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Hello and happy holidays! I’m excited for a low-key Christmas in London, just Dustin, me, and the pups…But we’re not there yet!
Let me first recap this past week of training for the Barcelona marathon (and life in London as an American transplant!)
Here’s how this past week went; it was a fun one!
Monday: Total rest (other than dog walks and commuting.) I had run my long run the day before with some marathon pace intervals, so a rest day was appreciated.
Tuesday: Run commute, 4.25 miles, followed by the last office run of 2023! 3.1 miles with the group (St. James and Green parks), giving me 7.5 miles on the day. Pilates reformer after work
Wednesday: Workout Wednesday! Warm-up, 4x1200m, 3 min jog in between, then 4x400m with 1 min jog in between, cool-down for 9.2 miles total, Pilates reformer after work.
I’ve heard from non-runners that its weird that we talk about “workouts” with running when they think all running is a workout; honestly, running is such a big part of my life that I don’t really think of it as exercise, which is weird- it’s just what I do (and love!)
I noticed after the run how dirty my ‘trainer’ is; actually, almost all of my running shoes are a mess! I don’t mind the rain + milder temps here (compared to Minneapolis) but it sure is muddy.
Thursday: Morning run with the WMN run group (with the MOST incredible sunrise over Tower Bridge- just breath-taking!) + a jog into the office for 6.2 miles total.
Seriously, stunning.
The other women who were at the run are Londoners, who probably don’t even notice the views as much as me, but even they were blown away by the incredible colors. So pretty.
Thursday was a busy day at the office- but not because of actual work, just fun stuff! My colleague and I had a “holiday” class booked at 1Rebel (the Reshape class that is like Barry’s Bootcamp, with a mix of treadmill and strength) followed by a team lunch at Dishoom with a White Elephant gift exchange, and then a happy hour and ANOTHER White Elephant gift exchange after work with the group I sit near; not the most productive day, but definitely fun, from sunrise to sunset- i.e. from the incredible morning run + sunrise, to the bonus workout with a colleague into the evening with a happy hour.
Friday: Even though it was a long day the day before, I was up early to get in a 7 mile run before walking Ruth to the vet for a teeth cleaning. All went well (it was her first time having her teeth cleaned) and her teeth are looking great! After work, I did some Caroline Girvan core and upper body strength.
Saturday: A much longer long run than planned, with 18 miles; 12 miles with the WMN run group, but I ran to the meeting spot at London Bridge and I ran home afterwards. It was all very easy conversational pace, so I’m not too worried about the higher mileage. There were lots of stops for photos and whatnot too, so overall didn’t feel very hard on the body. It was a really lovely group of women and I really enjoyed running with them (though I am by far the oldest and often feel my age in conversations with them!)
Saturday evening, we had dinner at Zaika in Kensington, and then walked to Royal Albert Hall for their Christmas Carols event. It was so fun and festive! The Royal symphony and the Royal choir performed for most of the songs, but for a few of the carols, the audience was encouraged to participate via a sing-along.
It was really lovely! We will definitely go again next year. And the Royal Albert Hall is just a beautiful building.
Sunday: Dustin, Ruth (our dog), and I ran 4.6 trail miles in muddy Hampstead Heath before taking both dogs on the train to Victoria Park in East London to meet up with two friends and their pup, Bernie! Matilda did so well, bouncing around like she used to. My heart just bursts to see her living her best life again!
All 3 dogs were very tired after a few hours at the park.
This evening, we are planning to attend the Kenwood House Christmas lights trail (right in Hampstead Heath) that was rescheduled from last weekend due to high winds- tonight will be much better weather as it’s dry and 55F/12C.
Summary: 55 miles of running, 2 Pilates reformer classes, a 1Rebel class and 1 other strength session on my own. A solid week of fitness, with lots of fun social events!
As I mentioned, Matilda’s recovery from her splenectomy is going so well; she still struggles a little bit on the stairs at our place (her back legs just don’t have the same strength anymore), but she’s back to her walks and bouncy self; she is even allowed off-lead again and she’s very happy. So glad we went through with the surgery.
That’s a wrap! I’m linking up with Running on the Fly and Confessions of a Mother Runner; check out their blogs to connect with other fitness bloggers for workout ideas and inspiration!
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