sidebar | life and training 12.9 – 12.15
Another week, another 5K – and blessedly, the last of the year. Hoorah!
2024 was a BUSY racing year for me. Back in July, after a significant life change disrupted much of my routine and left me reeling for a spell, I turned to racing as a reprieve from my mind and to rejoin a community in which I’ve been integrated for about a decade now. After that first 5K, I was hooked back into the culture of road racing – I’d forgotten how much I adored the camaraderie in the suffering (because, as I’ve said numerous times, 5Ks are a nasty sufferfest).
I think, though, I’ve reached a plateau with the 5K and after I signed up for the Tinsel Run, which occurred Saturday, I found myself ready to be done with the quick burn of the distance. 5Ks hurt, and it seems in hindsight that my Turkey Trot two weeks ago was my ultimate effort for this season. I was set to do the race this past weekend and really wanted the adorable medal and the tee, so I was determined to see it through. I am not heartbroken that it is the last one.
The weather was perfect for Saturday’s race but I had the premonition throughout the week that I wouldn’t feel so primed and prepped during the event. My speed workouts were trash and my legs didn’t have great turnover, so I lowered my expectations and figured I’d just do what I could. At packet pickup I made the last minute decision to wear my Santa hat during the race – I worried initially that the sun would blind me at certain points, but pivoted, thinking Who the fuck cares? This is a Christmas race, it’s not so serious. I’m glad I made that choice!
Long story short, I felt like ass. The course ran short according to my watch – 3.03 miles versus 3.1, which is a pretty big discrepancy. I finished in 23:36, ironically the exact time of my Turkey Trot, so my pace was 7:47 (7:36 officially if you listen to the official results). I won third in my age group and an ADORABLE hand sewn gnome ornament. So, not all bad on the competitive front, I suppose. One of my neighbors was handing out medals; a neat little interaction.
The best part, though, was the appreciation I received from a girl I supported after the race. I passed her sometime after mile marker 1 where she huffed out “Ma’am, I don’t feel so good.” I didn’t know what to do or say in my feverish trot so I coughed out something like “Pull over and breathe, a race isn’t worth (your health). She wound up finishing shortly behind me but sat down immediately at the finish and seemed to be in some distress, so I brought her water and hung out for a second to make sure she was okay. Later she came up to me and gave me a hug, thanking me for helping, and rattled off that she used to be a high school runner but let herself go during college (happens to all of us), and still managed to win her age group at this race. You go, girl. I may never see you again but I’ll think about that moment for a long time.
It was a good day. The rest of the week was speckled with adventures, too. I’m thinking on Instagram I’m gonna have to do a roundup of Little Miss Ba’s outings. She’s had quite the year! So many pastries for such a smol sheep.
Thursday I beheld a gorgeous afternoon and decided to walk to Market at Edition for a flat white and a big snickerdoodle cookie. The space is so calming and gorgeous, with plenty of sparkling light filtering through in the late afternoon.
Friday I visited Oxford Exchange for the first time in quite awhile. I plopped down in a big cozy nook with a peppermint mocha and a big muffin, and just drew for a bit. That’s been my forte lately: taking my notebook out and doodling whatever’s around me. Every time I looked down Little Miss Ba had taken another swipe at the muffin. Hungry little one!
After my race and finishing off a project Saturday, I drove out to The Brothers Thomas for a quick coffee. They were celebrating their grand opening, and I gotta tell you, the space is absolutely gorgeous. Full of light, beautifully decorated for Christmas, and utterly cozy. The downside is that the coffee is incredibly pricy – I paid for one drink what I’d pay for a coffee and pastry at the other local shops I tend to visit – and the quality didn’t match the cost. Either way, it was a worthy adventure for the vibes.
On Sunday I finally got to try out Rome + Fig, a place I’ve eyed for a long time but never had an excuse to visit. We wandered over for Happy Hour, which boasts quite a good selection of food and drink. I enjoyed a beautiful cocktail initially served in a plastic ornament, then poured over a rosemary sprig and a couple cranberries, and ordered the hummus as my main. We also shared the tuna tartare and both selections were top notch. The aesthetic is lovely, comfy, and bright, and I’ll definitely go back in the future.
We’re down to our final week before Christmas and dudes, I am still not ready for this shit. I have a few more recipes to develop and lots to share, so look for a day or two of double posts and the launch of my 2024 cookie box! I know it’s extremely late, but I figure some of ya’ll might have Christmas parties to attend the weekend prior and people to entertain the days leading up, so a cookie box is still a relevant entity in my mind.
Looking forward also to my sis flying in over the weekend, and potentially seeing a friend I’ve been separated from for the past five months. I’m a bit overwhelmed by the prospect of all this stuff I have to do, but equal parts excited, too.
Hang in there, pals, and enjoy these festive days!
The Fuck We Cooking This Week?
…An incredibly addicting Christmas snack bark!
…A colorful, wholesome holiday salad.
…A divine Christmas morning brunch.
A Few Things I’m Digging
Sweater…This cropped pullover is one of my favorite pieces this winter. It’s cozy, a bit oversized – my favorite kind of fit – and goes with a ton of different outfits.
Bagel sandwiches…I love a good sandwich but lately I’ve been buying BOGO bagels and using them for pretty much everything that requires bread. My sandwich combo of late? Veggie turkey, provolone, vegan mayo, lettuce and tomato, and pickles.
Christmas Cocktails
Here’s a lil roundup of my favorite holiday sips! We’ve got one more coming this week sometime too so keep your eyes peeled for that.
Sparkling Cranberry Cider Tequila Punch
Merry Berry Christmas Margarita
Week in Training
Monday, 12.9: 7 miles, 9:54 pace + 20 minute lift
These harder efforts and starting to feel extra challenging, both physically and mentally – I think I’m ready to push the 5K aside and venture into stamina-based training. It was a lovely morning and I enjoyed being outside, but yeah, not my best work. 2 mile warmup, 2 miles (7:59, 7:43), 2 x 200 (:50.8, :49.4), 2.5 mile cooldown.
Strength:
- 3 x 10 deadlift 100#
- 2 x 8/1 x 10 row 35/30#
- 3 x 12 curtsy lunge 60#
- 3 x 10 skullcrusher 15#
- 3 x 10 lateral hops 20#
- 3 x 15 stir the pot
Tuesday, 12.10: 5 miles, 11:01 pace
Pleasant run in a perfect temp for me – 61 degrees. Heart rate of only 150 bpm!
Wednesday, 12.11: 4.13 miles, 10:54 pace
Breeze but comfy miles.
Thursday, 12.12: 4.5 miles, 10:23 pace
Little workout to sharpen up the leggies – it was COLD! 42 degrees with pretty gusty wind so I had to be mindful of the lungs a bit. 4 x 200 was the name of the game: :51.2, :50.2, :48.6, :49.5. Not too shabby for heavy feet and chilly climes!
Friday, 12.13: 3.5 miles, 10:54 pace
Easy recovery/shakeout miles. Felt stiff today so I think some foam rolling is in order.
Saturday, 12.14: TINSEL RUN 5K: 3.03/3.1 miles, 7:47/7:36 pace
There was a huge discrepancy between the distance my watch picked up and the official course distance (which is, obviously, supposed to be 3.1 miles). I’d imagine the course was short in some respect, but I know there’s a legitimate GPS deadzone on part of the loop so it may not have been as short as my watch picked up. Either way, I was certainly not in the prime headspace for this 5K and really only signed up because of how cute the gnome-themed race swag was. I felt like ass and didn’t have much turnover in my legs, but I still think I did respectably considering. Snagged third in my age group and had a cool moment with a girl I helped a bit after the race when she was struggling to get her feet again. Overall a fun experience and I enjoyed being able to wear my Christmas fit on a race course!
Sunday, 12.15: 4 mile walk (1:02:24)
Total running mileage: 31.3
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