Category Archives: Running, Cycling, Triathlon

Running, Cycling, Triathlon

Petite Goggles. Who Knew, Right!?

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Since the beginning of my triathlon training, I’ve had trouble with my goggles leaking…not to mention they were super painful to wear. I think this might be one of those times when it’d be really nice have some female triathlon friends.  When consulting male triathletes, the only response I seemed to get about my ill-fitting goggle conundrum was, “Um, I don’t know. I’ve never had any problems.” I think it’s also safe to say that they’ve never had any issues trying to find a swim top that was supportive enough to run in either…

Petite Goggles

That said, I found a pair of women’s petite swim goggles at REI! Who knew they even existed, right!?

Might I also suggest some petite running tights (at 5ft 2in, too long athletic pants are one of my other gear troubles)?

Also, I learned that REI is actually a coop, which means they are member-owned and can (and do) choose to spend some of their revenue on environmental and community non-profits. For $20, I signed up for the lifetime membership and am eager to check out their member-only used gear “garage sale” this Sunday.

Can’t wait for the cooler weather to roll around to go back for some fall running and cycling gear!

Where is your favorite place to shop for your swimming/running/cycling gear?

Ciao,

Sarah

Adventures in Pittsburgh: South Side Flats

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Last week, I decided to explore the South Side Flats of Pittsburgh. Before I move into my new apartment, I’m in temporary housing here, and find myself really enjoying the riverfront trail, called the Three Rivers Heritage Trial, and charming businesses (not to mention the Hot Metal Bridge, which is my favorite bridge, by far). The South Side was one of the first neighborhoods in the city to gentrify and features the South Side Works, an outdoor mall. There is also the Bavarian Hoffbrauhaus (lots of well priced beer and dancing) and, my favorite thing, the riverfront trail. The trail is a bit strange, since it starts and stops at points, and at times one needs to go off the path to get around construction or broken path, but all in all, the trail is generally well kept, well traversed, and boasts a charming view.

Crazy Mocha Pgh Hot Metal Bridge 1 River front Trail South Side Pgh South Side Pittsburgh

Ciao!

Sarah

p.s. Have a suggestion for what I should do next in Pittsburgh? Post it below!

My First Marathon Highlights

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Grandma's Marathon

A couple weeks ago, I ran my first full marathon in Duluth, Minnesota. It was the 37th annual Grandma’s Marathon, and although a soggy, cold day was an absolutely amazing experience. Here are some of the highlights from the race:

-Running in 50 degree weather, in the rain, with a risk of hypothermia, and still thinking (thanks to all the training I’ve done in a Wisconsin winter), “This weather is perfect!”

Grandmas Marathon Duluth 2013

-Sprinting the last 200 meters and the crowd going wild when they saw me pulling ahead and across the finish line. That’s a feeling you can’t get anywhere else.

-Running past a man who had run all 37 Grandma’s marathons! When asked how many more he’d run, he said, “At least three!”. That’s inspiring dedication!

-High fiving with strangers. I needed those high fives. My most memorable one was with a solider in uniform at the last half mile stretch. His words of inspiration weren’t original, just, “You can do this,” but that felt like it lifted a weight from my shoulders.

Grandma's Marathon- Duluth, MN

-It’s true; marathon runners will be pee anywhere when they gotta go…mostly off in the woods on the edge of a stranger’s driveway…

-The amount of food and water the spectators were handing out was impressive and much appreciated! The girl who handed me a banana at mile 18 had probably never heard someone give so earnest a thank you over a piece of fruit.

Grandmas Marathon Duluth

-The spectators and volunteers at this race were absolutely amazing! If it weren’t for them, I might have given into the temptation to slow down and walk at mile 17, might not have been able to hold a ten minute pace for the whole race (wow!), and probably would have collapsed to the ground after I crossed the finish line (the med team was amazing, and I owe them a big thanks for their care!).

The greatest satisfaction was working so hard and so diligently, and then seeing my dream become reality.

What’s next? A triathlon, of course!

Runners, please share you experiences training and/or finishing a big race!

Sarah

p.s. Doesn’t matter how slow or fast you are for a marathon, or any race; as long as you run, you’ve already beaten everyone who never even started!

Great Finds: Triathlon Postcard Prints

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Once again, I discover an amazing find at the Madison Farmer’s Market! This time, I found these adorable postcard-sized prints. They came in a variety of phrases, from “Drink Strong Coffee” to “Write a Letter.” Since I’m running my first marathon this weekend…and my first triathlon in August and that’s pretty much all that’s been on my mind lately, I put together the following combo. Check out Zip-Dang’s website if you want to create your own collection of sayings.

Triathlon Postcards

Gearing Up! Marathon Training Gear- My Post on Rather Be Runnin’

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Gearing Up! Marathon Training Gear

This week, I was going to post my gear list for my marathon training on Mia Prima Casa. Instead, I was lucky enough to be a guest blogger on Rather Be Runnin’!

Check out the post: Gearing Up! Marathon Training Gear.

Sarah

Josh Ritter, Joy, & Dreams

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Why spend your only life hopin’?
What a torture to be always blue, darlin’.
Why spend your only life waiting
To do what you know you can do?

-Josh Ritter in “Why”

Josh Ritter

I saw Josh Ritter for the first time seven years ago. He was opening for Rufus Wainwright at the time, and needless to say, the whole show was amazing. While I absolutely love Rufus, what struck me in particular about Josh was his passion. It looked like he was having a blast. It was probably the first time I saw and recognized someone following their dream in real time. I witnessed this again: once in Barcelona on the face of a dancer and again in Capri, Italy from an gentlemanly Italian shoemaker. The common thread was pure joy. These people were completely and totally losing themselves in the joy of their work. It was no surprise that I saw the same passion the other night when I watched Josh’s Madison show at the Overture.

Certainly, it’s a rare thing to experience, but it’s something I’m lucky enough to find when running. When you’re on mile 9 of a long run and you can’t help but smile, something is going right.

Are you following your dream?

Ciao!

Sarah

For Boston

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Chicago Run 10

Instead of staying angry and feeling hopeless about what happened in Boston, I’m going to try something else. At least two dozen people were injured, so I’m going to spend the next 24 hours doing 24 things that make the world a little bit better in their honor. It’s definitely not much, but it’s something.

1. Make someone laugh
2. Give someone who is having a bad day a cookie. Never underestimate the power of a small act…or a cookie.
3. Volunteer for Uncovered Artistry
4. Reach out to an old friend
5. Thank someone for doing a good job
6. Donate to a good cause, like my sister’s Heel Violence event
7. Stop for all pedestrians (I should be doing this anyway!)
8. Smile at everyone who I pass on the street during a run
9. Send my host mom an unexpected email in Italian
10. Surprise a loved one with a gift for no reason
11. Offer help at work, even if I’m busy
12. Stop complaining about the weather…and start being thankful for it
13. Pray
14. Get over any grudges I’m still holding on to
15. Listen, really listen, to how someone’s day is going
16. Share a Paulo Coehlo quote: “The enemy is only a pretext to test our strength”
17. Donate old, long unread books to the local library
18. Let someone go in front of me in line, or let a car in while driving
19. Write a letter to an old professor, thanking them for how much they’ve done for me
20. Donate extra clothes to GoodWill
21. Give a friend a hug
22. Help my friends move into their apartments
23. Smile twice as much
24. Be thankful for all that I have

-Sarah

Windy City Run: Lake Front Trail & Grant Park

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LakeFrontTrailRun- Chicago

Wow, was it great to be back in Chicago! My sister and I went down to the city for Easter weekend and took the opportunity to run through Grant Park and the Lake Front Trail. I started training for distance races about nine months ago, so I never ran in downtown Chicago when I lived in the city. Now I realize what I missed! The day was a gorgeous (though cloudy) with temps in the 50s. For two girls coming from 30 degree weather in Wisconsin, it was heaven! Below are some of my favorite pictures from the run (and some of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite books):

Chicago Run 1

Chicago Run 2

“You don’t have to be fast. But you’d better be fearless.”
― Christopher McDougall, Born to RunChicago Run 3 Chicago Run 4

“That was the real secret of the Tarahumara: they’d never forgotten what it felt like to love running. They remembered that running was mankind’s first fine art, our original act of inspired creation.”
Chicago Run 5 Chicago Run 6 Chicago Run 7

“Try the meditation of the trail, just walk along looking at the trail at your feet and don’t look about and just fall into a trance as the ground zips by,” Kerouac wrote. “Trails are like that: you’re floating along in a Shakespearean Arden paradise and expect to see nymphs and fluteboys, then suddenly you’re struggling in a hot broiling sun of hell in dust and nettles and poison oak… just like life.”
Chicago Run 8 Chicago Run 9 Chicago Run 10

“…there was some kind of connection between the capacity to love and the capacity to love [running]. The engineering was certainly the same: both depended on loosening your grip on your own desires, putting aside what you wanted and appreciating what you’ve got, being patient and forgiving and… undemanding…maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that getting better at one could make you better at the other.”

Chicago Run 11 Chicago Run 12

“The reason we race isn’t so much to beat each other,… but to be with each other.”

― Christopher McDougall, Born to Run

Where is your favorite running or cycling destination?

Ciao!

Sarah