I was originally planning to bag my long run for the week; I didn’t end up doing it while we were in the Outer Banks because, to be honest, I didn’t feel like it! Running for me is a happy, positive thing, and getting up crazy early on my vacation to run 10 miles by myself sounded like the opposite of fun. It was also insanely humid there. So instead, I slept in every day, enjoyed two shorter runs with Matt, did a lot of swimming and some yoga, and was fine with it. But when Matt and I got back to DC at 11am on Sunday and I had the whole day, I thought – why not do my long run now?
As you guys know I’m a very social runner – I almost never run alone – but I was actually in the mood for a solo run to have some time to decompress after a long car ride. It was blazing hot outside, but I figured I’d just go as slow as I wanted and not worry about pace.
So I grabbed my phone and some headphones (these headphones are my fave – cheap and they actually stay put – they claim they are “ideal for women” but Matt absolutely loves them too – they are the only ones that don’t fall out of his ears!) and a ton of water (via my hydration vest) and I was on my way. It was hot – SO hot – and the tomato face was in action pretty quickly! This is my “it’s so hot out” face.
Despite the crazy heat and the fact that this run was certainly not easy, I actually enjoyed it. It was nice to have some time to myself and I kept it suuuuper casual on pace and took walking breaks when I needed to. While I ran, I listened to Brene Brown’s “Daring Greatly” on my phone via Audible. It’s so good – highly recommend – and it kept me distracted from the running too. I love listening to books or podcasts while walking or running – way more entertaining than music!
I was gone for ages thanks to the slower pace and a couple walking breaks (and one bathroom break), but I did it! I was really proud of myself – running on my own is not easy, especially when it’s 10 miles on a hilly route and with 95 degree heat.
Even better? When I got back Matt had made banana bread! We had some overripe bananas left over from the beach that needed a good home so Matt made my old fave Banana Spelt Muffins (<—recipe), but in bread form instead of muffin form.
I forgot how delicious that recipe was! Matt deemed it “even better than Starbucks banana nut bread” – quite the compliment since he loves their bread. 😉 It was especially awesome post-run! Loved the crunchy walnuts and the juicy banana combo.
I ended up having some more yesterday morning for breakfast, crumbled atop plain full fat Greek yogurt with some blackberries and additional walnuts. Delish and filling!
It fueled me up well for a late morning yoga class via ClassPass (<—affiliate link for $30 off your first month if you sign up by July 29)! I hit up Blue Nectar Yoga in Falls Church with my high school friend Dinah, who is in town visiting.
Post-yoga we headed over to Pita Pouch for lunch. I always love seeing Dinah – nothing like an old friend who knows you well! We really enjoyed catching up. Fun fact: Dinah and I backpacked around Europe together for a couple weeks back in 2004, shortly after graduating from college! We had a blast. 🙂 Also – Pita Pouch is delicious if you are ever in Falls Church at lunch time!
As for dinner last night, Matt and I are back on the Blue Apron train after skipping a couple weeks due to all our travels.
I made us a yummy Lemon Chicken & Green Beans with Roasted Summer Squash and Potatoes. Loved all the veggie power in this one! The squash was topped with some minced garlic and a little parmesan before roasting 20 minutes at 450 degrees F – try it! It was delicious.
I whipped up side salads for us to use up some of the leftover greens and veggies from the beach – we brought a lot of stuff from the group house fridge back with us! Didn’t want it to go to waste. 🙂
Delish dinner! The pan sauce was really good – very lemony.
As for this morning, I was back at the track! It was fun to see my track buddies again after missing last week. We did five 1200’s today (3 laps) – at threshold pace with 1 to 2 minutes rest in between each.
Tough! This is how I feel about summer track workouts:
I kid, I kid. I actually felt pretty decent out there today, even though it was hot. Definitely looking forward to that fall running weather though… 🙂
Have a lovely day my friends!
What’s the hottest run you’ve ever done?
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