Hello Everyone,

It was great to see so many runners on Wednesday.  I know it is hard to get back to it after some time off but it’s worth it.   This week there’s a threatened Tube Strike, so all our routes loop back home.  We’re doing the Kensal Rise loop on Monday and the Camden/Regents Park loop on Wednesday.   Friday is the Hampstead Hill.  If you’re new to the hill, don’t worry.  You can build up to it.  One option is to run up to the Hampstead tube stop and then turn around and run back down.  That’s a little less than a 4-mile run.  The payoff of the hill training is being able to run in Hampstead Heath.  For me, I hate the hills, but I love the Heath.  It’s one of my favourite places in London.  It’s so wild and remote that you quickly leave the cars and the craziness of London behind.

Helping with the Beginner Group?

We’re looking for volunteers to help with next year’s beginner group.  You can be any level/speed of runner and you don’t need to have been a beginner yourself.   You can respond to this email or email me directly at [email protected].

Save The Date

Our annual “Sights of London” run and Leavers Coffee will be on Friday June 6.  We’ll run as one big group and stop at a few key sights for photos.  It’s great fun.  If you’re moving away from London, please let us know so we can properly say good-bye.  (We’ll miss you!)

Trail Race June 7

Sonia is looking for some women to join her in the Runner’s World Trailblazer run (10K or half) on Saturday June 7 in Kent.  It’s a trail race and looks like an absolutely beautiful run.  Check out the website at www.rwtrailblazer.co.uk and email Sonia at [email protected].

Health News

Thanks to Donna and Erin for mentioning an article in the NY Times yesterday reporting that scientists found that exercise has tremendous benefits for our skin.  People who exercise (at least 3 hours per week) were able to reduce or reverse the normal ageing process of skin.   The results were so dramatic that active 60 year olds had skin that was closer to the skin of 20-30 year olds.   (They tested skin that was not exposed to the sun from subject’s butts!)  Just another example that exercise is great for you!

Keep running!

Jane

Monday, 28th April

Kensal Rise–6 miles

The beginning of this run takes us along the canal to the west.  Please be aware of bikes along the canal and move into single file whenever you hear a ‘bike!’ shout.

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.)  

Wednesday, 30th April  

Camden/Morningside Crescent/Regent’s Park Loop—5 miles

We start out on the canal eastbound to Camden Market, where we exit the canal 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 Euston road.  We’ll then go right on Euston to Park Square East, where we will enter Regent’s Park.  We make the first left onto Outer Circle and run around the loop to the Charlbert exit (where we enter for the canal). We’ll run up Charlbert to Allitsen, make a left, and head back to Starbucks.  

 

 

Friday, 2nd May 

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.

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]

Hi Everyone,

 Welcome back!  I hope you had a great two weeks whether you were travelling or enjoying some spring weather in London.  

 On Wednesday we have one of our favourite London routes – 4 or 5 miles to Big Ben.  The 4-mile route takes you straight to the Westminster tube stop but if you’re up for a bit more running and a few beautiful views, we have a short loop over the Westminster and Hungerford bridges and then back to the tube stop.  Remember to bring your tube card.  If you have been consistently running over the break, you can run back to St Johns Wood.  But if you’ve taken some time off these last few weeks, it’s better to take it easier these first few runs back.  Remember to take time to stretch and gradually build back the mileage. 

 On Friday we are back up the hill to Hampstead.  Once again, consider taking a shorter route if you haven’t been running.  Or feel free to follow a flat route of your choice if you’re not up for the hill quite yet.

Keep Running

I know it’s tempting now that our big race has finished to take a break from running.   Especially as life gets increasingly busy as the end of the school year approaches.  However, the best thing you could do for yourself is to keep running over these last few months of the year and over the summer.  You’ll hang on to the fitness level you built for the race and you’ll start the fall ready to run. 

Spring, Summer or Fall race?

One of the best ways to keep running is to sign up for a race.  Having that race on your calendar will motivate you to train.  Even a short local race can make a difference.  Or you may want to consider signing up for a half-marathon in the fall.  We usually have a group of women who run the Windsor Half Marathon, which is scheduled for Sunday 28 September.   It is supposed to be a beautiful but (true confessions) hilly course.  As of today they were still taking entries, the race closes at 6,000 runners.www.runwindsor.com

Welcome to Ex-Beginners!

We’re excited to have the ex-beginners join our MWF group!  As a reminder, we have four pace groups (9s, 10s, 11s, and 12s) but the groups are really just a simple way to organise folks who run at roughly the same pace.  As I mentioned at the race dinner, Syma usually runs in the 11s and Betsy runs in the 12s.  I think Bonnie runs a bit in both groups.  I run with the 10s and sometimes the 11s.   There is such a big group of ex-beginners, so wherever you end up there will be other ex-beginners with you.   We all know that joining the big group can be intimidating at first, but please know that the first day is the hardest.  Everyone is so friendly that you will quickly fit right in.  (It’s easier to join the MWF group in the spring, because in the fall there are many new runners that just moved to London.)   As a reminder we meet at Barclays at 8:15, and we try to start running at 8:20.  Let me know if you have any questions about the pace groups or the MWF group. 

I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone!

Jane

ROUTES

Wednesday 23 April

Big Ben plus Embankment Loop (4 or 5.3 miles)

We have no scheduled run for Easter Monday, 21 April, So we start this week’s routes on Wednesday 23 April with a modified Big Ben Route.  We’ll head down to Big Ben the usual way, to Hyde Park and then 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.  You can take the Westminster Tube from here for a 4-mile run or continue down to the Thames and across Westminster Bridge, where we’ll turn left and run along the south embankment to the Hungerford Bridge and left along Victoria Embankment to Big Ben, where we’ll head home on the tube from Westminster Tube Station.

Friday 25 April (seriously 25 April!!)

HILL RUN  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.commm

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

Email: [email protected]

Hello Runners,

Thank you a million times for the fantastic weekend in Germany.  I’ll say again how proud I am of everyone for finishing the race.  You all did excellent on a very beautiful, but difficult course.  This week is about enjoying your success and doing a bit of running if you are up for it.  Wednesday is a slow, easy 4-mile loop in the neighbourhood.  It might feel good to get your legs moving again and shake out some of the post-race rust.  Friday we’re running one of our standard flat routes – the 6-mile Notting Hill route.  (If you would prefer to run 4 miles, you can follow the first part of the course along the canal until you get to the part where you are under the highway overpass and turn around and head back to St. Johns Wood.)

For the ex-beginners (love that new name!) you are welcome to join us on Wed and Friday or you are welcome to run together on Thursday if you like.  Or some mix of both.  Feel free to email each other and plan something that works for you.  We’re not going to worry too much about getting you in the right pace group yet.  You can run together and follow our route on whatever day works for you.  When we’re back in mid-April after the ASL break, we’ll be more organised about getting everyone into the right group.  This week, just have fun with the runs.  (For Wed and Fri, we meet in front of Barclays between 8:00-8:20 and we start running at 8:20.)

For the MWF group, remember to be super welcoming to our ex-beginner runners and keep an eye out for them on the routes.  They won’t be as familiar with our standard routes and will appreciate your guidance and direction.

After this week, WRW will be taking a two-week April break and we won’t be sending out routes.  If you’re going to be in London during this time, feel free to organise amongst yourselves and keep running.  Our first run back will be on Wednesday 23 April.

Keep running,

Jane

Click here for this weeks’ routes on the website

ROUTES

FYI – for ex-Beginners, the routes are available on the website in interactive form (you can zoom in and out) and there are some pages with some of our regular routes you can use if you are looking for a route over the break

Wednesday 2 April – Regents Park – 4 miles

We’ll ease back into our London running with this easy loop.  Head down Grove End Road as though going to Hyde Park BUT at Marylebone Road, turn left and follow Marylebone Road, past Madame Tussauds, then turn left at York Bridge and right at the Outer Circle.  Follow the Outer Circle counter clockwise, all the way to the crosswalk by the US Ambassador’s House. Cross out of the Park and head to Starbucks.

 

Friday 4 April – Notting Hill – 6 miles

Run out the canal to the west and exit at Ladbroke Grove.  Run to Elgin Crescent and make a left.  Continue to Ledbury and go right and then left at Westbourne Grove.  Run down Westbourne Grove over Bishop’s Bridge and down the steps into Sheldon Square.  Go back along the canal and out where you entered and back to Starbucks.