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London: Primrose Hill

Just a few steps north of our normal running route in Regent’s Park lies a quaint neighborhood, Primrose Hill.  Reminiscent of the West Village or a small, British countryside town, the neighborhood of Primrose Hill includes just 3 postcode districts.

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The high street is only a few blocks, far shorter than the Marylebone High Street a few steps from our flat. Due to the narrow streets, Primrose Hill felt far more quaint. In addition, we noticed that the high street, while filled with busting businesses, it didn’t seem to have any chain shops or restaurants which was quite refreshing.  We meandered along, sneaking peaks into the bakeries, flower shops, bookstores, small shops, and even a hot yoga studio for a half hour this morning after our run.

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We couldn’t leave the area without walking up the namesake, Primrose Hill. A 250 foot hill overlooking Central London, this high point was used this morning by many a runner completing hill repeats and tourists taking in the breathtaking view.

022Primrose Hill definitely deserves another visit, maybe for a relaxed Saturday morning brunch or dinner when my parents are in London this month.

If you’re in London for more than a day or two, a visit to this neighborhood is more than worth the trip. Grab a coffee and enjoy a stroll through the local shops before exploring Regent’s Park or the London Zoo.

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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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A Balanced Weekend

Happy Sunday! I hope you all have had a wonderful weekend whether it’s been enjoyed on the slopes, relaxing on the couch, racing or just enjoying some time with friends and family. I was in London this weekend with Bo and as of Friday morning it had the potential to be quite a rough weekend. I have an important presentation tomorrow morning at work and I knew that I would need to spend most of the weekend working on Power Point.

This dampened my mood and by the time I landed in London on Friday I wasn’t really excited for the weekend, instead I was focused on making it through Monday morning. Luckily Bo balances me and reminded me that life is all about balance. There have been many weekends in our relationship when he has had to work and this time it was just a role reversal. Thanks to both he and Emily I was able to not only get all my work done but also find a happy balance which resulted in plenty of workouts and relaxation.

Friday night I met Charlie for our favorite yoga class at Good Vibes Fitzrovia, Yang & Yin Yoga. If you are in London, you have to give this class a try. It is the perfect way to release the stress and worries of the week and welcome the weekend. It is definitely a challenging class but grab a friend and enjoy it before Friday night drinks or dinner. 937945

While I edited slides Bo and I enjoyed a Turkish take out and caught up on Parenthood and Law & Order SVU. Since we were in bed by 11pm on Friday night we woke up bright and early Saturday. Bo’s goal was to run a number of errands for the flat while I worked.951954After a fresh green juice we enjoyed breakfast and plenty of coffee before doing our own thing until 12pm. After four hours of work I was more than ready for a break to enjoy a run through Central London taking in many of our favorite sites including Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. 961  965

We finished our 6 mile jaunt at Cowshed Spa as I booked an appointment for a manicure and wax over a month ago. I was able to review my deck on my iPhone and practice in my head while enjoying a quick manicure. Cowshed pays attention to every detail including the spa decor and the way they treat their clients. I will definitely be back as even their basic manicure felt like an indulgent experience and I can tell that the manicure will last as their Essie polishes all looked very fresh and not watered down or diluted. I loved the presentation of the polishes in an aged wood farm box. Though waxing is never an enjoyable experience I must say that the heated, calm rooms along with the soothing music helped take my mind off the ripping sensations.  966970 968 967 The rest of the afternoon was spent rehearsing my presentation and making final edits while Bo worked in the kitchen. Last month we invited Charlie and her boyfriend Tom over for a casual dinner, not knowing all that I would have to do this weekend. Instead of cancelling Bo offered to handle dinner as it would give him something to do in the afternoon while I worked and it gave him a chance to play with his new toy, the sous vide machine his parents gave him for Christmas.  

It worked out perfectly and by 7:30 we were welcoming Tom and Charlie into our warm but welcoming kitchen ready to enjoy a glass of wine. The meal turned out perfectly and wasn’t too difficult save the French Onion Soup. We served assorted cheeses and toast points, Thomas Keller’s French Onion soup, winter salad, sous vide lamb served over baby potatoes and green beans followed by Charlie’s pudding (aka dessert for those non British readers), a delicious apple berry crisp. 003001004005006007010

This morning we spent time in the kitchen making omelettes and coffee before enjoying a long run through Hyde Park. The weather was absolutely brilliant today which made the miles easier though the last mile took every effort to complete. Running 12 miles in 24 hours is a jump from where I’ve been lately and keeping a 9:40 pace was far too speedy for me at this point. Oh well, at least we’re making progress!016020019031 028 024This weekend wasn’t necessarily the break from work and as relaxation filled as we often enjoy but it did help me remember that sometime life is all about balance. I could have easily stressed myself out and spent the entire weekend practicing and working on my presentation but by enjoying some fresh air and time with Bo and friends I think I’ll be nice and fresh for tomorrow and the week ahead!

How was your weekend?

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