So what’s in a name? Or better yet, what’s in a nickname? My first few stemmed from my actual name—my family and close friends commonly call me Care and Carebear—but it wasn’t until 8th grade basketball that I received my first true nickname: Red. (You know, because of my curly red hair.)
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Ah, the sweet glory days of 2008. Just winning a sectional championship. All in a day’s season’s work.
It stuck, and during the next four years of field-hockey, basketball, softball, and track, I was known as Red. I liked having an athletic alter ego: I could be Carrie in the classroom and Red on the court. (Except in my economics class senior year—my basketball coach was the teacher, so I was Red.) Sadly, the nickname didn’t carry over from high school to college, so I’ve been nickname-less for a while.
Until this morning.
Workout #1 – Biking
Recovery week continued with an indoor cycling workout alongside my Full Throttle Endurance teammates. But you want to hear the nickname story, right? Here it goes: Remember how I bought a new heart rate monitor last week? Before starting practice, Andrew synced it with the Suunto training system, and in addition to sections for standard information (age, height, etc.), there was an area to input for a nickname. Here’s how our exchange went down:
Andrew: “Nickname?”
Me: “Carrie is fine.”
A: “No, it’s not.”
[Pauses, then begins typing.]
You can now call me Young C—because I’m the youngest member on the team. Ha!
Oh, and the ride went great. Seeing my heart rate and zone level let me know if I should increase, maintain, or decrease effort (or gear or cadence). Now that I can see these values during workouts, I need to teach my body how to recovery quickly. For example, we did some high-cadence drills (110 RMP for one minute), followed by steady efforts (90-95RMP for three minutes), and a few of my teammates were able to drop from the yellow zone to the blue zone in three minutes. (The Suunto training system has green, blue, yellow, orange, and red zones that show riders how close they are to maximum heart rate.)
Workout #2 – Running
After biking, I quickly laced up my sneakers and hit the indoor track. This was my first true bike-run brick since the summer, so I had no idea how it would go—and surprisingly, it went well. During past bricks, my entire lower body would immediately feel like stressed—or maybe distressed?—jello (triathletes, you know the sensation), but today, everything held up OK. I did experience some calf cramps, but nothing too painful.
Breakfast #1
Before heading to a work fitness event, I inhaled a banana and vanilla Chobani yogurt.
Plus my second cup of coffee!
Breakfast #2
Around 9:30 a.m., I found myself in the Union Square area, so I stopped at Whole Foods for a hot-bar breakfast.
Egg whites, huevos rancheros, and turkey bacon. So random, but so good. And since I was conveniently in the heart of the Union Square Greenmarket, I picked up some apples—and a sweet treat.
Give me carbs!
This pear muffin was absolutely delicious.
Did you have a nickname growing up? How about for sports? If you could give yourself a nickname, what would it be?
i think nick names are awesome! I really get a kick out them. i like it YOUNG C pretty good ring
I was dying when he typed it–who thinks of a name like that?! LOL.
Haha Young C in the buildin’!
HAHA!! It’s going to take some time to get used to it!
My vote is still “Killer”
My nickname growing up with the Canadian-hockey pronunciation of my last name. Gilbert sounds more like “joe-BEAR”. Had nothing to do with hockey mind you….
I don’t think my old softball teammate would like me stealing her nickname.
My nickname as a kid from my family friend was Boney, since I was pretty skinny growing up. In high school it was Amycoolw from my aim screen name (which I picked when I was 11 and obviously thought I was super cool), that nickname evolved to Cool Dub which everyone in hs called me and most still do even now. I now regret that screen name but still use it for words with friends
I had a teammate we called Bones and Bonesy–must be a popular nickname.
What a great nickname, Miss Young C.
I never had a nickname growing up, and I was always wishing that I did. I do have terms of endearment though. My mom calls my “Punkin’,” and my husband calls me “PH” for Princess Haley. 
I guess I did have one boyfriend who called me “Hales,” but I never liked that.
I like PH!
I love Young-C! It sounds so badass, like you’re hangin’ out with the big kids now
LOL–right, though?!
What’s up Young C! Haha love it! My nickname was just Al. A lot of people would ask if I liked the name because for some reason, that name makes people think of fat guys but I love it! Lol
One of my old bball teammates gets called Al sometimes. I can definitely see the fat/old guy concern, though!
Nice “Young C”, sound like your ready got the Grammy’s. mine is kinda embarrassing-
What a swell nickname. People normally just call me Hollz…you know so original…LOL. I do like young c though…that is pretty sweet.
Young-C, I love it!!! I never really had a nickname… Every now and then people call me Jules and I love when they do- but its not something that ever sticks.
My nicknames were always related to my name too. In high school it was my last name, some people would call me James.
I don’t have a nickname now.
Great job on your workouts!
Love nicknames! I have a nickname for everyone, or I just shorten everyones name. When I cheered in high school everyone called me the nugget!
Awww, Nugget is cute!
In Australia it is almost rude not to give someone a nickname. Generally only people you formally know or don’t like don’t get nicknamed. I’ve have a lot, some I havent liked but most of them have been ok. I like both yours!!
That’s pretty interesting! I shorten most of my friends’ names, but we don’t have any “official” nicknames.
I can’t believe it took until 8th grade for them to start calling you Red! On my sports teams, I was usually just “Coker” (my maiden name), but I have been Pooh Bear or Bear since I was a baby to my family.
Right?! Once it was established, though, it stuck and spread like wildfire–whenever I see my old high school teammates, they still call me Red.
Ahhh I LOVE your nickname! Young C sounds like a hardcore rapper or something. Amazing! I’ve always loved nicknames but, besides “Jen” for “Jennifer,” I’ve never really had one. Guess I need to join a triathlon team
LOL–hopefully I can live up to expectations.
OMG, yes, you should absolutely try triathloning! 
Haha! Young C – you sound like such a badass! Which you are, so own it
My nickname growing up was ‘Beka Bird’. I was taller than EVERYONE and all arms and legs (lanky) until about 7th grade – when I quit growing up – and only went out from that point on! B, Beka, Bekkers are about it now.
that pear muffin sounds interestingly delicious. Great workouts!!
I feel you on the tall front. In 3rd and 4th grade, I was the second-tallest person in my class (the guy who was taller than me in now 6’5″!), and people tried to call us “Slits” and “Slits Jr.,” but neither caught on.
Oh boy. Yea…. I am only 5`2 LOL
Haha love your new nickname! And, I want that muffin! It looks so delicious!
Young C! It sounds like a rapper’s name or something. Own it. My family has always called me Manda, and I have random ones like Manders and stuff. All my friends from college call me Mandycakes Kleinsasser. I don’t like being called Mandy, so that’s how Mandycakes came about. There’s also a former Vikings player named Jim Kleinsasser and they combined the two. From that, there’s also Cakes. If certain people call out “Cakes!” I will answer.
You are *so* not a Mandy–which is a good thing! Mandycakes is pretty funny, though–as is Cake!
Young C, haha! Awesome nickname! Great job getting your first bike run brick in since summer, amazing that you didn’t even have jello legs! And the Whole Foods hot bar plus a pear muffin…sounds like an excellent breakfast decision.
I’ll definitely visit that Greenmarket booth again–like, tomorrow.
How funny!! Young C sounds so hardcore. You definitely need to develop your own gang sign to flash around the next time someone calls you that.
GINA–BAHAHA!! I’ll let you come up with it, though!