with all those runners ..why don t we set a proper running path ?

Greenwich and Blackheath's heath are truly privileged and unique scenaries , at the step of London city, to run and enjoy the freedom of beeing a runner. We have to preserve those areas, and without engaging into the polemics of the 2012 olympics and their , at the least, audacious proposals , we could maybe take the opportunity to adapt the fields a bit ?

Take the park : have you noticed how the grass is marked by a sort of parallel/ secondary path along the concrete , reflecting the runner's search for more cushioning on the way? interestingly enough, this appears more flagrant on the slopes on each side of the park.

I remember seeing parks around the world that offered running path, with proper measurement of distance alongside the normal path. a bit like an athletic stadium path. I last saw this in Singapore in think, and other parts of Asia, and the US, and it presents quite a few advantages :

1- Runners benefit from a clear path to follow, where to measure distance and avoid collision with walkers and other visitors of the park.
2- It lowers maintenance cost of both the grass and the concrete path for usual walkers as such surfaces are precisely studied to endure the repeated stepping of runners.
3- It does not disrupt the scenary as it can be coloured as necessary and can follow the already existing walking paths.

Another point is the lack of toilets. There are some at the top of the park, strategically located, but , unless i missed them... the heath and the village of blackheath exhibit few opportunities ?
we have to think about the crowds that will suddenly decide to visit the area in a few years, and as herds of people go...we might end up stepping on poo that might well not be from dogs!

Other point is the lack of signalisation and warnings for walkers about driving paths  through the park and the parking of all those cars that obstruct the view of both drivers and runners. This is still very manageable... but we surely should anticipate both population growth and coming increase of visitors

these are just 3 points that i want to make simple and short to start the debate... but shouldn t we all plead this cause at the time when the 2012 olympics committee listens (still?) to the needs of the locals for re-generating the area after the events ?

On a more  legere note... can you imagine yourself running a couple of hours and not finding a corner to hide to releive a natural but urging need ? come on...there s got to be something to be done right?:)

muddy heath

It s funny to see how devotion to running can lead to some relatively ridiculous situations. I mean, take this : it s cold, it s muddy, running on the heath means at some stage having ran up a hill from one of the cardinal points ... and still! we are many humans doing the effort and getting dirty and all at all times during the day and evening and even night! to run or do sports there...

the aftermath of the short lived now carpet we had is the long lasting mud left behind. On the positive side , it provides for some extra cushioning when running on the grass. On the negative side, dirt apart, it does slow your run considerably, both due to the extra weight on the shoes and the greater adherence to the ground... it helps strengthen the muscles though as more effort is put into each step...

i wonder if i am the only feeling this ? i guess it also depends on your speed, height, weight, shoes...and the path you take on the heath as some parts remain bizzarely more dry than others...

but , more importantly, it does make up for another view and run in the area as seasons' change... we live in a great area.

The weather impact

-2 degrees celcius. Icy roads. clear blue sky ...spotless... absolutely galvanising! the cold is first like a brick wall..literally surrounding the muscles and blocking every movement. warming up is an effort , it requires will and consistence ... stretch...pull...keep breathing ...
and then there is the sky...the light...the virgourous breathe that reminds you that you are alive...

it s just the few first steps that cost  ... those are the hardest ones... start the engine ... once it is on...it just gets easier and easier ...


my personal experience of the weather conditions makes it a difficult start but a statistically better environment for PB over my usual tour. take a warm /hot weather , the sweat and the humidity create a growing smog around the body that tends to end in a streneous run ...whereas in the cold, the body comforts itself as the physical strain of running also frees energy to warm up the muscles and hence comes to a sort of "economical" point where more effort is put into the run...

Result ...still the same tour of 13+km but 1min less ... and an ever more motivating panorama with just the infinity of the sky as a hat....i thought for a moment my head was flying in space....

NOT running... the days without

Often the blogs/ websites or magazines about running talk relentlessly about the experience of running itself but seldomly mention the non-running experience. Effectively, running only keeps the body active during at most a few hours a day, and , even then, probably not on a daily basis for all of us. So what about the non running times and aren t these also part of the running experience?

To the true runner, the one that builds up his schedule around his running targets, who respects a training pan and subscribes to running events regularly, the non-running experience is a mix of well deserved relaxing time and frustration. I could split those times in 2 main categories : willing non running time and non-willing.

1. Of course the willing time applies to those days when you feel too lazy, or the weather puts you off, or more positively, those days you decided to rest as you follow a thouroughly established training plan. You find good and bad in those days. Lazyness will make it harder the next day you train as you just put off a valuable training session, and will need more motivation for the next step. But it may also be a deeper expression of your body showing signs of fatigue, in which case a day off might just be what you needed. If the weather is the cause of the trouble, it can be very frustrating as the motivation is there but elements make it not-enjoyable or not feasible. As a matter of fact, most runners will then adopt a more flexible approach and most probably go for a cross-training session in this case. The most rewarding times of running are however in those anticipated days of rest , where time is given to more soothing and relaxing options like stralls/ far niente/health clubs ... in fact those are the times when the body builds up on its own stamina , not physically but mentally and emotionally. This is the time you may indulge yourself , take time, relax ...savour the moment and compliment yourself on the achievement so far.  Everyone one needs that.
2. On the other hand, the non willing moments are most probably the most frustrating and require a good dosis of self control and organisation to cope with. Those moments are the unpredictable phone calls from work that have you cancel your session, your forgotten buddies' anniversary due that is due tomorrow evening and needs you to go shopping tonight , or even worse, the injury.  Running becomes part of one's life quite easily with a bit of discipline but also becomes a sort of addiction, no matter your level, as anything that stands in the way of your regular "sport" intake can be excessively irritating and stressful , notwithstanding the consequences on your future schedule as you want to postpone this training session instead of skipping it. Adding to this, the possible increased of sessions on the follow (to catch up on lost time) can easily add physical strain to emotional stress. Now, of course, on the long run, those are events that one learns to cope with and work around as experience kicks in !

Running is a personal experience at every level, and each of us lives it to different levels and intensity. Perharps are you very motivated by your days off ? or do you give up on the whole week training after a minor glitch ? Or, maybe, did you work all this around by simply...letting your body tell you when it feels lie running ..and ...like me...just grab your shoes whenever the time comes ...and just run...free :)

Comments welcome!

Group Running

There is something profoundly individualist about running, it s a personal experience everytime you train, even if you run the same path over and over again. But motivation and enhanced learning experience certainly comes from group running as you can compare yourself to others and learn from their experiences.

In Greenwich council there are cheap running lessons (haven t tried myself) that can also be coupled with other activities. Typically rowing is a specific sport you may consider doing in the Thames for example. It is also good for "cross-training" purposes, but shall be the topic of another post sometime
Here is a useful link for those interested in this version of the Group Running Theme:
http://www.greenwich.gov.uk/Greenwich/LeisureCulture/SportLeisure/SportsDirectory/AthleticsAndRunning/Running.htm



As for the More hardcore and ill motivated ones that look forward to beat their personal bests or increase performance run after run , there is the British Military Fitness "look alike" club :
http://www.britmilfit.com/  and this has the advantage of beeing highly motivational as the trainers are literally shouting at you in the open spaces to give you good time for your money. Again, the subscription process is easy and fairly cheap, you can go for your first training session free and assess your difficulty level then (green, blue, red...).  Be ready to step in the mud in dark cold evening winter nights or heavy sun in summer. One of their other advantages is that there is training in the week end, and that fits most workers

Make it Useful - Charity running

run for charities..there are loads of them out there willing to give you the opportunity to raise funds ..
I like http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/ because of the labradors :) ...but others have more mainstream ideas like cancer research or AIDS vaccine research, or sometimes more niche markets (super useful idea this one : http://www.sandblast-arts.org/)

to raisefunds, online fundraising is made very easy with http://www.justgiving.com/ ... you are a couple of clicks away...

INTERESTING TOOL TO MAP YOUR RUNS

This allows to show some of the usual runners on and around Greenwich Park, thanks to Garmin Connect and the fantastic tools those running watches provide

http://connect.garmin.com/explore#activityType=running&eventType=all&location=Greenwich%20Park%2C%20Greenwich%2C%20Greater%20London%2C%20UK&sortField=relevance¤tPage=1

will show you the recent runs downloaded (wirelessly for most!) and mapped on googlemaps

Go have a look !