5 Weeks Until the Vienna Marathon

It was a week…my mom’s birthday was on Tuesday, which was the first one since she died last June. It was a tough day. I miss her every day, but her birthday was particularly tough. (I shared this post last June about running through grief.) I feel compelled to acknowledge the cloud that was hanging over the week for me, before delving into my regular weekly recap.

Miss you mom.

Onward…

Vienna is now just 5 weeks away which means I’m in the peak mileage period of training. Here’s how this week went:

Monday: Recovery 7 miles before work. Crazy windy and even though my standard 7 mile is a loop around Regent’s park, it felt like there was a headwind the whole way!

Tuesday: My mom’s birthday…staying busy helped.

I ran commuted to the office, 4.6 miles, then ran a casual 3.3 miles with my colleagues as part of our monthly run.

After work, I did a full body workout on Iron Strength/Youtube.

Did you know daylight savings time in the U.K. is two weeks after the U.S.? Our clocks will spring forward next weekend, which will mean darker morning runs, but lighter evening walks! The pups are excited for the lighter evenings.

They wear Leuchtie LED collars to help me keep track of them in the park, which have worked pretty well over the dark winter!

Wednesday: I had planned to go into the office, but there was a scheduled London Underground (tube) strike. I’ve mentioned the strikes a lot; this one affected my commute since it was the Underground vs the National Rail service.

I could have run commuted both ways or taken the bus or even a cab, but working from home was the better option. That option also gave me a little more time for a workout: warm-up, 4×5 minutes tempo with 2 min jog recovery, then 5×30 sec strides for 8 miles total.

Thursday: Back to the office! I was up early to run 7 miles before work.

After work, we squeezed in a weeknight dinner out at the nearby Wells Tavern, and brought Matilda along for some special 1:1 time. We brought a little cushioned mat, which helped keep her comfortable.

Don’t worry, Ruth had plenty of excitement that day as well, as she was at Bruce’s Doggy Daycare all day. They sent us this great photo of her there!

Friday: Wfh, so Dustin, Ruth, and I ran 8 miles together with lots of pauses to see the animals that were out at the zoo. It was sunny and 55F/13C, so very much felt like spring. I was quick to drop the long sleeve.

Saturday: After the fun I had with my 20 mile route two weeks ago, I decided to do the exact same tour of London for my 2nd 20 miler of this cycle. Unfortunately this time I had to start in a torrential downpour. It was hard to get out the door but it looked like it would let up eventually, so might as well give it a try.

It was a tougher 20 than the last one; I let myself go really slow and easy, no pressure, just get in the miles. I took 4 Maurten gels- one every 45 minutes or so, as well as nuun in my handheld plus a refill at an M&S I passed with a bottle of Lucozade.

Around mile 17, Dustin caught up with me at Coal Drop Yards. He was running the same 20 mile route, but had started a bit later. At least by that point it wasn’t pouring anymore, just drizzling!

He wasn’t having an amazing long run and asked if I wanted him to run the final 3 with me but I encouraged him to finish at his own pace, as I knew I would probably be slowing a bit more.

I have one more long long run, of 22 miles, in two weeks. Even though I enjoyed the big 20 mile loop tour of London, I think for the final long one, I am going to go back to looping Regent’s and Hyde parks, as it will be a lot less stop-and-go vs this route, which has a lot of crowds and traffic.

After a quick shower and a dog walk, we took the overground train to Islington to warm up post-rainy 20 miler with some ramen at a pop-up restaurant with Ivan Mezeman. New York City readers might be familiar with him, as I think he’s well known there. The ramen was delicious!

On our walk back, we passed the Ottolenghi Islington bakery, so I had to pick up one of the pretty pink meringues there! It’s quite big, so we’re taking our time eating it over the weekend, ha!

After more time with the dogs at the Heath, we finally relaxed a bit. Eventually we made it out to dinner at a place on Primrose high street called Lemonia; we run by it all the time and I was curious to check it out. It’s a Greek restaurant, and was VERY busy, but still had a cozy neighborhood feel. Apparently it’s well known as spot for celebrities who live nearby, but I didn’t recognize anyone that night!

Sunday: Dustin, Ruth, and I ran 7 miles together, and then I went to another physio appointment at One Body London over by Tower Bridge. A longer train ride to get to it but I like their treatments and feel they are worthwhile. The PT worked out some tightness in my lower leg and gave me a few exercises to add into my warm-ups pre-run. Feels better already!

After the appointment, I met Dustin at Camden market for lunch; it’s a cool spot to explore if you ever are in London!

Summary: 66 miles of running (that’s a lot for me!), 2 days of Iron Strength, daily core on Peloton.

In brighter news, my dad, my sister Erin, her husband, and my niece (12) and nephew (14) arrive this Friday for their spring break. They are spending 4 nights in London (my dad is staying with us, my sister & fam have a nearby Air Bnb) and then I am joining them for 3 nights in Paris. I am SO excited to see them, particularly my dad, who I haven’t seen since my mom’s funeral last June. I don’t know that I’ll squeeze in a blog post next Sunday while they are here, but follow along with our adventures on Instagram (jessie_b_runs) for live updates!

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!