sidebar | life and training 1.12 – 1.18

Peak week: ENGAGE!

The longest, hardest, most toilsome part of marathon training is complete. 75.2 miles, tens of thousands of steps, so much oatmeal and yogurt consumed, and now, finally, I’m on the downturn.

Granted, this coming week won’t be a huge cut from last. I still plan to hit around 65 miles which is quite significant still, but the trend slides down the opposite slope of the bell curve. Two weeks I’ll sit around 50 miles, then race week around 25-30, which is going to feel so weird.

And, in some ways, harder than the high mileage.

But, those are considerations for later. This week was rewarding, tumultuous, tiring, and satisfying. My legs, lungs, and heart felt strong but boy oh boy are my moods swinging right now. I have read quite a bit on this and while I am prone to both anxious and depressive episodes anyway, marathon training can apparently trigger these volatile shifts in a huge swath of athletes whether they’re already battling mental conundrums or not. Especially during these intense days and weeks of workouts.

Runner’s High is a well-studied phenomenon, and I think I am one who also experiences the hormonal crash thereafter. Kinda like the reality of my day sets in and I get really overwhelmed and sad that my trot ended and life begins again. Like today – grocery shopping, recipe development, laundry, writing, library, and hopefully sneaking out for a treat sometime among all that noise.

Saturday was my big 22 miler and the absolute worst of my mood shifts. I was so frustrated during that run and surprised by the end at how well it actually went, but the rest of the day I had immense trouble stabilizing my reactions to minor inconveniences. Fatigue definitely factors in to the low mood, I was certainly exhausted as we roamed around town, and I’d flip from being happy about something one moment to irritable about being asked a simple question.

Despite my brain fog and mental tsunami, I really enjoyed our little day date. We started at Grove Surf & Coffee for lattes with Ba. He had a cappuccino and I ordered the toasted coconut latte, which is their signature drink and was really lovely and cozy. The storefront is also endearing, with quaint and non-touristy beachy gear from small businesses. I picked up the cutest little chili pepper sweater and I’m planning to wear today while I’m out and about.

J picked up a sandwich for himself at Uncle Funz, and then we attempted to find parking to see the Kite Festival on Treasure Island but could not locate anything except a $40 lot. We did see some of the kites as we drove by, though, which was cute.

We eventually landed at another segment of beach where J ate his lunch and I took Little Miss Ba onto the swing set. I haven’t swung in awhile and it was actually really whimsical. I forgot how much I love swinging. We walked onto the beach and were able to kinda see the kites in the far distance.

For dinner we ordered pizza from Sally O’Neal’s, the Veggie Supreme, and lounged around watching The People We Meet on Vacation. Dumb ass movie so far and we have 30 minutes left to view still, but it was a nice way to turn off my brain to end a busy day.

Earlier in the week Ba and I finally got to Elvenses Co., and my GOD am I glad I did! This place is nestled away 10 minutes from me and I’ve been following the baker for years on Instagram, and just now got out there. The vibe is immaculate, full of Lord of the Rings nerddom, and the coffee was both beautiful and uniquely tasty. I got Bilbo’s Birthday Latte – the shop is celebrating it’s birthday month – which held hints of orange, caramel, and cayenne. So different and so good. The pink table in the cafe was just another positive. On my next visit I’m going to need to try a baked good.

Cold weather this week called for cozy food, including another batch of my Rustic Black Bean Soup. Thursday was National Bagel Day so I was sure to enjoy a round puff of dough for lunch; and, finally, one of my favorite snacks, bear toast, was eaten a couple times during the week.

More miles, more coffee, and more soup expected this week. Our temps are COLD for the next few days and will remain at the very least pleasant for much of the visible forecast. A LOT of people around me are getting sick lately so you bet I’ll be sucking on Cold-Eeze losenges and trying to avoid close contact with the germs as best I can.

Cheers and have a great week, pals!

The Fuck We Cooking This Week?

…Comfy cozy noodle soup.

..A peanut butter treat to celebrate National Peanut Butter Day!

…A blushing sangria for Valentine’s Day!

A Few Things I’m Digging

Coffee shop…We visited Grove Surf + Coffee on Saturday for a coffee treat and wow what a quaint little shop! They sell beachy attire and accessories but nothing over-the-top touristy: I wound up getting an adorable sweater with chili peppers on it, and enjoyed a toasted coconut latte. Definitely want to go back!

This Week’s Menu

Meatless Monday…Baked Ricotta Pomodoro Ziti

Taco Tuesday…30 Minute Poblano Mushroom Fajitas

Wednesday…Crispy Greek Tofu Pita Bowls with Garlic Feta Sauce

Thursday…Creamy “Bacon” and Gnocchi Vegetable Soup

Friday Happy Hour…Birthday Cake Martini

Saturday Baking…Baked Birthday Funfetti Doughnuts

Gameday Snack…Herby Mushroom Swiss French Bread Pizza

Shops & Wish List

Amazon cart…Got this red and pink ribbon for a little craft I plan to do…Gonna try out this black cocoa powder since King Arthur was sold out everywhere. Snagged a new pink table runner to set a nice Valentine’s inspired tablescape!

Kitchen & Dining

Pottery Barn…Adore these conversation heart napkin rings, these bow appetizer plates and heart vases are just precious, and these floral lace napkins are super pretty and dainty for a V-day table…

Week in Training

Monday, 1.12: 15 miles, 9:12 pace + 11 minute lift

Big fat peak marathon workout today: 18k (~11.2 miles) at goal pace, which I set at 8:38-8:45. I knew I’d have to do some compromising here considering the cold and the wind – gusts around 15-18 mph, which are rough when running against them – and I think having this mindset from the get-go helped tremendously. I’ve been really congested since Sunday and woke up with my nose hella clogged, so I slapped on a BreatheRight strip and hoped it stayed put during the workout. It did! Definitely still fatigued from Saturday’s long run but I couldn’t have asked for a better executed session. I averaged 8:38, with my highest split at 8:46 (against the wind) and my lowest at 8:23. So pleased and honestly glad this shit’s over!

Strength:

• 3 x 10 plie squat 60#
• 4 x 15 calf raise 70#
• 3 x 10 goblet squat 35#

Tuesday, 1.13: 7.5 miles, 11:17 pace + core

Felt nice this morning in my cozy hoodie. The wind was a bit annoying though.

Wednesday, 1.14: 11.5 miles, 9:17 pace + 5.1 miles, 10:22 pace

Another groggy and congested morning so I was a bit skeptical on this workout, but it went so well! Ran 10 x 1k at faster than 10K pace, with the majority programmed for the 7:45-7:48 range. Nailed it! I hit 7:50, 7:49, 7:46, 7:43, 7:42, 7:44, 7:44, 7:47, 7:36, and 7:35. Averaged 7:43 for the workout. Perhaps an obtainable 10K pace in the future?

Afternoon miles were windy and way faster than I intended, but felt good.

Thursday, 1.15: 9 miles, 11:09 pace + 11 minute upper body

The forecast initially called for rain and lots of wind in the early hours, but when I peered outside conditions didn’t look too bad, just damp from overnight showers, so I suited up for an outside run. I ended up feeling great and just getting into my flow state early. Averaged 145 bpm heart rate and some of the most even splits I’ve seen in awhile!

Strength:

• 3 x 10 shoulder press 15#
• 3 x 10 OH triceps extension 25#
• 3 x 10 ea. kneeling row 30#
• 50 situps

Friday, 1.16: 5.05 miles, 11:27 pace

COLD! It was around 38 degrees with a lower real feel, but I bundled up really well and overall enjoyed a comfy run (minus my face and hands). Thinking for tomorrow’s long run I might need to use Hot Hands!

Saturday, 1.17: 22 miles, 10:48 pace

This was the oddest long run I’ve ever done. The whole time I didn’t feel synced up, my legs were heavy, it was cold, and my headspace was as a result burrowing into a mood of deep frustration at not only the session but everything else that’s been pissing me off lately. The wind also kicked up when I turned at mile 10 and that only fueled the instability further. I was totally shocked at this pace and my heart rate – 151 – and even threw down two 10:04 miles at miles 21 to 22, so on paper you couldn’t even tell that I was mightily struggling the whole time. Despite the anger and unsteadiness I am incredibly proud of this, and so relieved it’s done. Three Untapped gels, one regular Maurten, and one caffeinate Maurten fueled this session. Onto the taper!

Sunday, 1.18: 25 minute elliptical

Total running mileage: 75.2 (highest ever!)