Hi Everyone,

Well done to everyone who ran to Canary Wharf last week! I loved hearing your positive reports. My favourite story was from Maureen’s friend who was visiting from Alaska. After hearing our cries of “BIKE” on the canal, she remarked that when they are biking on trails in Alaska they shout, “BEAR”! That’s an interesting reminder of our urban jungle!

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. This is also a good route to test your gels. The photos of the exit in the route section 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 – NOT 15a, don’t be fooled.  Wednesday we’re going to The Wall. You can decide to do tempo work along the canal or have a more standard training run depending on how you’re feeling. This is our last official tempo run before the race!

Friday is the first day of 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 Monday 4 April and we’re getting close to race day. We have the following routes on the schedule:

April 4 – Big Ben loop, 8 miles
April 11 – Kew Gardens destination, 10-11 miles
April 18 – Hyde Park loop, 5-6 miles
April 24 – RACE DAY

Enjoy your break – and keep running,

Jane

ROUTES

Monday 21 March  Greenford 9.75 miles

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 which is the next exit after Greenford Road.  We’re looking for the following bridge which is pretty plain but does have a small black “15” in the center.

Just underneath the bridge there are steps leading up to the The Black Horse Pub.

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, there is no guarantee these coffee places are still there!

Wednesday 23 March The Wall 6 miles

Turn this into a speed workout by running a negative split! Run faster on the way back to SJW than you ran heading out to the wall.

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

 

Friday 25 March  ASL Spring Break

Meet at Barclays at 8:30 and decide as a group where to run!

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Website:  https://womenrunningtheworld.commm
Facebook Group:  Women Running The World (request to join)
Email: [email protected]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all the great feedback on the new Canal-Holland Park-Green Park route from last Monday. We’ll definitely add that one into the mix going forward. Monday we’re going to Canary Wharf. This is a change of plans from the original schedule due to the construction and general sidewalk mayhem in Farringdon at the moment. Please be early to Barclays on Monday and get into your pace groups right away. We’ll have a staggered start like we did the last time we ran to Canary Wharf a few weeks ago. This helps ease crowding on the canal and we can keep track of each other in the pace groups. Wednesday we’re in Regents Park doing tempo diamonds and Friday we’re back up the hill.

Good Luck Racers!
Good luck to Darcy Fautz, Poornima Guruprasad, Beth Keaveny and Rekha Kumar who are running the Bath Half Marathon on Sunday. We hope you have a great race and we can’t wait to hear about it!

Recycle your unwanted bras! Monday 14 March
The charity, Against Breast Cancer, researches improved detection, treatment and how to increase survival rate after breast cancer diagnosis. One of the ways they are funded is through a bra collection and recycling scheme where the charity receives £1000 per tonne of bras donated to them. The bras are then sent by their recycling partner to Africa. Second-hand bras are very popular amongst the women in West African villages where they do not have the funds to buy new ones.

So if you have any unloved bras in your home, please donate them to this scheme. Wearable bras in all conditions are welcome. Emma Hill will be collecting from Barclays Bank, WRW start point, on Monday 14 March from 8 am until 8.30 am, in case there are any donations from non runners. Emma will then deposit them at the collection point at the Cumberland Tennis Club. Please email Emma at [email protected] just to let her know that you have something to be collected on the 14th March or if you have any questions.

WRW Shirts
We have two extra WRW shirts size medium. The cost is £25. If you would like one, email me. First come, first served. Thanks!

Keep running,

Jane

ROUTES

Monday, 14 March – Canary Wharf (9.3 miles)

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 about midway.)  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 past Victoria Park 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.  After the park, you’ll run straight, under an arch and the water will be on your right.  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 skyscraper 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, just right of the entrance.  After a much earned coffee, we’ll head to the Canary Wharf Tube station [Jubilee Line] and tube it home to SJW.  Congratulations!

Wednesday 16 March –  Regent’s Park Tempo Diamonds

We’re continuing with our focused tempo running.  This week we will do “diamonds’.

Head over to Regents Park, the normal way (down Wellington Road, left at SJW Church roundabout, cross the zebra crossing before the High Street and enter park at the Charlbert entrance).  Enter the park and veer to the left path. When you reach the first intersection with the other sidewalk, it is time to turn on your running jets.  You will run hard for 1 minute, then recover by running slowly for 3 minutes; then run hard for 2 minutes and recover by running slowly for 3 minutes; then run hard for 3 minutes, recover run slowly for 3 minutes; run hard to 2 minutes, recover run slowly for 3 minutes and finally run hard for 1 minutes, recover run slowly for 3 minutes.

The ‘diamond’ looks like this:

1 minute hard  3 minutes jogging recovery
2 minute hard  3 minutes jogging recovery
3 minute hard  3 minutes jogging recovery
2 minute hard  3 minutes jogging recovery
1 minute hard  3 minutes jogging recovery

If you need to extend the amount of time for the jogging recovery, that’s fine, you can jog up to twice the amount of the hard run time (so 6 minutes max recovery jog for the 3 min hard run)

This type of running is best down within the park so you don’t have to contend with driveways, etc.  If you find you need more mileage in Regent’s Park, just keep looping however you see fit.

Friday 18 March – The Heath

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.

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.
______________________________________

Website:  https://womenrunningtheworld.commm
Facebook Group:  Women Running The World (request to join)
Email: [email protected]

Hi everyone,

I really missed running with you last week! I picked up a small injury so I had to take some time off. This experience has been a clear reminder that it’s very important to STRETCH! Not just before and after the run, but also at other points in the day and on days when you don’t run. This is the point in our training when we’re tackling longer mileage so it’s very important to take care of yourself.

Monday we’re doing a new 8-mile route but the good news is that it’s a combination of a few of our familiar routes. We’re taking the canal west, following the start of the Notting Hill route. Then instead of turning toward Paddington, we continue on through Holland Park and then along Kensington High Street to the south edge of Hyde Park and on to Green Park. We’re taking the tube home from Green Park so remember your Oyster card. Please take a look at the map so you’re familiar with the route. Wednesday we’re in Hyde Park doing tempo triangles and Friday we’re encouraging everyone to do the 7.5 mile Highgate Heath route.

As a reminder we have the following upcoming runs:

March 7 – Canal, Holland Park, Ken High Street, Green Park, 8 miles
March 14 – Canal, Farringdon, Embankment loop, 9 miles
March 21 – Canal to Greenford destination, 10 miles
March 28 – Spring Break
April 4 – Big Ben loop, 8 miles
April 11 – Kew Gardens destination, 10-11 miles
April 18 – Hyde Park loop, 5-6 miles
April 24 – RACE DAY

CHANGE OF DATE – Bra Recycling Pick-up now on Monday March 14
In last week’s email we announced that Emma Hill will do a collection of old bras to contribute to the charity Against Breast Cancer. We’ve had to change the date for the collection to Monday March 14. If you have any questions or if you’re planning to bring anything to the collection, please email Emma Hill at [email protected].

WRW VIDEO
Every year members of the running group put together a silly little WRW video to show at the half marathon as entertainment. Everyone is encouraged to participate, even those who can’t make the trip to Nice. This year we are doing our own version of a parody that many of you already know about — check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYRENWT8lz8. We will be doing most of the filming (that sounds professional but it really isn’t!) during the week of April 4th. Please stay tuned for more information…and, in the meantime, if you see someone aiming a video camera at you during the run, just smile!

Keep running,

Jane

ROUTES

Monday 7 March – Holland Park to Green Park (8 miles)  New Route

We start out the same as our traditional Notting Hill Route [Circus Rd to Grove End, to St Johns Wood Rd to Cunningham, to Blomfield to the Canal, going west past the Westway to Ladbroke Grove].  Once on Ladbroke Grove, run south all the way until it ends at Holland Park Avenue.  Cross Holland Park Avenue, take a right and then a left on Holland Walk [just past Aubrey Road].  Holland Walk is a pedestrian way.  Run up Holland Walk until the first entrance into Holland Park on your left [opposite the Duchess of Bedford Walk].  Run into the park and then turn left on the broad walk which goes the length of Holland Park until it ends at Kensington High Street; turn left and run along Ken High Street.  For a shorter run, you can leave at the Ken High St Tube which makes it about a 5 mi run.  Otherwise, continue on until you reach Kensington Park, where you enter it at the junction with the Broad Walk [just before Palace Gate road]. Take the Broad Walk to the first path on the right which turns into So Carriage Dr. You’ll run past The Albert Memorial and cross West Carriage Dr at the light. Continue on So Carriage Dr all the way to Apsley House/Hyde Park Corner.   Cross over Piccadilly and run under Wellington Arch, then cross at the light to run along the path to the left of Constitution Hill [the same route we take in going to Big Ben],  At the Mall, turn left to run to the easternmost path of Green Park [again, familiar from other routes], turn left and run by Lancaster House to Green Park Tube. Hop on the Tube back to SJW and meet up at Starbucks!

Wednesday 9 March – Hyde Park Tempo Triangle

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, even better, 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).

Friday 11 March – HIGHGATE (7.5 miles)

This hill run avoids most of the mud in the Heath and gets the hills out of the way by the halfway point of the run. As the race nears, the hill runs become even more important and this is a step up from the regular 6 mile Heath run we’ve been doing.
Head up Fitzjohn’s as usual and continue past the Hampstead Tube and Whitestone Pond to stay on Spaniards Road. Do not enter the Heath at the normal entry point, but stay on Spaniards Road as it wraps around the outside of the Heath, past Kenwood House and past The Bishops Road where Spaniards Road turns into Hampstead Lane.

Continue on Hampstead Lane as it edges around the outside of the Heath in a gentle rise until you reach The Grove, where you turn right. The Grove is a pretty, tree lined street just before the Highgate roundabout.  Run to the first right lane, which is Fitzroy Park and has a traffic barrier across the road. Pass around the traffic barrier and continue down the road, past lovely homes and a famous allotment on the right side. This road curves downhill to the left and takes you to the entrance of the Heath near a set of bathrooms and just before Merton Lane to the left.

Enter the Heath, run past the loos and take the path to the left as it runs along the model boating pond, the men’s bathing pond and a third pond. (Due to works on the Heath there are closures of some paths which may change weekly. We may have to run on the outside of some of the ponds and cross over further down the Heath.) When the sidewalk dead ends, take a right to run along the exercise fields, track and swimming pool. Exit the Heath past the swimming pool, crossing over the bridge onto Constantine Road. Take a right, running past South End Rd/Fleet Rd, past the Royal Free Hospital and cutting to the left just past the Royal Free’s entrance driveway to take a short cut to Haverstock Hill. Go left on Haverstock Hill to Belsize Avenue, veering to the left to stay onto Buckland Crescent and take this to Fitzjohn’s. Left on Fitzjohn’s to Swiss Cottage, then scoot over to St Johns Wood Park Road and back to Starbucks.

Click here for maps of all of the Heath routes.