Month: September 2013

28 30 Sept 4 Oct Running Info

Hi all,

Our pace groups are off to a good start!   Thanks to everyone for looking out for each other.   We’re going to stick with some familiar routes this week as the groups continue to get settled.  We sent out emails mid-week with information on the WRW t-shirt and the travel details for our spring half-marathon trip.  Money for the shirts is due to Kelli Montanaro by 4 October.  Please let us know if you have any questions.

Good Luck Racers!

Over the next two weekends we have 12 runners participating in races.  This Sunday 29 September, Linda Dolan and Chris Roberts are running the Berlin Marathon.   Also on Sunday, we have eight women running the Windsor Half-Marathon.  Good luck to Darcy Fautz, Poornima Guruprasad, Maureen Fossum, Holly Stevens, Ellen Goodman, Angela Shaw, Mee Lee and Yianna Xenakis!  The following Sunday 6 October, Jen Cohen and I are running the Royal Parks Half-Marathon.

Update on Paula

For the new folks, Paula Mitchell is the woman who founded Women Running the World and was its talented and inspirational leader for many years.  She is participating in the Grand 2 Grand Ultra this week, which is a 169-mile race in 6 stages over 7 days.  The race starts from the north rim of the Grand Canyon and finishes on the summit of the Grand Staircase.  Think – miles, mountains, deserts AND the runners carry all their own gear.  Wow.  In classic Paula fashion, she is getting stronger each day.  After three days, Paula is in 38th place overall (out of 113 men and women.)  If you want to follow the race updates, the website g2gultra.com is posting news and results under “race coverage” and “breaking news.”  Here’s a photo of her from stage 3 which was 52.6 miles.  She is number 119.

 

Upcoming races

Women for Women – This is a great organisation that is having a 10K fundraising run in Regents Park on Oct. 6.  Check it out at www.womenforwomen.org.uk/help-women/my-step-her-stride-runs.php.

Rough Runner – Yianna Xenakis is planning to do a 10-mile Rough Runner race in North London Sunday Nov. 24.  Check it out at www.roughrunner.com/events and get in touch with Yianna ([email protected]) if you are interested.

That’s all for now!

Keep running,

Jane

ROUTES THIS WEEK

LONG RUN (Either Monday 30 Sept or Wed 2 Oct) – Big Ben (4, 6 or 8 miles)

Everyone loved this run when we did it a few weeks ago so we’re returning to it again while the weather is nice and the pace groups are getting settled.

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 past 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.  Those running four miles will take the tube back to SJW from here and those running six or eight will turn around and follow the same route back.  For six miles, take the tube or bus from Marble Arch.  For eight miles, return to SJW.

BigBen4mi

 

FAST RUN (Either Mon. 30 Sept. or Wed. 2 Oct.) – Notting Hill  (up to 6.5 miles)

This is one of our traditional Wednesday routes and it gives everyone some options in terms of distance.  If you want to go the whole 6.5 miles, go for it!  If you want to just put in a few miles, you can run along the canal and then turn around and come back.  There is always someone else who is up for the same distance.  Everyone runs at their own pace, so don’t worry about holding anyone back.

If you are new to the route, we leave Barclays heading west to Lisson Grove/Grove End, then wind our way down to the canal.  We follow the canal for a couple of miles then head south along Ladbroke Grove until turning on Elgin Crescent then zigzag over to Westbourne Grove.  We then run east to join the canal near Paddington and continue on to St. John’s Wood.

 NottingHill

 

Friday 4 October – The Heath

ASL has a holiday today so we will probably be a smaller group.  For those who would like to run, we’ll meet at the same time and place in front of Barclays.

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.

______________________________________

Website:  https://womenrunningtheworld.commm

Facebook Group:  Women Running The World (request to join)

Email: [email protected]

Paula in Stage 4 of the Grand to Grand Ultra Race

30 Sept-4 Oct Running Info

Saturday, September 28, 2013

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23 – 27 September 2013 Running Info

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.

HydePark6mi

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.

HydePark8mi

 

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!’

TheWall


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.

______________________________________

Website:  https://womenrunningtheworld.com
Facebook Group:  Women Running The World (request to join)
Email: [email protected]

13 16 20 September Running Info

Hello everyone,

Another great week of running!  I think we had over 40 women run to Big Ben on Monday.  I love it!  Our plan was to run together for the month of September in order give everyone a chance to meet each other. We are really a bit too big a group to run on the sidewalks all together, but I think we can pull it off for one more week.  After this week we’ll be moving into pace groups – more on that below.

If you’re just getting back into running, and you’ve struggled a bit, don’t give up!  Keep running!  I promise with each run it will get easier and you will feel stronger.

There is a lot of important information in this email, please read!  If you are a returning runner, please look at the maps because our new runners are still learning the routes.  We need a lot of people who are able to guide this big of a group.

NEW MEETING PLACE!

We love Starbucks, but we want to make sure they love us too!  In an effort to be good local citizens we are going to meet at 8:15 in front of the Barclays bank at the corner of Circus Road and Wellington.  The bank won’t be open yet and there’s a nice plaza in front so we won’t block the sidewalk.

Coffee, Coffee and More Coffee

Despite my best attempts to get Starbucks to buy the upstairs flat so we could have a place to hang out for hours, they still haven’t delivered.  But we do have the next best thing.  Pret-A-Manger opened across the street and they do have a large seating area downstairs.   Given our large numbers, we may have to mix it up a little bit.  If Starbucks is full, grab a group and head to Pret.  I know it will be a difficult transition, but I think we can do it.  🙂

Be Careful

I know we are all tempted to dash across the street to stay with the group.  Please be careful!  In the past, we had a runner hit by a motorcycle and we also had a runner hit by a car (on a weekend run). They were both OK, thank goodness, but I’m reminding you that in London you can’t depend on the traffic to stop for you.

General Training and Pace Groups

In the next couple of weeks we will be posting more detailed information about the training schedule to prepare for the spring half-marathon.  In general, each week we run a long/slower run, a shorter/faster run and a hill run.  The Pace Groups will make it easier for folks to find each other and will be especially important for our long runs.  We follow the training principle that your long run should be at a pace slower than your race pace.  If you are new to all this pace stuff, don’t worry!  We can help you figure out where you should be.

Amsterdam Half-Marathon, 20 October 2013

If anyone is interested in running the Amsterdam half-marathon in October, please get in touch with Holly Bell-Stevens ASAP. [email protected].

Keep running,

XO

Jane

Click here to go to the interactive route maps

ROUTES THIS WEEK

Monday 16 September – Sloane Square/Battersea (4 – 10 miles)

The routes below all allow you to loop back to St. John’s Wood.  You can also take the tube home along the way at the following stops.  Marble Arch (2 miles), Hyde Park Corner (3 miles) Sloane Square (4 miles) and Sloane Square on the way home from the 10 mile route (7 miles).

4 miles: Start heading west on Circus Road and turn left on Grove End 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 left to enter Hyde Park at the intersection with Stanhope Place.  Pass Speaker’s Corner, heading east one block on Oxford street to Gloucester Place. Run up Gloucester Place, over Marylebone Road and alongside Regent’s Park.  Cross over Prince Albert Road and up St John’s Wood High Street to Starbucks.

8 miles: Start heading west on Circus Road and turn left on Grove End 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 left to enter Hyde Park at the intersection with Stanhope Place. Turn left and run along the edge of the park to Hyde Park Corner.  Cross Knightsbridge Road and run right along Knightsbridge until you reach Sloane Street, where you will turn left and run until you reach Sloane Square,  At Sloane Square, turn around and run back up Sloane Street and along Knightsbridge, where you will re-enter the park at Hyde Park Corner.  Run along the eastern edge of the park and exit at Upper Brook Street/Animals of War Memorial. Turn left on Park Street, which turns into Gloucester Road and head home as above.

10 miles: This route is for our women who are running a half marathon in a month.  (Don’t do this route unless you have been training for a half all summer.)

Follow the 8-mile run, but continue on through Sloane Square and follow Lower Sloane Street into Chelsea Bridge Road and over the Chelsea Bridge.  Enter Battersea Park and run west along the Thames to the Albert Bridge and cross back over the river.  Turn right after the bridge and run west along the Chelsea Embankment to Chelsea Bridge Road and retrace your path back to Hyde Park Park Corner.  Run alongside the eastern edge of the park and exit at Upper Brook Street/Animals of War Memorial and follow at the 8-mile route home.

 

Wednesday 11 September – Kensal Rise (4-6 miles)

The beginning of this run takes us along the canal east.  Please be aware of bikes along the canal.

Start out heading west on Circus Road, turn left on Grove End to St John’s Wood Road and go west working your way to the canal entrance on Blomfield.  Enter the canal heading west and run to the Ladbroke Grove exit.  Here we turn right and run over the bridge along Chamberlayne Road to Harvist Road. Turn right on Harvist, which turns into Brondesbury Road, and take that to Kilburn High Road/Maida Vale.  Turn right and follow Maida Vale to Hall Road where you turn left and run back to Starbucks. If you want to shorten this route, run west on the canal and turn back at your desired half-way point.

(The two mile mark is at the point on the canal when the Westway highway is over our heads.)

 KensalRise6mi

Friday 13 September – The Heath (4-8 miles)

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.

______________________________________

Website:  https://womenrunningtheworld.commm

Facebook Group:  Women Running The World (request to join)

Email: [email protected]

Our new meeting place will be in front of Barclays at the corner of Circus and Wellington Roads.

16-20 September Running Info

Friday, September 13, 2013

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10 Bad Durkheim

Dear Women Running the World,

We are pleased to announce our spring half-marathon…

THE GERMAN WINE ROAD HALF-MARATHON

Sunday 30 March 2014

Bad Dürkheim, Germany

One of the most scenic road races in Europe takes us through the German wine country one hour south of Frankfurt.  

A gigantic “thank you” to Chris Roberts for all the work she has done (including visiting the area hotels and restaurants this summer) to organize the trip.  Please tell her thank you!!

I know you can hardly wait to sign up!  Please be patient with us a little longer.  We are creating a page on the website dedicated to race/travel logistics and we will post all you need to know on the site.  We’re still waiting for our last questions to be answered (and translated) and we would rather give you all the information at once.  We will email you again when the information is posted.

One very important note – the half-marathon trip is for runners only.  No husbands, no kids, no non-runners.  This weekend is all about you and the women in the running group.  If you want to talk about this, just let me know.

Mark your calendars…and keep running!

Jane

The German wine road half-marathon…

Bad Dürkheim

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

9 – 13 September 2013 Running Info

Hi everyone,

Thanks for another great week of running!  You’ve all been so friendly and welcoming – I really appreciate it!

A few quick announcements:

The T-Th Beginner Group is FULL
Thanks for getting the word out about our beginner group, the interest has been amazing!  So amazing that we are now over-subscribed.   So unfortunately we have to ask you to stop recruiting and if someone does express interest, unfortunately we have to tell them that the group is full.  Our fantastic coaches can only take on so many brand new runners and we’re already at the max number.

Running in the Rain?
A few new folks have asked if we run in the rain.  The answer is Yes!  (In a few months you might be asking if we ever run in the sun!) The truth is that we’ll often have grey skies or drizzle but rarely do we have a total downpour.  (Am I tempting fate by making that statement?!)  In any case it does make sense to invest in a good breathable running jacket for wet days.

Our Experts
If you’re looking for a physio, osteopath, podistrist or personal trainer, check out the “Our Experts” tab on the website.  We also have people listed who help with functional movement analysis and weight management.  (Functional movement analysis is a good tool to prevent injuries.)  All the people listed on the website are recommended by women in the group.

Stay Tuned!
Next week we’ll announce the date and location for the spring half-marathon.  (We’re just waiting for the last pricing information to come in.)  Next week we’ll have all you need to know about the race, travel and weekend logistics.  It’s going to be a great trip!

Finally, please let me know if you are new and you need some help finding a group that is running your pace.  I’m happy to help.

Keep running,

Jane

Click here for interactive maps of all of this week’s routes.

ROUTES THIS WEEK

Monday 9 September – Big Ben (4-8 miles)
I love this route!  We run right through the heart of London and stop at the famous Big Ben.  The 8 mile option is for the runners planning to do a fall half-marathon.  For everyone else, don’t be tempted to do too much, too soon.  The best way to avoid injuries is to only gradually take up the mileage.

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 passed 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.  Those running four miles will take the tube back to SJW from here and those running eight will turn around and follow the same route back.

BigBen4mi

 

Wednesday 11 September – Hummingbird Bakery (6 miles)
After a great run, you get to reward yourself with a yummy cupcake!  (For a shorter run, you can go straight through Hyde Park to Hummingbird.)

This route takes us west on Circus/Hall/Sutherland down Warrington Crescent and along Warwick to Blomfield.  We make a right on Blomfield and carry on across the bridge and down Westbourne Terrace Road, past Sussex Gardens to Hyde Park.  At Hyde Park we run along the footpath on the north edge of Hyde Park and then continue down Bayswater/Notting Hill Gate to Holland Walk, where we will enter Holland Park. We will run along the Holland Walk, and then make our way through the park and out the south side of the park, down Earl’s Court Road, left on Old Brompton to the bakery.

 

Friday 13 September – The Heath (4-8 miles)

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.

______________________________________

Website:  https://womenrunningtheworld.commm
Facebook Group:  Women Running The World (request to join)
Email: [email protected]