My First Flora London Marathon. by Live_Your_Dream_Life_Today

What an afternoon in London.

I’d planned to arrive my midday, but by the time I’d packed and travelled down and got sorted into my hotel room it was 3pm. The good news is that there is room on the balcony in the hotel room for my bike for the London Triathlon in August. All I’ve got to do is make sure I get a room with a balcony! The room has a nice view across the river to Canary Wharf, and the Docklands from the balcony. And if I lean out a little bit and look the other way, I can just make out Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London in the distance.

It’s been a while since I’ve visited London with my wife, and I’ve been looking forward to it.

While travelling on the tube, on the way to Oxford Street, I glimpsed a poster that seemed to be advertising a “tower run” – i.e. you run up the fire escape to from the bottom of the tower to the top. As I was in a mad crush of people dashing from one tube line to the next I didn’t get a proper look. I kept an eye out for the same poster during the rest of my travels today, but did not see it again.

I’m not sure what attracts me to a tower run. I’m sure the scenery can’t be that good! Plus, despite being a short run it must be exhausting. They do a tower run up the Empire State Building in New York, but I’ve not heard of one in the UK so far. I guess what attracts me to it is – it’s a challenge.

It was very crowded and boiling hot on the tube. Instead of quietly moaning to myself and suffering, like I normally do, I cheerfully thought - don’t fight it - it’s all good training for the Marathon des Sables.

The only thing I did today was to sit in the Moet Champagne bar in Selfridges and drink a bottle of champagne and people watch. It’s fascinating watching people in the Channel shop below hand over thick wads of cash in exchange for a hand bag or two.

As I sat there sipping my champagne and people watching, I thought that somewhere out there was fellow blogger Running Chick. Was she running through the London streets as I sat there sipping my favourite tipple? Could I run in the Docklands at some point this weekend? Could I do a run in Hyde Park?

When I got back to the hotel room I tucked myself up in bed, with a night time view of Canary Wharf (out the floor to ceiling wall to wall windows), a bottle of champagne, and read some information on The Scottish Ultra Race and some of Paula Radcliffe’s biography. A nice end to a nice day.

Oh by the way, why is it that there were so many lights on late at night in Canary Wharf? Do they forget to switch the office lights off? Are people still working? Or do they just think it looks pretty? Doesn’t leaving the lights on overnight have a HUGE carbon footprint?

I’ve decided that I would love to go for a street run from the hotel, just to explore the water front around the hotel. It must be nice running beside the Thames with the views across to the other side.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT TIP OF THE DAY:

Feeling down? Remember as vividly as you can your favourite comedy program, and you’ll soon be laughing.

D