Hi Everyone,

We’ve made it to spring break! If you’re in London this week we’ll plan to meet at Barclays at 8:30 and decide our route on the day. The plan is to maintain fitness by doing 6-mile runs. If you’re unable to run this week because you’re in the middle of the jungle or the ocean, you’ll still be fine for the race. Any type of cross training (2-3 sessions over the week) will be a bonus. If you’re really pushing for your best time during the half marathon, you may want to use the runs this week to practice your race pace or faster. One option would be to run your race pace less 30-60 seconds. That will be a good work out!

Looking ahead, our first official day back after the break will be next Wednesday 8 April. The plan that day will depend on how much you’ve been able to run over the break. If you’ve been able to run over the break, we’ll plan to do the 8-mile Hyde Park loop. If you’re just back to running, you may want to do a shorter route. If you have been running and are really pushing for your best time, you may want to do a longer run, maybe to Kew Gardens or another route of your choice.  

Padua Photo Book

A gigantic THANK YOU to Amy Grace for offering to compile a photo book for those attending the Padua race. Please get your answers to Amy ASAP. She says she may make up answers for anyone she doesn’t hear from – you’ve been warned!  You can send your answers to our gmail account – [email protected].

Padua Health Form and Run Card

The race director has reemphasized that you must have a completed health form and run card in order to run in Padua.  If you’re trying to find the run card in your inbox, you’re looking for an email from “[email protected]” with the subject “Ecco la tua Runcard.” Attached to the email should be a PDF file with a photo of the run card with your name and birth date on it. Also the link to the health form is on the WRW website on the half marathon page, if you need another copy.

Keep running,

Jane

Hi Everyone,

We’ve made it to our longest training run of the season – 11 miles to Kew Gardens!  I hope the photo above inspires you. Once again our route takes us to a beautiful part of London as we run along the Thames. Don’t forget your Oyster card, water and gels. This is a perfect run to try out a water belt or anything else you expect to wear or use during the race. Please take a minute to read the route and especially note the directions for entering and exiting the Thames path.  (If you are away and can’t run on Monday we do have some groups who are planning to do the run either next week or the week after.  Just let me know and I can link you up with a group.)

Good Luck Racers!

Good luck to Amy Grace, Vicky Timbers, Lisa Noel, Meg Stone and her daughter Alex and Shan Mercer and her husband Jamie who are running the Richmond Half Marathon on Sunday.  This will be the main race for Vicky, Meg and Amy because in Padua they will be leading the women in the Beginner Group. (Thank you!) We hope you all have a great race!

Padua – New directions for health form

When you fax or email the health form to the race directors, please also send in a copy of the Runcard or your Runcard confirmation. We’ve had a few women who sent in the health form and then got an email saying that they needed a Runcard when they had already bought one. It seems like the info systems in the race office are not amazing.  Basically if you send in both forms together it will save you from going back and forth with the race office about the Runcard as well. If you have already sent in the health form, you’re probably all set but make sure you have a copy of the Runcard with you at the race expo in Padua.

Hats for Sale

We have extra Padua hats for sale, only £10. Would you like a second hat just in case something happens to the first one? One maybe one for your husband, kids, friends?  If you want one, just tell me or Chris Roberts.  Thanks!

Keep running,

Jane

ROUTES

CONDITIONING LONG RUN  Kew

Monday 23 March

Bring your Oyster or contactless card!

You’ll be feeling exhilarated as we do our 11 mile run to the cute ‘village’ of Kew.  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 parallel Park Lane.  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 bottom right corner of Hyde/Kensington Park.  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 and run under it 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!  We will exit at the Kew Bridge, see photo below:

Run UNDER the bridge and then turn left, past a couple of tiny shops.  It looks like you need to walk through a 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.  Here there are two options.  Option 1 is on the route map but option 2 may be easier to remember.  (I’ve gotten slightly lost in Kew village before so I’m hoping this might help.)  The distance is the same.

Option 1 – At the 3-way intersection, veer left on Mortlake Road, then shortly thereafter turn right on Cumberland Road, which will merge into Kew Gardens Road. You’ll do a turn to the left onto Station Approach [follow the Kew Gardens Station signs].  There is a Starbucks around the small bend where we’ll all meet up to congratulate ourselves on such a great run! 

Option 2 – 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! 

TEMPO (or not) RUN  The Wall

Wednesday 25 March

Today we all run to The Wall but it is YOUR CHOICE as to whether you run it ‘steady’ or resume your tempo training by doing Fartlek ‘speed intervals.’  If you choose to do interval sprints, try to pick areas that are less crowded before you turn on your super speed for intermittent speed runs, followed by slow recovery running.  Mix these up as you choose, different interval lengths and speeds are fine, provided you are in control of your body as you run by the grommets, bikes, walkers and other runners.

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

HILL RUN  The Heath

Friday 27 March

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
6-7miles:  The partial Heath route

7.5 miles: The Highgate route
8 miles:  The full Heath route

Click here for maps of all of the Heath routes.