What are the best runs in London? Ever since my mid-twenties, I try to run every day, usually 7 to 12K, 10K on average. Often I don’t run at all for lengthy periods, when my knees or feet don’t feel 100% or I’m generally under the weather. However, when I’m feeling on top of my game, you can bet I run every day. Ellie sometimes joins me running. Never for the proper daily runs. However, we sometimes go on shorter runs together and I do my run afterwards. About once per month, my wife and I do the odd organised 5 or 10K ‘fun run’ event together. I am also registered for several half marathons, one marathon, and one ultra, all in or near London, this year. Sometimes I get asked which runs I recommend. This made me think, I could do a little blog post about this topic, so […]

Ellie and I recently visited Canary Wharf Ice Rink for the first time. It’s now closed, but is due to open again from October 2023 to February 2024. This makes it the London ice rink with the by far longest skating season. Some other rinks only open for 4 or 5 weeks. COSY ATMOSPHERE, BEAUTIFUL SKYLINE AT CANARY WHARF ICE RINK We absolutely loved the experience. Canary Wharf Ice Rink is so cosy, under its glass roof. No wind. No rain. And then, of course, there is the beautiful skyline.     NOT TOO CROWDED When we visited, there were hardly any other people on the ice. Presumably this was unusual. However, I can see how perhaps many office workers don’t want to engage in physical exercise while wearing their expensive business attire. It kind of also makes sense that Canary Wharf is not a place that is known to […]

I recently did an ocean rowing taster course. But first things first. About a year ago, I heard of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge for the first time. I was immediately drawn in. THE OCEAN ROWING TASTER COURSE AND THE TALISKER CHALLENGE Every year in December, some crazies take off from La Gomera in the Canary Islands, then row their tiny little rowing boats all the way across the Atlantic to Antigua in the Caribbean, a distance of almost 5,000km. The event is called The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Rowing Challenge. It was founded in 1997 by Sir Chay Blyth.   THE “EASY” WAY AND THE HARD WAY If you would just sit on your bottom in your rowing boat, sleep, eat, and occasionally tweet, you’d make the trip in about four and a half months. Even if you haven’t completed an ocean rowing taster course. This is due to the […]

A couple of weeks ago, I took part in a 1h30m bobsleigh taster session at the Team GB Training Site at Bath University. The regular price is £90. I booked the combined skeleton & bobsleigh experience for £160. The skeleton session was from 12:30pm to 2pm, followed by the bobsleigh taster session from 3pm to 4:30pm. A CONVERTIBLE ICE BULLET-TRAIN As you might or might not know, bobsleigh is a winter sport involving one, two, or four athletes riding a sleigh down an ice track. The sleigh is covered on all sides at the nose like a tube, but has an opening all the way throughout the rest of the top and at the end, allowing riders to stick their heads out to see where they are going.    THE FASTEST BOBSLEIGH TRACK SPORT (UP TO 150KPH) It is the fastest one of the three bobsleigh track sports (the other […]