sidebar | life and training 6.22 – 6.28

Welcome home, Polly!

I just adore you.

Two weeks post-crash. Life is starting to resume.

I returned to work on Tuesday; my coworkers greeted me with so much love and relief that my heart warmed and nerves settled from the interactions. My boss wandered in and immediately gave me a small task to complete, then rolled her eyes and said “Welp, back to work.” I was happy to receive the direction, after feeling aimless for the previous week.

I browsed cars earlier in the week when I decided that waiting for CarMax to dislodge their thumbs from their asses wasn’t in my best interests. I came across a lovely silver Corolla with good mileage and a decent price; I called the dealership to reserve a time to see her. The following day, I noticed a little blue 2023 Corolla that I hadn’t noticed prior. The salesman I was in touch with promised to set her aside, too, assuming both were available.

Just as with Roly Poly, my “alternative” option became my purchase.

Polly is a shiny, quiet, beautiful, insanely efficient lady. We’re going to be best friends. I still mourn and miss Roly like no other, but after driving Polly out on a typical route of mine on Saturday, I felt a little more settled and bonded with her. I already welcomed her to the family with a new steering wheel cover and a coconut-scented air freshener. She may have a different personality than my little Roly Poly, but different isn’t any less endearing. Roly was my hero; Polly, hopefully, is my forever.

So, I’m working again. I have a car. My insurance settlement is now mostly behind the scenes. Seems that life should feel stabilized, but it doesn’t, not yet. Physically I’m moving forward but mentally I still feel like I’m lagging, like some element of my everyday normalcy is still missing.

Part of that is my compromised training. I’m still not running like I was, and I don’t expect to do so for awhile. My mileage has dropped significantly, each session is a toil, I’m slower, and honestly, the sessions often feel like a drag. I’m playing the waiting game with my body, trying to be patient. I underwent a trauma and clearly my hormones and internal processes haven’t reached an equilibrium yet despite the wounds by and large healing up.

Plus, another bit of evidence for my heightened stress levels? I came down with a fucking cold. I never get sick and especially not in the summer. My body is probably commanding, “please give me a break.” I don’t think this Saharan dust plume is helping either.

I’ve basically thrown out the summer 5ks and am hoping I’ll be ready for fall racing. Who knows, though. I’ve accepted the Lakeland series as a wash especially because I’m not sure how I’ll handle driving along I4 again so soon after the accident. The dent in the guardrail is likely still there, a poignant reminder of impact and loss. To me, as well, there’s no point in making that drive for such a short race, one into which I won’t be able to put substantial effort.

My priorities currently lie with rest, strength training, and diving into my other distraction mechanisms. Cooking is fun right now; swimming soothes my heart and soul; homemade ice cream delights my tastebuds. Running is a huge part of me, but it is not everything. I have a tough time remembering that but it’s important that I do in this phase of the year.

I rounded out this busy-ass week with dinner at Lona for National Ceviche Day! We shared their iteration of the fresh seafood dish and I also ordered their chipotle wings, which were fabulous.

Dinners at home were summery and delightful. I made a sheet pan zucchini dish with chicken sausage and potatoes, a dirty martini potato salad with olives left over from a concept I’m itching to share, plated with a veggie burger, and some steak tacos.

Perhaps this week will turn out more typical than the prior. I sure hope so; I’m ready for a break from so-called “excitement.” Let life be boring, damn it!

Take care, all.

The Fuck We Cooking This Week?

…A dizzingly good and slightly spicy mac and cheese!

…A peachy tequila cocktail.

…A beautiful fruit pie – haven’t decided whether to go with summertime or preview fall!

A Few Things I’m Digging

Salad + chicken tenders…Ate this combo twice: Publix Greek salad and their crispy chicken. So good, easy to grab from the store when I’m rushing around but want something healthier (the salad) and fun (the chicken). When I have a little more time, my Greek Macaroni Salad and Greek Chickpea Chopped Salad are perfect for quelling these cravings!

Air fresheners…I’ve always loved Little Trees and they released a Caribbean Colada scent that currently wafts about Polly’s interior. It’s SO summery and makes me excited to take her to the beach soon.

Marinated olives…I stewed up a new recipe that I’m really excited to share eventually (though it might be a fall fixture, I haven’t decided yet!). I’m all about the brine right now and have been snacking ferociously on these little salty gems. Highly recommend trying my Whipped Goat Cheese with Herb Marinated Olives or my Garlic Herb Baked Feta and Olives.

Timing a Return to Fitness Post-Accident…Being kind to myself after my car accident has proven a journey. I’m very wistful about the fitness I built up and its perceived absence at present; one big part of my routine was stripped away and hasn’t really come back the way I want it to. Reading articles like this one are helping me understand that my body WENT THROUGH A TRAUMA and healing will take time.

Notable Food Holidays

Tuesday, 6.30: National Mai Tai Day (a Peach Mai Tai sounds like the plan.)

Wednesday, July 1: International Fruit Day (go at a bowl of juicy fruits by the handful, or try my Cinnamon Bourbon Peach Crisp or Homestyle Strawberry Bourbon Crisp!)

This Week’s Menu

Meatless Monday…Hot Honey Balsamic Glazed Chickpea Meatballs

Taco (Salad) Tuesday…Chipotle Quinoa Orzo Taco Salad with Cilantro Ranch

Wednesday…Olive Cheese Pizza with Feta Stuffed Crust

Thursday Party Prep…All-American Monster Cookies

Friday Happy Hour…Star Spangled Rum Refresher

July 4th Grilling: Hot Bacon Elotes

Picnic Sunday…Grilled White Wine Caprese Avocado Sandwich

Five Summer Sips That Are Just Peachy

1. Peach Bourbon Sour

2. Sweet Peach Iced Green Tea

3. Peach Tequila Sour

4. Hot Honey Peach Margarita

5. Peach Old Fashioned

July 4th Party Picks

Wear

Serve

Week in Training

Monday, 6.22: 8.5 miles, 9:52 pace + 26 minute legs

Welp, this was a fail. I guess my body is suffering from a diminished base – just two weeks of weird training – and maybe still healing from my crash to an extent. Pretty demoralizing. I ran 4 x 1600 hoping to average around 7:55, and wound up with 7:57, 7:58, 8:13, and 8:18 splits. The last rep I kind of gave up and stopped twice in the midst. My legs, lungs, and heart wanted nothing to do with this session – but, it kinda made me think of how to rework my training the rest of the summer and that bit was comforting. My gym session was okay, kept it lighter, which will probably be the trend from now on with regards to my leg days at least.

Strength:

3 x 10 narrow squat 60#
3 x 15 ea. calf press 100#
3 x 12 sumo squat 50#
3 x 8 front raise 30#
3 x 10 ea. banded single leg squat
3 x 10 Superman 10#
:60 plank
Hamstring stretches

Tuesday, 6.23: 4.75 miles, 11:50 pace + 21 minute back & bis

Not really loving my runs right now, but it is what it is.

Strength:

3 x 8 biceps curl 20#
3 x 10 mid row 50#
3 x 12 hammer curl 15#
2 x 12/2 x 8 face pull 32/37#
2 x 15 ea. standing banded hydrants
2 x 15 ea. lunge matrix
50 crunches

Wednesday, 6.24: 8 miles, 12:06 pace + 21 minute legs

Didn’t feel great again this morning, but we’re trying.

Strength:

3 x 12 walking lunge 15#
3 x 15 calf press 160#
3 x 8 ea. single leg deadlift 40#
3 x 10 ea. split squat 15#
3 x 10 ea. ball hamstring curl

Thursday, 6.25: 2 mile walk (29:17)

Started feeling sick Wednesday night and woke up with a full blown cold. Not fun. Took a rest day except the walk.

Friday, 6.26: 3.5 miles, 11:42 pace + 22 minute chest & triceps

WELCOME HOME, POLLY! I couldn’t sleep the prior night because I was so excited to have my new baby snug in her parking spot, so I woke up rather foggy. My sore throat at least cleared up and I felt that some movement would help. Run was okay, slow, I think I’ll just be keeping my mileage mellow for a bit until my body is okay with volume and speed again.

Strength: