Back in the swing of things

Thankfully I woke up yesterday morning feeling much better so I went off to my regular Glow Yoga class and got through it without feeling at all dizzy. Much better than the week before. It's such a lovely way to start the day and it was great to be in a warm studio when it was so cold outside.

After a day a work I headed back to the Good Vibes studios for the last Boutique Running Club before Christmas. It had been raining during the afternoon and it was very cold but I was absolutely determined to go, having missed the week before. When I arrived I was the only one there and for a while it looked like it was just going to be me and the group leader. Eventually one of the other girls turned up as well and we set off on our usual route.

We had agreed to take it easy as I'd only just got over a cold but we covered the 2.7 miles in just over 31 mins which wasn't that much slower than the fastest time we've ever done! I've really enjoyed the running club and I hope that it starts up again in the New Year. It's been great to run with other people and be stretched by their pace.

I decided that I'd get up this morning and do another couple of miles. Partly as I didn't need to be into work that early and partly as I felt I owed myself a couple of miles from the weekend! So I got up at 6.30am and headed out into the dark and cold, dressed in my new London Marathon training kit!

I ran a couple of miles around Limehouse and up into Canary Wharf. It felt quite difficult as it was very cold and my legs felt tired after about a mile. In retrospect I probably should have given myself a bit longer between runs. In the space of 24hrs I'd done a yoga class and run just over 5 miles. Definitely back in the swing of things.

I got home just as the sun was coming up over Canary Wharf. I love this view and feel very lucky that I have it just outside our front door.

Belles and Beauty - an invitation from Boutique Sport

I was excited to receive an invitation from Boutique Sport yesterday for an event they're running on Saturday 10th December. Boutique Sport is a women’s only campaign designed to encourage young women to maintain active and balanced lifestyles, by breaking down the barriers to participation and creating opportunities for them to take part in physical activity and premium events. They're the people behind the running club that I go to on a Tuesday night.

The Belles and Beauty event is going to be held at Frame Studios, Shoreditch, followed by the Benefit Spitalfields Boutique and sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun. It starts with with a Cardiokettlebell class, I've never tried this before but it's low weight, high repetition exercises which promise full body toning and that sounds good to me.

Following the class, and a shower we will then head to the Benefit Spitalfields Boutique for free beauty demonstrations and mini makeovers courtesy of the Benefit in-store team. There's going to be festive refreshments and 10% off all purchases - a great chance to stock up on some Benefit products!

We also get to take away a Boutique Sport ‘bouti’ bag including Benefit discount vouchers, a free class pass from Frame Studios and a Boutique Sport tee.

It sounds like it's going to be a fun afternoon - a new exercise class to try and then some festive socialising and a chance to learn some new tips from one of my favourite make up brands. I signed up straight away!

There are a limited number of spaces available - Entry is just £10.00 per person and if you're interested you can sign up here

Boutique Running Club Week 3 - Keeping up with the hares!

I'm just back from my third run with the Boutique Running Club run by the lovely people at Boutique Sport and I had a really good time. The group of girls that run are so friendly and I'm really enjoying getting to know some new runners.

We took a slightly different route tonight as the Christmas Markets are in full swing by the London Eye and it would have been far to busy to try and negotiate our way through. The new route took us further south over Waterloo Bridge before we turned back on ourselves and made our way down towards the river.

London looked very pretty tonight with the Christmas lights all twinkling in the night sky. The London Eye was lit up in red and white which looked particularly festive.

The pace this week was pretty steady and I felt confident all the way around. I realised that as long as I kept myself towards the middle of the group then mentally I didn't worry about falling behind so I made a conscious effort to not be the last person in the group.

I was really pleased that when we got to the hill up the side of The Savoy that I ran pretty much all the way up - much better than the two previous weeks.

My Garmin showed that we covered 2.77 miles in 30.45 mins. Slightly further than last week in a slightly quicker time. Progress! This week I definitely kept up with the hares!

Boutique Running Club number 2 - not so much of a tortoise after all!

This time last week I was posting about how I'd just taken part in my first Boutique Run and how hard I'd found it keeping up with the pace. Well, I've just come back from this week's run and it was quite a different story.

The Boutique Running Club is run by the people at Boutique Sport It's a great idea - a free running club for women that meets once a week to run just under 3 miles in Central London.

I'd had an e-mail during the week from one of the Boutique Sport people who had seen my blog last week and wanted to make sure that I was coming back this week. I thought it was really nice of them, I had decided that I would go back anyway but it was good to get the e-mail all the same.

When I turned up this week I was feeling less nervous than the week before. I knew what was in store and recognised some of the people from the previous week - everyone was really friendly. The group was a bit smaller this week which turned out to be a really good thing.

We set off on the same route as last week but this time we all stayed pretty much together. After the first mile I was right in the middle of the group, the pace was challenging but manageable. The second mile took us along the Southbank and over Westminster Bridge. I didn't realise it at the time but I was running the faster mile I've ever done.

By this time I was towards the back of the group but I could still see everyone ahead of me, really different to the week before where I had fallen way behind. I think having a smaller group made a real difference. Before I knew it we were making our way back through Covent Garden to the studio where we started and this week I didn't finish last!

I took my new Garmin watch out with me and couldn't wait to get back and look at my stats. I ran 2.73 miles in 31.21 mins and I ran the 2nd mile in 10.20 mins. This is brand new territory for me and I'm delighted with that time.

I'm really glad that I went back after last week, proud of what I've achieved and looking forward to next week's run to see what else I can do!

The Tortoise and the Hares

Tonight I did something that at the start of the year I wouldn't have even contemplated - I went running with a running club! I joined the ladies at Boutique Sport for a 'gentle' 4K run through Central London.

Things didn't start too well to be honest, when I arrived at the gym studio that they use as their base for the runs I was handed a T-shirt to run in - they wanted everyone to be kitted out in the same gear so that we were identifiable on the run. Fair enough I guess. However, their choice of running tops really could have been more forgiving - tight fitting white tops are not my usual running gear of choice!

I was one of the first to arrive and as others joined the group it soon became clear to me that I was one of the oldest, and the only person in the group who wasn't a size 10. I started to feel a bit nervous about what I'd let myself in for.

We set off through Covent Garden, towards Waterloo Bridge at a reasonable pace - the biggest challenge was dodging through the crowds and watching for traffic. When we got to the other side of Waterloo Bridge and made our way down onto the Southbank the pace started to increase. I found myself at the back of the pack, really struggling to keep up with everyone.

We ran along the Southbank and along by the London Eye before crossing back over the river via Westminster Bridge. By this time the group were a good minute or so ahead of me. The pace was much faster than I'm used to running. To her credit the group leader ran with me, chatting along the way and offering a lot of encouragement. It still didn't stop me from feeling a bit rubbish to be honest.

After we'd turned right back along the Embankment we took a left turn along the side of The Savoy hotel. This road is pretty steep - perfect for a hill sprint, so the group leader decided. I increased my speed as much as I could but the others were at the top and around the corner before I'd got halfway up!

Thankfully, before long we were nearly back in Covent Garden where we started and I was once again encouraged to sprint the last 100m. After some cooling down and stretching the group leader took the time to check that I'd enjoyed it and gave me some more words of encouragement that I really appreciated.

So, I was definitely the tortoise of the group, but unlike the fable, I never actually overtook the hares. I could be really demotivated by the experience, but I'm choosing not to be. I did it - I've been out running with a group of people who were much faster than me and I didn't give up. I pushed myself, completed the run and when I go back next week hopefully I won't be quite so far behind them!