I’ve often thought people in South West London, or within reasonably easy access of it, really have no excuse when it comes to not exercising. Clearly not everyone has to enter a marathon, or run for that matter, but walking and cycling are just as good for experiencing the great outdoors. There are plenty of options for doing just that in this corner of the capital.
Bushy and
Richmond Park have something to offer even the most reluctant outdoor type, and the River Thames from Hammersmith out to the sticks is as good a stretch as you could wish to find.
For those of us in Marathon training mode, the options for much needed variety of long runs is fantastic. I’m sure it’s harder to motivate yourself to grind out another two hour tour of local housing estates and industrial parks.
One of my favourite races is the
Green Belt Relay. Organised by my club Stragglers, this weekend event in May sees teams of eleven complete a 220 mile, 2 day route around the edge of London. Both years I’ve run I’ve bagged the anchor leg, 9.15 miles from Walton-on-Thames to the Hawker Centre in Ham, and this morning we revisited stage 22 of Green Belt as part of a long training run.
A better day for running could not have been wished for, cold, still and sunny. The good weather had brought the masses out, along what is a route with a multitude of points of interest: good to see with the opening sentence of this blog in mind.
After Sunbury Lock we followed the Surrey bank past Hurst Park and Molesey Boat Club before crossing the river at Hampton Court Bridge to continue our run on the Middlesex side alongside Hampton Court Palace. All three locations have made notable contributions to sporting history in this country.
Until 1962,
Hurst Park was a race course, one of the trio of Parks with
Kempton and
Sandown. Hurst, or “the little race course at Hampton” as it was referred to, features in the Dickens novel
‘Nicholas Nickleby’.
It’s the site’s part in cricket history which I find more interesting. The first known awarding of a trophy happened here, presented to a combined Surrey and Middlesex side on their victory over Kent by the Prince of Wales on August 1st 1733. The first LBW (leg before wicket) decision was given on this ground in 1795, during a three match series between England and Surrey, which England won 2-1. With cricket played by gentry and royalty in those days, I imagine it’s very unlikely this English victory was celebrated with an 18th century version of
the Sprinkler Dance.
Further downstream is
Molesey Rowing Club, famous for the Barcelona Olympic gold medal winners the
Searle Brothers. Less famously the club was a brief training place for me and another school friend in the mid nineties. Rowing ultimately wasn’t for either of us, although I don't recall our other sporting interests being met with a great deal of enthusiasm. Andy went on to play cricket for the England blind team, including games in India, I’ve already referenced my Commonwealth Games experience.
Hampton Court’s history is, of course, widely known, but on a sporting point, the royal tennis court is the oldest still in existence in the world. As we ran past this morning we could hear music booming out from the ice rink, alongside Somerset House and the Tower of London, Hampton Court is one of the iconic buildings in London that gives over space for ice skating each winter. We didn’t make a detour to visit the maze, although the last time I walked it’s half a mile of paths I was in and out in just over five minutes. Not an experience shared by Harris, a character in one of my favourite books ‘Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog’.
“We’ll just go in here, so that you can say you’ve been, but it’s very simple,” Harris told his country cousin. “It’s absurd to call it a maze. You keep on taking the first turning to the right. We’ll just walk round for ten minutes, and then go and get some lunch.”
The story tells of how Harris first gathers up all the other visitors that had been lost for sometime, with the promise that he knew the way about, before getting hopelessly lost himself and having to be rescued by a keeper.
Hampton Court is the first stop for the boat which travels into Central London. I’ve never fancied the full journey, but the short ride to Kingston with a walk back is good fun.
Our run took us to Kingston Bridge, where another river crossing was needed, for the last stretch to the Hawker Centre, past the Boaters pub where a fine Apple Crumble can be found: not a thought you need when you’ve a few miles still to run.
The other times I’ve run that leg have been swelteringly hot days at the end of May, and the second long run of the weekend. The difference cooler temperatures and fresh legs makes was clear as a training run produced a marginally quicker time than the race: 1 hour 11.17 today, 1 hour 11.24 last May.
After the Hawker we continued to Teddington Lock, before running through Teddington to Bushy Park and home, a total distance we believe was 13 miles.
We saw hundreds out for a Sunday morning walk. If you can get to this corner of the world it’s perfect for sticking to the New Year healthy lifestyle plan.
Note: some of the facts quoted in this blog come courtesy of the excellently detailed
Green Belt Relay website.
Showing posts with label cricket. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cricket. Show all posts
Sunday, 9 January 2011
Monday, 27 December 2010
Frequently Asked Questions
Christmas and New Year, the time for catching up with family and friends you’ve not seen for a while.
The days of “haven’t you grown!” are long gone. Comments relating to “looking well” with age and health in mind are of course many years ahead of me.
Work-based small talk inevitably comes near the top of the, what shall we talk about next list, but for me, there was of course another focus for discussion, or should that be, questions, this year.
I thought my next blog post should work through the things I’ve been asked the most over the past couple of weeks, website FAQ’s page-style.
I’ve already dealt with the issue of
how I run, I will do a separate blog another day answering the question of how it feels to run when you can’t see – mainly because it’s something I hadn’t given any thought to until I was asked last week. With this freakin’ weather rather disrupting my
football watching plans this week; I might have a bit of thinking time on my hands tomorrow afternoon. That is unless I’m still asleep after another night
in the company of the cricket. On that note, Ricky throwing a strop like a spoilt child who didn't get the Christmas present they wanted was most entertaining last night.
Anyway, here’s a few to be getting on with.
So who are you running for?
Its credit to the London Marathon as an event that the natural assumption of the majority is that anyone that enters is doing it for charity. I wonder, was I doing Brighton, Paris or Edinburgh would the same assumption be made?
My motivation for entering the London Marathon was purely the goal of completing the distance. Having done a few half marathons I felt it about time I went for the big one. My place is not tied to any charity and so I have the freedom to pick any cause in the world, or, not pick one at all. Either way, I have other, more important priorities right now.
Will you be running in a costume?
Absolutely not. This is about seeing how good a marathon runner I can be. A couple of years ago I did the Maidenhead 10 just before London Marathon day, and we saw a man taking his apple costume for a run and it didn’t look much fun to me. Were I to dress as something, or someone, given that I have to be attached to another person, the choice of costume should really take that into consideration, salt and pepper pots,
The Chuckle Brothers, a knife and fork, bride and groom, that sort of thing. Maybe something to keep in mind for a Christmas Day Parkrun, or maybe not.
Will you have run that far before the day?
It’s a fair question, the answer being no. Marathon running, so I’m told, takes it out of your legs, therefore the training and
pre-race race schedule has been planned with building up the distance in mind. The Cranleigh 21 four weeks before hand will be the longest race I’ll do.
Have you started training yet?
Ah! Now, you see, the thing is, ahem!
As previously blogged illness, injury and the snow has meant I’ve not exactly got off to the best of starts. That said, over the Christmas weekend I ran about ten miles, with no negative reactions from the body, so here’s hoping it’s onwards and upwards.
What is the world record for blind marathon running?
Something’s can always be relied upon, and it came as no surprise to me to learn that the world record is held by a Kenyan.
Henry Wanyoike is the speedster in question, his time of 2 hours 31 minutes 35 seconds set at the 2005 Hamburg Marathon still stands as the world best to this day. Of course I don’t expect to get anywhere near that, within an hour would be fantastic.
Next up for me, Tadworth Ten, weather and injury permitting of course.
The days of “haven’t you grown!” are long gone. Comments relating to “looking well” with age and health in mind are of course many years ahead of me.
Work-based small talk inevitably comes near the top of the, what shall we talk about next list, but for me, there was of course another focus for discussion, or should that be, questions, this year.
I thought my next blog post should work through the things I’ve been asked the most over the past couple of weeks, website FAQ’s page-style.
I’ve already dealt with the issue of
how I run, I will do a separate blog another day answering the question of how it feels to run when you can’t see – mainly because it’s something I hadn’t given any thought to until I was asked last week. With this freakin’ weather rather disrupting my
football watching plans this week; I might have a bit of thinking time on my hands tomorrow afternoon. That is unless I’m still asleep after another night
in the company of the cricket. On that note, Ricky throwing a strop like a spoilt child who didn't get the Christmas present they wanted was most entertaining last night.
Anyway, here’s a few to be getting on with.
So who are you running for?
Its credit to the London Marathon as an event that the natural assumption of the majority is that anyone that enters is doing it for charity. I wonder, was I doing Brighton, Paris or Edinburgh would the same assumption be made?
My motivation for entering the London Marathon was purely the goal of completing the distance. Having done a few half marathons I felt it about time I went for the big one. My place is not tied to any charity and so I have the freedom to pick any cause in the world, or, not pick one at all. Either way, I have other, more important priorities right now.
Will you be running in a costume?
Absolutely not. This is about seeing how good a marathon runner I can be. A couple of years ago I did the Maidenhead 10 just before London Marathon day, and we saw a man taking his apple costume for a run and it didn’t look much fun to me. Were I to dress as something, or someone, given that I have to be attached to another person, the choice of costume should really take that into consideration, salt and pepper pots,
The Chuckle Brothers, a knife and fork, bride and groom, that sort of thing. Maybe something to keep in mind for a Christmas Day Parkrun, or maybe not.
Will you have run that far before the day?
It’s a fair question, the answer being no. Marathon running, so I’m told, takes it out of your legs, therefore the training and
pre-race race schedule has been planned with building up the distance in mind. The Cranleigh 21 four weeks before hand will be the longest race I’ll do.
Have you started training yet?
Ah! Now, you see, the thing is, ahem!
As previously blogged illness, injury and the snow has meant I’ve not exactly got off to the best of starts. That said, over the Christmas weekend I ran about ten miles, with no negative reactions from the body, so here’s hoping it’s onwards and upwards.
What is the world record for blind marathon running?
Something’s can always be relied upon, and it came as no surprise to me to learn that the world record is held by a Kenyan.
Henry Wanyoike is the speedster in question, his time of 2 hours 31 minutes 35 seconds set at the 2005 Hamburg Marathon still stands as the world best to this day. Of course I don’t expect to get anywhere near that, within an hour would be fantastic.
Next up for me, Tadworth Ten, weather and injury permitting of course.
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