Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all the great feedback about our Monday run through the Brompton Cemetery.  We had a large group run to Whole Foods and many women stayed for coffee.  Great fun!  I wish we had a big empty Whole Foods on the St. John’s Wood high street so we could meet there every week.

Building distance in our training

This week we have our first long destination run on the schedule – Canary Wharf at 9 miles.  Please note that the standard training program has a base of 7-8 mile long runs in November-December with a suggestion that you try a 9-10 mile run if you are feeling strong.  The gradual training program has a base of 5-6 mile long runs.  I would suggest that if you haven’t run 7-8 miles a few times this year, then don’t be tempted to jump to the 9 mile run.  There are options to run shorter distances.  One easy option is to run with the group to The Wall and then loop back.  Another option is to run to The Wall and then follow the Farringdon/Embankment/Green Park route that we did a few weeks ago.  The maps for all routes are listed in the routes section.

Save the Date – Upcoming runs

17 November – Putney High Street (7.75 miles)

24 November – Finsbury Happening Bagel, via the Greenbelt (7 miles)

1 December – Hyde Park (as we recover from Thanksgiving!)

8 December – Wembley Park (7-9 miles)

15 December – Sloane Square, Westminster, Green Park (7 miles)

There are usually options to shorten the mileage on all these routes.

Paddington Bear Trail

Paddington Bear has come to London and there are 50 statues of the famous bear throughout the city from now until 30 December.  We’re going to create a few routes, probably for Wednesday runs, for those who might like to run to see the bears.  Stay tuned – we should have the first route for next week.

Feedback on shirts

The last two years we’ve created a WRW shirt and they’ve been a big hit.  I’m sure you’ve seen women wearing the “Run Like a Girl” and “We Run London” shirts.  We’re starting to plan for the shirt for this year and we’d love to get some feedback from you.  We can’t take everyone’s suggestion but we’d love to hear your preferences.  How do you feel about no-sleeve, short-sleeve, or long-sleeve, maybe with a half zip?  Any color requests?  Any great ideas for a slogan?

A group of friends

A small reminder to everyone that WRW is really just a group of friends who like to run together.  We have a lot of knowledge in the group from the experience of running, but none of us (especially me!) are professional experts.  We tend to offer general wisdom about training such as it’s important to gradually add mileage and it’s important to properly stretch.  It’s crucial that if something is bothering you, little or big, that you seek out professional advice from an expert.  Or if you are new to running or new to running longer distances, you may want to see an expert to make sure that you are healthy and OK to tackle this challenge.  We have the names of some experts listed on our website.

Padua trip update

On Thursday, I sent an update email to all the people who are attending the Padua half-marathon trip.  If you didn’t receive the email and you’re planning to attend the trip, please let me know so we can make sure that our records are correct.

Upcoming races

Thanks to Yianna who suggested the following upcoming races:

Regents Park 10K for After Adoption

Sunday 16 November 2014 at 10:00am

Cancer Research London Winter Run – 10K

Sunday 1 February 2015 at 9:45am

That’s all for now!

Keep running,

Jane

ROUTES

Monday 10 November

Canary Wharf [~9 miles] –OR—The Wall [6 miles] – OR Farringdon/Embankment/Green Park (6-7miles)

Okay, ready for one of our iconic destination runs?  Today, we have a choice of long run [Canary Wharf] or a shorter run [The Wall] or a shorter destination to Green Park via the Embankment..  Either way, we’ll all start out and do the first three miles together.

Option 1:  Canary Wharf

Section One – Canal to the Wall

The route starts out as the Wall.  Run along Prince Albert Road to join the canal at Charlbert Street.  Run along the canal for approximately 3 miles until the canal pathway ends at the famous “Wall.”

Section Two – Angel Roads

We need to run through the Angel neighbourhood until we can re-enter the canal path.   At the Wall follow the ramp up to Muriel Street.  (This is a good place to wait for your pace group.)  Take a right and then an almost immediate left up a path that winds between the apartment buildings.  See the picture below for the entrance to the path.

Keep going straight on the path and it will become Maygood Street.  When you get to the intersection of a main road (Barnsbury Road) turn right.  Run until you make the second left onto Chapel Market.  (There is a metal archway saying Chapel Market and a zebra crossing at the intersection.)  Follow Chapel Market until the end.  (NB:  There is a public Ladies Room at the end of White Conduit Street, which intersects with Chapel Market at the Euphorium Bakery.)  Turn right at Liverpool Street to the major road Upper Street.  Cross Upper Street and turn left.  (NB:  Angel Tube Station is to your right if you are going home from here.)  Make your first right at Duncan Street (Jack Wills shop at the corner) and follow until the end.  The entrance to the canal path will be directly in front of you.  Go straight along the canal (NOT a sharp right turn.)

Section Three – Canal to Limehouse Basin

We run for about 4 miles following the canal path to the Limehouse Basin.  We exit the canal path at the wire looking bridge – see picture below – and take the brown brick steps up to the left.

Section Four – Limehouse Basin to Canary Wharf

At the top of the brick steps, go straight.  At the Limehouse Gallery and Bronze Age shop turn right.  Run along the water until you reach the second metal foot-bridge leading to a park.  Cross the bridge and run through the park.  (You’ll see that the way we have gone in the past is blocked so we need to make a slight detour.)  When you reach the road (Narrow St.), turn left and run past the Dunbar Wharf and make your first right on Three Colt Street.  Run until you hit the water again and turn left.  Run with the water on your right until you see the long flight of steps next to Royal China – see picture below.  You’re almost there!  Only a third of a mile remaining!

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

 

Option 2:  The Wall

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 off the canal at Regents Park, take Charlbert to Allitsen to SJW High Street to Starbucks.

Option 3:  Canal/Farringdon/Embankment/Green Park (6-7+ miles)

Head out the canal to “The Wall”.  Exit the canal and turn right at the top of the exit onto Muriel/Rodney Street.  This will turn into Penton Rise, then King’s Cross and eventually Farringdon Street. 

4.5 milers:  Continue along Farringdon Street until Clerkenwell Road.  Turn left onto Clerkenwell and then right onto Turnmill Street.  Farringdon tube will be on the right – you’re done.

6 milers:  Stay on Farringdon Street all the way to the river.  Once you hit the Thames, turn right and run along the embankment.  When you reach Embankment tube station, take the tube home. 

7.5 milers:  Continue along the embankment until Westminster.  (If you take the tube from Westminster, you’ll have run 6.5 miles)  Turn right onto Westminster Bridge Road and continue onto Birdcage Walk.  Cut through St James Park towards The Mall.  Turn left onto The Mall and then right onto the path just past Clarence House.  Run the path up and then take the tube home from Green Park.

 

Wednesday 12 November

Notting Hill 4-6+miles

Keep your eyes open as this is often a celebrity spotting route!

Start out by 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 and run to the Ladbroke Grove exit then run down Ladbroke Grove 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 [across from Paddington Station].  Go back along the canal and out where you entered, then run back to Starbucks.

You also have the option of a shorter run by not getting off the canal. Run half the distance you want, turn around and head home. As a rule of thumb, the two mile mark is the Westway overpass.

Friday 14 November

The Heath 4-8 miles

We run up the hill on Fridays–it’s tradition! It is hard, but you’ll feel great when you are finished. 

4 miles:  A great way to ease into running the hill.   Run up to the Hampstead tube station and back. If you have trouble running up, think about how easy it will be running down!

5 miles: The Betsy Route

6-7miles:  The partial Heath route

8 miles:  The full Heath route

Click here for maps of all of the Heath routes.

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