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.

Hyde Park (4, 5 or 6 miles) – Anyone wanting 4 miles

could run down to the NE corner of Hyde Park then turn around and head home.  If you want 5 miles, run down to Hyde Park and do a small loop in the NE corner then exit the park and run home by the US embassy, up Baker St. to SJW.  If you want 6 miles, run down to Hyde Park, do a loop sin the park staying north of the Serpentine (see map). If all of that sounds too boring, go for an adventure run.  It’s fun!  All you do is head out from Starbucks having no idea where you’re going.  At each intersection or street crossing, someone yells out left or right.  It’s fun and you never know what you might see or where you might end up.

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

Notting Hill + Holland Park (8.5 miles) – start the normal Notting Hill route but instead of turning left to cross over

Portobello Road keep running up towards the Holland Park area (see map).  Take the pedestrian path towards Kensington High Street.  Do a little loop in Holland Park, then return to the pedestrian path and drop down to Kensington High Street.  Turn left and run past the tube station, past Whole Foods, then enter Hyde Park at the SW corner.  Cut across the park on a diagonal then take Sussex Gardens back to Marylebone Rd.  Head home via Lisson Grove or Baker St.  If you want 8 miles instead of 8.5, don’t do the loop in Holland Park or take the tube from Baker St.

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 plus a couple of miles (12 miles) – those of you doing the Windsor half-marathon have 12 miles on your schedule.  An easy route would be to join us for the Battersea loop, the

n do a half-loop of Hyde Park then head back to SJW via the US Embassy/Baker St. (see the map for the Hyde Park bit – Patricia and I will also be heading west in Hyde Park).

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.

Camden/Belsize loop (4.8 miles) – run with the group towards “The Wall” but exit from the canal at the Camden market.

Turn right on Camden High Street, run to the tube station then turn hard left onto Kentish Town Road.  Run for about 1/3 mile then turn left on Prince of Wales Road.  When you dead-end into Haverstock Hill turn right.  Turn left on Englands Lane then follow Eton Road to Swiss Cottage tube station.  Turn left and head down to St. John’s Wood Park Road then home to Starbucks.

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):

Spring half-marathon (higher intensity) – if you are very comfortable with the half-marathon distance, or would like to target a certain finishing time, you might consider following the program labeled “More Aggressive Approach” on the website.  This schedule has more mileage earlier on in the program and you would be doing several runs of near-half-marathon distance leading up to the race.  Under this program, it would be important to do some tempo work to support your goal of a strong finish in the race.

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

Hello everyone,

Thank you so much for continuing to welcome our new runners.  We are still getting to know each other and sorting out pace “packs” within our larger group but it will happen! Everyone hang in there, keep coming out, keep running and things will settle into a routine soon.

Calling all mid-paced runners….
In an effort to help our mid-paced ladies identify other similarly-paced runners, we’ll be heading down to Hummingbird Bakery in South Kensington on Wednesday (12 Sept).  We’ll run between an 11:15-12:15 min/mile pace and have lots of opportunities to rest as it’s mostly street running (hopefully lots of red lights!!!).  You’ll have the option of running 4, 5 or 6 miles or running less than that by starting with us then taking some sort of transport to meet us at the bakery.  If you run around that pace or are new to long distances and want to slow down your pace a bit to extend your mileage, come join us!

Beginner Runner Overload…..
A note about this year’s beginner running group, it’s time to stop recruiting!  We have 33 women in the group.  There are a few who will be trying out the MWF groups this week and we always lose a few over the first couple of months.  Handling more than about 25 is tricky.  I will never say no to anyone wanting to join – I can’t make myself do it, but we definitely can stop recruiting beginner runners.  Thanks a million!!

Functional Movement Assessments….
I’ll give one more nudge here for you to set up an appointment with Christian for a functional movement assessment.  I promise I’m not getting any kickbacks!  It’s a great time of year at the beginning of our season to have a “tune-up”.  Christian can help you get everything in balance so as we start increasing mileage you’ll be ready for it.  His contact information is under the “Our Experts” tab on the website.

Physio….
I’ve heard from several of you that Victor’s schedule is booking up and the next available appointments are weeks away.  If you need to see a physio, consider going to APPI.  Victor is fabulous (and that’s why he gets booked up), but it can be difficult to get an appointment. APPI is a team of physios led by Glenn Withers.  It’s easy to get in and they are very good. They also offer sports massage, pilates classes and other services. Their contact info is on the website.

Bike Path Etiquette….
To avoid falling in the canal or having a head-on collision with a biker, we’ve always said to put the bikers closest to the water.  Legally we should go to the left, but most of the information on canal/footpath/towpath usage suggests that people use their common sense and just be considerate of other path users.  It should not be necessary that someone in the group scream “bike”.  That can be helpful, but we need to all be alert and watching for bikers.  If we all agree to always jump into a single file queue away from the water, then the bikers can easily get around us. By all moving in the same direction, we send them a signal that says “We’re going towards the wall, you go towards the water”.  Pedestrians do have the right of way on paths but that doesn’t really matter when a cyclist runs into us.  We have had a runner “fall in the drink”.  It can happen and that water is nasty!!!  So everyone, pay attention, just stay in a single file line if the bike traffic is heavy.  Your conversation can wait until the end of the run.

Our Routes this Week

Monday, 10 September
Teddington near Hampton Court (22 miles) – see the route description below.  We’ll do the run to Kew but then keep on going to Kingston-on-Thames and then Hampton Court and Bushy Park.  Just like last week, we’ll be setting the pace based on Patricia’s HR once we past Kew so I don’t really know what pace that will be.  Sometimes we’ll speed up, sometimes we’ll slow down.  Join us if you want if you are prepared to be very flexible with the pace!

Kew (10 miles) – run with the group to Hyde Park, do the northern boundary heading west then head down towards Kensington Palace.  In front of the palace, we’ll head out Kensington High Street to Hammersmith then on over the river and out west.  For those new to this route, you take a train home from Kew Gardens.  I don’t make you run home as well….  I’m not that mean!!!

Hyde Park loop (8 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 to reach Kensington Palace, then continue to follow the full perimeter of Hyde Park and return to St. John’s Wood via Baker Street or Gloucester Road.

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, 12 September
Hummingbird Bakery in South Kensington (4, 5 or 6 miles – your choice) – Let the fun begin…  I’ll be leading a group down to the best cupcake bakery in London (we can debate that on our way there).  We’ll be running at a gentle pace somewhere between 11:15 – 12:15 min/mile pace.  There are tons of streetlights/road-crossings so we’ll have plenty of opportunities to catch our breath on the way there.  Come join us – I promise it will be fun.  There are quite a few ladies who have said they are not sure where they belong in our group (in terms of pace).  Let’s figure it out together on this run.  There will be no pressure to run fast – it’s more about meeting other runners who are in your general pace-range.  Bring your Oyster card and some cash.  We’ll go home from the South Kensington tube station or jump in cabs if you prefer.

Notting Hill (6.5 miles) – For our quicker paced runners, we’ll repeat this route again so our new runners can learn it.  If you are wanting a tempo run, once you hit the canal…. Go for it.  It’s a perfect place to stretch your legs.  You also have the option of not turning off the canal and running Notting Hill.  You could tempo run out the canal and turn around and tempo back.  Use the bit between Starbucks and the canal to warm-up and/or cool-down.

The canal (any distance) – join the group and head down to the canal.  Run half the distance you want and turn around and head home.

Friday, 14 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 take a quick vote on Friday morning to see what people prefer – the old route or the western route.  They are both 8 miles.

The Heath – western route (8 miles) – this route is even prettier than the old route but to me it seems a bit harder.  If we decide to do it, you can tell me what you think – maybe it’s not really harder, it’s just less familiar.

The Darcy route (6-7 miles) – some of you are on to me!!!  I have no idea about the specifics of this route.  Darcy (Fautz who it’s named after) explained it to me this past week but you’ll have to ask her exactly how it goes.  While we’re talking about Darcys, here’s a shout out to the new Darcy.  Wow girl!  You can run!  No more talk about “can I or can’t I keep up”!  I’ll ignore that talk in the future.  You did very well!

The Betsy route (5 miles) – join Betsy if you would like a drill sergeant insisting you not walk one step!!!  (just kidding).  Betsy usually does this route so join her if you’re interested in a lovely 5 mile route.  It’s actually perfect because you get a lot of hill running, you get to see some of the heath, then you head back to SJW. 

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

Hello Runners,

Let’s start with some updates from last week’s email:

The London Marathon:
Our girls rocked!!!!  Congratulations Kelli and Patricia on a fabulous run and a “shout-out” as well to Laura Mosedale, who’s on our distribution but rarely gets to join the group, and to some of the husbands of our runners.  It was a gorgeous day for us spectators (albeit maybe a bit warm for you runners?).  Ladies, thank you so much for joining me to go down and watch the race.  The weekends are busy and I know many of you wanted to go but had other commitments (so no guilt-trip here!!!!), but this is one thing I love about our running group.  We truly support each other.  It meant a lot to the girls running to see us in the crowd cheering them on.  Our next marathon runners are Kathy Schlageter in Prague mid-May and Lynn Gilbert and Kathy McMahon in Edinburgh end-May.  Let them know we’re wishing them well.  Maybe we should have arranged some travel for the fans!

Dorking Race:
Would you mind letting me know if you are either considering the Dorking race or have already made your arrangements to go?  I’ve had something come up that weekend that  I’m considering attending (but if a bunch of you have planned on going to Dorking I’ll RSVP my regrets).  I’ve heard from some of you that you’ve already signed up for the race and others have booked and paid for non-refundable hotel rooms.  It would be helpful to know if you’re coming or if you’re thinking about it, etc.  Thanks a million!

Now for new business…. next year’s race.  We will definitely, 100% be doing another group half-marathon next spring.  I’ve got it narrowed down to a couple of weekends that are viable time slots avoiding bank holidays, ASL functions and other known conflicts.  I’ll let you know as soon as I know – I promise!  Several of our runners who have moved from London, or will be moving, have expressed interest in joining us.  Please do!  I think it’s a great way to keep in touch and keep everyone running/training no matter where they are living.  So let’s get the word out to everyone once we decide when/where we’re going.  For next year, I’m hoping to do a better job of promoting some other race ideas.  I love the idea of small groups getting together to do other races throughout the year.  We have a base of about 100 ladies on this distribution – there’s no reason for everyone to have to wait for the yearly half-marathon trip to do a race.  If you find a race that you’re interested in doing, sign up and find some other runners to join you.

Last of all, it’s that time of year again!  If you know of any ladies who may be interested in joining the beginner group, send them my way.  I start corresponding with them before everyone leaves for the summer (which is just weeks away – yikes!!!!).  As always, I try to find ladies who have never, ever, ever run before in their lives – it’s better for the group dynamics if everyone is starting from the same place.  That being said, we always have ladies who have a bit of running history but prefer the beginner group which is fine.  In those cases, sometimes they “find their legs” after a couple of months and decide to move up to the next level in the running group.  So if you have any friends interested, have them call or email me.  Assure them that this really is a beginners running group – they don’t have to do anything to prepare for it.  We’ll start probably on Thursday, 30 August.  For the first few sessions we’re out for about 35-40 minutes.  We begin with 1 min slow jogs followed by 2 min walking breaks (doing that 10 times initially).  It’s very gentle but still can be overwhelming for those new to running.

That’s it for this week.  The routes are below.

I hope to see you next week,

Paula

Monday (30 April):
To Iver (20-25 miles) – Out the canal west past Wormwood, past the North Circular, past Wembley, past Greenford, past Hayes-Harlington, left on the canal extension towards Iver and a return by train from Langley.

Greenford (10 miles) – Greenford is a nice 10 mile run along the canal west.  Let me know if you’re thinking about this route but aren’t sure where to turn off the canal.  I can bring some streamers to tie from a tree at the turn-off like we did a few months ago.

Notting Hill (6.7 miles) – If you want to hang with the group on the canal for awhile, this is a perfect idea.  You would start with the group – we’ll being running out the canal west and you would turn off at Ladbrook Grove to follow the normal Notting Hill route.

Canal run (x miles) – A run of any distance could be easily done by running out the canal and turning around and returning to SJW.  You would start with the group, run out the canal until you’ve done half of your desired mileage, then turn around and retrace your steps.  For any ex-beginners wanting to give Mondays a try, this or the Notting Hill route might be interesting options.

Wednesday (2 May):
Dollis Valley (10-15 miles) – This is one of my favorite routes.  It’s a bit of an adventure run (translation – there are sections where we’ll be reading a map and running at the same time).  This route constantly changes with construction/diversions.  It’s a tough climb up to Hampstead then down through the Heath Extension.  We’ll navigate our way through Big Wood and Little Wood, then get on the Dollis Valley Way which is a lovely path that winds it’s way up through North London along a small brook.  I’ll be doing this run at Susan and Darcys’ pace (10:45 to 11:15 depending on the terrain/incline).  Join us if you can!  I promise it’s a fabulous route.  There are options to grab a bus at 5 miles on Finchley Rd at the North Circular, or take a train from Totteridge/Whetstone at 10 miles.  There are also options of 7.5 miles at Finchley Central and 8.5 miles at West Finchley but run with a map if you want to do those distances.  The stations are about .5-1.0 miles from the Dollis Valley Way (so you’ll need to navigate your way from the path to the station).  If you do this run, you might think about not running hills on Friday.  I’m thinking of running to Borough Market on Friday (mid-morning) – join me if you want.

I’m not sure what else to offer up here as route suggestions for Wednesday.  You are all well versed in the mid-distance options of Notting Hill, Hyde Park, Green Park, St. James Park, the shopping route, the canals, etc.  So group yourselves up and have a great run!

Thursday (3 May):
Whole Foods Kensington (5.5-6 miles) – Give me some feedback here ladies!  I know some of you are joining the MWF runners so are doing some hills.  I’m suggesting this route because there are 2-3 of good hills along the way which we can practice together.  If you don’t want to run hills, just say so!  We can do a different route or different destination – no worries.  If we do this route, we’ll go out the canal west, turn off at Ladbrook Grove, do a little zig-zagging through Notting Hill, run up Notting Hill (it’s called that for a reason!!!), run UP to Holland Park and do a loop in there, then finish at Whole Foods Market on Ken High St.  If you don’t like Whole Foods or want another really big, bad hill – we can finish at Clark’s on Kensington Church St.  Your choice!

Friday (4 May):
You have all the normal options for hill runs (see below) or consider joining me for a run to Borough Market if you aren’t interested in hills (or if you did the Dollis Valley run on Wednesday).  I’ll be leaving Starbucks at 9:45, heading down to the market, grabbing a coffee, doing some shopping and coming home on the Jubilee Line.

Full Heath Route (8 miles)

The Darcy Route (7 miles)

The Betsy Route (5-6 miles)

Hampstead/Haverstock/Adelaide loop (5 miles) – Run up to Hampstead tube station, then down Rosslyn/Haverstock Hill to the Chalk Farm tube station.  Turn right on Adelaide Rd and run towards Swiss Cottage.  Turn left onto St. John’s Wood Park and head back to Starbucks.

Hampstead Tube Station (3.8 miles) – Up to the Hampstead tube station, turn around and run back to Starbucks.  This is a great run for anyone new to hills.  It’s just under 2 miles of torture running uphill, then you get to coast back down again.  It’s a great way to learn/practice hill running.

Hello everyone,

Monday 

• Distance Runners – 10 miles –  I’m up for something fun this week!  How about we try a new route out to Wimbledon?  We would run the most direct route possible through Hyde Park then down through South Ken/Chelsea/Fulham to Putney.  Then we’ll cross over the river at Putney Bridge and run up to Wimbledon Commons and take the train home from Wimbledon Station.  It’s about a 30 minute ride home including a transfer at Vauxhall.
• Pace Setters – 8 miles – For those of you fast girls, consider the Wimbledon run.  It will mean slowing down.  We’ll have to stay together as one pack and this will be at a considerably slower pace than you are used to.  But it will be fun!  If you’re up for some endurance training, come with us then do some serious tempo work on Wednesday.  You have 8 miles on your schedule this week for your long run, but the 10 to Wimbledon would be OK as the pace will be slower.
• Flex-runners – 9 miles – Think about trying the run Wimbledon.  Here’s the deal – we’ll have to stay together in one pack as it’s a new route and there are a million turns.  We’ll be running between a 9:45 and 10:45 pace.  If you can’t keep up with that pace, consider doing your long run on Tuesday with the EBR group or Wednesday with the Mid-level group.  For those of you new to the running group, this is not the norm!  Usually we wait for people, but for this specific run – we need to make sure the faster girls also get in a good run.  You have 9 miles on your training schedule this week for the long run, if the 10 to Wimbledon is too much you’ll have the option of going home from Putney (7 miles).
• Mid-level (7 miles) – How about following the other runners down to Hyde Park?  We’ll be going down Sussex Gardens and entering the park near Bayswater.  The Distance/Pace-setter/Flex-runner groups will then take a diagonal through the park.  Don’t follow them!  Instead, turn right and do the perimeter around the park and come home either via Baker St. or Lisson Grove.  Either way, back to SJW will be about 7 miles.
• EBR – if you want to do your mid-distance run on Monday, join the mid-level group on the shortened to Hyde Park loop route.