75 Hard Day 13: Road Trips, Hotel Pools & Saying No to Funyuns
Friday — Day 13.
Thursday night, my partner got a call that a family member needed some help up in Humboldt County.
And when he told me he needed to head up there, I just immediately decide to go with.
So Day 13 turned into a spontaneous little road trip up the coast.
Morning Routine Before the Drive
He woke up around 6.
I slept in a little longer.
And the first thing I did when I got up was my reading because I already knew we’d probably be hitting the road soon enough.
He still had a few things to handle around town before we left, so that gave me enough time to get my outside workout in after breakfast.
Breakfast was simple:
two fried eggs
one piece of toast
Warm. Easy. Familiar.
Then I headed out for my walk through the neighborhood hills.
And I can tell my body is moving a little slower than it was earlier in the week.
Just tighter.
The walks, the swimming, the workouts—they’re adding up.
Lunch + Packing for the Trip
After my walk, I packed up my stuff and got ready to leave town.
Lunch was:
turkey and provolone roll-ups
pickle spear
strawberries
Simple road trip fuel.
Road Trip Snacks + Saying No to Tradition
And somewhere on the drive, the cravings hit hard.
Because normally on road trips, my snack lineup is:
peanut M&Ms
Funyuns
dried mango with chili powder
And the second we got on the road, my brain immediately wanted all of it.
That combination just feels like road trips to me.
But instead, we brought mixed nuts with dried cranberries from home.
Not quite the same.
But still satisfying enough to keep me going.
And this challenge keeps teaching me that sometimes it’s less about restriction and more about pausing long enough to ask yourself what you actually want versus what you’re simply used to doing.
Arriving in Humboldt
Once we got up to Humboldt County, the weather was noticeably colder.
Not freezing.
Just cooler in that coastal Northern California way.
And after getting settled, we headed out for dinner.
Dinner + Finding Something That Worked
One thing about traveling while trying to eat:
lower saturated fat
lower carb
high protein
high fiber
is that it’s not always easy finding options.
Especially in smaller towns where there aren’t endless restaurant choices.
So we ended up going with Japanese.
And I ordered chirashi with half rice.
Fresh fish. Variety. Lighter than a full rice portion.
Simple and filling.
Hotel Pool Workout Before Visiting Family
Before heading to his sister’s house, I still needed my second workout.
So I changed and headed down to the hotel pool.
And that ended up being really fun.
This place wasn’t some luxury resort or anything fancy.
But it was cute.
And I got the whole pool completely to myself.
But trying to swim laps in a tiny hotel pool is not easy.
Especially without lane lines.
You basically take three strokes and hit a wall.
But it still felt good to move.
And the water loosened my body up after a hours in the car.
After the swim, we went and spent a little time with some of his family before heading back to the hotel for the night.
Ending the Night
By the time we got back to the room, we were exhausted.
I think we were asleep around 11.
And despite the long drive, different routine, and random travel day…
I still got everything done.
That’s probably one of the biggest things this challenge is teaching me:
You don’t need perfect conditions to stay committed to yourself.
What I’m Noticing on Day 13
Travel days usually throw me completely off.
Especially with food.
But this trip was different.
Not perfect.
Not rigid.
Just more intentional.
I know that the version of health I actually want for my life has to include flexibility.
Because life is never going to stop happening.
Day 13 Complete
Road trip.
Hotel workout.
No Funyuns.
Still aligned.
