Thursday, October 24, 2013

Run Faster...



Moonshine, banjos and feral dogs. This should be interesting...

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Ragnar TN or BUST!

After only two days, week one at the new job is officially in the books. Technically, I have work to do while I'm out of the office this weekend, but my mind is already in Ragnar-mode.

I am currently at the airport, waiting for my flight (ew, Southwest) to Nashville for SWAT for Ragnar Tennessee. As much as I enjoy being a part of a Ragnar Relay team, I think I have come to enjoy working the events even more. Is that weird?

I wish I could say that I am flying to a beautiful, tropical, destination, but Nashville will have to do this weekend. Tennessee is a beautiful state, don't get me wrong, but the daily high is only in the 50's this weekend, with the nights dipping into the 30's. Brr. At least it will be sunny. There has been a serious lack of sunshine in MN the past few weeks and I am in desperate need of some vitamin D!

I was SUPER spoiled at Ragnar GR that my shifts were all during the daytime, so it's no surprise that for Ragnar TN they have me working straight through the night. Seriously. 4pm Friday until 5am Saturday. Seeing as I am NOT a night person, this should be interesting. 

If you need me, I'll be piloting the struggle bus from Chatanooga to Nashvile this weekend...ALL ABOARD.


Let's do this!

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Fears, Nerves, and Advice Needed

I'm not going to lie. As excited as this new opportunity is, there are a lot of things I'm really nervous about. There's the standard issue new-job-jitters, but this is more than that.

I'm nervous about seedy motels and lost luggage. I'm afraid of getting sick or injured on the road. I'm nervous about long, lonely drives, especially at night, and car troubles. I'm afraid of driving through really awful weather (did you hear about the 50+ inches of snow the Dakotas got last weekend?!). I'm afraid of my car getting broken into. And so on.

I have vicariously lived the life of a traveling rep for the past 5yrs through W. He totaled a car in northern Wisconsin, passed kidney stones at a hospital in Indiana, had his car broken in to in Nebraska, and was stranded in Minnesota because of a late season blizzard. He's driven through the night to get to places, driven 8-12-14 hours alone on the road to get somewhere. Having worked on the road for over a decade he's pretty much experienced it all. And if he hasn't, I have other friends and colleagues that have. 

When I accepted the position, and this new adventure, I knew all these things, and to some extent accepted it. That comes with the territory (no pun intended).

But what I can't seem to wrap my head around is how to balance life on the road and an active, healthy lifestyle. I'm afraid I'm going to stop exercising, eat like crap, and end up morbidly obese and miserable. 


Now I realize that this is actually one component to life on the road that I can actually control. I can choose to exercise and run. I can seek out healthy restaurants and make smart food choices. It all sounds good and empowering on paper.

But how? How do you stay motivated? Find the energy? Make the most of a food per diem? 

It's great in theory to look up running routes of Crossfit gyms in the cities you're in, or to ask for suggestions online, but after a long day of travel, visiting accounts, and then catching up on office work, how does it actually work? 

I'm hoping that someone out there can relate and share some real life advice...

Thursday, October 3, 2013

A New Adventure

It was about this time last fall when W decided to pursue a new career, which eventually brought us, for better or worse, to the Twin Cities earlier this year. I would argue for worse, but that is left to be seen I suppose. 

Starting in late October 2012 I began feverishly applying to every job that even slightly aligned with my skills and interests in the greater Twin Cities area. People kept telling me how many amazing opportunities there would be for me up here. Liars. By the time we loaded the UHaul and hit the road, I was no closer to be employed than the guy on the street corner waving a "Will Work for Food" sign. 

With little else to do, and a very empty piggybank, I conceded to work part-time at a local(ish) bike shop that an industry colleague of mine was managing. It was sort of fun to get my hands dirty and wrench on bikes again. At least for a bit. And planning their shop expansion, brands, and floor plan was right up my alley. I loved networking with the reps and talking product. But being on the sales floor long term is not for me. 

Mid-summer I applied for an intriguing job with a rep group I have known, and competed with, for years. I applied...I followed up...I followed up again. Nothing. By the end of August I had given up hope and was thoroughly put out by the situation. So imagine my surprise when at the END of September I finally got a call to interview. 

I interviewed last Thursday, and I knew it went well. I mean, it should have gone well, they did give me the interview questions ahead of time. And yes, I studied and pre-answered the questions. Who wouldn't? I was confident that I would get a second interview. But what I was not expecting was to receive a job offer on Tuesday. 

I officially accepted the job yesterday, and gave my notice to the shop today. And it felt good.

They say always do it in writing...
My new adventure as a territory rep starts on October 21st. Wish me luck!