Training in the UK
Earlier this month I took a business trip to Reading in England. Reading is a busy crowded town about 40 miles from London. One article I read claims Reading is Britain's town with the largest population. I stayed near the town centre and can confirm there were lots of people and lots of options for shopping and restaurants. I stayed 8 days in Reading and was able to swim, weight train, and run while there. Since the weather was perfect (no rain), my runs were all outside.
The hotel I stayed in was called the Novotel. I think it is French owned and operated since all of the employees had French accents. They were really friendly and made me feel welcome and safe. The breakfast buffet was terrific and something I looked forward to each morning. The food options were plentiful and everything was fresh and delicious. I am a big fan of mushrooms and enjoyed some each morning along with other traditional breakfast items. No I didn't eat blood pudding this time!
To get my workouts in, I had to adjust my schedule a bit but it was well worth it. Each weekday morning, I set the alarm for 530am and was out the door by 555am. I'm not a morning person so this was really tough! The hotel had an indoor swimming pool that was great for swimming laps. The water was warm and the length was about 12 meters. I swam a lot more laps than usual so mostly focused on time in the pool instead of laps. I was just happy to be able to swim while on the trip. The hotel also had a workout room with free weights and some cardio equipment. I used the free weights a couple times and they worked great except for a really low bench and trying to figure out the metric weight system.
The biggest thrill was on the days I was able to run outside. I only run every other day so was able to enjoy 4 outdoor runs. 3 of the runs were along the Thames River. This was so refreshing in the morning and the temps were perfect for running (40's). It was also a thrill to see the large white swans, weeping willows, and houseboats while running along the river. On Sunday, I went for an 11.5 mile run along the Kennet and Avon canal. The running path was a combination of dirt, roads, and sidewalk. I ran at a nice easy pace (9:45 min per mile) and enjoyed the sights along the way. The canal went on for miles and it was one of those days when I felt like I could have run all day. The only bummer is the British people weren't very friendly. Most of the people I passed were looking down and didn't respond to my greeting. I noticed this walking around Reading but was surprised to also experience it while crossing paths with other runners and walkers. I think it must be cultural so didn't let it get me down.
It was a good trip and I would recommend the Novotel Town Centre for anyone going to Reading.
Next up for me is the Fargo half marathon on May 10th.
The hotel I stayed in was called the Novotel. I think it is French owned and operated since all of the employees had French accents. They were really friendly and made me feel welcome and safe. The breakfast buffet was terrific and something I looked forward to each morning. The food options were plentiful and everything was fresh and delicious. I am a big fan of mushrooms and enjoyed some each morning along with other traditional breakfast items. No I didn't eat blood pudding this time!
To get my workouts in, I had to adjust my schedule a bit but it was well worth it. Each weekday morning, I set the alarm for 530am and was out the door by 555am. I'm not a morning person so this was really tough! The hotel had an indoor swimming pool that was great for swimming laps. The water was warm and the length was about 12 meters. I swam a lot more laps than usual so mostly focused on time in the pool instead of laps. I was just happy to be able to swim while on the trip. The hotel also had a workout room with free weights and some cardio equipment. I used the free weights a couple times and they worked great except for a really low bench and trying to figure out the metric weight system.
The biggest thrill was on the days I was able to run outside. I only run every other day so was able to enjoy 4 outdoor runs. 3 of the runs were along the Thames River. This was so refreshing in the morning and the temps were perfect for running (40's). It was also a thrill to see the large white swans, weeping willows, and houseboats while running along the river. On Sunday, I went for an 11.5 mile run along the Kennet and Avon canal. The running path was a combination of dirt, roads, and sidewalk. I ran at a nice easy pace (9:45 min per mile) and enjoyed the sights along the way. The canal went on for miles and it was one of those days when I felt like I could have run all day. The only bummer is the British people weren't very friendly. Most of the people I passed were looking down and didn't respond to my greeting. I noticed this walking around Reading but was surprised to also experience it while crossing paths with other runners and walkers. I think it must be cultural so didn't let it get me down.
It was a good trip and I would recommend the Novotel Town Centre for anyone going to Reading.
Next up for me is the Fargo half marathon on May 10th.
Nice write up. If you used your Garmin for tracking distance, you could upload to mapmyroad and add a map to your blog post. Kind of a fun feature. Enjoy your taper week, leading up to Fargo.
ReplyDeleteThanks Steve! I'll have a look at mapmyroad.
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