Category: MWF

25 – 29 September 2017 Running Info

Welcome to another week of running! On Monday we have a great run to the Whole Foods in Piccadilly Circus. I love the variety of the route and running along the Embankment through the heart of London. But the best part is ending at Whole Foods for some great coffee and food. (There is seating outside and upstairs.) The entire route is 6.5 miles but you can also take the tube from Blackfriars or Temple which is 5 miles. As we learned last Wednesday, a part of the canal is closed so we need to make a small diversion at the Camden Market. Make sure you take a look at the map below. Wednesday we’re running an old favourite, the Notting Hill route, and Friday we’re back up the hill and encouraging everyone to do the Pergola route so it becomes familiar to us. The Pergola is a magical spot in our neighbourhood and helps make it worth the trip up the hill.

WRW Shirts
We’re starting the planning for the 2018 WRW shirt. Please email [email protected] if you have any suggestions for a fun/witty/inspirational saying for the back of the shirt. For our new runners, here’s a reminder of the shirt back from previous years:

2013 – “Run Like A Girl”
2014 – “We Run London”
2015 – “Sorry, Gotta Run!”
2016 – “In It For The Long Run”
2017 – “This Is My Happy Pace”

Stay tuned for information about how to order the shirt. We’ll be back to you soon with more details.

Reminder – Lululemon Shopping Event – 11 October
Our friends at the Lululemon Marylebone Store have invited us to a “Fall Sneak Peak” shopping event on Wednesday 11 October from 7:00-8:00pm. Come check out the new collection and enjoy a 20% discount on the evening. RSVP to Kathy Anderson at [email protected]. Lululemon Marylebone is located at 74-75 Marylebone High Street W1U 5JR.

Keep running,

Jane

ROUTES

Monday 25 September — Whole Foods Piccadilly (6.5 miles)
This is fun destination route. How can you resist a fun run that ends up with delicious and healthy food options to bring home? Don’t forget your cash and tube card! We start out heading east on the canal and run to the Wall with a small detour. DIVERSION – Follow the bridge across the canal and turn right on Camden High Street. Take the first left on Hawley Crescent and then left on Kentish Town Road. There is an entrance back to the canal path on the left side of the bridge.

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Continue on the canal path until we reach The Wall. We’ll exit the canal there and turn right onto Rodney, which will turn into Penton Rise, then King’s Cross Road, and eventually Farringdon, which we will stay on until we reach the embankment. We then turn right and run along Victoria Embankment to Northumberland (just past Embankment Tube Station). Turn Right onto Northumberland and run through Trafalgar Square onto Cockspur and then turn right onto Haymarket. Take Haymarket into Piccadilly Circus and turn left onto Coventry. Run through Piccadilly Circus, across the street and onto Glasshouse Street, where you will see Whole Foods Market.

Wednesday 27 September – Notting Hill (4 – 6 miles)

Run west to the canal (west on Circus, left on Grove End Road, right on St Johns Wood Road, left on Cunningham Place, cross Edgeware, run along Blomfield and enter the Canal at the opening before the bridge).  Run along the canal to the west and exit at Ladbroke Grove.  Run 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.  Go back along the canal and out where you entered and back to Starbucks.

You also have the option of a shorter run by not running as far as Ladbroke Grove.  Instead, run half the distance you want, turn around and head home.  For example, running to the Westway flyover and back is about four miles.

Friday 29 September – Heath Pergola (6.3 miles)

We are repeating this route so that everyone knows the way and it becomes a regular favorite!

Head out from Barclays to Avenue Road, then up Fitzjohn’s per all the Heath routes.

Continue past Hampstead Tube Station all the way to the roundabout just beyond Whitestone Pond.  At the roundabout, use the pedestrian crossings to cross counterclockwise over to New End Way to Jack Straws Castle (now a personal training gym) and continue past the parking lot entrance and past the bus stop to turn left onto a small street called Inverforth Close.  A short way down, there is a trail to the right with a green barrier gate and a sign that says  “The Hill Garden.” Here are pictures of the trail:


Follow this trail until you come to an entrance on the left for “The Hill Garden and Pergola”, enter it and go to the right around the big bushes.  You will see a beautiful reflecting pool.  Run alongside it and up the stairs-you are on the Pergola!  Run or walk the length of the Pergola.  Don’t forget to look at the beautiful views, admire the flowers and take a pic or two. Please be considerate and don’t run if others are walking the Pergola as it isn’t very cool to run the Pergola if others are also viewing from it (you’ll understand when you see it).

When you have are finished with your Pergola time and reached the far end, take the stairs down and turn left to run on the wide trail back to New End Road, turning right to run by Jack Straws Castle (the gym) and then crossing left at the pedestrian crosswalks by the roundabout to put you back on the standard Heath route.  Turn left from the crosswalk and then right to enter the Heath.  Run the wide path as usual but don’t turn left to run up Parliament Hill.  Instead, veer right at that juncture and follow the trail across the ponds.  After the ponds, the trail veers left and shortly after there is an opportunity to take a right turn on the intersecting trail that heads towards E. Heath Rd (taking you next to the fields used for the Art Fair, parking etc at different times of the year.). Cross E. Heath Rd at the pedestrian crossing, then run on Downshire Hill Rd to Haverstock Hill Rd.  Turn Left on Haverstock Hill, running home the usual way (turn right on Belsize Ave, left on Lancaster Grove, right on Crossfield, right on Adamson, then cut through the Swiss Cottage public area by the Hampstead Theatre, turning onto Fitzjohns to St Johns Wood Park Rd to St Johns Wood Terrace and then to Starbucks).

NOTES: 1.  You can lengthen this run by choosing to run up Parliament Hill and then run by the usual Royal Free route.  2.  You can always take Belsize Ave directly to Fitzjohns and bypass the several turns though this route has more traffic fumes.

If you are not up for a hill run yet, no problem, just let us know. Every week there are a group of women who prefer to do a flat run. We can help make sure that you find each other.

4 miles:  A great way to ease into running the hill. Run up to the Hampstead tube station and back.
5 miles: The Betsy Route
6-7miles:  The partial Heath route OR the Reverse Heath Route
7.5 miles: The Highgate route
8 miles:  The full Heath route

18 – 22 September 2017 Running Info

It was another great week of running! Keep up the good work! This week we return to some of our classic routes that offer lots of options in terms of mileage. Monday is Hyde Park, Wednesday is The Wall and Friday is the The Heath. For the new folks, please let me know if you have any questions or need any help finding a pace group.
London Weather
London weather is very changeable and we get lots of days that include clouds, showers and sun. Don’t let a bad forecast discourage you from running. If you wait for the perfect day, you’d never get out the door. We had many days last year where the forecast was for rain, but it didn’t actually start raining until we were finished with our run. Plan in your schedule that you are going to run regardless of the weather. In any case, it does make sense to invest in a good breathable running jacket for wet weather.
Why Should Long Runs Be Slower?
For a great answer to that question, read the following Runner’s World article that gives a clear, concise summary of the science behind training with a slower, long run. We’ll return to this concept a few times throughout the year. When you tackle a new distance, your mile pace should be 45 – 90 seconds slower than your race pace. “When we overload the body in gradual, incremental increases, it responds positively by becoming stronger. If we overload the body too rapidly or too heavily too soon, it doesn’t have time to adapt and we risk poor performance, injury, illness and/or mental burnout.” Long slow runs also help build Mitochondria. They are the “powerhouse” of the cell because they are responsible for producing the energy required for muscle contraction. All important stuff if you want to run an endurance race! Right now during the early fall, we’re not worrying too much about race pace and training pace. The most important thing is to run, build up your fitness, get to know the people in the group and have fun! In general, you should be running at a pace that enables you to comfortably chat and have a conversation. Next week we’ll be sharing more information about the pace groups. The pace groups will play an important role in our training schedule when we start to gradually tick up the mileage and when we’ll be doing our long slower runs.
Be Careful
I know we’re all tempted to dash across the street to stay with the group. Please be careful! In the past, we had a runner hit by a motorcycle and we also had a runner hit by a car (on a weekend run). They were both OK, thank goodness, but I’m reminding you that in London you can’t depend on the traffic to stop for you. Also be mindful of pedestrians and bikes. We are a big group and we’re often running on narrow sidewalks. If you notice that a pedestrian has stopped and stepped to the side to let you pass, please remember to say “Thank You.”
Fall Half Marathon
A quick reminder to please email [email protected] if you are planning to run a fall half marathon so we can connect you with the other women also running.
Keep running,
Jane
ROUTES

Monday 18 September – Hyde Park 5, 6, 6.5 or 8 milesWe start from Barclays and run down Circus Road and turn left on Grove End/ Lisson Grove. Cross diagonally at the light to be on the west side of the street. Cross over Marylebone Rd (now you’re on Seymour Pl) and run until the road ends. Turn right on Seymour St, cross Edgware Rd, and turn left at the next street (Stanhope Pl). Cross into Hyde Park, cross over the Carriage Rd and you’re ready to go.

Hyde Park 5 miles
With this route, you run straight when you enter the park and turn left when the path ends.  Turn left again at Hyde Park Corner and head back up along the eastern edge of the park before exiting at the Upper Brook St/Animals of War exit.

Hyde Park 6 miles
Here, you turn right at the silver sphere after entering the park.  Turn left when you get to N Carriage Rd and run down to the Serpentine.  Turn right and then left to run over the bridge.  Turn left to run along the Serpentine  Turn left again at the end of the Serpentine and head back up along the eastern edge of the park before exiting at the Upper Brook St/Animals of War exit.

Hyde Park 6.5 miles
Like the 6 miler above, you turn right at the silver sphere after entering the park.  Cross over N Carriage Rd and turn left just after the Italian Gardens.  Run along the water (it turns into the Serpentine) and turn right at the end to run along the southern edge of the park.  Then turn left and head back up along the eastern edge of the park before exiting at the Upper Brook St/Animals of War exit.

Hyde Park 8 miles
This run takes you around the periphery of the park.  As before, you turn right at the silver sphere after entering the park.  Cross over N Carriage Rd and keep going until the end of the park.  Turn left to run along the edge.  Just keep turning left until you’re heading  back up along the eastern edge of the park.  Exit at Upper Brook St/Animals of War Memorial.

Wednesday 20 September – The Wall (6 miles)
We head down towards Regents Park, then enter the canal at the Charlbert entrance and run east [left] cutting through Camden Lock Market until we 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.  You can turn around before the Wall if you want to have a shorter run.

Friday 22 September – Heath Pergola (6.3 miles)
This is a new and improved version of the run we did in April.  It is slightly longer but clearer and provides a full “run” of the Pergola. Enjoy!

Head out from Barclays to Avenue Road, then up Fitzjohn’s per all the Heath routes.

Continue past Hampstead Tube Station all the way to the roundabout just beyond Whitestone Pond.  At the roundabout, use the pedestrian crossings to cross counterclockwise over to New End Way to Jack Straws Castle (now a personal training gym) and continue past the parking lot entrance and past the bus stop to turn left onto a small street called Inverforth Close.  A short way down, there is a trail to the right with a green barrier gate and a sign that says  “The Hill Garden.” Here are pictures of the trail:

Follow this trail until you come to an entrance on the left for “The Hill Garden and Pergola”, enter it and go to the right around the big bushes.  You will see a beautiful reflecting pool.  Run alongside it and up the stairs-you are on the Pergola!  Run or walk the length of the Pergola.  Don’t forget to look at the beautiful views, admire the flowers and take a pic or two. Please be considerate and don’t run if others are walking the Pergola as it isn’t very cool to run the Pergola if others are also viewing from it (you’ll understand when you see it).

When you have are finished with your Pergola time and reached the far end, take the stairs down and turn left to run on the wide trail back to New End Road, turning right to run by Jack Straws Castle (the gym) and then crossing left at the pedestrian crosswalks by the roundabout to put you back on the standard Heath route.  Turn left from the crosswalk and then right to enter the Heath.  Run the wide path as usual but don’t turn left to run up Parliament Hill.  Instead, veer right at that juncture and follow the trail across the ponds.  After the ponds, the trail veers left and shortly after there is an opportunity to take a right turn on the intersecting trail that heads towards E. Heath Rd (taking you next to the fields used for the Art Fair, parking etc at different times of the year.). Cross E. Heath Rd at the pedestrian crossing, then run on Downshire Hill Rd to Haverstock Hill Rd.  Turn Left on Haverstock Hill, running home the usual way (turn right on Belsize Ave, left on Lancaster Grove, right on Crossfield, right on Adamson, then cut through the Swiss Cottage public area by the Hampstead Theatre, turning onto Fitzjohns to St Johns Wood Park Rd to St Johns Wood Terrace and then to Starbucks).

NOTES: 1.  You can lengthen this run by choosing to run up Parliament Hill and then run by the usual Royal Free route.  2.  You can always take Belsize Ave directly to Fitzjohns and bypass the several turns though this route has more traffic fumes.

If you are not up for a hill run yet, no problem, just let us know. Every week there are a group of women who prefer to do a flat run. We can help make sure that you find each other.

4 miles:  A great way to ease into running the hill. Run up to the Hampstead tube station and back.
5 miles: The Betsy Route
6-7miles:  The partial Heath route OR the Reverse Heath Route
7.5 miles: The Highgate route
8 miles:  The full Heath route

11 – 15 September 2017 Running Info

Another great week of running! I’ve really enjoyed meeting the new runners – thanks for joining us! If you’re just getting back into running, and you’ve struggled a bit, don’t give up – Keep running! I promise with each run it will get easier and you will feel stronger. Also don’t be tempted to run too fast. This is a common issue for people who are used to running alone. You tend to go too fast, feel miserable and then have a hard time sticking with running. Remember you should be running at a pace where you can comfortably talk. We will have runs where we do more speed work on Wednesdays and very few of us can talk when we go up the hill, but for the start of the year, being able to talk is a good way to make sure you aren’t running too fast. I give more information about the structure of our training week below. This email is a bit long, but it has a lot of important so make sure you read it. It will also hopefully give you some incentive to keep running when you see the interesting destinations on the schedule. AND…there is a treat that you won’t want to miss at the end of the email.
We have some great routes this week with many distance options. Monday we head to Sloane Square/Westminster/Green Park and you can pick anything from 4-10 miles. (10 miles is an option for the women doing a fall half marathon.) You’ll see all the options listed below. Remember to bring your Oyster card/Tube card. Wednesday we run east along the canal until Camden market and then exit to run through the Camden, Morningside Crescent and Euston areas until we enter Regent’s Park and head home. The entire route is 5 miles, but you could also run to the market and then turn around and run home which would be about 3 miles. Friday we’re back up the hill.
Good Luck Racers!
We have a large group running the “Run the River” 10K on Tuesday evening 12 September at 7pm including Melinda Bariso, Carol Bertolino, Dani Burke, Claire Butler, Stephanie Gladis, Amy Grace, Joanna Gusich, Megan Marine, Corinna Matlis, Kathy McMahon, Miki Neant, Leah Neenan, Marissa O’Malia and Odie Syse. Unfortunately the event is sold out so you can’t join today, but if you have already signed up and you want to join the WRW group to travel to the event together you can email Stephanie Gladis at [email protected]. We hope that everyone has a great race! Have fun!
Borough Market- Save the Date
One of our favourite routes is to go to Borough Market on a Friday. If you want to plan ahead, our first Borough Market run will be on Friday Oct. 6. For anyone who doesn’t want to do a destination run, the Hill is always going to be an option on Fridays.
Looking Ahead – Mark Your Calendar
Here are the Monday routes over the next two months:
11 September – Sloane Square/Embankment/Westminster
18 September – Hyde Park
25 September – Whole Foods Piccadilly
2 October – Brick Lane
9 October – Hyde Park
16 October – FALL BREAK
23 October – Tower Bridge
30 October – Halloween Run to Brompton Cemetery and Kensington Whole Foods
General Training and Pace Groups
In general, each week we run a long/slower run on Monday, a shorter/faster run on Wednesday and a hill run on Friday. We have pace groups that help make it easier for folks to find each other and will be especially important for our long runs. I’ll write more about the pace groups in the next few weeks. We follow the training principle that your long run should be at a pace slower than your race pace. If you’re new to the “race pace” concept, don’t worry! We can help you figure out where you should be.
Stay Tuned – Spring Half-Marathon Trip
We’re hard at work behind the scenes trying to find a race for our spring half marathon. As you know, we have to balance many factors in choosing a race including timing, travel and finding a race that is appropriate for our beginner runners. We also just learned that the date for the ASL Global Festival was changed so some races we were considering are now out and others are an option. We have our eye on a few races that look great and we are hard at work behind the scenes talking to the race directors, negotiating hotel contracts and researching all the logistical details. (Thank you Carolyn Perelmuter!) We can’t announce anything until those important details are finalised, but we hope to be able to announce the 2017 race around the end of September or early October. I know it’s tempting to bombard Carolyn with questions about the race, but please be patient. We promise we will announce the race as soon as we possibly can.
Lululemon Shopping Event – 11 October
Here’s the treat I mentioned! Our friends at the Lululemon Marylebone Store have invited us to a “Fall Sneak Peak” shopping event on Wednesday 11 October from 7:00-8:00pm. Come check out the new collection and enjoy a 20% discount on the evening. RSVP to Kathy Anderson  Lululemon Marylebone is located at 74-75 Marylebone High Street W1U 5JR.
As always, if you have any questions or if you need any guidance, just let me know.
Keep running,
Jane
ROUTES

Monday 11 September  – Sloane Sq/Westminster/Green Park–3.75 to 7/10 miles, Your choice!

Today’s routes are fun because you can pick whichever distance suits you–in this case one size can fit all!

Everybody starts out to Hyde Park, taking the usual route: west on Circus Road, left on Grove End, all the way down to Seymour Place where the road ends.  Right on Seymour, across Edgware, left on Stanhope and enter the park. At the silver orb, turn left and run down to the southern edge, following the path to the right before it leaves the Park.  Run to big gated exit before the tall ‘One Hyde Park’ complex, cross over Knightsbridge at William Street, quick right on Knightsbridge then a left onto Sloane Street.

3.75’ers:  at Sloane Sq, take the Tube home!

6.33’ers:  continue past Sloane Sq down Lower Sloane St/Chelsea Bridge Road to the Thames.  Turn left on the Thames side of Grosvenor Rd and run along the embankment to Westminster Tube–you’re done!

7+’ers:  continue left on Birdcage Walk, cutting through St James Park to the Mall, then left on the Mall towards Buckingham Palace, crossing before the circle to reach Green Park.  Run up to the Green Park Tube on Piccadilly St and head home!

10 milers:  for anyone needing a longer run today, continue past Green Park Tube, through Mayfair to Baker Street and head to SJW Starbucks–this will give you almost 10 miles.

Wednesday 13 September – Camden/Morningside Crescent/Regent’s Park (5 miles) 

We will run to the canal going eastbound to Camden Market, where we exit the canal and turn right onto Camden High Street. We’ll run down Camden High Street to Mornington Crescent Tube Station and veer right onto Hampstead Road, which we will take down towards Euston Road. Just before reaching the huge intersection at Euston Road we turn right at the Sainsburys/Itsu and run between the office buildings at Regent’s Place and past the nice fountains, through Triton Square.  Left to Euston Road, then cross Osnaburgh Street and Albany Street. At Park Square East, turn right towards Regents Park.  We make the first left onto Outer Circle and run around the loop to the Charlbert Street exit (where we usually enter for the canal or park). We’ll run up Charlbert Street to Allitsen Road, make a left, and head back to Starbucks.  [Note, some ladies choose to run into and through Regents Park to meander to the Charlbert Street exit].

Friday 15 September – The Heath (4-8 miles)

It’s Friday which means everyone up to the Heath. 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.

If you are not up for a hill run yet, no problem, just let us know. Every week there are a group of women who prefer to do a flat run. We can help make sure that you find each other.

4 miles:  A great way to ease into running the hill. Run up to the Hampstead tube station and back.
5 miles: The Betsy Route
6-7miles:  The partial Heath route OR the Reverse Heath Route
7.5 miles: The Highgate route
8 miles:  The full Heath route

4 – 8 September 2017 Running Info

Hi everyone,
We’ve had a great start to the running season! It was wonderful to see so many of you gathering in front of Barclays and Starbucks.
To the new runners, we’re so glad you’ve joined us! To the returning runners, thanks for being so friendly and welcoming to our new runners- keep it up!  We have more new runners starting this week. To everyone, if the runs last week were too slow/fast or too short/long – Don’t give up!! It often takes a few sessions to find the smaller group of women that run the right distance/pace for you. (If you need some help/guidance linking up with someone, just let me know.) One runner said to me, “Wednesday was really difficult and I almost didn’t come back, but Friday was great. Now I’m hooked!” I know the first few runs after the summer can be challenging. Stick with it and I promise it will get better.
As a reminder to the new runners, we meet in front of Barclays Bank at the corner of Circus and Wellington Roads at 8:15 am so we can start running at 8:20. Always bring your Oyster/Tube card because we often return home on the Tube. If you are new to the group, I’ll wear my pink hat on Monday so you can find me in the crowd. Come say HI!
This week we return to some of our favourite runs. Monday we head off to the heart of London with a 4-mile run to Big Ben and then we take the tube home from Westminster. (If you prefer a 2-mile route you can take the tube home from Marble Arch or a 3-mile route is the tube home from Hyde Park corner or a 5-mile route is taking the tube at Green Park after you hit Westminster.) Runners who are training for a fall half-marathon can loop back home for an 8-mile route. As always, if you haven’t been training all summer, don’t be tempted to do the longer route. Gradually adding mileage is one of the best ways to avoid injury. For the new runners, don’t be tempted to run too fast especially as you add new mileage. You should be able to talk the entire time during the Monday run. If you are struggling, consider slowing down a bit. Just let me know if you need some help finding a group that is running your pace. I’m happy to help.
Wednesday we run west along the canal and loop back home through Kensal Rise. The entire route is 5.5 miles, but you can easily shorten it by turning back at any point along the canal. If you want to run a total of 4 miles, the 2-mile turn-around point is when the Westway motorway is over your head. Friday we’re back up the hill!
Sidewalk awareness
We are such a large group! Please remember not to block the sidewalk when we gather at Barclays or when we stop at Starbucks at the end. We want to be good citizens of St. John’s Wood.
Returning to running
I’ve heard from a few people who are returning to running after some time off. I’m happy to connect the runners who are not quite ready for our standard routes. If you are working up to 1-4 miles, you can send me an email at [email protected] and I’ll let you know about other women who are in the same boat.
T-Th Beginner Group
Our beginner group is off to a great start! If you have any friends who are interested in joining, please have them email [email protected]. Remember that the beginner group is for women who have never run before.
Keep running,
Jane

ROUTES
Monday, 4 September – Big Ben (4-8 miles)
This is such a fun route! We run right through the heart of London and stop at the famous Big Ben. The 8 mile option is for runners planning to do a fall half-marathon.

On Monday we head to Hyde Park via the usual route. Start heading west on Circus Road and turn left on Grove End and follow south as it becomes Lisson Grove. Cross over Marylebone Road and continue on Seymour Place until the end. Turn right and cross over Edgware Road and then left to enter Hyde Park at the intersection with Stanhope Place.   Run along the eastern edge of the park to Hyde Park Corner, under Wellington Arch and down Constitution Hill. Run along the edge of Green Park, past the Victoria Memorial and cross The Mall at the traffic light. Run down The Mall and enter St. James Park.  Run over the bridge across the lake and out of the park, turning left onto Birdcage Walk and down into Parliament Square to Big Ben. Those running four miles will take the tube back to SJW from here and those running eight will turn around and follow the same route back. You can also make it about a five mile run by turning back at Big Ben and running to the Green Park Tube Station, then tubing it home.

Wednesday 6 September – Kensal Rise 4-5.5 miles
The beginning of this run takes us along the canal to the west.  Please be aware of bikes along the canal and move into single file whenever you hear a ‘bike!’ shout.

Start out heading west on Circus Road, turn left on Grove End to St John’s Wood Road and go west, turning left on Cunningham then right on Aberdeen to work your way to the canal entrance on Blomfield. Enter the canal heading west and run to the Ladbroke Grove exit.  Here we turn right and run over the bridge along Chamberlayne Road, cross Harrow Road all the way to Harvist Road. Turn right on Harvist, which turns into Brondesbury Road, and take that to Kilburn High Road/Maida Vale. Turn right and follow Maida Vale to Hall Road where you turn left and run back to Starbucks. [Note, some runners prefer to to turn left on Carlton Hill and head to Starbucks from there] If you want to shorten this route, run west on the canal and turn back at your desired half-way point.

(The two mile mark is at the point on the canal when the Westway highway is over our heads.)

Friday 8 September – The Hill
It’s Friday, so everyone up the Fitzjohn’s Hill. 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. If you aren’t yet up for running hills, just ask around -there is usually a group preferring to run a flat route!
4 miles:  A great way to ease into running the hill. Run up to the Hampstead Tube Station and back.
5 miles: The Betsy Route
6-7 miles:  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

30 Aug – 1 Sep 2017 Running Info

Welcome back!  A special welcome to the new folks joining the group. I hope you had a fantastic summer. I’m excited for the new year at WRW and I can’t wait to see you at our first run of the season on Wednesday 30 August. We meet (rain or shine) at 8:15 in front of Barclays Bank at the corner of Wellington and Circus Roads in St. John’s Wood. For the first day, I’ll wear my pink hat so you can find me, please come say hello if you are new.

As we approach the start of a new running season, here are two important things to keep in mind:

1. Take care of yourself: This one is easy! Read the emails and learn the routes. Eat, drink (and be merry!). Don’t go too fast, or too far, too early. Stretch, stretch and stretch some more. Make sure you sleep. Have the right gear (for those of you who like to shop, this is fun). If you have an injury, see a specialist for help. If you have a question, just ask. We have lots of general knowledge in the group and we can steer you in the right direction.

2. Take care of each other: This one is fun! Welcome the new runners and the ex-beginners. (Remember how nice it was when someone welcomed you!) Say Hi! Encourage the new runners to persevere, and congratulate all on success, big and small. Notice if someone is suffering and offer to help. Sometimes an encouraging word or a distracting conversation can work wonders! Be aware of the runners in your group and stop at traffic lights so no one is left behind.

This week
On Wednesday we’re keeping it very simple and doing the route in Regents Park. We don’t have to worry too much about wrong turns or traffic lights! The outside loop is about 4 miles and if you want to add some mileage you can add the inner loop to make it about 5 miles. We’ll be very close to home so if you need to cut it shorter or walk a bit that is totally fine. We’ll meet you back at Starbucks for a coffee! On Friday, like usual, we’re heading up the hill, but if you’re not quite up for a hill run there are usually some runners who will pick a flat route. Another option is to run to the top of the hill and then turn around and run back down. There are many options for Friday hills! All the hill routes are listed on our website with the link below. The best thing is to come on Friday and ask around and we can help connect you to a group that is doing a route that works for you. The maps and the route directions are at the end of the email.

Easing back to running
If you haven’t run in awhile, no worries! I’ve already heard from a bunch of the group who plan to start out with slower/shorter runs. At the start of the year, we’ve designed the routes to have plenty of options for distance. Most likely there will be someone running at your pace and your distance. We do have a group of women who are planning to run a half marathon this fall. Don’t be tempted to join them on a long run or be discouraged that you can’t keep up. Remember, they have been seriously training all summer to get ready for a fall race. Here’s my bit of start-of-the-year arm twisting – Now is the time to start back with the group. I know the beginning of the school year can be very busy, but the longer you wait to get started, the more difficult it is. Come out and run and I promise you’ll be glad you did!

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.

Pace Groups
We tend to be flexible about the pace groups at the start of the year, but I imagine that we’ll naturally fall into our groups pretty quickly. Please remember to look out for new runners who may need some help finding the right group. We’ll share more details about the pace groups in the coming weeks.

Tuesday – Thursday Beginner Group
The first day for the beginner group will be this Thursday 31 August. Our beginner group is for real beginners, women who have never run before. We start our training with running for a minute and walking for two minutes. Please help us spread the word about our beginner group. If you know anyone who is interested in the beginner group, have them email us at [email protected].

Fall half marathon?
Please let me know if you are planning to do a half marathon this autumn so I can connect you with the other women who are currently training for a long race.

Thanks for your patience with this long email. That’s all for now – see you at Barclays at 8:15 on Wednesday!
Keep running,
Jane

ROUTES

Wednesday 30 August – Regents Park (inner and outer loops) (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.

Friday 1 September – The Hill
It’s Friday, so everyone up the Fitzjohn’s Hill. 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.

4 miles: A great way to ease into running the hill. Run up to the Hampstead tube station and back.
5 miles: The Betsy Route
6-7 miles: 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

12 – 14 June 2017 Running Info

Hi Everyone,

We reached the end of the WRW 2016-2017 year! We have our last two official runs this week, but we’ll still be running over the summer. If you’re in town, plan to meet at Barclays at 8:30 on Mon-Wed-Fri and the group will decide on the route that day. We tend to have a small group that runs most weeks, especially in June and early July. It just depends on who is in town. The best way to keep your conditioning and avoid injury is to keep running.

Monday we’re suggesting one last run to Big Ben. The 9s group has said that after Big Ben they are going to continue on to do the Tower Bridge route that we couldn’t do last week. That’s a great idea and some other groups may want to do the same. We’ve added the Tower Bridge route in the description below. Wednesday is the last day of school at ASL so we have the 4-mile extended Regent’s Park loop. Come celebrate the start of summer with a short, local run!

Congratulations to all the Richmond 10-mile runners!
It sounds like it was a great race (except for a few hills!) and one that we can recommend for  next year. Well done for tackling this challenge!

See you in August!
The first official running day of the 2017-2018 year will be Wednesday 30 August. If you know anyone interested in the Mon-Wed-Fri group or the beginner group, please have them email [email protected]. Spread the word about WRW! We’re looking forward to meeting all our new members!

I’m already looking forward to next year! Have a fantastic summer!

Keep running,
Jane

ROUTES

Option 1 – Monday, 12 June – Big Ben (4 miles or 8 miles if you loop back)

This has become a tradition to run to Big Ben as WRW winds down for summer.  As you know it is a historic run seeing many of the famous along the way.

We head to Hyde Park via the usual route and run along the eastern edge of the park to Hyde Park Corner, under Wellington Arch and down Constitution Hill.  Run past the Victoria Memorial down the mall and enter St. James Park. Run over the pond and out of the park, turning left onto Birdcage Walk and down into Parliament Square to Big.  You can take the tube back to SJW and call it a day.  IF you are feeling ambitious you can turn around and run back to Starbucks for 8 miles.

Option 2 – Monday, 12 June – After Big Ben continue on to Tower Hill (7.25 miles)

Today we will be running across, along and across the Thames and in and around some of the oldest parts of London. The sights will be stunning!

We start off as though we are running to Borough Market-down Grove End and into Hyde Park, under Wellington Arch, along Green Park, through St James Park and towards Big Ben then across Westminster Bridge.  At the end of Westminster Bridge, exit left down the stairs and run along the Thames Path past the London Eye, Royal Festival Hall, Blackfriars Bridge, Tate Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe to the Golden Hinde, admiring all the landmarks as you trod past. Follow the walkway to the right of the Golden Hinde and at the junction with Southwark Cathedral, turn sharp left and follow Montague Close until just before the tunnel.  At the tunnel, go up the stairway to the left (which puts you onto London Bridge Road) then turn right on London Bridge Road to the first crosswalk-cross London Bridge Road and go left; just before the river, turn right on the stairs to descend to the Thames Path. Continue on the Thames Path past the HMS Belfast, City Hall and Potters Fields, to Tower Bridge.  Climb the stairs up to the Bridge (don’t go under the Bridge), then run across Tower Bridge (the views!), continuing past the Tower of London (more views!) until you reach the stairs down to Tower of London Park.  Take the stairs down and follow the paved path along the park. Just past the park is a junction in the path-turn right to run in a tunnel under Tower Hill Road, past part of the original London Wall and up to the Tower Hill tube station.  Now, think of all the history you’ve witnessed in just 7 miles!

Wednesday 14 June – Regents Park (4 miles)

This is the last day of school for ASL and the last official WRW run until the end of August. So we are keeping it short and local to entice you to come out for a quick one!

Head down Grove End Road as though going to Hyde Park BUT at Marylebone Road, turn left and follow Marylebone Road, past Madame Tussauds, then turn left at York Bridge and right at the Outer Circle.  Follow the Outer Circle counter clockwise, all the way to the crosswalk by the US Ambassador’s House. Cross out of the Park and head to Starbucks.

5 – 9 June 2017 Running Info

Hi Everyone,

I hope you have been able to enjoy the London summer weather. I miss you! My foot is improving, but I’m not ready to run yet. I’m going to try to stop by Starbucks one day so I can say hello to everyone.

We planned a new route to Tower Bridge for Monday. We’re following the route we usually take to Borough Market and then continuing along the Thames (or the roads when necessary) until we reach Tower Bridge. This could be named the London History route – so many great opportunities to appreciate our wonderful city and take some photos. Please note that many of our leaders will be out because they are running the Richmond race on Sunday (see below). So if you are planning to run, make sure you take a look at the map and directions. Wednesday we’re doing the Kensal Rise route and on Friday we’re suggesting the Heath Pergola route. Once again, take a look at the directions for the Pergola route because we’ve added some new details, directions and photos so we can enter the Pergola at the beginning and see the entire garden.

GOOD LUCK Richmond Runners!
We have a very large group of WRW runners racing in the Richmond Park 10-mile race on Sunday including Carol Bertolino, Carrie Brady, Dani Burke, Gisele Caseiras, Katy Cohan, Paola Di Meo, Bjorg Fridbjornsdottir, Maureen Fossum, Denise Glaser, Jordanna Hoffman, Alysia Hoyt, Asdis Karadottir, Rekha Kumar, Corinna Matlis, Nicole McNaughton, Julie Moyle, Dinae Norris (and daughter and friend), Marissa O’Malia, Stephanie Schueppert, Mia Schlappi, Audgunn Syse, Jen Rakvin, Sue Wheeler and Liane Zielinski. (Sorry if I forgot anyone!) GOOD LUCK and we hope you have a great race!

Keep running,
Jane

ROUTES

Monday 5 June –  NEW ROUTE! Tower Hill (7.25 miles)

Today we will be running across, along and across the Thames and in and around some of the oldest parts of London. The sights will be stunning!

We start off as though we are running to Borough Market-down Grove End and into Hyde Park, under Wellington Arch, along Green Park, through St James Park and towards Big Ben then across Westminster Bridge.  At the end of Westminster Bridge, exit left down the stairs and run along the Thames Path past the London Eye, Royal Festival Hall, Blackfriars Bridge, Tate Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe to the Golden Hinde, admiring all the landmarks as you trod past. Follow the walkway to the right of the Golden Hinde and at the junction with Southwark Cathedral, turn sharp left and follow Montague Close until just before the tunnel.  At the tunnel, go up the stairway to the left (which puts you onto London Bridge Road) then turn right on London Bridge Road to the first crosswalk-cross London Bridge Road and go left; just before the river, turn right on the stairs to descend to the Thames Path. Continue on the Thames Path past the HMS Belfast, City Hall and Potters Fields, to Tower Bridge.  Climb the stairs up to the Bridge (don’t go under the Bridge), then run across Tower Bridge (the views!), continuing past the Tower of London (more views!) until you reach the stairs down to Tower of London Park.  Take the stairs down and follow the paved path along the park. Just past the park is a junction in the path-turn right to run in a tunnel under Tower Hill Road, past part of the original London Wall and up to the Tower Hill tube station.  Now, think of all the history you’ve witnessed in just 7 miles!

Wednesday 7 June –  Kensal Rise (4- 5+ miles)

The beginning of this run takes us along the canal to the west.  Please be aware of bikes along the canal and move into single file whenever you hear a ‘bike!’ shout.

Start out heading west on Circus Road, turn left on Grove End to St John’s Wood Road and go west, turning left on Cunningham then right on Aberdeen to work your way to the canal entrance on Bloomfield. Enter the canal heading west and run to the Ladbroke Grove exit.  Here we turn right and run over the bridge along Chamberlayne Road to Harvist Road. Turn right on Harvist, which turns into Brondesbury Road, and take that to Kilburn High Road/Maida Vale. Turn right and follow Maida Vale to Hall Road where you turn left and run back to Starbucks. If you want to shorten this route, run west on the canal and turn back at your desired half-way point.

(The two mile mark is at the point on the canal when the Westway highway is over our heads.)

Friday 9 June – Heath Pergola (6 1/3 miles)

This is a new and improved version of the run we did in April.  It is slightly longer but clearer and provides a full “run” of the Pergola. Enjoy!

Head out from Barclays to Avenue Road, then up Fitzjohn’s per all the Heath routes.

Continue past Hampstead Tube Station all the way to the roundabout just beyond Whitestone Pond.  At the roundabout, use the pedestrian crossings to cross counterclockwise over to New End Way to Jack Straws Castle (now a personal training gym) and continue past the parking lot entrance and past the bus stop to turn left onto a small street called Inverforth Close.  A short way down, there is a trail to the right with a green barrier gate and a sign that says  “The Hill Garden.” Here are pictures of the trail:

Follow this trail until you come to an entrance on the left for “The Hill Garden and Pergola”, enter it and go to the right around the big bushes.  You will see a beautiful reflecting pool.  Run alongside it and up the stairs-you are on the Pergola!  Run or walk the length of the Pergola.  Don’t forget to look at the beautiful views, admire the flowers and take a pic or two. Please be considerate and don’t run if others are walking the Pergola as it isn’t very cool to run the Pergola if others are also viewing from it (you’ll understand when you see it).

When you have are finished with your Pergola time and reached the far end, take the stairs down and turn left to run on the wide trail back to New End Road, turning right to run by Jack Straws Castle (the gym) and then crossing left at the pedestrian crosswalks by the roundabout to put you back on the standard Heath route.  Turn left from the crosswalk and then right to enter the Heath.  Run the wide path as usual but don’t turn left to run up Parliament Hill.  Instead, veer right at that juncture and follow the trail across the ponds.  After the ponds, the trail veers left and shortly after there is an opportunity to take a right turn on the intersecting trail that heads towards E. Heath Rd (taking you next to the fields used for the Art Fair, parking etc at different times of the year.). Cross E. Heath Rd at the pedestrian crossing, then run on Downshire Hill Rd to Haverstock Hill Rd.  Turn Left on Haverstock Hill, running home the usual way (turn right on Belsize Ave, left on Lancaster Grove, right on Crossfield, right on Adamson, then cut through the Swiss Cottage public area by the Hampstead Theatre, turning onto Fitzjohns to St Johns Wood Park Rd to St Johns Wood Terrace and then to Starbucks).

NOTES: 1.  You can lengthen this run by choosing to run up Parliament Hill and then run by the usual Royal Free route.  2.  You can always take Belsize Ave directly to Fitzjohns and bypass the several turns though this route has more traffic fumes.

29 May – 2 June 2017 Running Info

I love this photo! Here’s Paula Mitchell, the founder of WRW, at the finish line after running 154 miles in six stages over seven days in the Mauna to Mauna Ultra! In a race where finishing is a Herculean accomplishment, Paula not only finished but also placed 42 out of 63 finishers. In addition, she was strong enough on the last day to be placed in the starting group with the fastest/stronger runners. I love the idea of our Paula lining up with a group of professional Ultra runners! The race was even more difficult due to days of torrential rains, many changes to the course route and running up and down mountains of razor-sharp lava. Wow! The fact that Paula can compete and flourish in these super-human races gives me inspiration about all the challenging things that we can tackle in our own lives.

I’ve missed running with you! The good news is that after falling down the stairs, (so stupid!) my foot is not broken, just sprained. The bad news is that I’ll be off from running for a bit. I hope to be back as soon as possible!

Monday is a Bank Holiday so if you’d like to run plan to meet at Barclays at 8:30 and the group will decide on a route together. Wednesday we’re running to Sloane Square, Embankment and Westminster. This is a very beautiful route and one that has many options in terms of distances. Friday we’re back up the Hill again.

I hope you’ve been able to enjoy the beautiful summer London weather!

Keep running,

Jane

ROUTES

Monday, 29 May – Bank Holiday

If you are in town and want to run, plan to meet at Barclay’s at 8:30 am and decide your route.

Wednesday 31 May – Sloane Square/Westminster/Green Park (3.75 – 7+ miles)

This route is fun because you can pick whichever distance suits you – in this case one size can fill all!!  We start out by running to Hyde Park, taking the usual route: west on Circus Road, left on Grove End, all the way down to Seymour Place where the road ends.  Right on Seymour, across Edgware, left on Stanhope and enter the park. At the silver orb, turn left and run down to the southern edge, following the path to the right before it leaves the Park.  Run to big gated exit before the tall ‘One Hyde Park’ complex, cross over Knightsbridge at William Street, quick right on Knightsbridge then a left onto Sloane Street.

3.75 miles:  Take tube at Sloane Square back to SJW

6.33 miles:  continue past Sloane Square down Lower Sloane St/Chelsea Bridge Road to the Thames.  Turn left on the Thames side of Grosvenor Road and run along the embankment to Westminster.  Take the tube to SJW.

7+ miles:  continue left on Birdcage Walk, cutting through St. James Park to the Mall, then left on the Mall towards Buckingham Palace, crossing before the circle to reach Green Park.  Run up to the Green Park tube and head home to SJW

Friday 2 June – The Heath (4-8 miles)

It’s Friday [again!], so everyone up the hill! You can pick your distance and whatever you choose, there will certainly be someone else interested in running that distance. These routes are on the website. If you are not up for a hill run, ask around at Barclays; every week there is a group who prefer to do a flat run and you can decide together which flat route to tackle.

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
7.5 miles: The Highgate route
8 miles:  The Full Heath route

Click here for maps of all of the Heath routes.

22 – 27 May 2017 Running Info

I want to thank each of you for helping to make this year at WRW a success! Thanks to everyone who came out for our Sights of London run and also to everyone who was able to join us at coffee afterwards. A huge THANK YOU to Megan Marine for organising the Leavers Coffee. What a great morning – except that we’re going to miss all our leavers so much! Our last official day of running is on Wednesday 14 June, the last day of school at ASL, but we’ll still have a group running over the summer. We don’t send out official routes, but whoever is in town meets at Barclays on M-W-F at 8:30 and we’ll decide on the route on the day.

The weather forecast (at the moment) looks great for next week and we’re planning to run in our beautiful local parks – Monday to Hyde Park, Wednesday to Regents Park and Friday to the Heath. The Wednesday route is a new route that we’re testing out. It’s pretty simple, but let us know how you like it.

Congratulations to our Moon Walkers!
Congratulations to Tamar Brooks, Rekha Kumar, Melissa Kay and Tamar’s daughter and friends for completing the 15-mile, middle-of-the-night walk last weekend to support breast cancer research and survivors. Well done and we love your spirit and dedication!

Save the Date – Upcoming runs
Monday 29 May – Bank Holiday
Wed 31 May – Sloane Square/Embankment/Westminster
Friday 2 June – The Heath
Monday 5 June – Tower Bridge – New Route!
Wed 7 June – Kensal Rise
Friday 9 June – Heath Pergula Route
Monday 12 June – One last run to Big Ben!
Wednesday 14 June – Regents Park

RSVP Richmond 10-mile Race, Sunday 4 June
If you are planning to run this race, and you haven’t done it yet, send an email to [email protected]. I’ve heard from many runners already and I’m going to send an email to the group that is running so you can coordinate. At the moment we have 15+ women running this race. Richmond Park is very beautiful and I imagine this is going to be a great race. It looks like they are still accepting entries if you would like to still sign up. Richmond Link

Looking Ahead – Monday 19 June, The State Opening of Parliament
The past few years we’ve run to Buckingham Palace to see the extravagant procession when the Queen travels to Westminster to officially open Parliament for the year. This event is usually in mid-May, but this year it is 19 June due to the election on 8 June. The last few years, this has been a great London event and we even got to see the Queen. I have heard reports that the Queen is scaling back the procession this year and she is going to ride in a limousine instead of her carriage. So you probably will want to confirm the details before you decide to attend. (I’m going to be out of town, so unfortunately I’ll miss it this year.)

Keep running,

Jane

ROUTES

Monday, 22 May – Hyde Park – always versatile! (5 – 8 miles)

Click here for all of the Hyde Park interactive route maps

Everyone knows the way to Hyde Park so pick your favorite route.  An easy 5 miles or a push for 8 miles.  It is up to you!

5 Milers:  At Hyde Park Corner continue back up/north on the carriage drive.  Exit the park at the Animals in War memorial and follow Upper Brook Street.  Turn left on Park Street, which becomes Gloucester Place and then Park Road back to SJW.

6 Milers:  upon entering the park, turn right at the silver sphere and run until you meet N Carriage Road where you turn left.  Run down to the Serpentine, crossing over the bridge then left to run along the Serpentine. At the end of the Serpentine, turn left again and make your way to the eastern edge of the park.  Exit the park at the Animals in War memorial and follow Upper Brook Street.  Turn left on Park Street, which becomes Gloucester Place and then Park Road back to SJW.

8 Milers: follow the 6-mile run but do not turn left at No. Carriage Rd, instead cross over [this is tricky, be careful of the traffic] and follow until you reach the large broad walk where you turn left.  Run past Kensington Palace (on your right) and take a left to run along the southern edge of the park towards Hyde Park Corner, then turn left on the eastern edge of the park.  Exit the park at the Animals in War memorial and follow Upper Brook Street.  Turn left on Park Street, which becomes Gloucester Place and then Park Road back to SJW.

Wednesday 24 May – Regents Park (inner and outer loops) (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.

Friday 26 May – The Heath (4-8 miles)

It’s Friday [again!], so everyone up the hill! You can pick your distance and whatever you choose, there will certainly be someone else interested in running that distance. These routes are on the website. If you are not up for a hill run, ask around at Barclays; every week there is a group who prefer to do a flat run and you can decide together which flat route to tackle.

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
7.5 miles: The Highgate route
8 miles:  The Full Heath route

Click here for maps of all of the Heath routes.

15 – 19 May 2017 Running Info

Hi Everyone,
Thanks for a great run to Hampton Court Palace last week. It’s nice to be on a bit of an adventure and get out of our neighbourhood. We’ll do that route again in the fall. This Friday is our Sights of London run and Leavers Coffee – more details below. (Last year Nancy said that she hated that name, so maybe we should call it the WRW Graduating Class of 2017 coffee?!) Since we won’t be running the hill on Friday we’re going to do the hill on Monday and head to Happening Bagel in Finsbury Park through Highgate and the Greenway. If you haven’t done this run before, it’s a favourite of many people. I recommend it! Wednesday we’re running the Notting Hill route.
Well done Denise!
Congratulations to Denise Glaser who ran the Stratford Shakespeare Half Marathon last weekend. You rock!
Good Luck Paula!
Paula Mitchell, the fabulous founder of WRW, is running the Mauna to Mauna Ultra race in Hawaii starting this Sunday. The race is 154 miles in 6 stages over 7 days. To put that in perspective, Stage 6 is “only” 6 miles so that means the other 5 stages are over 20 miles each and stage 4 is actually 49 miles. She writes, “This will be a great race!  We will be running across the big island from east to west coast climbing two volcanic mountains and experiencing all types of terrain through 11 of the world’s 13 climate zones.” In addition to the mileage and the terrain, this is a “self-supported foot race” which means runners carry all their own food and supplies. WOW! If you want to send a good luck message to Paula, send me an email at the [email protected] address and I’ll forward you the information.
Friday 19 May – Sights of London run and Leavers Coffee
This is a great run!  Even if you haven’t run in a little while – come along!  We run as a (BIG!) group and we wait for everyone at the lights so we can stick together.  (If we get separated we’ll wait for everyone at the photo points.)  The total distance is about 4 miles and we stop often.
We’ll stop for group pictures at:
– Hyde Park Speaker’s Corner
– Buckingham Palace
– Big Ben
In some years we continued on to Trafalgar Square, but recently the the group has been so large that we usually take the tube home to SJW from Westminster. We’ll walk to the Richoux cafe at 3 Circus Road, NW8 6NX. (We’ll be in the upstairs room at Richoux. We’ll have coffee, tea and some food for the group but in order to keep the costs reasonable we’re asking people not to order individual fancy coffee drinks. Thanks!) If you can’t run for any reason, please still come for coffee. I expect we’ll be there around 10 am. Unfortunately we have many runners leaving London this year!  So take a minute to come and say good-bye. We’re going to miss them so much!
Celebrating the Year at WRW
Thanks to Marissa for the suggestion that a good way to celebrate the year at WRW and honour our leavers is to watch the amazing race video put together by Sonia, Joanna, Liane and Carol. If you didn’t go to Warsaw, take a minute to watch it. It is so entertaining and funny and a perfect snap-shot of WRW! Here’s the link to YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xorCr45ydZk
June 4 – 10-mile Richmond run RSVP
If you signed up for the 10-mile Richmond race on June 4, please send an email to [email protected] so that we can connect the group and make a plan for travelling to the race together.
Collecting names for next year’s beginner group
If you have any friends that are interested in being part of the beginner group for next year, please tell them to email [email protected]. As a reminder, the beginner group is for women who have never run before. We start at the very beginning with running for one minute and walking for two minutes.
Keep running,
Jane
ROUTES

Monday 15 May – 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 17 May– 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, past the tube stop, to Elgin Crescent and make a left. Cross Portobello Road and continue on what is now Colville Terrace until it meets Ledbury Road where we turn right and then left at Westbourne Grove. Run down Westbourne Grove to the top of Bishop’s Bridge, then left down the steps into Sheldon Square (across from the Paddington Station entrance). Stay along the canal to where you entered, then run back on Blomfield to SJW and Starbucks.

You also have the option of a shorter run by not running as far as Ladbroke Grove. Instead, run half the distance you want, turn around and head home. For example, running to the Westway flyover and back is about four miles.

Friday 19 May– Sights of London run and Leavers Coffee

This is a great run!  Even if you haven’t run in a little while – come along!  We run as a (BIG!) group and we wait for everyone at the lights so we can stick together.  (If we get separated we’ll wait for everyone at the photo points.)  The total distance is 4 miles and we stop often.

We’ll stop for group pictures at:
– Hyde Park Speaker’s Corner
– Buckingham Palace
– Big Ben

We head to Hyde Park via the usual route. Start heading west on Circus Road and turn left on Grove End and follow south as it becomes Lisson Grove. Cross over Marylebone Road and continue on Seymour Place until the end. Turn right and cross over Edgware Road and then left to enter Hyde Park at the intersection with Stanhope Place. Run along the eastern edge of the park to Hyde Park Corner, under Wellington Arch and down Constitution Hill. Run past the Victoria Memorial down the mall and enter St. James Park.  Run over the pond and out of the park, turning left onto Birdcage Walk and down into Parliament Square to Big Ben.