“The Rock” in Glen Rock that I’ve run past countless times. (It was recently featured in National Geographic! Wahoo)

One of my favorite things about being home is going on runs. Yes, I do enjoy running along the Charles at school — but nothing beats being home and running for however long I want and never risking getting lost.

I am from a small town in New Jersey — a suburb of New York City. For many in larger towns or cities, seeing familiar faces while running is a rare occurrence; however, in Glen Rock it’s more odd if I don’t see at least 5-10 (depending on the length of your run) people I know/know of while running.

This seeing-random-people-while-running thing is kind of fun. It gets my mind off of my tired legs or the horrid hill that I may be running up momentarily; it reminds me that I’m home. Ranging from a friend’s parent to a random person I went to the same elementary school with for a year to high school classmates to friends, it’s always fun to see who I’ll run into next on a Glen Rock run.

There’s nothing like the familiar sidewalks of your hometown. Of running in the middle of a sunny summer day; of running your long-loved routes over and over again each week. Or of hearing the pitter-patter of the rain outside and deciding to run around your neighborhood; returning with a smile and puddle-soaked shoes. Hometown streets are lined with myriad precious memories; pockets of your past. Running past friends’ houses, schools, or other memory-infused landmarks makes long, hard (sometimes mundane) runs that much more interesting; more colorful.

And for me, there’s something about running at home — something about exploring the town on foot, of making my mark on the pavement with each step of my bright purple Asics, that makes Glen Rock feel a little bit more like home.

What about you? What do you like best about running in your hometown? Do you prefer to run through neighborhoods or on trails?

Tri Hard,

Caity

There’s a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn’t that the point?

Love this quote from The Office finale. Sometimes beauty doesn’t come in what we’d typically think — like accolades from racing, tangible accomplishments, or large scale events.

It’s easy to forget about the small things amidst our hectic lives. But oftentimes, the real beauty comes in the smaller things — the training rides with friends, smaller moments with family, and otherwise.

Something to think about today.

Tri Hard,
Caity

These are yummy and so easy to make — a great way to incorporate greens into your diet. The recipe is simple — just add a little bit of olive oil to kale, bake it, and salt a bit after baking for flavor.

THEY ARE SO GOOD. Seriously.

Yum!

Tri Hard,
Caity

You can find the full recipe here.

1. Summertime – Sam Adams

2. Goodbye Town – Lady Antebellum

3. Last Goodbye – Kesha

4. #thatPOWER – will.i.am feat. Justin Bieber

5. Pretty Brown Eyes – Cody Simpson

You have my permission to laugh — I like to listen to cheesy pop and country while I workout. But it works! What’s on your workout playlist this week?

Tri Hard,
Caity

Give it your all.

Tri Hard,

Caity

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.”
― Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button screenplay

On days when I’m stuck or feeling a little out of it, I try to tell myself just that — that it’s never too late.

Things can always be changed.

Bridges can be unburned.
Battles can be won.

We just need to know which fights are worth fighting — and which are best left to the past.

But we can’t change the past. We need to remember that. We can’t undo a bad race; rewind and erase a night we wish never happened. We can’t undo the hurt or the angst or the time wasted wondering “what if?”.

We can only move forward, keep our heads up, and realize that it’s not the end. That it’s never too late to be who you really are; who you’re meant to be.

Tri Hard,
Caity

Check out this podcast by Ben Greenfield, YoungTri’s official coach! This episode covers how much water you actually need to drink each day, how many hours a week you should lift weights, what causes hives, healthy eating for camping, and more.

You can listen to it here!

Tri Hard,

Caity