Friday has arrived—woohoo! Any fun plans for the weekend? One of my best friends from college is visiting today (hurry up and get here, Melissa!), so I’m super excited! The next 24 hours will be filled with gossiping, wine drinking, and cupcake eating, which sounds like a perfect way to kickoff the weekend. Anyway, as you can tell from this post’s title, I’ve had a series of pleasant surprises within the past day or so, which means it’s time for another list.
Surprise #1: Getting new neon gear!
After publishing yesterday’s post, I received a package from my friends at Swim Bike Run New York City. We go way back on Twitter.
Exhibit A: Trying to get me to buy a tri bike.
Last week, we exchanged a few tweets …
Exhibit B: Just being a #trigeek.
Which lead to this surprise—a cap that goes on your bike helmet during dark rides.
Neat, right?
Surprise #2: Enjoying sweet potatoes.
I know, I know; obsessions with nut butter (guilty) and sweet potatoes are prerequisites for healthy living bloggers, but I’ve never been a fan of orange spuds—until last night’s dinner.
I tried a recipe from my Practical Paleo cookbook for sweet and savory potatoes, and holy yum, these tasted delicious!
They’re easy to make, too: Peel and cut the potatoes; coat them with coconut oil; sprinkle on a mixture of onion powder, garlic powder, and cinnamon; roast them in the oven.
Surprise #3: Swimming in the fast line wasn’t a one-time deal.
At this morning’s Full Throttle Endurance (FTE) swim workout, I returned to the fast line. Honestly, I’m still shocked. And the workout itself went well, too. After warming up and completing the same technique drills as last week (back kick with rotation, alternating right/left kick, one-arm stroke, etc.), we chipped away at the main set that included 6×75 (steady effort) with 20 seconds rest, 6×100 (alternating steady and solid efforts) with 30 seconds rest, and 4×200 pulling with 20 seconds rest. It was the final pulling set that got me; my arms will be sore tomorrow!
Surprise #4: Getting more gear.
Remember how one of the best parts about playing sports was getting team gear like t-shirts, sweatshirts, and sweatpants? (Or maybe that was just me?) Even though I’ve been training with FTE for two weeks—and working with Andrew one-on-one for much longer—I feel “officially official” thanks to this team shirt.
Woohoo! Have a fabulous Friday!
Do you like sweet potatoes? How do you prepare them? Did you play sports back in the day? What was your favorite article of team clothing?
Love the t-shirt!
It’s all about the gear!
Those sweet potatoes look great….think I’ll give them a go.
I played all sorts of sports…still do. All English stuff…rugby, cricket, football. Love tennis and track as well
Had some wicked rugby tops at our school….so we at least looked better than the opposition even if we didn’t beat them!
LOL! For high school field-hockey, my team ordered rugby shirts one year, and they were awesome! White and navy blue with pink writing–very girlie.
I loooove sweet potatoes! I usually toss them in olive oil and salt and bake them in the oven, delish!!!
This recipe converted me!
Congratulations on your fast lane swimming! There’s a fast lane at my YMCA, and it’s my goal to get there some day.
You’ll get there, Haley! If I can make it to the fast lane, then you definitely can too!
I LOVE sweet potatoes- it is pretty much an obsession. I’m not kidding! I have eaten one almost every single day since May! I can’t get enough. I either microwave them for 12 minutes and then sprinkle cinnamon on top or do the same but in the oven for one hour. Different texture for each but both are soo amazing.
PS- Your weekend sounds like it will be amazing and really relaxing. Enjoy the cupcakes and wine. I have similar plans on my agenda for tonight
I can’t believe I never thought to sprinkle cinnamon on sweet potatoes–so delicious! Last night was so much fun! Hope you had a great one, too!
I’ve never been a huge fan of sweet potatoes but I’m starting to like them more now-a-days. I’ll have to try your recipes sounds yummy! I LOVE team gear!
I hear you–sweet potatoes have never really done it for me, but these were quite tasty.
I honestly prefer a white potato over a sweet potato but I like both! I love making homemade oven sweet potato fries!
I may experiment with some sweet potato fries this week!
um sweet and savory potatoes, i am all over that. what awesome gear, that is such a great community to be part of for you
Alex, the sweet potatoes were awesome–I was so surprised! I know you love roasting as much as I do, so you need to try ‘em this way.
Sweet potatoes are a top favorite. Lately I’ve been roasting them with sprinkle of red cayenne pepper, black pepper, and paprika. But they’re also good with cinnamon! The only team sport I played was softball – so of course that was the only thing we wore (jersey’s). I was on a team for the Womens Half Marathon last November and ended up loving our Pearl Izumi top we picked out, if that counts?
Mmmm, I love cayenne pepper, so I’ll have to try that next time. Thanks for the idea, Beka!
I played softball wayyy back in the day too–shortstop like Derek Jeter.
One year, my team ordered black sweatshirts and sweatpants with baby blue writing, which looked pretty cool. PS – LOVE Pearl Izumi! I’m a huge fan of their cycling and triathloning gear. 
Do you go on dark rides alot? And congrats on your fast swim! I returned to the pool last October after a long time, and I am surprised how quickly you can improve!
No, I only ride outside when it’s light, but once my a.m. outdoor group rides start in the spring, then I’ll probably test out the cap. In my short swimming career, I’ve learned it’s all about muscle memory, so the more you swim and focus on technique, the more you’ll improve. Glad your first swim back was a success!
I’m glad to see that helmet covering! It’s good to play it safe. All too often, I find myself on a night run, only to realize that I’m foolishly wearing dark clothes!
Ha! I have a few neon/bright-colored t-shirts, and I always wear them when I run early in the morning. Better safe than sorry!
I loveee sweet potatoes. They’re so delicious and such a great fuel! I like to make roasted wedges so they’re sort of like sweet potato fries. Mmmm.
Yep, these definitely converted me–looking forward to having some for lunch today.
Swimmer, Basketball player, too!
I really like sweet potatoes–I like to slice them very thin, sprinkle seasoning, and blast them under the broiler until they’re crispy.
Have a great weekend
OMG, using the broiler is genius! Thanks for the tip, Nicole!
LOVE your helmet cap! I need one too! And keep up the great work with swimming
I love sweet potatoes, I like them pretty much any way!
I can’t wait to test it out–I’m such a sucker for neon!
Haha I never really thought about it but you’re right most bloggers love pb and sweet potatoes! Do you think sweet potatoes are too sweet? You should try baked sweet potato fries too. Have a great weekend with your friend! Nothing like a girl’s night with gossip, wine, and cupcakes!
I’ve just never been big on sweet potatoes, but maybe that’s because I was eating them plain without seasoning? I love the spice blend I used, though. And last night was so much fun!
Love roasted veggies….hate them any other way. Sweet potatoes rock!! Love the dark bike helmet cover. We got a couple of t-shirts from Lifetime Fitness for,joining the gym and they are a good kind of “thin”…and I wish hubby’s wasn’t a 2x..because he says he’s not wearing it. Guess I could try to shrink it. Have a great weekend with your friend. Stay strong.
Roasted veggies are the best!
I’m really happy you are a fast lane girl now. (I’m calling you that ha ha). I love anything and everything sweet potato so I can relate to that.
I think the “fast lane” label is relative–like I may be fast for my training group, but if I swam next to legit swimmers/more experienced triathletes, then I’d probably be bumped down a lane.
I’ll take it for now, though!
Love free gear from sport teams! I still frequently wear my soccer sweats when I need something cozy!
I have old bball sweats that I converted to pj’s, which was a great decision–so comfy!
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