3 REASONS WHY I'M NOT YOUR AVERAGE FITNESS FANATIC

“I DON’T USE FITNESS TRACKERS”

Back when I was training to race outside, my Garmin was LIFE and if I didn't cross post my workout to Strava than I felt like it didn't even happen. I was obsessed with how far I had ridden, how many feet of elevation I had climbed and how many hours I had been in the saddle that week. One day I received a pretty nasty message from someone who had gone through and stalked out my race results, my workouts, etc. They used it as a personal attack to make me feel like I was undeserving of any sponsor I had earned and any recognition I had received. Clearly this person didn't follow my blogs on the Specialized website or actually take the time to read my Instagram posts because my entire journey was about starting from nothing, never claiming to be the best, but rather sharing the ups and downs with other people in hopes that they would get out there and try riding, too! Not too far after that incident I pretty much stopped posting my workouts. I went back and forth deciding if I stopped because I wanted to or if I stopped because someone made me feel bad about it. I didn't want to admit that someone actually got to me. Hate happens allllll of the time and most times you can let it go - sometimes you don't. Regardless of whether or not I stopped because of this person, I will say the silver lining is that when I did stop, I finally found balance in my life. The pressure was gone and I was finally working out for myself, not for the likes on Strava or to appease what I thought I "should" be doing. It's now been around a year and a half and I haven't looked back since. 

“I DON’T COUNT CALORIES OR MACROS”

Listen, I am a definite rare bird in this scenario. Most people will not relate to this, but if you do, know that you aren't alone. I fully appreciate that tracking food intake helps A LOT of people and to be totally honest, I WISH it had that effect on me. Unfortunately, every single time I've ever tried using an app to track my food it has the reverse outcome. Instead of eating better I end up only thinking about food, absolutely obsessing over it, and after awhile I lose my mind and binge eat...bad. By the end of it, I will have eaten WAY worse than if I had just went about my day eating what I wanted. After several tries of monitoring my food I had to accept that it just didn't work for me. I would rather be aware of what I'm putting in my body and try and make good choices rather than flipping a switch and completely losing control of myself. Again, most people I tell this to think I'm nuts, but if you're anything like me - I FEEL YOU. I will say, even though I don't use things like MyFitnessPal anymore, I did learn a lot about what I was eating when I was using it. I still think it's a great tool for a lot of people, just not me. 

“I EAT (admittedly) TOO MUCH JUNK FOOD BUT I’M NOT AFRAID TO TALK ABOUT IT”

Look, I grew up eating terribly. The only spinach I ever grew up eating came from a can and was cooked in a pot with loads of butter and salt. It's amazing I don't weigh at least 100 pounds more than I do and even more amazing I was able to get where I am now. However, sugar is still a massive addiction of mine. It's my HUGE personal battle, but rather than cutting it out 100% (probably not possible) or pretending that I eat salads on the daily, I use it as a means of balance. Now, do I eat 3-4 donuts for breakfast anymore? Absolutely not, but if I want one than I will have one. It took a lot of trial and error to find what works for me and a lot of feeling guilty that I wasn't the perfect health specimen. In the end I finally found that balance was king and my balance will not be the same as your balance. If you can cut sugar out than by all means you go Glen Coco, but for me, I'd rather have one donut than lose complete control of myself and end up eating that donut, plus a pie, plus fried food, plus literally whatever else I can find. IF the day comes where I decide I want to be shredded, I am fully aware that I will need to do some major adjustments, but until that day comes, I'll take my small daily food victories and accept that although I'm not perfect, I know that I've come a LONG way in my eating habits. 

I'd love to hear your journey with food. Did you grow up eating healthy? If not, how do you think that's influenced how you eat now?

Outfit by the amazing Largo Drive. Check out their blog post where I did an interview and talk about my journey in becoming a fitness instructor.
Interested in buying something from them? Use code MAE20 from now until November 11th to get 20% off all regularly priced items.

I'm wearing the Lanston Sport Slit Bra and the Lanston Sport Slit Leggings. 

Governors Island with Exploring Paths

Earlier this year a mentorship program based in NYC called Exploring Paths reached out to me. They provide their youth participants access to bikes, helmets, journals, one-on-one mentorship, and cycling activities around New York City. When I visited in January I gave a talk to the kids and a talk at an amazing fundraising event, but it was too cold to actually go on a ride with them. So when I was given the opportunity to come back this summer, I was excited to join in on their trip to Governors Island and spend two days with everyone!

We started the weekend off at the YMCA where snacks, water, food, and all of the cycling gear was provided to the kids and mentors. We headed out using paved pathways with plenty of support to ensure an extremely safe ride to the ferry. Once we boarded the ferry (with our bikes) we had a great view of the city and a nice cool breeze. We started riding to the urban farm, but not without stopping to go on the slides and take photos in front of the Statue of Liberty first. 

At the urban farm, called the Teaching Garden, we were taken on a tour of their vegetable beds, educated about their recycling program, fed goats, got close to the chickens, and played with worms. We ended the ride around Governors Island with a tasty snow cone before boarding the ferry. With colorful tongues and a full belly, we headed back into the sunshine and biked the streets of New York City where we ended at the YMCA. `

It makes my heart so happy to know this program exists and these kids are being exposed to an active lifestyle, nature, leadership, and fun. I'm very grateful to have met these kids and their mentors and I hope they never stop exploring paths! 

A huge thanks to Katherine Long for having me, Specialized for gifting the kids hats and shirts, and Oakley for gifting the kids sunglasses. 

Permission to Pause with Athleta

I am SO excited that this week I teamed up with Athleta and gave myself #PermissionToPause in their new Restore collection. I chose to go to the Atlanta Beltline as it's one of my favorite places to walk around and unwind. You get to see A TON of dogs (and if you know me you know how much that excites me), stop by for a popsicle, watch people go buy on skateboards and bikes; and admire the art that lines the entire pathway. Because I previously lived walking distance away, I find it both nostalgic and fresh as it's always changing and updating, but still so full of memories.

If you don't have a local place like this that brings you peace (and popsicles) consider these alternatives:

- Take time for gratitude and involve those around you. I use an app called "Gratitude Journal" if I'm in the mood to document my day with photos or even just to list off the things I'm thankful for. It keeps it sorted for you by date - almost like a bullet diary with only positive memories. If I'm around people when I'm entering my thoughts, I'll ask them to do the same!

- Reach out on social. Sometimes I take my mindfulness to Instagram stories. I'll list three things that I'm thankful for or proud of and encourage others to think of three things as well. Then I give everyone the option of sharing their thoughts with me if they want to. It creates a really amazing community!

- Guided meditation. My boyfriend and I use the Headspace app. If you haven't tried it, I recommend giving it a go. It has a free basics pack and gives really great tips (and animated videos) on how to use it. I even have it set up to send me little "Mindful Moments" which are push notifications on my phone that keep me grounded throughout the day. 

If you live near an Athleta, I encourage you to stop by their store and attend their "Permission to Pause" meditation class. Not sure where one is near you? Check out the list HERE.

Now, on to these ridiculously cozy and extremely soft clothes that I'm wearing! The white "With Ease" tank is tied up, but you can wear it like a normal shirt - but really, what's normal these days? The softest joggers I've ever worn are called the "Restore Joggers" and if you buy only one thing from this line it should be these. The roomy grey short sleeve is called the "Eco Wash Restore Sweatshirt" and it's a really nice structured shirt with an oversized cozy twist to it. Lastly is the super snuggly black sweater called the "Pranayama Wrap" and can we just take a moment for the amazing thumb holes? Yes, please! 

I'd love for you to share your ideas, mantras, and ways you stay mindful below. The more the merrier! Also, make sure to check out the Athleta Chi blog for more tips to unplug!

Lastly, a HUGE thanks to Athleta for collaborating with me and sponsoring this post. #PowerOfShe

Saris SuperClamp EX 2-Bike Review

If you follow me on Instagram stories, you would have seen just how proud I was when I put together this bike rack by myself - even the FedEx guy who stopped by was impressed. Full disclaimer, this rack was sent to me to review, but opinions are always my own, so here I am telling you allllll about it. 

This is the new Saris SuperClamp EX 2-Bike, it retails for $469.99, and I've been using it for mountain bikes only so far. It was pretty simple to put together, a one woman job, and everything needed to assemble was included except for the adjustable wrench. The rack weights 35lbs so I have no problem taking it on and off my car. I'll list the detailed specs below and elaborate on some or my favorite and not so favorite things so far. 

First off, I love that the lock is integrated. I live in Atlanta and bike theft is rampant so that is a MUST have if I'm taking my bikes anywhere at all. Make sure you feed the cord towards to middle of the rack and through the frame rather than coming towards you and back into the rack (I hope that makes sense). The cord is just long enough with no extra slack so it's nice and snug. Like I said, so far I have used this rack with two mountain bikes and I'm happy to say that they are both easily secured. I was able to tighten everything down myself which I was happy about, as this has actually been a problem I've had with another bike rack in the past. A few simple pushes on the wheel-clamping hooks, a couple of clicks, adjust the straps at the bottom for the wheels, and you're ready to rock and roll. This rack also has zero contact with your frame, another pervious problem I've had, so I'm very happy about that! Lastly I love the tilting mechanism. I can fold it up when I'm not using it and tilt it back with the bikes on to access my trunk. 

Cons: So far the only problem I've had was loading TWO downhill mountain bikes on at the same time. It was a two lady job as one person was needed to hold the first bike steady as I loaded on the second one, and then brought the arms up. In the future, it would be nice to see a version that has the arms independently adjustable in order to put on bigger bikes one at a time. Realistically, this won't be much a of a problem as my go-to bikes are small enough to load each bike in one at a time with ease. 

There you have it! The new Saris SuperClamp EX 2-Bike rack in all of it's glory! If you have any questions, please let me know. 

Check out the detailed specs straight from the Saris website below:

• Platform style hitch rack

• Carries 2 bikes, up to 60 lb/each.

• Two shepherd's hooks hold bike by top of both wheels -- does not touch the frame of the bike.

• Sleek, compact and lightweight design transports two bikes on a single bar.

• Adjustable arms and wheel trays fit almost any type of bicycle, including those with fenders, mountain bikes and ebikes; bike spacing accommodates widest combination of bicycles.

• Integrated locking cable secures bikes to the rack.

• Locking hitch pin secures rack to the car

• Tilting feature allows access to rear of vehicle, even when fully loaded, and folds up when not in use.

• Ratcheting arms pivot on case hardened brackets for superior strength.

• Reflectors on outside wheel trays ensure extra visibility in low light.

• Bottle opener integrated into tilt handle.

• Built and tested to outlive the elements.

• Universal hitch works with 1¼” and 2” hitch receivers.

• Rack weight: 35 lb

• This rack fits a wheelbase of up to 48”.

• Universal wheel trays accommodate a wide variety of bikes and wheel sizes (up to 4” tires).

• Wheel straps are provided for the rear wheel if needed for kids bikes, e-bikes and bikes with fenders.

• For use with tires wider than 4”, add the Fat Tire Wheel Holders.

Here are some stock photos incase mine just aren't doing it for ya!

A weekend in Florida

This post was written for Specialized. See the original post here.

Well, it’s definitely no secret that my Camber and I have become quite the pair. My boyfriend and I have even started making a tiny course to practice on in our backyard AND I signed up for a Women’s Downhill Camp that’s happening in July. I pretty much jumped in with both feet to say the least. I’m still SO incredibly new, but very set on learning. 

This past weekend we took a trip to Destin for a little beach vacation and while we were there we thought we would visit a local MTB trail. We reached out for suggestions on social media, found the address of a trail near by, packed up our stuff, and headed out. The trail head had no map of the trail system, but plenty of bear warnings. As we’re riding along I’m thinking to myself how flat it is, no one would need anything more than a CX bike out here, easiest trail ever, so and so on and then BAM I over correct and throw myself into a tree. Just goes to show you that you can literally fall anywhere so use this as my friendly reminder to wear a helmet while riding. Regardless of the tiny scratches (and slightly hurt ego) I ended up with, we had fun, explored through the path of palm trees, admired the crazy amount of white moss, and of course stopped to take photos.

We finished the ride, stopped for acai bowls, and ended our day playing in the ocean while enjoying Floridas white sandy beaches. Bikes, food, and the beach - I’d say this is one of my favorite ways to spend a day. 

Meet my new Specialized Camber

*This post was written for Specialized. See the original post here.

Meet my new beauty - the Specialized Women’s Camber, but first let me give you a little back story as this was not an overnight decision.

Nearly a year ago I felt some major and loving peer pressure to get a mountain bike. Considering my first experience prior to that was awful, I wasn’t too keen on getting back on one, much less buying my own. Unfortunately I made the mistake of borrowing a bike much too big for me, slammed my lady bits on it within the first five minutes, and felt as if I was going to fall off at any point. Let’s just say I was not one with that bike and because of this experience I thought I hated mountain biking.

Sometime in the following year is when I joined an off-road cycling team (for CX) where the majority of those girls also love mountain biking. Lucky for me they gave me the itch to give it another try. After hearing I wanted to try MTB again, my friend Carol reached out to me and offered to let me borrow her bike and have a mini clinic with me as she was in the process of getting her certification to be an instructor. I took her up on it and wow, what a difference that made. When I met her at the trails she took the first 20 minutes or so to set up the bike to accommodate me. We went out and did a mix of riding and skill training where she would take video of me to better explain either what I was doing right or wrong. Long story short, this made a massive difference and I became hooked. I spent the next few months trying to educate myself on the various types of bikes and figure out (with the help of others) what would be the best bike for me.

Once I decided on the Camber I spent a solid few days visiting my local Specialized Dealers to try a few sizes and chat with them about sizing. Because they didn’t have the exact bike in stock, it took some side-by-side geometry comparing to really figure it out.

Fast forward to this week when the bike arrived and I rode it for the very first time. I LOVE IT. It was a process to get to this point, but completely worth it. I’ll be sharing my MTB adventures (the good and the hilariously bad - as I always do) in the next coming months!

The best cycling shoes in the game

Clean or dirty, old or new, indoor cycling or outside - THESE BABIES are my tried-and-true when it comes to PEDALING DAT BIKE! By day I teach indoor cycling at Flywheel Sports so I’m teaching 8-11 classes a week (on top of any classes that I take) and boy do I get stopped while wearing my baby blue S-Works 6 shoes in the studio. I keep these for indoor cycling only so that I’m not tracking in my smelly outdoor road shoes, plus I’m not mad that these have stayed in perfect condition - I mean, look how pretty they are! 

On the other hand, my white ones have been trained in, raced in, wrecked during a crit, worn in the rain, and I’m pretty sure they need to be retired. However, because they are so broken in and comfortable I haven’t had the heart to upgrade them just yet. Also, just in case you’re wondering, I have no trouble keeping them white (except for the areas that hit the pavement). 10/10 would recommend. Also, if you have narrow feet like me, it wouldn’t hurt to add Footbed inserts to really make sure you’re foot is snug as a bug.

Original blog post written for The Specialized Digest. Click here. 

Advice from an Ironman - Eric Hinman

Hey guys! I'm finallllly catching up! I don't recommend starting a new job during the busiest time of year for your other job, hah! Oh well, I've enjoyed it, but I miss blogging! So a while ago I reached out and interviewed Eric Hinman whom I met while in Hawaii with Oakley. He's an incredible athlete and I just had to pick his brain. First I asked him to tell us a little bit about himself and then further down you can find the actual interview. Thanks!

Mae: So, Eric, tell us about yourself:

Eric: I started training for triathlon in 2010. I didn't know how to swim. I never biked competitively, I had a running background - high school circa 2002. I signed up for my first sprint (a small local race), and spent hours in the pool leading up to it learning how to swim, practicing two stroke breathing. In my first sprint distance triathlon, I side stroked, and back stroked the entire 800m. I was scared shitless surrounded by other people, flailing in the water. I thought I might drown! With a bit of luck, and perseverance, I made it through the swim, passed people on the bike, and held my own on the run. I finished 3rd - excited that I did well, but hungry to improve. Triathlon is a very individual sport - the biggest competition is yourself. I love self improvement, and was instantly addicted to the process to improve. I competed in one other local sprint distance triathlon that summer, with my sights set on 2011. I hired a coach, and began training with purpose. I started to understand the difference between training hard, and training smart. I completed my first Olympic distance, then two half Ironmans in 2011. In my second half Ironman, I qualified for the half Ironman world championships. In 2012, I completed my first full Ironman in Lake Placid. I was soooo sore, for days after!! I missed qualifying for Kona by one spot, which equated to 1 minute. It fueled my competitive drive to further improve and quality for Kona in 2013. Under the helm of my triathlon coach, Mike Corona, I trained long purposeful hours, in prep for IM Lake Placid 2013. It worked. I qualified for Kona! In Kona, I was a victim of the lava fields, heat and wind. I had an awful race. It took everything not to quit. Seeing so many other inspiring athletes on the course gave me the mental fortitude to continue on, finish the race, and get my finishers tee shirt + medal. Yet again, my competitive drive was fueled. I had to perform better in Kona - for my own satisfaction! I trained even longer, and harder in prep for IM Lake Placid 2014. I qualified again. In Kona 2014, I finished in 9:36. I was satisfied!

2x Kona Qualifier + Finisher (IM World Championships)
4x Half Ironman World Championship Qualifier
5x Ironman Finisher
10x Half Ironman Finisher

Mae: How did you get started? Any sports before competing in Ironmans?

Eric : I played three sports in high school - basketball, track, and cross country.  I played one year of basketball in college (a bit too short to be a force!). I started weight lifting in college, and stuck with that through my early 20's. I really didn't have an extensive athletic background, other than always enjoying being active, and competing against myself/seeking self improvement.

Mae: So I reached out to some people online who also have some questions. Below are a few I chose. 

Do you get motivation externally or internally? What practices do you use before a big race? Visualization? Meditation? 

Eric: I get motivation internally. I am very competitive with myself. I'm always seeking self improvement in all aspects of life. I set seemingly unattainable goals, and then execute on a daily basis to reach them. My theory - if someone else has done it, I can do it with enough time and purposeful practice. I try to go through life with purpose in anything I'm doing.

I do some visualizing + meditation in the weeks leading up to a big race - the 5 hour bike rides provide plenty of alone time! However, in most training sessions, I focus on being in the present - if you think about how much longer the training session is, or how much you have to do, it's easy to defeat yourself.

Mae : Crowd Question : Do you sing to yourself, or what keeps your mind occupied during such long stretches of road on ride/run. I know we can all guilty of getting in our own heads, so what prevents you from doing that?

Eric : Mental fatigue is the hardest part of any sport (in my opinion). Like anyone, I have on days where I'm in a flow state, and off days where 5 minutes into a 2 hour session I want to quit. However, I try to go into every training session with a positive attitude, purpose, and excitement. Luckily, once I start training, I normally get "in the zone" quickly.  

Mae : Crowd Question : Do you use any sort of sports psychologist? Dr. Michael Gervais was just a guest on the Rich Roll podcast and it got me thinking about how high level endurance athletes are seemingly all employing some sort of sports related psychologists. How do you deal with self sabotage in tough events where things seem to be going poorly?

Eric: I don't. I am good at tricking my mind - for example, I set mini-goals during races. On the Ironman run (a marathon), I'll typically just focused on getting to the next aid station (one mile away) looking forward to a cup of Coca Cola at the aid station - to spike my blood sugar level, to keep going. I don't think about how far I have to go, just how far I've already gone. A positive mindset is paramount - think about past successes - I've run a marathon before, I can do this. I trained long hours, I can do this. Others have done this, I can do this.

Mae : Crowd Question : Tips for sticking to training schedule while still having a life on the road!

Eric : It's tough to balance. When I was training long hours, I structured my days around my workouts. I traveled less frequently, and avoided places where I couldn't easily get into my training routine. Ex.) I'd visit places that allowed for easy training - Austin, TX where I can easily run, bike at a training facility, and accessibility to a pool. 

Mae : Crowd Question : What kind of cross training do you do besides swim, bike, run?

Eric: I do a lot of strength training, and Crossfit (5x per week off-season and 3x per week in-season). I truly feel this has given me an edge - increasing my strength to weight ratio, building durability and muscular endurance, and reduces my risk of getting injured from the high repetition/volume in triathlon training. The metabolic conditioning workouts in Crossfit also give me a mental edge to really dig deep when my body is hurting - I can think back to all my past sessions, and convince myself, I've been through worse!

Mae : Crowd Question : What does your nutrition look like while in training? Are you counting calories or macros?

Eric: I adopted a high fat diet. Here's a typical day:
https://www.evernote.com/shard/s18/sh/63b98521-2fe9-46d9-8522-c117a04547a9/fa66f79114f2d10dcb3e3963c5cd85aa

Mae : Any pre-race rituals?

Eric: I always write a race plan. I read my prior race reports to see what I did well, and what I didn't do well. 

Mae : Best advice to someone wanting to do their first ironman? 

Eric: Find a coach. Think like a bumble-bee, and train like a race horse. Find a great coach that will help you train with purpose. Hit the workouts, don't overthink it. Put in the time + effort, and you will succeed! Discuss with your significant other - it's a major time commitment.
The training needs to be consistent.

Thanks Eric!! 
You can find his social media here:

https://www.instagram.com/erichinman/

http://www.fitner.co/eric