The calendar says June but the weather says August.
Wait…June?! Shiiiiit.
Happy Monday, folks. I’m fresh off having an entire weekend off, and while most sane people celebrate an extra 24 hours of doing whatever the fuck they want, I find the unstructured time very difficult. I scheduled in tasks, but they were spaced out a bit, so I wound up with many an hour to figure out how to fill on Sunday so I didn’t lose my mind.
What ended up happening? I buzzed my undercut, baked this amazing bread that I’m sharing this week, and spent two hours swimming, reading, and napping out by the pool. Seriously, so many naps. I’m not sure why I was so drained but I couldn’t keep my eyes open, especially when the sun peeked from behind the clouds and the wind picked up significantly as the minutes ticked by.
Part of my fatigue stemmed from our pool party Saturday. We’d planned this get together for a month or so and the day finally came! I honestly had so much fun. I tossed together a pasta salad with the most insane dressing that I can’t wait to share with ya’ll, as well as a double batch of my Guava Mint Lemonade; our guests merely left the skeletons of the lemon wheels I dropped into the pitcher. J brought out a couple bottles of tequila as mixers and let me tell you, the combination is elite.
Enjoyable, but draining. Sunday alone was just what I needed to recharge.
Summer is showing its teeth to the max right now, even though the season haven’t technically switched over. I have yet to really suffer, though, which is unusual. This morning it was 82 with a 77 dew point when I started my run (at 4am, mind you) and despite the ungodly temp, my body doesn’t seem to mind it as much as in previous years. Certainly, my internal systems much prefer the mid 60s, but perhaps I’m finally relenting to the heat…and maybe even liking it a bit? I don’t know. I crave the outdoors, the sunshine, popping into the water to cool off and returning to a beach towel to sprawl out and lounge until the next round of submersion.
Maybe I’m just accepting Florida as my foreseeable-future home. I’ve lived here my whole life, with various levels of hatred and indifference depending on the year (or the month, honestly). However, because the beach is my current haven, the one place I can calm my overactive mind and finally find rest, I think I can shake hands with this state in a begrudging truce. I don’t love much of what it means to live here, but at least there’s the Gulf and the Atlantic and sand within which I can dig my toes.
Eats of the week! Crab salad on the thickest fucking slice of bread ever (oops), blackened fish tacos I’m HYPED to share, margherita pizza and chicken Caesar salad, and Big Mac bowls from the burgers we grilled on Saturday. I might have to christen that as an actual recipe…SO good.
That’s all I’ve got for today. Peace, love, and butt squeezes!
The Fuck We Cooking This Week?
…Tangy tostadas!
..A hot and sweet mojito.
…A gorgeous sweet summer crisp.
A Few Things I’m Digging
SaltSticks…Tried the coconut pineapple flavor and wow is it tasty! Honestly reminiscent of a salty piña colada. Delicious on hot runs!
Linen set…I bought this lovely Quince linen shorts + long sleeve set (flax) and I will be living in it all summer! Sizes run a little big so keep in mind if you want a closer fit to size down!
Notable Food Holidays
Wednesday, June 3: National Egg Day (meal prep some Pesto Egg “Bacon” and Avocado Breakfast Wraps this week!)
Thursday, June 4: National Cheese Day (I vote any of the 5 recipes listed below OR my One Pot Baked Broccoli Cheddar Mac & Cheese!)
Friday, June 5: National Doughnut Day (SO many options but I’m craving my Baked Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Doughnuts or my Baked Biscoff Cookie Butter Doughnuts.)
Sunday, June 7: National Chocolate Ice Cream Day (an oldie but goodie: No Churn Oreo Cookie Quarry Ice Cream!)
This Week’s Menu
Meatless Monday…Heirloom Tomato, Cheddar, and Chimichurri Grilled Cheese
Tuesday...Sheet Pan Spicy Shrimp Fajita Bowls
Wednesday…Greek Chickpea Chopped Salad
Thursday…Spicy Pesto Chickpea Meatballs All’Arrabbiata
Friday Patio Hour…Guava Mint Lemonade
Saturday Baking…No Churn Midnight Munchies Ice Cream
Sunday Grillin’…Grilled Hot Chile Shrimp Skewers with Avocado Ranch
Five Melty, Gooey, Creamy Recipes for National Cheese Day
1. Jalapeño Popper Cheese Pizza
2. Stovetop Buffalo Cheddar Mac n’ Cheese
3. Whipped Goat Cheese Dip with Chili Marinated Tomatoes
4. No-Boil Spinach Artichoke Mac n’ Cheese
5. Sneaky White Bean Pimento Cheese Dip
Summer Training Nutrition Essentials
Summer Style Moodboard
Week in Training
Monday, 5.25: 8.55 miles, 9:37 pace + 30 minute upper body & PT
TOTAL scorcher this morning but a strong workout! Albeit, my resistance band flew out of my pocket during one of the intervals and is now lost to me forever. Sniff. Ran 2 x 2 miles at threshold effort, :75 recovery, and averaged 7:56 for both. The last 2 miler was largely against the wind and also featured me fighting the heat, but overall I was very pleased with how this went!
Strength:
- 3 x 10 shoulder press 20#
- 3 x 10 triceps pressdown 28#
- 4 x 6 OH triceps extension 25#
- 3 x 8 mid row 60#
- 2 x 10 ea. windmill 10#
- 2 x 15 ea. single leg glute bridge
- 4 x 6 ea. split squat 20#
- 2 pushups (so fucken weak)
- :60 plank
Tuesday, 5.26: 5 miles, 11:38 pace + 29 minute upper body & PT
Slow, sluggish miles, felt kinda groggy this morning but got it done.
Strength:
- 3 x 10 biceps curl 20#
- 3 x 12 incline chest press 20#
- 3 x 12 hammer curl 15#
- 4 x 6 narrow lat pulldown 70#
- 2 x 6/1 x 12 skullcrusher 40/30#
- 2 x 12/1 x 10 ea. leg press 50#
- 2 x 15 ea. banded standing hydrants
- 2 x 15 ea. lunge matrix
Wednesday, 5.27: 9.2 miles, 9:59 pace + 29 minute mobility
Very erratic workout today due to the fucken wind! I know I would’ve very consistently hit my paces but GPS interference and the blowy weather definitely didn’t help. I still averaged 7:03 which was within my 6:58-7:05 range, but man was it annoying. The protocol: 3 x (4 x 400m) at 3K effort with 75 seconds between reps and 3 minutes between sets. Set 1: 7:08, 7:02, 6:57, 6:57; set 2: 7:04, 7:04, 7:07, 6:58; set 3: 7:08, 7:12, 7:11, 6:56.
Thursday, 5.28: 65 minute elliptical + 32 minute legs
Strength:
- 3 x 10 ea. leg press 100#
- 3 x 10 diamond squat 50# SS 10 ea. side lunge 25#
- 3 x 12 ea. single leg deadlift 35#
- 2 x 15 ea. reverse lunge knee drive 25#
- 3 x 6 elevated deadlift 90#
- 3 x 15 ea. banded lunge hydrant 10#
Friday, 5.29: 7 miles, 11:49 pace + 32 minute full body
Slow sloggy trot. I felt okay, but my easy run paces just keep getting slower!
Strength:
- 3 x 10 ea. renegade row 15#
- 3 x 10 squat to curl to press 15#
- 3 x 10 front raise 30#
- 3 x 12 OH front lunge 10# SS 1 bodyweight lunge jumps
- 3 x 15 ea. balanced side raise 10#
- 2 x 15 ea. reverse lunge curl 15#
- 3 x 10 ea. calf raise 30#
- :35 ea. Copenhagen
Saturday, 5.30: 11 miles, 11:43 pace
80 degrees at 4am, SHEESH. Is it May or July? I guess I’ve resigned myself to mega slow runs now – as long as my fast paces are where I want them, the easy runs shouldn’t really matter. There was pretty much no air on this run but I felt pretty good overall.
Sunday, 5.31: 25 minute elliptical
Total running mileage: 40.8
