sidebar | life and training 3.10 – 3.16

Who else here struggles to justify relaxation?

It’s pretty convoluted in our culture that we expect ourselves to work to the brim of madness constantly, with no room for leisure except when we’ve burned out so magnificently that survival becomes the only means of existence. I would not, indeed, call that relaxing – it’s necessity at that point.

Case in point. Lately I’ve found myself with several random days off work due to renovation at my workplace. Especially in these last two weeks, our schedules have meandered to and fro and while I’ve picked up work elsewhere, I’ve struggled between wanting to keep my typical hours and wanting to take advantage of the flexibility since most of the time I maintain a steady work load with little wiggle room.

But then, the battle arises. I’m working less, so what have I done to deserve this extra chill time? How can I fill my days similarly, while not at work, in order to feel productive enough to relax later?

The cycle is twisted and one I have not yet mastered. This past Sunday was one of those days where the struggle felt particularly strong. I had the day off, and could not think of how to fill my morning (sleeping in is REALLY difficult for me nowadays because I’m such an aggressively habitual creature with my early workouts). So what did my neurotic ass do? Walk 13 miles. 3 hours and 26 minutes of strolling.

WHO DOES THAT?!

I spent the rest of the morning cleaning before I finally decided I’d done enough and deserved a treat outing. But goodness. Why is that urge to revamp one’s whole life before earning that adventure or justifying a nap so damn powerful? How does one cleanse of that mindset?

It’s hard, ya’ll!

I did, however, make time to enjoy these lovely oatmeal pancakes!

Last week I bit the bullet and bought a new computer. The hitch? The first one I chose had terrible display quality. I was pretty distraught by how inaccurate the colors were and ended up returning the computer, only to stroll over to Best Buy to pick up another. Thankfully, that one – a Lenovo Ideapad, on which I’m typing now – was far better. I don’t pretend to know a lick of computer science but apparently there’s two main types of screen: TN and IPS. IPS is much better visually, TN is usually passable but far cheaper. Not passable for me, honestly. I need FMG and its social components to look crisp!

Over the weekend I visited two coffee shops with Little Miss Ba. Saturday the traffic to St. Pete was shit so I kept it local and tried Willa’s Provisions again. Still don’t love that place. I ordered their birthday cake flavor in cappuccino form and it was okay, not great with oat milk. The sprinkle cruller was lovely, though. I ran into my boss while hanging out there and another manager I know, and we chatted for a few minutes about the renovation. Funny stuff. I don’t think Willa’s is going to be a normal haunt for me to go to but it was fine for what it was.

Sunday, though, I wandered out to Paradeco, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite spots in the area. The aesthetics just speak to me: I adore the coral + dusty pink and turquoise color scheme. The line was long but quick moving and I didn’t have trouble getting a seat in the corner. I got a blueberry muffin and a cappuccino. Delish. Little Miss Ba thought so too.

Fun fact: I think from now on, unless a shop offers soy milk, I’m going to stick with whole milk for my coffee orders. My lactose intolerance seems to have calmed over the years (maybe the large quantities of cheese I enjoy have helped reregulate my body) and I honestly don’t feel like paying an extra $1 or so for oat milk, which I don’t really love anyway.

What milk do you use for your coffee order? Just a fun question I’m curious about. I keep soy milk in my fridge at home and like using that in my morning brew – or cereal, or other random things I might eat with milk.

That’s about it for now, folks. Oh! And Happy St. Patrick’s Day. If that’s an occasion you observe. I don’t really but it’s nice to acknowledge the randomness when it arises. Though I did make this awesome Guinness mushroom stew this week.

Take care, friends!

The Fuck We Cooking This Week?

…A pretty little grapefruit cocktail.

…A light and springy pasta salad.

A Few Things I’m Digging

Sprinting…I go through phases where I prefer running distances, and phases during which I like short and fast. With my allergies as pronounced as they are currently, the quick spurts are easier to manage than sustained efforts. Sprint intervals are satisfying and get a lot of work in a brief span of time.

Oat pancakes…Usually when I’ve tried healthy pancakes they turn into gooey slop and don’t adhere, but this recipe for blender oatmeal pancakes was amazing. You must let the batter sit the full 8 minutes else they’ll fall apart. Floofy, tasty, and easily customizable! Very impressed.

This Week’s Menu

Meatless Monday…Rosemary Mushroom Provolone Pizza

Taco Tuesday…Crispy Jerk Shrimp Tacos with Coconut Pineapple Salsa

Wednesday…One Skillet Tuscan Parmesan Salmon

Thursday…Lemon Chickpea, Tomato, and Avocado Pasta Salad

Friday Happy Hour…Irish Espresso Martini

Saturday Baking…Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Bailey’s Buttercream

Sunday Snack…Spicy Strawberry Salsa with Whipped Feta

Shops & Wish List

Fashion

Aerie…Liking these crossover bike shorts for warm weather loungewear. Thinking about this lacy bra top or lace cami for springtime layering (beneath a cardigan or loose tank would be so cute).

Quince…Looking at their loungewear lately. The fleece shorts look comfy (+ matching joggers), V-neck cropped tank, and this cashmere cropped tank. Or: these utility shorts and cotton chino shorts. Loving the olive green hue for spring and summer.

Week in Training

Monday, 3.10: 7 miles, 9:38 pace + 28 minute leg day

I felt really inspired this morning to throw down some tempo work…except I woke up with mad heartburn. Thankfully it didn’t hinder me too much, although the heat definitely did. I’m not used to 70+ degree mornings yet after most being below 60, so acclimation will take time. I’m still quite pleased with this session! 2 mile warmup, 1.5 miles @ HMP (8:39), 1 mile @ 10K pace (7:42), 800m at 5K pace (3:44/7:31 pace). I had to stop 10 seconds during the last rep to work out a side stitch but I think I would’ve maintained that pace anyway.

Strength:

• 4 x 8 ea. SLDL 60#
• 3 x 10 diamond squat 60#
• 3 x 8 alt. front lunge 60#
• 3 x 12 hip thrust 65#
• 3 x 10 ea. single leg press 110#
• Forearm and handstand practice (held the former for a solid minute!)

Tuesday, 3.11: 5 miles, 10:57 pace + 25 minute back & bis

Fair morning for a run, much cooler and more pleasant than yesterday!

Strength:

• 3 x 10 ea. row 35#
• 3 x 8 waiter curl 40#
• 3 x 8 mid row 70#
• 4 x 6 ea. incline biceps curl 20#
• 3 x 8/1 x 10 upright row 25/20#
• Forearm stands

Wednesday, 3.12: 4.5 miles, 11:00 pace

Thursday, 3.13: 5 miles, 11:06 pace + 25 minute legs

Switching it up with some sprint interval training! I’m getting bored with the long slow distance so I think I’m going to reincorporate more short and fast workouts. 2 mile warmup, 6 x 150 (36.5, 34.1, 33.6, 34.1, 34.2, 36.5), 2 mile cooldown. Not the best paced but I’m new to this game so I’ll give myself a break! Also, pollen was VERY high so I didn’t feel my best anyway.

Strength:

• 4 x 6 squat 110#
• 3 x 10 ea. donkey kick 30#
• 4 x 6 split squat 50#
• 4 x 6 leg press 200#
• 3 x 15 machine calf raise 170#
• Forearm stands

Friday, 3.14: 3.5 miles, 11:04 pace + 22 minute chest & tris

Run didn’t go too badly. Lift felt terrible. I definitely don’t have my peak strength in the morning so I guess I need to modify certain lifts to make them lighter when I train in the early hours.

Strength:

• 3 x 6 Arnold 20#
• 1 x 10/2 x 8 incline bench press 50#
• 2 x 8/1 x 6 triceps pushdown 37#
• 3 x 15 triceps dip 25#
• 1 x 8 chest press 60#/2 x 10 chest fly 30/20#
• Core work

Saturday, 3.15: 10 miles, 11:14 pace

OOF. Sore legs and pretty bad pollen levels do not a quick run make. I knew I’d be slow today but was surprised at just how slow. Even so, I felt like grinding out double digits so that’s exactly what I did! Planned down week next week so it was nice to challenge myself to a longer session today.

Sunday, 3.16: 13 mile walk (3:26:37)

Didn’t have anything to do today so I figured I’d spend the morning walking the entirety of my usual running path. It was windy but rather peaceful, and I enjoyed a lovely pancake breakfast after! Not sure I’d ever willingly do this again but hey, at least I know I can.

Total running mileage: 35 miles