sidebar | life and training 10.27 – 11.2

49:17!! I DID IT GUYS!

A goal that felt impossible since my 48:32 time trial in 2021 was FINALLY conquered this past Saturday, on a glorious, almost-windless 50 degree morning in Lakeland.

But first, I gotta say, the couple hours before the start gun went off were eventful. I reached the parking lot with no issue, but then spent about 15 minutes trying to find the port-a-potties before realizing there was actually a bathroom in the building next to the lot I sat Roly Poly in. That threw me off a bit before my warmup miles.

…During which, I realized the shorts I wore were absolutely no bueno. Like, they were literally falling off. I have experienced issues with this pair before, as they are old and stretched out, but holy shit I was not expected the caliber of wardrobe malfunction I underwent. I took my phone out and wound up carrying it for the 2 miles + strides, though I noticed that once I started sweating they sort of adhered to me and didn’t move. I hoped that would carry into the race and I wouldn’t have to deal with the slip-and-slide that was my clothing.

WRONG.

The first mile of the race I experienced the same problem as during my warmup. I literally strode holding those fuckers up. My pace, hence, was pretty messed up and I could not get into a rhythm. I tried to calm myself by saying I had plenty of time to get into my groove and find my pace and breathing. One mile out of six wouldn’t kill me.

So, again, I took my phone out and held it in my glove, which helped, and by the time mile one elapsed I was finally able to relax into my race and let my legs and lungs do the work.

I’ve run Lake to Lake once before, I think I did a 51-something, and I loved it just as much now as then. There’s four big-ish hills during miles 1 and 5, the rest of the race is flat and circles Lake Hollingsworth, the site of my summer 5k series. The scenery was just stellar this morning: a crisp, cloudless sunrise, light filtering through the leaves and casting that golden glow along the walkway and the mirror-like waters. Miles 3-5 I just kind of loped along enjoying the views.

At mile 5 we reentered the hilly neighborhood and I lost quite a lot of time on the first ascent. I took it pretty conservatively since I knew a second hill awaited soonafter, and ran an 8:07 which was about 10 seconds off the pace I held prior. I had the plan, though, to make up time on the descent and when we circled a smaller lake before hitting the second incline, which I did. I dropped back to a 7:57 average.

That second hill, dawg, I just plowed up. I had about half a mile to go on the course and figured I had nothing to lose by giving it my all. That hill hurt like fuck, yo. But the downhill was a real treat and led right into the final finishing loop, which was a huge motivation.

I crossed the finish line running about a 7:15 pace and was so incredibly stoked. I didn’t even feel that busted, which makes me think I probably had more in me. Honestly, though, running a sub-50 on less than 100% effort is a big deal: my fitness really has returned, and with the right race and timing I could probably do a 48:xx.

I did place third in my age group, but since I was incredibly busy later in the morning I couldn’t stay for the awards ceremony. I should probably email them and see if I can pick up my plaque or something. I’m guessing not, but we’ll see.

To backtrack a little, I went to packet pickup Friday and of course had my obligatory visit to Concord Coffee beforehand. I tried their Captain’s Cappuccino, which included a spiced rum syrup that was so cozy and delightful. Ba liked it, too. We sat by the window and enjoyed the view of a sunlit walkway.

After my race and refueling I readied my house for my friends to come over. We enjoyed lots of snacks – including my autumn cheeseboard concept that I’ll share VERY SOON! – and played Mario Kart and Mario Baseball. It was a lot of fun though I was wiped by the time they left around 5 or so, and ready for a quiet evening on the couch.

Otherwise, my week was fairly quiet. We did carve pumpkins on Wednesday, though, which yielded some pretty cute gourds! I kinda hate the process of carving but the results are always worth it. We streamed It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown in the background while we worked. Very festive.

I worked a lot and did manage to get this pretty aspen drawing done. My days were largely filled with adulting and planning for the finishing douches on my Thanksgiving menu! I’ll be posting that next week for you guys to enjoy.

A few lovely candid meals from the week: kale Caesar pasta salad and garlic butter beef and noodles. Kinda want to codify both recipes in the coming weeks if I have time. We shall see!

Busy busy holiday prep weeks ahead! Hope ya’ll aren’t losing your shit, and if you are, maybe my upcoming recipes and roundups will help ease your mind a bit.

Take good care, kids!

The Fuck We Cooking This Week?

…A warm and spicy veggie curry!

…Cozy chocolate cookies!

…A pretty and tasty bourbon smash cocktail.

A Few Things I’m Digging

Cheddar…I bought Trader Joes’ Unexpected Cheddar cheese for my charcuterie board concept (coming soon!) and wow is it worth the hype. Heard about it for years but never thought to pick up a block. It’s a jazzy combo of cheddar and parmesan flavors + texture and it’s just wonderful in all sorts of contexts.

This Week’s Menu

Meatless Monday…Roasted BBQ Butternut Squash Harvest Pizza

Tuesday…Creamy Herb Roasted Mushroom Wild Rice Soup

Wednesday…Crispy Spiced Salmon with Caramelized Onion Risotto

Thursday…No Boil Baked Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

Friday Happy Hour…Thanksgiving Sangria

Saturday Baking…Buttery Garlic Parmesan Dinner Rolls

Sunday Brunch…Cinnamon Crunch Pumpkin Bread

Shops & Wish List

Fashion

Target…Adore this notch collar shirt + shorts pajama set in the mistletoe print…Eyeing this button front pullover, love the color, and the woolen crew pullover (brown)…Thinking about these cozy Christmas tree socks for around the house…

Week in Training

Monday, 10.27: 9.25 miles, 9:34 pace + 25 minute full body

Race week ACTIVATE! 7 x 1k at 10k pace, averaged 7:52 with some nice negative split action during the reps. My legs were tired and it was significantly warmer today than it has been, 74 degrees at the start, but I’m happy with what I did. Splits were 7:56, 7:55, 7:54, 7:53, 7:52, 7:49, and 7:47, the last two meant to be faster to simulate the end of the race.

Strength:

• 3 x 10 ea. single leg squat with toe tap 20#
• 3 x 10 landmine row 55#
• 4 x 8 ea. single leg press 100#
• 3 x 10 overhead triceps extension 30#
• 3 x 10 ea. reverse lunge 40#
• 1 minute plank

Tuesday, 10.28: 4.5 miles, 11:19 pace

Chill miles with a 144 heart rate! My legs were tired so the slowness was a welcome relief for sure.

Wednesday, 10.29: 9 miles, 9:28 pace + 3.5 miles, 10:42 pace

Nice little tempo workout, though my legs still feel kinda fried. Hoping the rust knocks out sooner than later. Ran 4 x 2k at tempo effort with an 8:15 average over the workout.

It was a beautiful afternoon and the miles were easy and relaxed.

Thursday, 10.30: 7.4 miles, 11:10 pace + 12 minute full body

6 easy SLOW miles, then 5 x hill. Didn’t get up to a big speed but my form felt polished and smooth and that’s all that counts here! It was a glorious morning but with a stiff wind.

Strength:

• 3 x 12 ea. single leg deadlift 30#
• 3 x 10 kneeling shoulder press 15#
• 3 x 12 pushup
• 50 crunches

Friday, 10.31: *HAPPY HALLOWEEN!* 4.1 miles, 11:20 pace

Easy shakeout run on a GORGEOUS morning! It was 55 degrees and I enjoyed my first long-sleeved run of the season. Couldn’t be happier!

Saturday, 11.1: *LAKE TO LAKE 10K* 6.23 miles, 7:56 pace

I DID IT! I FUCKING DID IT! Official time was 49:17, 7:56 pace, 3rd in my age group. I couldn’t stay for the awards though. Oh well. I had some major stress before the race and during the first mile: for one, I got turned around after my warmup miles and couldn’t find my car. Then, my pants just kept fucking falling down. I think I need to retire that pair since they seem to be very stretched out and do not perform well when I’ve got supplies in my pocket.

I executed this race really well, I think, and can’t help but wonder if I’ve got a little more in me than I showed today. I’m okay with not having raced this 100%, though, since I’m starting marathon training and don’t want to whack myself down before my mileage gets really serious. This effort felt very controlled, the only real hitches being that first wardrobe malfunction mile and a big hill during mile 5 that slowed me significantly. I encountered a final hill right before mile 6 and simply plowed up it with no abandon: I didn’t want to lose my pace again!

I’m so pleased with this and didn’t even get the hint of a stitch until my cooldown miles, which was odd. It was about 50 degrees at the start, little wind, and the course was gorgeous and scenic around the lakes. I also ran 2 miles to warmup and a 2 mile cooldown to total about 10.2 for the day.

Sunday, 11.2: 25 minute elliptical

Total running mileage: 48