facebook and peanut butter...

I'm quitting both of them for the month of July.

I'll be eating more than enough peanut butter during the first two weeks of August, hiking over 100 miles in Glacier National Park.

In the meantime, you can find me outside being awesome.

cheaper than therapy

I majored in Psychology. Back then, a four year degree could get you a decent paying job. My goal upon graduation was to work with teens in some sort of counseling capacity. I wanted to make a difference.

A little bit of luck and some good grades landed me an assistantship. I went to graduate school for Criminal Justice. 

My first two jobs (youth mentor and behavioral specialist) after graduation were direct service. Then, I landed a research position at the University of Pennsylvania and have been in the world of academia ever since.

Grants and their funding aren’t like they were ten years ago. My full-time job went to part-time and I returned to school to become a personal trainer.

I’ve been working at the same gym for two and a half years. Clients come and go, many stay, but they all tell me their stories...about their spouses and mother in laws, their friends and their children...about themselves, their hopes and fears and dreams.

In a way I guess I ended up where I intended on being after graduation all of those years ago...and for $20 a session it’s cheaper than therapy.

the longest day

A couple weeks ago, one of my teammates sent out an email about a ride he was organizing for the longest day of the year. The plan was to leave early in the morning from the shop, ride to Ocean City and back.

I asked around to see who was going, thinking that if it was a big group I’d have no problem hanging out on the back for 102 miles. Few people were able to commit to the date. 

As of June 18th the total stood at three...that’s when I was in...even though the longest I've ridden was 75 miles (three years ago for a charity ride) and the occasional 50, but nothing this long.

Three guys and a girl, 102 miles...

There was a fear in the back of my mind that the pace would be too much for me to handle. Then I thought about all the times I've invited other women to ride, only to be met with responses like “I haven’t been riding much so we can’t go too hard” or “I don’t want to hold you back, I might be slow.” Guys never say that kinda shit, they just go out there and hammer.

And so it began at 6:30am on June 19th...by mile 10 we had already stopped for our second flat. It wasn’t too late to turn around, but I didn’t. We reached 34th Street beach in Ocean City at 9:30am, made a quick stop at Wawa and headed into the headwind home.

Somewhere around mile 70 we stopped for water. One of my teammates got a cramp in his quad as he went to get off his bike. We slowed the pace, let him ride on the back, but he couldn’t continue. Another teammate waited until someone came to pick him up.

And then there were two...

The Willamstown bike path was the light at the end of the tunnel. I wanted to downshift and spin, but my legs couldn't move that fast so I left it in a bigger gear. I was crossing my fingers, hoping that the “low battery” indicator on my Garmin would hold out for just a few more miles...Broadway in Pitman, just a couple more minutes...the unit powered off. I rolled up to my car, grabbed a change of clothes and headed into the shop.

On the ride down, we all took pulls. There were times when I got to the back and thought about sitting out a round, but I didn’t. Sitting at the WaWa in Ocean City, I thought about just riding on the back for the return trip, but I didn’t. And I surprised myself...I hung in there with the guys, averaging 19.5mph for that 102 miles.

Opportunity Barks

Last month I dropped off my little nugget at Sweet Spot Farm in Quakertown for two weeks of Boarding School. 

Hazel has been in my life for almost a year. During that time, it’s become apparent that she’s a bit fearful and uncertain. 

One trainer suggested that in her previous life she might have been locked in a basement or chained in a yard. Therefore, she was never exposed to the world around her, nor taught how to interact with it. I couldn’t imagine going through life being afraid of everything. It must be an uncomfortable feeling. 

I had several options for a board to train program, but chose this one because the owner did not promise that my dog would be returned to me with a large, newly developed skill set. Instead, she vowed to work within Hazel's ability level.

When I went to pick her up, I got a better sense of her abilities and limitations. Moving forward, this is something that I will keep in mind.

There was an incident that happened with a friend of mine last week. It made me think of this. Maybe I need to reassess and be more realistic of what that person is capable of, instead of having unrealistic expectations.

The Tumbleweave Diaries

South Jersey Weave...

the winds of change

I traveled to Austin, TX in January to meet my nephew Cliff and to watch Cyclocross Nationals at Zilker Park. Proper planning for this trip was essential. It started with researching and identifying the places I needed to visit in search of the best craft beer, tacos, coffee, pancakes, pizza, ice cream, cupcakes and cookies in Austin. It was a big list to tackle in only four days, but my stomach was up for the challenge.

I drank more beer in 24 hours than I usually drink in a month. Austin Beerworks was the hands down winner over 512 Brewing Company and Hops & Grain.

“Tacos are like Mexican sandwiches” and I’d be perfectly content eating them for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the rest of my life. In search of the best fish tacos in Austin, there were four spots on my list (Chuy’s, Tacodeli, Vera Cruz all natural food truck and Cabo Bob’s). Not only did I make it to all four, I got Tacodeli twice! Vera Cruz won this battle but Tacodeli was a close second.

Pancakes aren’t just for breakfast, that’s why I had them for dinner (Magnolia Cafe) and lunch (Kerbey Lane Cafe). The buttermilk pancakes at Kerbey lane were my favorite.

Monkey Nest, Caffe Medici and Houndstooth were the places where  I had decaf (living life on the edge) Americanos. Houndstooth was a landslide winner. 

But really now, on to the important stuff...cupcakes from Hey Cupcake, Cookies at Walton’s Fancy and Staple, Amy’s Ice Cream and Home Slice Pizza.

With all of this talk of food, the title of my entry hardly seems appropriate. Last week I was having a conversation with a long time co-worker. She told me that her husband got a job in upstate NY and that they were moving at the end of the month. She said that change is a good thing. I echo that sentiment. 

My time in Austin was time well spent. The city is easy to navigate, the people are friendly and there are an abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities. Most importantly, my brother and his growing family live there. The wheels have been set in motion. 

the blue zone

From August to November I was in a pretty good groove at the gym. They closed for renovations on December 15th. Two weeks turned into four and as of today there is still no concrete reopening date.

While many people have been inconvenienced by having their fitness routine disrupted, I am starting to realize that it was very good thing for me.

I had a conversation with one of my doctors this week, who happens to be a long distance runner. He said that most people who train inevitably fall into this place where they aren’t working hard, but they aren’t resting either...and that’s exactly where I was.

Looking back, I realize that the groove was actually a rut.

It’s important to shake things up from time to time, with all of our routines. As a creature of habit, I can tell you that doing so is definitely beneficial.