Shoe Training Graduation

Hello, Friday!  Whew, this has been a busy week—lots of working and working out, and this weekend will be more of the same.  Fingers crossed New York City doesn’t see another monsoon.

5:23-flash-flood-warning

Yep, it absolutely poured yesterday.  The streets flooded, and the subway system shut down.  At least it wasn’t snow, right?

Anyway, I don’t want to rehash a previous post, but about one year ago, I attended a graduation ceremony that looked like this:

hws-graduation-2012

Upstate New York.  Four hundred and seventy eight graduates.  One diploma.

And Tuesday night, I officially graduated from JackRabbit shoe training!  No ceremony this time, but I did receive a swag bag stuffed with goodies.

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Just a little different from last year:  New York City.  Five graduates.  One baller goodie bag.

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Aside from the freebies—everything from sweat-wicking socks (do not wear cotton ones, friends!) to calf compression sleeves to a Polar heart rate monitor—this loot also means my JRab training has ended.  When I first accepted this job, I knew the learning curve would be tough, but manageable, and the company’s training program worked really well.  After completing several online training modules, I shadowed some of my coworkers while they did shoe fits.  Watching them in action and learning how they select sneakers proved to be really helpful, and I also attended two in-person shoe training classes with our head shoe buyer:  one devoted to the biomechanics of running, and another that addressed the construction of running sneakers.  In a short period of time, I’ve learned so much about running from a physiological perspective, plus how sneakers work to make the activity enjoyable.  And that’s the bottom line:  the proper pair will make running much more fun!  Speaking of sneakers …

jackrabbit-shoe-training-graduation-shoe-certificate

Let’s call this voucher for some free Sauconys (woohoo!) my “diploma,” OK?  And maybe this five-plus pounds of nutrition products could be my tassels?

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Woohoo for #runnerd goodies!

Have you attended a non-academic “graduation” of sorts?

Currently

Happy Tuesday, friends!  I have a busy day ahead of me—a long shift at the running store and shoe class tonight—so let’s keep it simple with a survey.  Sound like a plan?

Current Book(s):  Aside from my pre-bedtime magazine reading that includes Triathlete and LAVA magazines (#trigeek), I’m also working my way through Savor:  Mindful Eating, Mindful Life for book club!

runners-world-triathlete-magazine-savor-book-club

Most nights, I get through one chapter before falling asleep.

Current Music:  My most recent workouts have been sans music, but here three of my favorite high-energy jams.

“Can’t Hold Us” by Mackelmore

“My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark” by Fall Out Boy

“Sweet Nothing” by Calvin Harris feat. Florence Welch

Current Guilty Pleasure:  My Paleo chocolate chip banana bread.

paleo-chocolate-chip-banana-bread

It may have disappeared in less than four days.  Just sayin’.

Current Nail Color:  No polish right now, but you better believe my nails will be red for the Mighty Montauk Triathlon!

Current Drink:  Water.  So exciting, I know.  My second cup of coffee will happen momentarily, though.

Current Food:  Post-ride (during which I got “called up” to ride with the ladies on the “racing team!”), I ate my standard spinach and egg white breakfast sandwich.  However, four Central Park loops (about 24 miles) means breakfast number two is only a matter of time.  It’s super humid today, so a smoothie sounds perfect.

Current Favorite Show:  Well, you know I’m obsessed with Dan Stevens, and I’m always down for some Downton Abbey.

the-heiress-broadway-dan-stevens

I also get sucked into Say Yes To The Dress and Sex and the City marathons.

Current Needs/Wish List/Indulgence:  I’m combining these three because they’re connected.  Since I only have one team cycling kit, I need another; therefore, it’s been on my wish list.  And the online team store reopened, and even though this may not qualify as a typical indulgence, I treated myself to some new pink gear.

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I even opted for the (unpictured) bib shorts—who would’ve thought?  Ha!

Current Blessing:  My supportive and loving (and goofy!) family.

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Hopefully they will visit again soon!

Current Outfit:  One thing I love about working at a running store?  A laid-back dress code.  I usually wear jeans and a race or JackRabbit t-shirt.  And sneakers of course.

Current Excitement:  My big-girl promotion still makes me giddy (I have my first conference call today–ahhh!), and I’m also counting down the days until Montauk.  Only 17 days until race day!

Please play along in the comments!

Write It Down, Do It Up – Week of May 19

Hey, hey!  Did you have a good weekend?  On Saturday, I swam with some Full Throttle Endurance teammates—and listen to this awesome update:  I shaved 20 seconds off my 200-yard time trial!  Yes, that’s twenty seconds!  Woohoo for progress!  After the workout, it was time for work, and later that evening, I met up with my friend Sarah for thin-crust pizza and frozen yogurt.  No photos, but it was super delicious.

Anyway, time to get down to business.

mighty-montauk-triathlon-countdown

T-minus 19 days until race day!  The Mighty Montauk Triathlon will be the next event for a bunch of FTEers, so this upcoming seven days will be devoted to recovery; next week, we’ll push, and then the following week will be taper time.  Much like the Nautica South Beach Triathlon, I’m feeling anxious and uncertain—in terms of stringing together a solid bike and run off the bike—yet somewhat ready to tackle my first Olympic-distance event (1-mile swim, 22-mile bike, and 6.2-mile run).  Time for Write It Down, Do It Up!

(If you’re new to WIDDIU, here’s how it works:  Every Sunday evening, I post my workout schedule for the week, and I invite you to do the same.  This way, we can motivate each other and hold ourselves accountable.  Sounds like a win-win, right?)

Monday – a.m. run with Full Throttle Endurance (FTE); a.m. strength train

Tuesday – a.m. bike with FTE or a.m. run and strength train*

Wednesday – a.m. brick workout with FTE—indoor cycle and run off the bike

Thursday – a.m. bike with FTE or off*

Friday – a.m. swim with FTE; a.m. run

Saturday – a.m. swim with FTE

Sunday – a.m. bike

*Rain is in the forecast for this entire week, which affects the probability of riding outside.  I’m crossing my fingers the predictions are wrong.

How do you plan to stay active this week?

Foodie Friday – Smorgasburg and Madison Square Eats

Happy Friday, friends!  We made it to the weekend!

muckfest-ms-mud-run-boston-start

Along with the MuckFest MS Mud Run card my aunt and uncle sent yesterday, they also passed along a CD of race photos.  I love this one!

Since the blog has lacked food photos lately, I thought I’d share a few noteworthy eats from the past week, starting with Sunday’s trip to Smorgasburg in Brooklyn.

smorgasbord-brooklyn-menus

It’s highly possible the maple bacon on a stick happened.  And it may have been absolutely delicious.

Anyway, Sara and I spent the afternoon grazing and hanging out, and I tried South Indian food for the first time.

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I ordered a Masala Dosa, which tasted like a rice pancake and packed a nice kick thanks to the spicy potatoes.

And last night, I went to Madison Square Eats with some teammates.

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[source]

Situated in Madison Square Park near the Flatiron Building, this outdoor market showcases 28 of New York City’s most popular restaurants—think things like Korean BBQ, comfort food, gourmet Mexican street food.

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[source]

My evening of eating started with a margarita and—wait for it—a lobster BLT from Red Hook Lobster Pound.

madison-square-eats-red-hook-lobster-pound

Disclaimer:  The margarita came from a different vendor.

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Lots of flavors worked together—lobster, bacon, chipotle mustard—and this was easily the best BLT of any kind I’ve had in my entire life.

Rounds two and three included a chipotle pork taco from Calexico and hazelnut and tiramisu gelato from Eataly, and unfortunately, both went undocumented.  Eh, you win some, you lose some.

And on a semi-related note, I spent this morning making my staples:  sweet potatoes wedges and spicy black bean quinoa.

5:17-meal-prep

Have a great weekend!

What’s the best thing you’ve eaten recently?

My First Big-Girl Job Promotion

Hiya, friends!  I feel like I haven’t talked to you in forever!  As you can tell from my absence, it’s been a busy week, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.  Here are some highlights:

1.  Hello, Saucony Kinvara 3’s!

saucony-kinvara-3

These new sneakers carried me through two runs this week:  Wednesday’s run off the bike and today’s speedwork.  I’m tempted to #shoegeek out and share the details, but I’ll spare you. (Unless you come to the store for a shoe fit, then all bets are off!) I will say, though, it’s an extremely light and comfortable shoe, and I plan to use it for speedwork and racing only.  On a related note, does anyone know if Lock Laces come in orange?

2.  Speaking of racing, I officially signed up to volunteer for Ironman Lake Placid in July.

ironman-lake-placid

One of my teammates is tackling the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run, so another one of my teammates and I decided make the trip, volunteer at the race, and support him.  We also plan to turn it into a fitness-cation of sorts, meaning we’ll bring our wetsuits, bikes, and running shoes.  When in Rome Lake Placid …

3.  My aunt and uncle sent the sweetest card from our MuckFest MS Mud Run escapades.

muckfest-ms-mud-run-card

In total, our team raised more than $8,300 for the National MS Society.  Way to go, Mighty Mucks!

4.  And now for the big news—I got my first big-girl job promotion!  I’m the new Community Outreach Coordinator for JackRabbit Union Square!

jack-rabbit-staff

Since day one, this job has really clicked, and I absolutely love it:  doing shoe (and wetsuit!) fits, talking about training goals, and helping people discover healthy living.  I’m excited to take on more responsibility, and in this position, I’ll be in charge of brainstorming, planning, and organizing community events like yoga classes, informative workshops, and basically getting JackRabbit’s name out there.  There are a few ideas I’m kicking around already, and did I say I’m so excited?  Oh, and I get a company email address and business cards.  Woohoo!

Tell me about your first job that clicked.  Did you love it immediately, or did you grow to enjoy it?

One Year Ago Today

Today—May 13, 2013—marks one year since I graduated from college.  How is this possible?

Graduation

What I really want to know is where the past 365 days have gone.  Life at Camp Hoho—filled with classes, papers, and weekend shenanigans—seems like both yesterday and several years ago.

bestfriendsIt’s so strange to look back on college as a past experience:  During high school, the number one goal was to do well and get into a good institution; and during college, the number one goal was to do well and graduate with a degree.

graduation-parents

Anyway, graduating from college marked a huge transition.  This is when I started blogging and gave triathloning a shot, and I moved from my tiny hometown in Upstate New York to New York City in October.  My big-girl internship started in January.

As I adjusted to these changes, I didn’t blog about what I was experiencing.  Basically, going from college life to the real world was much more challenging than I anticipated.  The high-school-to-college change wasn’t too difficult for me, so I expected a similar transition, but I really missed living with my best friends, having my support system of mentors at my fingertips, and being in an academic atmosphere.

And to further complicate things, my big-girl internship wasn’t what I expected either.  After college, I envisioned myself working for a diet and fitness publication.  However, things in the office didn’t click, and I came to the realization that the field wasn’t for me.  This was a huge, somewhat scary discovery because it essentially took me back to the career drawing board.  Where do I go from here?

Aside from the support of my family and friends, one constant throughout this journey has been triathloning.  I gave it a tri try last summer, became totally hooked, and started training with Full Throttle Endurance in January.  The sport has become a lifestyle, and I rediscovered how much I love being part of a team.  Between training, traveling, and racing, you spend so much time with your teammates and coaches, and it’s like having a second family.

nyc-half-full-throttle-endurance

This sounds dramatic, but I have no idea how I would’ve coped with these changes without FTE.  Waking up and getting after it in the pool, in the saddle, or on the track gave me a sense of purpose, and even though I struggled to figure things out work-wise, I could always count on my teammates to start my day off on the right foot.  Having this excitement and positivity every morning during a time of change made a world of difference.

escape-to-the-palisades-5-k-full-throttle-endurance

Anyway, moving away from the sappy stuff, if you told me that one year after graduation I’d be living in NYC, training for triathlons, and working at a baller running store, I would’ve given you a skeptical look.  Big Apple life?  Sure, that’s been part of the plan all along.  But doing tris and fitting people for running sneakers?  Not really on the agenda—but I absolutely love it!

12:10-jackrabbit-sports

I’ve been working at JackRabbit Sports for about one month, and I couldn’t ask for a better bunch of coworkers.  Even though I’ve had several internships, this is the first group of colleagues I’ve really clicked with.  Everyone lives an active lifestyle—running, cycling, triathloning, doing yoga, you name it—and we truly want to help others discover healthy living.

The little things have also made a huge difference.  I’ve been given a lot of responsibility since day one, my training has been expedited, and after every shift, at least one of the floor mangers or assistant managers thanks me for coming in and doing a good job.  Obviously, I don’t need this feedback, but it’s nice to know you’re valued and appreciated.  My coworkers also treat everyone as a friend.  After closing the store Saturday night, we hung out for a beer or two, and one of the floor managers invited me on a long bike ride. (She and a two others are training for the Musselman, a half-Ironman that takes place in my college’s town.) These things have never happened at any other job.

So one year after graduation, I feel like I’m finally starting to figure things out, and I’ve found “my people” in terms of my social life, work life, and triathlon life.

What were you doing one year ago today?

Write It Down, Do It Up – Week of May 12

“What day is today?”

“Today is Mother’s Day!”

Yes, I’m 23 years old and still make Full House references.  The show is applicable to everything.  Plus, John Stamos.  End of discussion.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mommas out there!

mother's-day-collage

And a little fun from this afternoon’s Smorgasburg visit.

i-luv-mom-smorgasborad

Now it’s time to switch gears and talk workouts.  A bunch of my Full Throttle Endurance teammates and coaches are off biking in Italy this week—yes, really—so there are no official organized team workouts until Wednesday morning.  However, a few of the non-Italy goers made plans to link up, so I’ll be running and biking with teammates Monday and Tuesday.  Here’s this week’s edition of Write It Down, Do It Up!

(If you’re new to WIDDIU, here’s how it works:  Every Sunday evening, I post my workout schedule for the week, and I invite you to do the same.  This way, we can motivate each other and hold ourselves accountable.  Sounds like a win-win, right?)

Monday – a.m. run; a.m. strength train

Tuesday – a.m. bike; a.m. strength train

Wednesday – a.m. brick workout with Full Throttle Endurance (FTE)—indoor cycling and running off the bike

Thursday – a.m. bike; a.m. run

Friday – a.m. swim with FTE

Saturday – a.m. swim with FTE

Sunday – a.m. easy bike or off

How did your workouts go this week?  Did you do anything fun for Mother’s Day?

Zelda’s on Slowtwitch!

Hi there, friends!  How’s your Thursday going so far?  Thanks a bunch for your thoughtful comments on yesterday’s post.  Riding and becoming comfortable in aero will take time—but patience isn’t exactly my virtue (ha!), so we’ll see how that goes.

Anyway, Zelda wanted to pop in and say hi.  She hasn’t been on the blog recently and was feeling neglected.

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She also told me to share a link to a story.

slowtwitch-random-age-group-triathlete-chat

Yep, that’s Zelda on the Slowtwitch.com homepage.  She even got a shout out in the Q-and-A itself, so check it out!

My First Wipe Out

A rainy day in New York City (and a day off from work at JackRabbit Sports) calls for baking and napping.

paleo-chocolate-chip-banana-bread

I made a loaf of Paleo chocolate chip banana bread and enjoyed a brief siesta this afternoon.  After a late night JRab shoe biomechanics class and an early morning brick workout, I needed a nap.

So switching gears a bit, remember way back when I blogged about my Chinese horoscope?  Remember the injury projection and how I predicted a bike wipe out?

horse-injuries

Well, it happened yesterday morning.

Our bike session in Central Park started off great.  My coach led one pace line and told me to take the front spot on the other—progress!  Anyway, as we made our way through the park, he told me to try moving into aero.  Riding this way makes me nervous, and honestly, I haven’t been able to hold this position on the road yet.

bike-fit-after

Being in aero while my bike’s hooked up to an indoor trainer is fine.  On the road, though, I can place only one arm on the aerobars; when I try to shift the other, things feel unstable, and I always chicken out.  But he’s my coach, and I trust him, so I gave it a shot, slowing moving my right hand and arm from the handlebars to the aerobars.

When I made the adjustment on the left, my bike drifted that way, and I panicked and overcompensated:  I steered too far to the right, which caused my bike and my coach’s bike to collide.  He’s an experienced cyclist, so he rode through it, but I went down and took another teammate with me.

Thankfully, everyone is fine.  I’m a little cut up on my knee (I’ll spare you pictures), but nothing serious.  The actual wipe out didn’t hurt, but I felt really bad:  My rookieness caused practice to stop and created an unsafe environment.

Even though I felt so frustrated and defeated, I got back in the saddle and finished the ride.  I wasn’t in a great place mentality, and my coach definitely noticed and gave me a pep talk.  My teammates were great too, checking in throughout the day and making sure I was feeling OK.

On the bright side, I couldn’t have asked for a better (?) first wipe out.  After all, I was riding with my coach and teammates, so I wasn’t alone, and we were in a familiar location.  Plus, no one was seriously injured.  And it’s the nature of the sport too.  As my Twitter buddy Chris so eloquently says:

first-biking-wipe-out-twitter

How do you pick yourself up after you’ve been knocked down?

Lock Laces Review

As a triathlete, I constantly think about efficiency—not only in terms of swimming, biking, and running, but also transitioning as quickly as possible from one sport to the next.  You’ll never see me walking to transition 1 (T1) or hanging out in transition 2 (T2).  In the words of my coach:  “Get to transition, do what you need to do, and get the hell out.”  He’s a master of transitions, and this part of a race lets aggressive triathletes gain time on their opponents—if you have the right gear.  So when Lock Laces offered to send me a pair of bungee-style laces designed for quick transitions, I immediately said yes.

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Available in a variety of colors, Lock Laces can not only match or complement your sneakers, but they also ensure ease in terms of putting on and taking off your sneaks.

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I love these red ones because they match my Sauconys and team racing kit.

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I’ve been using Lock Laces for a few months, so I’ve had the opportunity to wear them for regular runs, brick workouts, and actual multisport events like Nautica South Beach.  Transitions can be so discombobulating—where’s my spot?  Wait, it was by the tree, right?  Where’s that tree …—so it’s important to streamline the process of switching gear.  And taking one step out of the equation—lacing up your sneakers—can make a huge difference.  If you’re a triathlete, then you need to be rocking speed laces, and these Lock Laces work great for me.

Full disclosure:  Lock Laces contacted me and offered a sample of their product in return for a blog post.  As always, all opinions expressed are my own.

What are some of your non-negotiable items of gear?