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Geneva Half Marathon Training -Week 4

The title of this post should really be skiing does not equal running. I had great intentions for last week but sometimes that doesn’t result in great training. At the same time, each run that I did do was a quality run and exactly as prescribed by Gia. In addition, I was very active last week when I wasn’t running which does make me feel a bit better. But, last time I checked my goal half marathon includes running not skiing.

imageThe only good news about all this cross training is that I woke up both yesterday and today craving a run. That is a wonderful feeling to have!

So, instead off being hard on myself for last week let me share my sins or lack of training with you and then move forward with this week which includes four runs that focus on pace, at least one yoga session and hopefully a spin class while I’m in London this weekend.

Monday: I had a case of the Mondays and overslept by almost an hour. That meant that I missed my planned yoga class and instead opted for an at home workout after work. I tried a workout I found on Interest (Ballet Abs) then did 20 minutes of Yoga for Runners.

Tuesday: 4.31 miles at a 9:16 pace It was pouring outside which forced me to do this run on the treadmill instead of along the lake. Lately I’ve found that watching one of my favorite TV shows on my iPad really helps the time fly by faster. This run was fueled by Scandal!

Wednesday: 4.7 miles at 9:05 average pace This workout kicked my butt in the best way possible. It left me out of breath and knowing I had literally left everything on the treadmill. I started with a one mile warm-up then did 5 800 meter repeats at a 7:54 pace, taking a 3 minute jog break between each repeat. I finished the workout with a 1 mile cool down

Thursday: 4 hours of skiing

Friday: 7 hours of skiing

Saturday: 7 hours of skiing

Sunday: After 3 days of skiing I knew that any attempt to run would be complete junk. I focused on foam rolling, stretching and some arm and ab work while catching up on our favorite TV shows all afternoon. 

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Silverstone Half Marathon Training Week 5 & 6

These past two weeks were as different as two training weeks can get. Last week was absolutely perfect. I completed every single workout Gia prescribed on my training plan and I felt great! Sunday night as I finished my shakeout run I couldn’t help but smile. Everything felt wonderful and my energy levels were through the roof as I signed up for another Spring half marathon – the Hampton Court Half Marathon. Running through the magnificent grounds surrounding the Hampton Court Palace before spending the afternoon touring the grounds with Bo and my family sounds like heaven!

But, let’s talk about this week. This week was the complete opposite. Unfortunately Bo and I suffered through the worst case of food poisoning this week. I was so sick on Monday that I had to cancel my flight back to Geneva and spend the entire day in bed. While in Italy for business I couldn’t enjoy any of the evening events or even the delicious Italian food as my stomach couldn’t handle any food richer than plain pasta, crackers, or Ginger Ale. My unpredictable stomach along with constant headaches meant that I couldn’t handle running Monday through Friday. Yesterday’s run, although brief, felt incredible after so much rest.

Who knows what a week off from running means for my upcoming half marathons but all I can do is give this upcoming week of training 110%! Luckily, Charlie has agreed to run the Hampton Court Half with me which means we’ll have a complete blast!

Silverstone Half Marathon Training Week 5 & 6

Monday: 4.5 mile speed workout on the treadmill

Tuesday: rest day

Wednesday: 2.6 mile run followed by arms & abs

Thursday: 40 minute trail run with Renaud in Geneva along the Rhone River

Friday: 2.3 mile run commute followed by 75 minute Yang and Yin yoga class at Good Vibes Fitzrovia

Saturday: An 8 mile run through London with Bo, Emily and lots of lovely ladies under rare London sunshine.

Sunday: A three mile shakeout run through Regents Park at dusk was the perfect way to end the week.

Wednesday: After two days without any workouts I was craving some time in the hotel gym by the time our meetings were done at 5pm. My stomach wasn’t feeling up to running so instead I did 45 minute of incline walking followed by this five minute plank workout.

Thursday: The hotel gym didn’t open in time for a workout before meetings so I kept things simple yet effect with a 15 minute hotel room workout repeated twice.

Saturday: Four mile run through Regents Park and Primrose Hill followed by a 2.5 mile walk through the neighborhoods.

Sunday: We kicked off our Sunday with a 2.5 mile run commute to Boom Cycle followed by a 45 minute spin class with Charlie led by Denis Bail. I am going to do a further review of Boom Cycle along with some other London spin options but suffice it to say there were 3 people in the class wearing Soul Cycle gear. Based on this observation, the friendly staff and the lit candle at the front of class, this must be a close substitute for many London residents with ties to Soul and the states.

How do you bounce back after a week of illness?

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Will Run for Female Company

During the past few months I’ve missed running with fun, inspiring females. I spent much of July through October running with Emily on an almost daily basis. Our runs would include long conversations about Geneva, acclimating to life in Europe, the men in our lives, and more. Then as the London weekends began I was able to enjoy weekend runs with Charlie, my new friend who showed me the ins and outs of running and training in London.

Due to the rain and cold mornings in Geneva many of my runs have been on the treadmill and the few times I’ve been able to get outside it’s been with either Bo or Renaud. Don’t get me wrong, they are both wonderful but there is something about sharing some time on the road with fellow female runners.

Therefore, this weekend when Leah and the Team Naturally Run ladies said they were going to run 10 miles on Saturday, I jumped at the opportunity to run with lots of ladies. Emily and Bo chose to join in the early morning fun as the route was an epic site seeing tour through London including the Victoria Embankment, London Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Green Park, Big Ben, gorgeous views along the Thames River, Hyde Park, Marble Arch and Regent’s Park.

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Spending time talking with each of these women on Saturday reminded me why I love the running community. Most of them are training for the Paris Marathon and while I’m not joining in the fun on April 6th, it was fun to answer questions and provide insight for the first timers. London even cooperated and gave us clear blue skies as you can see in the picture below. The 8 miles that we ran with them flew by and before we knew it we were bidding adieu to everyone in Regent’s Park. Whether they know it or not, these 8 ladies gave me the motivation I needed to get even more excited about my upcoming half marathons!

What do you run for? Bagels? Coffee? Brunch? Bacon? Long conversations? Sanity?

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