Whew, what a week!
This was peak week of training for the Barcelona marathon on March 10th. I will start a 2-3 week taper now, with 15-ish next weekend for the long run, then 10, then the race. Excited for marathon #44!
Here’s how this week went in training (and in life in London!)
Monday: Rest from running. I know some say you can never miss a Monday, but for me, I usually have a long run Saturday and another solid run on Sunday (often with Dustin at a faster than recovery pace), so after a full week of training, Mondays are often a perfect day to take a rest from running and ensure I’m ready for a big week. I did fit in a pilates reformer class at the studio by my office as well as some additional core and stretching afterwards at home.
Tuesday: I recently purchased a WHOOP device- its another watch in addition to my Garmin (I wear them both all the time) that tracks a lot of information about sleep, recovery, stress. It’s fascinating so far! I only have had it about a week, but I set a “PR” in quality sleep on Monday, so it said I was ready to “peak” on Tuesday. Well, that worked out well as I was working from home so that I could do a longer workout in the morning.
2 mile warm-up, 3×2 miles with 3 min recovery jog, cool-down to over 11 miles total. It was rainy and cold and not the most endearing London weather, but I felt strong. I guess quality sleep really does matter!
I had a busy day of work, but stepped out over lunch to walk the dogs. With all the rain, Hampstead Heath (the big wild park near us) is a muddy mess, so there’s lots of toweling off of the pups after eery walk. I’m ready for the London winter rain to be done!
That evening, I went to a Heartcore pilates class. It was a full fitness day with the harder run, a nice dog walk, and then pilates.
Wednesday: Run commute, 4.5 miles, then an office run with a Valentine’s theme! I wore my red lululemon speed shorts and a red tank (vest if you’re British 🙂 ).
Rather than go out (we do plenty of that!), Dustin and I cooked dinner at home and opened a nicer bottle of wine.
Thursday: 7 mile run with Ruth before work.
Friday: 9 mile easy run with my friend Tina. Upper body strength session at home with Caroline Girvan.
Saturday: Longest long run! 22 miles. Dustin joined me for the first 12, where I added in 3×3 miles at goal marathon pace. It felt like 22 miles, if you know what I mean! But the weather was nice, a little drizzly but 58F/14C. Great running weather. And I got in the miles.
That evening, we met some friends at the Spaniards Inn in Hampstead for dinner. Guess who lives next door to the Spaniards Inn? Harry Styles! But alas, he wasn’t at the pub for dinner…
Sunday: Slept in, then ran 7 miles with Ruth and Dustin.
Summary: 64 miles of running, 2 pilates reformer classes, 1 other strength workout
A fun London occurrence that brings me joy every time is dogs on the tube! Look at this big fella. WOW!
This guy was on his way to the tube- dogs have to be carried on the escalators.
Just the best.
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!
Congratulations on making it to your taper! I’ve heard good things about Whoop. Yay on getting such good sleep — that’s really important to running well!
LOL on those dogs! I can’t imagine carrying Scooby on the escalator!
I could never take both dogs on the train at same time due to the escalator! Plus, ensuring they both behave could be tricky, best when each of us have one to manage!
I’m enjoying the Whoops so far- I’m not changing behaviours drastically but I’m definitely focusing on sleep more!
It is amazing that you have completed so many marathons! I am curious if the Whoop shows the same info for your sleep as your Garmin does. I stopped wearing my Garmin at night because it began feeling uncomfortable. My husband and I cooked dinner together at home as well for Valentine’s. I am not a fan of the crowded restaurants on this day! Do you do the Caroline Girvan lower body workouts as well as the upper body? I have tired them but they make me so sore it is hard to run, lol!
I don’t wear my Garmin to sleep, I should have mentioned that. The Whoops is much smaller and not as uncomfortable, and the charge lasts for a really long time, so I pretty much just keep it on and charge my Garmin at night.
Totally agree on the lower body Caroline classes! I like them a lot, but hard to figure out where they fit with running!
Your whoop tracker sounds a lot like my Oura ring. I love all the sleep and HRV data. Congrats on a super solid week of training! Impressive mileage
yes very similar! The HRV and sleep data is great.
Yay for taper time! I’ve not heard of Whoop, but it sounds like it gives you sleep, rest, etc. data kind of likeI get from my Fitbit?
Those dogs are cute. I’d hate to be that lady if she needs to take that huge dog on the escalator. LOL I assume there are elevators also?
I would assume its similar to a Fitbit!
Usually most stations have an elevator option somewhere, it can be hard to find though!
Congratulations on a great running week. I’m not sure the winter rain does ever end though … My best friend has nearly bought a house now so I’m looking forward to some Hampstead Heath walks soon myself.
Oh how wonderful, congratulations to your friend! What neighbourhood is she in? Let me know when you are visiting, I’d love to meet you!
She’ll be near Highgate Tube, on Archway Road, fingers crossed. We WILL meet! I’ll be down for London Marathon again of course too.
Only 4 weeks left, that’s amazing. So this is your 44th marathon? That’s fantastic.
How nice to set a PR with sleep quality! My Garmin is very odd about sleep and many times I don’t agree with it at all.
That’s a great week of running! I can see how making Monday a rest day really makes sense when you do your long runs on the weekend. Enjoy the tapering period!
I’ve found the Whoop to be quite helpful and accurate, or at least it feels that way!
Wow, 64 miles for the week! Amazing. This sure bodes well for Barcelona! i can’t believe it’s only 4 weeks away.
I’ve never heard of the Whoop, so off to go learn about it!
It sounds like its similar to the Oura ring several other bloggers have! I love it so far. Fascinating data particular on sleep quality and need.
Yay for the last long run and now, a taper! I’m still processing what happened with my race and I feel slightly vindicated that you wore a tank top when it was 58 degrees and rainy- so I’m NOT crazy. But it clearly didn’t work out for me- you were definitely moving faster so you kept warm.
Yes, the London tube is the perfect place for a dog lover!
I would definitely wear a tank and shorts in upper 50s and rain-but you were certainly out there longer and an ultra is a whole other thing! I am sorry you had such a rough experience Jenny.
Dang, 64 miles! I sometimes have that range for my monthly miles, LOL. I wish my body could withstand that kind of mileage (truth be told, I’m not sure I’d have the discipline though). Yay for taper!!! You definitely have earned that 😉
Thanks Kim!
I have been more conscious of my sleep ever since I started wearing my Garmin to bed. I do like when it’s happy with my numbers! Will I be seeing your Whoop score on Strava soon? A friend of mine has that listed with her workouts. Maybe she is just adding screenshots in there (I’m not sure!). Sounds like you are more than ready for a taper and a strong race!!
I did not know a tank top was called a vest!
I tried sleeping in my Garmin a few times and I found it a bit uncomfortable, but mine is a bit bigger than other versions. I did not set up my Whoop to publish to Strava 🙂 I like to use Garmin for running. Whoop only has a strain score, not pace or routes. I like seeing routes!
MORE DOGS ON THE TUBE, PLEASE! That big boy is just gorgeous!
You’re in taper! That’s so awesome! Just a few more weeks!
Right? He’s such a big cutie! I wanted to give him a hug.
Congrats on a great peak week and cheers to the taper. Those 22 milers are never fun but they’re worth it! That is a very handsome dog on the tube! I don’t remember dogs riding it when we lived in the UK.
Maybe its just a London thing and not Birmingham? I’m not sure, as it sounds like dogs have always been allowed on the trains! I get a kick out of it and am glad our dogs are relatively well behaved when we bring them and other people seem to enjoy it too. I’m sure there are people who don’t, but there’s usually space to move to another train if they are allergic or something! We would move if someone asked.
YAY on feeling strong and last long run. 44 is going to be amazing.
Sleep really is a huge factor.
I’m going to message you a fun pup on treadmill moment. It’s always a fun sight.
Love that I know exactly where you are with the Albert Memorial and of course Buckingham. Happy running
You know all the London landmarks!
Love the pup that you sent- so cute!