First run with Home Run London

Image credit: Home Run London

I blogged about Home Run London several months ago already but although I loved the idea of running half way home after work while someone else carries my bag, I was hesitant to sign up because joining one of the groups would mean getting home at 7:30 at night i.e. after the kids are in bed already.

However, after a loooooong summer holiday with the kiddos, I don’t feel guilty anymore about not seeing them 24/7 on my working days. I signed up for last night’s run from Canary Wharf to Waterloo and just told my mom (my live-in Supernanny) that I’ll be home late :)

The group was small, 3 runners and 2 team leaders, but that was probably because it was a Thursday. British people, as you find out very quickly when you live here, go to the pub on Thursday and Friday nights!

So we set off with a small group. Two guys took off at the speed of light and after a few miles I lost the sight of them. Behind me were the other team leader and a pregnant runner so I thought that I’d better wait for them in case I got lost after Southwark Bridge. I turned around at Tower Bridge and ran back for a while, but when I failed to see them, I just turned back towards Waterloo again and hoped for the best.

Needless to say it’s absolutely beautiful to run along the Thames. Due to it being a pub night though, the paths along the river were very crowded so while it was scenic, speedy it was not.

After Blackfriars station I noticed the female team leader ahead of me. Whatthe?!?! Lucky for me she had slowed down due to the heat and humidity and I was able to jog to the correct end-point with her guidance. It turns out that somehow they had passed me as I was running back towards Canary Wharf :|

Hopefully next week there’ll be more runners so I can have a running buddy like they suggest – it’s never a good idea to head off for a run not knowing where you’re supposed to end up to get your belongings back!

End distance: 9.27km (instead of the 8km if I hadn’t turned back)
Time: Somewhere around 53-55 minutes (I was so excited I didn’t turn on Runmeter!)

Lessons learned:
1. Know the route beforehand OR stick with another runner even if they start out a bit slower than you’d prefer.
2. Have a jacket in your bag for getting home warmly after the run.

I will definitely do it again next week. It’s a good way for me to fit in another run during the week and the kids didn’t even ask me this morning why I wasn’t home last night.