Christmas time, burpees and wine… Intersperse the all-day-pub sessions with these awesome December fitness events. Enjoy a hefty dose of seasonal smug.
FREE
Advent Running
From 1-25 December
adventrunning.com
Advent Running started on 1 December but it’s not too late to get involved. An online challenge encouraging you to run or be active for 30 minutes each day from 1-25 December, there are regular free events and spot prizes. Sat 12th is Run for Coffee, a social run meeting at Pact Coffee in Bermondsey for a free brew before a leisurely 10k along the river. Fitness motivation flagging? Join the Advent Running Facebook page for inspiration from members taking the challenge and also to find out about new AR events as they’re released.
FREE
Fit to a T ride
9 December, 10am
Psycle, Mortimer Street
psyclelondon.com
Indoor spin studio Psycle are now stocking Ted Baker activewear at their Canary Wharf studio, and for this week only at their central London Mortimer Street studio. To celebrate, there’s a free ride at Morimer Street on Wednesday morning with a free smoothie when you finish. Book your bike quick it will sell out!
Ski Fit
From 4 December
Frame Shoreditch, Queens Park, Kings Cross
moveyourframe.com
Hitting the slopes this year? We’re not jealous. Get your legs and core winter-sport ready with these powder-perfect fitness classes. Focusing on muscular endurance and paying particular attention to your core and legs, you’ll be boarding and skiing from dawn till the last lift.
FREE
#NeverStopLondon Christmas Exploration
12 December, 13.00-19.00
Dorking Surrey
eventbrite.co.uk
If you haven’t heard of #NeverStopLondon, you seriously need to check it out. A new community group from North Face, the group runs FREE weekly mountain athletics training sessions on Tuesday evenings from the Regent Street store. They also have regular one-off fun outdoor events and this one sounds like a (Christmas) cracker.
Meeting in Dorking, Surrey, you’ll learn all the skills you need for adventures in the great outdoors. Wrap up warm and learn how to make a shelter, build a fire and find your way with a compass. There’s an outdoor festive feast to finish. Places are limited so book on here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/neverstoplondon-christmas-exploration-tickets-19881039725
As Camp as Christmas
12 December, 14:00, £25
Frame, Kings Cross
moveyourframe.com
A two-hour festive dance workshop set to the campest Christmas tunes around, oh yay this sounds fabulous. Instructor Cassius will teach you all the dance moves to set your Christmas party on fire (maybe).
Olympic Park 5k and 10k with Mo Farah
13 December, from £20
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford
olympicpark10k.com
Who doesn’t love Mo? And now you can run with him in this event raising funds for the Mo Farah Foundation, which helps underprivileged communities. Starting and finishing outside the stadium by the ArcelorMittal Orbit, your entry fee includes a t-shirt and snazzy little Mobot Santa medal.
Calm Before Christmas: Restorative Yoga and Yoga Nidra
13 December, 17:00, £25
Good Vibes, Covent Garden
goodvibesfitness.co.uk
Christmas shopping a bit stressful? This two-hour yoga workshop will get you back on track. Taught by Good Vibes founder, Nahid, this deeply restorative session uses breathing exercises and restful techniques to chill you the chuff out. It’s the perfect time to reflect on the year past and set good intentions for the one ahead.
Woburn Abbey Triathlon – with new 70.3 distance
Entries open 14 December
Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire
humanrace.co.uk
We’ve been waiting for this and we think we’re going to enter (eek). Entries for the Woburn Abbey Triathlon open on 14 December and alongside the SuperSprint, Sprint, Olympic and Junior distances, this year they’ve launched a 70.3!!!! Oh yeah. That’s a 1900m swim, 90k cycle and 21.1k around the Abbey, deer park and Bedfordshire countryside. It’s called the WoBurner and we want in! Events are on the weekend of 10-11 September so there’s plenty of time to train, anyone else fancy it?
FREE
Yoga with Katy Bateman
20 December, 11:00
Lululemon Covent Garden
facebook.com
Luluemon’s free yoga classes are first come first mat and they’re always popular but hopefully, with this one being so close to Christmas, it’ll be a bit quieter. Fingers crossed eh? Katy’s classes are creative and dynamic and focus on breath and alignment for a playful practice.
Runthrough Greenwich Park Christmas 5k and 10k
20 December, 10:00, £16-£18
Greenwich Park
runthrough.co.uk
You get a Christmas pudding medal! You don’t need to know anything else really. Apart from that this run is traffic-free, chip-timed and reasonably priced.
FREE
Christmas parkrun
Christmas Day
Across the country
parkrun.org.uk
Run off the Christmas Eve hangover and prepare for the sprouts with a Christmas Day parkrun. A number of the free timed 5ks will be taking place on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day this year. Check to see if your local run is one of them. Mine isn’t, damn, a lie in and chocolate Santas for breakfast it is then.
Brutal Longmoor Camp 8k or 16k off-road race
Image via Brutal10 Facebook
28 December, £15-£24
Longmoor, Hampshire
brutalrun.co.uk
You know that week between Christmas and New Year? Rubbish isn’t it. Get your new Christmas trainers muddy (don’t really wear new trainers!) with a filthy, windy, 10k full of natural obstacles. Held on ground used for army training, expect churned up tank tracks, water ‘features’, hill climbs and sand dunes. Don’t expect to stay dry.
Know of any cool fitness shizzle occurring in 2016? Drop us a line charlotte@lungesandlycra.co.uk
