Hey guys! Matt and I had such a nice weekend – relaxing and filled with lots of friend time. My favorite! On Friday, we had a cozy night in on our own – Matt picked up a pizza for us from Lost Dog Café and I made us side salads to get in some veggie volume. It was humid but cool enough to eat outside by the time we tucked in around 8.
We spent the rest of the evening on the couch! We’re nearing the end of the recent season of “The Americans” – such a good show!
On Saturday morning I was especially glad for the low key Friday night because I had my long run on the agenda! I was up at 5:45 – oof – and out the door by 6:15 to meet a group of friends over at Fletcher’s Cove on the Capital Crescent/C&O Canal trails. It was very foggy and mysterious looking out!
I met my track buddies Diane and Paul and my friend Sokphal for the adventure. Diane and Sokphal had 14 miles on the agenda, and our track coach had given Diane instructions for the run that included an out and back, various accelerations, etc. I was supposed to just do 14 to 16 steady miles, which was also what Paul was looking to do, so we all ran together until mile 4 and then split into pairs to knock out the rest of the run.
Paul and I wanted to do a simple out and back – I have a hard time coming back to the car before I’m done – kind of crushes me mentally – so we decided to go all the way up the Capital Crescent trail past Bethesda before turning back. Paul had 20ish miles on the agenda (his marathon is in a few weeks) and had already done 4 before meeting us; I was originally planning to do 14 miles, but I was feeling so good out there I said okay, maybe 15 – and then by the time we got to our turnaround at 7.5 miles I was like, what the hell – let’s keep going and turn around at 8 miles. 16 miles it was!
It was really humid out there but slightly cooler temperatures which made SUCH a difference – this was the best long run I’ve had so far this training season by far. Paul said the same thing – it was so nice to actually feel good on a long run!
We stopped 3 times during the run to quickly stretch and fuel up. The first time was at mile 4 when we said goodbye to Diane and Sokphal. The second time was shortly after the turnaround at mile 8! Here is Paul wringing out his socks – that is a LOT of sweat! Hot tip for my gentlemen readers (or for my extra sweaty female readers – no shame) – throw a change of socks in your pack (Paul has the same Nathan hydration vest that I do, but the men’s version obvi) and change halfway through the run. When your socks are totally soaked it makes a big difference to switch out for a dry pair!
We stopped one last time around mile 12 for another quick stretch and snack break. Regarding fuel, over the course of the run I took a couple clif margarita shot bloks as usual, and I also ate two of my Nut Butter Stuffed Salty Dates. Yummy – love those!
So awesome to finally get a good training run in where I didn’t feel like death. And 16 miles – wow! It’s been 3 years since I’ve seen those numbers on my watch. 🙂 (I just had a fun trip down memory lane reading about the very first time I ever ran 16 miles with my friend Kathleen back in 2013!)
We had a great overall pace, too – multiple sub-9 minute miles (slight downhill on the way back = awesome), and our last mile was even faster! Thanks for the great company and the great run, Paul!
When I got home, I had a quick snack (speaking of – stay tuned for my Watermelon Rosemary Popsicle recipe coming tomorrow!) and hopped in an ice bath. These help so much!
After cleaning up, I tucked into brunch. Hit the spot! Plus a latte, obviously.
I relaxed for a bit and then a few hours later Matt and our friend Shane came back from kicking the soccer ball around – they were hungry for a late lunch so the three of us met up with our other friend Matt and went to Texas Jack’s BBQ in Clarendon. It was a fun spot – we had the place to ourselves when we arrived at 3 p.m. (awkward meal time FTW) and the vibe was really cool – big, open space – and the waitress was really nice, too. I was already hungry for another meal thanks to my long run – I got BBQ pulled chicken + salad + beans. Delicious! The waitress liked us and brought us some pie on the house, too – it was so good!
The four of us hung out there for a few hours before heading back to one of the guy’s places and watching “Stranger Things” – the awesome Netflix TV show. It was a fun day – felt kind of like a college weekend day in the sense that we just roamed around socializing and relaxing for most of the day. Super low key and fun!
On Sunday, we slept in and then got some things done around the house. I also watched the Olympic men’s marathon race – did anyone else watch?!
It was incredibly inspiring to see those guys out there giving it their all. The paces they are doing for a full marathon are absolutely mind boggling. So impressive!
I was also really impressed by my favorite, Meb, who had a disappointing race day but was still incredibly gracious in his post-race interviews. Also – he slipped and fell RIGHT before finishing and rather than falling apart or getting mad, he popped up and did a few pushups before standing up and finishing proudly. We can definitely all learn something from Meb in terms of turning failures into opportunities and learning experiences – and being gracious and kind even when we don’t get what we want.
Anyway! The rest of yesterday was all about eating. Matt and I met our friends Kathleen and Zach for a late brunch at DC Harvest on H Street. It was great to see them – especially since Kathleen is due any day now, so it might be a little while before we get to hang out again!
Their brunch is so good – I had the lamb sausage egg scramble with kale, onions, and peppers, and it comes with a side salad and roasted sweet potatoes. Delicious!
We spent the afternoon getting some work done, and then for dinner met up with friends Stephanie and Alex! We decided to hit up Bangkok Golden in Falls Church – a Laotian/Thai place that is the sister restaurant to popular Thip Khao on 14th Street in DC. We were planning to hit Thip Khao, but it’s closed for a summer holiday week, so we decided we’d check out Bangkok Golden instead! It was also delicious – unique and flavorful. Loved the woven containers the sticky rice came in, too!
We also loved catching up with Steph and Alex. Fun night!
And now, it’s Monday and time to get back to work! Rachael, Alex, and I have been working on updating and improving our Joyful Eating Program by adding some additional worksheets and resources to the mix – we have a call in a few minutes to discuss more changes. We’re excited about how the program is shaping up for the next round, which will be in October! Don’t forget to get on the email list if you’re interested in joining us in October – we’ll be sending out a special one week only discount code to our email subscribers next week!
How was your weekend? Any great workouts or delicious food to report?
