By Hayden Shearman // We all know that the most romantic thing you can possibly do on Valentine's Day is meet up with that special someone at some place nice and then get very sweaty together … [cough] … by going running. Here are my top spots for running in London this Valentine's Day: 

Hampstead Heath, perimeter 8.0mi (13k)
Lose yourselves in acre-upon-rolling-acre of woodlands and lakes. The views from Parliament Hill and the Pergola (West Heath) provide ideal picnic material, if only it wasn't February and so flipping freezing! 
Pros: Great views and great for romantic explorations. 
Cons: Some trails will be muddy. He or she may not like that, so be careful how you frame the comment "let's get dirty today". 

Home Park (Hampton Court Park), perimeter 5.0mi (8k)
The quieter of the Royal Parks, this is the ideal spot for some deep-and-meaningfuls while jogging through the gently waving grasses, past the glistening Long Water as herds of grazing wild deer watch you run by. 
Pros: Solitude (relatively speaking) and opportunity for a sweaty snog in front of a palace.
Cons: Your date may not be into sweaty snogs (pre-run snogs are usually your best bet). 

High Elms Country Park, perimeter 2.3mi (3.6k)
A nature reserve amongst sublime Bromley countryside. Start with a lap of the High Elms Trail and then run south to Charles Darwin's House where you can elaborate on the evolution of your love for each other (better not mention anything about survival of the fittest though). 
Pros: Feels a world away from the hustle and bustle of the city. 
Cons: Is a world a way from the city by the time you've caught the train to Chelsfield and then jogged 2.0mi to the park (might want to take the car to this one!). 

Valentines Park, perimeter 2.0mi (3.2k)
This east London park (in Ilford) has 50ha of formal parkland, a boating lake, plenty of ducks to feed, a palace, and two lovely cafes to grab brunch. Plus Wanstead Park is just 0.6mi to the west, meaning you can take your date on a big adventure through the southern reaches of Epping Forest and finish at this cute spot. 
Pros: Everything you'd expect from a park bearing this name. 
Cons: Everyone else in Redbridge will probably bring their Valentine here as well. 

Greenwich Park, perimeter 2.0mi (3.2k)
Nothing says "I love you" like running to the end of the world for the love of your life. Here you can technically do just that by running to our planet's longitudinal zero. Also add-on a trip under the Thames via the foot tunnel near the Cutty Sark. And if you're all starry-eyed, why not top off your run with a visit to the observatory?
Pros: Greenwich has that royal air about it that shows how much you care for your prince or princess. 
Cons: Don't try to beat your Valentine to the top of the hills—this is not the time to impress them with your incredibly advanced VO2max … save that for later… [cough]. 

By Hayden Shearman // When I was researching for the Runner's Guide to London I had the unfortunate coincidence of dealing with a rather nasty case of ulcerative colitis (inflammatory bowel disease). WARNING: graphic descriptions and mild toilet humour to follow. 

For about two years of my running life, going for a run meant getting the runs. My runs were either fartlek dashes between restrooms or cross country bush bashing between shrubbery with suitably-sized leaves. 

During this phase of having an over-active gut, the Royal Parks were a haven. A toilet block every mile is standard for most Royal Parks and they are well-maintaned, clean and tidy, and, most of all, open when they say they'll be open (I wish I could say the same for other London parks). 

However, the Royal Parks are feeling the pinch on their pennies. The £1.5million yearly bill to keep these, often life-saving, toilets clean and functioning has become too much. Faced with the option of shutting them or charging for their use, thankfully they've chosen the later, slapping us users with a relatively minimal 20p fee (beginning Feb 2015). 

At the height of my colitis mis-adventures nature could call 5-10 times in one run. So doing the math, I'd be looking at £1-2 for toilet breaks every single run. Ten runs a week and I'd need a bum bag just to carry all the 20p coins I'd need for emptying that same bum. 

Of course, my case was pretty extreme, and thankfully my bowels have settled down now. But the main issue for us runners is just the practical logistics of needing to carry 20p every time we head out the door with the trainers on. 

Where do you put that 20p? Under your inner sole? 

Rattling around in a jacket or shorts pocket? 

Or do you drill a hole through the 20p coin and tie it to your laces? Would this even work in the paying machine? Is it legal to drill holes in coins? 

And what about if it's just number-ones? Do you save your coinage for number-twos and just find a large enough bush? 

Children's toilets will still be free in Royal Parks, so you could always run with a small child in a buggy. Then get them to mind the buggy while you "inspect the loos". 

Anyway, jokes aside, I must commend the Royal Parks for not making the disastrous move to board up the bathrooms for good and also the fact they've kept the fee low. And the majority of public toilets in London do already carry a small charge (10p to 50p seems to be the norm), so it's not that different to what we already manage elsewhere. 

But this carrying coins situation certainly presents a few extra logistical challenges for the runner.

Do you carry pennies for your peeing or do you just use the bushes? Share your tips below ...

Read the Royal Parks' official announcement. 

Hayden Shearman is the author of the Runner's Guide to London.