Hello! I’m back with a weekly recap of training. My next marathon will be Vienna (Austria) on April 23 (same as the London marathon).
The Vienna marathon is 20 weeks away- a bit too far to say I’m “marathon training” already. Instead, I’ll consider this period my off-season, with running (of course) and a bit more strength training.
I hope to do some shorter distance racing between now and Vienna, starting with a 10k that I did today (read on for more!)
(Also, if you missed it, I shared a recap of our long weekend trip to Budapest, Hungary!)
Here’s how this week went in fitness and life!
Monday: 5.2 mile run around Primrose Hill (with a bonus lap UP Primrose Hill- never gets easier!)
Per Jenny’s recommendation, I’ve started the Iron Strength weight training program with Caroline Girvan on YouTube. I’m still keeping my Peloton digital membership, but I was attracted to the idea of a program to follow, vs. hobbling together my own strength plan on Peloton. I am still trying to do daily 10 min of core on Peloton, but for at least the duration of this program, I’ll be heading to YouTube for my strength (and its free, which is a great price!) I may still fit in Peloton classes where it makes sense, but I’m enjoying the change for now.
Today’s Iron Strength was quad-focused, about 30 minutes. Lots of lunges!
Tuesday: 8 mile run around Regent’s Park.
Wednesday: Run commute with my colleague Tina; she lives nearby in a neighborhood called Kentish Town, so we met up at the Chalk Farm tube station (about a mile jog for me) and ran into the office.
We took a more direct route than I normally would, so it was just 5.25 miles total. Apparently, there is an even more direct route that would be around 4 miles. Good to know!
Tina is a Brit; she’s done 11 marathons and has lots of tips on the local running scene (I hope to check out her running club soon!)
That evening, I did the Iron Strength shoulders and triceps class, about 30 minutes. Triceps are still sore!
Thursday: 8.5 mile run with some 400m repeats in there; most of the 400m repeats I did on the outer circle of Regent’s, but then I did a few of them on a cinder track right by Regent’s (open to the public.) I should have probably done all of them on the track as it was a bit more fun!
The Parliament track to which I bought an annual pass, which is right by our flat, is not lit up at al during the winterl, so I haven’t been going there though I could probably try with a head lamp…but this cinder track is a nice option and is about a 2 mile jog from our flat, so its light enough there by the time I arrive plus there are nearby streetlamps.
I also saw the giraffes (at the London zoo, some parts you can see from the road) while running Regent’s this morning! Always a treat when they are out and about.
Thursday was a late evening of work (about 10 pm.) I’m technically working London hours at my job, but unfortunately it often turns into US hours as that is when a lot of the action takes place. I don’t mind it …occasionally.
Friday: Finally a wfh day. Ruth and I did a quick 3 mile run to burn off some of her energy as we had a plumber coming over to fix our outdoor water (so we can finally have our garden cleaned up!) The plumber hates our dogs, so I knew they’d have to stay in the office with me while he was here. As much as London is overall friendly, I have still encountered a number of people who really dislike dogs, more than I knew in Minneapolis.
Saturday: 5 mile run with Dustin and Ruth, followed by some time at the Heath for both pups to run around, then a walk to the UPS store to mail a big package for a friend, and then we met some new friends to watch the US/Netherlands football game at a pub. Sad that the US is now out of the World Cup as its been fun to cheer for them!
Sunday: A 10k race at Regent’s Park! Dustin and I jogged to the start (2.7 miles), ran the 10k, and then jogged home for just under 12 miles total. Definitely my longest run since the Porto marathon 4 weeks ago!
The 10k is part of a winter series put on by a local running club, the Mornington Chasers. They will host the same 10k every month until March. I definitely hope to do another one!
I was happy enough with my time 4 weeks post-marathon, which was a 47:30, or a 7:42 min/mile average. It will be fun to see if I can improve that time on the same course in the future.
They handed out reindeer ears at the finish!
And..it’s quite nice for this Minnesotan to be running in shorts in December! And look at that green grass.
They served non-alcoholic beer (by a brand called UNLTD) and mince pies.
It was a nice, well-organized, flat 10k. Glad we did it! Dustin ran a 38:36 and was pleased with that time, (6:15 min/mile I believe; not a PR for him either.)
It was lovely to be able to run to and from the race as well.
Summary: 46 miles of running, 3 Iron Strength classes, daily 10 min core on Peloton
Other updates on London life? Let’s see…Ruth is still loving her weekly adventures at Bruce’s Doggy Daycare! She isn’t having any trouble making new friends, ha!
Matilda keeps a slower pace with life, with lots of naps, but she does love running off-lead at the Heath (almost every day, even after work when its dark!)
It rains a lot in London in the winter, but I appreciate not having to stress about ice, at least not so far. The forecast does show temps below freezing next week, so maybe things will get a little slick out there.
I have noticed that the sun sets earlier here than Minneapolis in the winter. It honestly starts to go down around 2:30-3 and then its pitch black by 4. I look forward to that changing back in the spring! It does help with morning runs though, as I generally don’t need a head lamp (or head “torch” as they call it here!)
I do miss my Minneapolis friends and my family; it was weird not being with my family for Thanksgiving, as that is generally our big family celebration, and it was the first since my mom passed. I am enjoying London, but I will be honest that not every day is a pure joy; life anywhere never is, is it? I try to focus on the things I really like about living here, but there are definitely things that were better in Minneapolis- I’m tempted to write a post about it, but I feel like it would come off as ungrateful, so I’ll put a pin in that one for now…
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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