ING Hartford Marathon Training: 25 Days

Wow. There are only 25 days between today and my fourth marathon. As I average 2 non-running days per week that means I have less 20 runs left until the marathon – 3 of those being long runs. #holyshit

I’m at the point in marathon training where I love and hate every run. This week I’ve had the sudden urge to push snooze each morning as I figure the real work is done already. But, after each of my runs this past week I’ve felt an amazing excitement and energy for this marathon. Many people told me I shouldn’t run a Fall marathon this year due to the move and acclimating to life in Europe. Instead of cancelling, I chose to use this marathon as a way to acclimate to Europe. I’ve learned the streets of Geneva far faster than I would have otherwise and have met London runners through training.

Running

Now that I’ve waxed poetically about my love of running through Geneva and London, let’s get down to business and talk about last week’s training.

Monday: 30 minutes of speed Instead of our normal relaxed 4 miler to kick the week off Emily and I did an all out sprint workout, keeping an 8:51 pace for the 30 minute run. While I love our normally relaxed Monday chat sessions as a way to catch up after the weekend the pep in our step definitely helped kick off the week.

Tuesday: Mile Repeats So we didn’t follow the workout perfectly as it called for 5 mile repeats but we squeezed in 3 strong mile repeats and kept a steady pace back instead of using the final mile as a cool down. I am in love with mile repeats as I think they are a great diagnostic tool! I look forward to do this workout each week that remains in training, trying to reach 5 repeats by the end of next week. We had a hard time keeping our pace higher than 8:50 but I guess that’s a nice problem to have. This could also explain why we were dying by the end. 

Wednesday: 5 miles at MP or better We hovered around a 10 minute mile on this run along the lake so faster than MP but slower than our normal morning runs. It was the perfect way to loosen the legs after Monday and Tuesday speed sessions.

Thursday: YOGA Based on feedback from Twitter, we used the 25 minute Yoga for Runners video available on the YogaDownload YouTube channel. Don’t let the woman’s voice or face scare you. The flow is perfect for tight hips and tired legs!

Friday: Emily and I crushed 20 miles together before 7:30am. Want to feel confident and on top of the world during a 1:1 with your manager? Run 20 miles before hand. I ensure you that you will feel absolutely invincible.

Saturday: Yoga + Shakeout run Gloanna Yoga Run  was the perfect way to squeeze a shakeout run and yoga into a busy Saturday!

Sunday: Rest, Unpack, Rest, Repeat.

What is your favorite workout song right now? I’m going to do a music post later this week, in preparation for my long run. My favorite song is one that is slower than most of the songs filling my playlist – Royals by Lorde.

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Gloanna Yoga Run

There are few things I enjoy more than breaking a sweat with friends on a Saturday morning. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that after just four weekend trips to London, I would find myself enjoying a fitness event with some lovely ladies who I already consider to be friends.

gloanna runThanks to Twitter, a few of us realized that the Gloanna Yoga Run was taking place on a weekend which I was in London. A few tweets quickly went back and forth and before we knew it four of us (Charlie, Leah, Kiera, and I) signed up for the event, deciding that it would make a perfect morning and opportunity to get to know each other. Before Saturday, I had met Charlie in person during our lovely run last month, but only knew the other two ladies via more than 6 months of Twitter conversations.

The Gloana Yoga Run is a new event which was recently started in London. It brings together a 5k run, yoga, bubbly, and brunch. The organizers realized that these are multiple things ladies tend to enjoy on their weekends. Why not bring then together in a beautiful park setting and call it a Gloanna Yoga Run? Based on my experience and their marketing behind the event, I think they are definitely on to something and that the event will do wonderfully in just about any city! 

Hosted in the beautiful Battersea Park on an unfortunately dreary morning, there were multiple start times in order to manage the crowds for the run and yoga. Each start time had around 50-75 people which made everything very pleasant. Due to other Saturday plans, our group opted for the first start time, 9am, which worked very well to our advantage. IMG_2106 IMG_2107

There was no advance packet pickup so as soon as we arrived we found our way to the que in order to pick up t-shirts, bibs and wrist bands required for the brunch and yoga. The que was quite long, taking around 30 minuntes. I didn’t mind too much but for those who were in later start times, they found themselves standing in the rain for up to an hour! While this wasn’t ideal, I really respect the fact that the organizers have emailed everyone apologizing after the event and vowed to correct moving forward.  IMG_2109 The bibs which featured our names definitely came in handy since we were getting to know each other. How adorable is the bright pink and the little glo addition?

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Promptly at 9am the first wave was lead through some quick stretches and a warmup before beginning the run. On our way through the start we were encouraged to stop for a prosecco shot to kick off the fun.

IMG_2114 The 5k was a fun run which we all found to be quite refreshing. We enjoyed the two loop route, never once looking or questing our pace but instead talking and taking in the surroundings. The entire time there were volunteers along the route giving us high fives and cheering.

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When we returned to the starting area we were divided into two groups based on yoga ability – beginner and advanced. I convinced the girls to go towards the advanced tent, promising them that we could sit towards the edge in case they wanted to take it slower. I was thrilled with our decision and found the 45 minute class to be very challenging yet perfect for my sore body after Friday’s 20 mile run and the evening flight. The instructor was bubbly and described the poses constantly while a volunteer made her way through the group adjusting us deeper into the poses.

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While my form isn’t perfect I was amazed to find that I was able to hold crow pose for longer than usual as I haven’t been practicing regularly. This class definitely inspired me to research local Geneva yoga studios and our office yoga! I miss yoga so much!

After our yoga session we headed out into the drizzling rain to enjoy the brunch and bubbly portion. There was a group of tents set up for participants to wander through enjoying massages, unlimited prosecco, chair massages, Vita Coco samples, Bounce Ball samples, and finally a sushi and fruit brunch compliments of Whole Foods.  While the sushi choice was a bit random it was still a nice gesture and we each welcomed it after our active morning.

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Regardless of the weather the Gloanna Yoga Run was truly a perfect way to spend the morning with new friends. Hopefully I can help the organizers bring the event to the United States as I am sure it would thrive there!

What are your thoughts? Would you pay $50 for an event like this? If not, what would your price point be?

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