12 Weeks Until the Dublin Marathon

Welcome to August! This summer is flying by…the Dublin marathon is now 12 weeks out, and Medoc is only 4 weeks out. Can’t wait!

It was a solid week of training before a cutback next week- here’s how it went down:

Monday: 7.4 miles before work in the rain; it wasn’t pouring, but I was definitely pretty soaked by the end! Core after work.

Tuesday: 7.4 miles with 4×5 minutes moderate, 2 min jog in between. Upper body strength + core after work. Gorgeous sunshiny morning in London! It seemed like every other day was gorgeous then raining, gorgeous, then rainy…

Wednesday: Run commute with my colleague Tina – we both jogged from our respective homes to a central meeting place at the Chalk Farm tube station and then ran into the office, 4.75 miles total.

We arrived a bit early for the office group run, so we did an extra mile before joining the group for a social 5k through Green/St. James’s parks, 9.5 miles total for the morning. Great way to fit it all in. Lower body strength after work + core.

Thursday: I am loosely following a marathon training plan I found on the London marathon website and it often has “steady state” runs, which they define as faster than recovery pace, but slower than marathon pace.

I planned to do a steady state run, but I brought Ruth and we ended up just picking it up in the middle (7:48, 7:37, 7:34) within Regent’s Park, but it felt good. Another beautiful London morning. It’s been a cooler summer in London than I believe it normally is in August, which makes for great marathon training.

Regent’s Park is so green and pretty!

Friday: Rest from running. I had an annual wellness check, a benefit through my work, so I wanted to be fully rested and hydrated (for all the blood draws). I also had to fast, so it worked out well for it to be my rest day.

It was the first time I’ve had an EKG, which had my resting heart rate at 38, which is quite low, even for a runner. The doctor is sending the results to a cardiologist to see if there is any reason for concern. I also have to come back for a mammogram and full mole check (I am a fair skinned and mole-y person with a history of skin cancer in the family. And a history of breast cancer, which means I can get a mammogram here at 41.)

I was in the office ALL five days this week, which I think might be a first for me since moving to London! But the doctor’s clinic is near the office, so it made sense just to head in afterwards.

Saturday: Another long run Saturday. This time I ran from Hampstead (north) to Battersea Park (south of the Thames). Hampstead to Battersea was just over 6 miles, then about a lap or so of Battersea park plus some mileage exploring Battersea Power Station (which is now a train station and shopping/restaurant complex, though I only checked out the outside.) 18 miles total.

18 miles total, 3 gels, a bottle full of Liquid IV. I did feel better with 3 gels than last week (thanks Jenny for the reminder to fuel more!)

Sunday: A 7 mile run solo in the morning before before taking both pups to see Barbie!

Yes, seriously, there are dog-friendly viewings at the Picturehouse theaters in London. The viewings and tickets are limited (usually early on a Sunday), they keep the lights up, offer water bowls and blankets for the dogs, as well as dog treats. It’s adorable. Read more HERE.

(While I ran, Dustin wore the girls out playing at the Heath- we wanted to make sure they were fully exercised and tired before going to a movie and they mostly slept on our laps the whole movie, even when other dogs were barking.)

Several of the Picturehouse theaters offer dog friendly screenings. There were a few closer to us that were already sold out, so we ended up taking the train to Crouch End. I was so happy the dogs seemed to enjoy their big adventure!

Summary: 57 miles of running, 2 days of strength, attempt at daily core.

Next week will be a bit of a cutback as we are heading to Corfu (one of the Ionian Greek islands) for a short vacation. It’s been quite some time since Dustin and I took a relaxing beach vacation. So many of our holidays revolve around marathons! Or snowboarding… it’s definitely about time to relax on a beach for 4 nights/5 days.

We plan to run while there, but it will probably be a shorter long run, like 12-14 miles hopefully, depending on how Dustin’s hamstring is feeling. I’ve done some research on where to run, so I think we’ll be just fine running there, though it will be HOT!

And here’s a picture of both pups enjoying an evening walk at the Heath:

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!