Popping Over to See Her Maj' - Good Day To You Ma'am

Wednesday 11th February

Run #40

5k St James Park Lake Loop

Another day, another Runch. Having hardly scratched the surface of runch runs round my office I decided today that I fancied a bit of a jaunt around St James Park. Having only once headed out this way at lunchtime, and that before the Streak, on that outing I'd eschewed St James for the slightly bigger Green Park next door and had spent the majority of the run there and back cursing the sight-seeing masses and myself for even contemplating running in such a tourist-dense location.

But this time I felt there were a couple of differences in my favour: it being London winter, tourist numbers aren't quite what they are in the height of the 2 blisteringly sunny days we get a year. Sticking to St James rather than Green Park would avoid not only the undulations of Green Park, but also the thoroughfare for those heading to Green Park tube station, at the top corner. Additionally, I now know the quiet streets parallel to Buckingham Palace Road so can avoid running the gauntlet in the 500m trundle suitcase hurdles that seem to be in constant relay from Victoria Coach Station.

I was waiting for a work call, so took my phone in hand. I am not someone who ever runs with anything in my hands if I can avoid it. Kit with secret pockets is my nirvana and I have a flipbelt for the days when kit choice leaves me pocket-less. 

So I was surprised to find running with my phone clenched in my sweaty palm far less irritating than expected. It also meant I could maximise on getting stuck behind the odd knot of park-goers and take some photos. If you can't beat them, right? 

St James really is an ornithologists dream: pelicans, white swans, black swans, geese, coots, moorhens and, of course, the ubiquitous London pigeon

  

 Crowd chaos aside there is something I like about running in tourist hotspots. 

Something to do with how polar opposite my day is from theirs I think. There's them; bundled up in all the layers for slow shuffling and bird feeding, with all the joy of being on holiday, irrespective of the weather. Probably from another country, seeing all of this through the context of fresh eyes and guidebook suggestions. Waiting with excited patience for a squirrel to eat some junk food nibblet from an outstretched hand. 

And me: just an average Wednesday. Somewhat immune to the grand architecture and thrill of royal proximity. My murderous squirrel stare-down ready at a moment's notice should one look like it might run up my leg. I love how running through tourists always reminds me to look afresh and actually see my surroundings. To be more present and pay more attention.

Tourists in my way on runs drive me crazy. But without them I might not see half as much as I do.