This is week 10 of an 18-week training plan that will hopefully get me to the marathon start line ready to have an amazing race, and maybe even PR!
We’re in the new year! I’ve published several posts about that this week, so let’s jump into the past week’s training:
Monday, December 30
After a lazy morning (and two quality bathroom visits since I didn’t want to stop during my workout), I went to complete my speed workout, which was 8 miles:
2mi warm up 4 * 1200m @ 5K-10K pace; 400m rest 2mi cool down (where I had to make a very necessary bathroom stop…oh well, it happens!)
I felt sluggish during the 1200m repeats (and worried about having to push the pace at a 10K race in two days), but after looking at my workout after the fact, it went well!
In the evening, some friends arrived, and we went to The Churchill Arms, a very festive and decorated pub…and then to Five Guys. Yay, junk food!
Tuesday, December 31
In the morning, I fueled with krembo and then went for a 5 mile run…the first run in several days that didn’t require a bathroom stop. Krembo for the win! Afterwards, I met up with everyone at Dishoom, an Indian restaurant Lior and I have been wanting to try for awhile. It’s hard to get a reservation, but I finally succeeded–and the food exceeded expectations! We then wandered around Shoreditch for a bit before going home to nap before the main event…
The adult ball pits! Again! Lior and I had so much fun the last time, and when I saw that tickets to their NYE event were only 20 pounds per person and seemed like a good deal, I immediately booked. It was very fun, the drink happy hour deal was great, and it was surprisingly not insanely overcrowded. Happy New Year!
Wednesday, January 1
This morning, I ran the Serpentine New Years Day 10K! Between the warm-up, race, and cool down, I ran 9.6 miles. I came home and napped for a bit, and in the evening we all went to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park! Carnival food and games for everyone!
Thursday, January 2
Today, Lior worked from home, and in the afternoon I completed an 8.4 mile run, making up the .4mi that I missed yesterday because I am neurotic.
Friday, January 3
Happy birthday, Lior! Lior decided that for his birthday, he wants a sous vide machine. We’ve gotten a lot more into cooking during our time in London, so I am excited (granted, not as much as Lior, but then again this would not be my idea of a present…) to experiment with new, tasty food.
I went out for an easy 7 mile run during the afternoon. The temperature was perfect for running (high 40s), and yet my hands were quite cold by the end. I should probably start carrying gloves with me and wearing them during the second half of my runs…
Saturday, January 4
Today, Lior and I wanted to go to a board games bar, but they were fully booked for the day. Instead, we went for Mexican food, and then visited the Imperial War Museum, which was in the area. The museum was fantastic, and although we were there for almost two hours (until the museum closed), we didn’t manage to even finish the WWI exhibit.
Sunday, January 5
Today I ran the Battersea Park 10K, celebrating the 4th anniversary of my first 10K race, with an amazing time of 50:32! Between the warm up run to the race, the race itself, and the cool down, I ran 10.2 miles.
In the afternoon, Lior and I returned to Battersea Park. During my runs I always see people riding recumbent bikes in the park, and today, we were some of those people! It turns out recumbent biking (or just these bikes) is much more difficult than regular biking, but it was still fun!
Total distance: 48.3 miles, 3.3 miles biking
I’m thrilled that I rang in the new year with two strong races, and completed all of my workouts for the week! Now, to take a brief break from racing and how I fare at my races (a half marathon and 10K) at the end of the month.