Well Today is the day.
I am going to run W1R1 this evening and am looking forward to the challenge. My son is coming with me he is like a little Forest Gump and would run forever if I let him.
I was wondering how you come up with your routes as I was thinking I might end up far away from home at the end of the run. Is it best to run around a circuit(park) or try to run around a set course? Thanks for the guidance and support.
When I go out with my daughter I like to do open park/field so she can go off and still be seen.
For mapping you are probably looking at a 2 mile route (if you base this on an average 4mph speed)
Check out MapMyRun to map potential routes in your area.
Staying close to home is quiet a comfort in the earlier stages.
When I did w1r1 for the first time I ran round and round a football pitch with my baby parked in the middle of it!! I must have looked a bit strange!
What a lovely image! Maybe looked strange but very sensible. I think it is fantastic all you parents taking your children along with you. Brilliant stuff!
And how keen you must have been because it cannot have been terribly interesting going round and round the pitch!
Severely boring, wasn't even a pretty area either but I was determined to do it and the pram she was in just wasn't suitable for running with at the time.
I think you are ace!
If you can't find a suitable circular route, you can always do "there and back" and turn round half way through and head for home.
It's no bad thing to end up a bit further from home than intended as you can add it to your cool down walk. Makes you look a bit less odd than having to run up and down a bit of road near your house - which is what happens to me sometimes when I "run out" of route.... (OK, so I could go past and then walk back for my cool down walk, but that would involve quite a steep hill so I tend to avoid that option)
My routes are always based on avoiding as many hills as possible. Usually I run until Laura tells me I'm half way through and then cross over and retrace my steps on the other side of the road. Not very exciting but at least I've never been late for work because I've run too far!
I started off running round a little wood near my place of work so no one I live near would see me. Also it was nice and flat.
I do a circular route around the lake in our local park generally. Sometimes I run near the river embankment and use a bridge to cross the river then go back home down the other side. Another run I do is 'there and back' where I turn round just slightly over half way and run back. I guess it depends what sort of area you are, whether there are any paths, parks, etc. that you can use regularly not too far from home. I'm lucky where I live but do appreciate that other people may not have such good 'facilities' near their homes. Good luck with your first run this evening and best wishes.
First Park Run tomorrow
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First run of new term!
First consolidation run
