Month: August 2015

29 31 Aug 4 Sept Running Info

Hi everyone,

We’ve had a great start to the running season! It was wonderful to see so many of you gathering in front of Barclays. Even on a cloudy/rainy Wednesday we had a record turn out. And nothing, even being soaking wet, can keep us from coffee afterwards!

To the new runners, we’re so glad you’ve joined us! To the returning runners, thanks for being so friendly and welcoming to our new runners- keep it up!  We have more new runners starting this week. To everyone, if the runs last week were too slow/fast or too short/long – Don’t give up!! It often takes a few sessions to find the smaller group of women that run the right distance/pace for you. (If you need some help/guidance linking up with someone, just let me know.) One runner said to me, “Wednesday was really difficult and I almost didn’t come back, but Friday was great. Now I’m hooked!” I know the first few runs after the summer can be challenging. Stick with it and I promise it will get better.

As a reminder to the new runners, we meet in front of Barclays Bank at the corner of Circus and Wellington Roads at 8:15am so we can start running at 8:20. If you are new to the group, I have a new orange and blue hat so you can find me in the crowd. Come say HI!

Monday is a Bank Holiday so we won’t have an official route. If you want to run, plan to meet at 8:30 at Barclays and we can decide a route on the day. Wednesday we’ll head to the Wall and Friday we’re back up the Hill. In each route, there are lots of options for mileage. As always, don’t be tempted to do too much, too soon.

Late-Start Group

We’re trying a new thing this year. We have a group of runners who can’t make it to our regular 8:15am start (mostly because their children attend schools that start later than 8am) who are going to meet later to run together. The first day for the late-start group is Wednesday 2 September. They will meet at Barclays at 9:30 and do the same routes set for the 8:15 group. If you have a friend who would like to join this group, please have them email us.

Sidewalk awareness

We are such a large group! Please remember not to block the sidewalk when we gather at Barclays or when we stop at Starbucks at the end. We want to be good citizens of St. John’s Wood.

T-Th Beginner Group

The first day for the new beginner group is Thursday 10 September. If you have any friends who are interested in joining, please have them email me. Remember that the beginner group is for women who have never run before.

Stay Tuned – Spring Half-Marathon Trip

We’re hard at work behind the scenes trying to find a great race for our spring half-marathon. As you know, we have to balance many factors in choosing a race including timing, travel and finding a race that is appropriate for our beginner runners. We have our eye on a few races that look great, but they haven’t announced their 2016 dates yet. Because of that, we probably won’t announce the race until the end of September or early October.

Keep running,

Jane

ROUTES THIS WEEK

Monday 31 August – BANK HOLIDAY

If you would like to run, meet at Barclays at 8:30. We’ll decide the route on the day.

Wednesday 2 September – The Wall (3 to 6 miles)

We head down towards Regents Park, then enter the canal at the Charlbert entrance and run east [left] cutting through Camden Lock Market until we run out of canal path at Islington. Since the canal is blocked here, we call it “The Wall.” At The Wall, we turn around and head back to St. John’s Wood. This is a great route to do a tempo run because there are no traffic lights. But please be careful and aware of the bikes on the path.

If you run all the way to The Wall and back it is 6 miles. But it is very easy to run half the distance if you want and turn around and head home. As a marker, if you run to the Camden market (where we have to exit the canal path and run past the food stalls for a minute) and return home it is a 3 mile round trip.

TheWall

Friday 4 September – 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.

If you are not up for a hill run yet, no problem, just let us know.  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. 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

7.5 miles: The Highgate route

8 miles:  The full Heath route

Click here for maps of all of the Heath routes.

31 Aug – 4 Sept Running Info

Saturday, August 29, 2015

22 26 28 August Running Info

Welcome back! A special welcome to the new folks joining the group. I hope you had a fantastic summer. I’m excited for the new year at WRW and I can’t wait to see you at our first run of the season on Wednesday 26 August. We meet at 8:15 in front of Barclays Bank at the corner of Wellington and Circus Roads in St. John’s Wood. I usually tell people that I’ll wear my bright yellow hat so they can recognise me in the group, but after our Padua race, most of us have bright yellow hats! For the first day, I’ll wear my green race shirt that has my name on the front so you can find me, please come say HI if you are new.

As we approach the start of a new running season, here are two important things to keep in mind.

1.Take care of  yourself:  This one is easy! Read the emails and learn the routes. Eat, drink (and be merry!). Don’t go too fast, or too far, too early. Stretch, stretch and stretch some more. Make sure you sleep. Have the right gear (for those of you who like to shop, this is fun). If you have an injury, see a specialist for help. If you have a question, just ask.  We have lots of knowledge in the group and we can steer you in the right direction.

2.Take care of each other:  This one is fun! Welcome the new runners and the ex-beginners. (Remember how nice it was when someone welcomed you!) Say Hi! Encourage the new runners to persevere, and congratulate all on success, big and small. Notice if someone is suffering and offer to help. Sometimes an encouraging word or a distracting conversation can work wonders! Be aware of the runners in your group and stop at traffic lights so no one is left behind.

Easing back to running:  If you haven’t run in awhile, no worries! I’ve already heard from a bunch of the group who plan to start out with slower/shorter runs. At the start of the year, we’ve designed the routes to have plenty of options for distance. Most likely there will be someone running at your pace and your distance. We do have a group of women who are planning to run a half marathon this fall. Don’t be tempted to join them on a long run or be discouraged that you can’t keep up. Remember, they have been seriously training all summer to get ready for a fall race.

Here’s my bit of start-of-the-year arm twisting – Now is the time to start back with the group. I know the beginning of the school year can be very busy but the longer you wait to get started, often the more difficult it is. Come out and run and I promise you’ll be glad you did!

Pace Groups:  We tend to be flexible about the pace groups at the start of the year, but I imagine that we’ll naturally fall into our groups pretty quickly. Please remember to look out for new runners who may need some help finding the right group.

Beginner Group: The first day for the beginner group will be on Thursday 10 September. Our beginner group is for real beginners, women who have never run before. We start our training with running for a minute and walking for two minutes. If you know anyone who is interested in the beginner group, have them email us at [email protected].

That’s all for now – see you at Barclays at 8:15!

Keep running,

Jane

ROUTES THIS WEEK

Wednesday 26 August – Regents Park loop (4 miles)

We’re starting with a familiar, local 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.

If you are training for a fall race and want a longer run, you can add some mileage in the park.  If you add another loop on the outer circle the total will be 6.8 miles.

If you are not up for 4 miles, that is fine.  Come with the group for awhile and you can always turn around and head back at any point.  We’ll meet you at Starbucks when we’re finished!

 

Friday 28 August – The Hill

It’s Friday [again!], so everyone up the Fitzjohn’s Hill. 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

7.5 miles: The Highgate route

8 miles:  The full Heath route

Click here for maps of all of the Heath routes