ashleyd /

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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ashleyd /

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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Crazy Marathon Training Antics

During the past three years there are some things that I’ve done during marathon training which make the average person question my sanity.

Running 17 miles super early along the West Side Highway before a flight.

Wearing compression socks under my work clothes.

Skipping a fun night out because I had a long run the next morning.

Packing my running gear with me for every single trip.

I am sure there are plenty of other things but these are the ones which are most often referenced in a joke or conversation. However, I think today marks the craziest thing I’ve done during marathon training.

IMG_2071 This morning I ran 20 miles before 7:30am.

Each year, during training, I try and convince my running friends and even local running stores to change their long run schedule to Friday morning. It is a perfect combination as it allows you to enjoy the full weekend without needing to adjust any plans or schedule to fit in a long run. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy long runs just as much as the next runner. But, I didn’t enjoy what long runs did for my social life and relationship during the first marathon training cycle back in 2010. I said no to one too many social events that Fall while also taking away the time Bo and I had together during our sacred weekend time. For the past 3 years I’ve completed around 75% of my long runs on Friday mornings, almost exclusively solo until this year.

Luckily, my Geneva running buddy and friend, Emily, is crazier than I am. Due to a work meeting in Lausanne, Emily informed me that she needed to complete her long training run by 7:30 in order to shower and make it to the train station. She apologized that we wouldn’t be able to run together but invited me to run the last few miles with her since we normally start around 6am. I gave into her crazy plan without blinking an eye. She suggested that we start at 4am which would allow us time in case our pace slowed or we needed to stretch along the way or stop for fuel.

IMG_2061 I promised that in exchange for her company I would plan the route in advance ensuring that we didn’t have to do too much thinking at that hour.

The result was the strongest 20 mile training run I’ve had in my history of marathon training.

IMG_2065The focus on our starting time forced each of us to plan accordingly which meant we were each home from work by 7pm and in bed by 8:30. Our pace was right on point based on my training plan. The route ended at mile 20.03 just a tenth of a mile from our respective doorsteps. We fueled at miles 6, 12, and 17 similar to how I fueled in last year’s marathon. We chose to listen to music more than talk due to the early hour. My Spotify playlist kept my mind off of the early hour and instead caused me to bob my head and find an unusual amount of energy.

IMG_2067 There is something to be said for marathon training. Over the years it has made me an even more dedicated and driven person. Give me a challenge at work or in my personal life these days and I feel I can find a way to work through it. Nothing is impossible if you think outside the box and focus on the positives. Sure, waking up at 3:32 is difficult and never that enjoyable.

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Hell, the birds weren’t even chirping and there were still people exiting clubs. But, run 20 miles by yourself towards the end of marathon training and you’ll most likely wish for company more than an extra fuel stop. The camaraderie of someone else’s footsteps and breath along side yours while you make your way through dark streets and see your warm breath in the cool, early morning air is both motivating and the sign of a true running friend.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve done during training?

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