Hello from the United States! We are back in Minnesota for the first visit in exactly a year. I can’t believe we’ve been away for so long, but the first year seemed to really fly by….
Although its a long (albeit direct) flight from London to Minneapolis, I do hope we come back more than once a year going forward.
Here’s how this past week went in training for the Dublin marathon (and in life overall!)
Monday: 7 mile run before work; small summer party after work at a colleague’s beautiful home in Shephard’s Bush (West London)
Tuesday: Run commute to work- 4.5 miles, then a social 5k with the office group, 3.2 miles for 7.7 miles total. Strength training after work.
Wednesday: 6 mile run before work
Thursday: 7 mile run before work with Ruth. Strength training after work.
Friday: Flight to Minneapolis! We flew direct from London Heathrow to Minneapolis/St. Paul.
We landed around noon local time. It was weird being back in our house after a year away; I felt so many emotions- way more homesickness than I expected. There are so many memories tied up in the house that we lived in for 14 years. So many projects; we’ve done so much work to it. We also left last summer right after my mom died, so it felt like I left some of that grief in the U.S. and was able to distract myself with the excitement of moving to London. But then stepping back into our house was…overwhelming.
Combine the emotions of being home with jet lag and I was pretty emotional. Don’t get me wrong, I am REALLY enjoying our London experience, but we did step away from a life that I really enjoyed in Minneapolis too!
I had planned to use the travel day as a rest day, but I decided to go for a short run around 3 pm- in the heat of a July afternoon of course- around Bde Maka Ska. It really did help clear my head- that’s one of the many things I love about running. Though a lap of the lake made me feel quite nostalgic too!
Later that evening, Dustin and I grabbed dinner at Pizzeria Lola, one of our old favorite spots. Just as good as I remember!
I barely stayed awake until 8 pm and then crashed hard.
Saturday: Nostalgic Minneapolis lakes run with some old running friends!
The sky was quite hazy from the wildfires…
We met early, as Minnesota summers are hot and humid. We ran Bde Maka Ska and Lake Harriet, and then down Minnehaha Parkway to the bunny. It’s been awhile since I visited Peter Cottontail on the Trail! Missed you old friend.
15 mile long run done.
After the long run, Dustin and I packed up some smaller bags, grabbed a quick lunch at Zumbro in Linden Hills, stopped at the Athleta store at 50th/France (can’t buy Athleta in London!) and then drove up to the cabin to spend time with Dustin’s family.
Sunday: With Dustin’s injury, I am on my own for cabin running. I managed a 10k on the country roads, which is essentially the cabin into town and back. Dustin did come out in the car to check on me to ensure there were no bear sightings- I have encountered black bears out there in the past! But alas, no bears this year.
Summary: 54 miles of running, daily core, 2 days of strength training. I actually decided to cancel my subscription to Kim Runs the Mitten’s strength training; it’s a good program, but I wasn’t feeling it at the moment, so I think I’ll stick with Peloton and free Caroline Girvan workouts on youtube for now.
In other news, Matilda got a puncture wound on her leg that the vet said came from grass seed. Apparently this is quite common in London. Of course, she’s a dog, and she kept licking it, so she has to wear a cone for awhile as it heals, as well as take an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory. Poor thing! I swear, every time we travel, something happens to the pups right before we leave…
In brighter news, I scored tickets to see Taylor Swift during her Europe tour in Lisbon, Portugal! I did not have as good of luck on the London tickets yet- I’m on the waitlist, but I do have a friend who got a presale code, so hopefully she gets 4 tickets. Fingers crossed!
And here are a few pictures from Ruth’s doggy daycare in the English countryside. So happy she has this great place to go to twice a week!
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!
Welcome home!! Did you say 52 miles!!!!!!???
Congrats on those Taylor Swift tix!!!
My marathon is Nov 5 but my mileage is still very low… I’ll get there but I never run lots of miles each week (I’m older!!)
Every body is different in terms of what mileage and training works, so definitely don’t compare! I like to do a lot of mileage. I’m very excited for you to do NYC again!
I bet it is bittersweet to back in your house and hometown for a few days. Great to run with your friends again I bet. Enjoy your trip and how fun to see Taylor S
My friend ended up with 4 tix for London too, so I guess I’ll be seeing her again!
I can only imagine the emotions that surfaced being at home. It’s tough and probably comforting at the same time.
Poor Matilda. Yeah, remember Bandit get the weird thing on his paw right before we went to Asheville — and no, the vet at the time didn’t see anything else amiss with him . . .at least he didn’t need the antibiotics or the cone of shame (he’s only had to wear that once, for a hot spot).
Those pizzas do look amazing!
I swear, the timing is always the worst with stuff that happens to the pups! So glad to hear Bandit is doing better though!
How exciting! It HAS been a long time since you’ve been home. It must feel weird after so long, and hard to leave the dogs behind (although I’m sure they’re in great hands- Matilda looks so sad with her cone though!) I hope you have fun this week, and once again POOR DUSTIN. Sheesh- I hope that heals up soon.
Yes, its very strange to be at Dustin’s family cabin without the dogs- they always love it here! But I trust the dog-sitter we have, she’s taking good care of them!
Yes, poor Dustin! He’s grump when he’s not running 🙂
I bet it feels so good to be back home! How long will you be here? And I didn’t realize that Dustin is injured. Hopefully nothing serious!
It looks like you got some good mileage this week. Enjoy your time with family!
It’s way too short of a trip- just a week! At the cabin for part, then back in Minneapolis for a few days and then back to London! We would have liked to stay longer, but we have the dogs to worry about back home and getting care for them!
Dustin’s injury is in his hamstring and his physio recommended two weeks off completely…ugh!
Ugh, I feel you – going between “homes” (on two different continents) is hard and always packed with feelings. For me too, even after 20 years in the US. How long are you going to be in London?
It’s tough! We will be living in London for at least 3 years, and its been one year so far.
Oh my gosh! Yay for being home in MN for a bit. Hopefully working through (and running through) all those feelings will be cathartic. Sorry Dustin is sidelined, but he looks pretty comfy in that hammock!
Wow on the Taylor Swift tickets. I’ve heard you can re-sell them for the price of a car, but the friend I know who got them just went to the show. 🙂
Thank you Coco. It’s nice to be home!
Hehe, Dustin was embracing the sleeping in and relaxing at the cabin, that’s for sure!
Yay welcome home! No doubt there were a lot of emotions tied up in coming home. How long will you be in the US? Enjoy your time! And congrats on those Taylor Swift tickets 🙂
Thank you Michelle! We are only home for a week. Definitely wish we had a bit more time, it’s packed!
I’m very excited for Taylor in Portugal!
Welcome back! I can only imagine the emotions of being in your house after being gone for so long. Every time we visit our place in Michigan (which isn’t very often), I get a nasty lump in my throat driving my our house. I hope you enjoy your time back in Minnesota!
Thank you very much Kim!
I was hoping to see some pictures of your green Minneapolis lawn. The ones taken after Dustin cut down all the weeds! It must feel funny to be running around very familiar lakes after being away from them for so long. Kind of like finding a quart of blueberries that you cleaned and put in the back of the freezer several years ago… I’m just sayin’…
Thanks dad- the yard is definitely not blog-worthy, ha!
It felt very nostalgic running the lakes- just like finding those blueberries!
Oh, I imagine there are a lot of emotions built in to coming home.
Poor Matilda. Her face is so sad.
Yay for Taylor Swift tix! I hope you have the best time!
Thank you Jenn. Matilda is healing, but she doesn’t love the cone!
I’m excited for Taylor but its so far away!
Though it was a long time ago, I really know how that first trip back feels. And maybe mine wasn’t including the extra emotion of grief, but nonetheless, that homesickness and nostalgia is a real thing. Are you and Dustin (and the doggos) staying in London for only a certain amount of time or is it long term? I originally went to the Netherlands for 3 years but decided to give my notice before that period was up so that I could get a new job (and new work permit) so I could stay “a few more years”. That was… Read more »
Thanks Renee, it’s helpful to hear about your experience. We will be here at least 3 years- interesting to hear about your “three years” turning into many more!
Enjoy your time in the states! Hope you get to see lots of friends, too, while back in Minnesota.
Poor Matilda, I hope she recovers quickly.
Thank you Debbie!
Hugs to you on the emotional homecoming. It’s wild how a setting can evoke so many feelings. We were married literally 2 months when we moved to the UK and I got to come home every couple of months so I was not homesick. Hope Matilda heals up quickly. Poor sweetie!
I was thrown by how much the setting affected me.
Matilda is healing up! No more cone a week later.
We could go home more than once, but we didn’t have time carved out for it until now-a year is a long time to be away from a place we’ve lived our whole marriage (nearly 15 years!)