Hello Runners!

Such an exciting week to be a part of WRW, with the 2020 Half Marathon in Prague revealed, and the annual kit orders going live all within a few days of each other!  It was also so much fun to get back to Brick Lane for the first time this year, and Wednesday’s run around Primrose Hill and Regent’s Park is looking like it will be a new favorite for many runners.

Running this week.  Monday we will head to Hyde Park and then loop around the outside of Green Park to St James Park, where there is a nice Benugo cafe with plenty of room for all of us to stop and have coffee/breakfast together!  This is a 6.25 mile destination run, so bring your contactless card to get back to St Johns Wood via Green Park or Westminster tube stops.  Wednesday we’ll run to Camden via the canal, and then exit to run along the streets and through Regents Park back to SJW.  And Friday we will have a redo of the Finsbury Park run we had planned for last week.  Thank you all for rolling with the weather-related changes on Friday!  Even though it didn’t end up being rainy that morning, the amount of rain over the last week would have made the path we take to Finsbury Park extremely boggy.  Fingers crossed we’ll have more sun and less monsoon this week!  As always, check the maps and directions below so you will know where you are going!

2020 Half Marathon.  I hope you are as thrilled as we are about the opportunity to visit and run a half marathon together in beautiful Prague in March 2020!  A very big thank you to Carolyn Perelmuter for working so hard to make this happen!  If you didn’t receive Tuesday’s email announcing our 2020 Half Marathon in Prague, let us know.  All the information will soon be available on our website, but at this point, the only action item is to book your flight (please remember the race is on Saturday this year, so the official trip is Thursday-Sunday). We’ll send out more details about the hotel and race registration soon, and we’ll also post our training plan, so you can see how we get from here to a half marathon in March. 

2019-2020 WRW kit order.  In other exciting news, the order form link went live for 2019-2020 WRW Kit yesterday.  The deadline for placing orders is this Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 5pm– so don’t miss it!  The thanks for this huge effort goes to Marissa O’Malia!  One clarification from my accompanying note:  I mentioned the race hat coordinating with the annual shirt, but didn’t say that the race hat is not something we order right now.  Instead, each person who goes on the trip will receive a race hat– no one has to wear it during the race, but they are a fantastic way to help us spot each other in the sea of runners!  

And while we’re on the subject of kit, we are still taking ideas for the shirt slogan for this year!  Drop us an e-mail ([email protected]) with your best ideas– remember, it has to be short enough to fit on the shirt and be readable!– and our panel of judges will pick a great one to be revealed when the shirts come in.  Examples from previous years?  “Run Like A Girl”, “We Run London”, “Sorry, Gotta Run!”, “In It For The Long Run”, “This Is My Happy Pace”, “Keep Calm and Run On”, and “Anytime, Anywhere, Any Pace.”

Save the Date:  October 21, Hampton Court Adventure Run.  Mark your calendars for our first adventure run of the year.  This 8-mile run begins with a train ride to Richmond, and then becomes a truly lovely run along the Thames from Richmond to beautiful Hampton Court Palace.  We finish with coffee and a treat in the garden cafe, and then take a train back to Waterloo Station and on to home.  With the extra travel time, you’ll need at least the whole morning to get this one in– but it is well worth it if you can afford the time!

Shoutouts!   One final shoutout to our Ragnar teams now that results are finally in and we can confirm that the ‘Crazy 8’s’ team (with Stephanie, Marissa, Karen, Miki, Asdis, Sarah, Katherine, Bjorg, McKenzie, and Abigail) once again came in first in the women’s category, and shaved over an hour off their overall time from last year!  We are so proud of them, as well as of all the WRW representation in this fairly hardcore event!   

Big congratulations also go out to Stephanie Gladis and Kelly Willis, who both had amazing, strong finishes at the Berlin Marathon last weekend.  Kelly finished 10th in her age group (out of over 1600 women!) and Stephanie ran a strong personal best time!  Well done, ladies.

Finally, I want to end with a huge shoutout to Miki Neant, who ran her first ultramarathon today, the Ultra London 55k, from Woolwich to Richmond… and WON it!  Congratulations to Miki!  A WRW friend who was at the finish line (in a tutu, of course!) sent the photo below.  I absolutely love it, because it captures so well what running teaches us all about how strong we are– whether we are winning our first ultramarathon, conquering a hill, or finishing a two-mile run for the first time.  Running reminds us we can do hard things; and running together reminds us we can find joy in tackling those hard things– together!  Whatever our speed, whatever our distance, I’m grateful to be part of this journey with all of you!

xx Micki   (no, the other one… the one who didn’t run, much less win, an ultramarathon earlier today!!)

ROUTES

Monday 7 October – Hyde Park to St James Park Benugo (6.25 miles)
Run to Hyde Park the usual way, down Circus Road and left on Grove End/Lisson Grove. Cross diagonally at the light to run along the west side of the street. Cross over Marylebone Road, onto Seymour Place, and run until the road ends. Turn right on Seymour Street, cross Edgware Road, and turn left at Stanhope Place where we will enter into Hyde Park.
Turn right at the silver sphere after entering Hyde Park. Cross over N Carriage Rd and continue on straight past the Italian Gardens and along the north side of the park all the way to the Broad Walk.  Turn left and run past Kensington Palace all the way to the end of The Broad Walk.  Turn left and take the one of the outer paths to West Carriage Drive, cross over, and continue along one of the outer paths all the way to Hyde Park Corner.  At Hyde Park Corner, cross the road to run through Wellington Arch and then cross into Green Park and take a left to run along the northwest side of the park, past the RAF memorial and continuing all the way to the Green Park tube station entrance.  Run past the entrance and turn right on the straight gravel path that runs alongside the park’s boundary wall.  Follow it to the end and then cross the Mall at the traffic light to enter St James’ Park.  Run down to the water and turn left, keeping the water on your right until you run into Benugo Cafe.

Wednesday 9 October – Camden Lock/Mornington Crescent/Regent’s Park (5 miles) 

Head to the canal going eastbound to Camden Lock, where we cross the small, cobblestone bridge, exit the canal and turn right onto Camden High Street. Take the first right turn onto Jamestown Road and then the first left onto Arlington Road. Run straight down Arlington Road, make a slight right onto Mornington Crescent, follow it around and turn right onto Hampstead Road. At the first intersection, turn left onto Granby Terrace and the second left onto Stanhope Street. Continue down Stanhope until we reach Trinton Square. Turn right and run between the office buildings at Regent’s Place, past the nice fountains, to the end of Trinton Street. Use the pedestrian crossings to cross Osnaburgh Street and Albany Street. Head left to the intersection of Euston Road, where you take a right and run briefly along Euston Road. At Park Square East, turn right through the gates towards Regent’s Park. We enter the park at the Outer Circle intersection and stay on the path on the far right (east side) of the park, cross the Broad Walk at the ornamental fountain and head along the path with the Zoo to our right. Turn left onto the Outer Circle, past the Avenue Road exit, and right at the second exit (where we usually enter for the canal or park). Run up Charlbert Street to St John’s Wood Terrace, make a left, and head back to Starbucks.

Friday 11 October  – Finsbury Park via Highgate/Parkland Walk — (7 miles)
For this run we start up Fitzjohn’s as if we’re going to the Heath, but pass the Heath entrance and continue up Spaniards/Hampstead Lane into Highgate. Turn left down Southwood Lane (the road next to Gail’s) and go down the hill, then veer to the right (not a hard right turn!) onto Jackson’s Lane. Continue down Jackson’s to Archway Road and make a right, then a relatively quick left onto Holmesdale Road. Run a short distance on Holmesdale and the entrance to Parkland Walk will be on your left. Follow the path to Finsbury Park, cross over the train tracks, turn right and run along the western edge of the park and exit onto Seven Sister’s Road. Happening Bagel is across the street, Costa is to the right, and Finsbury Park Station is further down on the right (on the Piccadilly and Victoria tube lines).

Hello Runners!

I hope you are having a restful weekend, and that you’re feeling great about the running we’re doing.  It’s always so uplifting to round the corner by Barclays and see so many runners gathering each morning, rain or shine!  So here’s another test of dedication for you: this is a long e-mail with a lot of information about training and pace groups– can you make it all the way to the end??  If you’re new to WRW, I’ll fill you in a bit about our training plan and structure (you can also read more here).  If you’ve been with us for a while, you might end up skimming over that bit– but do tune back in toward the end to pick up the safety reminders and the announcements and shoutouts!

Running this week.  Monday we’ll run an old favourite route for the first time this year.  Heading east on the canal, we exit in Shoreditch and run through the artsy streets to Brick Lane, where you can have donuts and coffee from Crosstown Donuts before heading home on the tube with your bagels from Beigel Bake (which supposedly will be open Monday, though it is Rosh Hashanah).  Please read the route, have a look at the map (especially at the end of the run, as well as at the point where we briefly exit the canal to run through Angel) and don’t forget your Oyster or contactless card!  Wednesday we will repeat the recently-debuted Primrose Hill/Regents Park 5-miler.  And though it’s local and you can’t get too badly lost, it’s still a good idea to look at the map so we can all learn this new standard route.  Then on Friday we’ll head for Finsbury Park via the Parkland Walk.  This 7-mile route takes us up around the Heath to Highgate, where we connect with an old rail-trail path and run through the woods to Finsbury Park.  Maybe we’re overdoing it on carbs this week, but Happenin’ Bagels is another great stop at the end of this run, and there is a Costa on the way to the tube station.

Pace Groups and Training basics.  There is a strategy in our training and a pattern in our schedule each week, all designed over the years by our group founder, Paula Mitchell.  

Mondays are a long, slow training run for building endurance.  These will gradually become longer as we prepare for the half marathon in the Spring, and they are often destination runs.  We consider our training pace for Monday runs to be the speed at which we can hold a conversation while running.  It’s important to keep the pace comfortable for these longer runs both to help build mileage without injury, and to help our bodies build the capacity to fuel longer runs.  Paula explains the science behind the long, slow training run here.  

Wednesdays are usually a shorter route at a faster pace– our tempo runs– and are often loops in nearby parks and neighborhoods.  We’ll start adding some options for speed training in 4-6 weeks, as we begin to prepare for the race.  When those workouts start, the plan will offer guidance on target pace.  Some runners may prefer not to do the speed training, and that is absolutely fine!  We offer the training options for those who want to push their pace or reach for a time goal in the half-marathon, and we have found that many runners enjoy the challenge and the bonding of going through speed workouts together.  But there’s always the option of doing a shorter, up-tempo run on Wednesdays instead of the speed workout.

Fridays we usually do a hill run, with some variations like the occasional Borough Market run.  It’s natural to have to work a little harder to get up the hills (if you find someone who can make good conversation while running up Fitzjohn, my advice is to stick with them and let them talk you right up the hill!).

Pace groups are a way of helping us find and hold to our running comfort zones with people who are wanting to train at a similar pace.  They are not meant to box runners into any particular group or speed, and runners are welcome to move among the different groups depending on how they feel or what their training objectives are on a given day.  Our pace group names correspond to the training pace for the long runs, and within each pace group there are a few leaders who have agreed to keep an eye on the routes and help keep our groups together and somewhat on pace.  Please remember, though, that every runner is responsible for her own pace, as well as for generally knowing the route we’re running.  We really try not to leave any runner behind, but we do each have to be responsible for ourselves, just in case!  A very big thank you to these pace leaders:

The Ramp-Up Group (various paces, for runners coming back from injury or a long break from running)Leaders:  Tamar Brooks and Jen Iannazzo

The 11’s Group (11:00+ min/mile pace)Leaders:  Melissa Kay, Magali Kivatinetz, Ann Sharma, Fernanda Spinelli

The 10’s Group (10:00-11:00 min/mile pace)Leaders:  Jane Novak, Carolyn Perelmutter, Megan Marine, Anne Scolari, Stephanie Mager, and Jess Browne

The 9’s Group (9:00-10:00 min/mile pace)Leaders:  Amy Grace, Micki Heskett, Mariya Treisman, Meredith Snizek

The 8’s Group (8:15-8:45 min/mile pace)Leaders:  Marissa O’Malia, Miki Neant

Pace groups will continue to evolve throughout the year, and sometimes we may add leaders as needed.  Do please speak up if you’re having a hard time finding the right group– whatever your speed, we definitely can find someone for you to run with!  And just one further word here– about safety.  Please do take care of yourselves and each other out there.  Mind your footing, and mind other pedestrians, bikes and vehicles.  We’ve just said you should be able to make conversation… but don’t let it get so interesting that you forget to pay attention to the environment around you!  Especially do not go dashing into a crossing just because the person in front of you did!  It’s perfectly okay to split at a traffic light if the whole group can’t make it through.  In fact, larger groups may find it easier to split into sub-groups this way– don’t worry, you will still reach the destination within a few minutes of each other!  The main thing is to stay safe getting there!

Announcements and shoutouts.  This weekend is another busy one for WRW runners!  A big shoutout to Stephanie Gladis and Kelli Willis, running the Berlin marathon Sunday morning!  And a little further east is another contingent of our runners doing the Budapest marathon in relay teams (brilliant idea!) also on Sunday.  WRW alum and Budapest resident Maureen Fossum is running, along with alum Mee Lee (from New York), and London runners Darcy Fautz, Beth Keaveny, Alysia Hoyt, Carmine Najjar, Laura Beal, Ann-Marie Cascarino, Marigold Dooley, Sue Wheeler, and the indefatigable Mariya Treisman and Amy Grace (who both ran the Ragnar Relay last weekend).  Good luck, ladies, and enjoy the run through a beautiful city!  And peeking ahead, Miki Neant is running a 55k ULTRAmarathon next weekend, on October 5, in London– so be sure to wish her luck if you see her smiling face at Barclays or after a run in the coming week!

Last weekend– as you have probably heard all week– 30 WRW women took on the Ragnar White Cliffs Relay.  As far as I can tell, it was an amazing weekend for all, and it will undoubtedly be the source of many stories in the year(s) to come!  Congratulations to all on this huge accomplishment!  Official results from the race people are not out yet, so there may be more Ragnar shoutouts to come!

In the announcement category… Janelle Meyer has kindly agreed to be the point of contact for an “Alternate Timing” group of runners who are generally not able to run at our regular 8:20, M/W/F times.  If you are interested in connecting with other runners on a different schedule, just send us an email at [email protected]— and include your phone number so Janelle can get a WhatsApp group going.   

The Cancer Research UK London 10K has been a very popular race with our group in the past few years.  Though it’s not until February 9, 2020, the time to register is now, as it does sell out, and early entries close this Wednesday!  It’s great timing for our half-marathon training, and there are usually dozens of us running it, so it becomes a fun group event.  The event website is www.londonwinterrun.co.uk

Save the Date:  October 21, Hampton Court Adventure Run.  Mark your calendars for our first “adventure run” of the year.  This 8-mile run begins with a train ride to Richmond, and then becomes a truly lovely run along the Thames from Richmond to beautiful Hampton Court Palace.  We finish with coffee and a treat in the garden cafe, and then take a train back to Waterloo Station and on to home.  With the extra travel time, you’ll need at least the whole morning to get this one in– but it is well worth it if you can afford the time!An endurance medal to all who’ve made it through this whole message– after you get through the route descriptions and maps below, of course.  Sending wishes for a sweet New Year to all those celebrating Monday and Tuesday.  And as always, I’m so excited and grateful to be running with you this week!  Enjoy the rest of the weekend…

xx Micki

ROUTES

Monday 30 September  – Brick Lane via Canal East–  6.5 miles
This is a fun and funky destination run!  We will head out in the same way as though we are running to The Wall. Take the Canal east to the Wall—go up ramp to Muriel Street, take a right and then an almost immediate left up a path that winds between the apartment buildings. Here’s the entrance to the path:

Keep going straight on the path and it will become Maygood Street. When you get to the intersection of a main road (Barnsbury Road) turn right.  Run until you make the second left onto Chapel Market. (There is a metal archway saying Chapel Market and a zebra crossing at the intersection.) Follow Chapel Market until the end. Turn right at Liverpool Street to the major road Upper Street. Cross Upper Street and turn left, then make your first right at Duncan Street. Follow Duncan Street to the end and there will be an entrance to the canal directly in front of you. At the canal path continue running straight, the water will be on your right. Follow the canal until you reach the Kingsland Road Bridge, Number 45. See the photo below.

Run under the bridge and take the brick steps up on your left, see photo below.

At the top of the stairs turn left and at the main road, Kingsland Road, turn left (you’ll be running back over the canal). Follow Kingsland Road– you’ll see the Gherkin building in the distance in front of you, and Kingsland Road will become Shoreditch High Street. Turn left at Bethnal Green Road. There will be a white metal railroad bridge in front of you and the BOXPARK market will be on your right once you turn. You’ll also pass the Shoreditch High Street Overground Station on your right. Follow Bethnal Green Road until you hit Brick Lane, less than a quarter of a mile. 
There is a Casa Blue cafe at the corner, turn right into Brick Lane and you’ll see Beigel Bake and Crosstown Doughnuts on the right.  For the journey home, you can take the Shoreditch High Street Overground to Canada Water and then take the Jubilee Line home. Or you can walk through Spitalfields Market to get to the Liverpool Street tube station.

Wednesday 25 September  – Primrose Hill/Regents Park (5 miles)Start out as if we’re headed for the Heath, running down St Johns Wood Terrace until it reaches the T.  Turn left, then right, then left again at Avenue Rd.  At the crossing just a short distance up Avenue Rd, cross over and run down Elsworthy Rd a short distance until you see a small road on the right that ends in the entrance to Primrose Hill park.  Once in the park take the path that angles to the left, then bear right at the first fork and left at the second.  This will take you up for a fantastic view from the top of Primrose Hill.  After you’ve caught your breath, take the path that goes down on the right (if you are looking out toward London), then curve around to the left at the first split.  Follow this path all the way down the hill to the crossing at Prince Albert Rd.  Cross at the zebra and head straight into the park via the bridge and across the Outer Circle (NOT a zebra, please note!).  In Regents Park, take the path that angles to the left, running behind the zoo.  Cross the Broad Walk by the fountain and continue across on the path that heads toward, but not all the way to, the perimeter of the park.  Follow this to the far corner, and then turn right to run along the southern edge of the park, inside the fence.  Continue to follow this around  the boating pond to run across the little bridge at the far end of the pond, then bear right to follow the contour of the pond to its end.  Continue on the same path until it meets the diagonal path that runs behind the zoo (the same one we ran in on).  Turn left to follow that to its end and then turn left onto the Outer Circle and follow it for a short distance to the crossing at Charlbert.  Exit the park and take Charlbert to St Johns Wood Terrace to finish at our Starbucks/Pret corner of the High Street.

Friday 27 September  – Finsbury Park via Highgate/Parkland Walk — (7 miles)
For this run we start up Fitzjohn’s as if we’re going to the Heath, but pass the Heath entrance and continue up Spaniards/Hampstead Lane into Highgate. Turn left down Southwood Lane (the road next to Gail’s) and go down the hill, then veer to the right (not a hard right turn!) onto Jackson’s Lane. Continue down Jackson’s to Archway Road and make a right, then a relatively quick left onto Holmesdale Road. Run a short distance on Holmesdale and the entrance to Parkland Walk will be on your left. Follow the path to Finsbury Park, cross over the train tracks, turn right and run along the western edge of the park and exit onto Seven Sister’s Road. Happening Bagel is across the street, Costa is to the right, and Finsbury Park Station is further down on the right (on the Piccadilly and Victoria tube lines).

Hello Runners!

It could not have been a more beautiful week for running, and it was so much fun to see everyone socialising– while standing still, even!– at the Welcome Coffee on Wednesday.  Another big thank you to Magali for organising such a great breakfast for us– and thanks to all of you for showing up, not just Wednesday for coffee, but all the times you do, for all the runs we do together!

Running this week.  Monday we have a “new” route, though it takes in a few of our old ones, so it will all be familiar.  We’re maximising our park time with a spin around Hyde Park/Green Park/St James Park and ending at the Whole Foods in Kensington.  Please, please check out the map and instructions below.  Many of us may be absent for the run Monday because of the race this weekend, so it’s really important that everyone knows where they’re going!  Wednesday we’re doing an old standard midweek run– 5.5 miles beginning out on the canal westbound and then looping through Kilburn and Queen’s Park back to St Johns Wood.  And Friday?  Back up the Hill for the route and distance of your choice!

Announcements and shoutouts.  This weekend 30 of our runners– three teams of 10– are converging on the White Cliffs area for a Ragnar Relay (sorry to repeat, but 170 miles straight through the weekend, with each runner taking three legs between 3-11 miles).  Beginning early on Saturday is the team captained by Veena Gopal and including Amy Grace, Stephanie Schueppert, Jill Bernhard, Kundhavi Bala, Emily Pancer, Devy Schoenfeld, Cyd Harris, Fernanda Spinelli, and Jeanne Jermyn.  Then around mid-day another team will take off, led by captain Roni Fransis and including Meredith Snizek, Kate Ballbach, Bridget Perry, Renata Figueiredo, Kalee Tilli, Winston Berry, Mariyah Tresnan, Theo Yardley and myself.  And finally, a short while later the reigning ladies’ winning team (yes, they won it last year!) will set off, with captain Stephanie Gladis, Karen Furst, Katherine Greig, Bjorg Fridbjornsdottir, Asdis Karadottir, Miki Neant, Marissa O’Malia, Abigail Craine, McKenzie Webster, and Sarah Nicoli.  With so much WRW representation, the weekend will be nothing short of remarkable… good luck and happy running to all!

The fall race season is upon us, so do please let us know if you are running something– or if you know someone in the group who needs a nice shoutout.  Be sure to wish Stephanie Gladis and Kelli Willis all best as they head for the Berlin marathon next weekend; and there is also a good-sized group headed to Budapest next week to do the marathon relay-style (I’ll shoutout names next note!).  There are other really amazing runs coming up for some of our ladies next month, too.  Can’t wait to share with you– and to see the pictures and hear the stories when our women running the world get back from their adventures.

Watch this space in the next couple of weeks for an explanation of our training program, our pace groups, and our calendar; as well as for ordering info for the annual shirt (still accepting quote/slogan ideas) and for Carolyn’s big reveal of the 2020 Half Marathon destination!  But meanwhile, happy weekend and happy running– I’ll see you next week at Barclay’s!
xx Micki

ROUTES

Monday 23 September  – New Route: Hyde Park to Whole Foods Kensington (7 miles)

This is a new 7 mile route to Whole Foods in Kensington. Quick route summary: Run to Hyde Park, along its edge to Marble Arch, loop fully around Green Park and St James Park, and then back along the southern edge of Hyde Park to end up at Whole Foods.

Run to Hyde Park the usual way. Follow the eastern edge of the park to Hyde Park Corner, then through Marble Arch to the traffic light across from Green Park. Take a left when you get to Green Park, run along the top edge of the park to Green Park tube station, then down towards Buckingham Palace. Take a left to run along The Mall, right on Horse Guards Road, and another right along Bird Cage Walk (aren’t these street names the best?). Turn right at the end of Bird Cage Walk to pass directly in front of Buckingham Palace, then left along Constitution Hill to head back to Hyde Park Corner. Re-enter Hyde Park and turn left to run along the southern border of the park, all the way through Hyde Park, past the Albert Memorial and along the edge of Kensington Gardens. Exit the park at the southwest corner gate to Kensington High Street. Whole Foods is on the opposite side of the street 1 1/2 blocks along.

Wednesday 25 September  – Kensal Rise (5.5 miles)

This route takes us along the canal to the west. Please be aware of bikes along the canal and form a single file whenever you hear someone call out ‘bike!”.Start out heading west on Circus Road, turn left on Grove End Road, then right on St John’s Wood Road at the traffic light. Then turn left on Cunningham, right on Aberdeen, and cross Maida Vale to the right side of Blomfield Rd. Stay on the right side of Blomfield Road as you run parallel to the canal. Turn left at the second bridge over the canal (at Westbourne Terrace Road), turn right just after the bridge, follow the sidewalk along Delamere Terrace, and join the canal path heading west at this point. 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 motorway is over our heads.)

Friday 27 September  – The Hill (4 – 8 miles)
It’s Friday so up the hill we go!  There are multiple mileage options below, and the link will take you to all the maps.

4 miles:  A great way to ease into running the hill. Run up to the Hampstead tube station and back. If you have trouble running up, think about how easy it will be running down!
5 miles: The Betsy Route
6+ miles:  The partial Heath route OR the Reverse Heath route OR Pergola route
7.5 miles: The Highgate route
8 miles:  The full Heath route

Click here for maps of all of the Heath routes.

Hello Runners!
I hope you are enjoying this fabulous, fabulous weekend!  It was such a pleasure to run with you all this week– Friday, especially, was a gorgeous day for a run to the Heath Pergola!  

Running this Week.  We’ve got another great week of London runs ahead.  Monday we head to Hyde Park for your choice of route from 5-8 miles.  Have a look at the maps/directions below to decide which option you’ll take– they all are beautiful runs.  And please do be careful of pedestrians as we run down Abbey Rd/Lisson Grove– we’ve received feedback in the past that we overwhelm the sidewalks in that area.  Wednesday we’ll repeat the Regents Park Inner/Outer Loop for 5 miles before returning to St Johns Wood for our Welcome Coffee at The Gate (see below).  And Friday we’ll do our first official Borough Market destination run.  The 6-mile route takes us down to Westminster and across the bridge, then along the South Bank all the way to London Bridge.  Don’t forget your Oyster or contactless card, and do think about what gourmet treats you might need from the famous food market!

If you are new to WRW, please let us know if you’re having difficulty finding a pace group that works for you.  We are so happy to help, and there really are so many great pacing options, as well as the flexibility to move between them.  When you do find the pace that works for you, ask to be added to the WhatsApp group.  These have become an indispensable means of communication (practical and social!) for most of us, and we do want everyone to be in the loop! 

Welcome Coffee this Wednesday!  WRW is pleased to host a Welcome Coffee for all runners Wednesday, September 18 after our run (approx 9:30) at The Gate, 87 Allitsen Rd, St Johns Wood.  Coffee/tea/juice and light breakfast items will be served.  Please join us!  It’s fun, free, and a great opportunity to get to know a few more people, and to meet some of the women who make WRW work.  Even if you can’t run that day, stop by to say hello if you can.  And be sure to say thanks to Magali for organising this!

Announcements and Shoutouts.  Marissa will have a handful of black WRW hats available for purchase at the Welcome Coffee on Wednesday.  She is also working on the annual WRW shirt, so it’s time to put out a call for 2019-2020 shirt slogan suggestions.  They really have to be about 6 words or less.  Here are some examples from years past:

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”
2018 — “Keep Calm and Run On”
2019 — “Anytime, Anywhere, Any Pace”

A shoutout to recent WRW alum Maureen Scheckel, who is running her first triathlon (Long Beach Island Triathlon) tomorrow in the U.S.  Good luck to ‘Mighty Mo!’  Next weekend, WRW will have THREE teams (10 women each) running in the Reebok White Cliffs Ragnar relay!  Each runner will take on 3 legs of between 3-11 miles on a 170-mile course straight through the weekend, including running in the middle of the night!  Last year’s team of 8’s had an amazing experience, so our hope is that it will be a memorable weekend (for all the RIGHT reasons) for all!  

Please let us know if you have race plans in the works, so we can give you a shoutout!  We’re also happy to help connect runners who are training for upcoming events.  And finally, we’ve recently met some runners whose schedules don’t allow them to run at our MWF morning times, and we’d love to help connect them with one another if possible.  If you are one of these ladies, feel free to e-mail us with your mobile number (for WhatsApp) and we may be able to connect you with some running partners.

I’ll sign off with another couple of photos, shamelessly pulled from our Facebook Group page (but don’t forget to scroll on past the photos to see the route maps and descriptions!).  Can’t wait to get back out there with you again this week– keep running happy!

xx Micki

ROUTES

Monday 16 September – Hyde Park 5, 6, 6.5 or 8 miles

Click here for all of the Hyde Park interactive route maps

We start from Barclays, run down Circus Road and turn left on Grove End/Lisson Grove. Cross diagonally at the light to go onto 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, 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. After you cross Park Ln, make your first left onto Park St and keep going until you get to Park Rd. Turn left on Park Rd and make your way back to Starbucks.

Hyde Park 6 miles
Here, 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. After you cross Park Ln, make your first left onto Park St and keep going until you get to Park Rd. Turn left on Park Rd and make your way back to Starbucks.

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 stay right at the end to run along the southern edge of the park, all the way to Hyde Park Corner. 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. After you cross Park Ln, make your first left onto Park St and keep going until you get to Park Rd. Turn left on Park Rd and make your way back to Starbucks.

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. After you cross Park Ln, make your first left onto Park St and keep going until you get to Park Rd. Turn left on Park Rd and make your way back to Starbucks.

Wednesday 18 September — Regents Park inner and outer loop, 5 milesFrom 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 20 September — Borough Market via Westminster Bridge, 6 miles
Let’s mix it up with a destination run to Borough Market, official address 8 Southwark Street SE1 1TL.  Grab coffee at Monmouth or Rabot before catching the tube at London Bridge station back to SJW.  Don’t forget your Oyster!

We start by heading to Hyde Park via the usual route. Head west on Circus Road, turn left on Grove End Road. At the corner of St. John’s Wood Road and Grove End Road, cross diagonally at the light and continue south on Lisson Grove. Cross over Marylebone Road and continue south on Seymour Place until it tees into Seymour Street. Turn right and cross over Edgware Road and then take the first left on Stanhope Place 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, cross The Mall at the light and turn right at the grand wrought iron gates into 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. Continue past Big Ben and cross Westminster Bridge. After the bridge turn left down the stairs to run along the Thames until the river path ends after Southwark Bridge. Just past Southwark Bridge, head right and then a quick left to go into a short tunnel that puts you onto Clink Street. Make a right on Stoney Street to get to the market (and Monmouth Coffee!).

Hello Runners!
What a great start we had this week!  It’s always so much fun to see old friends, as well as new faces, turning up at Barclay’s on that first morning– and it just wouldn’t be the same without a little rain shower to start the year off right!!  (Thanks to Miki Neant for remembering to snap a ‘first day’ photo!)  A very warm welcome if you’ve just joined us this week– hopefully you could feel how happy we are to have you with us.  Every single one of us has been new to the group at some point, so we genuinely want to make you feel comfortable and included, and we look forward to getting to know you– friendships flourish quickly when we are putting in the miles (and the coffees) together!

A reminder for anyone just now joining us, we meet at Barclay’s by 8:15 for an 8:20 departure.  It’s a good idea to always bring an Oyster or credit card, because we often travel home by tube.  And a further reminder for all… we are a large group and we can be unintentionally intimidating to pedestrians when we’re caught up in our run and our conversations!  Please be aware and considerate of the Londoners with whom we share the sidewalks– PLEASE don’t take the full width of the sidewalk when there are others around, and do give enough space that they don’t feel we’re running over them!

Finding our ‘happy pace.’  If you’re new and not finding the right pace group, please speak up!  We really want to help you find the people who are doing the pace and distance you’re looking for, but sometimes it might take more than one try to get it right.  Any of the returning runners can point you to someone who will be able to help.  If you are a returning runner, try not to worry too much about established pace groups these first couple of weeks.  Some women have been running all summer and some haven’t so much– and both of those summer options are fine!  But we do need to be careful to avoid injury by not trying to just pick up where we left off last spring without regard for training differences over the last 10 weeks.  Find the pace that is right for you right now, and there will be others who are running that pace.  Our routes these first couple of weeks offer flexibility on distance, and they are familiar (or at least in familiar territory).  If we take a couple of weeks to get back in the groove, our pace groups will begin to settle in naturally.  Look for more on this, and the introduction of pace group leaders, in next week’s e-mail.

Running this week.  Don’t forget to look at the maps and route descriptions at the end of this e-mail!!  It’s tradition to do our 4-mile trip to Big Ben on the first Monday back.  This route is a standard favourite for us– kind of like a London tour, but free, with exercise, and no following a tour guide with a pink flag (though maybe a pink hat)!  This run also has options for more mileage– see details on the map below.  On Wednesday we’re trying a new run that Darcy Fautz and Erin Roth came up with in response to requests to maximise our time in green spaces, as well as to have some fresh Wednesday options.  It looks great– thanks, ladies!  We’ll head to the Primrose Hill entrance off of Elsworthy Rd, and then take in the view at the top before coasting down to Regents Park for a nice loop around and back to St Johns Wood.  Please, everyone look at the map ahead of time so we are not dependent on just a few people who know the route!  And on Friday we will tackle the Hill again, up Fitzjohn Rd to the Heath.  See all Heath options via the link below, or ask around at Barclay’s for a group running an alternative route.

Beginners’ Group.  Our Class of ’20 Beginners had their first run last Thursday, but it’s not too late! 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.) . We always expect that women will continue to join in the first few weeks, especially those who hear about us at ASL’s SCOOP event, but the sooner they join, the better and easier it is for them!

Announcements and Shoutouts.  If you ordered a black running cap during the Spring kit order a few months back, you should have received an e-mail from kitmaster Marissa O’Malia to let you know they have finally arrived!  Don’t forget to bring your £25 payment on Monday to receive the hat after the run.  Otherwise, Marissa’s e-mail offered alternate times she is available for collection and payment, so you can work that out directly with her.  And for anyone who is wishing they had ordered one, good news… there will be a limited number of extra hats for sale!  Sit tight and we will give you details about where and when.

Save the Date!  We are planning a Welcome Back Coffee for Wednesday, September 18, after our run.  Details to follow… but we hope you will mark your calendars to join us!

Enjoy this beautiful weekend, everyone!  I can’t wait to get out there running with you all again next week… see you at Barclay’s! 

xx Micki

ROUTES

Monday 2 September  – Big Ben (4-8 miles)This is a WRW standard, and 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 who’ve been training for a fall race.
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  a five-mile run by turning back at Big Ben and running to the Green Park Tube Station, then tubing it home.

Wednesday 4 September – new run!— Primrose Hill/Regents Park Loop (5 miles)
Start out as if we’re headed for the Heath, running down St Johns Wood Terrace until it reaches the T.  Turn left, then right, then left again at Avenue Rd.  At the crossing just a short distance up Avenue Rd, cross over and run down Elsworthy Rd a short distance until you see a small road on the right that ends in the entrance to Primrose Hill park.  Once in the park take the path that angles to the left, then bear right at the first fork and left at the second.  This will take you up for a fantastic view from the top of Primrose Hill.  After you’ve caught your breath, take the path that goes down on the right (if you are looking out toward London), then curve around to the left at the first split.  Follow this path all the way down the hill to the crossing at Prince Albert Rd.  Cross at the zebra and head straight into the park via the bridge and across the Outer Circle (NOT a zebra, please note!).  In Regents Park, take the path that angles to the left, running behind the zoo.  Cross the Broad Walk by the fountain and continue across on the path that heads toward, but not all the way to, the perimeter of the park.  Follow this to the far corner, and then turn right to run along the southern edge of the park, inside the fence.  Continue to follow this around  the boating pond to run across the little bridge at the far end of the pond, then bear right to follow the contour of the pond to its end.  Continue on the same path until it meets the diagonal path that runs behind the zoo (the same one we ran in on).  Turn left to follow that to its end and then turn left onto the Outer Circle and follow it for a short distance to the crossing at Charlbert.  Exit the park and take Charlbert to St Johns Wood Terrace to finish at our Starbucks/Pret corner of the High Street.

Friday, 6 September – The Heath
There are multiple mileage options below, and the link will take you to all the maps.  

4 miles:  A great way to ease into running the hill. Run up to the Hampstead tube station and back. If you have trouble running up, think about how easy it will be running down!
5 miles: The Betsy Route
6+ miles:  The partial Heath route OR the Reverse Heath route OR Pergola route
7.5 miles: The Highgate route
8 miles:  The full Heath route

Click here for maps of all of the Heath routes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xx Micki

ROUTES

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

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

Friday, 30 August – The Heath
Come on, you know you can’t wait to get back up that hill!  There are multiple mileage options below, and the link will take you to all the maps. 
4 miles:  A great way to ease into running the hill. Run up to the Hampstead tube station and back. If you have trouble running up, think about how easy it will be running down!
5 miles: The Betsy Route
6+ miles:  The partial Heath route OR the Reverse Heath route OR Pergola route
7.5 miles: The Highgate route
8 miles:  The full Heath route

Click here for maps of all of the Heath routes.

Good morning, runners!

How can the end of the school year have come so quickly??  Congratulations to all the proud moms/relatives/friends of Seniors who graduated from ASL yesterday!  I hope you had wonderful celebrations surrounded by family and friends!  And congratulations and well wishes to ALL of you marking end-of-year milestones this month– whether kindergarten or university, and whether for a child, another loved one, or for yourself (yes, some of us have been working hard back in school between runs!).  We should all be so proud of each other, and of all we accomplish, and all we help others to accomplish!

Running this week.  We only have two official runs this week:  Monday to Big Ben and Wednesday to Regents Park.  We’ve kept it familiar and fairly local to help out with busy schedules this week.  Route maps and descriptions are below as always, and of course, if you’re out for a run on Wednesday, you might want to take a turn into the gardens and see what kind of gorgeous is happening there. 

Summer running.  Friday begins our summer schedule– the default is to meet at Barclays at 8:30 and plan a route with whoever else turns up.  But as you’re all well aware, WhatsApp has changed our running lives, so if you haven’t already, I would encourage you to join the Summer Running WhatsApp group to help keep you in the loop on who’s running where and when in London this summer.  Here’s the link to join:  xx .  And wherever you find yourself this summer, I hope you will find a way to fit running into your life in whatever way makes you happy!  But don’t worry– we always have people who come back in the fall at every fitness level, and there will be time to ramp up if running was not part of your summer plan, or if things didn’t go to plan!

Shout-outs and Announcements.  While people are pretty busy with other things this time of year, I do know that Kate Ballbach and her running-inclined family ran a variety of races (10k to half-marathon) at Dorney Lake this weekend.  Well done, Kate and family!  And I do apologise if there are others I’m not aware of– always so happy to give a shout out to any women running the world, so keep us posted!

Beginner Running Group, 2019-2020!!  Please let us know ([email protected]) if you hear of anyone who would like to join the Beginner’s class of 2020.  As anyone who has been through this program knows, it can be an amazing, life-changing experience!  Just a reminder that the program is for people who have truly never been runners before.  It starts out with one-minute intervals at a very slow jog, so is not appropriate for anyone who is able to run even a mile or two.  Our regular M-W-F group can help people who have been runners before ramp up and return to running.  We’ll be working on organising our groups over the summer, and will hopefully ‘hit the ground running’ in August/September.

Well, dear runners, this is a wrap for the 2018-2019 year.  This will be the last e-mail until August– our first official run for next season will be August 28.  While it makes me sad to say goodbye for the summer, I can’t wait to hear about everyone’s summer adventures come August.  And to those moving on to a new chapter, our very fondest and best wishes go with you.  We will always have a connection, and the more we scatter around the globe, the more true our name becomes– we are Women Running the World.  Love to all of you…

xx Micki

ROUTES

Monday 10 June – Big Ben (4 miles)One last run down to our favourite, if completely hidden, landmark before we head out for the summer. 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. To keep the good times going, you can also make it about a five mile run by turning back at Big Ben and running back through St James Park to the Green Park Tube Station, then tubing it home.

Wednesday, 12 June – Regent’s Park Inner/Outer Circle (5 miles)
We know people want to get back to get ready for the kids to get out of school so we are keeping it close to home for our final official run.
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 OuterCircle. 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 14 June – The HeathSchool is officially out, but that won’t stop us from running up that hill (Kate Bush anyone??).

4 miles:  A great way to ease into running the hill. Run up to the Hampstead tube station and back. If you have trouble running up, think about how easy it will be running down!
5 miles: The Betsy Route
6+ miles:  The partial Heath route OR the Reverse Heath route OR Pergola route
7.5 miles: The Highgate route
8 miles:  The full Heath route

Click here for maps of all of the Heath routes.

Happy weekend, Runners!

It’s hard to believe it’s the second May Bank Holiday weekend, and we’re just a couple of weeks from summer break.  This past week was full of highlights, though, with lots of sunshine, and great destinations inside and outside of London: the Chelsea in Bloom displays, the iconic Sights of London run, and fun destinations planned by various pace groups (10’s to Brighton, 8’s to Dover– see stunning photos on WRW Facebook page!).  Once again, thanks to Tamar Brooks for lending us her talents and time– her gorgeous photos from last Wednesday’s Sights of London run can be viewed here: https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0aG6Mn9863FCU .  And a big thank you as well to Magali Kivatinetz for planning our Leavers’ Coffee at The Gate– I think everyone really enjoyed the new venue (even though we hate to say goodbye to our friends who are moving on).  

Running this week.  Monday is the bank holiday, so there is no official route planned.  Meet up at Barclays at 8:30, or set up a meeting time/place via your WhatsApp groups.  Wednesday we are planning the Notting Hill route, which starts out along the canal running west, before looping through Notting Hill and Paddington and back to St Johns Wood.  And Friday, we will head to Borough Market!  Note that this is a change from the planned adventure run… we’ve decided that it’s just a bit too much for everyone to take the extra time both to prepare and to run the new route in these last couple weeks of running.  We will trial run the route over the summer and maybe schedule it for the fall.  In the meantime, it’s always a pleasure to run to Borough Market, right?  Maps and directions for Wednesday and Friday can be found below.

Spring Kit Pickup!  The special order of WRW kit– the tanks and half-zips we ordered around the time of spring break– have arrived!  Pickup will be Thursday morning from 8:15 to 10:00 at Marissa O’Malia’s house.  Please plan to pick up and pay for your kit at this time!  If you are unable to make it at that time, please make arrangements with a friend to help you out (it’s way too busy this time of year to have to chase people down for their items!).  Pricing will be as in the winter order, £25 for tanks and £50 for half-zips.  Unfortunately, the ever-elusive black hats did not ship.  We will leave the order in place and notify those who ordered when they do arrive (but it may not be until the fall).  Another enormous thanks– to Carol Bertolino and Marissa O’Malia for making this happen.  We truly appreciate it, ladies!  (And special thanks to Carol’s husband and ‘friend of WRW,’ Mike Bertolino, who went out of his way to get the kit to us– and who you may also remember as our ‘Italian Barista- extraordinaire’ from race kit distribution day!)

Shout-outs and Announcements.  Congratulations to all the ladies who ran the Hackney Half last weekend!  I’m so sorry that I missed two of our runners in my shout-outs last weekend:  Sharon Lemberger and Katherine Greig!  Great job, ladies!  And kudos again to Julie Bataille, Laura Beal, Meredith Snizek, and Maureen Scheckel.  Great race representation for WRW, and another highly successful cheering outing for the pink hats, as well!  WRW alum Rekha Kumar will be running her first marathon next Saturday, June 1 in Singapore!  Good luck, Rekha!!

If you would like to be included on the Summer Running WhatsApp group, please follow this link to join:    .  The group can be used to informally coordinate meet-ups and running plans in London for whoever is in town during the summer months.

Beginner Running Group, 2019-2020!!  Please let us know ([email protected]) if you hear of anyone who would like to join the Beginner’s class of 2020.  As anyone who has been through this program knows, it can be an amazing, life-changing experience!  Just a reminder that the program is for people who have truly never been runners before.  It starts out with one-minute intervals at a very slow jog, so is not appropriate for anyone who is able to run even a mile or two.  Our regular M-W-F group can help people who have been runners before ramp up and return to running.  We’ll be working on organising our groups over the summer, and will hopefully ‘hit the ground running’ in August/September.
Have a wonderful long weekend, everyone!  I know it’s such a busy time of year, but I hope you get the chance to squeeze in at least a few more runs over the next few weeks!  It’s a glorious time to be running in our city, and these last few weeks together are really the sweet spot in our year– enjoying the friendships and the joy of running together after our year of training.  See you out there!
xx Micki 

ROUTESMonday 27 May – BANK HOLIDAY
For anyone in town, meet at Barclays at 8:30 and plan a fun route on your own.

Wednesday 29 May – Notting Hill – 6 miles
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 Blomfield Rd.  Run along the sidewalk all the way down Blomfield to and across the Westbourne Terrace bridge.Turn right after the bridge, follow the sidewalk along Delamere Terrace, and join the canal path heading west at this point.  Run to the Ladbroke Grove exit then run down Ladbroke Grove 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. 

Friday 31 May – Borough Market – 6 miles
Let’s mix it up with a destination run to Borough Market, official address 8 Southwark Street SE1 1TL. Grab a coffee at Monmouth or Rabot, and do a little shopping before catching the tube at London Bridge station back to SJW. Don’t forget your Oyster/contactless card! We start by heading to Hyde Park via the usual route. Head west on Circus Road, turn left on Grove End Road. At the corner of St. John’s Wood Road and Grove End Road, cross diagonally at the light and continue south on Lisson Grove. Cross over Marylebone Road and continue south on Seymour Place until it tees into Seymour Street. Turn right and cross over Edgware Road and then take the first left on Stanhope Place 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, cross The Mall at the light and turn right at the grand wrought iron gates into 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. Continue past Big Ben and cross Westminster Bridge. After the bridge turn left down the stairs to run along the Thames until the river path ends after Southwark Bridge. Just past Southwark Bridge, head right and then a quick left to go into a short tunnel that puts you onto Clink Street. Make a right on Stoney Street to get to the market (and Monmouth Coffee!).

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