Last Day at Home

Hi, everyone—Happy Hump Day!  Was today your first workday of 2013?  Sadly, it’s my last 24 hours at home.  I’ve had so much fun spending time with my family, celebrating Christmas, and ringing in the new year, but I’m ready to head back to the Big Apple.  Don’t get me wrong; I’ve loved being at home, but it’s time to go back—my big-girl internship starts next week!

Dinner

Last night marked my second-to-last dinner at home, and we had spicy shrimp with cilantro and lime, plus jasmine rice and steamed snow peas.

I mixed the spice blend, so I made sure the entire 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper made it in—love the heat!

Workout – Swimming

On Tuesday, I called the pool hotline about eight times, hoping to hear the updated hours, but last week’s message kept playing.  Even without confirmation, I headed over at 6:30 a.m. this morning:  It was pool or bust—I was determined to swim.  Thankfully, it was open (woohoo!), and my 45 minutes of drill work passed quickly.  If I counted my final set of 5x100s correctly, then I set a new record, but since it was about 1:30 faster than the times I’ve been clocking at Chelsea Piers, I’m going to assume I messed up.  We all know how much I like math—ha!

Breakfast

I was obviously ravenous after swimming, so I quickly cooked up a breakfast sandwich.

I usually use egg whites, but there was only the equivalent of one left in the carton; if I’m being honest, I was too hungry to walk to our fridge in the garage to get a new container, so I just added an egg.  It worked.

After breakfast, I drove to the Pewter Spoon Café to get coffee with MB.

It’s my hometown’s newest (and only true) coffee shop, and even though it opened about three months ago, I hadn’t been before today. The menu looked impressive—lots of breakfast sandwiches/wraps, soups, and salads—and the coffee comes from a local company, too.  Anyway, MB and I caught up and talked triathlons for more than an hour.  I had some questions for her, and it was great to discuss the upcoming season.  My first task when I get back to NYC?  Buying and getting fitted for aero-bars so I go faster and really look legit! (For the non-triathletes, aero-bars basically move your body into a more aerodynamic position, making you faster and more efficient.)

What I want to look like:

[source]

(70.3 and Ironman World Champion Leanda Cave.)

What I actually look like:

Girl can dream, right?

My mom, sister, and I ran some errands and went shopping this afternoon, and I stocked up on running shorts, and I finally found a new swimsuit.

Since I’m on the taller side, I’ve been struggling to find a swimsuit that’s “long” enough.  The first one I bought ended up being too big, and the one I wear now has stretched out quite a bit, yet somehow doesn’t stay up.  I hope this TYR one works! (Oh, and Craig Alexander is a TYR athlete, so I have high expectations.)

Lunch

After shopping, we stopped at Cantina Laredo for lunch.

Yummy chicken tacos!

What’s your go-to brand of athletic apparel?  Do you have a hard time finding shoes, shorts, swimsuits, etc. that fit?

Déjà Vu at the Pool

Happy Friday, everyone!  This week flew by, right?  Having a holiday in the middle of the week seems throws things off.

Dinner

Last night, the family and I went to Circa, one of our favorite local restaurants.  Prior to last night, I hadn’t been there in a few months, so I was looking forward to going back.  Plus, since its menu changes every week or so, there are always fresh dishes that reflect seasonal foods and flavors.  For my meal, I ordered the spicy shrimp gumbo.

I really, really wanted to love it, but it was just OK; I hoped for a spicier, more flavorful dish.  I ate the shrimp and sausage and left most of the rice; I had plans for dessert—for Christmas Eve, my sister made a roasted pumpkin gingerbread cake, so I had a slice.

It hit the spot!

Breakfast

Back to an old favorite this morning.

An open-faced spinach and egg white sandwich with Sriracha.

Workout – Swimming

Good news—the local pool was open today!  I headed over around 11 a.m. for 45 minutes of drill work. (On a semi-related note, I’ve been loving sleeping in, eating breakfast, and having a relaxing morning before working out.)

Back when I was in elementary school, there used to be a “kids night out” event, which allowed students to hangout at this facility—it includes a pool, a few basketball courts, etc.—for a few hours on a Friday night, and I remember swimming in the pool and thinking it was absolutely huge. (After today’s workout, I can assure you it’s a standard lap pool!) In addition to this déjà-vu/blast-from-the-past moment, I also recognized the on-duty lifeguard who currently goes to my alma mater. (He’s actually the same age as my younger sisters.) We chatted for a few minutes—I had to tell him I graduated in May, ha!—and then I got to work.  I didn’t have high expectations for this swim because I hadn’t been in water for about one week, but it went surprisingly well; plus, it felt really good to swim since I’ve only been running while being home.

As I progressed through my drills, I noticed a few kids enter the pool, and they seemed to be goofing off—lots of laughing and very little swimming—which is totally fine.  Anyway, during my final set of 5x100s, one of their kickboards hit my arm, and instead of getting angry, I simply batted it away and thought to myself, It’s going to take more than a tap like that to rattle me.  Oh, open-water swimming …

I’m sure I’ve shared this before; it never gets old!

Lunch

At home, I heated up half of a leftover chicken breast and wilted some spinach for round one.

This didn’t fill me up after swimming, so I also finished up the last of the jalapeño-stuffed peppers, plus some wild rice.

Mmmm!  I then proceeded to eat my weight in chocolate-covered raisins—ha!

What’s the most recent (or strangest!) déjà-vu/blast-from-the-past moment you’ve experienced?

A New-to-Me Sports Drink

Hi, friends—Happy Hump Day!  And Happy 12/12/12!  Did you make a wish when the numbers lined up?

[source]

Dinner

I invited two friends to my building’s holiday party last night, and we enjoyed some wine before heading to GustOrganics for dinner.

It’s funny what you’ll find when you veer off your traditional route.  Because the restaurant is situated farther south than I usually walk, I had neither heard of nor walked by it before last night.  I really wanted a turkey burger, but they don’t serve burgers after 4 p.m. (weird, right?), so I ordered the hummus pita and quinoa tabbouleh instead.

It was delicious, especially the grilled zucchini and eggplant.

Workout #1 – Swimming

Not to jinx myself, but I think I hit a swimming turning point.  The 45 minutes of drill work flew by this morning (no Vince Vaughn sightings, by the way), and I feel more fluid in the water.  The body rotation exercises are becoming easier, but I still favor turning to my left, which is why I breathe exclusively to that side.  Swimmers, do you drill more on your weaker side? (During my basketball days, I used to shoot twice as many left-handed layups because I’m right-handed.) Now if only I could learn how to do a flip turn!

Breakfast

Good thing breakfast required zero prep work.

I inhaled these overnight oats in a jar; swimming gets me every time!

Lunch

When lunchtime rolled around, I didn’t think twice—repeat of yesterday’s lunch was a no-brainer.

I also ate an unpictured banana and carrots.

I have a 60-minute interval ride scheduled this afternoon, and I’m trying a new-to-me sports drink—PowerBar Perform. (Thanks for the clarification, MB!)

During prior rides, I’ve been drinking Powerade, which has kept my energy levels up, but has led to some stomach cramps.  Nothing too bad, but I want to experiment with other kinds of nutrition.  Even though I don’t plan to do an Ironman anytime soon, this drink is dolled out at Ironman-sanctioned events.  Plus, if it’s good enough for three-time World Ironman Champion Craig Alexander, then it’s definitely worth a try.

Are you left- or right-handed?  Are certain tasks reserved for your dominant hand?  Do you use your non-dominant hand?