Yesterday was a smokin’ 36C/96F and beach was packed! We went to Kelso beach once again to practice our open-water swim.
Thankfully it was flooded with lifeguards! There were even lifeguards farther out where we did our practicing.
I admit, I had butterflies in my stomach. I always have butterflies before open-water swims!!! The swims do get easier though, I will admit. All in all, I am much more comfortable in the lake now…I don’t even get frazzled by seaweed on my face now, which is a victory in itself. We were in the middle of our swim and Eric was near me and he started cracking up because apparently I had seaweed ALL OVER MY FACE and HEAD…and I had no idea it was even there! How hardcore am I?! :lol:
As I mentioned previously, if you swim along the buoys (near arrows), there and back = 350 metres which makes it a great place to train for a try-a-tri (375 metres)!
Oh it was COLD getting into that water yesterday because the air was sooo warm it made the water feel like ice. Totally the opposite of our try-a-tri when the air was freezing and the water felt like bath water.
During our last open-water swim, we made the mistake of trying to swim the entire 350 metres right from the start and we felt a bit overwhelmed. Today, we made sure to warm up first by doing small ‘laps’ of about 25 metres or so until we got comfortable. After the warm-up we swam about 50 metres at a time, there and back and overall we felt like this swim went better than the last. We swam for around 30-40 minutes, but I honestly have no idea as we didn’t have a watch on hand!
Our Belwood try-a-tri is quickly approaching and we are both feeling a bit nervous because we haven’t had much time to practice lately. We are really going to have to amp up our training over the next couple weeks if we are going to be ready.
POST-SWIM HUNGER!
Eric fired up the grill as soon as we got home!!! Bless his kind soul.
He made me an Amy’s Texas burger and I topped it with spinach, tomato, tomato paste, sea salt, and red pepper hummus. WOWIE!!!! This was awesome. On Ezekiel toast of course.
He also grilled zucchini…it was SO juicy it squirted me in the eye!
drizzled with EVOO, S + P
and corn on the cob slathered in earth balance…
I almost burned my mouth on this because it was just so good and I couldn’t wait patiently!
Incredible post-swim dinner, it was.
Then we ran some errands and we were pretty much zonked after that so we decided to have a movie night, watching Mr. and Mrs. Smith, while eating some Cherry, Banana, and Coconut Butter bread!
I proceeded to eat two huge slices the size of my arm (how is that for portion control!!) and then pass out on the couch at 9pm! I don’t think I have been to bed earlier than 11pm in a dog’s age.
I stumbled into my bed around 11pm and slept until about 6am when I naturally woke up. I felt sooooo much better this morning. I really needed that break yesterday, especially now that I am working on Saturdays I don’t get much time away from work. I didn’t so much as touch the computer yesterday morning after I posted. It was awesome and much needed disconnect.
Today is another scorcher outside, however unlike yesterday today is humid, humid, humid! YUK! I knew I had to get in my run asap this morning, so I headed out around 6:30am. Before my run I snacked on a new raw + GF Glo Bar flavour I am working on. Any guesses as to what flavour this is??
I walked outside this morning expecting to find a crisp and cool morning, but I was met with humid air so thick I could have sliced a piece and had it for lunch. Thank goodness for Camelbaks!
My goal for this run was to challenge myself to stay under 9 minute miles. My Camelbak was full and I was ready to go!
The Run:
- Distance: 3 miles
- Time: 26:15 mins
- Avg Pace: 8:45 min/mile
Mile splits:
- Mile 1: 8:59
- Mile 2: 8:51
- Mile 3: 8:24
What a beautiful negative split this run was!!! After almost a year and a half of running, I finally feel like I am getting a handle on running negative splits. It makes runs a lot more challenging and I highly recommend them if you need to add some interest into your routine runs.
I came home and sweat poured out of my pores as fast as I could replenish my body with water. No joke. This humidity is sickening! I need some nice dry heat….
Or a Green Monster will have to do!
Green monsters are pretty much the perfect post-run snack!
In this bad boy was: 1 cup almond milk, 3 kale leaves, spinach, 1 frozen banana, 4 pitted cherries, 1/2 scoop Amazing Grass wheatgrass powder, 1 tbsp chia seeds.
Today’s question- Do you have to modify the time you workout in the summer? Do you have to switch to evening workouts or get up earlier before it gets hot? What are your summer workout strategies?
This was one of my first early morning workouts in a long time. With myself being so time-crunched in the mornings to get my orders out, it is difficult for me to squeeze in workouts before 6:30am, but I really enjoyed being done my workout by 7am this morning! I might see if I can work it so that I switch to a few early morning workouts each week. It is so nice not to have it hovering over me the whole day!
“Even if I don’t reach any of my goals, I’ve gone higher than I would have if I hadn’t set any”
-Danielle Fotopoulos, soccer player
Yay for negative splits!
Sounds like you had a great workout!
That burger looks delish, and you can’t beat corn on the cob fresh off the grill :) Have you ever tried it with lime and a bit of chili powder? It gives it a unique smokey kick.
As much as the heat is pretty intense, I’m not gonna lie- I prefer it to last year’s cold and damp summer with very little heat waves. That being said, it’s way easier to run in that climate than this one, and since I am the world’s worst morning person (and not a very strong swimmer), I usually end up eating a light dinner around 5 and then going for a run at around 8.
Glad you are getting more accustomed to the open water swims. I wouldn’t even have thought about seaweed getting on you, which is so obvious. I would freak about that at first too.
I don’t usually change my workout time during the summer since I normally go to a gym. One thing that does change however, is it is a lot harder to get in a workout if I miss my morning one. In cooler months I will usually just do something at home, but it’s too hot with no A/C so I can’t. And at night when it cools I have no motivation.
I didn’t get a chance to train at all this weekend because of the heat! My gym is at my office and closed on the weekends and I don’t have the AC installed at home so even an indoor workout wasn’t an option for me :( I am making plans for indoor sessions and maybe a swim this week because I have a race coming up and don’t want to get too far off track.
Your burger with hummus looks so tasty!
WOWZER, 35degrees with humidity!!?? Heck, you are a SUPERWOMAN for running in that! Now it’s summer, I’ve had to get my workout in much earlier too, and I’m having to adjust to the water thing as well..I think I’ve been consistently dehydrated for the past 2montsh!
Good job on the swim btw :) open water freaks me out!
Your post-swim dinner looks so good! I hate the humidity! I live in New Jersey and the humidity here can be so bad and it makes you sweat so much more! yuck! During the summer I make sure to get my morning run in as early as possible which normally means between 8 and 9 am. I have to do all my other running at the gym on the treadmill because after 10 it’s just too hot!
Sunflower pumpkin or something? I see sunflower seeds, and the color of pumpkin a bit. Whatever it is, it looks good :)
Everything looks so perfect and summery! I havent gotten out to the beach yet, but I’m dying too. Even if it is packed like this!
Ugh, I can’t stand this hot, HUMID weather! It feels like 40* here in Ontario! :(
I definitely have to change my workouts in the summer. Normally I like to exercise in the afternoon, but the heat and humidity are usually too intense around that time. So instead I exercise in the evenings, and just make sure I bring a lot of water with me and take it slow if I need to!
I always thought the humidity lessened the further north you got. Here in FL the humidity is a killer, but apparently it’s everywhere else too! It sucks running in the muck, it always feels like I’m moving through soup.
That’s exactly why I have a gym membership! That way the weather can never be an excuse!
We’ve been having a lot of hot, humid weather in Minnesota too! Unfortunately, I am not much of a morning workout person, so I just go running when I can, no matter how hot it is! I just make sure to take water breaks or walking breaks whenever I need them.
Also, thanks for putting the link up for the type of Camelbak you use! I was just looking at them this morning and wondering which one you’ve been raving about. I have a feeling I’ll be making that purchase soon if this hot/humid weather keeps up!
I have to workout in the mornings or evenings during the summer otherwise I just get too hot and have a headache for hours after my workout
I hate hot weather for sure, it can get pretty frustrating outside.
I like to work out in the mornings, not just because it’s cooler but also because it gives me more time to rest after work. (I have 9-5 days and am pooped afterwards).
The Glo Bar looks like spice maybe pumpkin flavour.
I have noticed you are having green monsters again does this mean you purchased a new blender?
I am wanting to set up a home gym and I am looking to buy a treadmill any thoughts on what brand to buy? ( one that does not cost a fortune)
Nope not yet!
I don’t usually have to alter my workout routine too much. The summers in Oregon aren’t too miserable.
I would def. rather wake up earlier to run in the summer. It’s humid here too and it’s awful! You can’t even breathe :?
I love that you eat tomato paste like ketchup. I’ll have to try that!
Wow. Your GM sounds intense! Will have to see if I can handle that sometime. Love your day of eats!! That is pretty hardcore…I need to try an open water swim. Hopefully they don’t have seaweed in colorado lakes? lol DEFinitely excited for the new flavor of raw/gf bars. LOVE the first ones, so I’m sure these will be just as delicious. mmm :)
I’m so glad you’re getting more comfortable with the open water swimming, I’m sure you and Eric will demolish your previous try-a-tri time! Do you think you will finish together again this time, or race your own race? Oh and I love tomato paste too! My Dad has always had it on toast for breakfast!
hahah not sure…we haven’t talked about it yet. We don’t even feel ready to do another one yet, so we shall see I guess!
hmmmmm…. that flavor looks tropical! Mango perhaps? well, whatever it is it looks delicious and probably just as tasty as the original liberate bar!