary Canary Wharf run.  This distance is about the same as what you ran last week so you don’t need to stress about it – you’ve already proven you can do it!  The difference is that most of it is on the canal so no stopping.  Although that may sound intimidating, it actually allows you to get into a nice rhythm, plus it is great training for the race.  Then, before you know it, you’ll be there and ready for a little margarita action 🙂
Reminders:
  • Eat something before the run
  • Bring water
  • Bring a gel if you have one but we still have a bunch and will bring them along
  • Bring your Oyster card
  • Bring money for margaritas and breakfast burritos!
We will take the gels about 70-80 minutes into the run – roughly around the Victoria Park area.  And we will try to take them while continuing to run this time.
Like last week, please let us know if you will be on the run this week.  We want to make sure we have a plan for putting coaches with groups.
Also, some of us have talked about going to hear Jodi preach at the American International Church.  There are two dates that I think might work for many of us – 10 April and 8 May.  The service is from 11 am – 12:15 pm and the church is on Tottenham Court Rd near the Goodge St Tube (Northern Line).  If you are interested, please respond to me with the date(s) that you can do and we will organise the outing.
So – please respond with the following:
  • Will you be there this Thursday
  • What date(s) work for you to see Jodi
Here are the details for the route.  There are some photographs of the exits on the canal just for reference.

Section One – Canal to the Wall

We will run past Panzers and down to Charlbert where we turn right.  Run to Prince Albert Road and cross into Regent’s Park to join the canal.  Run along the canal for approximately 3 miles until the canal pathway ends at the famous “Wall.” 

Section Two – Angel Roads
We need to run through the Angel neighbourhood until we can re-enter the canal path.   At the wall follow the ramp up to Muriel Street.  Take a right and then an almost immediate left up a path that winds between the apartment buildings.  See the picture below for the entrance to the path.

 

CanaryPic1
Keep going straight on the path and it will become Maygood Street.  When you get to the intersection of a main road (Barnsbury Road) turn right.  Run until you make the second left onto Chapel Market.  (There is a metal archway saying Chapel Market and a zebra crossing at the intersection.)  Follow Chapel Market until the end.  (NB:  There is a public Ladies Room at the end of White Conduit Street, which intersects with Chapel Market at the euphorium bakery.)  Turn right at Liverpool Street to the major road Upper Street.  Cross Upper Street and turn left.  Make your first right at Duncan Street (Jack Wills shop at the corner) and follow until the end.  The entrance to the canal path will be directly in front of you.  Go straight along the canal (NOT a sharp right turn.)
Section Three – Canal to Limehouse Basin
We run for about 4 miles following the canal path to the Limehouse Basin.  We exit the canal path at the wire looking bridge – see picture below – and take the brown brick steps up to the left.

 

CanaryPic2

 

 CanaryPic3
Section Four – Limehouse Basin to Canary Wharf
At the top of the brick steps, go straight.  At the Limehouse Gallery and Bronze Age shop turn right.  Run along the water until you reach the second metal foot-bridge leading to a park.  Cross the bridge and run through the park.  After the park, you’ll run straight, under an arch, and the water will be on your right.  Run with the water on your right until you see the long flight of steps next to Royal China – see picture below.  You’re almost there!  Only a third of a mile remaining!

CanaryPic4

Run up the steps and straight ahead, through the small park to India Drive and then veer slightly right along Cabot Square.  You’re heading for the big sky-scrapper building in front of you.  Stop when you see the sign for the Canary Wharf DLR Station at the ‘mall’ entrance on the South Collanade.  We’ll meet at the Starbucks inside the building on the right, next to the DLR station.  After a much earned coffee/margaritas/breakfast burritos, we’ll head to the Canary Wharf Tube station [Jubilee Line] and tube it home to SJW.

Beginners Week 28: 15 March 2016

Hi everyone,

Well, it’s back to mileage/time building this week!  Your bodies had a nice rest and now it’s time to go back to work.  This week is a great run, going down to Hyde Park then through Sloane Square (make sure to do some window shopping as you run by!) and over the river to Battersea Park.  Then we’ll head along the river to Big Ben and finish up at Green Park.  The schedule says 110 minutes but as you all know the runs now are more about the distance – the time is just an approximation and some of you will finish a little before and some a little after and all of it is OK.  Just remember to take it nice and slow.
Unfortunately, I will not be joining you this week and Vicky may not be there as well but hopefully Jane will be back in fighting form.
Lesley has the big bag of gels and she will bring them on Thursday so you can try a different flavor or kind.  We have plenty and we may have enough to see us through Canary next week as well.  Yum yum!
Don’t forget to bring your Oyster card for the tube right back to SJW.
A quick reminder about the race – don’t forget to get your medical form filled in and submitted.  There are instructions on the website (www.womenrunningtheworld.com) if you’re not sure what you need to do.
Here is this week’s route in detail:
We head out to Hyde Park (Circus to Lisson Grove to Gloucester), along the eastern edge of the park, and down Sloane Street to Sloane Square.  We continue through Sloane Square, down Chelsea Bridge Road, and over the Chelsea Bridge to the south bank of the Thames.  We will then turn right into Battersea Park and run along the south side of the Thames to the Albert Bridge, where we cross back over the Thames and then turn right again and run along the north side of the river all the way to Big Ben/Parliament.  We will turn left at Big Ben and run down Birdcage Walk, turning right to cross through St James’ Park to the Mall.  Turn left and then turn right to cross over the street before the Victoria Memorial.  Keep heading straight along the western edge of Green Park to end at Green Park Tube.
BeginnersHydeSloaneBattersea9mi

Beginners Week 27: 8 March 2016

Hello everyone!

What a fabulous run to Wembley last week, and you guys were AMAZING as usual.  It was the first time we’ve run that long with no little red men to give us a break and you all did so well.  Runs like that start to get us used to what the race will be like – no little red men there, unfortunately.  But it can nice to just get in a groove with a comfortable pace and go and go – just like you did!
This week is a recovery week – 60 minutes on Thursday.  When you are building up mileage, you want to build up for 2 – 3 weeks and then take a break by cutting back to let your body recover so it is ready to keep building.  So we have this week and the week of ASL’s break built in for recovery.
Next week, we will bring more gels so you can try a different one during that longer run.  Figure out what you like and then get several of them to use on the Canary and Kew runs as well as the race.  We want to make sure you are comfortable taking them and knowing what they taste like and how they make you feel.  Either next week or during Canary we will try taking them while running… 🙂
A quick look at our upcoming schedule:
17 March – Battersea
24 March – Canary Wharf
31 March – ASL break
7 April – 100 minutes – probably Whole Foods Kensington
14 April – Kew Gardens
A note about your Tuesday runs – it is so wonderful how you all look after each other, but at this point, everyone should have a general sense of where they are on the route and how to get home if needed.  Certainly you should make sure no one is left behind at a street crossing, but if groups get separated due to pace, everyone should be responsible for themselves for the route.

The route for this Thursday – a little blast from the past – canal to Camden then down to Regent’s Park.

Start down St John’s Wood Terrace to Charlbert and then down to the canal entrance at Regent’s Park.  Run east on the canal towards Camden Market where we exit the canal over the bridge and turn right onto Camden High Street.  We’ll run down Camden High Street to Mornington Crescent Tube Station and veer right onto Hampstead Road, which we will take down to Robert Street.  Turn right on Robert for a few blocks and then a left on Albany Street and then the first right onto Chester Gate.  Run on the Outer Circle of Regents Park until you get to the exit for Charlbert Street.  Take Charlbert back up to St John’s Wood Terrace and then to Starbucks.

BeginnerCamdenRegents4-5mi