After the holidays and a trip to Finland, this was a pretty low-key week in London for me! Technically this was also the kickoff of a 16-week training block for the Vienna marathon on April 23, i.e. the race is 15 weeks from today! It was a great time to buckle down and refocus on training. Here’s how things went:
Monday: New Year’s Day holiday, which meant Dustin decided to run with me, 7 miles around Regent’s Park and back. Then I completed day 21 of Caroline Girvan’s Iron Strength program on YouTube, which was leg day + 10 min core on Peloton (which is one of my 2023 resolutions, at least 10 min of core every day!)
Tuesday: Back to the office, back to the grind! I ran 7 very easy miles before work.
Wednesday: Rest day from running, about 3 miles of walking between my commute + dog walks. Day 22 of Iron strength after work, which was chest and back.
Thursday: 8 miles before work with some marathon effort in there; not a great run though, my stomach was not having it…not sure why, as I didn’t eat anything strange. Ugh.
Friday: 5 mile run with Ruth in the sunshine! We ran up to the top of Parliament Hill for the views and back.
Later that day we took a coffee break and walked to Redemption Roasters down the road; Dustin waited outside with the dogs (even though it is dog-friendly, wrangling both of them in a crowd can sometimes be tough!) While inside, I recognized Anne-Marie Duff at a nearby table. I recognized her from Bad Sisters on HBO (great show!) but she was also on the British version of Shameless and others. This was my second celebrity sighting in Hampstead (the first was Ricky Gervais on a run with Ruth through the Heath.) I know, I should have probably said hello vs. taken this incognito photo…next time.
Saturday: 14 mile long run, with about 4 miles in the middle with my friend Katy, who is training for London (same day as Vienna.)
It was about 50 degrees, but rainy and windy (but I am not complaining, as I know Minnesota had record-setting snow this week!)
Dustin and I followed the run with a long wander around Hampstead Heath with the pups. After all that time outside in the rain, I crashed on the couch for a little nap, but then rallied for day 23 of Iron Strength, which was glutes and hamstrings (+10 min core), followed by an amazing dinner at Trishna in the Marylebone neighborhood; “upscale Indian food”- very good!
Sunday: Slept in a bit. Eventually Dustin, Ruth, and I made it out for a 5 mile run. In the rain. Again. We had planned to do 7, but Ruth looked pretty miserable in the rain, so we cut it short. I might do a few barre classes on Peloton + 10 min of core of course to keep up with that NY resolution.
Summary: 46 miles of running, 3 strength training sessions, + 10 min daily core on Peloton.
I’m nearing the end of the 30-day Iron Strength program. I’m not sure what I’ll do next, if I’ll repeat the program, try something new, or go back to Peloton for everything. I’m still a digital member and still do core and some other classes on there! The Iron Strength program was kind of intense (for me), so I don’t know how well it will fit into marathon training…I need to figure that out. I did really enjoy it though. It was a nice change. I’m perfectly comfortable putting together my own marathon training plan, but I do sometimes think about having a strength coach to make sure I’m doing the right amount of strength work to complement rather than hurt my running.
Well, 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!
That’s a great goal. You are very disciplined.
Good luck with your marathon training.
I’m excited to follow along.
Thank you Darlene!
I loved “bad sisters”-how fun to see her sitting in the coffee shop. Not sure I would have recognized her unless she was with her sisters planning their next move 🙂
Sounds like your training is off to a great start!
Glad you enjoyed Bad Sisters as well!
Looks like a good week back in London – despite the rain!
Have you thought of doing the Strength For Runners classes on Peloton? They are probably on the easy side as fas as building strength, but have a lot of single leg and balance work. To get a program you could pretend to do the marathon training plan to see the schedule of strength classes. Or Pelobuddy might have it on their website ….
I’ve tried Strength for Runners and need to get back to them. They are what brought me to Peloton originally!
You’ve had a lot of rain! I need to figure out a consistent core regimen. Last year, I did a couple of programs on Peloton, but got bored with them (though I did stick-it-out for both of the 4-week programs).
I’ll be honest that I’ll take the rain over the snow!
46 miles in a week! That’s impressive. Good luck with continued marathon training!
Thanks Susanne! I enjoy higher mileage but it’s not necessary for everyone. Every runner is different!
I’m so tempted to look into that Iron Strength program once SJ and I finish with my heavy strength program. But it will be nice to do some ‘easier’ lifting for a while!
I love that you are still running in shorts and it’s so green there! I like winter and all, but it’s just too long, lol
I’m not complaining about the shorts & the green! It’s a welcome change for me despite the rain, coming from a runner who broke her leg twice on the ice!
Great week-I can’t believe you did a CG glutes and hamstring workout after a long run! I’ll be interested to see what you do next. Yes, a strength coach would be nice.
Haha well it WAS after a nap!
The rain . . . well it is London, after all! Bandit doesn’t like getting wet. So I ended up finishing one walk without him this week — lots of rain here, too, but happy it’s not snow! I can walk so much further without Bandit . . . .
I’m sure it feels good to start a new training cycle!
Exactly! Rain can’t come as a surprise!
Great week! I often wonder about finding the right amount of strength work to complement my running – a coach would be nice. If you go back to Peloton, there are some good split programs that might be worth checking out.
I will check them out, thanks Michelle!
I love that picture of you holding Ruth! You must be loving running in shorts in January for a change, even if there’s been a bit too much rain for your liking.
I had to click on the link to see just who Anne-Marie Duff is – I’m so out of the loop on all things celebrity. LOL
She’s not super well known but I had recently watched Bad Sisters on HBO so she stood out!
I am sure that Anne-Marie Duff and Ricky Gervais both posted incognito photos of their sightings of Jessie Benson too! Maybe next time they will be bold enough to say hello too! Just sayin’…
Oh dad ☺️
So cool to have celebrity sightings!!
Thanks Erin! Let’s keep our eyes peeled when you’re here again!
Looks like you had a great start to the New Year despite all the rainy weather!
I love that photo with you and Ruth – you are both so photogenic!
Thank you for the nice words Kim!
You’re kicking butt already! I love Ricky Gervais! It would be cool to spot him “in the wild!”
Yes, it was fun- he has a very distinctive appearance too, I recognized him right away. If you love Ricky, you should watch the show Derek on Netflix!
How fun that you saw Ricky Gervais! I love that you are still running in shorts. I cannot wait to do that here. I am excited to follow along with your training. I am amazed at the mileage you do each week.
Well, I definitely run in shorts when many others are in pants, but I am enjoying the milder winters here vs. Minneapolis!
How fun to have a celeb sighting! Your incognito pic is hilarious. As I look at your pics, I’m remembering how mild it is there relative to winter in the Midwest. Looks like a solid week of training!
Yes, it sure is mild compared to this time of year in Minnesota!
Celebrity sightings are so fun! I go back and forth on rain/snow, less wet in the latter but generally not as safe footing wise
Agree with you100%- I appreciate not stressing about footing on every run, as tough as the rain can be mentally.
You’re doing so well as ever! Lovely to see the London pics, too.
Thanks Liz!