As per the Government’s briefing on Monday (22/2/21), organised outdoor sport can resume on the 29 March! This means that we will be able to start running in groups in 5 weeks time.

Over the Easter period (29 March to 16 April) the following improver classes will run. And thereafter, I will resume our old timetable for the summer term (19 April to 30 July) which will include a new beginner’s course.

Easter timetable
* Week beginning 29/3, 5/4, 12/4 – Monday @9am (improvers level 2/3); Tuesday @8.30am (improvers level 1); Tuesday @7pm (mixed ability); Thursday @8.30am (online S&C class); Friday @9am (social run).

Please note that there is no social run on Friday 2 April as it’s a bank holiday.

Easter class costs
The cost of the above classes are as follows: £39 for 3 day classes/2 social runs; £36 for 3 evening classes. Once we resume our old timetable on Monday 19 April, you can come to additional classes to make up for those that had to be cancelled due to the lockdown (or pay a reduced fee). And if you paid for the winter term, I will deduct your payment from the cost of the summer term.

Trail shoes recommendations
Over the past few weeks it has been difficult to navigate the puddles, mud and snow while running. So I asked Sporting Feet for trail shoe recommendations to make our lives more comfortable whilst running on the Common:

A trail running shoe is an off road shoe with better grip and waterproofing. The most waterproof of all have a Gore-tex upper but they aren’t water-resistant. Sporting Feet have a good range of trail shoes in store, from Asics, Brooks, Adidas and Salomon. Their two best selling trail shoes are the Brooks Cascadia 15 and the Asics Sonoma 5 GTX (see images above) and these are ideal for winter running on local terrain like the Common.

The Brooks Cascadia is non Gore-tex (as some runners prefer a shoe that lets water out as some water is going to get in anyway) and is a really comfortable, well cushioned ‘road to trail’ shoe. It has great grip and can be worn in tough trail conditions but it is also a good ‘hybrid’ shoe that can be worn for some road running too – an ideal winter shoe.

The Asics Sonoma 5 GTX is an affordable, pretty lightweight Gore-tex shoe so it is more waterproof. Again, it’s tread is not so aggressive and makes a really good winter, hybrid shoe.

Just a word about the Salomon Speedcross shoes which are seen as the trail shoes to go for – they are serious fell running shoes so tougher and more aggressive for those more extreme conditions. They tend to be pretty firm and not overly comfortable so probably not the shoes to go for when running on the Common.

if you need advice on the best trail shoes to go for including sizing as some trail shoes come up small, please call Sporting Feet on 020 8780 0558. They also offer free consultations over Whatsapp if you needs additional help. And remember your 10% discount by using the code ‘CR10’. 

As we are still in lockdown and confined to our home area, how about taking the kids or going with a friend on a scavenger hunt run (or walk) around Wimbledon? The hunt is all about blue plaques and historical buildings in Wimbledon and can be downloaded here.

Start and finish the scavenger hunt run/walk in the centre of Wimbledon Village and see how many plaques/places you can find in one hour. If you do the hunt with family members, you can split into teams and have a reward for the winning team who has photo proofs of their finds!

Enjoy!

New running courses: Monday 4 Jan – Wednesday 31 Mar 2021

IMPORTANT: IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO RENEW/JOIN YOU NEED TO COMPLETE A HEALTH FORM TO COMPLY WITH THE NEW COVID-19 REGULATIONS.

The new term starts on Monday 4 January and finishes on Wednesday 31 March. It’s a 12 week term excluding half term and costs £156 for day runners and £144 for evening runners as there is no social run on offer.

Here’s a reminder of the classes on offer:
* Monday @9.30am (improvers 2)
* Monday @10.30am (beginners)
* Tuesday @8.30am (improvers 1)
* Tuesday @9.30am (improvers 3)
* Tuesday @7pm (improvers mixed ability)
* Thursday @10.30am (improvers 1)

* Fridays @9.30am (mixed ability social run)

If you would like to renew/join, please complete a health form. You can pay by Bacs to the usual account – please reference your name. For more information please email info@commonrunners.co.uk

ORGANISED RUNS FOR COMMON RUNNERS ONLY
* Friday 15 Jan: Towpath 10k from Putney to Kew (£10)
* Friday 12 Feb: Richmond Park 10/12k (free to class attendees)
* Friday 19 March: Leith Hill 10k  (paid for)

MONTHLY CHALLENGE SERIES FOR ALL – JANUARY 2021

I would like to invite you to sign up for some monthly challenges. The first challenge is to complete 25k, 50k, 100k or 200k distance throughout January 2021.

You can choose to run, walk or cycle the distance over the month to claim a bespoke piece (see photo above) which you can add to your medal frame! Any discipline can be done and you can mix and match if you wish to achieve your goal.

In January, you will receive the medal frame alongside your January magnetic piece (post approval of your evidence) to get you on your way towards earning each monthly piece. By receiving the frame at the start, you can watch the frame build as you go! The January entry costs £21 and each month after is £8.50. For more information and to sign up please click here. 

On Friday 11 December 2020 we will aim to run our virtual 5k Santa Run as a group in Richmond Park and raise funds for Stem4. The run is suitable for all, is free to enter and can be completed anytime in December if you can’t make the 11 December.

To enter, please click here. You can enter as an individual and join the ‘Common Runners’ team if you decide to run with us. You can donate funds to me and I will send off to the charity.

As there are few races before Christmas, you may be interested in getting involved in one of our monthly social run challenges for all. If you can’t make the actual day of the challenge you can always do it another day but please let me know and a photo would be great!

* Friday 18 Sept @9-9.30am: your challenge is to run 3, 5 or 7 miles on Wimbledon Common
* Wednesday 14 Oct @9-9.30am: your challenge is to run 3, 5 or 7 miles in Richmond Park
* Wednesday 11 Nov @9-9.30am: Thames Towpath challenge (from Putney) – tbc

It would be great to see as many runners as possible taking part in at least one of these runs. Groups will be divided according to mileage and will comply with current restrictions of a maximum of 12 in a group.

New running courses: Monday 7 Sept – Thursday 19 Dec

IMPORTANT: IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO RENEW/JOIN YOU NEED TO COMPLETE A HEALTH FORM TO COMPLY WITH THE NEW COVID-19 REGULATIONS.

The new term starts on Monday 7 September and finishes on Thursday 19 Dec. It’s a 14 week term excluding half term and costs £182 for day runners and £168 for evening runners as there is no social run on offer.

Here’s a reminder of the classes on offer:
* Monday @9.30am (improvers 2)
* Monday @10.30am (beginners)
* Tuesday @9.30am (improvers 3)
* Tuesday @10.30am (improvers 1)
* Tuesday @7pm (improvers mixed ability)
* Wednesdays @9.30am (mixed ability social run)
* Thursday @10.30am (improvers 1)

If you would like to renew/join, please complete a health form. You can pay by Bacs to the usual account – please reference your name. For more information please email info@commonrunners.co.uk

It is not too late to join the Great Run Solo virtual June challenge and raise funds for the NHS. There are weekly and monthly challenges to choose – to run 50k, 75k, 100k or 280k cumulative distance challenge across 28 days. For more info please click here.