Tour of London

My week had been very busy as I'm back at school on my placement. It was very hard work and I only managed to get out twice to play football on Tuesday and Friday. I worked hard when playing but it meant the weekly miles were low. I had to complete the weekend long run or it would be a terrible week.

I started in Battersea Park, doing a loop before heading up to Sloane Square, past Harvey Nichols and into Hyde Park at Wellington Arch. I did a full lap of Hyde Park before crossing at Wellington Arch again, down Constitution Hill and to Buckingham Palace.

London was looking stunning. It had poured down at football on Friday night so it was a pleasant surprise to see blue sky and a crisp morning when I woke on Saturday. London was also very full with lots of people in town for remembrance day.

After the Palace I went down The Mall, past Horse Guards Parade towards Westminster and the Embankment. There were times when the pavements were so full I had to walk for a few seconds or try to run in the road but it didn't bother me.

I was still feeling fine at this stage. I had stopped at 5 miles and 10 miles to take a gel (SiS) and my new camelbak (review later) was supplying me with water. I was loving London and I think it helped pass the time. Its very easy to overlook the place where you live but the run reminded me just how lucky I am.

I ran along the Embankment, past the Millennium Bridge and over Tower Bridge. The south of the river is the busy side so I had to pick my way through the crowds past Borough Market, Tate Modern and the London Eye. I had a packet of Clif Shots at 15 miles and tried to work out where I'd have to go to get over 20 miles in.

So it was back to the north side over Vauxhall Bridge and along the river to Chelsea Bridge and back into Battersea Park. I was tired by this stage and suffering. My left foot was hurting but everything else was ok and I knew I only had 2 miles to go. It was around the park and home to finish 20.5 miles in 3:12.

I am really pleased with the run. Not quick but that is really not an issue at the moment. Time will be irrelevant at the marathon so its just great to get the distance in my legs.