Fitting it all in - Running home from work

As if training for a marathon, or triathlon, or both weren't demanding enough, Summer brings with it a whole set of additional challenges with which to contend. Weddings, dinners, evening drinks by the river, new job, being there to support my wife in bringing up our two little ones, not to mention the heat which, for the last few weeks, has been in abundance.

All of the above tend to put little spanners into the works of your otherwise faultless training regime. Admittedly, I'm perhaps not being disciplined enough, or perhaps I am, only that my ethos, where training's concerned, is not to let it completely take over my life. Hence the allowance of the odd drink here and there. Hence also my increasing fatigue, as I try to fit in training around everything, generally meaning that exercise begins before the day really starts. Mostly this is fine, just sometimes, burning the candle at both ends, gets the better of me.


One way to get around this is to run home from work, obviously. At 11.5 miles, via the scenic route, it's not really an everyday activity. Setting off at 6pm, I hadn't quite expected it to still be 27°C...in the shade, of which there's too little on my route home. Nevertheless, it's a superb route, so I really can't complain, taking in the river Thames and Richmond Park, with some superb views across London on the way. I made it back home, but was fit for nothing thereafter, that'll teach me for having a few too many on the Saturday, so as to miss my Sunday slot!