FALL HATH COMETH.
Happy Monday, all! A sweltering and unpleasant week yielded to a rain-soaked Saturday and, finally, a breezy, seasonal Sunday. Right now the winds gust around 20+mph, 10-15 mph steady, and the air is dry and crisp and I can smell the autumnal essence when I walk downstairs for my morning run.
Cold really does smell different, doesn’t it? Cleaner, unsullied, not swamp-like.
It’s about time that cozy season truly starts. I’ve been faking it for weeks, with my hot tea and warm cookies at night and the roaring Netflix fireplace almost daily, cozy sweaters and my plaid scarf (seriously, it’s my favorite) and soft socks every morning. It feels nice to finally justify the routines. Maybe not justify, but cooperating weather really does level up the comfort of the routines.
We had some seriously dreary weather on Saturday. The front stalled out and most of the morning and early afternoon was marked by drizzly, overcast skies. It turned out to be kinda perfect pumpkin patch weather so we drove out to St. Pete to visit their festive fall setup.
We started with lunch at The Glass Noodle, where I ordered some udon noodle soup. Very tasty but udon noodles are overwhelmingly huge and I probably wouldn’t get them again.
Then, we headed to the Pier for their pumpkin patch! Little Miss Ba came along and when it wasn’t as rainy crawled out of my purse to help us select a nice little pumpkin for home. She found quite a beauty! Because of the weather the patch was quiet, which was just as well. They also set up an adorable mini golf course but we didn’t partake due to the wetness.
My week otherwise was pretty standard. Monday boasted a pleasant afternoon so Ba and I walked to Jeni’s Ice Cream to try their sweet potato pie flavor. It was quite lovely and a nice excuse to get outside after working on that goddamn French onion soup for most of the day. Worth it, though.
I’m slowly transitioning into my attempt at a marathon training cycle, with the bulk of my work starting in early November. My race is February 7th so this is about the time I should start cranking up the mileage and dialing in on my paces. So far I’ve done two mini workouts, low volume but in the pace range I hope to train down to. Whether my body cooperates or not remains to be seen; I was very encouraged, though, that the nicer weather this morning yielded a very strong workout.
I’m going to try out a pair of stability shoes for the first time once they arrive this week. I’m relatively certain that I have unstable wonky hips, and I read that the Saucony Guide is a good moderately structured shoe that can help with those issues. I’ll be very intuitive with the use of this pair and if they feel off then switch back to the ones I know well.
I’m also doing much less heavy strength training and more hip-specific mobility work. These moves are actually quite difficult since I’m used to dumping into my joints rather than forcing my muscles to work. I’m trying to keep some slightly heftier squats or deadlifts in my routine but slowing down the movements and focusing primarily on proprioception and form. We shall see if it makes a long-term difference!
Good eats…French onion soup with pesto steak, pork tenderloin and apple sauce (nostalgia meal!) with TJs potato latkes, and autumn chicken parmesan.
That’s all for now ya’ll. Until next week!
The Fuck We Cooking This Week?
…A cozy autumn salmon sheet pan.
…A spooky ice cream with a fun accessory!
…A bewitchingly tasty non-alcoholic beverage.
A Few Things I’m Digging
Evening runs…Our weather after 5pm has been gorgeous and my jaunts with Little Miss Ba are something I’ve looked forward to after my shifts! I don’t love the amount of people out (and their general spatial idiocy) but a little sunshine and a little sheep do wonders for my mood.
Weekend roasts…J and I cooked a whole chicken roast the other weekend, with carrots, onions, apples, and potatoes, and it was such a simple, homey meal. I’m looking forward to making more bigger-batch meals on that theme. This week I’m planning pot roast.
Notable Food Holidays
Wednesday, 10.21: National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day (no pumpkin cheesecake here but why not Chai Spiced Pumpkin Pie?)
Thursday, 10.22: National Nut Day (Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookie Bars sound great to me.)
Saturday, 10.24: National Bologna Day (No bologna recipes but you could definitely use some in an Avocado Bacon Club Sandwich with Herby Sub Sauce for a fun twist!)
This Week’s Menu
Meatless Monday…French Onion Mushroom Soup
Tuesday…Shredded Brussels Sprout Wild Rice Salad with Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette
Wednesday…No Boil Baked Pumpkin Mac & Cheese
Thursday…One Skillet Greek Olive Shrimp and Rice with Marinated Tomatoes
Friday Happy Hour…The Wicked Pumpkin
Saturday Baking…Midnight Pumpkin Patch Layer Cake
Sunday Meal Prep…Pesto Egg “Bacon” and Avocado Breakfast Wraps
Five Gameday Chili Recipes
1. Gameday Chili (…duh.)
2. Chipotle Queso White Bean Chili
3. Quick and Cozy Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili (on my menu this week!)
5. Chipotle Pumpkin Enchilada Chili
Week in Training
Monday, 10.12: 9.5 miles, 10:14 pace
7 x 1k at marathon-ish effort this morning! It felt wonderful out, about 69 degrees, and the session went well though my joints felt like they were all over the place? I seemed uncoordinated. Nonetheless, I averaged 8:20 which is probably quicker than I can hope for the marathon but I was encouraged that it went as well as it did!
Tuesday, 10.13: 4 miles, 11:22 pace + 27 minute lift
Pleasant morning but boy were my legs STIFF. And they blocked off one of my main water fountains for some mystery construction project. Boo.
Lifting is going to look a bit different from now forth as I go very back to basics and teach my body how to move properly and my muscles to fire rather than giving the work to the joints. Really enjoyed this little session!
Strength:
- 2 x 15 slow front squats with band 30#
- 3 x 18 banded front-side-back kicks
- 3 x 10 ea. kneeling shoulder press 15#
- 2 x 16 ea. banded bench taps
- 3 x 8 ea. single leg row 25#
- 2 x 20 ea. bird dog
Wednesday, 10.14: 8.05 miles, 10:02 pace + 3.15 miles, 10:36 pace
8 x 600m threshold workout, averaged 7:44 pace. Lungs felt good but my legs still feel out of sync, like my brain and my muscles just aren’t communicating properly. Nonetheless, I hit my paces well and overall was in good spirits! Did a little proprioceptive work in the gym when I finished.
Had such a lovely evening run with Little Miss Ba! It was dry and breezy but SUPER BRIGHT and I couldn’t fucking see even with my rx sunglasses.
Thursday, 10.15: 6.35 miles, 11:55 pace + 25 minute lift
Stiff tired legs but not a bad run overall. It was sweaty but a good little wind to cool me off.
Strength:
- 3 x 15 ea. bridge chest press 15#
- 3 x 15 ea. banded standing hydrant
- 3 x 8 triceps pressdown 45#
- 3 x 10 ea. split squat with cross reach
- 2 x 20 ea. side plank leg lift
- 2 x 15 triceps extension 25#
- 5 minute somatics
Friday, 10.16: 5 miles, 11:26 pace + 18 minute prio & mobility
8 x 100m today, kept it simple for my speedy reps. Ran a 5:28 average and a 4:52 top speed and felt very smooth, even against the wind! Nice to see a little progress.
Saturday, 10.17: 12.05 miles, 11:55 pace
Hot, still, pretty miserable morning, didn’t feel too wonderful but got it done. It was pleasant when a light sprinkle started tinkling down but that didn’t last long.
Total running mileage: 48.1
