sidebar | life and training 11.10 – 11.16

One of my favorite shopping splurges nowadays: local honey!

I drink tea pretty much every night, right now flitting through my boxes of Trader Joes Harvest Tea (my favorite). I don’t know how I developed this ritual but it probably stems from a constant oral fixation issue I seem to have, and tea also is a nice way to cue my body into wind-down mode. Hey, sometimes those floofy Instagram advice posts have some merit.

Anywho, when I visited Savannah over the summer I stopped into two honey shops and indulged in a couple local flavors, and ever since then I have loved finding new small businesses to support. So, on Saturday, we wandered over to the Tampa edition of Mezzo Market to see if a honey vendor might be present. And there was! How’s Your Day Honey attended the St. Pete Mezzo Market and I was happy to see her back at Willa’s. I bought the Fall Wildflower honey, which is so lovely, and enjoyed watching a few bees hang around her sample pots. They know what’s good around there.

Otherwise, the market was a bit underwhelming, smaller than St. Pete’s OG event, and parking was absolutely shite. We were definitely parked illegally, though so was everyone else. What can you do.

We got tacos afterwards at Miguelitos. The patio was nice and quiet, music playing at a reasonable volume and some football games on the tvs to watch. I had a mahi tropical, blackened shrimp, and grilled portobello taco, and we shared some chips and salsa. Good stuff.

Backtrack a bit to Monday, when I visited Willa’s for one of their fall lattes. I was in a weird mood that afternoon, stressed out for no reason I could identify, but I powered through it to squeeze out of the house for a spell. Super glad I did. Ba and I enjoyed their maple pecan latte. I didn’t get a photo this time but they decorated SO cute for Christmas, with many ornaments hanging from the ceiling and their potted plants. The festive ambience and beautiful weather outside did boost me up a little bit.

I went home and cleaned out my fridge, and honestly, I think that helped dispel some of the anxiety I carried. Oh, and peep my friend the dragonfly who helped me put air in my tires the other day.

As per usual this week, I did some doodling, and here are my newest creations. My pencils are wearing down into sad nubby territory and I need to get a new set soon!

Currently, while I am able to get the shit I need done due to my general frantic pace of existence, I feel unbalanced and hurried while also fighting fatigue from my long workdays and marathon training. I’m struggling a lot with task paralysis (FYI, I’m not ADHD, but my therapist has said I have some tendencies that align with the “H” part of the equation), where I have things I should or want to do but can’t seem to scurry up and get any of them accomplished without a massive flare of stress.

I wonder if my nutrition has been a bit off and this is contributing to my mental wobbliness. I do think most of the problem is that I simply don’t have enough time in the day to comfortably check through my agenda, but sometimes a nutrient imbalance can play a role, too. I don’t like to track my food, as it welcomes in a neurosis I really don’t need right now, but I’m looking at ways to increase my protein intake which, in turn, will help bump up my calories.

So, this week, I’m going to reintroduce some lunch meat turkey into my diet. GASP. I’ve been pescatarian for almost 10 years but at least during this marathon cycle feel like I’d benefit from adding a very minimal serving of a meat source here and there. I love sandwiches for lunch and while Tofurky is quite tasty, it is expensive for how much a package contains. Flexibility is a benefit for me right now and I think such an addition will go a long way.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to start cooking and sharing meat-based dishes. The pescatarian/vegetarian sass machine ain’t changing her mojo.

I also boiled up a buttload of eggs the other day for snacks, and will be buying a package of cheese sticks and some nuts for snacks. A little more volume and bulk. If nothing else the added protein should help with my recovery and repair as these workouts increase in duration and intensity!

That’s my running-related ramble for now. Training is going well, albeit now in week 3 the sleepy is starting to catch up (and, as I just discussed, the appetite inconsistency). This week I should be building up to 60 miles, and Thanksgiving week will be a down week with a Turkey Trot race wedged in the middle. Very excited!

In case you missed it, my 2025 Thanksgiving Menu & Guide is up and live with updates as I post my recipes! I’ll be finished with the content upload by the end of this week, so you’ll be all set with the tasty dishes and can finish up your grocery lists for the big shops this week and early next.

Who else is excited!? I am hyped, though it’s coming WAY too fast for my liking.

That’s all for now, pals. Take care and have a good week!

The Fuck We Cooking This Week?

…A cozy hearty white bean soup.

…A bright and jolly Christmas cookie.

…A sweet holiday paloma.

A Few Things I’m Digging

Honey…I’ve visited one of the local markets a couple times this season and really love the selection from How’s Your Day Honey. I’m using the Fall Wildflower one now and love it in my nightly tea.

Soup…It’s clear I’ve been loving homemade soups but I’m also enjoying the easy convenience of Progresso. They’ve gone BOGO several times at Publix and they’re a nice, filling, warming lunch for days I really don’t want to think about eating. Coupled with a big hunk of French bread…yum. My favorites are their southwest black bean and hearty grain vegetable.

This Week’s Menu

Meatless Monday...Easy Lasagna Soup

Tuesday…Chipotle Pumpkin Enchilada Chili

Wednesday…Sheet Pan Farmhouse Salmon Roast

Thursday…Kale “Bacon” Harvest Salad with Bourbon Candied Walnuts

Friday Cozy Hour…Cookie Butter Chai Latte

Saturday Baking…Baked Bourbon Apple Cider Doughnuts

Gameday Snack…Holiday Harvest Cheeseboard

Shops & Wish List

Home

Target…Time to start searching for Christmas decor! Love these Christmas tree tapers or the peppermint tapers and plan to snag them if they’re in store…REALLY tempted by this stocking holder, we usually hang ours from the handles of our bar cabinet but this would be cuter…These feather trees are super unique, and I’m always tempted by a cute new Christmas spatula and these precious stocking mugs…

Week in Training

Monday, 11.10: 10.25 miles, 9:15 pace + 23 minute full body

First workout post-10k. I felt pretty asthmatic though my legs were doing really well despite the GODDAMN BRUTAL HEADWIND JESUS. Our big cold blast whipped through overnight and brought with it 10+mph winds with 20+mph gusts. And, of course, on my whole route I was against the wind. The protocol today was 5K at 8:15-8:22, 2 minute recovery, then 3 x 1600 at 7:55-8:02. I ran the 5K segment way too fast (8:12), then nailed the 1600s (8:01, 7:58, 7:55) and the latter felt much better than the slower longer bit. Some of that might have to do with the temperature falling 6 degrees during the 90 minutes I was running. Either way, I’m satisfied overall though I need to learn pace control for my half marathon segments!

Strength:

• 3 x 10 weighted pushup/10 situp 10#
• 3 x 10 narrow lat pulldown 50#
• 3 x 10 plie squat 60#
• 4 x 8 thruster 15#
• 3 x 15 ea. bridge leg drop 15# OH
• :65 plank

Tuesday, 11.11: 5 miles, 11:22 pace

Holy crap was this unpleasant. Real feel of 32 degrees and 20+ mph wind gusts – it was cold here, ya’ll. I would’ve been fine if not for the wind! Just wanted this to be over the whole time, while another girl was out running in a tank top and shorts. Pure polar bear over there, sheesh.

Wednesday, 11.12: 9.3 miles, 9:25 pace + 5 miles, 10:23 pace

Could not have asked for a better double day! Morning session was 7 x 1k at critical velocity. I aimed to challenge myself a bit more on this workout and it went so well. Ran 7:43, 7:43, 7:37, 7:38, 7:37, 7:36, and 7:35, on 75 second recoveries. It was 40 degrees but no wind, and just perfect.

Afternoon miles were gorgeous. I worked 8 hours and this was a lovely way to decompress and get some sunshine – it was probably 69/70 degrees, clear and blue-skyed, with a little breeze.

Thursday, 11.13: 8 miles, 11:17 pace + 16 minute full body

Definitely feeling yesterday’s session and overall busyness during the day. 152 bpm on a 47 degree morning, higher than I’d like but I was a little overdressed and tired so I’m okay with it.

Strength:

• 3 x 10 face pull 37#
• 3 x 10 goblet squat 45#
• 3 x 12 biceps curl 15#
• 3 12 ea. hip hurdles
• :75 plank

Friday, 11.14: 4.5 miles, 11:14 pace

Slept a lot the prior night (and napped during the day) and felt way better for this run. 146 bpm, wore a nice cozy hoodie, and finished wishing I could do more.

Saturday, 11.15: 15 miles, 10:38 pace

What a joyful run! 55 degrees, a light breeze, and lots of friendly faces out. I felt good through and through and even got all three gels completely in (Untapped, plus my Honeystinger prior). I’m thinking for my runs upcoming I’ll buy some orange juice and drink that while I get ready for some extra calories, since I really don’t do well eating proper at 3:50 am when I get up. The long runs are getting real now!

Sunday, 11.16: 27 minute elliptical

Total running mileage: 57.1