About last week...
So, last week was fun. It seemingly all started when Jenny McCoy published her interview with me about the Long Trail on Runner's World.A lot of people read Runner's World apparently because before I was even really awake I was getting messages about it! And then Fox News caught wind of it. And then the NY Post. And some others. And Radio.com and MSN. And before I knew it, I was getting a small sense of what it is like to go "viral."My conclusion? It's fun in it's own way, but it is a bit weird. It requires a hook or clickbait of some sort, and mine was because I ate Taco Bell in the midst of a really really long run. This lead to *a lot* of poop jokes in the comments sections. I have to say, I actually think they were pretty funny. And aside from the jokes about propelling myself to the record by gas, or no one else going after the record because of the smell I left behind, the other comments were genuinely very nice, which is pretty rare to see these days. And that made me happy because I felt like many people were able to see beyond the clickbait and read the story that was there. The story about working really hard to accomplish a goal as a team. If enduring some jokes about "The Log Trail" gets another few people inspired to run or hike the Long Trail? Or to find their own FKT, whatever that may be? Then it's totally worth it.Aside from that, it was also really weird to see how the news works. Other than Jenny, I did receive some requests for pictures from the other news outlets, but no one asked for any other information. They simply took Jenny's interview, and changed a few words. Kind of like a really big game of telephone. When we are talking about hiking and Taco Bell, I'm fine with it. But I can see how this gets out of hand when we are working with politics or current events.It's also worth a major mention that really, this didn't begin with Jenny. It began with my good friend Kelly O'Mara going out on a limb for me and pitching my story for ESPN. That was the story that Jenny's editor read, which got the ball rolling for Runner's World. Women supporting women, and getting our stories told. That's what I love more than......cookies and ice cream. And I really like cookies and ice cream!For those who are wondering, I did in fact reach out to Taco Bell to suggest a chat about sponsorship but unfortunately "they aren't sponsoring athletes at the moment" (That's the answer Red Bull hilariously gave me as well for people interested in the lovely world of athlete sponsorship), so that was a long shot but still a bummer! They did however send me a lovely box of swag (who doesn't like Taco socks?) with a gift card I'll probably save until Kona next year. Because, fun fact, the Taco Bell is one of the only things open that isn't mobbed with people during the Kona spectathlon, and it's a longstanding tradition to #ringthebell after watching our athletes on the Queen K.So, about this week? Well, it's race week! For a triathlon! It's been awhile since I've said that, especially about a 70.3, especially one with a road run! In 2017 I raced Raleigh 70.3 and after a sub-par day decided that was why I had been avoiding them since 2014, where I believe my current PR is from Eagleman.
I'm pretty sure that I swam and rode the entire course the day before, and rode 110 miles the day before that, so I'm hoping for some good conditions to better that this weekend. And after training on the East Coast, I don't even remember what being warm on a bike is like, so I'm pretty well suited to take on the cold lake temps and the 45 degree air I hope!Other things to help you pass time on this Friday: IRONWOMEN! (duh). This week Haley gives me all the dets about the The Outspoken Women in Triathlon Summit. Listen!!Other good summit reads: Taryn's blog, and of course Sara's takeaways.