FIRST SPEED WORKOUT POST-MARATHON DONE!
Howdy do, folks? Happy Monday. As you can tell from my all-caps bonanza above, I am HYPE this morning because I ran my first interval workout since January and it went quite well!
Granted, it did feel hard for a couple reasons: one, I haven’t delved into speedwork aside from last week’s stride session on Tuesday, and two, it was kinda erring on the side of early summer warmth (low 70s, dew point of 69) and I’m not really acclimated yet. I shot for a range of 8:15-8:20, which is my half marathon pace, with 75 seconds recovery. I hit my splits and despite the factors above, I’m extremely pleased, and my knee felt great!
Yay, progress!
The week itself was pretty quiet, just me moseying through my afternoon shifts. I’m so busy now during weekdays that getting out for any leisurely reason is pretty much impossible, though I do get quite a lot done in my house. I’m currently working on revamping my bathroom and I’m really pleased with how it’s shaping up so far. I’ll definitely show you guys once I’m satisfied with the turnout!
Saturday we had a nice day-long outing in the afternoon. We started with coffees at Paradeco – Ba’s idea, obviously. She needed her first caffeine boost of April, and since the theater is right next to the shop, why not?
The theater spruced up some of the lobby with Mario signs, which was super cute. The Mario Kart getup especially. We watched The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and all in all it was just okay. The first film was definitely better. The storyline in Galaxy was disjointed and lacked a real plot, and we weren’t blessed with Jack Black’s singing either! But, I will say, it was still a nostalgic leap into my childhood, and Yoshi’s bigger role charmed me and there still were funny moments strewn throughout.
We killed some time before dinner with a wander to the giant 60 year old Bombax tree by the art museum. Dude is beautiful! I see it pretty much whenever I’m on Beach Drive but we strolled up and paid homage to his lovely branches. J climbed a bit into his web of arms…only to see on the sign thereafter that you’re not supposed to climb him. Oops.
We finished the night with dinner at Baba, a gorgeous Mediterranean spot on Central. Little Miss Ba was delighted at the name of the joint! The restaurant cares for an outdoor cat named Cinco who spent a good portion of our meal strewn beneath my purse. Cutie. J and I shared a dip trio of tzatziki, hummus, and muhammara with pita and veggies, then the village salad, and I enjoyed the citrusy grilled prawns as my main. All amazing and fresh.
Sunday was Easter (PS, did you make anything from my Easter menu??? Let me know if you did!) and I worked in the morning just as usual. I was cranky as hell and annoyed whenever folks were like Oh I’m sorry you have to work on a holiday. Bitches, the reason we did is because YOU PATRON THE DAMN PLACE. Whatever. Afterwards I visited mom for snacks, and we took some pretty cute photos in our Easter bonnets. I felt way less cranky after our time together.
I hid Easter eggs around the house for J to find, only to come and discover that the Easter Bunny repurposed the eggs and stowed them in places so I could find them! Just this morning, in fact, I discovered one in the pocket of the cardigan I wear every day. Tricksy bunny.
Notable noms from the week: BBQ chickpeas, fries, and Caesar salad, crockpot Jambalaya (ahhhh SO good and made plenty for leftovers!), lots of double scoops of ice cream, and a PB&J cappuccino using some of the tasty syrup from Friday’s PB&J Whiskey Sour!
I’ve about yapped myself out here. Hope you had a great week!
The Fuck We Cooking This Week?
…An ooey gooey grilled cheese.
…A rich, decadent no-bake pie!
…A frosty non-alcoholic poolside sip.
…A chocolatey quick bread for brunch and snacks.
Notable Food Holidays
Tuesday, 4.7: National Coffee Cake Day (grab a slice and pull a Birthday Cake Batter Latte for an afternoon treat!)
Sunday, 4.12: Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day (with a side of Roasted Tomato Bisque, for sure.)
A Few Things I’m Digging
Crockpot…I’ve dubbed Wednesdays “Crockpot Wednesday” since I work afternoons and definitely don’t want to cook when I get home. I’ve been LOVING the mixup and returning to my house to some amazing smells. So far I’ve done pot roast, short ribs, and jambalaya, and next week I’ll be trying out a shrimp boil!
Ice cream…Double scoop for me, please! I whipped up a new flavor this week (that I’ll be sharing soon!) and have been indulging with two scoops on a sugar cone after my longer workdays. Love it. Sometimes one scoop just isn’t enough!
This Week’s Menu
Meatless Monday…Warm and Spicy Southwest Quinoa Kale Salad
Taco Tuesday…Crispy Chipotle Tempeh and Black Bean Tacos
Wednesday…Pizza Stuffed Shells
Thursday…20 Minute Spicy BBQ Shrimp Rice Bowls
Friday Happy Hour…PB&J Whiskey Sour
Saturday Baking…Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Sunday Snack…Layered Street Corn Taco Dip
Five Treats For Your Afternoon Coffee Break
1. Baked Biscoff Cookie Butter Doughnuts
2. Cinnamon Crunch Chai Banana Bread
5. Spiced Carrot Sheet Cake with Bourbon Vanilla Bean Frosting
Shops & Wish List
Amazon cart…Grabbing this adorable bow toothbrush holder for my countertop and this pink unit for beneath my vanity. These milkshake glasses will be PERFECT for a concept I’m testing next week. Going to pick up another box of my favorite Honeystinger Salted Caramel gels since my long runs are back up into double digits!
Target…Loving on this chili pepper print swimsuit, strawberry print, or this tomato print suit…Adore this straw caning bag for beach days.
Week in Training
Monday, 3.30: 8 miles, 11:28 pace + 27 minute upper body & PT
Ramped up my run intervals for 4:30 run/:30 walk, with a couple 7 minute reps and the final mile straight through. Knee gave me no issue! My hamstrings are SO tight though and have been for as long as I can recall. Not sure how to proceed with that but perhaps increasing mobility work there and more intentional strength training.
Strength:
- 2 x 8/1 x 6 shoulder press 20#
- 3 x 10 triceps pressdown 24#
- 2 x 8/1 x 12 row 35/30#
- 3 x 12 triceps extension 25#
- 2 x 15 ea. banded single leg squat
- 2 x 20 ea. banded standing hydrant
- 2 x 20 ea. banded knee thrust
- 3 x 12 ea. bodyweight split squat
Tuesday, 3.31: 4.25 miles, 10:51 pace + 28 minute upper body & PT
FIRST SPEED SESSION SINCE THE RACE! I was actually so hyped to do this and am grateful that it went really well! Granted, it wasn’t really a speed workout so much as a set of strides, but still, the turnover felt really good and my knee gave me no issue. Ran 8 x 100m focusing on control and form, and hit a 5:36 top pace which surprised me considering how long it’s been since I’ve run fast. 1 minute recovery between each rep. Joyous day!
Strength:
- 4 x 6 biceps curl 20#
- 2 x 10/1 x 8 chest press 25#
- 3 x 8 narrow press 20#
- 3 x 10 narrow lat pull down 50#
- 2 x 15 ea. banded lunge hydrant
- 2 x 12 + 1 x 5 ea. ball hamstrung curl
- 12/10/12/10 ea. leg extension 30/40#
Wednesday, 4.1: 8 miles, 11:14 pace + 25 minute mobility
Most normal feeling run I’ve had since…January? December? Minimal walk breaks – they were informally placed and around :20 in duration – and my knee and body felt great. Albeit, SORE from yesterday’s lift. This is so encouraging and I hope it means I’m turning a corner in my return to training!
Thursday, 4.2: 60 minute elliptical + 31 minute legs & mobility
I can tell my cardio fitness is coming back and that is SUCH a relief! Intervals today: 4 x 5 minutes at “tempo” effort/1 minute recovery, felt smooth and strong except when my machine decided to start clunking and catching. Very annoying but not too much of a hinderance. Bookended the workout with a 25 minute warmup and 10 minute cooldown.
Strength:
- 3 x 12 ea. leg press 80#
- 3 x 12 plie squat 50# SS 10 BW narrow squat (ass to grass)
- 3 x 10 ea. single leg deadlift 25#
- 3 x 10 ea. banded single leg squat 10#
- 3 x 12 deadlift 80#
- 2 x 20 ea. standing banded hydrants
Friday, 4.3: 6.5 miles, 11:30 pace + 21 minute fully body
150 BPM! More or less a normal heart rate for an easy run which is SO encouraging. I took 5 20 second walk breaks and the knee felt good, albeit with a tiny twinge towards the end. Perhaps a few more walk breaks will do me some good. My legs are fucking sore and shot from lifting this week so the slowness didn’t surprise me at all.
Strength:
- 3 x 12 thruster 15#
- 2 x 8/1 x 15 front raise 25/20#
- 3 x 10 ea. reverse lunge curl 10#
- 3 x 16 curtsy lunge press 10#
- 4 x 15 calf raise 70#
- :35 ea. Copenhagen plank
Saturday, 4.4: 10.5 miles, 11:10 pace
149 bpm. Lets felt good. Knee gave me no issues. I think I’m finally back! This run reminded me of how I usually am when I’m in good shape and I truly think I’ve turned a corner since the race. I took a Honeystinger gel at mile 2.5 since my stomach really wasn’t wanting anything before the run, and I grooved all the way through thereafter. I’m so happy I accomplished this and can’t wait to start formally training next week!
Sunday, 4.5: *HAPPY EASTER!* 25 minute elliptical
Total running mileage: 37.3
