Regents Park to Olympic Park run commute

On Thursday I completed one of the runs that has been on my to do list for a couple of years.

My plan this week was to try and get a long midweek run in as I am running Bacchus Half Marathon on Sunday, so without too much planning I stumbled upon the idea of running part of the way home along the Regents Canal.

I make out that it's a kind of run commute but that's a bit misleading as it is far from getting me home and it's a route that is far from direct in heading towards home. 

In reality it's almost two hours of running that replaces a 20 minute tube journey and one stop on the train so hardly a practical run commute.

My run started with leaving work and heading through a leafy and sunny Regents Park. Emerging on the north side of the park by Primrose Hill I joined the canal towpath for the first time.

The initial route of the canal heads to the vibrant Camden lock area before passing through some less than salubrious backstreet areas of Kentish Town and Kings Cross.

I was some what taken aback at the large volume of traffic on the towpath through this section, walkers making their way home, many runners and speed demon cyclists all vying for a place on an often narrow pathway.

The kings cross area took my route along several wooden pathway structures sitting directly over the water, these were so rickety and noises to run on and not very pleasant.

In the Angel area the canal disappears under a long tunnel which doesn't contain a foot path which left me to navigate through the back streets of angel for around a mile before reconvening with the waterway again.  Most of the path was well signed with small brass plaques dope ting the way but I soon lost this trail and managed to find my own route withal it'll help from google maps.

On this next section the canal dissects through the back streets of East London and Hackney before emerging some where near Mile End and Victoria Park. Here I decided to follow the canal into the Limehouse basin as opposed to taking a direct route homewards through the park towards West Ham and Stratford. 

The experience of running along the canal was a very pleasant one, I felt a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of Central London. Tubes, trains, buses and cars were no where to be seen, it was indeed a more tranquil way to get through London. The word I kept reflecting on was 'mellow' as that seemed to be the mood along the canal, a more relaxed pace of life, being alongside water certainly seems to calm and relax people while also providing a pleasant open space for recreation activities. 

So although not an efficient run that provided a time saving commute but an incredibly enjoyable run and a great way to see London from a different angle. 

Here is a link of the route I took as well as some links to more information on the Regents canal towpath:

https://www.strava.com/activities/388619511

http://lndn.blogspot.co.uk/2005_05_01_lndn_archive.html?m=1

http://www.runnersguidetolondon.co.uk/regents-canal.html

My run commute all the way home

So I did it! I finally managed to complete one my main running ambitions, to run all the way home from work! Which is no mean feat as I work in Central London and live out in Essex approximately 13 miles as the crow flies or around 18miles to run.

I have ran part of the way home several times, often running the 11K back to West Ham station to then jump on the tube for the remainder of my journey.  In the summer I did plan to run the full route but dropped out after around 13 miles as I wasn't quite fit enough to run longer and didn't have the mental strength to push myself to run through the mean streets of Dagenham.

I have planned to run the full route a few times as well but have either been waylaid by other commitments or had to focus on my marathon training rather than pursuing this goal.

But my hand was forced somewhat as I might be moving soon so my chances to run this particular route have become limited. I thought Id better do it before the dark nights and the cold winter really sets in but I was surprised at how dark and cold it got relatively quickly.

So how did it go?

It took me just under 3 hours and the route was almost 18miles! My mapmyrun didn't seem to function properly either so the real distance will be even further! 

It was long and it was draining!

The first few miles are quite fun as the route takes me along the Thames, to the Tower of London past all the various sights of London.

Then its a straight run down Commercial Road to Limehouse before heading towards Canning Town an out onto the A13 for real out through Beckton and onto Barking.

The pathway is good and wide with a dedicated walkway and cycle path but you are running along the side of a busy motor way which isn't everyones idea of fun! 

Then after about 12 miles the junction to finally turn off the motorway and into residential territory comes and I head towards Becontree and Dagenham.

The route then takes me past these respective tube stations before continuing my journey out towards Dagenham East in the direction of Rainham.

The most direct route is the tube route of the district line but I cant imagine TFL or thousands of commuters taking kindly to me running along the tracks! 

I did try to plan my route to be as direct a possible although that's not all together direct as the road system doesn't always head where you want it to.

Soon enough I was in Elm Park and heading towards Hornchurch which gave me a much needed spring in my step as I was on home turf and running on roads I had often ran on before.

A few more roads and a few more turns and I was back in Upminster  within a stones throw of my flat. The last few hundred metres gave me time to reflect on my journey and the realisation of completing my commute without the aid of a car, a taxi, a bus, a train or the tube. A pretty special feeling especially when its something I have wanted to achieve for so long! 

The only down side was that my evening was pretty much over as it was now 8.20 an I was definitely too tired to do much else! 

A pizza and a much deserved pint provided my refuel and after some stretching and foam rolling and a bit of a chillax in front of the TV it was time for bed!