Hello Runners!
A great big welcome back to everyone– or if you’re new to London or to WRW, a very warm WELCOME!  I’m so excited to see you all, and meet some new runners as well, in just a few days!

Our first official run of the year will be this Wednesday, August 28, at 8:15am, meeting in the courtyard next to Barclay’s Bank (corner of Wellington and Circus Roads in St John’s Wood).  Right now it looks like it will be a gorgeous day, but we run rain or shine.  For those new to the group, please don’t be overwhelmed by the numbers (or the volume) with so many of us getting back together for the first time all summer– we’re a very friendly group and we’re thrilled that you are joining us!  I will wear my bright orange hat on Wednesday so you can’t miss me– please come say hello if it’s your first day!

In the next few weeks these emails will cover a lot of information, but I think there’s no better way to start than with these basic reminders:

Take care of yourself.  You deserve it!  Stretch.  Don’t go too fast or too far, too early.  Get sleep.  Make sure your running shoes are working for you.  If you have a question, ask the women you are running with– they have loads of general knowledge about everything from art galleries to zip cards!  And if you are injured, we can steer you toward an expert for help.

Take care of each other.  This is what makes our group so great!  Welcome the new runners and ex-beginners (remember how nice it was when someone welcomed you!) . As always, be encouraging and supportive of the women around you.  Notice if someone is having a hard time– an encouraging word or a distracting conversation can really help!  Make sure no one gets left behind at a traffic light or in unfamiliar territory.
Remember that WRW is really just a group of friends who like to run together. We have a lot of experienced runners in the group, but we are not professionals. We can offer general wisdom about training (stretch! be gradual in increasing your mileage! slow down on the long runs! and… stretch!).  But it’s crucial that if something is bothering you, little or big, you should 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 you are healthy and OK to tackle this challenge.

Running this week.  Wednesday we will keep it simple and do a loop in Regents Park (see below for maps/directions)– so no worrying about directions or traffic lights, and it’s close enough to home that it’s easy to cut it short or walk a bit if need be.  We’ll see you at Starbucks for a post-run coffee!  Friday we’ll jump right in to head up the hill to Hampstead– there are lots of options on distance, see the map below for links to the hill route details on the website.  If you’re not quite ready for a hill run, there will likely be others doing a flat route, so just ask around when we meet up at Barclay’s.

Easing back into running.  If you’ve taken some time off this summer, you’ll be in good company– there will be plenty of us working our way back into running.  But there will also be some women who are training for fall races or have been racing over the summer, so don’t be tempted into running further and faster than you are ready to!  Our route-masters have given us routes with flexibility on distance.  The important thing is just to get started with the group now, while we’re all getting back into it together.  Your legs and lungs will come back quickly, but the longer you wait, the more difficult it will be.  Even though the start of the school year can be very busy, you’ll be glad you took a little time for yourself!  

If you are recovering from an injury or returning to running after a very long time, we are pleased to say that Tamar Brooks will be leading a Ramp Up group again this fall for all paces.  Ask anyone at Barclays– or wait for the “bench stand” announcement (that’s me, standing on a park bench) to help you immediately connect with this group.  Otherwise, we tend to be pretty flexible about pace groups for the first few weeks each year, but we will start to fall into groups fairly soon.  In the meantime, please look out for the new runners who may need help finding the right group– and for those new to the group, just ask anyone and they will either have an answer, or point you to someone who does!  Watch this space over the next few weeks for more information on pace groups, and for introductions of the amazing people who keep WRW running.  

Tuesday – Thursday Beginner Group.  The first day for the 2019-2020 Beginner group will be this Thursday 29 August. Our beginner group is for true beginners, women who have never run before.  The program starts out with one-minute intervals at a very slow jog, so is not appropriate for anyone who is able to run even a mile or two.  Please help us spread the word about our beginner group– it’s really helpful if beginners can find their way to us sooner rather than later!  ASL’s SCOOP event, which is how many new families find out about WRW, is not until September 7 this year, so if you know (or meet!) anyone who is interested in the beginner group, have them email us at [email protected].  Amy Grace and her fantastic lineup of coaches are all set to give another lucky group of brave beginners a fun and life-changing experience! 

Shoutouts and Announcements.  It’s a little early to have anything to shout out about, but I have to send out kudos to a group of WRW runners and alums who ran the San Francisco Half Marathon at the end of July!  Huge congratulations to these ladies for the race, as well as for their strong finishes (which an inside source– not one of them– kindly shared with me).  We are so proud!
Bjorg Fridbjornsdottir (2nd in age group, 1st in age year)
Shan Mercer (6th in age year)
Carmine Najjar (3rd in age year)
Kathy McMahon (4th in age year)
Maureen Fossum (8th in age year– finished with Mee)
Mee Lee (8th in age year– finished with Maureen!)
Poornima Guruprasad (16th in age year)
Alysia Hoyt (8th in age year)

Enjoy the holiday weekend everyone, and thanks for bearing with me through a long first e-mail.  Can’t wait to see you all and start another year of running adventures with you!  It’s going to be a great year!!

xx Micki

ROUTES

Wednesday, 28 August – Regent’s Park Inner/Outer Circle (5 miles)

From Barclay’s head down Wellington Road to the traffic circle at Lord’s Cricket Ground and bear left onto Prince Albert Road. Run to the pedestrian crossing where we will cross and head to the Outer Circle. Turn right and run on the inside of the circle past Winfield House which will be on your left. Continue around the Outer Circle until you reach the traffic light at intersection with York Bridge. Turn left and proceed to the Inner Circle. Run one complete loop of the Inner Circle and back out across York Bridge where we will take a left and continue on Ulster Terrace which is part of the Outer Circle. At the next large intersection take a left and continue on the Outer Circle, heading north back towards the Zoo and Camden. Pass the entrance to the Zoo on your left and continue to the bridge at North Gate which we will cross to reach Charlbert Street. Run up Charlbert Street until St John’s Terrace where we turn left and run back to Barclay’s for a stretch before heading to Starbucks.Note – you can make this a 4 mile run by cutting out the inner loop.

Friday, 30 August – The Heath
Come on, you know you can’t wait to get back up that hill!  There are multiple mileage options below, and the link will take you to all the maps. 
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+ miles:  The partial Heath route OR the Reverse Heath route OR Pergola route
7.5 miles: The Highgate route
8 miles:  The full Heath route

Click here for maps of all of the Heath routes.