coffee catch-up: summer 2018

And just like that, it’s OCTOBER(!). Since we really didn’t get spring this year – remember that blizzard on April 15 when two feet of snow fell?! – summer felt so short, but the good news: it was crammed with fantastic – from yard work to cruiser rides to dinners al fresco to weekend trips. 

It’s been a while since I’ve done a life update, so I’m stealing this coffee date catch-up from a few other blogs. My favorite coffee lately: iced oat milk lattes at our neighborhood coffee shop, Angry Catfish. Anyone else love oat milk? What’s your go-to coffee drink? Grab it, and let’s cheers and chat! 

Here’s what’s been up and on my mind…

the AG Kona allocation system

Bummed is an understatement about my AG only having one Kona spot at IMMT. I was crushed – and then I was, and still am, angry. So I looked into it a little more to figure out why there was only one spot in my AG (35-39) when every race has had two spots since they dropped from 50 spots to 40. Turns out, I’m not the only one curious about the AG KQ allocation. Russell Cox has been analyzing AG races and the allocation for a while, and the Live Feisty ladies have been asking questions, too. 

Turns out, IM recently changed the formula – BUT NO ONE KNOWS WHAT IT IS. 

YOU GUYS. Why is this a secret?! Why isn’t IM transparent about it? Are they hiding something? The exact number of spots in each AG should be up front and center before the cannon fires at every single race. 

I totally get that fewer women race IM – and that under the new allocation math maybe it’s more proportional to the number of people in each AG. You know what that means, though? It means that men now get more spots (case in point: one of the men’s AGs at IMMT had FIVE spots and it rolled to 10th. Three women’s AGs had ONE each). But as Kebby from Coeur pointed out, more people in an AG doesn’t necessarily mean that AG is faster. It simply means more people are racing in that AG. 

My answer to IM’s new math: eff that, patriarchy. If we want more women to race, there has to be more opportunity. More – and equal – female pro spots at Kona = more elite AGers stepping up to take their pro card. More AG Kona spots = potentially more women racing IM in general. Maybe that means slots are split evenly – 20 for men and 20 for women. Maybe that means a tiered system of elite racers and AG racers (like at a lot of local races). Maybe that means men get fewer spots (gasp! And maybe understand what it’s like to be a woman!). And it surely means that IM share their formula with us. 

It’s time, IM. A rising tide lifts all boats. 

sleep 

I mentioned this on a recent #miniblog Monday: sleep has been a number one focus this summer. There’s really no better way to recover than a solid eight hours of shuteye. Some days, er many days, it’s a challenge to be in bed before 9:30p, but I do my best. And unlike past training cycles, if I didn’t at least seven hours of sleep, I moved my morning workout to that evening – or skipped it all together if it was a swim (sorry, coach!) – so I could get an extra hour. 

Getting a good night’s sleep isn’t without a little help. I’m obsessed with our Marpac Dohm sound machine. Do you guys have one of these?! We didn’t bring it with us to Missoula, and OMG… I could hear Nick (and myself) breathing and had the hardest time falling asleep. As soon as we got home, I ordered their travel sound machine. 

And my other go-to sleep aids: a Lunya washable silk sleep mask (how did I ever sleep without a sleep mask?!) and a glass of Calm raspberry-lemon magnesium about 30 minutes before bed. 

the library  

A few months ago, I replaced my book buying habit with a library card. OMG, why did I wait so long to do this?! There’s a library just down the street, and their online reservation system makes it a cinch to request books. There’s usually a short wait, so I requested around 20 books to start – and then a bunch of them arrived at the same time. Needless to say, I didn’t finish all of them, but I have plowed through 10+ books so far (and have saved probably $120 by not buying them!). Five more are waiting for pick-up, so we’ll see if I can finish those before they’re due 🙂 Anyone have any must-reads? Let me know in the comments! 

My recent favorites: 

• A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
• The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo
• This is How it Always is by Laurie Frankel
• Educated by Tara Westover
• Tears of Salt: A Doctor’s Story by Lidia Tilotta and Pietro Bartolo
• Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

there’s no place like home-home

I made a conscious decision this year to not let triathlon be my life. And that meant saying yes to more things (though not all the things. Because introvert), including two trips home-home where it’s dusk until 10:30p in the summer. They were easily highlights of my summer. Not only did I celebrate my 20-year high school reunion – WTF how did that happen – but I got to spend time with my amazing grandparents. They recently moved into assisted living (and then Grandma to the nursing home 🙁 ) – it’s so hard to see them somewhere other than the house they lived in for 50 years. I still can’t believe we’ll never again play Scrabble with Grandma over a cup of tea in her kitchen. But that’s time and life (sigh), and I’m incredibly grateful for all the games we played, all the cups of tea we drank ♥ Heart swells, tears well… 

natural deodorant

I’m starting to clean up my beauty routine (DYK all the harmful chemicals in personal care products and make-up?! Ew – I do not want that shit on or in my body). First up: deodorant. I’m currently using both Kopari coconut and Schmidt’s lavender + sage (I also have the charcoal + magnesium version, but haven’t really used it yet). And while neither has quite the same power as Secret or Dove, both smell amazing, and I don’t feel horrible putting either on my body. Note: if you’re switching to natural deodorant, know that it takes some time for your body to adjust. I don’t sweat nearly as much as I did when I first started using it. Anyone have a natural deodorant brand they love? Let me know! 

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And lastly – a photo of Luma. Because who doesn’t love dog pics?! Find more of her on her insta account, too 🙂