Hello Runners,
The holiday season has officially begun! We have 3-4 weeks of training before most of our runners leave for the holidays (or have children at home and don’t run on the regular schedule). This is such a busy time of the year for everyone so we’ll have some flexible routes planned where you can run to destinations or do loops back to SJW.

Thank you so much for inputting your information into the Bratislava spreadsheet last week (and thank you Kelli for teaching me how to use google docs). We will continue to use this spreadsheet as we plan the trip – it’s hugely simplifying the planning! The spreadsheet is currently closed to input; if you have updated information just email it to me. Thanks a million!

Lynn Gilbert’s father passed away last week after a long battle with Parkinsons Disease. Please keep her in your thoughts. Lynn has touched all of us with her endearing smile, her willingness to help each of us and her non-stop encouragement of each and every runner. Let’s extend that same care and attention to her during this most sad time. Lynn is in the US now but will return to London in January.

Many of you have asked for nutrition help/advice/suggestions/guidance. Click here for a link to some nutrition information recently distributed to our runners preparing for a spring marathon. Here is the fine print…… General nutrition is a hugely controversial subject. Please do not assume what is written in that document is the “one-and-only” nutritional philosophy. There is a ton of good information online and in books/magazines regarding general nutrition and general nutrition specifically for athletes. I am not a nutritionist – this information is compiled from different sources that I rely on for myself. There is more of a consensus among experts regarding nutrition for performance; however, each runner’s body reacts differently during exercise. The guidelines cannot be applied in a cookie-cutter approach to each athlete. Play with it, experiment with what works for you. When you have a good run, think about what you ate the night before and the morning of the run, but remember that the science of fueling/energy is complicated. A good run or a bad run could be a reflection of what’s going on at home, stress levels, sleep, hormones, your pace, your fitness level, etc.

Routes this Week

Monday, 26 November
Please choose whichever route suits your schedule. Marathoners and half-marathoners have 8 miles on their schedule this week (we flip-flopped the 8 and 9 mile runs for marathoners between last week and this week).

 

Putney (8.5 miles) – This run is designed for the faster runners’ long run.
If you can’t keep up, bring a copy of the map so you know where to go. It’s a new way to get in 8-8.5 miles which is a lot more interesting than the Hyde Park loop. We’ll run down to Hyde Park then on towards the river through Sloane Sq. (doing some window shopping along the way). We will cross over the river and run along the south embankment (like the normal Battersea route). When we cross back over the river we’ll head southeast to meet with King’s Rd. We’ll run on King’s Rd. (a bit more window shopping here) then cross over the river again and finish at Starbucks on the Putney High St. It’s a large Starbucks that usually has a lot of available seating.

Battersea Park loop shortened (7.6 – 8.3 miles) – If you don’t have time to run to Putney, either follow the normal Battersea Park loop and finish at Green Park (7.6 miles) or Marble Arch (8.3 miles). If you are really pressed for time, consider doing the perimeter of Hyde Park (8 miles round-trip back to SJW) in the clockwise direction (so stay with the group until the SE corner of the park then carry on around the perimeter exiting near the NE corner).

 

Mid-paced tempo or medium distance run (6 miles) – This is a great route to learn. Start by running along the canal to Camden. Come off the canal and follow Chalk Farm Rd. south to Mornington Crescent tube station. Veer to the right at that Y intersection to run on Hampstead Rd. south across Marylebone Rd. At Tottenham Court Rd. tube station turn right and run west along Oxford St. Finish the run by taking Baker St. up to SJW. If you want to do some tempo/speed work on this run, read the description in the Wednesday section below.

Wednesday, 28 November

 

Cocomaya – Yay!!!! (8 miles) – This run is designed for the mid-paced runners’ long run. If you want to join in, you’ll need to run their pace. This should be a nice route with a fabulous finish at Cocomaya Bakery and chocolate shop. We’ll head down to Hyde Park via the canal west then Sussex Gardens to enter near the Italian fountains. We’ll run straight south through South Kensington (bring your ice skates if you want to do a quick spin on the rink at the Natural History Museum). We’ll run through the Brompton Cemetery then loop back to Hyde Park to finish near Connaught Square. If you need to get back quicker, either do the Hyde Park perimeter loop or run with the group and grab a tube/bus/taxi near Marble Arch.

Tempo run for faster runners (6 miles) – Follow the 6 mile loop that the mid-paced group is doing on Monday. If you want to do some tempo/speed work, jog for 5-6 minutes to warm up. Once you are warmed up, push the pace until you reach the Camden market area. Jog along Chalk Farm Rd. for 8-10 minutes or until you reach the Hampstead Rd. turn. From that Y intersection, try some street fahrtleks for the next 20 minutes remembering first of all to be careful! Watch for cars! As a reminder, fahrtleks are varying distances of quick-paced running. The easiest way to do street fahrtleks is to do sprints (or just quicker paced runs) to the next street crossing or the next rubbish can or the next red light. Just pick a landmark and sprint to that spot. The distance of each fahrtlek should be different – mix up longer legs (maybe up to 200 meters) with shorter legs (as short as 20 meters). Keep this fahrtlek session to 20 minutes or less then jog home.

Friday, 23 November
I may try the western route this week. Let me know if you’re interested in learning that route. The pace will depend on who decides to join in.
The Heath Western Route – (8 miles) – The new western route. For some reason this route seems to have more hills than the old route but it’s a lot of fun. You’ll see some different parts of the heath that you might not have seen before.
The Heath Normal Route – (8 miles) – The old route.
The Heath – (6-7 miles) – follow the group doing the full 8 mile old route. At Parliament Hill instead of turning left towards Kenwood House, turn right and run past the track. Exit the heath, run past Royal Free Hospital and head home through Belsize Park.
The Betsy route (5 miles) – I think Betsy is now doing a longer route on Fridays, but her namesake run is a great route. Anyone wanting this distance ask around as we are running up the hill to Hampstead and someone will explain to you how to do it.
Hampstead tube station (4 miles)– this is a great route to do if you’re short on time or are new to running “the hill”. Head up to the Hampstead tube station with the group then turn around and head back home. For a change of scenery, run up to Hampstead tube station then run back to Starbucks in SJW via the Hampstead high street, then Belsize Park, then down St. John’s Wood Park Rd.
Happy Running,
Paula

Hello Runners,
Goodness, the year is disappearing! In a month’s time, most of our running group will be away celebrating the holiday season or will have children home from school and will not be running on the regular routine. Let’s try to squeeze in some interesting routes between now and then!
Before we talk routes, could you do me a favour regarding the Bratislava trip? Check this spreadsheet (click here for the link) before this Sunday at midnight. Please make sure your flight and hotel information is correct. Please make any corrections and/or additions. Also, please input the following:

• Have you registered for the race? yes or no in Column D
• Do you want to ride the coach from the Vienna airport to the hotel? If so, the 2:30pm or the 6:15pm? (just put an x in the correct column K or L, or leave it blank if you are finding/arranging your own transport). We need these numbers so we know whether to order a large or medium coach.
• Input Sat and Sun dinner information. For now, we just need estimated headcounts for restaurant bookings. When it gets closer, we’ll deal with specifics. I’ll let you know when we need final decisions about dinners.
• Please add any comments that need to be noted in Column AN.

The spreadsheet is available to edit until this Sunday at midnight. After that time, any changes will need to be emailed to me. Next week I will be communicating our room counts to the hotel. You are free to make changes after Sunday, but they need to go through me (so I can call the hotel and say “now we are x # of doubles/singles/etc” instead of me needing to check the spreadsheet from time to time and figure out what has been changed). Throughout the next four months, we’ll open the spreadsheet so everyone can make final decisions on meals, tours, etc then close it again so headcounts can be passed on to restaurants and tour guides. Lastly, Lynn Gilbert is heading a group of ladies to organize the Sunday night celebration dinner and Betsy LaMaster and Kathy McMahon are organising the Saturday group tour. Would someone mind organising the Italian dinner Saturday night or getting together a group of ladies to organise it? It would involve finding an Italian restaurant (hopefully within walking distance of the Sheraton) and working with the restaurant to select a menu. Let me know if you’re willing to volunteer for that!

Routes this Week

Monday, 19 November
Due to the American Thanksgiving holiday, many of our runners are out of town or unavailable to run Wed/Thurs/Fri so we will do one, combined group long run on Monday. The medium progression, half-marathon training program has 9 miles on the schedule this week and the marathoners need to do 8 miles. Everyone feel free to bump that up to 9.5 if you want to go to Canary Wharf. It’s a great run!!!! There will be a wide pace range between the front of the pack and the back of the pack. If you are concerned about falling behind, find someone who would like to run your pace. There are places along this route that aren’t great to be running by yourself.
Canary Wharf (9.5 miles) – this is a fun route! We’ll follow the canal east to “The Wall” then come up to street level and run for a few minutes through Islington until we can drop back down to the canal. From that point, it’s all canal running until we reach Limehouse near the intersection of the canal and the river Thames. We wind our way through a residential area, run alongside the river for a bit, then cut into Canary Wharf business district to finish at the Starbucks in the mall at Canary Wharf. It’s a great run. You can see Canary Wharf from a couple of miles out (which is kind of cool), the canal provides for straight running without street crossings, and it feels great to grab a coffee then ride the tube back to St. John’s Wood.

Canal to Farringdon loop (8.25 miles) – If you don’t have time to run to Canary Wharf, try this route – it’s a loop back to SJW. Start with the main group on the canal to “The Wall”. When the Canary Wharf runners head on towards Islington, you turn right crossing Pentonville Rd and carry on south towards the river. At Oxford St. (called Holborn Viaduct at that point), turn right and run west all the way back to Baker St. Turn right (or north) there and finish at Starbucks in SJW. If you need 9 miles, turn into Regent’s Park near the end of the run to add a bit of

Wednesday, 21 November
Notting Hill (6.5 miles) – I think most of you know this route now. If you’re not familiar with it, have a look under the “Routes” tab to make sure you know where you’re going.
Notting Hill (6.5 miles) partial tempo run – If you want to try a bit of tempo work, but love the Notting Hill route – then do both!!! Jog to the canal, once you get there, run hard until the Ladbrook Grove turn-off (where we exit off the canal). From there, run a steady pace for the rest of the route and enjoy the window shopping in Notting Hill.
Western canal tempo run (any distance) – If you want a more intense tempo work-out than the one above, jog down to the canal, do your tempo work on the canal, turn around and do tempo work on the canal back to Maida Vale. From there, jog back to Starbucks in SJW to cool-down.

Friday, 23 November
There will probably be a small group running so do something fun (or follow the regular routes below)! With a small group you can make it up as you go. Ask Kathy, Michelle, Syma, and Sherry about their route today (Fri, 16 Nov). They call it the FUN route or the FYK route. It sounded like a blast! It’s approximately 7.99999999999 miles – definitely not as far as 8 miles.
The Heath – (8 miles) – The old route.
The Heath – (6-7 miles) – follow the group doing the full 8 mile old route. At Parliament Hill instead of turning left towards Kenwood House, turn right and run past the track. Exit the heath, run past Royal Free Hospital and head home through Belsize Park.
The Betsy route (5 miles) – I think Betsy is now doing a longer route on Fridays, but her namesake run is a great route. Anyone wanting this distance ask around as we are running up the hill to Hampstead and someone will explain to you how to do it.
Hampstead tube station (4 miles)– this is a great route to do if you’re short on time or are new to running “the hill”. Head up to the Hampstead tube station with the group then turn around and head back home. For a change of scenery, run up to Hampstead tube station then run back to Starbucks in SJW via the Hampstead high street, then Belsize Park, then down St. John’s Wood Park Rd.
Happy Running,
Paula

Hello Runners,
You ladies are amazing! I understand we had some huge groups out running while I was away. Well done! Your level of determination/commitment to running is impressive. It will pay off – I promise.
Two updates before we discuss routes:
Running Group T-shirts:
Our t-shirt order should be arriving the first week of December. We’ll figure out a way to easily distribute them once they are here. Chris and Kelli did a great job on getting those designed, fitted and ordered. Thanks so much ladies!
Bratislava Race:
The race registration is open and they continue to improve the process. There is now more English on the website and the race director has informed me that they will continue to update the website up to race day. There are now photos of last year’s races on the site which are interesting. It’s nice to get an idea of where we’ll be running. I will be at Starbucks on Monday and Wednesday to help people register for the race. Please remember if you register on your own to put “WRW- Women Running the World” or some version of that under our group name. The director is finding that helpful in identifying our runners.
Running over Thanksgiving:
Many of you will be away from Wed, 21 Nov through Sun, 25 Nov or home with children and not able to run the regular days. Please don’t worry! On Monday, 19 November, we’ll have routes that will work for marathoners, faster-paced and mid-paced runners for the long run. So mid-paced runners who do their long run on Wednesday can do it Monday instead. If you are able to run regularly over the break, excellent – if not, then shoot for one or two runs of 30-45 minutes each.

Routes this Week

Monday, 12 November
Yay! We’ll run to Kew – that’s always fun. If you are training for the half-marathon from the medium or gentle progression program, there is no need to run 10 miles this week. If you are training for a marathon or from the aggressive half-marathon program, then this is a great route for you!
Kew (10 miles) – We’ll run down to Hyde Park via Lisson/Seymour (normal route) then do a diagonal through Hyde Park towards the SW corner of the park (in front of Kensington Palace). From there head out Kensington High St to Hammersmith, cross over the river, then head west along the river to Kew. If you want the full 10 miles, don’t take the first Kew exit from the river (near the railroad tracks) – keep on running until you reach Kew Bridge then head south to Kew Gardens.
Mid-paced runners could do a mid-distance regular-paced run (and begin their holiday shopping) using the following route:
Modified Shopping Route (6 miles) – Start with the main group and head down to Hyde Park via Lisson/Seymour. Run down to Wellington Arch and cross over into Green Park. Head east along the northern boundary of the park then exit the park and continue along Piccadilly until you reach Old Bond St. Run north to Oxford St. then head up Marylebone High Street. Cross over Marylebone Rd to Regents Park and make your way back to SJW. to I think most of you know this route now. If you’re not familiar with it, have a look under the “Routes” tab to make sure you know where you’re going.
Or mid-paced runners could do a tempo run by staying in Hyde Park running hard on the red sides of the triangle on the map and jogging gently on the blue lines:
Hyde Park tempo work (6.5-7 miles) – Start with the main group and head down to Hyde Park via Lisson/Seymour at a very gentle pace. Once you reach the park, pick up the pace of your jog around Speaker’s Corner then run very fast down to the SE corner of the park. Jog around that corner trying to bring your heart-rate down then run hard to Carriage Rd. along the bike path. Jog over the bridge trying to reach a “recovered” state before doing the last hard run back to Speaker’s Corner on a diagonal. From this map you are jogging the blue parts and running hard on the red parts. Jog very slowly back to SJW or preferably take a bus/tube home from Marble Arch/Oxford St.. DO NOT continue to run at a strong pace all the way back to Starbucks in SJW (it’s OK to jog back slowly).

Wednesday, 14 November
Mid-paced runners should do the following route for their long run. If you are short on time, start with the group, do the Notting Hill loop and add 1-1.5 miles in Regents Park at the end of your run.
Wembley Central (8 miles) – Head out the canal west as though we are doing the Notting Hill route. Do not turn off the canal at our normal exit – keep running out the canal until you reach 7 miles. At that point (Alperton area – it’s the next exit after you see a white pedestrian bridge leading over the canal to a residential area on the northside). When you exit the canal, go over the bridge and take an immediate right on Ealing Rd. Run one mile up to the main intersection of Ealing Rd. and High Rd. The tube station is just to the right about 100m.
Our faster runners could do the tempo run that some of our mid-pace runners will do on Monday (see above):
Hyde Park tempo work (6+ miles) – If you are doing your long run on Monday, consider doing this route as a tempo run (or just at a comfortable pace – your choice!!!). Your warm-up and cool-down could be the jog to/from the canal.

Friday, 16 November
The Heath – (8 miles) – The old route.
The Heath – (6-7 miles) – follow the group doing the full 8 mile old route. At parliament hill instead of turning left towards Kenwood House, turn right and run past the track. Exit the heath, run past Royal Free Hospital and head home through Belsize Park.
The Betsy route (5 miles) – I think Betsy is now doing a longer route on Fridays, but her namesake run is a great route. Anyone wanting this distance ask around as we are running up the hill to Hampstead and someone will explain to you how to do it.
Hampstead tube station (4 miles)– this is a great route to do if you’re short on time or are new to running “the hill”. Head up to the Hampstead tube station with the group then turn around and head back home. For a change of scenery, run up to Hampstead tube station then run back to Starbucks in SJW via the Hampstead high street, then Belsize Park, then down St. John’s Wood Park Rd.

Happy Running,
Paula

Congratulations to everyone who raced last weekend!  Well done ladies!!!  To your right is Darcy and Kelli at the Windsor Half and Patricia and me at the Royal Parks Ultra.

Hello Runners,

We have a lot of information to cover this week, so if you just want to skim this note, the key information is as follows:

1. T-shirt orders

2. Info on training programs for the half-marathon and changing the mid-pace long runs to Wednesdays starting this week.  This info will also be on the website under “Training Tips”.

3. Suggested mileage for the week and Route information

4. Bratislava race registration

5. Pilates for Runners class and Christian’s new class for children/teens

6. Local race in Hampstead Heath

1.  Running Group T-shirts

Our running shirts are ready and each of us owe Chris Roberts a big hug!!!!  She organized the printing of the shirts and thank goodness that Kelli Montanaro has an eye for design.  She helped Chris with the t-shirt design.  Chris and Kelli, thank you so much!!!!  The shirts are black, short-sleeved, dri-fit, Nike shirts that have our new logo on the front and “Run Like a Girl” on the back.  Orders are due by Friday, 19 October.  To order a shirt, update the Google doc that Kelli sent us – this link will open the file or paste this into your browser:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AgpMAx5W_kSvdHZLeEI5ZmFETUt5RlVxNG1sWlljdlE&pli=1#gid=0.  The shirts are £24 which includes everything – the shirt, the printing, tax, shipping, etc.  You can pay for the shirt by cash or check (made out to Paula Mitchell) – give payment to Kelli Montanaro or myself or you can mail payment to me at:

Paula Mitchell

Payment must be received by Friday, 19 October or your order will not be placed.  If you haven’t had a chance to try on a sample shirt, the samples will be at the ASL Booster Store on Tuesday from 2:30-4:00.  You could also leave an envelope at the booster store with your payment.  Please put it in an envelope and write your name and Running Group on the outside.  DO NOT give your cash/cheque to the booster store workers or your funds could be comingled with store proceeds and your order will not be placed.

2.  Training for the Half-marathon and New Mid-Pace Run Schedule:

As a running group, we’re rather laid-back.  We are rarely overly-serious about our training or uber-intense, but there is a shift in focus that usually happens after the October break at ASL.  Well, that time is here!  We’re into mid-October and our half-marathon is 5 months away.  We still have plenty of time to get ready, but you may want to start thinking about how you’re going to do that.  We have new runners joining our group all the time, so I’ll repeat some suggestions about how to prepare for a 13.1 mile run.

Step One – What is your goal for the half-marathon?

Do you want to finish the race with your head held high, not on your last leg, or maybe just finish the race without walking one bit of it?
If so, it will be more important to run regularly than to incorporate speed/tempo work into your training.  You should target running 3 times a week with one of those runs being your long run.  For example, you could run M/W/F with one day being your long run, one day being a mid-distance run and Friday being hills.  All of those runs could be done at about the same pace with possibly your mid-distance run being done at a slightly faster pace than your long run.

An important note:  if you are following this type of regime, it’s a very bad idea to all of the sudden do a true tempo run or any type of speedwork.  If you want to add speed/tempo work into your regime, it needs to be done gradually then you need to be committed to it week after week.  Otherwise you could end up hurting yourself.  This same idea applies to people who run a certain pace then decide one week they might like to run with a different “pack” who runs faster.  Even 15-20 seconds per mile can make a big difference in terms of how your body will react (just to be clear – that’s usually a NEGATIVE reaction!!!).

If your goal is to complete the race in a certain time that is a stretch target for you, then consider incorporating speed/tempo work into your program.
In fact, if your goal is quite a stretch for you, then you really must incorporate speed/tempo work into your routine.  Tempo work is easily done on your weekly mid-distance run – there is no need to follow a strict program.  Here are a few ways to do pace work:

• Jog to warm up, then run hard for a few miles, then jog to warm down.  It can be that easy!  One of our runners told me that for her “to run hard” means she doesn’t want to chat with anyone, she could answer questions yes or no but would prefer to not talk at all.
• You could also jog for a mile or so to warm up, then run hard for a couple of minutes, then go back to a jog, then run hard for a few minutes, then go back to a jog.  Keep repeating that pattern for about 25 minutes, then jog at the end of your run for a mile or so at a gentle pace.
• Another idea is to do continuing negative splits, which means every mile is faster than the last.  For example, if you’re doing a 6 mile run, try mile 1 at 10:15, mile 2 at 10:05, mile 3 at 9:55, etc.
• Another idea is to try Yasso 800s (named after Bart Yasso, in my opinion, one of the most inspirational runners of all time).  He recommends jogging to warm up, then run at a very strong pace for as many minutes and seconds as your estimated marathon finishing time in hours and minutes.  So, if you do a 4:15 marathon, then run hard for 4 min 15 seconds.  Recover for the same amount of time, then repeat.  The original idea was to do this workout on a track doing 800yd repeats.  So, if you could do an 800 (very roughly a 1/2 mile) in 4 min 15 sec then you should be able to run a marathon in 4 hours and 15 minutes. If you’ve run a half marathon, but not a full marathon – take your half marathon finishing time, double it and add about 20 minutes to come up with a very rough estimate of what your marathon pace would be.

  An important note:  Tempo runs should last 45-60 minutes – no more than that!  Speedwork sessions should be 25-40 minutes unless you have been doing speedwork for years.  Less is more!!!

Step Two – Which program will you follow?

It doesn’t necessarily matter what your goal is for the half-marathon, or at what pace you train, you still have to decide which program (in terms of mileage) you will follow. 

Under the “Training” tab on our website, are a few different programs.  There are three programs to train specifically for the Bratislava race.  The aggressive program is for runners who simply enjoy running very long distances and do that on a regular basis.  The medium progression program is what most of our runners will follow to prepare themselves for the race.  The gradual progression program is for those of you who would prefer to ease into long-distance running.  The gradual program would also be a good option for anyone recovering from an injury.

Step Three – At what pace will you train for your long run?

It doesn’t matter if you are doing the half-marathon simply for the experience of it or if you’re trying to complete in a certain time – you need to decide in what pace-range you will train.

I understand this can be confusing to those of you new to running or new to long-distance running.  Many of you have no idea what pace you run or what pace you should run.  Here’s the deal:  if you’re running slower than you should be, the more up and down action can put undue pressure on your knees and hips.  If you’re doing your long run at a pace too strong for you, it can cause all sorts of problems.  Basically you are trying to turn what should be a long, endurance session into a tempo session and as we read above – tempo sessions should not last more than 45-60 minutes.  Our fastest runners are fine – they run out front and off they go!  Perfect!  Our runners who train at a more gentle pace are fine.  They group up at the back of the pack and off they go!  Perfect.  I worry about our runners in the middle of the pack.  To speed up, they are pushing too hard; to slow down, their knees and hips could start hurting.  So beginning, Wednesday, 17 October, I will lead a long run each Wednesday at an approximate 10:30-11:00 min/mile pace.  Once we see who settles into that “pack”, we’ll adjust the pace range accordingly.  I’m trying to target the women who are stuck between the front and back of the pack.  This will cause all sorts of confusion on Wednesday mornings for awhile because I will purposely route this group in a different direction than the other groups.  If you don’t know where you fit in pace-wise, call or email me.  I’ll give you my best guess.  If you need my input, I would rather we jointly make that decision before Wednesday morning.  I know you don’t want to bother me, don’t worry!  You’re not bothering me – ask me now what you should do instead of waiting until we’re in front of Starbucks ready to start running. 

3.  Suggested mileage and Route information:

 

 

Monday, 15 October

Canary Wharf (9.5 miles) – this is a fun route!  We’ll follow the canal east to “The Wall” then come up to street level and run for a few minutes through Islington until we can drop back down to the canal.  From that point, it’s all canal running until we reach Limehouse near the intersection of the canal and the river Thames.  We wind our way through a residential area, run alongside the river for a bit, then cut into Canary Wharf business district to finish at the Starbucks in the mall at Canary Wharf.  It’s a great run.  You can see Canary Wharf from a couple of miles out, the canal provides for straight running without street crossings, and it feels great to grab a coffee then ride the tube back to St. John’s Wood.  Two important things:

• Please make note of the change in long-run-day for mid-pace runners.  If you want to do your long run between a 10:30 -11:00 min/mile pace, then join me on Wednesday.  On Monday we’ll be running faster than that and you may be left behind (sorry!).  There are areas along this route where it wouldn’t be a great idea to be running solo.
• Also, it’s not a good idea to jump up from 6-7 mile runs to a 9.5 mile run – you can hurt yourself doing that.  We do this run to Canary Wharf regularly, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to do it!  If you’re not quite ready, wait for a few weeks to give it a try.  If you want to run a faster pace but not do 9.5 miles, consider the route below; however, the runners who know this route will be running at a gentle pace so have a look at the map.  Maybe print out a copy and carry it with you.The Wall, Farringdon, Embankment to Green Park (7.4 miles) – run with the group to “The Wall”.  Go up the ramp to street level then turn right, run for 1-2 minutes until you reach Pentonville Road.  Cross over and continue straight on Farringdon Road to the river Thames.  Then turn right and follow the embankment towards Westminster.  Turn right at Big Ben, head to St. James park, then cross over into Green Park.  Run up the hill to towards The Ritz.  The Green Park tube station is there, a Starbucks is there, and no pressure Alev…. but there’s a Turkish coffee shop in that area as well.  There are transport options all along the way so this route can be easily shortened.
  

The Wall (6 miles) – If you are going to do your long run on Wednesday, consider “The Wall” route for Monday (or do 5-6 miles of the Farringdon route above – stop at Embankment tube instead of Green Park).  I think you know the routine by now – we drop down to the canal and start running east to Islington.  It’s 3 miles to “The Wall” which is a place where the canal path is blocked and you have to go up to street level to get around it.  Turn around there and run back to SJW.  If you are wanting to “push the pace” for the half-marathon in the spring, do a tempo run using this route.  Your warm-up and cool-down could be the jog to/from the canal.

The canal (any distance) – run with the group towards “The Wall” then head back to Starbucks whenever you’re ready.

Wednesday, 17 October

Once more, mid-pace runners should consider doing their long runs on Wednesdays from now on:

Mid-pace long run – Kensal Rise Cemetery loop (7.6 miles) – I will be running with you, so no worries if you have no idea where you’re going.  Theoritically, we should all be running between an approximate 10:30-11:00 pace so we’ll all be together.  We’ll start on the canal running towards Notting Hill (that will give people one more chance to figure out what’s going on), then exit the canal path at Ladbrook Grove and turn right to go over the canal.  We’ll enter the Kensal Rise Cemetery, do a large loop, then head back to Starbucks in SJW along Carlton Vale.  The cemetery is very interesting and the caretaker told me it’s fine if we run there as long as we are respectful and not too loud.

If you have done your long run on Monday, then consider one of the following routes:

Notting Hill (6.5 miles) – I think most of you know this route now.  If you’re not familiar with it, have a look under the “Routes” tab to make sure you know where you’re going.

Notting Hill (6.5 miles) partial tempo run – If you want to try a bit of tempo work, but love the Notting Hill route – then do both!!!  Jog to the canal, once you get there, run hard until the Ladbrook Grove turn-off (where we exit off the canal).  From there, run a steady pace for the rest of the route and enjoy the window shopping in Notting Hill.

Western canal tempo run (any distance) – If you want a more intense tempo work-out than the one above, jog down to the canal, do your tempo work on the canal, turn around and do tempo work on the canal back to Maida Vale.  From there, jog back to Starbucks in SJW to cool-down.

Friday, 19 October

You all know the routine….

The Heath – old route (8 miles) – we’ll do the old route this time.  You can shorten this route by heading towards the track after Parliament Hill, exit the heath, run past Royal Free Hospital then home through Belsize.

The 6-7 mile route – follow the group doing the full 8 mile route.  At parliament hill instead of turning left towards Kenwood House, turn right and run past the track.  Exit the heath, run past Royal Free Hospital and head home through Belsize Park.

The Betsy route (5 miles) – I think Betsy is now doing a longer route on Fridays, but her namesake run is a great route.  Anyone wanting this distance ask around as we are running up the hill to Hampstead and someone will explain to you how to do it.  

Hampstead tube station (4 miles)– this is a great route to do if you’re short on time or are new to running “the hill”.  Head up to the Hampstead tube station with the group then turn around and head back home.  For a change of scenery, run up to Hampstead tube station then run back to Starbucks in SJW via the Hampstead high street, then Belsize Park, then down St. John’s Wood Park Rd.

 

4.  Bratislava Race Registration:

The race director was hoping to have race registration open on 1 October but that date has slipped by.  He is hoping the online registration will be active by this weekend.  I’ll let you know when it’s working. 

5.  Pilates for Runners and Fitness Classes for Children:

APPI is offering to organize pilates classes designed specifically for runners.  Ladies, this is a great idea.  Pilates can help offset the impact of running and the teachers at APPI are fabulous.  Please call Anna, their receptionist, to let her know if you are interested.  Based on responses to date, I think the classes will be offered at either 1:00, 2:00 or 3:00pm on Tuesday or Thursday (or both if we have enough interest).  Their contact info is:  [email protected] or phone T: 0207 6245314.  Anna can answer all your questions about pricing, booking, etc.

Christian, our functional movement specialist, is now offering a class for children from 10-17 years old.  Contact him for further information.  His contact information is on the website under “Our Experts”.

6.  Local Race in the Heath:

Every Saturday there is a FREE 5k race in Hampstead Heath at 9:00am.  You must register ahead of time.  Click here for a link to the race website or input this address into your browser: http://www.parkrun.org.uk/hampsteadHeath/

I hope to see you running this week,

Paula

169 Days until the Bratislava Half-marathon, but who’s counting……

Hello Runners,

Long run moves to Wednesday for next week – ASL is on break Mon and Tues so we will move our regular Monday long run to Wednesday for this week only!

Good luck to all our ladies who are racing this weekend!!! – Darcy and Kelli are running the Windsor half-marathon this weekend, Agnes is running the Royal Parks half-marathon and Patricia and I are running the Royal Parks Ultra (my apologies if I’ve missed others who are running).  Good luck to everyone!!!

Running group t-shirts – Chris Roberts and Kelli Montanaro have arranged for group t-shirts to be made.  These girls are talented!  The shirts are going to be so cute.  Chris will be at Starbucks on Thursday and Friday (11th and 12th) post-run with shirt samples so you can decide which size shirt you want.  I’ll send more info about the t-shirt ordering process in next week’s email.  You will be asked to pre-pay for your shirt at the time of ordering.

Pilates for Runners class – APPI will be offering a pilates class designed specifically for runners.  Ladies, I cannot over-emphasize the importance of stretching, or doing yoga or pilates to offset some of the pounding we endure as runners.  If you are interested, call Anna at APPI (0207 624 5314) and tell her which day/time would be convenient for you.  They will attempt to group up people to create a few classes throughout the week.

Our birthdays for the month of October –

        Cai-Cai Fritzinger (2 October)
Maria Schneider (8 October)
Jane Novak (11 October)
Carol Mark (18 October)
        Syma Qattan (28 October)
        Erin Roth (29 October)
        Angela Shaw (30 October)
       Laura Goldstein (30 October)

Happy birthday to you all!!!  We’ll celebrate with cupcakes on Friday, 26 October after the run. 

Below is the suggested training schedule for the week – note the shift of the long run to Wednesday:

Routes this Week

Monday, 8 October
I think we’ll have a small group running on Monday as ASL is on break.  We’ve shifted the longer weekly run to Wednesday for this week, so most of you need 4-6 miles.

Wednesday, 10 October
We’ve switched our long runs to Wednesday for this week only:

Notting Hill (6.5 miles) – If you want about 6-7 miles, do the regular Notting Hill run.  I think there is a map under the “Routes” tab on our website.

Whole Foods (5.75 miles) – Join the group doing the 8 mile route through Holland Park.  We’ll run by Whole Foods at about mile 5.75.  You can stop there if you’ll agree to do our grocery shopping as well!!!

The canal west (any distance) – head down to the canal in Little Venice.  Run half the distance you want and turn around and head home.

Friday, 12 October
You all know the routine….

The Heath – old route (8 miles) – we’ll do the old route this time.  You can shorten this route by heading towards the track after Parliament Hill, exit the heath, run past Royal Free Hospital then home through Belsize.

The 6-7 mile route – follow the group doing the full 8 mile route.  At parliament hill instead of turning left towards Kenwood House, turn right and run past the track.  Exit the heath, run past Royal Free Hospital and head home through Belsize Park.

The Betsy route (5 miles) – I think Betsy is now doing a longer route on Fridays, but her namesake run is a great route.  Anyone wanting this distance ask around as we are running up the hill to Hampstead and someone will explain to you how to do it.  

Hampstead tube station (4 miles)– this is a great route to do if you’re short on time or are new to running “the hill”.  Head up to the Hampstead tube station with the group then turn around and head back home.  For a change of scenery, run up to Hampstead tube station then run back to Starbucks in SJW via the Hampstead high street, then Belsize Park, then down St. John’s Wood Park Rd.

I hope to see you running this week,

Paula

Hello Runners,

Let’s start with some exciting stuff….. running bras!!!  Over the years I’ve been asked about running bras particularly those for bustier women.  OK, this cracks me up.  I obviously have zero experience in that department, but one of our runners has given me this link to a company called Moving Comfort.  I understand their bras are fabulous.  They make one with velcro on the straps that makes it easy to tighten/loosen.

Let’s move on to fun stuff…. I’ll buy a coffee for whoever can tell me what this sculpture is (see photo above).  Last Monday when we were running along the canal by Victoria Park, we passed this little sculpture (actually there were two of them).  Seriously, what is it?  How did it end up placed there by the canal?

Let’s announce changes to our schedule…. On Monday, some of our runners have a meeting in the morning so want to run later.  The main group will run at the regular time but these ladies are meeting up at Starbucks at 9:45am to do the Notting Hill loop (6.5 miles) at a medium pace.  Join them if that works for your schedule.

How about a training tip?  Many of you are still trying to figure out how the group works, where you fit into the pack, what pace to run, how far to run, etc.  I understand how difficult this can be.  Please let me know if I can help you.  Basically, if you’re hoping to do the half marathon in the spring, then you should be doing one longer run, one medium distance run, and one hill run each week.  You might consider making your medium distance run a tempo run if you want to increase your speed.  For the long run, it is extremely important to gradually increase mileage (the same concept applies to improving your pace).  Experts suggest that we should increase mileage no more than 10% each week and that every 3-4 weeks we should cut back that mileage to allow the body to recover.  By increasing mileage too quickly, you could be setting yourself up for some running injuries.

Below is the proposed mileage for each program for next week:

Routes this Week

Monday, 24 September (see notes above – you could also decide to run later at 9:45pm for a 6.5 mile loop through Notting Hill at a medium pace)

Here, there and everywhere (26 miles) – we’re going to start with the group running to Battersea then run all over London, Kew, Richmond, back towards Hammersmith and finish at Putney.

Battersea (10 miles) – we’ll head down to Hyde Park, enter near the NE corner then run down to Hyde Park Corner.  From there, we turn right to do a little window shopping as we head to Knightsbridge then we’ll continue the window shopping along Sloane Street.  We cross over Sloane Square, continue on to the river Thames, cross over the river on Chelsea Bridge Road and run along the embankment in Battersea Park.  We cross back over the river on Albert Bridge, run back to Chelsea Bridge Road, then retrace our steps to St. John’s Wood (or come home by the US Embassy and Baker St.).

Hyde Park loop (8 miles) – I think you all know this route now.

Battersea loop but finish at Marble Arch (8 miles) – if you need 8 miles, you could do the Hyde Park loop or run to Battersea with the group then finish at Marble Arch and take a bus/tube/cab home.

Serpentine loop (6 miles) – run with the group to Hyde Park (we’ll be taking Lisson Grove then Seymour to enter at the NE corner of the park), then turn right or west to run along the northern boundary, turn left or south at Carriage Rd then run alongside the road over the bridge.  Immediately after the bridge, turn left to follow the water edge back towards Wellington Arch.  To shorten this loop, cross back over the Serpentine near the café and head on a diagonal back to Speaker’s Corner.  To lengthen this run, either go past Carriage Road and cut south by the Albert Memorial or do not cross over the Serpentine at the café – instead carry on down to the far SE corner of the park, then run up to Speaker’s Corner and home via Baker Street or Gloucester Road.

Speaker’s Corner loop (4-5 miles) – run with the group to Hyde Park, once we’ve entered the park do a small loop keeping to the north side of the Serpentine.  Head back to SJW either up Seymour/Lisson Grove or by the US Embassy then up Baker Street.

Wednesday, 26 September

If you want a tempo run, I would recommend:

The Wall (6 miles) – this can be boring, but it’s a great option.  I think you know the routine by now – we drop down to the canal and start running east to Islington.  It’s 3 miles to “The Wall” which is a place where the canal path is blocked and you have to go up to street level to get around it.  We turn around there and run back to SJW.

The canal (any distance) – run with the group towards “The Wall” then head back to Starbucks whenever you’re ready.

If you don’t want a tempo run, you could do a nice loop along the canal then through Camden and Belsize.

Friday, 28 September

Everyone heads up the hill!  Yeah!  It’s hard but you’ll feel great at the finish.  You have lots of choices in terms of distance – see below:

The Heath – old route (8 miles) – we’ll do the old route this time.  You can shorten this route by heading towards the track after Parliament Hill, exit the heath, run past Royal Free Hospital then home through Belsize.

The Darcy route (6 miles) – there still is no consensus on exactly what this route is!  I did hear that some of the ladies who normally do the Betsy route may want to go for 6 miles next week.  So ask around if you’re interested in this distance.   

The Betsy route (5 miles) – we have a lot of ladies doing this route each week.  If you’re interested in 5 miles, then ask around for others doing the Betsy route.  It’s a perfect combination of hills, heath and street running. 

Hampstead tube station (4 miles) – this is a great route to do if you’re short on time or are new to running “the hill”.  Head up to the Hampstead tube station with the group then turn around and head back home.  

I hope to see you running this week,

Paula

Hello everyone,

We had so much fun last week!  The run to Hummingbird Bakery was a big hit – several of our runners had never run that far, some runners from the beginner group successfully transitioned into the regular MWF group and we celebrated with cupcakes!

We are still seeing an influx of new runners to the group (which is great!!!) and people are trying to figure out how to make the group work for them. Before we discuss routes, let’s try to explain how things work.

What do I do????

I hear this question a lot and it’s a good one!  “What do I do?  How far should I run?  How fast am I running?  Should I be going faster/slower?”  Here’s the deal… I don’t want to categorize people because I don’t know anyone’s full story, ie  running experience, current level of fitness, short term goals, longer term goals/dreams, how important running is to you at the moment, etc.  What I can do is give you some options:

General Fitness – if you want to run 2-3 times a week to build or maintain fitness, then consider doing a 45-60 minute run each time (that’s running time – it doesn’t include time standing and waiting to cross the street).  The mileage is less important than the time spent developing cardio fitness.  If you’re fast, then you’ll get in a lot of mileage.  If you’re not so fast, you’ll still get in the recommended time with a raised heart-rate.  It would be a good idea to do the Friday run up the hill to mix up your training.

Spring half-marathon (more “relaxed” training program) – if you are recovering from an injury, or haven’t run much recently, or are completely new to long distance running, or do a lot of other fitness-related activities and don’t want to overtax your body, then you might consider following the program labeled “Gradual Progression”.  This is also a great program for runners who want to do the half-marathon but really don’t care about how long it takes them.  They care more about the “experience” than a specific finishing time.  By the way, this approach is absolutely fine.  There’s no reason we all have to push, push, push.  Some ladies just want to run, meet some people, get fit, go on a fun trip and the half-marathon is the vehicle to make all of that happen.  This program will have you ready for our group half-marathon in the spring and may be less daunting than the more aggressive program some of our ladies are following.  The complete program is on the website, but the next few weeks of that program look like this (yellow boxes are ASL holiday periods):

Marathon training – some of our runners are targeting a marathon in the spring.  We are constantly tweaking their program, but the general training plan is on the website.

Other races – we usually have women who are training for a range of races.  Those programs are specific to each event.

To put it in real terms, this is next week’s program (in miles) for each of the above “categories”:

Hopefully, once you decide which program you want to follow, then you can look at the mileage options in our weekly routes and find what works for you.

Sports Massage
OK, this is the last subject before we get to our routes for the week.  The most important thing for us to do is keep healthy and injury-free so we can run!  To give yourself the best possible chance of running this season without aches and pains, consider having a sports massage on a regular basis.  It can make a huge difference in how tight you are and how well you function as a runner.  For the next two months, Tracey Tofts at APPI on Kilburn High Street (020 7624 5314) is offering 10% off all sports massages.  She is wonderful – several of our runners regularly see her and rave about the results.  Again, I’m not getting kickbacks here!!!  There are a bunch of great sports massage therapists in town so it’s not important that you see Tracey……  just consider seeing someone.

Routes this Week

Monday, 17 September

Ponders End (16 miles) – we’ll be joining the ladies on the run to Canary Wharf then breaking off a bit early at Victoria Park, heading over to the River Lea, then running north to Ponders End.  As with prior weeks, the pace fluctuates and transport options between Victoria Park and Ponders End are not great.

Canary Wharf (9.5 miles) – this is a fun route!  We’ll follow the canal east to “The Wall” then come up to street level and run for a few minutes through Islington until we can drop back down to the canal.  From that point, it’s all canal running until we reach Limehouse near the intersection of the canal and the river Thames.  We wind our way through a residential area, run alongside the river for a bit, then cut into Canary Wharf business district to finish at the Starbucks in the mall at Canary Wharf.  It’s a great run.  You can see Canary Wharf from a couple of miles out, the canal provides for straight running without street crossings, and it feels great to grab a coffee then ride the tube back to St. John’s Wood.

The Wall, Farringdon, Embankment to Green Park (7 miles) – run with the group to “The Wall”.  Go up the ramp to street level then turn right, run for 1-2 minutes until you reach Pentonville Road.  Cross over and continue straight on Farringdon Road to the river Thames.  Then turn right and follow the embankment towards Westminster.  Turn right near Embankment tube station to head up to Trafalgar Square then run west on The Strand until you reach Green Park.  There are transport options all along the way so this route can be easily shortened.

The Wall (6 miles) – this can be boring, but it’s a great option.  I think you know the routine by now – we drop down to the canal and start running east to Islington.  It’s 3 miles to “The Wall” which is a place where the canal path is blocked and you have to go up to street level to get around it.  We turn around there and run back to SJW.

The canal (any distance) – run with the group towards “The Wall” or Canary Wharf (same direction).  Turn around and head back to Starbucks whenever you’re ready.

Wednesday, 19 September

I’m flummoxed….  Is that really a word????  Wednesdays are boring (unless we’re running to the bakery).  I don’t know what to suggest.  Some of you want to do tempo runs so we need to either stick to the canals where we can run without redlights or go to Hyde Park which is 2 miles away so the tempo bit starts well into your run (and then you still have to get home).  So I think we’ll just break into groups based on what people want to do.

Option 1:  you could jog down to Hyde Park entering near Speaker’s Corner.  Then do the half park loop (see map) as fast as you can – it’s 2.5 miles.  You could even make note of how long that takes you and average HR if you have a HR monitor.  Try it again in a few weeks and see if you’re getting stronger.

Option 2:  jog down to Hyde Park, then do the half park loop using a modified Fartlek system.  That means to break up the 2.5 miles into varying length sections and run those intervals fast.  So you could run hard for a couple of minutes, then jog to recover, then run hard for maybe 4 minutes then jog to recover, then run hard for maybe a minute, then jog to recover.  Purposely mix up the length of the intervals.

Option 3:  run either the Notting Hill loop at a regular pace or run out and back alongside the canal at a tempo pace.

Option 4:  if you aren’t interested in a tempo run, head down towards Oxford Street and do the “shopping route”.  Run and window-shop along Bond Street, Regent Street and/or Marylebone High Street.

Friday, 21 September

Everyone heads up the hill!  Yeah!  It’s hard but you’ll feel great at the finish.  You have lots of choices in terms of distance – see below:

The Heath – old route (8 miles) – we’ll do the old route this time.  You can shorten this route by heading towards the track after Parliament Hill, exit the heath, run past Royal Free Hospital then home through Belsize.

The Darcy route (6 miles) – there still is no consensus on exactly what this route is!  I did hear that some of the ladies who normally do the Betsy route may want to go for 6 miles next week.  So ask around if you’re interested in this distance.   

The Betsy route (5 miles) – we have a lot of ladies doing this route each week.  If you’re interested in 5 miles, then ask around for others doing the Betsy route.  It’s a perfect combination of hills, heath and street running. 

Hampstead tube station (4 miles) – this is a great route to do if you’re short on time or are new to running “the hill”.  Head up to the Hampstead tube station with the group then turn around and head back home.  That’s it! 

I hope to see you running this week,

Paula