Running London

So previously I've taken a deep dive into my passion for running, now I'm going to tell you all about my love of running around London.

My commute to work everyday takes me on the Reading line to Waterloo and then I tend to walk from there to Tottenham Court Road, by Goodge Street where my offices are. I took baby steps, initially I ran to and from Waterloo a few times (just under 2 miles) and that worked but during rush hour I spent the majority of the time people dodging so it wasn't good as a stress reliever. 

Then I plucked up the courage to join my office Running Club which is run by a personal trainer, I didn't quite do it alone, I dragged along my dedicated pal and now excellent running partner Jason to join me. We were taken through the beautiful Regent's Park and into Camden and through the market. Safe to say I was hooked, I hadn't realised how close all these places were. I vowed to make use of my lunch hour to explore more. 

After several lunchtimes running around the Park, Running Club took us up the beauty and the beast that is Primrose Hill. If I'm honest, the first time I did in fact fail, my mental strength couldn't carry me to the top, next time I took Jason and we did it! So worth it for the amazing views across London.

From then on I decided running should play a key part in my commute. I was blaming the commute on not having time to do as much exercise, so why the hell not incorporate it. 

I decided to get 6.32am (earlier) train into Waterloo but get off at Clapham Junction and run in from there. I did have to carry a bag, always going to be a pain but I packed lightly. I set maps up in my phone and popped my earphones in which were able to direct me whilst running, as I didn't have much time for error. I ran through Battersea Park and crossed over one of the bridges and ran along the river towards Westminster before heading up towards work. I was blessed with the most beautiful sunrise and made a deal with myself to attempt to do this route once a week. 

After a few runs like this but extending the distance a bit, I wanted to explore different areas of London. I'd never done Hyde Park, so I thought why not. I did this last week and it was awesome for sightseeing but there were so many niggily bits it was more stressful than anything. I passed through Battersea Park, over Chelsea Bridge, into Chelsea and Kensington, past the back of Harrods, into Hyde Park and around the Serpentine and into work.

So much running and exploring to do! It's also great for finding tucked away restaurants, cafes, bars and good Summer picnic spots. 

What's stopping you, get out there and explore..

Xoxo

Hyde & Seek Adventures in London

The last few weekends I've been in London with family and friends 

The weekend before last I went in with my family to celebrate Mum's and Adrian's birthday! We got in early and were lucky to have bright blue skies so we walked along Southbank past the ITV Studio and the OXO Tower and then across the Millenium Bridge, past St Pauls and into the city towards New Street Grill for our bottomless brunch. 

Bottomless Brunch seems to be the thing to do, most of the time the food is great with all your brunch favourites; eggs royale or benedict, pancakes with bacon and maple syrup you name it but you can also pick places that just sticks to none breakfast related items and then of course comes the bottomless part; unlimited prosecco, mimosas, bloody Mary's or whatever the restaurant of choice is offering. We picked New Street Grill because it's not just about the breakfast (Mum doesn't like eggs), the food looked great and they have oysters (always a win). 

Yum yum yum! After a long and lengthy lunch we headed out and decided to pop into Heron Tower to Sushi Samba so Mum and Dad could experience the view.

Next stop Madison Rooftop, I had never been here before but had only heard good things and as for the view! Pretty perfect view of St Pauls.

Amazing day spent celebrating birthdays and exploring new places in London,

The weekend just been Nathalie and Jason (Nath's sister and her boyfriend) came to visit! We were lucky to have great weather again and due to an issue with trains we arrived in Paddington, so we hired Boris Bikes now known as Santander Cycles and cycled around Hyde Park stopping for an ice cream.

Around around 5 miles we were in need of some proper fuel, we walked from Hyde Park, along Oxford Street and through Soho to Covent Garden. We ate a late lunch at Fire and Stone and it was delicious, really recommend if you want a great variety of tasty pizzas. 

After sufficiently filling our bellies, we decided to walk it off and head back towards Waterloo stopping off at Rumpus Room at the Mondrian Hotel overlooking Southbank to quench our thirst before our journey home. Top tip, probably wouldn't go in on ripped jeans and trainers again it's kind of a 'posh'(ish) joint!

I literally love London, there are so many more adventures to be had and I'll definitely be keeping you updated with them all...

Xoxo

Kate's 2016 Challenges

Happy Monday!! What a great weekend! It's a bit of Monday motivation for you, hopefully it will inspire you to take on some new challenges too. This post will be short and sweet but make sure you have a read!

This will be one of my very select few charity/fundraising plugs. 

Challenge 1  |  Running, I've ran two half marathons already, one yesterday being the Putney & Fulham Half Marathon with Nath, plus potentially the Bracknell and Windsor. 

Challenge 2   |  As part of the company I work for a few of us are attempting the 3 Peaks Challenge in under 24hrs. In case you're not aware of what this is, let me explain... We'll be travelling from London up to Glasgow via aeroplane, we'll then get a bus up to Ben Nevis when the stopwatch starts. We'll then climb Ben Nevis (Scotland), get back on the bus and drive to Scafell Pike (England) climb this and then final bus journey to slug to Mount Snowdon (Wales) for our final climb before getting to the bottom in hopefully under 24 hours. Can we make it??? Hmm we'll have to wait and see, hopefully training and my running will pay off and we'll successfully complete the challenge on May 20th.

Challenge 3  |  The epic Prudential Ride London, heard of this? No! It's mental, a 100 mile cycle all around London including a ridiculous climb up the infamous Box Hill. This is something I'm super nervous of, thankfully my Mum and Dad will be cycling with me! It will be a battle to see who comes out on top as good ol' Dad considers himself a Lance Armstrong (maybe not the best explain) with his detachable sleeves. If you are reading this, please never get them they are hideous! They will both be raising money for charity, keep posted for their fundraising pages! I have the bike, helmet and padded shorts, I know just need to get on the road so I have some training before the 31st July (notice it's my birthday weekend, dedicated to the challenge).

Challenge 4 (?)  |  This one is a potential. From now until Christmas my weekends are getting rapidly jam-packed, so I'm running out of time. But I'm hoping to get out there and attempt my first triathlon and I'll start with a sprint one, so keep posted on that.

Anyway, here comes the charity plug! I'll be raising money for the pretty awesome charity which is the key one my company works with, Free The Children! It's amazing and I was lucky enough to experience the awesome work they do when I volunteered at WE Day UK earlier this year at Wembley Stadium (post to follow in the not too distant future) and it's inspired me to make a difference and raise money that can change a child's future.

Please take a second to look at my page and sponsor me as little or as much as you can, as I'm sure you can imagine every little bit makes a difference. The link is below.

Kate Fundraising Page

I'll keep you updated with all my challenges...

xoxo