In a little over a week, I will be doing the Flat as a Pancake sprint triathlon with my dad and brother. I’ve been doing it for five or so years now, and it’s a TON of fun. I mean, how many races are by the beach AND have a full pancake buffet after with a ton of contests?! It’s a beautiful, flat course that is a great way to kick off the summer racing season.

The race is on June 8th.

You can register here (enter the code Joepatanella15off for a $15 discount)!

Check out more info here and here.

mmmm

Tri Hard,

Caity

Think of one thing that makes you happy. Whether it’s a person, a place, a time, or a memory — focus on that for a second. Close your eyes and picture it if need be.

Give it some thought.

What makes you happy?

Channel it. Use it. Sometimes when I’m racing I like to channel what angers me — a situation, a feeling, or otherwise — but I’ve found that channeling positive thoughts can help as well. Whether it’s visualizing a goal, thinking of the feeling you’ll get while crossing the finish line, thinking about friends and family or something else, happy thoughts can have a lot of power.

Let them. You’d be amazed at what positive thoughts can do.

Tri Hard,

Caity

“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