London & Timing

About a year ago, I entered the Virgin London Marathon lottery, desperately hoping to secure a spot in the 2012 London Marathon. Sadly, I didn't get a place. About 6 months later, it was time to plan a vacation. And where to go in April? It's always going to be London... but I completely forgot about the marathon! About a month before vacation, I realized our time in London would overlap the Marathon Expo... & it became part of our trip. Yes, we went to a race expo & shopped... even though we weren't racing at all.

You know what? I had a TON of fun. First of all, I got fitted for Newtons. Which means finding out I've been wearing the right size the entire time. It's a good thing. But it also means I got to buy two new pairs! I was also professionally fitted for a sports bra, courtesy of ShockAbsorber. And now I know I've been wearing all my bras the wrong way. Or at least buying the wrong sizes. So I was able to buy 2 of those, too. I even got a SpiBelt because I was impressed it fit my iPhone with the Otterbox casing still on it. I found a few BondiBands & decided to give them a shot as the latest attempt to find a headband that doesn't come off. And of course, the random novelty t-shirt.



This is why I left room in my suitcase!

 I also got to try out nutrition I wouldn't normally buy. I always want to taste the flavor before I buy it. And so, I fell in love with Clif Shot Bloks. They taste like candy. Yummy, energy-filled candy. I'm in love with the strawberry flavor... I'm staying away from gels/chews with caffeine (personal choice). Though I might have to try the Black Cherry flavor, regardless of the 50mg of caffeine they have. They're that good.

If you've never been to London, you should know the London Underground (i.e. Tube or subway, in American) is awesome. I love it. I can get around that city like no other city; to me, it's perfect transportation. NYC? I can't figure it out. I have no real experience with the D.C. Metro. But put me on the Tube & I can get anywhere. And the entire time we were there, we spied posters advertising transportation for marathon weekend... which inspired this photo:

Sad cow. :(

We didn't stay for the marathon; we flew out the day prior. I suspect this was a good thing; the city was already starting to get a bit crowded.  Sadly, these activities were the closest I came to running the entire time I was there. Being sick the week before & being underprepared for the cold in London put a kink in my running plans. This week is all about focusing on getting my head in the game & preparing for 6 May 2012. Because I think I might just be able to run my super-goal of a 2:15:00 half. I'm feeling it.