Sunday the schedule called for a 14-miler and so the long runs of this marathon season have begun. I don’t really count anything below a half marathon as a long run – not because they’re easy but because it would mean having to rename the 18 and 20-milers I’ll be doing in a few weeks as ‘epic’ runs or something even more intimidating.
So this Sunday  I decided to head east along the Thames with the vague idea of going to Greenwich and then seeing how many miles I needed to find once I was there. But it was hot and I didn’t really know where I was going.
I noticed this sign on an old building close to Borough Market as I set off and it was as if it had been left there for me. So hydration backpack strapped to my back I did just that and headed off down the Thames Path.
The Thames Path was a bit like an adventure trail, every now and then it would deviate away from the river and I’d have to look around for signs (or other runners) to follow to get back on track.
By the time I saw the sign stating ‘Greenwich 1 mile’ I was in the middle of some housing estate and it was very much a welcome sight. But I was only at 8 miles by the time I hit Greenwich.

Someone had written on the path in chalk ‘Stop running’. I chose to see this particular sign as being written by a grumpy local annoyed with the sporty antics of runners tearing along the narrow path and not being intended specifically for me. So I carried on.

The path continued past the Millenium Dome (the O2 if you’re under 25) and on to the Thames Barrier. Here’s a picture. But I was still 2 miles short so I headed towards Woolwich in the hope that there’s be something for me to eat. Hooray for Pizza Hut and appologies to my fellow diners – the sight of me was neither pretty nor did I smell good. Most things taste good after 14 miles of drinking warm tap water through a tube – pizza, however, tastes amazing!