The Olympic Run

So here I am back in London, getting back into the training runs. Lots of long slow runs. Now here's a thing that you don't find out about too often. You lose more fat by running slowly than you do by running fast. sounds ridiculous, but it's true. It's due to how the metabolism of the body works at different levels of exertion. If you push very hard, you use 100% carbohydrates, which are readily available as sugars in the blood and muscle tissue. If you run slowly, which is best measured by an easy pace that lets you have a conversation with someone you're running with, then you burn much more fat. After a year of training, I now know that at that steady pace, I have moved from 70% fat burning to 100% fat burning. I'm sure that's good! It means that I can run much much further at a steady pace.

Anyway, why the Olympic run? Well today I ran form my hotel in the City of London up to the Regent's Canal (only about a mile away). Then turn South East and run along the canal towpath for a couple of miles. As you can see, it's very pretty on a Spring evening at about 18.30.

Lots of joggers and cyclists out enjoying the early evening sun. What I can't fathom is why so many use ipods to run with. I've been sad enough to count and about 70% run with them. I like to enjoy the evening sounds of the birds and boats on the canal. It also means that they never look at you and never say Hi! Unfriendly bug***s.

Anyway, after a couple of miles, I came across the Hertford Union Canal branching off the Regent's Canal, turning East towards Stratford, and even more tranquil than the Regent's Canal.

I came across a German bloke running along the towpath. I didn't catch his name, let's call him Hans. Hans is training for the Ironman in August. That's a 3.5 mile swim, 125 mile bike ride followed by a 26.2 mile marathon to finish off. Hans looked very fit and is training 20 hours per week. 10 hours on the bike, 6 hours running and 4 hours swimming. Wears you out thinking about it! Even if I run 60 miles in a week, that takes me less than 10 hours! And I don't run 60 miles very often.

Hans turned off into Victoria Park and I carried on along the Hertford Union Canal. After about a mile, I came to the River Lee navigation, and there before my eyes was the beautiful sight of the brand new 2012 Olympic Stadium. It's great to see it in such a state of completion more than two years before the games. I am very enthusiastic about the games being in London for 2012, so much so that I registered my interest in tickets on the 2012 website today.

On past the Olympic stadium I came across 3 Mills Island. One of those pieces of English Heritage that you don't expect to find. It's even mentioned in the Doomsday Book. There now stands the oldest standing mill in England, dating back to 1776, and beside it stands Clock Mill, pictured below. Quite a contrast to the new Olympic stadium.

Running on from the Mill then came across 3 Mill Wall River (No I'd never heard of it before either) at Bow Locks, which leads onto the Limehouse cut. In the picture of Bow Locks below, you can see Canary Wharf poking its nose up inn the background.

The Limehouse Cut joins the watery basin around the Olympic Park to the Limehouse Basin. The Limehouse basin pictured below is also where the Regent's Canal also starts from, since the basin itself is joined to the Thames by a lock. You can just see the Gherkin peeking out through the trees, just to prove we're only a couple of miles from the City.

Then its running along the Thames Path with a view back to Canary Wharf and on to the iconic landmark of Tower Bridge. Both look beautiful in the late evening Spring sunlight.

For me it's then the last mile back to the Hotel past another infamous landmark of Monument, marking the spot where the Great Fire of London started in Pudding Lane. Again spectacular against the early evening sky.

There we are. A lovely 12 mile run in a couple of hours. A relaxing way to spend an evening in London...