Good morning! Did you all have a good Friday night?

Bo and I made a last minute decision to curl up on the couch together enjoying a relaxing evening with sushi, Grey’s Anatomy and a glass of wine. Since we live in cities that are still very new to us, I find that we are scheduling every moment wanting to see and taste everything. Sometimes it’s important to slow down and just relax. Our first sushi delivery experiment went very well! The quality of the sushi and the rice to fish ratio was perfect while still being less expensive than our favorite sushi delivery place in NYC. Before curling up on the couch with Bo, I had an active evening which included buying new running shoes, running 10 miles and yoga with Charlie!

I decided last week, after input from many people on Twitter, that I’d just wear my shoes one more time for the actual marathon as they were getting pretty worn out. But, after arriving in London on Thursday night, Bo and I realized that they most likely were thrown out by accident. Last weekend there were a number of bags being thrown out with all our organizing and cleaning. It was a total mistake but for a few brief minutes yesterday I went into panic mode. The three pair of shoes I rotate for my shorter runs are definitely not supportive enough for a marathon. But, luckily a local running store, Runners Need, solved my issues within minutes.  The associate looked at my pictures to identify the shoes I wore for my 20 milers and then within minutes had me on the treadmill, assessing my gait to ensure they were the appropriate shoes. She even looked at my calves and legs, feeling for tightness to see if this could be caused by the shoes! I also learned that while the large shoe companies such as Mizuno, Saucony, Brooks, and Nike have all the same models here as they do in the US, the color choices are totally different by country. Needless to say, I was forced into my first pair of black running shoes, even though I bought the same style I’ve worn for a year in the US – Mizuno Wave Rider 16.

Within 15 minutes I had marathon shoes, socks, and NUUN which I’ll use to keep me hydrated this week and on the flight to New York City. Since so many people have asked why I am doing a lot of shopping in New York City versus Geneva and London, this is a perfect example. Here is a list of what I bought yesterday with a comparison in prices for you.

Mizuno Wave Rider 16            US SRP: $115       UK SRP: 99 Pounds = $160

Thorlo Experia Sock                US SRP: $15         UK SRP: 12.50 Pounds= $20

NUUN Grape                            US SRP: $6.50      UK SRP: 5.99 Pounds = $9.65

                             Total in US: $136    in UK conversion: $190                 

The above answers the question everyone has of why I would shop in New York City versus Europe. London is less expensive than Geneva and still I spent more then $50 more here than I would at Jack Rabbit or another running store in the US. While I will certainly buy some things here, the more I can buy when we are in the States the more beneficial it is for our wallet!

After the shopping trip I made a quick change at home and headed out for my last long run before the marathon, 10 miles around 3 of our nearby parks:  Hyde Park, Kensington Park, and Regents Park. None of the miles felt easy and it was 70 degrees, even at 6pm, but I pushed through and focused on the gorgeous surroundings and my podcast.  The parks were filled with couples enjoying evening picnics, groups of teenagers playing sports, other runners, and the staff setting up for this weekend’s large half marathon, Royal Parks Half Marathon.  I definitely want to do this half next year as the course is beautiful!

My run ended in Fitzrovia at Good Vibes Fitness where I met Charlie for a yoga date. We are both training for marathons and rarely practice yoga alone. We knew that if we committed to doing yoga together instead of a run it would ensure we squeezed in some important stretching, especially since I am in taper mode now.  Good Vibes is a gym which features pilates, yoga, power plates, and spin classes all under one roof. Charlie nor I had been to the studio before but were excited to try one of their yoga classes. The studio was very clean and bright and the staff was super helpful especially for newcomers like us.

There are 4 separate bathroom stalls and then a changing area for men and women with showers. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to explore the entire studio space as we arrived right when the class started.  We quickly moved into the yoga studio which was heated and featured bright orange mats for everyone.  The class we took, Yang and Yin by Candlelight, was divine! The 75 minute class included 45 minutes of strong flow followed by 30 minutes of restorative poses in a dark room with candlelight. It was a great way to end the week and transition into the weekend. My hips and back definitely appreciated some of restorative opening poses.  The instructor, Natasha, was very sweet but I wish she adjusted students more. Maybe that it is an American thing but I love when teachers adjust during yoga as it helps me move deeper into the poses or insure I am aligned properly. However, she did say something during the class which really resonated.

Yoga is a practice, not a performance.

Sometimes I go into a yoga class putting so much pressure on myself to either get into poses deeper than last time or hold crow pose for longer than last time. Instead, when I can just release everything and forget about any expectations the class goes best.  After 75 minutes Charlie and I were both very relaxed and our limbs felt more limber than they have in ages! In fact, we both loved the class so much that we’ve already talked about planning a date for the next Friday I am in London!

How about you? How was your Friday? Any fun weekend plans? We are spending most of the weekend similar to last night, relaxing together. We do have plans to meet up with some friends for drinks early this evening.