Hi everyone,I hope you all are having a great weekend! For this week, as usual, please repeat last Thursday’s run on Tuesday. Keep it SLOW!! Also, please look out for new people joining and welcome them – we should have a few new additions this week.
Here is the link to join the group What’sApp if you are not already on it:
Stay socially distant when you are first meeting up
Break up into groups of 6 or fewer for the walk and run as soon as you can within the park
Please be extremely mindful of others on the sidewalk and in the park – do not run/walk more than 2 abreast
This Thursday’s run time will be just a slight increase from last week’s. We are taking our time building up to make sure your bodies are becoming adjusted at a nice slow pace. As always, please let one of us know if you are hurting or struggling. It is normal for your body to be aching in new ways because you’re using muscles differently. We get concerned if an ache doesn’t go away after about 10 minutes of running/walking or if you have a sharp pain. I heard that some of you are having back pain. It may help to think about your posture as you run – keep your shoulders back and don’t hunch over. This actually opens up your chest and allows you to breathe more easily and will give you better posture beyond running even.
If you are on this email and are not planning to join us or continue this year, please let me know – we won’t take offense! We don’t want to junk up your inbox any more than it already is. But if you are planning to join, come on out! It’s not too late to get started.
Hope to see everyone on Thursday, Your coaches
A beautiful day in the park last Thursday! Photo cred to Melissa 🙂
Well done on Thursday getting through those 2 minute running intervals with apparent ease. We are so glad so many of you were able to run together on Tuesday. It’s great to start to set that routine early on. So for this Tuesday, as for last week, repeat what we did this past Thursday based on the training plan we sent out last week.
Welcome to those of you just joining us. I hope you can make the run this Tuesday. Just look for the group at the entrance to the church gardens and introduce yourself. This is a very friendly group and they will take care of you!
Changes to the Latest Guidelines The changes to the guidelines mean we need to be extra diligent about breaking into smaller groups for the run. The coaches aren’t there on Tuesdays to monitor so we need you all to be constantly aware and helping each other follow the rules. I know it can be really easy to be chatting away and forget – I do it more than I should admit. Please try to get into smaller groups as soon as you can inside the park, staying 8-10 meters away from each other. I know this is not the greatest for group bonding and I’m really sorry about that. Hopefully the UK can get this latest increase under control quickly so we can relax a bit more. Please be on the lookout for new beginners and welcome them! Weekly Reminders:
Always bring a mask for the initial meet-up
Stay socially distant when you are first meeting up
Break up into groups of 6 or fewer for the walk and run as soon as you can within the park
Please be extremely mindful of others on the sidewalk and in the park – do not run/walk more than 2 abreast
What’sApp Group Thank you to Sue for setting up the What’sApp group! This makes it easy to connect with one another if you can’t make a Tuesday or Thursday run. For example, if you can’t make a run, you can send out a message and see if someone else might be around to run with you another time. This is just for you guys – the coaches don’t need to be on it. Here is the link to join if you are not already on it:
This Week This week we will be adding one 3 minute interval running interval to our two minute ones. It is absolutely essential we keep the pace very very slow so we don’t allow our heart rates to get too high, both for psychological reasons (so you don’t feel exhausted and worn out when you finish, and start hating it) and for physiological ones (as most of you haven’t run before, you need to give your bodies time to adjust to keep injuries at bay). Please let us know if anything is hurting. Most aches and pains can be quite easily addressed early on – it’s continuing to run on an injury that causes bigger problems. We have a list of professionals (physios, osteopaths, etc.) that our runners use that we can share with you – just ask!
A note on the pace – I had said in an earlier email that you should be running at a pace where you can talk comfortably. This is true, but that doesn’t mean you need to be talking all the time. It is perfectly fine to not be talking – I just want to make sure you CAN talk. Otherwise, you are going too fast.
We will not be doing much street running just yet, but please make a point of being very careful at the few road crossings we do have – it is very easy to just follow the person in front of you out onto the road without checking for cars or bikes, so please be careful!
Gear/Shoes For shoes, as I mentioned previously, if you can wait to get new shoes, please do. As we start to increase running time, your gait will start to develop and it will be better to go to a store to be fitted for proper shoes after your body has had time to develop that gait. I ran in cross-trainers for the first 4 months when I was a beginner. However, if you don’t have any sort of appropriate shoes then go ahead and get some!
it has 2 pockets so if you pull your phone out of the bigger one, you don’t have to worry about your keys or money or whatever being pulled out at the same time because those can go in the smaller one
the belt is not stretchy (some people really love the stretchy belt (Spibelt is the popular brand) but I don’t, maybe because I got used to the non-stretchy one)
it doesn’t soak up sweat like the kind that some runners like – the FlipBelt
it’s cheap so if you don’t like it, you don’t feel like you’ve wasted too much money
Also, if you go out to a store to check out running belts, it might be a good idea to also get a pair of running gloves. It will start to be chilly in the morning and you will want something that doesn’t soak up the sweat. This is not a necessity certainly, but just wanted to put it out there. Finally, if you are on this email list and have decided to not join our group, please let me know and we will take you off the distribution. Otherwise, it is certainly not too late to join us!
Enjoy the warm weather and we will see you on Thursday! Your coaches
Hello everyone, We are off to a great start! We are so excited to get to know you – we clearly have a fabulous group this year as usual!
So… this is another long email with lots of information so please bear with us.
First, I want to reiterate the guidelines in the current times:
Always bring a mask for the initial meet-up
Stay socially distant when you are first meeting up and you are in the larger group
Break up into groups of 6 or fewer for the walk and run
Please be extremely mindful of others on the sidewalk and in the park
I realized on Thursday that we hadn’t talked about being aware of others around you. Several times pedestrians in the park needed to move onto the grass to avoid our big group. I know it is easy to get into conversation and not pay attention, but we should not be walking/running 4 abreast and taking up the entire path. Please be aware and move to the side and keep it to 2 abreast. We are a big group and we want to make sure there are no complaints about us that might cause us to shut down. Thank you!!
What’sApp Group Our beginner groups in the past have found it really helpful to set up a beginner What’sApp group. This makes it easy to connect with one another if you can’t make a Tuesday or Thursday run. For example, if you can’t make a run, you can send out a message and see if someone else might be around to run with you another time. This is just for you guys – the coaches don’t need to be on it. You will all have each others’ email address via this email, so someone should take the lead and create the group. You can just send the link to join to everyone on the email so you don’t have to collect numbers. If you send me the link to join, I will pass it on to anyone who joins our group later.
Training Program We have attached our program as a two page PDF. Please note, however, that the race date is not yet determined (and really, who knows if there will even be a chance to run a race – but we remain ever hopeful and will still work towards that goal). I have based this schedule on an assumed date that may not be the actual date. Once the race is chosen, I will revise the schedule if needed and resend. One page is the specific running/walking intervals week by week. The other page is more of a broad weekly view of what we are doing.
For those of you who are just joining us, don’t worry! You’ll be fine. Our routine is this: on Thursdays the coaches will run with the group. The following Tuesday, the group will meet at the main entrance of the Church Gardens at the same time (8:20 am) and repeat what we did the prior Thursday. To time your intervals, we find that an app called IntervalTimer works very well (see below for what it looks like). I’m sure there are others out there, but that one is free and fairly easy to set up. You can also use an old fashioned method of folding a piece of paper 10 times or making 10 marks and move your thumb to hold it on the next mark for each interval. It generally works best if someone is the official timer person each Tuesday and someone else guides the group. We will be running in Regent’s Park for the first few weeks so it’s not too tricky to guide. We are happy to help you all manage it – just ask! For anyone who was not able to join us on Thursday, just show up on Tuesday, introduce yourself, and you will be fine. Also, if you find you cannot make a Tuesday or Thursday run, try messaging the group to see if there are others who might be able to join you later or on a different day.
So for this Tuesday, follow the intervals in the program for week one.
The key for the Tuesday runs is to go SLOW! The founder of WRW, Paula Mitchell, explained the philosophy of running so slow and having walking breaks this way:”Most of us have tried to run at some point in our lives or we had to do it in school. Usually we have less-than-wonderful memories about running. In my opinion, most people trying to learn to run go too fast. They head out the front door like a rocket, chest pounding, lungs gasping for air, legs screaming, etc. No wonder we don’t stick with it. It’s horrible. From my experience, if we start very slowly, run at a very gentle pace and don’t get our heart-rates too high, then we’re OK to keep at it. When we finish running as a group, you should be feeling like you did something but you shouldn’t be exhausted. That is the psychological side of it. From a physiological viewpoint, if you are new to running then your body isn’t necessarily ready to support that activity. By starting the program very gently we give our bodies time to catch up. Over the first few weeks, there are small changes happening within your muscular system. The small stabilizer muscles surrounding joints will strengthen. The larger muscles which drive movement will start to “wake up”. Most likely you will not notice these changes in the mirror, but they are happening. By beginning a new training regime gradually, we can hopefully keep injuries at bay. This is one of the reasons we definitely need to keep our pace slow on Tuesdays. Rein each other in!!! Try to replicate the pace we do together on Thursdays. If you run too fast, it can lead to injury or make you very frustrated with running. I’ll repeat this because it’s critical…… keep the Tuesday run SLOW, very SLOW!!!“
During the first few weeks of our program, we’ll continue to have additions to the group and start to see some attrition. Usually by October, the group settles into a pack and running becomes part of your weekly routine. For any of you who have some running experience, please consider moving up to our Mon/Wed/Fri groups. We have another 100+ runners who run a wide range of pace and distance. You will have people to run with and you will be able to keep up. The beginner group progresses very slowly and we will continue to keep the group running at a very slow pace. It’s part of the master plan!!! One last thing here… if you are already a runner (therefore have a natural pace/gait), running this slow can actually hurt – that slow pace will create an unhealthy amount of impact on your joints and can throw off your already-developed gait. Let me know if you want to discuss this – we are happy to talk about how you could transition to the next level in our running group. Lastly on this topic, if you are already a runner, after a few weeks you’ll be running circles around our true “newbies”. It’s depressing for them to feel that they are working SOOOOOOO hard and you’re flitting around as though it’s a gentle stroll in the park. People often ask whether we run through the winter and in the rain. The short answer – yes! The only time we cancel runs would be for icy conditions which are dangerous. Otherwise, we run in rain, sleet, snow, hail, etc. That being said, you might consider buying a good running rain-jacket. It needs to be lightweight and breathable. Runners Need sells them as do most of the outdoor shops, or ask any of the coaches for recommendations. You might be surprised to hear that we don’t usually have to run in rain. We like to joke that the sky clears for WRW – it will be raining as you walk to the run and by the time we start running, it’s over. And if it does rain, it passes over quickly. It’s rare we run in heavy rain but it does happen.
If you’re in the market for new shoes, we recommend waiting a month or so. Often, as you start running each person develops a gait and it actually improves (or becomes more efficient) over time. If you go in now for shoes, they may fit you in shoes that are appropriate for your current gait. That gait may very well change in the next few weeks so hold off if you can make yourself wait!
OK – the last few things. First, our running group has a website: www.womenrunningtheworld.com. We will post this email under “Beginners” so if you misplace it and are looking for information, you can find it there. Our program will also be out there as well as some route information if you’re interested. So the website could be helpful but don’t worry about any of the other information posted out there for the Mon/Wed/Fri group. Second, our group has a Facebook page – WRW London. You can request to join and we will add you.
Finally, here are the photos from our first day. It’s going to be fun to look back and see us all at the start of our adventure!
We look forward to seeing you on Thursday and hearing about how SLOW you ran on Tuesday!
Hello Everyone! If you are receiving this email, you are on the list for the WRW beginner running group for this year. It may have been a while since you were added but we hope you are still interested and excited to begin! In order for us to get a sense of the number of people to expect, please respond (not reply all) to this email to let us know if you plan to be there. If you have changed your mind and are no longer interested in doing this group, or believe you may belong in the regular non-beginner group (see below), please let us know.
This email is quite long but it is important that you read all the way to the end.
The beginner running group starts next Thursday, 3 September at 8:20 am at the St. John’s Wood Church Gardens near the entrance on Wellington Place. We are so excited to get going! You can expect to receive an email from us each week explaining what we’ll be doing the following week. We expect that there will be more beginners joining us over the next several weeks as the new school year starts.
Masks will be required when we meet at the church gardens and during our warm-up walk. We will remove them when we start to run. We are proceeding with an abundance of caution in order to keep all of you safe and running.
As much as possible, we will keep 1 meter apart while walking and running. This should still allow us to talk and get to know one another while keeping safe.
We will pay close attention to keeping distance from members of the public we might pass during our sessions.
Although the ultimate goal of this program is to train to run a half-marathon, we cannot promise that there will be a half marathon to run given the current environment.
As the government guidance changes, we will make changes as well so we all need to be willing to be flexible.
A bit about your coaches:
Amy Grace will be leading the beginner group for her 7th year. She was a beginner 9 years ago when she was new to London.
Melissa Kay is starting her 5th year as a beginner coach and has been running with WRW for over 7 years.
Jess Browne is in her 3rd year of coaching the beginners and has been with WRW for 3 years.
Paola Gelfusa Di Meo will be coaching her second beginner group this year. She was a beginner herself 5 years ago.
Renata Figueiredo will also be coaching her second beginner group. Renata has been running with WRW for 3 years.
Micki Heskett is the overall leader of Women Running the World and will also run with us some weeks because she would like to get to know everyone! She was a beginner 8 years ago and has been in London 9 years.
A bit of information about the program:
Very important – this group is for women who have never run before. If you can run even a mile or two, you likely belong in the regular running group that meets Mon/Wed/Fri. We also have a group that is doing a ramp-up program if you haven’t run in a while or are coming back from an injury. We need to all be working through this process together – if someone is running circles around us, it’s demoralizing. Plus, it will be boring and frustrating for you. Feel free to talk to any of the coaches about where you belong.
The program is gentle, but it’s still difficult. For the first few weeks, we will be out there less than 45 minutes. On the first day, we will do a 5-10 minute walk to warm up, then we will jog very, very slowly for 1 minute, then walk for 2 minutes. We will repeat the 1 min jog, 2 min walk pattern 10 times, then finish with a 5-10 minute cool-down as we walk back to Starbucks or Pret on the high street. So when we have finished our session we will have jogged for a total of 10 minutes. Over the weeks, the jogging intervals increase gradually but we continue to go at an extremely slow pace.
We understand it’s difficult to believe, but by late December you will be running a steady 60 minutes without any walking breaks. By late March/early April, you will be fully prepared for a half-marathon (13.1 miles). We have not yet chosen the half marathon location but we expect it will be in late March/early April, assuming that the world has changed and races will be held. More on this to come!
Our training schedule will prepare us for the half-marathon, but please know that you do not have to go on the trip or have any intention of running those distances. You do not have to commit to anything! That is the beauty of this group…. you don’t pay to be part of the group and you don’t have to commit to a long-term program. If you try it for a few weeks and don’t like it, you stop. No hard feelings – at least you will have tried. All of that being said, the women who end up most successful with the program are those who make a mental commitment to being there week after week.
Each Thursday, the coaches will run with the group, set the pace, tell you when to run/walk and set the route. We will also ask you to meet up one more day a week either as a group or as several small groups. Historically, the group has met on Tuesday mornings but if you can’t, you can do the day of your choice. For the first 8-10 weeks, this second run each week will be a repeat of whatever we did with you on Thursday. Believe me, that second run each week (without us) will teach you just as much as the Thursday run.
If you know of other people who want to join us, please encourage them to come and start with us. It is very difficult for people to join the group after a month or two as by then we are running quite a bit, so tell them to come and come now! Particularly keep an eye out for women new to London who might be interested in joining the group. For many new-comers, by the time they hear about the group, it’s too late (we’ve made too much progress) for them to catch up.
We will address injuries/aches/pains as we go. Most problems can be dealt with without having to stop running. We have a list of specialists that we can guide you to. It is much better to see someone quickly than to let something minor turn into something bigger.
A few guidelines:
Please bring a mask to wear at the start and end of the session
Come dressed however you choose. There is no need to buy a lot of running clothes at this point and definitely do NOT buy a new pair of running shoes yet (unless you really have nothing suitable of course). We can tell you where to go in London once you’ve settled into the program. One year a beginner ran in jeans for the first 3 months as she was convinced she wouldn’t become a runner and didn’t need to invest in running clothes. So no worries about how you look or what you wear, just show up (although a sports bra is highly recommended…)
Be on time. We do not operate on an RSVP system so whoever is there at 8:20 runs. If you’re late, you will be left behind. For any of you dropping off young children or if you have other complications, just let us know. We’ll try to figure something out.
No dogs or strollers allowed (sorry!).
Always carry with you a bit of money and an Oyster card or contactless payment (and possibly a Starbucks card). For awhile we won’t be getting very far from SJW, but it’s nice to know you always have the option mid-run to grab a cab/tube/bus if you have a problem. Also most of the women stay for a coffee after the run. This is a great time to ask questions or discuss concerns or just generally connect as sometimes we don’t all get a chance to talk to each other during the run.
The program works – we promise. Countless women have come through it successfully. It’s hard, but it’s good fun and the sense of accomplishment you will feel is simply more than we can put down in words. So give it a try, show up on 3 September and see what happens. We know it’s scary – most women are terrified, some don’t sleep the night before the first session, some show up feeling queasy, but don’t worry. We are all in the same situation. We are doing this to learn how to run – it’s impossible to “slow down the group” or “hold people back”. You can do this – we promise. We’ll hold your hand or pick you up and carry you if need be – just show up. That’s all you have to do is show up – we’ll guide you through each step along the way. See you next Thursday! Your coaches
Well ladies, what can I say? This year has been like no other (thank goodness!). But through it all, you guys continue to amaze and impress us. You didn’t have to come out this morning and do that incredibly long run, yet you did. And you were happy! And grateful! And believe me when I say that we coaches are even more grateful to have coached you during this journey. We are so proud of you!
I am personally still holding out hope that we won’t be completely restricted from leaving our homes during the next few weeks so we can all get out there to run. For those of you who want to be able to check the “I’ve run 13.1 miles” box, the coaches would each be happy to run with 2 or 3 of you at a time to accomplish it. We just don’t think it’s wise to do it in a group like we did today. So please reach out and let us know and we will try to make a plan – ideally for the 28th.
Normally, I would be sending you an email about next week’s running plan, things to remember for the race and then a note about what happens after the race. I thought I’d send you the part about what would have been next week’s plan and then after the race. The After the Race part is still relevant.
For running going forward – if any of you think you might want to try for 13.1 on or about the 28th, keep to the plan outlined below (and run your 60 min run this Thursday). Otherwise, you will now switch over more to a mileage run plan as we do in the MWF group. That group generally runs about 6 miles 3x/week with Fridays being the hill (up Fitzjohn’s to Hampstead Heath) and often the Monday run is a mile or two longer. For you all, 6 miles is about 70-75 min. You are all trained up enough to do those runs. But if you want to do less, that’s fine. And if you want to keep to your Tues/Thurs/Weekend for now, that is also fine. Once this craziness is over, we will make sure you are integrated into the regular group. After I send this, I will forward you the message that Micki sent to the regular group about suspending the group runs for now and I will also forward you this week’s email. And then I will add you all to the regular MWF distribution list so you get Micki’s emails going forward. They usually go out on Saturday afternoons.
Keep messaging with each other, encouraging each other – I know you will. We are so sad and disappointed that the beginner year is ending like this but you all have made it joyful for all of us and we love you all. We will make sure we have a celebration, whether it is with all of WRW or just for us beginners, once this madness is behind us.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions/comments/whatever! My What’sApp/mobile for messages is xxx.
Oh – don’t forget to cancel your hotel room if you haven’t already – the deadline is Thursday!!
The email that would have been:
This week’s plan Tuesday – do your normal 60 minute run but don’t push it. Thursday we will just do 45 minutes around Regent’s Park at a slow pace. The goal this week is to enjoy your running (!!) and your group and just keep your muscles loose. Relax! If you push the pace this week, it may make your legs feel a bit heavier than normal on Saturday from the muscle damage that comes when you are building up muscle (you may have noticed this on your weekend runs after a long Thursday run). Your training is done, you are READY! As Paula said in the final email my beginner year, this week is about finding the joy in running and in your amazing group.
and then blah blah blah things about preparing for the race that I will send you if you ever want it for a race in your future but don’t need right now
and then
After the race Next week, you officially become part of the regular WRW group. Congratulations! You will receive an email each week with the suggested routes for the week. Generally, the runs after the race tend to be fun destinations. We no longer need to worry about mileage, it’s more about being social and keeping fit (since we can use that as an excuse to eat all the good things at Borough Market…).
For the first week after the race, don’t worry about getting right out there to run. You may or may not feel sore from the race – a lot of it will depend on the weather and how hard you push at the end. My beginner year, my group got together the Thursday after the race and did 3 – 4 miles in Regents Park, just to get out there and to reconnect with each other post-race. If you’re ready to come out with the MWF group on Wednesday after the race – fantastic! It will be an easy 4 mile run across Hyde Park to the Kensington Whole Foods. Also, for those of you willing to brave Fitzjohn’s and the Heath, we are happy to run with you on an upcoming Friday, to give you a few tips on running up the hill. It’s hard, but it’s such a great feeling to get to the top. Plus, the Heath is beautiful.
I know it can be tricky to start running on MWF after you’ve gotten into such a TTH schedule for the year. It can also be intimidating to run with all those super scary advanced MWF runners. But trust me, you are running at paces that fit within the larger MWF group. Your coaches will help connect you with the women in your pace group and I swear, they are all really nice. And you will meet many of them this weekend. So please please come out and run with us whenever you can. It will also make it easier for the fall if you meet some of your fellow pace group runners over the next month or two before school gets out.
Hi everyone, In any other year, I would be saying, “Well, this is it! Our last big run before the race!” But this is anything but a normal year. However, we are going to continue on this amazing journey despite the craziness in this world. If you are feeling uneasy about running in a group, please do not feel pressure to come out. Everyone needs to assess their own needs and do what is right for them.
Even though you have all now chosen (!!) to do this run, you may be a bit nervous about it, and that is normal. You all can do this – and we know you know you can do it. It’s a long run, and it will feel long, and that’s OK. We will make sure you are not running too fast and we will get there and it will be AWESOME!
OK – a few things for the run this week:
Bring your Oyster card or contactless card to take the tube back plus money for coffee afterwards
Bring a gel, maybe two and maybe something like jelly beans, starbursts, etc.
Bring water (with no electrolytes please!)
Eat well and get a good night’s rest the night before and don’t go out partying
Stretch the night before if you can
Eat something for breakfast
A note about bathrooms along the run – around mile 5, there is a Costa Coffee attached to the Hilton Hotel on the Kensington High Street (just past the intersection with Holland Road) which has a few toilets. There is also a Starbucks at mile 5.7 but it only has a single toilet. We are not going to plan a stop – it’s better to keep running – but if you need to stop, a coach will wait for you and other coaches will continue on with the group.
We will have the 8 am group (meet at 7:55 for an 8 am start) : So far I have Nidhi in that – please let me know if anyone else will join so we know to wait.
Natasha – expected time at Kensington High Street is around 9:20 (come out of tube and cross the street – we will be running along the southern edge of Hyde Park and continuing down the street)
Yvonne – expected time at Hammersmith is around 9:40 (it’s a little tricky because there are multiple exits – you want to come out at the exit on the north side and you will see a traffic island in front of you and then to your left you will see a building that says One King Street – we will go over that traffic island and in front of that building).
If anyone else wants to meet along the way (Carrie? Wendy?) just let us know so we know to look for you.
If you have any questions/concerns, let one of us know. Otherwise, we’ll see you Tuesday! The route:
We start out the normal way running to Hyde Park. Once in the park, we’ll turn to the left and run down the main walkway as we regularly do, to Hyde Park Corner. At the end of the walk, turn right to follow the main cross route in the park—beware of the bike lane! When this ends at West Carriage Drive, cross the road at the crossing and continue on the pathway towards the southwest corner of Kensington Gardens. We’ll run out of the park at the Broadwalk, turning right onto Kensington High Street and continue for about two miles until we reach the Hammersmith Tube gyratory. Run counter clockwise towards the left, ending up on Queen Caroline Street which gets you to St. Paul’s Church green. Run along the green to the right, heading to and crossing over Hammersmith Bridge. Exit Hammersmith Bridge Road to your left, go down the stairs and run under the bridge onto the Thames footpath. Now it’s time to enjoy the view as we run along the Thames for almost four miles—it’s beautiful!
This is the bridge just BEFORE the bridge we exit on. I find it useful to know what this looks like because then I know it’s the next bridge where we get off the path (and it’s distinctive):
We will exit at the Kew Bridge, see photo below:
Run UNDER the bridge and then turn left, past a couple of tiny shops and garages. Run through the small parking lot until you see the stone steps leading to the top of the bridge.
At the top of the steps turn right towards town (not back over the river) and run along this road [Kew Road] for about a third of a mile until you reach a 3-way intersection. At the 3-way intersection, veer right and follow Kew Road along the boundary wall to Kew Gardens until you reach the first main pedestrian entrance to Kew Gardens, the Victoria Gate. Across from Victoria Gate, is Lichfield Road (it is only sign posted on the left-hand corner). Follow Lichfield Road straight into Kew village. Starbucks is on the left where we’ll all meet up to congratulate ourselves on such a great run!
What is UP with the weather?! You guys are amazing, running through the rain yet again. And the energy you showed at the end was fabulous.
We leave for Prague in 2 and a half weeks. I’m hoping that’s starting to feel a bit more like “YAY!” rather than “YIKE!” Or maybe a bit of both. We are in the home stretch and you guys are STRONG. If you had to, you could do the race now. The next few weeks are just about making it easier.
Unfortunately, I am not going to be here this week. My dad has been having some strange neurological issues and I’m flying to St. Louis tomorrow (Monday) to take over from my brother. My return flight is scheduled for Sunday so my plan is to be back here to run Kew with you all next Tuesday. Fingers crossed that plan holds.
Prague update from Micki. I know it’s very hard to wait for news and decisions when the whole world is responding to the COVID-19 virus, but that is the space we’re remaining in for now. You all will have received an e-mail from RunCzech on Thursday with their current status and thinking, and they set an expectation for an update on Monday afternoon. Our plan at the moment is still to go if the race is on, but we are considering it from many angles, taking in all the new recommendations, and carefully watching all new developments. Carolyn continues to be in touch with the race organizers, the hotel management and the restaurants to gauge their flexibility, and we are factoring both of those inputs into our thinking as well. Please bear with us as the situation continues to develop.
Race Gear Make sure you try out any clothing or gear you might possibly use during the race. We don’t know yet what the weather will be like (right now, for 10 days from now, my weather app shows high of 51, low of 36, so similar to London, but it could change and be cold or warm – I’ve seen both happen at the last minute in the past). It could be good to have a pair of cropped running tights if you don’t already have them, and do a run with them. Make sure you’ve tried running in a short sleeve shirt. And no new running bra on race day, of course. This is the same for any water belt or whatever. Also try out your music options – you’ll want to bring headphones but won’t start out with them in since we will all be together and chatting 🙂 so where will you put them? And don’t forget to make a playlist. (really – one year I helped a friend in a panic on race morning because she thought she’d synched her phone with iTunes and it hadn’t worked and she hadn’t checked).
Trip Details As the trip approaches, Micki and Carolyn will send more detailed emails about the weekend including timing and where to meet for meals, the tours, and anything else scheduled. They’ll also send some trip packing tips which I will emphasize and add to in a future email. If you have any questions at all about the race or the weekend, please don’t hesitate to ask. I know it can be scary not knowing how it’s all going to play out and we want to make you all feel as comfortable and psychologically ready as possible.
WRW Coffee This Wednesday, we will be having an all-WRW coffee at The Elgin in Maida Vale, 255 Elgin Ave, W9 1NJ and you all are invited (even if you’re not coming to the race). It is timed to start after the regular MWF run, so about 9:30 – 11. We would love for you all to come because you are truly part of WRW and it will be a good chance to see some of the other runners who will be coming to Prague.
This Week This week is a bit of a break week. This doesn’t mean we get to take it easy, unfortunately. It just means we don’t increase our time/distance. We are letting our bodies recover a bit from the last few long runs, giving the muscles time to repair before we move on.
This route is a classic WRW route along the canal past Camden – The Wall. We head down towards Regents Park, then enter the canal at the Charlbert entrance and run east [left] cutting through Camden Lock Market until we 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 Charlbert. Turn left and run along Prince Albert Rd to Wellington Road and run up to finish back at Barclays.
Wow – you ladies are MACHINES! I cannot tell you how many of the regular WRW runners have told us coaches how impressed/amazed they were with you guys out there running in that weather on Thursday. You are already LEGENDS! And really, if you can run in that, you are ready for anything! So congratulations to you for just getting it done.
AND congratulations to those of you who ran the Regents 10K!! What a great day you had for it. SO PROUD OF YOU!!
So, let’s get down business.
COVID-19 This is the message Micki sent out to the regular MWF group about the race and potential impact due to the virus – wanted to make sure you are all aware of our thoughts/plans.
Let’s take a second here at the start of this note to talk about the Prague trip in light of the COVID-19 issue, because it really has been a surreal week since we’ve returned from break. Carolyn is in close contact with the Prague half marathon organizers, and everything is still on for the moment. We will let you know immediately if we hear of any changes. Meanwhile, do take care of yourselves and your families, follow the health guidance issued by NHS and the government, stay well, and keep running! Your WRW team is hoping for the best with Prague, but also working on contingency plans. Please do fill out the Meal Choices google survey by Monday, March 2; and the Photo Directory survey by Wednesday, March 4. And let us know if you are planning to go to Prague and did not receive an email about these items!
If you have any questions/concerns, please talk to your coaches. As we all know, this situation is rapidly evolving and we will do the best we can with the information we have.
All-WRW Coffee On Wednesday 11 March there is going to be a WRW coffee that you all (even if you’re not coming to the race) are invited to. We did this for the first time last year. It’s the first time the beginners have a chance to mingle a bit with the other runners. We will talk a little about the race but it’s meant to be a social gathering with a little race stuff thrown in. We are working on a location but the time will likely be around 9:30 am. So if you can make it, please mark your calendar.
Race Video Megan Marine is in charge of the video that will be shown at the celebration dinner (a tradition). She needs to get a video of you guys with your arms on each others’ shoulders swaying back and forth that will become part of the video. Since we are starting off at different times now on Thursdays, I am wondering if most of you will be around on Tuesday and maybe I could come get a video of you before you start out? Please let me know…
This Week This week and for Kew, we will plan to take our gels while running. We need to practice – we do not plan to stop to take the gels during the race. Sometimes the gel packaging can be tricky – so just resort to pulling the tab off with your teeth if you have to. This is why we practice 🙂 We will take the gels about 70-80 min into the run.
OK – for the run, don’t forget:
eat something before the run
bring water
bring a gel if you have one
bring your Oyster card
I have extra gels and will bring some with me this week for anyone who wants to try something new.
This route takes us along the Thames Path past Borough Market and Tower Bridge to Canada Water tube station (Jubilee line) in Rotherhithe. Head to Hyde Park in the usual manner. At the park, cross North Carriage Road, turn right at the silver sphere, and left just after the Italian Gardens, keeping the Serpentine to your left. Turn right at the end of the Serpentine to run along the southern edge of the park to Hyde Park Corner. Proceed towards Borough Market – past Buckingham Palace and Big Ben, across Westminster Bridge, and left along the Thames Path to the Golden Hinde. Follow the walkway to the right of the Golden Hinde and at the junction with Southwark Cathedral, turn sharply left and follow Montague Close, passing through the tunnel. You are now on Tooley Street. Shortly, you will see the “Number 1” bar on the right and a London map sign on the sidewalk – turn left here (photo below)
Turn right at the end of the passage – you are back on the river. Run under Tower Bridge, turn left down the tiny alley called “Maggie Blake’s Cause” (photo below), then right at the river. If you look behind you, you will see Tower Bridge – we don’t usually get this view!
Turn right off the river at Maguire Street (between the Ask Italian restuarant and the Blue Print Cafe). Turn left on Shad Thames and follow Shad Thames until it ends, then turn left on Jamaica Road. After a short stretch on this busy road take a left into George Row (directly opposite the Tesco Metro on the other side of Jamaica Road. The road sign for George Row is hard to see, so keep your eye out for the Tesco.) Follow George Row for a few blocks, heading back towards the river, then turn right onto Chambers Street. After the Thames Water building site on the left take the next left onto Loftie Street, then right at Bermondsey Wall East. Continue along Bermondsey Wall East – you’ll see glimpses of the river to your left. If in doubt, the black Thames Path/Rotherhithe Village signs point the general direction. Go straight through a narrow passage (see photo below) to reach the historic heart of Rotherhithe where the road turns into Rotherhithe Street.
You will soon see a small burial ground on your right, where Christopher Jones, the captain of the Mayflower, is buried. Then on the left you’ll pass The Mayflower pub, named in honor of his ship. Continue along Rotherhithe Street until you come to a red metal bridge — turn right immediately before the bridge and go down the path alongside a canal, keeping the water to your left. (photo below)
At Salter St, cross the road and follow the path with the water on your left, and continue alongside the water/canal until you reach a large open area with Canada Water station (Jubilee Line) to your right and the Canada Water library in front of you. This is the end of the route, you made it!
There is a coffee shop on the left called Mouse Tail Coffee Stories where you can find some refreshments. And, if you want to shop for athletic gear, check out Decathlon just beyond the coffee shop!
Hi everyone, I hope you had a great break and are ready to get back down to business this week with some rested legs!
A few quick reminders for the run this week:
eat something before the run
bring your Oyster card
we will be bringing the gels again this Thursday. Bring water! Try a different gel and then go out and purchase a few of your own. We will keep bringing our stash until it runs out but you will need gels for Canada Water and Kew as well as the race. You will want to have at least two for the race just in case.
Also, for those of you going to the race, there will be a couple of emails this week that you will need to respond to ASAP – one for the meals and one for the photo book. So be on the lookout and please don’t forget to respond!
We’re coming into the final stretchI know you all know this, but we have one month until race day and we have 3 longs runs left(!!). You all are amazing and you ALL can do this. Don’t worry about the times and the distances – they are long but we are in this together and we will DO THIS! If you are feeling stressed about it, please talk to any coach. We have all run several races and have all trained in this way and we are happy to talk to you about it.
Electrolytes It sounds like some of you are putting electrolytes in your running water. In general, we advise against this. Runners really only need to worry about electrolyte replacement if you are running really hard (which you aren’t, and won’t be even during the race) or if it’s really hot (which it is NOT here). And even if it is hot during the race, the point that electrolytes might be at all useful will be towards the end of the race and you certainly will be done with any liquid you have brought along by that point. Few, if any, of the MWF runners use electrolytes during their runs. On race day, there may be electrolyte drinks available at the water stations but we strongly advise you NOT to take them because they will not be anything you have tried before (it’s always some local random drink) and you do NOT want to try something during the race that you haven’t already tested. By drinking regular water during your runs, you are replacing the water your body is sweating out and also keeping your body used to taking in regular water, which is what you should be doing during the race. Drinking electrolytes after the race will be fine (and I have to say, nothing tastes better than a beer after a race and the German Olympic training coaches agree https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics/43127307). If you have any questions about this, feel free to ask me or any of the coaches.
The Schedule (this week) Week 27 Feb 27 – 110 min = Wembley Week 28 Mar 5 – 120 min = Canada Water Week 29 Mar 12 – 90 min = TBD Week 30 Mar 17 – 130 min = Kew Gardens (this is a Tuesday) Week 31 Mar 25 – 45 min = easy run through Regents Park (note this is a Wednesday since we leave for the race the next day) RACE DAY!
Don’t forget – your Tuesday runs are now 60 min long and the weekend run is 45 mins. It is CRITICAL that you are running 3 times a week at this point. Put it in your calendar and get it done 🙂
This week’s run Wembley is one of my favorites. There are many people who do not love this run as much as I do so I am going to tell you why I like it and you can tell me your own opinions of it at coffee 🙂
Why I like the Wembley run: 1) You see many sides of London along the canal Some runners complain that parts of the canal are very ugly. This is true. However, I enjoy seeing the transition from city and the older buildings along the canal and newer gentrified condos to the industrial parts to the country parts, with glimpses of Wembley Stadium along the way. I feel like it’s the real London – many sides, not always so pretty but always something to look at. And as you keep going, it changes.
2) You see a part of London you otherwise wouldn’t – Wembley No, not the stadium but the streets. There is a large Hindu population and there are many shops with brightly coloured saris and trinkets that are fun to look at. And there is an amazing Hindu temple that was built in 2010 that took 14 years to build from stone from India. It is incredible. Look for it on the left hand side of the street.
3) It has a long, uninterrupted stretch of canal running Once we get on the canal, we run for about 6 miles. I believe this will be the longest stretch of uninterrupted running you will have had so far. One of the things that makes me love this run is that it was on this part of the run in my beginner year that I had a running epiphany – I felt like I could just keep running forever. I think I had settled into that pace where you feel good, you feel like you’re just cooking along and you can chat and run and all is good. I hadn’t really felt like that before and it was a great feeling. Some of you may have already had that feeling, some may never get it, but having a nice long uninterrupted stretch may put you in a similar place. I hope so!
4) You get to say you ran to Wembley! Most people have heard of Wembley. And people in London know it’s a ways out. So it’s fun to be able to say you ran there – so impressive!
The route 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 the canal entrance on Blomfield. Continue out the canal and exit at Alperton, see photo below, not quite 7 miles in. Turn right at the top of the stairs, cross the bridge and take the first right onto Ealing Road. Just after the turn you’ll see the Alperton station on your left. Follow Ealing Road to the High Road and turn right. You’ll see Wembley Central on your right for the 8-mile route. For 9 miles, continue until you make a left on Park Lane which becomes Wembley Park Drive. Continue past the turn off to the stadium on the right and up to Wembley Park Tube Station (Jubilee and Metropolitan lines). There is a Costa just down the steps towards the stadium so we will head there for coffee afterwards for those who can stay.
Hi all, Such a bummer about the Winter 10K today. I know you must be disappointed. You can use this Thursday’s run to show a 10K run in order to get your medal if you’re interested. It sounds like you’ll need a tracking app – it may be easiest to download Strava and use that. Let me know if you have questions about that. And then you can connect to me on Strava!
This Tuesday, assuming that you ran 45 minutes this weekend, you should run the regular 60 minutes. And afterwards come to the…
**** Money Collection – Tuesday 11 Feb 8:30-11:00am **** You should have already received an email, but just a reminder that Tuesday is money collection day. Here is the info if you didn’t, or if you’ve misplaced the email.
Please stop by Carolyn’s house at 20 Loudoun Road (a short walk from ASL’s Loudoun Gate) sometime between 8:30-11am with cash (cash only, please!) to cover the costs as detailed below. Please note, we’ve learned in recent years that cash machines/ATMs in the St Johns Wood area always run out of money on the couple of days before kit collection/race payment. It’s a good idea to organise your cash at least a few days early so you won’t be caught short! IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT AT THAT TIME ON TUESDAY, PLEASE ARRANGE FOR A FRIEND TO TAKE YOUR PAYMENT FOR YOU AND COLLECT YOUR KIT!
Cost and Kit Breakdown All Prague Race Attendees £175*, which includes: Thursday dinner — £40* Friday dinner — £45 Saturday dinner — £65* Race hat — £10 WRW fee — £15** *If you are not arriving until Friday, the cost of the Thursday night dinner will be deducted from your total. Similarly, if you are leaving before the Saturday celebration dinner, that amount will be deducted from your total. ** WRW fee helps to cover the costs incurred by WRW, including appreciation gifts, the end-of-year “leavers” celebration, and website costs
Optional Prague Extra: Saturday tour — £25
WRW Annual T-shirt: £25
Next week – ASL break week Next week is a rest week to let your body recover from the work it has been doing to build up your muscles. The schedule has you running 60 minutes on Thursday. You’re also supposed to now be running 60 minutes on Tuesday. If you can’t run because you’re off on a ski slope, it’s OK. But if you can, try to get a least a couple of runs in even if only for 30 minutes.
Revision to the schedule – Kew on Tuesday 17 March – MARK YOUR CALENDARS We are going to change our scheduled run to Kew from Thursday 19 March to Tuesday 17 March. This is for 2 reasons – first, Jess will be out of town on the 19th and is keen to run with you all on this iconic run; second, with the race a day earlier than usual, it is better to run this longest run a couple of days earlier as well to give your bodies a chance to rest, recover and be ready for the race. So please MARK YOUR CALENDARS for Tuesday 17 March for the run to Kew.
This week – gels! This week we are going to try gels on the run. Gels are basically carbohydrates to give your body some extra fuel during the race. For the most part, we train in a way to teach our body to use fat as a fuel. Fat is easier to access as an energy source and requires less fine-tuning in terms of timing carb intake during exercise. Our bodies have about 1000-1200 “easy access” calories available which will get most ladies about 10-11 miles (depending on their weight and fitness level). After that we will use gels (carbs) to fuel that last 2-3 miles of the half-marathon. We, your coaches, will tell you when you should take the gel. We will plan to use them on our longer runs going forward so we get used to taking them – we don’t want anything “new” on race day to throw us off! On Thursday, we will bring a bunch of gels that you can sample. You can try different flavors and brands and decide what you like (it may be helpful to keep the packet if you like it so you remember it). Then you can buy some either online or at running stores. In general, gels don’t taste great but they will either give you a boost after about 6 – 8 minutes or, if you’re like me, they will keep you from losing energy.
Some of the gels we have are called isotonic and have more liquid so you may not need water with them. Others are more like the consistency of jam and you’ll want water to wash it down. So please please bring your water with you. We will also have some Shot Bloks and energy jelly beans if you want to try those. Some people like the Shot Bloks which are chewy rather than jam-like. This is a very individual thing – some people like fruity flavours, some like chocolate, etc. Different brands can have different effects on your stomach so it’s important to try them first.
Places to buy gels: Runners Need stores or runnersneed.com (individual GU, SIS, TORQ, Shot Bloks, sport jelly beans) amazon.co.uk (may only be available in boxes but you could share with others in the group) wiggle.co.uk energysnacks.co.uk (individual packets available)https://www.ultramarathonrunningstore.com (individual GU, TORQ, Clif Shot Bloks and gels) Ocado (Clif Shot Bloks, SIS isotonic gels)
The Schedule (this week) Week 25 Feb 13 – 100 min = Big Ben and back Week 26 Feb 20 – February break – 60 min run Week 27 Feb 27 – 110 min = Wembley Week 28 Mar 5 – 120 min = Canada Water Week 29 Mar 12 – 90 min = TBD Week 30 Mar 17 – 130 min = Kew Gardens (this is a Tuesday) Week 31 Mar 25 – 45 min = easy run through Regents Park (note this is a Wednesday since we leave for the race the next day) RACE DAY!
Don’t forget – your Tuesday runs are now 60 min long and the weekend run is 45 mins. It is CRITICAL that you are running 3 times a week at this point. Put it in your calendar and get it done 🙂
The route this week – to Big Ben and back It was a huge deal when we ran here in October. Now we are running there AND back! For this run we head to Hyde Park via the usual route and run along the eastern edge of the park to Hyde Park Corner, under the arch and down Constitution Hill. Run pass the Victoria Memorial down the mall and enter 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, then turn around and run the same route back to Starbucks.
