Tag Archives: traveling

May23

Bits and pieces.

Posted on by
Bits and pieces.

**Just some bits and pieces flitting through my brain that don’t quite make a post in of itself, but together, make a lil potpourri of thoughts that I don’t want to lose!**

~~

Can someone first explain to me, how is it *only* Wednesday? Whenever I travel, it feels like a time warp, backwards and forwards! Starts off with a bang and then mid-week, starts to wane, like whoa. I know I will catch my second wind for the tail end of my trip, but man, does traveling mess with me. Routine, baby, it’s where it’s at ;-)

~~

I am supremely amazed at how differently I’ve handled eating during this trip. While I have had several trips across three time zones since I started the barre n9ne challenge last year, which has made me more mindful and aware of eating when hungry, not out of habit or mindlessly, but this trip has just felt the most different of them all. For starters, I was *really* worried I’d be ridiculously hungry during Monday’s flight since it left at 8 am, and arrived at 2:30 pm (in my brain, but 11:30 PT) where I would have to endure what should be breakfast and lunch, yet only be barely lunchtime on the West Coast when I arrived.

For the first time, I forced myself to retrain my eating into West Coast times from the minute I stepped off the plane. And surprisingly? It worked! I wasn’t heinously hungry the entire flight, either. I scored some steel cut oats at the hotel (last minute score! Arm pump!) and just needed a banana to sustain me until I landed and could grab a bite once I got my car, maneuvered my way out of LA and go to my office, around 12:30 PT. That has seriously been my golden ticket this week. I haven’t woken up famished (hungry, but not wilting!), and I’ve generally been hungry at the ‘right’ times on the West Coast. Score.

~~

I ran outside – alone – for the first time EVER since  I started this job 18 months ago. (well, that’s not entirely true. I did run on the beach AT my hotel when I first started…but that doesn’t feel quite the same, since there were people everywhere. If that makes sense). I knew I wanted to finally run outside, when it would be light enough to do so safely (many of my trips up until this point have been during winter months where it was just too dark to do it previously). And so I would not get lost, I came up with a genius plan (if I do say so myself!). I ran FROM my hotel TO my office. Since I know the route by heart and it’s about 2.4 miles one way, making for a solid just about 5 mile route.

What most surprised me, beyond loving being outdoors and running IN Cali and ON flat, flat, FLAT roads was how PRETTY everything smelled. I smelled flowers everywhere. I heard birds chirping. I even heard the electrical wires above me buzzing. It was quiet, even on usually-busy main roads (it was 5:30 am, I guess I can see why). I LOVED it.

~~

We had our long-awaited event this week for work. (the reason I am out here this week) And it was SO cool to see an event come off without a hitch, one that my boss and I have been working on for months. It was fun to interact with those that arrived, from the students from a local college (that were part of the competition for this particular event), to my company’s executives, to the media that came, and to my co-workers, too. I finally felt comfortable chatting on the fly with people and not feeling like I stuck out like a sore thumb. Perhaps it goes back to feeling confident in who I am, for the first time pretty much ever, huh?

~~

This whole shifting focus, thing? Yeah, it’s REALLY working for me. I have not dreaded this trip much at all (besides the always hard goodbyes to M), I have looked forward to it. I have embraced the challenges, I have done new things (running alone, as I mentioned, for starters!), and I have just enjoyed the time and the opportunity. It has gone a long way, and I couldn’t be more glad, or more relieved at that.

~~

So far, it’s been a GREAT week. And I guess the bits and pieces flitting through my head culminates into more than I thought it would, huh? ;-)  

~

PS – THANK YOU to everyone for all of your feedback, compliments, and support on my post yesterday. It meant so much to see such positive feedback and enthusiasm. I was nervous to post before and after pictures for a number of reasons, but am so glad the message I wanted to get through as part of that came shining through, rather than it being uber focused on numbers and such. THANK YOU!

I wish there was smellavision (er, blogavision?!) – those flowers smelled GOOD!

May15

“Shift your focus”

Posted on by
“Shift your focus”

Shift your focus.

Sage words from my friend Steph as I was sharing with her and my sis my thoughts on this very blog post, as I start to slide into a bit of ‘dread mode’ heading into traveling (again) next week to California. As I’ve said many times before, these trips always take a lot out of me, from the cross-country travel, to the adjustment (or lack thereof!) to the 3-hour time difference, which not only messes with my sleep pattern but most importantly (lol) my eating patterns (since I feel hungry allthedamntime, hungry when I wake up, hungry when I get to work, hungry all afternoon, given my meals are at such different times there vs. here. The time difference just sucks, plain and simple, for eating!). And don’t even get me started on how much it messes with my beloved routine. ;-)

But I am going to try something new this time. I am going to shift my focus. Focus on where I am, not where I am not.

Rather than look at the 7-day forecast (which we all know will change, anyway!) and seeing 82 degrees on the day I fly out and already wishing I wasn’t going to miss such beautiful weather, I’ll look at the 7-day forecast for Costa Mesa and realize that hey, it’s warm there *too*. Score.

Rather than be missing the rundates and the barre dates and the barre n9ne classes I won’t be teaching (or taking), I’ll focus on the classes I am taking in California, adjusting to the style of classes I may take, and experimenting with my very first outdoor run near my hotel (it’s always been uber dark in the morning when I’ve traveled there the last handful of times, but no more!), and a long-awaited dinner date with this awesome chick.

Rather than stressing about each and every meal and disliking that I am eating out more than I’d like, I’ll embrace the new places I plan to try, and request a mini-fridge in my hotel room and stock up on a few things at Trader Joe’s. And I’ll make every effort to make the best damn mock oatmeal bowl of goodness that I possibly can. Perhaps the best ‘mock’ bowl ever (next to homemade!).  Shifting my focus on adjusting to my environment, rather than wishing I was elsewhere.

Rather than missing M like whoa…well, I guess this one just won’t change, because let’s face it, I know I will miss him like whoa, but the goodbyes are the worst part and the welcome back hug and kiss are by far the best part, right up there with getting into bed, snuggling close, placing my face into the crook of his neck, where it fits just ever so perfectly, and falling to sleep smiling, happy to be home, but also happy to have focused on the here and now, not the there and future. 

 

May10

Fun-lanta!

Posted on by
Fun-lanta!

Though it’s only been a few days since I left for Atlanta, no matter what, traveling always takes such a toll on me. Routine is outta whack, food options limited and different, lack of water at the ready (This is a huge one for me! I always have water practically surgically attached to my hand!) and I am a homebody at heart, so naturally, I just *love* being home.

So when I arrived in Atlanta and got smacked in the face with a huge wave of homesickness, while  I was surprised (given brevity of trip and fun to be had), I tried to take it in stride and just get ‘er done.

Preamble aside…now that I’m en route home from Atlanta and the Digital Summit, I have a chance to recap the best part about the trip…and while the conference itself was great (actually a little better than the one in Chicago, which I was surprised at!)…the best part about the last three days? 

The girls that put ‘fun’ in Atlanta (Fun-lanta! Sorta punny, no? LOL) – Lee and Tina!!

I seriously loved meeting these girls and spending a glorious time at dinner catching up as if we’ve been friends for years. And given we’ve been connecting on our blogs for the last few years, that’s not too far off from the truth! Tina wrote up an awesome post on our evening, you can read it here, but I was just struck by how real, normal, fun, and so ‘like me’ in so many ways. It’s yet another reason why I love this community of friends I’ve met through my blog, these are some of the people that ‘get’ me most and it feels like such an opportunity to meet them for real and just talk. (And to spend almost two days with Lee, given she was at the conference with me, so we could even ‘talk shop’ hehe!)

So, I figured I would just include a few pics from our evening, which ended with a (not pictured here, but Tina snapped some!) de-lish frozen yogurt! And since I was foiled with pinkberry last weekend, I just about dove into my bowl of deliciousness!) Ladies, you’re awesome,  and really made this trip so much better than it ever would be otherwise :-)

Me and Tina!

Lee and me!

Group pic!

Apr17

OATT: the travel edition.

Posted on by
OATT: the travel edition.

Editor’s note: for an OATT 101, please visit my sister’s blog post who so eloquently defined all there is to overthinking syndrome…in other words, overthinking-all-the-time (OATT)!

There is a serious case of OATT going on up in here and it always a) amazes me given how often I do travel, how much of a stresscase I am leading into a trip and b) makes me realize how out of practice I am from the days (just around this time last year, in fact!) from chronic work traveling (like, twice a month trips to Cali, chronic!). 

First of all, I always get into stresscase mode the day I travel, especially if I am working a partial day and then traveling mid-afternoon (like today) because I a) always feel like I’m not fully packed (and hence, have to repack my bag at least twice to ensure I have in fact, packed everything – for a two day trip, mind you!) and b) rushed to cram in as much work as possible while also ensuring a workout, plenty of fluids and my most-missed meals have been enjoyed (read: oatmeal, chobani and a big ass salad or one of my favorite wraps crammed with turkey, sprouts, laughing cow and spinach). 

So you better believe I did all of these things today…and even taught a barre method class at 7 am (side note: I love teaching back to back classes two days in a row, makes me feel fresh and ready to go!). And enjoyed breakfast (OATMEAL!) with M (he works at 11 on Tuesdays, working in our favor for some extra time together!). And aforementioned wrap. And got work done. And re-packed.  And even put little sticky notes all over the house for M to find (one particular one in his laptop telling him to knock ‘em dead tomorrow at his dissertation defense! Right next to the new David Yurman cufflinks I gave him at dinner last night. Making me feel less like the worst girlfriend in the world for being away when he defends!).

Dude. I am rambling up a storm over here. What’s with all the lists (a, b, c) and parentheticals?! <–and yes, I just said parenthetical, what of it?

(must be OATT)

moving on.

After OATT attack #1, enter even bigger OATT attack #2. 

What and where to eat tonight when I land in Chicago. See, I land at sort of a weird time. 7 pm CT (leaving at 5 pm ET today). It’s not dinner time here, and it’s past dinner time in my brain by the time I arrive (and get situated at my hotel, pushing 8 pm CT, and 9, ‘in my brain.’). So, what to eat? Do I grab something at the airport when I arrive? Do I bring something with me from the airport in Boston (that’s already a fail, since the terminal I am in – which I didn’t realize at the outset of this OATT – has NO food except for stupid snackie things)? Do I see what’s around my hotel when I get there?

I played each of these out in my head. Option A – meh, airport food, not a fan. Option B – see option A. But then what? What’s around my hotel?? Well, after doing a bazillion google searches, yelp searches and consulting pal Amber (who I get to meet tomorrow!!), I found a couple of possibilities. I got excited. But then realized that 2 of the 3 top contenders closed at 8 pm. How lame is that?! Hmmph. Now what?! I seriously went back and forth, google’d more places, walking distances etc. I still have aforementioned sushi places in mind, but now, I go back to my original (undocumented thought)…perhaps I’ll just keep it simple and order room service or Starbucks (which I realized after all this, is IN my hotel!!).

And save sushi for tomorrow night. Why tomorrow night? Because tomorrow night I am on my own at 5 once day one of the conference I’m going to ends. I have a few locals I may meet up with, but I am hedging a bit only because I may want to do something I still have yet to do on my travel bucket list. Eat dinner by myself. At a restaurant. So, of all the overthinking I am doing at this very moment, that is, quite possibly the only thing I pretty much maybe might know for sure.

Go, figure, right?

I hope you enjoyed this edition of OATT: the travel edition.

(I almost added in my OATTing about what workouts I want to do while I’m in Chicago, but this was getting long enough as it is and I am pretty sure ya’ll would think I am the queen overthinker if I went into THAT ping pong OATT case!! And let’s just say that there is spinning involved, running and MAYBE even a local barre studio!!)

Jan13

My 6-month Run Challenge: Week 7 (in bullets)

Posted on by
My 6-month Run Challenge: Week 7 (in bullets)

Happy Friday, friends! Well, it’s been quite the week, with my first work trip of 2012, and I honestly wasn’t sure how my run challenge week would play out.  But, I am proud to say that despite some challenges, I am getting ‘er done this week. So, without further ado, my run challenge week 7 in bullets:

  • I got in 3 of my 4 runs (with my 4th, recovery run planned tomorrow pre-barre n9ne!) done this week!
  • I *even* did my 7 mile ‘long’ run on the – groan – dreadmill today (my goal is to boost that to 7.5 next week…but only if I can manage to run it outside!). It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, and I even upped my pace for half of the run to 6.4 (9:20ish pace!), which was huge for me. Who knew?
  • I had some weird knee pain that I alluded to in yesterday’s post, but it is now mysteriously non-existent. Honestly and truly! Gone. As if it was never in pain. No puffiness. No achiness. Nada. Didn’t even hinder my run. Guess those two off-running days was worth doing, huh?
  • I rocked 5 mile interval run on Monday before I left for my trip, and continued my ‘rolling intervals’ approach to it, 6.8 – 8.0 at two minute intervals each (with 60-90 second recovery in between).
  • I also did my spin workout ;-) Cross-train, baby!

Things I need to work on:

  • keeping up with at least one outdoor run per week. I am going to try and do my quick 3 tomorrow outside, but it is going to be arctic and I am feeling a wuss-out moment coming. I’ll just be upfront about that part ;-) But considering I have done at least 1-2 outdoor runs a week since I started the challenge, the fact that I may not hit that goal this week (partially given my travel week!) is okay with me.
  • increasing my pace when I run outdoors: this is something I definitely need advice on, friends. How do I keep increasing my pace when I run outside for my longer runs? I found that my pace was slower for last week’s long run than it is on the dreadmill, in large part because of course, the dreadmill does help boost you along just by nature of what it is (just a little). How do I not slide into ‘routine’ when I run outside? I guess this is my out-of-comfort zone area still rearing up. I am not sure how to keep my stamina going at a faster clip when I am outside, facing hills and different road conditions than a consistent flat treadmill offers me. Thoughts?

So, there you have it – a pretty good week, all things considered. I hope that once the mornings are lighter when I am traveling that I can run outside a lot when I am in California…because let’s face it, those runs will be a glorious change to bundled up cold runs here, right??

Now it’s your turn…report back! What did you do this week? Anyone doing my run challenge care to report back? ;-)

**asslap to everyone adding some sweat to their lives, no matter what form it comes in…yoga, running, walking, swimming, kickboxing, barre, you name it, it counts ;-) **

Have a wonderful weekend, friends, I am thoroughly looking forward to catching up on sleep, seeing friends, M, and family, and just being home.