Boozy Brunch and Clementines

Between Thanksgiving, my last race and some recent travel, I haven’t had much in the way of a day without much responsibility, so when I saw that I had last Saturday free, I knew just what I wanted to do with it. No, not sleep in late and catch up on my DVRed shows — I wanted to get in some good workouts and some even better eats.
I woke up around 6 and started my day with a cup of coffee. I’m not much of a coffee snob, and I don’t like having to grind my own beans, so this gingerbread flavored java from Trader Joe’s is a big hit.

I also ate a bit of Greek yogurt with berries and agave nectar — I wanted to make sure I was fully fueled for my big plans.

After feeding myself and all my pets (in addition to my cat and two dogs; we’re fostering three adorable kittens, so I have to give myself an extra 20 minutes for kitty playtime before I go, well, anywhere), I loaded up my bike and met my friend (and coach) Patrick at the Hawthorne Trail for an easy bike ride. We complained about the humidity before realizing that while we were knocking out 15 miles on a sunny, 70-degree morning, many of our friends were shoveling snow out of their driveways. Perspective: It’s important.

After our ride, we headed to the pool for a big swim. On the way over, I chowed down on some GU Chomps. They’re not my favorite, but I knew I would need a little more in the tank if I was going to stay strong for 4000 yards.

I figured a clementine wouldn’t hurt, either. I mean, is a clementine ever a bad idea? (No, they’re not. Ever.)

After our long, tough swim, it was time for brunch, and I was so ready. Patrick and I sat outside (it was up to almost 80 degrees at that point — I guess winter isn’t really happening this December in Florida) at a restaurant downtown and worked on our hydration with an extra-spicy Bloody Mary (and a big glass of ice water).

Shortly thereafter, my huevos rancheros arrived — two eggs, sunnyside up with black beans and a big pile of chunky salsa on top of crispy corn tortillas with plantains on the side. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture until all that was left was one of the plantains. I blame the Bloody Mary.

We spent a little time after brunch walking around downtown, then ran a few shopping errands, and I headed home. Because brunch had been around noon, I wasn’t hungry for any sort of late lunch, but wanted a little snack, so I had another clementine. They are just my favorite right now.

I spent the rest of the afternoon stretching and relaxing. I may or may not have napped a little — I won’t tell. I snacked a bit on some crackers before going into the guest room to play with the kittens. They’re so dang cute, but just trying to keep up with them felt like the third workout of the day. No wonder I eventually ended up laying in the guest bed and watching TV (with a little company, of course).

By then, it was pretty late and I was hungry again. I was craving protein in a big way, so I had a big scoop of egg salad on top of one of the King’s Hawaiian rolls left over from Thanksgiving.

Just before bed, I found myself wanting a little something dessert-y, so I dug out another Thanksgiving leftover — one of my mom’s peanut butter incredibles. I have to say, that was a pretty sweet way to end a pretty great day.

Brunch always feels like such an indulgence to me. Is that the case for you, or do you find a nice dinner to be a better way to treat yourself? —Kristen