Someone recommended Dishoom - I second that! That was the best place we ate when we were in London last summer. If you are at all into music / cathedrals, check out what is happening at some of the churches you'd like to visit - last summer I caught an amazing, FREE organ recital at St. Paul's, which prompted me to check out what was happening at other places, and I think I saw three recitals/performances! But I am a huge music nerd, so that might not be everyone's cup of tea.

We also walked EVERYWHERE, which got us to see neighborhoods and sights we wouldn't have encountered if we had just taken the tube.

Good luck to you! I'm sure it will be an amazing, exhilarating experience! The best thing about running in a race for the first time is the incredible energy and good vibes you get from the other runners and the crowd!

To me, the most earth-shattering thing that changed when I ran my first half marathon is it made me have positive feelings about my body I hadn't experienced so sharply before -- I came away thinking; WOW, my body is awesome; I can't believe it did that!

The one half marathon is the only race I've ever run (it was a few years ago), but I just decided that next year I am going to run another one for my thirtieth birthday.

My advice (I'm not an experienced runner at all, but my husband is, so that's where this comes from) is to do some visualization beforehand. Mentally walk yourself through race morning, thinking about eating breakfast, gathering your gear, getting to the starting line, warming up, stashing your stuff, etc. Visualize all the little moments. Then visualize the running the entire course (I'm going to get water at this aid station, here's where I'm going to have gu, here is a hill I need to think about, here is where my friends will be cheering, etc). It's even helpful to drive parts of the course if you can the night before, to make it more vivid.

I'm an anxious person, and visualizing all the little details helped me focus and relax.
All the best!
You are amazing!

Dear toasties,
What is your favorite YA "coming of age" novel, or a novel you felt shaped your sense of self when you were an early teen?

I'm a middle school teacher who has miraculously been given funding to buy lots of books for book clubs around different themes. Which books changed your lives?