Hi Everyone,
We’re off to Greenford this week for our long run. The photo above is from our run to Greenford last year and I hope it gives you a bit of inspiration. We head west out the canal for almost 10 miles and the stretch past Wembley is very rural in parts. You can leave the hustle and bustle of London behind you. This is an excellent training run with no traffic lights. Watch your pace – don’t be tempted to go too fast. Remember long slow runs are the best way to build fuel. The photos of the exit are from last year as well, so hopefully they aren’t building a new apartment building or something crazy at the site. We’re going to assume the Black Horse pub is still there! The important thing is to look for the numbers on the bridges, we’re exiting at bridge number 15. Wednesday we’re going to Hyde Park for tempo work and Friday we’re back up the hill.
Congratulations Racers!
Congratulations to Darcy Fautz and Holly Bell Stevens who completed the Bath Half Marathon last weekend! Well done!
Thank you!
Thanks to everyone for being so excellent about our money collection last week. We collected from almost everyone on the day. We really appreciate it! If you went to the Pret basement on Tuesday I’m sure you saw what a gigantic job it is to hand out over 100 shirts!
Padua Reminder- Health Form
Don’t forget that you need to have a doctor complete the Padua Health Form in order to run the race!
Keep up the good work! The weather is changing, we’re seeing signs of spring and we’re in the home stretch of our race training!
Keep running,
Jane
ROUTES
LONG RUN – Monday, 9 March
Greenford 9.75 miles–This is a great run to find your comfortable conditioning pace and just go!
We start out the regular way to get on the Canal Path at Maida Vale heading west. We’ll then run along the Canal for about 8 more miles until we exit the Canal at Oldfield Lane [this is after Greenford Road]. We’re looking for the following bridge, which is pretty boring, but does have a small black “15” in the center.
At the top of the steps turn right and run along Oldfield Lane which is fairly industrial area until you reach the Greenford Station on the right just under the railway bridge. Tube home via the Central Line. If you want to stop for coffee, food or the bathroom, there is a little place with the great name of the Friendly Cafe just past the station on the left. (If you want fancy coffee, turn left at the railway bridge (instead of going under) and following the road until the next intersection where there is a mall with a Costa Coffee.) Note, we think these coffee places are still there!
TEMPO RUN – Wednesday, 11 March
Hyde Park Triangles—another shot at speed work—yippee!!!
Head down to Hyde Park the usual way at a very gentle pace. Once you reach the park pick up the pace a bit around Speaker’s Corner, and then run very fast down to the SE corner of the park. Jog slowly around the corner while you try to bring your heart rate back down to a recovered rate. Once you reach the straightaway, run hard again to Carriage Road. Slow down to a recover rate again as you cross over the bridge and up to the path, where you will turn right and run hard along the diagonal back to Speaker’s Corner. Jog very slowly back to SJW or hop on the bus or tube from Marble Arch. If you are not doing tempo work, you can do this run at a regular pace (if you go back to SJW it is about 6.5 miles).
HILL RUN The Heath – Friday 13 March
Ooh, it’s Friday the 13th—a perfect day for running up that ‘fun’ hill!
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.