sidebar | life and training 11.22 – 11.28

Happy Thanksgiving aftermath! Overall I enjoyed a really bustling yet mellow day full of good eats (too many good eats, as is wont for the holiday) and no-pressure hanging about. We viewed the Macy’s Parade and the dog show, with me squealing when the Samoyed was shown and my sister at the sight of the corgis.

Beforehand, mom and I passed a good hour on the waterside path nearby for our own “turkey trot.” I even made us some bibs to feel as if participating in an official race. Mom doesn’t feel good about huge crowds still and I’m in no way ready to bounce into a full-effort anaerobic race environment, so we instead made the most of our own respective renditions. I really enjoyed being outside in the calm dawn. I ran 45 minutes with no real intent and by the end the sun had completely crested the horizon and blew shards of gold atop the water. So pretty and crisp.

Much of the afternoon we mingled around the cheeseboard and my mom’s veggie and fruit trays while intermittently slicing and chopping components for dinner later. My sister shook up some apple cider margaritas and around the dinner table we enjoyed a bottle of sparkling rose wine. Apparently such was tradition in my mom’s family. I’m okay continuing that legacy.

I sure hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving, and if you don’t celebrate, your Thursday, anyway. I’m grateful we all transcended the trials of the last couple years and were able to convene at mom’s for an incredibly joyful day. I know not everyone is privileged with kindness in their family, and still I send love your way. Such happiness was not always the case during the holidays for me. I’m blessed that the tides have shifted between childhood and adulthood, or whatever the late 20s are.

FMG 2021 Holiday Gift Guide – For the Cook

Did you visit the first gift guide in the FMG arsenal? This one is geared towards the aspiring or experienced cooks in your life! I have one or two more upcoming but this dude might be my favorite of the series. Kitchenware, barware, edible goodies, and more. Visit the guide here and let me know what you’re buying out of the recommendations!

A Few Things I’m Digging

Chai tea and lattes…Of late, my choice order at shops is a chai latte. I’ve become more curious about tea in general and after a really wonderful chai at a favorite haunt in Philadelphia, I’ve been on a quest to find good local sources in my hometown. I’ve also made a few at home with bagged chai blends. Perhaps I’ll make a completely from-scratch version soon!

Versed Moon Drops…Seems every week I’m mentioning a new Versed product, but this is my newest addition and wow, such glow! This is effective an illuminizer you can wear alone above moisturizer or mix into makeup. My sister even commented on the quality of my skin and took a photo of my morning routine for her own reference. I seriously want everything from their collection and the best part is most products are at or under $20.

Cider Pumpkin Spice Pancakes…I have a lot of leftover apple cider from various culinary adventures, and several weekends I’ve mixed up some of these pancakes for J and I’s Saturday breakfast. I love to add buckwheat flour in place of some of the white flour. Pro tip. Grab the recipe here!

Our weather…When Florida gets autumn/winter, even I’ll admit that it’s beautiful. We’ve steadily seen 50s/70s for the past several days, and more days upcoming, and the combo truly is my favorite. My moods climb exponentially when the mercury drops. We even have some 40s coming up!

Week in Training

Monday, 11.22: 6.17 miles, 10:34 pace + 50 minute back and biceps

Run did not feel good, though I largely expected the numbers to be worse. I witnessed a strange aquatic happening when these smooth, quiet, but fairly large waves splashed up against the seawall in quick succession. No boat in sight and the tide wasn’t due for another five or so hours. Really weird and slightly eerie, and I still wonder what it was.

Strength:

• 4 x 5 biceps curls
• 12/10/10/5 lat pulldowns
• 4 x 10 side biceps curls
• 4 x 8 low row
• 12/10/8/6/6 preacher curls
• 4 x 8 straight arm pulldown
• 4 x (15 ea weighted toe taps/15 ea plank pass throughs/30 bicycles/30 alt jackknives)

Tuesday, 11.23: 3.6 miles, 9:44 pace + 45 minute shoulders & triceps

Pressed for time and chilly this morning so I definitely hauled quicker than I should’ve. Nice breeze and much lower humidity than yesterday, so I quite enjoyed the run despite my recent limitations. After my gym workout I couldn’t use my arms properly so I guess I worked them quite appropriately!

Strength:

• 10 minute elliptical warmup
• 4 x 8 lateral raise
• 4 x 10 OH triceps extension
• 2 x 6/2 x 8 shoulder press
• 2 x 8/2 x 4 chest machine press
• 3 x 8/1 x 5 cable triceps pushdown
• 4 x 10 incline shoulder press
• 50 flutter kicks/40 shoulder taps/30 leg drops/20 plank swivels/10 ea. plank oblique crunch

Wednesday, 11.24: 7 miles, 10 min pace + 50 minute legs

Expanded my run ten minutes to see if the guy in the gym would leave. He didn’t, so I called it at 70 minutes and barged into the tiny room to get leg day done. Pretty productive session overall, though the run wasn’t fantastic.

Strength:

• 4 x 6 reverse squat
• 4 x 12 swings
• 4 x 10 ea. kickstand deadlift
• 4 x 12 elevated sumo squat
• 2 x 8/2 x 6 leg extension
• 4 x (10 ball leg drops/12 reverse crunch/22 Russian twist/30 heel touches)

Thursday, 11.25 (gobble gobble!): 4.56 miles, 9:52 pace + 50 minute back and biceps

Happy Thanksgiving! Got up and immediately flew over to the gym for my workout before a protein hot chocolate and a drive to mom’s so we could flounce on the waterside path for our own Turkey Trot. I got real tired of running against the wind after a while so a good amount of this trek was with a tailwind.

Strength:

• 4 x 8 row
• 4 x 12 as 6 low/6 high bicep curls
• 12/10/8/6 cable face pulls
• 2 x 10 reverse grip curl/2 x 10 hammer curl
• 1 x 12/2 x 10/1 x 8 pull apart
• 2 x 10/2 x 6 ea. concentration curl (failed the final 2 sets miserably)
• 4 x 15 good morning
• 4 x (12 stir the pot/20 deadbug/10 panda bears)

Friday, 11.26: 5.87 miles, 10:14 pace

Pulled off an hour run before work. Felt decent, probably from being stocked up with glycogen after all the Thanksgiving eats.

Saturday, 11.27: 8.37 miles, 10:10 pace + 50 minute legs

So quiet on the streets this morning, probably because Floridians can’t handle a bit of wind and chill or a lot of folks are still out of town. Did see a big boat floating in the channel with rows of lights twinkling on its facade – quite a peaceful scene, really. The wind got annoying after a time but I overall enjoyed this week’s long run.

Strength:

• 4 x 8 deadlift
• 4 x 12 hip thrust
• 4 x 10 ea. weighted single leg hop
• 4 x 8 leg extension
• 4 x 12 ea. side lunge SS 3 x front squat
• 4 x 10 ea. windmill
• 4 x 20 cable crunches

Sunday, 11.29: 3.19 mile walk (1:00:00)

Total running mileage: 35.6