One of the cooler things that I did when I was in London were the night runs I went on before it got too cold and rainy. It started out of necessity, since I had promised myself that I would work out everyday during my time abroad, but I would often leave it until the last minute of the day to do any sort of exercise. I also had this feeling that even though I was living in this cool city abroad, I was not exploring enough of it and really taking advantage of being somewhere foreign.
London is a fantastic city to see at night and I was lucky enough to be living in Zone 1 (the touristy area of the city). I remember the first time that I decided to really use the runs as a way to explore beyond the set path I had mapped out. I decided that I was going to run along the Thames to Parliament and Westminster, crossing the Millennium Bridge on the way there, and then simply take the Tube back to my apartment. It was one of the coolest experiences I had while over there, seeing everything at night and just basking in all the different lights. At the end when I stopped and stared at Big Ben, I had what I like to call a “moment of perfection”. The endorphins rushed through my head, the air was cool but not cold, and a thinning but still very present crowd of tourists milled about and took pictures. All I could think right then was that everything was amazing.
At that moment, I didn’t want to be anywhere else or to be living anyone else’s life.
I had done night runs on UT’s campus before and I definitely felt safe doing that but this seemed a little different because it was a city and not just a campus. It was all lit up, though, so I thought “Why not?” After the first time I did it I was hooked and never looked back. I want to do night runs in other cities now, and I would absolutely recommend them to anyone who wants to explore their city and add a bit more adventure to their life and experience abroad.
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