Hello Runners,

Let’s start with some exciting stuff….. running bras!!!  Over the years I’ve been asked about running bras particularly those for bustier women.  OK, this cracks me up.  I obviously have zero experience in that department, but one of our runners has given me this link to a company called Moving Comfort.  I understand their bras are fabulous.  They make one with velcro on the straps that makes it easy to tighten/loosen.

Let’s move on to fun stuff…. I’ll buy a coffee for whoever can tell me what this sculpture is (see photo above).  Last Monday when we were running along the canal by Victoria Park, we passed this little sculpture (actually there were two of them).  Seriously, what is it?  How did it end up placed there by the canal?

Let’s announce changes to our schedule…. On Monday, some of our runners have a meeting in the morning so want to run later.  The main group will run at the regular time but these ladies are meeting up at Starbucks at 9:45am to do the Notting Hill loop (6.5 miles) at a medium pace.  Join them if that works for your schedule.

How about a training tip?  Many of you are still trying to figure out how the group works, where you fit into the pack, what pace to run, how far to run, etc.  I understand how difficult this can be.  Please let me know if I can help you.  Basically, if you’re hoping to do the half marathon in the spring, then you should be doing one longer run, one medium distance run, and one hill run each week.  You might consider making your medium distance run a tempo run if you want to increase your speed.  For the long run, it is extremely important to gradually increase mileage (the same concept applies to improving your pace).  Experts suggest that we should increase mileage no more than 10% each week and that every 3-4 weeks we should cut back that mileage to allow the body to recover.  By increasing mileage too quickly, you could be setting yourself up for some running injuries.

Below is the proposed mileage for each program for next week:

Routes this Week

Monday, 24 September (see notes above – you could also decide to run later at 9:45pm for a 6.5 mile loop through Notting Hill at a medium pace)

Here, there and everywhere (26 miles) – we’re going to start with the group running to Battersea then run all over London, Kew, Richmond, back towards Hammersmith and finish at Putney.

Battersea (10 miles) – we’ll head down to Hyde Park, enter near the NE corner then run down to Hyde Park Corner.  From there, we turn right to do a little window shopping as we head to Knightsbridge then we’ll continue the window shopping along Sloane Street.  We cross over Sloane Square, continue on to the river Thames, cross over the river on Chelsea Bridge Road and run along the embankment in Battersea Park.  We cross back over the river on Albert Bridge, run back to Chelsea Bridge Road, then retrace our steps to St. John’s Wood (or come home by the US Embassy and Baker St.).

Hyde Park loop (8 miles) – I think you all know this route now.

Battersea loop but finish at Marble Arch (8 miles) – if you need 8 miles, you could do the Hyde Park loop or run to Battersea with the group then finish at Marble Arch and take a bus/tube/cab home.

Serpentine loop (6 miles) – run with the group to Hyde Park (we’ll be taking Lisson Grove then Seymour to enter at the NE corner of the park), then turn right or west to run along the northern boundary, turn left or south at Carriage Rd then run alongside the road over the bridge.  Immediately after the bridge, turn left to follow the water edge back towards Wellington Arch.  To shorten this loop, cross back over the Serpentine near the café and head on a diagonal back to Speaker’s Corner.  To lengthen this run, either go past Carriage Road and cut south by the Albert Memorial or do not cross over the Serpentine at the café – instead carry on down to the far SE corner of the park, then run up to Speaker’s Corner and home via Baker Street or Gloucester Road.

Speaker’s Corner loop (4-5 miles) – run with the group to Hyde Park, once we’ve entered the park do a small loop keeping to the north side of the Serpentine.  Head back to SJW either up Seymour/Lisson Grove or by the US Embassy then up Baker Street.

Wednesday, 26 September

If you want a tempo run, I would recommend:

The Wall (6 miles) – this can be boring, but it’s a great option.  I think you know the routine by now – we drop down to the canal and start running east to Islington.  It’s 3 miles to “The Wall” which is a place where the canal path is blocked and you have to go up to street level to get around it.  We turn around there and run back to SJW.

The canal (any distance) – run with the group towards “The Wall” then head back to Starbucks whenever you’re ready.

If you don’t want a tempo run, you could do a nice loop along the canal then through Camden and Belsize.

Friday, 28 September

Everyone heads up the hill!  Yeah!  It’s hard but you’ll feel great at the finish.  You have lots of choices in terms of distance – see below:

The Heath – old route (8 miles) – we’ll do the old route this time.  You can shorten this route by heading towards the track after Parliament Hill, exit the heath, run past Royal Free Hospital then home through Belsize.

The Darcy route (6 miles) – there still is no consensus on exactly what this route is!  I did hear that some of the ladies who normally do the Betsy route may want to go for 6 miles next week.  So ask around if you’re interested in this distance.   

The Betsy route (5 miles) – we have a lot of ladies doing this route each week.  If you’re interested in 5 miles, then ask around for others doing the Betsy route.  It’s a perfect combination of hills, heath and street running. 

Hampstead tube station (4 miles) – this is a great route to do if you’re short on time or are new to running “the hill”.  Head up to the Hampstead tube station with the group then turn around and head back home.  

I hope to see you running this week,

Paula