I’m back! I missed my recap last week, but I’m going to quickly zip through a training recap. You can also read all about my recent trip to Lapland (Northern Finland) on this post. Check it out!
Training has been a bit secondary to travel, but I’m now 16 weeks out from Vienna and ready to get a bit more focused! Here’s how things have been going:
Week of Dec. 19-25
Monday: 7 mile run before work, Iron Strength day 16 / Hamstrings after work
Tuesday: 7 mile run before work, Iron Strength day 17 / Upper Body after work
Wednesday: 5 mile run before work + a 5k over lunch with my colleague Nicole
Thursday: WFH so Dustin joined me for a long-ish run, 10 miles with a double-lap of Regent’s Park. Followed the run with Iron Strength day 18 / Glutes.
Shorts and a tank in December!
Friday: Fly to Kittila, Finland! We had to go through Helsinki, Finland from London, so it was a long day of travel. Rest day, though I did get all the steps in through the airports.
Saturday: Rest from running, our first day snowboarding at Levi. It was quite cold that day, but beautiful! That evening, we met up with our friends from Minnesota for a Christmas dinner together (which was pizza & wine!)
Sunday: Christmas morning run with Dustin- it’s our tradition! Just 5 miles on a snow-covered (but not slippery) trail in Levi. I can’t even describe the color blue of the sky; it was stunning and my iPhone probably doesn’t even do it justice!
After a Christmas breakfast with our friends, we headed back to the slopes for another day on the mountain. There were clear skies and though the daylight above the Arctic Circle this time of year is limited, the light that was there was so breathtaking. Absolutely beautiful day. I kept stopping to just say, “WOW. This is so pretty!”
Summary: 37 miles of running, 8 miles of walking, 3 Iron Strength classes, attempt at daily core on Peloton (not perfect). Plus snowboarding!
Week of Dec. 26- Jan. 1
Monday: Rest from running, snowboarding at Levi followed by an overnight at an ice hotel (read more on this post.)
Tuesday: Rest from running; everyone was tired from not sleeping all that well at the ice hotel, so even Dustin took a nap (he’s not a big napper).
That afternoon we did a husky sled ride with Tundra Huskies, followed by an early dinner at Nili Poro, a traditional Lappish restaurant.
Wednesday: An early morning to head to the airport to make our way back to London (via Helsinki again). After returning, I squeezed in Iron Strength day 19 / Full Body. After not strength training for several days, this class left me quite sore! Funny how that works after not lifting for awhile…!
Thursday: Back in London and happy to get back to my regular running routine, 7 miles before work. Legs were definitely fatigued from snowboarding and from travel in general.
Friday: Another 7 mile run before work + Iron Strength day 20 / Arms & Core (loved this one)
Saturday: Back to Saturday long runs, with Dustin again. We did an exploratory route through Hampstead Heath to Highgate to Muswell Hill to Alexandra Palace and back for 12 miles of mud, rain, and hills! It was a tougher long run. I was pretty fatigued afterwards!
Drenched!
It’s been raining a lot in London, so I bought Ruth and Matilda rain jackets from a company called VizslaTea. I used to think dog rain jackets weren’t necessary, but they are in London!
After a busy time in Finland, we didn’t bother making any special plans for NYE, and instead had a cozy night in with the pups, cooking dinner and watching Glass Onion on Netflix.
We did walk over to the Heath and up Parliament Hill to watch the fireworks at midnight, which was pretty cool!
Sunday: 7 mile run with Dustin and Ruth through Regent’s Park and back.
Summary: 33 miles of running, 2 Iron Strength sessions (maybe a 3rd today) and attempt at 10 min daily core on Peloton. 10 minutes of daily core is one of my 2023 goals as well! I think its really helpful for me as a runner, even if just 10 minutes a day.
One of my other random goals is to unsubscribe from 3 email distribution lists a day. Ha! So much junk email.
Well, that’s a wrap! Wishing you a very happy new year. Thank you for following along on my blog in 2022. It was a challenging year in many ways, particularly with the loss of my mom in June and the adjustment to life in London (which has its pros and cons.) I look forward to less of a rollercoaster year in 2023 and I hope the same for you!
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!
That is a lot of miles.
Our weather yesterday as warm enough for shorts too. But I’ll be back to frigid temps soon.
Your training seems to be going well. And love seeing your pictures.
Happy running and happy new year.
Happy New Year to you too Darlene! Hopefully the frigid temps are short lived!
I absolutely loved your pictures from Finland, so after this comment, I’m off to read your post. I showed the photos to my hubs and he was so impressed. What a beautiful experience!
The pups look adorable in their rain slickers. Cocoa would not be having it. She’s just wondering where all the snow went. I’m glad you’re getting some warmer weather in London for training.
Happy New Year!
Thank you Wendy! Yes, it was so pretty in Finland. I’m so happy we had the opportunity to visit!
Your trip looks amazing! LOL on going from an ice hotel to running in a tank top. I love your bright pink shoes!
I wonder if Scooby would tolerate a rain coat? He just gets a big rub down after rainy walks.
Haha, those pink shoes aren’t as bright after a muddy run the other day! Need to wash them…
The girls don’t seem to mind the jackets! I think they keep them warm (and dry.) And less muddy!
The sky does look amazing in your photos. I am off to read about your trip now. Happy New year to you both!
Thanks Deborah, same to you and yours!
Wow- the photos from Finland are incredible. I missed that post but can’t wait to read it today.
You fit in some great training around that trip. Yes, the CG Day #20 is a good one- I’ve repeated it twice now! Sounds like you had a perfect New Year’s Eve, home with the pups- you must have missed them while you were away. I’m excited to see what 2023 has in store for you!
Nice! I’m sure I’ll repeat #20, particularly the core was great!
I did miss my pups while we were gone but we found a great Rover (dog sitter) who took good care of them!
How cool it must have been to snowboard with that amazing sky! And the husky sled ride sounds amazing!
Here’s to a happy, healthy, and fit 2023!
The sky was just so pretty, I don’t know that my pictures do it justice! So beautiful.
Have you really had such warm weather in London or am I weird running in layers and long sleeves with 10 degrees?
Nice job with getting so much running in, and I loved following your Finland trip on Instagram.
Gosh, I think I run kinda “hot”- it was 8 today and I was in shorts and a tank! I get sweaty fast I guess! I guess it’s the Minnesotan in me
Your trip to Finland looks amazing!
And, I have to say that Ruth and Matilda look so cute in their raincoats. I can imagine in London they will get a lot of use!
Wishing you a peaceful 2023.
Aww thanks Michelle! They are pretty tolerant of the coats, I think they keep them warmer (and dry!)
Aww, the doggies look dapper! 🙂 You are having such fun adventures there! I really enjoy reading all about them. The sky and surroundings are simply amazing looking. Happy new year to you!!
Same to you Lisa! I hope this is a great year of running for you!
Finland sounds so fun and looks so beautiful! Great job getting in all those miles while away from your (current) home!
Thanks Kim!
I enjoyed looking at your pictures on Instagram. Truly beautiful! What a wonderful trip you had. We’ve had some nicer weather her for December but I didn’t run in shorts. I would like to because I hate running with so many layers. I hope you have a happy and healthy 2023!
Same to you Zenaida! Happy New Year!
Happy New Year Jessie! Your Christmas trip looks like something out of a fairytale. Love the pups in their raincoats. I still have my giant raincoat from when we lived in the UK. That sucker saw plenty of use!
It was kind of like a scene from Frozen! The trees were just so pretty 🙂
I definitely am happy I bought a raincoat when we first got here!
Happy New Year! Viszlas in raincoats brought the biggest smile to my face <3
Your trip to Finland looked so very amazing. What a great experience.
Oh, I’m so glad their raincoats made you smile 🙂
Happy New Year! Sounds like you have had a great fun-filled past 2 weeks! Your photos from your latest travel adventure are absolutely stunning.
Thanks Kim, happy new year to you as well!
Happy New Year Jessie! Sounds like you and Dustin had a very nice Christmas! So beautiful on the slopes. I hope you get to experience Europe as much as possible while you are out there! Is there an end date to your life in London or can you stay as long as you want?
At least 3 years! But 6 months has flown by!
Lovely to see you’ve run in Muswell Hill, where my best friend lives. Ally Pally is the only parkrun she’s done and we’ve done “together”. I was in London with her on 30 Dec but central/Bloomsbury, I’ll let you know when I’m down for more than an afternoon! Happy New Year!
I’ve not explored Bloomsbury I don’t think!
Muswell Hill was cute but seemed a little hard to get to without a car. Does she have a car?
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