About cycling & running in ReadingReading Training Notes
Running: Locals get plenty done from the Kennet and Avon Canal, the River Kennet, Prospect Park, Thames Valley Park, Woodford Park and Dinton Pastures. The 6km Run Reading route starts from Kings Bridge and goes through Thames Valley Park on mainly flat ground with slight undulations. Prospect Park handles Saturday parkrun, and Thames Valley Park, Woodford Park and Dinton Pastures do the same. Biscuit Town Run Club, Reading Roadrunners, Reading Joggers, Run Ding, Up and Running, Croissant and Sundaze cover the club scene. The Reading Half Marathon starts in Green Park and finishes at the Madejski Stadium, and the Emmer Green 10k sits north of Caversham.
Cycling: Reading Cycling Club gives you the proper mix: evening time trials, social rides, road racing, sportives, audax and cyclo-cross. Reading Cycling Club has promoted cycling in Berkshire since 1974 and has over 200 members. Cycling UK Reading, the new name for Reading CTC, runs road, gravel and off-road rides every week. Cycling UK Reading goes out on Sundays and Wednesdays, with routes designed to avoid main roads where possible. Milestone Way works as a long pedestrian and cycle path. Caversham Heights gives the handy urban lift, while Pond Lane and Church Hill suit hill reps. Locals still say Reading has quite a few stealthy little climbs.
Season: The best training slots are early morning or late afternoon, especially when you want the River Kennet path or Thames Valley Park to feel calm. Summer gives runners firm park laps, canal Z2, and easy post-work intervals from Green Park or the city centre. Summer gives riders more room for social miles, time trials, sportives and audax legs with Reading Cycling Club or Cycling UK Reading. Winter changes the ground first. The routes get boggy when it gets wetter and colder. The towpath south out of town floods regularly in winter, so locals lean on Green Park hard standing, road loops, and steady base miles.
