Can you believe 2023 is coming to an end today?
I feel like this year went so quickly. It was our first full year of living in London! I hope to publish a short recap of some of the highlights (and maybe some lowlights) of the year soon.
But first, let me dive into my regular weekly recap of training for the Barcelona marathon in 11 weeks (and life in London!)
Monday: Christmas Day! Dustin, Ruth, and I ran 7 miles together; London was a bit quieter than a normal morning, but there were still a fair number of runners out around Regent’s Park- and lots of dogs out for walks in Christmas jumpers!
I followed up the run with core and stretching before diving into the Christmas celebrations; my right IT band (by the lower outer knee) is bugging me a little bit, so I’m going to be diligent about doing the 12 min Dead Bug core workout every day (the Caroline Girvan one) and a bit more stretching post-run.
Tuesday: Boxing Day celebration at the track! I ran 2 miles to warm-up, then 6x1200m as close to 7 min/mile as I could (mostly around 7:10) with a 2:30 recovery walk/jog in between, cool-down to 10 miles total.
It was a tough one! Followed it up with core and stretching. I do really like doing speed on the track though, its fun and goes by quicker it seems!
Wednesday: I was tired after the track workout the day before; I did a 5.25 recovery jog around the perimeter of the Heath with Ruth. Over lunch, I went to a new-to-me Pilates studio called “Heartcore;” the Hampstead studio (there are several locations) is just a short walk from our place.
The class was a bit faster paced than some of the other Pilates reformer classes I’ve taken here- it was more like a Solidcore class (which I used to do in the U.S.). I hope to alternate this studio with the other two I’ve been going to, which are a bit more traditional.
Thursday: I woke up with a bit of a cold and decided to take a rest day, which was good as my dad arrived from Heathrow much earlier than he thought he would. He navigated public transport very quickly (way to go Dad!) and was at our front door by 7:30 am!
He chilled with the pups while we worked in the morning, and then over lunch, we walked about a mile to the Highgate Cemetery for a tour. It’s so close to us, but we hadn’t yet taken the tour (mostly because dogs aren’t allowed and we often are taking walks with them, not without), but having a visitor gave us the reason to check it out. The cost is £18/person for a guided highlights tour. Read more about this cemetery HERE. It was quite interesting!
This is Karl Marx’s grave:
We walked to the top of Parliament Hill after the tour for a lovely view of the city.
There were lots of strolls with the dogs in the Heath (so muddy!)
That evening, we took him to one of our neighborhood pubs for dinner, the Wells Tavern.
Friday: Dustin, Ruth, and I started the day with a 7 mile run. We both took off of work to spend the day with my dad; since he was here last March, he had already done a lot of the traditional touristy things. He really didn’t have anything particular on his agenda this time other than just spending time with us, so it was a much more low-key visit- lots of time in Hampstead, particularly in the Heath with the dogs.
We did decide to check out the Imperial War Museum with him, as neither Dustin nor I had been ourselves.
We took our time exploring the WWI and WWI exhibits; the museum is free, so we didn’t feel like we had to see it all, but we saw quite a bit! Then we went to Mercado Metropolitan at Elephant & Castle, which is a big market with lots of food vendors; we grabbed lunch there- and some gelato!
Then we took the tube back to Hampstead for more strolls through Hampstead Heath with the dogs. My dad is a huge dog person and was happy to spend lots of time walking (and then snuggling!) with the girls.
Saturday: Dustin and I left my dad at home to relax while we did our long run together. Actually, he took Matilda for a short walk, and then took Ruth for a very long walk around Hampstead while we were gone!
My long run had a workout in it: 2 mile warm-up, 3×3 miles at marathon effort with a 1/2 mile recovery jog in between, and then 2 miles to cool-down for 14 miles total. It was a little tougher than I had hoped, but it was great to have Dustin for company.
We quickly showered and headed to Westminster Abbey to take the tour there, but unfortunately they were totally sold out! We should have planned ahead. The same was true of the Churchill War Rooms! Instead, we just walked around central London a bit, visited my office, had a late lunch at Farmer J, and then went back to Hampstead for a bit more walking.
That evening, we headed to Hammersmith (west London) for a play; before my dad had decided to visit, I had already purchased tickets to see Woody Harrelson in a play called “Ulster American.” I was able to snag one single ticket for him to join us, though he wasn’t seated with us. We took the tube out to Hammersmith for a traditional pub dinner at the Dove Hammersmith before the play; just a lovely evening overall, so great to have my dad here!
I had read the screenplay for Ulster American beforehand, so I knew what we were in for, but I don’t think Dustin or my Dad had any idea- it was good- a very dark comedy. The female lead is from the show Derry Girls (which I loved) and Andy Serkis played Gollum on Lord of the Rings.
Sunday: Our last morning with my dad; he was only here for a short time, just 3 nights, but it was still really lovely to have him visit. He was out the door by 7:30 am to head to Heathrow; Dustin, Ruth, and I went for a 6.2 mile run after he departed.
I am heading to another Heartcore class shortly. We don’t have too much planned for our New Year’s Eve tonight- we will probably cook a nice dinner and then walk up Parliament Hill like we did last year to see all the London fireworks, if we make it to midnight!
Summary: 50 miles of running, 2 Heartcore classes, lots of walking with my Dad! Such a lovely but short visit.
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!
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