sidebar | life and training 5.8 – 5.14
Hello from not-sunny-at-all San Diego!
According to folks around here, the foggy May and June days aren’t uncommon, and that’s been the theme of our California weekend thus far. We stayed out in Del Mar for a few days, then swung downtown for the final two, and each day was characterized by a thick blanket of coastal fog that sometimes dripped down like rain in the mornings. Very dreary, and raw like a cold Floridian day. Gets to your bones, it does.
My travel day was Friday, and aside from a quagmire with my TSA Precheck business, the flights and transitions from east to west coast were very smooth. J picked me up from the airport around 2ish and we drove out to El Indio to enjoy the original taquitos – apparently they more or less invented the concept! So good. Then moseyed over to our host, Hotel Indigo, and happened to notice the restaurant hosted a happy hour with some small bites and drinks. Pretty top notch hummus plate for six bucks. The espresso martini was not a HH offering, but I wanted one, so there you go.
Next day we visited Pacifica Breeze Cafe for breakfast (a loaded smoked salmon avocado toast that probably used a whole package of lox) and coffees, then fought all morning for tickets to the Carlsbad Flower Fields until I finally landed two at a decent time slot.
Ya’ll, those fields…The most spectacular show of ranunculus you’ll ever find. Had it not been for a relatively creepy fuck in the airport who only showed his use in telling me about The Flower Fields, I never would’ve known about them. We strolled around for the better part of an hour, and I was in heaven. They have several offshoots within the park, including a sweet pea maze in which most people seemed to get delightedly lost, and a small orchid display. Their food cart sold an apparently famous strawberry shake, which I did not have, but I hear is pretty awesome.
Whenever I travel I try to find a park or garden for us to visit. Nature grounds me when I’m out of my normal element. Not unusual, since being outside is a known method of quelling anxiety. I mean, how could I not brighten up at the sight of so many wonderful plants? I just wish I could’ve shipped home a few bundles of the ranunculus they sold.
For dinner, we landed a reservation at Jake’s Del Mar, which is a must-go if you’re in the area. Get the seafood pot, and definitely the ceviche. The paloma was wonderful and so was the A to Z pinot noir, and J got a togarashi ahi that was also rad. To finish? Hula Pie. Definitely share it if you have a tame sweet tooth, but it is so so good.
Sunday we ate at Parakeet Cafe, a cute pink-themed shop with an awesome pastry arrangement. We shared a blueberry muffin and took a couple cookies for the road.
Then, packed up and left Del Mar, but not before a quick hike at Torrey Pines – we did the Razor Point hike, which is about 1 1/3 miles round trip and lends some sweeping views of the eroded cliffsides and the crashing waves below. My lil sheep quite enjoyed the landscapes.
En route to our final spot in San Diego we spent a couple hours at the Belching Beaver Tavern because I had to get a big glass of my all-time favorite peanut butter stout. Guys, I don’t always finish a can or pint of beer, but I could probably drink two of these easily. I have never had a dark beer this amazing, it truly does taste like Reese’s. We ordered a Bavarian pretzel to split, fries, and I had the southwest salad. All real good. J enjoyed the peanut butter stout old fashioned which was delightful too.
And, now I’m here in San Diego for my last day on the west coast. We ate dinner at Lionfish and mostly relaxed on Sunday night after some housekeeping, and today we’ll probably chill around the hotel pool and places nearby before the Padres game tonight.
This weekend completely passed me by, not without notice – but it almost felt like I stepped off the plane only to step right back on. I love the experience of travel, but I find the logistics exhausting and overwhelming. The smoothness of this trip surprised me, and helped me feel a little more of a yearning to keep the break going rather than eager to go back to normalcy. Though, a home-cooked meal does sound nice after eating so indulgently.
Do you travel easily, or does it stress you out? I will freely admit that my homebody ways sometimes interfere with real enjoyment of getting away. My finicky stomach doesn’t help, either, though lactaid has quelled some of that since I discovered my intolerance recently. Not that you really needed to know that, but now you do, okay? I don’t fart as much.
Back to the kitchen game for the rest of the week, and now I want to hygge up my house and flip it into the coziest environment I can possibly create. Kinda brings vacation home, right?
The Fuck We Cookin’ This Week?
…A light and fresh caprese salad with the DOPEST dressing.
…A sweet banana treat because lo and behold, I have brown bananas!
…The simplest, cheesiest vegetarian “beef” enchiladas.
A Few Things I’m Digging
Foundation…I’ve started using the Morphe2 Hint Hint Skin Tint and honestly I’m not quite sure why it’s reviews are so mediocre. I quite like it: the coverage is buildable and natural and it boasts no unruly smells. Maybe not the best for oily skin?
Pasta salads…I’ve made two pasta salads these past couple weeks, one I’m sharing in the next couple days. Definitely think ya’ll will enjoy the Lemon Chickpea, Tomato, and Avocado Pasta Salad – it’s light but filling and turns into some rad leftovers!
Cocktail glasses…Big fan of these sweet optic glasses. Used them for my Pineapple Mint Julep and loved how study they proved, they hold in the hand nicely and insulted pretty well.
Shops and Wish List
Skincare & Wellness
Colourpop…Trying out the Fresh Kiss Glossy Lip Stain in “Sugar Snap” as a way to jazz up my limited makeup palette. Will say more when I try it for a few more wears. Interested in trying the Pretty Fresh Tinted Moisturizer, though my Target didn’t have the shade I needed in stock at the time.
Home
Target…Candle sale happening now and I’m into it. I don’t usually go for tropical scents, which are kinda dominating the market right now (it’s approaching summer, after all) but they have some cozier-sounding offerings in which I’m interested. The Sun-Soaked Teak sounds nice, probably woody, and the Frozen Custard and Whipped Cream Cone are intriguing. I’d imagine vanilla-ish in scent?
Kitchen & Dining
Target…Love all the cute mugs they released for Mother’s Day! The “cat mom” latte mug is a great size for an extra large cup o joe and I like the florals on this “best mom ever” fixture. Great last minute gifts if you’re scrambling for ideas!
Week in Training
Monday, 5.8: 7 mile walk (1:49:13) + 21 minute push
Didn’t at all feel like running when I got up considering I did so two days in a row, with a longer/slightly harder effort Sunday, so settled for a long morning walk instead. Felt good outside and I got to see a friendly ship!
Strength:
- 4 x 10 ea. shoulder press 20#
- 4 x 12 ea. OH triceps extension 15#
- 4 x 12 ea. underhand front raise 15#
- Core work
Tuesday, 5.9: 5 mile walk (1:17:49)
Much quicker pace than I thought I’d do, but my legs were feeling largely better today and I kinda look forward to trying to run on Wednesday!
Wednesday, 5.10: 6.5 miles, 11:19 pace + 21 minute pull
Very still out this morning but when I hit the breeze it felt pretty alright. Legs are looser than earlier this week so I’m glad I took Monday off! Also one of those runs where I actually felt a little more relaxed after stressing myself out early in the morning over my to-do list and the fact that the roofers were coming to bang and make noise all over my building. Shmeh.
Strength (in my complex gym which FINALLY opened!)
- 4 x 10 ea. row 30#
- 4 x 12 waiter curl 30#
- 4 x 10 mid row 60#
- Core work
Thursday, 5.11: 7 mile walk (1:50:14)
Feeling a tad overwhelmed by my pre-trip to-do list but I know I’ll get it all done. Was nice to stroll and sort of create a schedule in my head of how to proceed!
Friday, 5.12: 6 miles, 11:06 pace
Pre-departure miles before many more miles, hoping to tucker myself out so I could sleep on the flights. Not too rushed or hectic in the morning so was glad to get this done and still have time leftover to fiddle around and enjoy a coffee!
Saturday, 5.13: 4.11 miles, 10:56 pace + 20 minute legs
The hotel gym is planted in a strange spot, kinda underground and separated from the main lobby area. Decent little trot, felt much less allergenic and comfortable though definitely got bored by the end and had nothing to look at. Rounded out the treadmill session with a 1 mile cooldown walk.
Strength:
- 4 x 12 deadlift 70#
- 4 x 20 calf raise 70#
- 4 x 12 plie squat 70#
- Core work
Sunday, 5.14: 3.21 miles, 10:54 pace + 3 mile walk (45:23)
Wasn’t really planning to run but I had a lot of energy from all the food I ate the night before, so buckled down for a quick treadmill trot before a day of more treats!
Total running miles: 20
Total walking miles: 20 miles
