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If you missed my recap of the Vienna Marathon, catch up HERE!
I’m going to quickly recap what I’ve been up to the past two weeks since the race. I feel like I’ve been diligent about recovery! Here’s my recap:
Monday, April 24: Winery tours in Wachau Valley in Vienna!
Tuesday, April 25: Early flight back to London from Vienna, Iron Strength upper body strength training after working a full day.
Wednesday, April 26: Some core, barre, and stretching on Peloton, mostly rest.
Thursday, April 27: Barrecore class before work- my first time at the Barrecore studio right down the road from our flat.
Friday, April 28: Barrecore class before work, Peloton Studio tread class after work! We took the 30 minute interval run with Joslyn. Dustin even agreed to try it! It was both of our first runs post Vienna, but just 30 minutes, so not too bad.
Taking a tread class at the Peloton studio is a fun experience, but it does take a lot of time, as you have to be there 45 minutes before the class starts. So there’s more waiting around than actual running! I will probably only go back if someone else wants to do it; it’s fun, so if I have a visitor who is really into Peloton, I’ll definitely go back, just won’t make it a regular thing.
Dustin was a good sport even though the class isn’t totally his thing, but he’s glad he experienced it.
Saturday, April 29: 4.7 mile trail run with Dustin and Ruth in the Heath, 6 mile walk with both dogs on a beautiful London Saturday!
They were both very tired afterwards!
We had dinner at Berenjak Borough, an Iranian restaurant- very good! Will definitely go back.
Sunday, April 30: Barrecore class, then the “Beyond the Streets” exhibit at the Saatchi Gallery in Kensington. Very interesting!
Monday, May 1: Spring Bank Holiday! Dustin, Ruth, and I ran 7 miles together and then I ended up working most of the day; that’s what happens when its only a holiday in the U.K. (though not next Monday, as we have visitors for the coronation!)
In the early evening, we went to this “Portraits of Dogs” exhibit at the Wallace Collection in Marylebone. Really neat if you love dogs like I do!
There was a bonus exhibit called “The Queen and her Corgis.” Really lovely.
We had dinner afterwards at the Chiltern Firehouse, which is a swanky place that apparently Taylor Swift loves when she is in London, but honestly I didn’t love it- food was overpriced and only so-so. Maybe fun for a drink, but not dinner…
Tuesday, May 2: I joined my colleague again at Barry’s Bootcamp in SW1. The class is always a mix of tread and strength, like Orange Theory Fitness without the rowing. This particular class was focused on lower body, which was probably a mistake so close to Vienna. My legs were not having it!
A post-class smoothie was a nice treat though.
My legs were sore and were only more sore afterwards! It didn’t help that in the evening, I ran 8 miles. Too much for one day.
Why did I run 8 miles in the evening after Barry’s bootcamp in the morning? I made a promise to myself that I would finally try a new-to-me run club, the Mornington Chasers after Vienna, so I held myself to it.
Their meeting location is less than a mile jog from our flat. They do easy runs on Tuesdays, track workouts on Thursdays, Parkrun on Saturdays, and long runs on Sundays…Brits sure love their Sunday long runs; I much prefer Saturdays, but I may have to switch.
I am proud of myself for trying it out, but to be honest, it’s a real challenge for me to run in the evening (they meet at 7:15 pm). My work is busy later into the night and its also difficult to coordinate between Dustin working long hours and the dogs needing walks/dinner. And physically I find it harder to run at the end of the day. Excuses, excuses, but I just don’t know how often I will join during the week, but it was a really great group of people- very friendly, all different levels of runners from sub 7 min mile pace to beginner couch-to-5k runners.
There were probably 60-70 people there; at the start, members will stand up and volunteer to lead a run, saying “I’m running 6 miles at a 9 min/mile pace” or similar and you join a group that’s running something close to what you want to do and the leader will make sure the group stays together.
I know that a run club is the best way for me to build a community and make more friends, so I will have to adjust to occasional evenings runs, despite my plethora of excuses…
Wednesday: Whew, I was so sore and so tired from the combo Barry’s/Lower Body + 8 mile run, but I had promised my colleagues I would be there for a morning social run, so I shuffled slowly to work via a run commute of 4.4 miles (at about an 11 min/mile pace- slow for me, but that’s what I could manage), then joined the group for a 3 mile jaunt through St. James and Green Park, where we admired all the prep going on for the coronation this weekend.
Thursday: Barrecore before work; barrecore is another promise I made to myself (lots of promises in this post, to myself and to others, ha!) There is a studio less than 1/2 mile down the road, so I bought a package of classes and I’m going to try to go at least once a week; I did a lot more than once a week to start, but that’s because I’m not running as much right now. (Also hoping to meet some friends through barre too!)
Friday: I did an 8 mile run before work, some core and stretching on Peloton. Ruth and I ran a route through Hampstead to Swiss Cottage to Primrose; we passed by a lot of schools and all the kids were dressed up in “Coronoation” clothes- crowns and princess gowns. It was adorable!
Saturday: Coronation weekend; our friends arrived from the U.S.! You may remember my friend Julie that I used to run with a ton in Minneapolis:
She and her husband and another couple arrived in London to stay with us for three nights before heading to France for a longer holiday. So great to see them!
Sunday: The plan is to run with Julie and her friend Heather! I will come back to update this post after the fact.
Summary:
The week after Vienna: just the Peloton class and one short trail run, so maybe 7 miles of running.
Two weeks after Vienna: a bit more running- about 35 miles.
Ruth and Matilda are coronation ready!
We probably won’t bring them with us to the festivities as it’s going to be very crowded, but I did buy them coronation cupcakes from a dog-bakery in Kensington!
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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