sidebar | life and training 10.2 – 10.8
It is 66 degrees out right now and I am STOKED.
We had to sneak out last night to our favorite spot for an al fresco dinner, and it did not disappoint. I ordered my favorite steamed mussels, a glass of merlot, and finished off with an espresso martini (that I don’t think was decaf as I requested because I was quite hyper all night). J finally tried their “A&B” burger which was a colossal mass that did not disappoint. Only hitch was that I wish the fries weren’t truffled-infused. Not a big fan.
Little Miss Ba didn’t love the espresso martini – she’s not huge on booze. More for me, then!
That little date night rounded up a busy, stressful, weird week and was certainly a welcome reprieve,. Tuesday we watched the Rays totally embarrass themselves in Wild Card game 1 against Texas. Then they went on an embarrassed themselves even more in game 2 and, well, now their playoff dreams are no more.
The rest of the time largely involved J running back and forth to attend to his parents, and me trying to keep busy in the meantime. Watched a lot of baseball, did some hardcore cleaning that was WELL overdue – including sweeping around our shoe rack and getting all those rogue leaves up – while drinking pumpkin margaritas. Tipsy cleaning is an interesting affair.
I took this coming Tuesday, off, though, in anticipation of a little getaway that didn’t end up coming to pass; but we’ll probably spend the day just relaxing, hopefully unplugging, being outside. We have a few lovely days of weather ahead before the end of the week brings a ton of rain (which we need desperately) so I’m hoping to squeeze in as much outdoors time as I can before the weather turns and the afternoons become gloomy.
Fun question: do you have a place you return to when you need comfort? That is, a park, a restaurant or coffee shop, another locale? Mine is Oxford Exchange, a lovely communal retail space, restaurant, and coffee bar downtown. Ever since I moved to Tampa, it’s a spot I visit when I need solace, no matter what’s going on. And Anchor and Brine is where J and I go when we want to get out but don’t want to think too hard about it.
A little reminder, if you need it:
The Fuck We Cooking This Week?
…STUFFED SHELLS!
…Cheesy vegetarian jalapeno poppers.
…A lovely autumnal espresso martini.
…A cute and spooky halloween treat!
A Few Things I’m Digging
Granola…Since Target’s Good and Gather granola brand has been out of stock, I tried out the Safe + Fair Pumpkin Pie granola. It’s SO CHUNKY, love it.
Coffee…FINALLY got a few bags of the Trader Joes Autumn Maple ground coffee. It is my absolute favorite and one item I look forward to every fall. Paired with the maple oat milk..Mwah!
Shops & Wish List
Fashion
Quince…I forgot about this site for awhile so checked it out to peep their autumn collection. This merino wool cardigan looks so cozy and I’d pair it with their nylon tote bag for a casual daytime fit. So many pretty colors in their cotton knit blazer, love the yak knit wool sweater, and the bow detail on their Italian leather mini bag is precious.
Home
Target…The new Figmint kitchenware collection is to die for. Love this blue cutting board, lidded mixing bowls, gold measuring spoons, ceramic mixing bowl, and this molcajete would be so fun if you tend to make guacamole a lot.
Week in Training
Monday, 10.2: 9.05 miles, 11:43 pace
Felt pretty good after 3.5 miles or so – my nose was super clogged up, but whatever was in there loosened by that time and I breathed a lot easier by the final stretch. Surprised I was going so slowly, but whatever.
Tuesday. 10.3: 5 miles, 11:16 pace
Didn’t even realize we were in an air quality alert, but the fact that my breathing was so distraught made A WHOLE LOT OF SENSE once I discovered that the Canadian wildfire smoke had infiltrated Florida. Crazy that it came this far south.
Wednesday, 10.4: 5 miles, 11:04 pace + 45 minute full body
A decent run! The smoke cleared out and I felt a lot better this morning. Ran 8 x surge and got myself down in the 5s for my sprints. Huzzah! Not writing my strength workout because my phone was temporarily on the fritz and I forget what I did.
Thursday, 10.5: 3.21 miles, 11:34 pace
Easy little miles, and a heart rate of 155! Much better than the 160s I constantly saw over the summer.
Friday, 10.6: 5.06 miles, 11:27 pace + 32 minute full body
Yay, got my second strength session in! Felt pretty okay on the run, definitely not as nice out but workable at least.
Strength:
- 3 x 10 ea. single leg squat 40#
- 4 x 8 triceps ext. 40#
- 4 x 10 ea. banded leg ext. 15#
- 4 x 8 ea. single arm row 35#
- 4 x 10 hammer front raise 30#
- Core and mobility work
Saturday, 10.7: 10.14 miles, 11:32 pace + 10 minute mobility
Absolutely no movement in the air this morning, very quiet out, and didn’t even spot a ship! Not a horrible endeavor, though. Felt pretty okay until the last few miles where I’m pretty sure I was just getting hungry.
Sunday, 10.8: 3.37 miles, 11:18 pace
Felt SO NICE this morning and couldn’t pass up a quick trot!
Total running mileage: 40.8
