sidebar | life and training 1.31 – 2.6

I don’t know why everyone says that January seems to last forever. It comes and goes as any other month to me. Perhaps a lot of this narrative stems from those who live in places that actually see winter – January tends to be very cold, snowy, and raw for many, which I can see as being a sunless drag after awhile. To me, the month carried on as always, with little interesting deviation.

We fly out for Colorado next Monday – at 6 am, woopee – which is a welcome reprieve for me. So long as we stay healthy and get our termite tenting prep done in good time, I’m eager for a chance to escape this state for a time. After an extended period in routine, I often crave something to remove me from the doldrums so I can eventually look forward to reclaiming my usual day-to-day habits. A weeklong vacation usually does the trick for that, and leaves me grateful both for the adventures and for the ordinary.

Big Sur training that week will be fairly flexible. I’m pretty insecure running on snow, if that’s something I need to worry about anyway, and altitude is obviously not something I’m adapted to right now. We’re staying in a hotel with a nice gym so I might utilize their treadmill more than venturing outside. We have plenty of outdoor activities planned so I certainly won’t be missing out on nature, but if all else fails, indoor running will be a thing. I think a cutback long run will be in order at any rate. 10-12 miles most likely.

As I said, I’m excited. For the 6am flight? Not so much, but I’m atuned to early mornings so I’ll manage.

What I’m Up To This Week

Testing…A crunchy shrimp appetizer, a savory chopped salad, a fun handheld breakfast treat, some healthier triple layer bars and *maybe* an ooey gooey skillet cookie if I have time!

Wanting…Every damn Woodville ceramic offered. I especially love this plate and the speckled pasta bowl.

Buying…Individual Vega protein packets. I can’t see myself surviving without my morning hot chocolates while we stay in Colorado but I’m not shoving a giant tub in my suitcase.

Cleaning…All of our cabinets. I’ve been purging out the pantry and giving away a lot of random stuff to friends, and this week is really down to the wire before our tenting begins. There’s a lot of shit in those black holes, man.

Drinking…Coffee with heavy cream. Bit out of character for me, but I really like how little I need to use to get my desired creaminess.

A Few Things I’m Digging

Carbonara…I developed a fun riff on this Italian classic this week and am really into how fast and fresh the result was! If you haven’t already, give my Rosemary Mushroom Pasta Carbonara a spin. Creamy without cream, a minimalist’s dream.

Heart candies…I initially purchased these Ghirardelli duet hearts candies for a recipe but didn’t end up using them for such. Instead, I nibble on them for a post-lunch or -dinner sweet treat.

Running shirt…Bought this thermal top for colder weather runs and it proved very toasty and fitted comfortably. Certainly packing it up for Colorado next week!

Almond butter…Dudes, this cinnamon almond butter is the shit. I find myself swiping at the jar multiple times per day with a spoon. Bad habit. But delicious. I baked with it for an upcoming recipe for which I’m ultra stoked.

Week in Training

Monday, 1.31: 4.29 miles, 10:31 pace + 54 minute shoulders & triceps

Taking a cutdown week because I feel like it. Most of the slash will be in the long run, but I think I’ll mitigate my weekday runs too. It was unpleasantly chilly this morning, 39 at the start with 98% humidity, so I was clammy and cold from the get go even in full garb. Florida cold can suck it.

Strength:

• 4 x 6 OH press 25#
• 4 x 8 triceps extension 35#
• 4 x 5 chest press 70#
• 2 x 8/2 x 6 triceps pushdown 37/41#
• 4 x 10 narrow press 20#
• 4 x 9 skullcrusher 25#
• 4 x 8 bent elbow side raise 20#
• 4 x 10 triceps pulse 30#
• 4 x 10 shrug 40#
• 30 v ups/30 plank alt leg raise/30 ea. side crunch/30 reverse tabletop/30 sprinter crunch

Tuesday, 2.1: 3.26 miles, 10:45 pace + 41 minute back & biceps

Early morning tread-hills, ranging from 0-4% incline. Busting some rust on my climbing muscles at a relaxed intensity. Felt good to get it done before work to squeeze some time after my shift for an outdoor stroll in the sunshine.

Strength:

• 4 x 8 row SS 8 reverse fly 25#
• 4 x 8 front to wide biceps curl 15#
• 4 x 10 face pull 47# SS 8 straight arm pulldown 37#
• 3 x 8/1 x 10 preacher curl 65/55# SS 10 pushups
• 4 x 6 mid row 80#
• 4 x 8 cable hammer curl 32# SS 10 reverse curl 10#

Wednesday, 2.2: 6.75 miles, 9:37 pace + 50 minute legs

8 x 400 on the agenda. Holy shit was my face red afterwards! I didn’t set a pace goal, or any real goal for that matter. I just wanted to gauge how consistent I could be over 2 miles of work. I did alright, really. I don’t recall what my paces were for previous 400m reps but I stayed strong and my form felt really solid throughout. Took 2 minute recovery jogs in between. Splits: 7:56, 7:47, 7:25, 7:20, 7:32 (wind), 7:29 (wind), 7:36 (wind), 7:27.

Strength:

• 5 x 5 deadlift 130#
• 4 x 8 ea. side lunge 70#
• 4 x 8 narrow squat step-out 60#
• 4 x 12 swing 70#
• 4 x 8 leg extension 150#
• 4 x 12 calf raise 150#
• 4 x 8 ea. donkey kick 30#
• 5 minutes core work

Thursday, 2.3: 30 minutes elliptical + 46 minutes shoulders & triceps

Elliptical felt surprisingly relaxing this morning. Spun out between levels 2-5 before a good superset-based upper body session. I also walked 4k after a very stressful workday, which was a great reset from the tension I experienced prior.

Strength:

• 4 x 8 military press 20# SS 10 bench press 20#
• 4 x 8 seated triceps extension 30# SS 8 triceps pulse 30#
• 4 x 10 chest fly 15# SS 8 weighted pushup 10#
• 4 x 10 T raise 15#
• 4 x 10 triceps press down 32#
• 4 x 8 lying triceps extension 30# SS 8 narrow press 20#
• 5 minutes core work

Friday, 2.4: 4.41 miles, 10:13 pace + 52 minutes back & biceps

Slept miserably the night before, maybe 5 hours, and felt stressed and tense the whole bit before I started my workouts. Strangely, though, the run cooperated and I was able to even think through some worries and problem solve. My heartrate data was stupid, but the miles went smoothly.

Strength:

• 4 x 10 ea. bird dog row 25# (this might be a new favorite!)
• 4 x 10 rotating hammer curl 15#
• 4 x 8 underhand row 40#
• 2 x 9/2 x 8 preacher curl 65#
• 4 x 8 negative biceps curl 15#
• 1 x 10/3 x 8 face pull 49/54#
• 2 x 10/2 x 8 ea. kneeling single arm pulldown 32#
• 3 x 8 upper half biceps curls 20#

Saturday, 2.5: 10 miles, 10:33 pace + 50 minute leg day

A long run during which I didn’t wish for death midway through? Count me in. The first mile was really rough and lack any sort of rhythm, but once I crossed over to my main route things seemed to click and the miles churned by without much to-do. The wind varied in intensity but shifted every time I turned a corner, so the headwind was quite prevalent the whole while. Fueled by a vanilla Honey Stinger gel at mile 6.

Strength:

• 4 x 6 ea. single leg deadlift 90#
• 4 x 8 pause squat 60#
• 4 x 10 ea. single leg press 100#
• 4 x 10 ea. single leg calf raise 50#
• 4 x 12 alt. sit squat 35#
• 4 x 8 ea. donkey kick 30#

Sunday, 2.6: 3.14 mile walk (47 minutes, 14:59 pace)

Total running mileage: 28.6