Hi Everyone,
Due to the American Thanksgiving holiday, many of our runners are out of town or unavailable to run on Wednesday and Friday so we’ll do one route for Monday this week. We’re running to the Happening Bagel Bakery (LOVE that name!) in Finsbury Park via Highgate and the Greenway. This is a WRW favourite and we don’t do it often because the first part takes us up the hill in Hampstead, which we usually do on Friday. The first part is the hill, but the second part is beautiful as we run through Highgate and then a stretch of woodland known as the Parkland Walk. Parkland Walk is a stretch of forest that follows an old train line. (History lesson – the train line first opened in 1872 but was eventually replaced by the extension of the London Underground. Passenger service ended in 1954 and freight service in 1970.) If you’ve never done this route before I strongly encourage you to give it a try. (If I can’t twist your arm to try it, you could always do one of our other Heath routes.)

We’re not setting routes for Wednesday and Friday. If you want to run, show up for an 8:30 start and as a group you can decide where you would like to go.

Managing our Many Runners!
Wow, what a turnout we’ve had recently! I just love seeing so many runners regularly coming out to run. After all the work that the route masters (Kathy McMahon, Darcy Fautz and Stacey Towfighi) do to set the route plan and make the maps, it is very rewarding to see so many people participating and enjoying the routes. Because of our large numbers, I think we may need to spend a bit more time managing our pace groups and our starting groups so that we don’t overwhelm the sidewalks. I noticed a few petrified pedestrians on Monday on Grove End Road! Plus we start to be too big of a group to make it across the road at a traffic light all at once. The 10s pace group is particularly large right now so we’re going to work over the next few weeks to try to break 10s into two groups. Our current 11s are more like a 10.5s group, led by Julie Adams, Melissa Kay and Stefhanie Howe. For our big destination runs, we’ll try to have part of the 10s with Jane, Darcy and Maureen and part of the 10s with Julie, Melissa and Stefhanie. We may also try to stagger when all the groups start. Maybe we’ll send the a few pace groups first and then have the rest of the runners wait for another traffic light cycle. Anyway, thanks for your patience and understanding as we try a few things over the next couple of weeks. We want to be good citizens and we want to be in a small enough pace group and that we can all look out for each other while still embracing the awesomeness of our huge turnouts.

Three final reminders on the pace groups. First, they are most important for our long runs on Mondays, especially when we’re going to a destination because we don’t want anyone to get lost along the way. They are less important for Wednesdays and Fridays, when some people may want to run faster or slower and everyone is beginning to become familiar with the routes. Second, even for the long Monday runs, we encourage everyone to look at the maps and try to learn the routes. Third, the pace groups can be a very rewarding part of our training because you become very close with the women with whom you train to tackle the challenge of the half marathon.

Keep running,
Jane

ROUTES

Monday 23 November
Happening Bagel via Highgate and Finsbury Greenbelt – 7 miles

For this run we start up Fitzjohn’s like we’re going to the Heath but pass the entrance and continue up Spaniards/Hampstead Lane to Highgate. At the very top of the hill bear right and run slightly downhill towards Highgate High Street. At the second circular intersection, cross the high street at the zebra crossing and go down Southwood Lane. At the bottom of the hill veer to the right onto Jackson’s Lane (which is a very narrow road). Continue down Jackson’s to Archway Road, cross the road and make a right, then a relatively quick left onto Holmesdale Road.  Run a short distance on Holmesdale and the entrance to the Finsbury Greenbelt will be on your left.  Follow the path until it ends, turn left, cross the bridge over the train tracks and enter Finsbury Park. Turn right and run along the western edge of the park until the entrance on Seven Sister’s Road. After we stretch we will head over the street to the Happening Bagel. Once we’ve bought our bagels we will cross back over the street to Costa for coffee and then take the tube home from the Finsbury Park Station.

Wednesday 25 November and Friday 27 November

No organised routes. Meet at 8:30 and pick your own route.

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’m ready for a new weather pattern after another week of rain on Wednesday and Friday mornings. It’s not supposed to rain until after we finish running! I know how difficult it is to come out and run on a miserable, wet day. Well done to all of you who have been braving the bad weather.

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’re 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. We’ve provided an option for a shorter Camden-Regents Park route as well.

2015-2016 T-Shirt Order
I sent an email on Friday afternoon announcing that we’re collecting orders for the 2015-2106 Women Running the World T-Shirt. The cost is £25 per shirt. It will be the same Nike Dri Fit shirt we’ve had the last two years, but in a new fun colour. We’ll have our WRW logo on the front and a new saying on the back. If you want to see a sample, there will surely be someone wearing one from last year on any given running day. You should also ask your fellow runners about their sizes because the shirts run a bit big.

If you want a shirt please:
1.  EMAIL Kelli Montanaro  with the subject “T-Shirt Order” and say you want a shirt
2.  Include your SIZE in the email
Orders are due before Monday 16 November at 5pm.

Hotel Rooms
Thanks for the overwhelming response to our half-marathon trip to Nice, France! We’re looking at record numbers yet again! Now is the time to book your hotel room if you are planning to attend. We have already increased our room block twice and if we need more rooms they may be at a higher price. All the details and the links to the hotel booking site are on our website at this LINK. Remember that after you book to email Kathy Anderson  with your room type and flight information.

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.

That’s all for now!
Keep running,
Jane

ROUTES

Monday 9 November  
Canary Wharf [~9 miles] –OR—Camden “Left” to Regents Park [6 miles] 

Okay, ready for one of our iconic destination runs?  Today, we have a choice of long run [Canary Wharf] or a shorter run [Camden to Regents Park].  Either way, we’ll all start out and do the first few 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 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.  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 Collanade.  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:  Camden Left to Regents Park – 6 miles

Head out the Canal east again, but exit RIGHT at Camden Market, taking the bridge to cross over the Canal and make a LEFT onto Chalk Farm Hill Road.  Take this road north, past Adelaide, past England’s Lane to Belsize Grove [before the Belsize Tube Stn] and make a left.  Left again on Belsize Park Gardens.  Take this all the way to Primrose Hill Park.  Enter PH Park and follow the north side path until it ends; make a left and continue to the Ormonde Terrace entrance, make a left and zig zag to the other side of the park and back to the main entrance on Prince Albert Road.  Exit PH Park, cross Prince Albert and go across the bridge and across the Ring Road into Regents Park.  Follow the interior path alongside the Zoo and as it curls onto the Broadwalk.  Go right and follow the Broadwalk to just beyond The Smokehouse.  Make a right onto the main path and take it across the park, exiting at the Charlbert entrance.  Head up to St Johns Wood Terrace, make a left and head to Starbucks.

Wednesday 11 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 13 November  Yes, it is “Friday the 13th!”

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
7.5 miles: The Highgate route8 miles:  The full Heath route

Click here for maps of all of the Heath routes.