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.