by Mollie Millington | Jul 4, 2019 | sport
Spending four years in Boston, MA for university, I rapidly became a Red Sox fan. My campus and the dance clubs we went to were within walking distance of Fenway Park. My junior and senior year, I could hear fans cheering from my dorm room when my windows were open. I was lucky enough to attend a view games when I lived in Boston, and then in Detroit and Toronto.
I would rather play any sport than watch it, but attending a baseball game is an American pastime. There is a social aspect too, of course, and lots of eating. These are the points I enjoy more than waiting for some action on the field. As a kid, I played softball for many years and then played again in grad school. Unlike rugby, cricket, or tennis, I know the rules and understand the strategy. Therefore, I can shout things that make sense and are relevant such as “two out- run on anything!”
This year was the first time baseball teams from the US came to play in London. The MLB London Series took place last weekend at the London Stadium in Stratford. As soon as I heard the teams were the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, I knew I had to be there. The Red Sox and Yankees have one of the oldest rivalries in baseball. Living in New England and having many friends from there too, there is often a divide in the group as to which team they support.
Getting tickets for a Red Sox/Yankees game in the US is nearly impossible so I wasn’t sure I would have success here in London. I had four people trying to tickets for me and luckily I did!
James came to the game with me (wearing his Detroit Tigers gear). I had scoped out the stadium and gift shop the day before. Unfortunately, I wasn’t keen on the section of womens’ clothes available. I ended up with a magnet and koozie. At the game, I enjoyed Pimm’s then Jack Daniels and two feet of nachos.
There was an area to try your baseball skills out called Playball Park. You could hit balls in the batting cages or try virtual reality batting. There were also speed cams to see how fast you could pitch and a pit to make a diving catch. For people who have never played baseball, it was such a great way to let them experience the game.
The day didn’t end on a happy note because the Red Sox ended up loosing to the Yankees. Both of the London Series games were higher scoring than a usual game. Hopefully, it made the game more exciting for new baseball fans. The London Series is back in 2020 with the Cubs and Cardinals. James is just going to have to wait a bit longer for the Tigers to come for a visit.
by Mollie Millington | Jun 26, 2019 | exercise, fitness, yoga
For the third year in a row, I made my way down to Tobacco Docks early on a Saturday morning. It usually takes some sort of workout for me to get up early and Sweatlife Festival is no exception. For about £30, you have a multitude of 45 minute classes to choose from, featuring many of the London boutique studios, such as Frame, KoBox, Un1t London, Third Space, and Triyoga. Big name yogis come in to teach hundreds of students. Then there are other perks, such as healthy food options (prosecco too), a marketplace, hair braiding in the Mermaid Cave and a stretch out space with foam rollers.
After registering, we all received a water bottle to ensure we reduced our plastic use over the course of the day. I got in at 8:30am for my first session at 9am, which gave me time to explore the layout and see where my registered sessions were. I knew I would have to refill a few times due to the warm weather and all the classes I was going to take, so I also noted where the water refilling stations were.
Why this and not the others?
Your ticket includes one red class and one yellow plus unlimited talks and yoga classes. You get at least three classes for £35 for a single day pass. Last year, I tried KoBox and Un1t to see what they were about. This year, I tried Olympic lifting and a barre class. I tend to skip Frame classes because I worked there ages ago so totally get what the brand is about (plus their classes are intense so I need to conserve my energy for a marathon day). The day is a fantastic opportunity to try out different boutique studios with a minor financial investment.
My first session was Introduction to Olympic Weightlifting with CrossFit London (based in Bethnal Green). My partner was Amanda, who was from Australia and very friendly and experienced in lifting (thank goodness, she had great tips). Unfortunately, we had very loud neighbors which made it hard to hear the instructors. The class was split so we could work on two different movements but still hear our instructors.
My next session was reiki with Re:Mind studio. Based near Victoria station, it is a meditation center that offers reiki, crystal bowl sessions, meditation classes and more. I hadn’t heard of them before so it was very cool to experience their class. Reiki channels energy and vibration to help with healing. I have hard it before in a 1-2-1 setting but never in a large group. It was a lovely way to recoup after an early start and lifting session.
The first talk I went to was all about meditation and mindfulness from Danielle of lululemon corporate office. She gave us a 21 day meditation challenge were we only need to spend a minute a day meditating. The mantra she gave us was ‘I am.’ My meditation reminders are in my diary and I am determined to finish this challenge.
The only yoga class I went to was lead by Sanchia Legister. Funny fact- we sat next to each other on the plane to NYC marathon! Her music selection was amazing, both in mood and lyrical choice. She also doesn’t take yoga too seriously, which made the class of 400 yogis a lot of fun. The energy in the room was amazing. Me being me, I re-introduced myself to her at the end of the class.
The next talk I went to was about doing less but better. Another leader from lululemon’s leadership team talked about how if we cut out 80% of the things we spend energy on to focus on the most important 20%, the resulting outcome would be significantly greater. Inspired by her talk, I already cut out a few one-offs things I volunteered for but weren’t going to help me reach my end goals in life. This has made me feel more relaxed in some ways and focused in others.
My last class of the day was with Xtend Barre London. I thought it would be a traditional barre class, but instead it was a little bit of everything (minus the bar). We did first and second positions, plies, and a bit of rhythmic movement. I definitely felt the burn in my arms and legs. Great music and moves made it a lovely way to end my day.
The last session I tried to attend was a crystal bowl session with Re:Mind but sadly it filled up. I have been meaning to try it but wasn’t sure how it worked. It is still on my list of things to do. My friend, Kate, offers this regularly and I need to make it prioritize it.
Less than a mile from Tobacco Docks is Rinkoff Bakery. So I walked about 15 minutes to enjoy my crodough in the sunshine. It was the best way to end the day. I rarely get over to Whitechapel so this was something I was thinking about all day.
Have you been to Sweatlife before? What did you think? I am signing up again for next year!
by Mollie Millington | Jun 21, 2019 | cycling, recovery, running, spinning, water sports
On Thursday afternoon, I was back at Function360 for my check up. I am only going every three weeks now which is great because it means I am nearly done with my recovery. It is also sad though because I love seeing the team (especially Hugo, the office dog). My osteopath, Emma, is pleased with my progress, even though I still have some tenderness to the touch on the medial side of my left Achilles. The swelling has gone done quite a bit and I no longer have any pain in my right Achilles (while my right posterior tibial tendon is a different story). Twice I week, I complete my rehab regime and I am religious about stretching and foam rolling after exercise.
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| Emma, from Function360, working her magic |
At these visits, Emma will examine my lower legs, looking for symmetry, swelling, tenderness, strength, and tight muscles. Depending on what she finds, she might massage my calves, stretch my hips, dry needle my tendons or all of the above. This week was just stretching and massage. She also assigned two new exercises to me which will help with my posterior tibial tendon (in fact, I am doing them as I type this).
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| To infinity and beyond! |
My dedication to the rehab program seems to be paying off as I am now able to run for 10 minutes with a 1 minute walking break three times per session which gets me up to a 5K. I hope to be up to steady state running in the next few weeks. It is a bit nerve-racking to start up again. What if the Achilles pain comes back? What if four months of rehab hasn’t made me any stronger or faster? Will I ever run another marathon. When I told her about my concerns, Emma said I shouldn’t be comparing myself to anyone else. She believes things are looking good so far and that I should keep the faith.
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| Cap from 2011 London Triathlon. New cycling shoes #gifted from Decathlon. |
As my prognosis is looking good and I do better with a deadline in my diary, I have signed up for the London Triathlon super sprint distance (400m swim, 10K bike, 2.5K run. (#gifted entry). London Triathlon might have been my first UK back in 2011. I did the sprint course (700m swim, 20K bike, 5K run) and for a brief moment was tempted to do it again to try for a PB. But then I remembered I am supposed to be sensible in my recovery and stuck with the super sprint. It will still be a PB and the cross-training will help my cardiovascular fitness levels improve before I start training for the 20km trail runs in Malawi with Orbis Challenge. I have a lot of work to do this summer.
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| Why is it so hard to look cool in a wet suit? #gifted from Decathlon |
My training strategy is primarily to add swimming in twice a week (once in a pool and once in open water). For the passed few years, I teach indoor cycling once or twice a week, riding about 10-12 miles per class. I might do a few short outdoor bike sessions on my own to learn about my threshold and where I can ride to just below it for about 20 minutes. I will use parkrun to develop my running strategy. Our local course is two laps which means I can use the first lap to tire myself out (simulating excursion on swim and bike) then push myself on second lap.
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| This week’s playlist |
Because I am a competitive person, I am going to study previous London Triathlon results in case there is a chance I can place in my age group. That would be a Christmas miracle but really give my confidence a boost. I am dying to get back out there and continue to develop my speed with track sessions but fear getting thrown back to square one.
Have you ever come back from injury by completing a triathlon? Or taking up one of the disciplines as a substitute for running? Let me know in the comments below.
Thanks to London Triathlon for the gifted entry. Full review of my race experience will be up in August.
by Mollie Millington | Jun 19, 2019 | outdoors, travel, water sports, yoga
After the dance floor, being on the water is my favorite place to be. It is hard living in London, though, to find bodies of water that are not crowded, polluted and/or freezing cold. A few weekends ago, we headed to a wedding in Cornwall during which time we spent a lot of time on coastal trails (and dancing on the dance floor). Even though it was slightly overcast, and stormy seas meant we couldn’t SUP or go on a boat tour, we still manged to get sand in our shoes and take in amazing views.
Two weeks later, I found myself back in Cornwall. Freewave Surf Academy invited me to their site in Bude for their three day surf and yoga retreat (#gifted). The weekend was jam packed but I will try to fill you in on the key bits of info. If you have any questions though, leave a comment below and I will do my best to answer. The weekend kicked off at 4pm on a Friday night with welcome drinks, a yoga lesson and an introduction to surfing lesson on the beach. To finish the evening, a two course vegetarian dinner was served at the house. Unfortunately, I was unable to arrive until 10pm as I was on a course in London until 5pm. I had to take a train to Exeter and was collected my another attendee (who had a car) from Exeter Central Station for the two hour drive to Bude. They did put some food aside for us to enjoy when we arrived. Everyone waited up but quickly went to bed as they already had a yoga class and surf lesson that evening.
The accommodation was a beautiful five bedroom house with large garden, decks, outdoor BBQ, air hockey table, games, and two sitting rooms. We spent most of our time around the kitchen table for breakfast and snacks for lunch. There were two double bedrooms (one with en suite), three bedrooms with two single beds (one with en suite) and then another full bathroom and a half under the stairs. Elle from Keep it Simpelle and I shared a twin room. Loads of windows and sliding glass doors meant the sunlight (when available) illuminated the rooms. There was parking for about five cars and an outdoor shower to rinse out wet suits and feet of sand. We had to move some furniture for yoga when it was raining outside which made all of the spaces very versatile. Plus the beach was close enough to walk to.
Saturday and Sunday are structured differently, depending on the tides. A typical schedule may look like this (although we had 6:00am start on Saturday). The key points are one surf lesson each morning and two yoga classes per day.
7am yoga
8:30am surf lesson
10:30am brunch and video feedback
free time until…
1pm cake and tea
3pm yoga
5pm surf film and chill time on Saturday
7pm dinner on your own on Saturday (we went to a great restaurant, The Beach House, down the road) / BBQ at the house on Sunday
The surf lessons started with basics of how to line up on your board, how to keep it stable as you push up and several options on how to stand up. I was fairly confident that I would not be able to stand up as I cannot do a squat thrust or burpee well. Although I didn’t manager to stand up at my first lesson, I did on my second and third. Robin (Freewave Surf Academy owner) and Charlie (instructor) were there to keep an eye on the six of us, offering tips, providing real-time feedback and keeping our boards stable when a big wave was approaching. In addition to watching us in the water, Robin and Charlie took turns videotaping us from the beach and with a GoPro in the water. After our lessons (which lasted about an hour), we had time to shower and get dressed before Robin put together the clips and reviewed points each of us needed to work on. The primary observation for me was that I needed to keep my head up (looking at where I wanted to go rather than the board) when I tried to stand up.
As I mentioned earlier, we had yoga indoors on the first two days. On Sunday, there was enough sunshine to have one practice in the garden and the second on a clifftop overlooking the sea. There are too many amazing photos (taken by Tommy Hatwell, Plymouth-based commercial and portrait photographer) of both sessions to share here but I have included a few of my favorites. Yoga was taught by the talented Anna Young who is also one of the Freewave Surf Academy instructors. She has a real calming presence and fantastic choice of music. She also helped with breakfast in the mornings and tidied up after us (thank you Anna!).
A fun surprise was taking part in a beach clean up with Ado, who works for the local task force. He explained how much plastic washed up on the beach but also how much the local community works to keep the beach tidy. There were litter pickers and bags at the beach entrance for a #2minutebeachclean movement. We were out there for an hour and filled up one bucket worth of items. Another group had been through earlier, and they collected a lot more than we did. Her told me about how Legos from an old sunken container are washing up on the shore (ironically a sea-themed design) and how his Jack Russel can sniff out stranded seals in the dark.
Most of the guests left Sunday afternoon and evening to get home before work on Monday. With only three people left on Monday, we had an early yoga class and a quick surf session before brunch at 10:00am. There weren’t many waves but I did catch a few small ones before heading back to the house. Robin was kind enough to cook up eggs and bacon at our request. It was a family meal as Charlie and Anna joined us before Elle gave me a lift back to London and Amanda headed back to Staffordshire.
Similar to my ski weekend in Italy with No Boundaries, it was a jam-packed weekend with little time for sleep. My goal for the weekend was to be outside as much as possible. I packed my snorkel, running shoes and trail shoes for hiking. I also had my iPad for reading e-books, and my laptop for doing work (which I only used on the train). The stormy seas were too cloudy for snorkeling and I was too exhausted to run (aside from a few shots with Tommy in the dunes on Sunday night). The weather wasn’t great either so I was happy to stay inside and chat to the other ladies staying that weekend.
The biggest challenge of the weekend was transportation to Bude. It isn’t easy to get to if you don’t have a driving licence or car. The house we stayed at is about 15 minute drive from town, but a short walk from the beach where there is a small snack hut. The fridge and cupboards were stocked with a variety of foods (including dietary requests such as vegan and dairy-free) and drinks (including wine, beer, and gin) but you might want to bring your favorite snacks. For example, I should have packed Diet Coke. The seven of us went to town on Saturday afternoon for grocery shopping (as a few people choose to cook their own meal on Saturday night) and the chemist. We also discovered Temple, a very Instagramable coffee shop and bar that Charlie also works at.
Would I do it again? Heck, yes! I suggested before we left that we schedule a reunion retreat and I hope we do in the autumn before it gets too cold. Robin was open to feedback from us as it was the very first time he held the retreat and he had another group coming in right after us. He was a fantastic host with lots of laughter from everyone over the weekend. I think it would be an active alternative to a birthday party or hen do. You could also make it a couples weekend or travel on your own to meet new people who are interested in the same sports as you. Freewave Surf Academy is happy to arrange any extras that you need (within reason, of course).
Is surfing something you have been meaning to try but haven’t yet? Don’t be shy but instead book in to this intensive weekend and let me know how you get on.
Thanks to Freewave Surf Academy for this complimentary weekend experience. All views and opinions are honest and my own.
by Mollie Millington | Jun 17, 2019 | cycling, fitness
How many bicycles have you owned in your lifetime? Growing up in suburban USA, every kid on my street had a bike. These were usually based down to younger siblings as we quickly outgrew them and finally sold at the neighborhood garage sale. Once you turned 16 though, you could drive a car so you no longer needed a bike. (Remember, America was built for driving not riding). But when I started grad school in a small college town in Michigan, I picked up a bike at the local super store. My boyfriend and I guesses at the fit but had no idea what we were doing. The tires were for mountain biking, not road riding so it was very challenging to ride into campus. In the end I bought a parking pass and hardly ever rode my bike. When I graduated and left town, I sold it pretty cheap.
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| Rack of bikes in the sun |
The next time I bought a bike, I went to s specialist bike shop and bought a hybrid. I lived 12 miles from where I worked and had high hopes I would build up my fitness to ride to work. I never tried it because of the busy motorways involved. I did, however, ride it around my neighborhood for exercise. Indoor cycling had been my passion during grad school but there wasn’t a gym with cycling studio nearby to join.
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| My Pathlite |
A few weeks ago, Canyon bicycles invited me to try one of their fitness bikes (also known as hybrid in USA and UK) as a way to stay fit. Founded in Germany, Canyon entered the UK market eight years ago and the US market in 2017. Up until this point, I forgot that cycling for fitness was even an option to stay fit. Since moving to the UK, bicycles have only been for commuting or riding 30+ miles on a Sunday morning for “fun.” (This is fun and easy for my husband and I can just about do it. If there wasn’t cake involved, I might not be so motivated). Canyon has two different models for fitness- their Pathlite and Roadlite. Both are designed with upright handle bars, which I love. My petite frame and belly bulge make it hard to utilize drop handles. (I even had additional brakes added to my road bike handle bars a few years back.). I decided to try the Pathlite as I am toying with the idea of cyclo-cross next year.
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| Smooth ride |
The Pathlite has adjustable shocks and cables stored inside the frame for protection. It also has a robust aluminium frame, 40 mm gravel tyres and 75 mm of suspension all come together to keep you comfortable over any terrain, while a modern geometry and integrated cockpit provide agile handling for fun and reliable riding, perfect for going off the beaten track. At this event, we were near Richmond Park, so we rode along the path before having a mini-sprint challenge between members of the group. The bike was so smooth to ride I felt like I was gliding on air.
Canyon are a direct-to-consumer brand and all purchases need to be made online. The bike is shipped to you nearly assembled. You just need to attach your handlebars and seat. There is a 30 day exchange period so if anything is wrong you can get it fixed or make a return. Only 11% of their sales are from these fitness bikes. After trying one myself, I can see this number going up. The bikes are really versatile (and so light!) that they would make a great bike to have in London.
Here are a few ways you could use the bikes for a cardiovascular workout. Cycling is a great option to get your heart going without having too much impact on your joints.
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| Good upper body workout? |
Remember to spend five minutes riding at an easy pace to warm up before your main set and when you are done, cool down with an easy five minutes ride and stretch when you get off of your bike. Another important aspect of riding, especially in public places is etiquette. Be sure to stay to the left of the path if you are in the UK, use your bell when passing someone who is walking or running, and beware of children and dogs who are unpredictable in their direction.
Hill workout
Finding a challenging hill. Ride up as fast as you can for 1 minute and recover on the way back down. Make sure your recovery is at least a minute long before trying again nine times. Can you make it to the original end point each time? If the hill is too short or your find the repeats too easy, make the gears heavier.
Sprints
The easiest plan would be to find a park which has a circular route. Ride one lap with hard effort and then take the next lap to recover. Repeat five to 10 times.
After taking part in this lovely morning ride with Canyon, I have now decided to sign up for the London Triathlon. Because of my Achilles tendinopathy, I will only do the Super Sprint distance (400m, 10K ride, 2.5K run). I won’t be riding a Canyon unfortunately, but this brief ride has inspired me to enjoy cycling again (even though I am signing up for a competitive ride).
When was the last time you took your bike out for a spin? If you don’t own a bike, London has many options to hire bikes for a few hours to ride around the parks.
Thanks to Canyon for inviting me to their event to try out the Pathlite. All opinions are honest and my own.
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