A Lesson in Hashtags

I have recommitted to my Twitter account. When I first signed up I thought it was pretty stupid and did not understand the reason behind it. Why would I use Twitter to read other people's status updates when I have Facebook? But then I discovered something magical: I could get all of my news off of Twitter. Suddenly I was catching up on CNN, FoxNews, E! Entertainment, Jim Rome (for any sports fans out there) all in one place (and often in the middle of my meetings which makes the pain of sitting in a long meeting so much more bearable).

Clearly, I had to share the good news.

I have converted one other follower, and what a follower he is. Every time I see him we have in-depth discussions about what's going on on Twitter. I have to admit, it's a little bizarre and we get the strangest looks. And now, rather than us actually texting or calling each other, we tweet to each other.

News Flash: Talking to someone face0-to-face no longer exists.

Conversation #1:
Me: Eating Mongolian Grill BBQ for lunch. #Delicious.
Friend: Love the hashtag but hashtag the place too! It sounds delicious!

Now, for a lesson in hashtags: all a hashtag simply is is a keyword. You can type in the hashtag in the Search menu on Twitter and pull up all of the tweets that have used that specific hashtag. Anyway...

Me: I bet when I tell you it's in Springville that would make it sound even more tempting! #TooFarAway.

Conversation #2:
Me: Decided to go off the sugar for a couple of weeks. Last time I did this I indulged unmercifully afterwards. #NoRepeats.
Friend: Why would someone do this? #QuestionSanity
Me: A very good point. #HaulMeOffToTheLoonyBin

And so, our friendship has now become a game of who can out-hashtag the other. Personally, I'm pretty sure I can win this one.

Goldilocks--43 Miles!

Cycling season is fast approaching. Well, kind of. The rain is really messing with my plans.

My odometer from last summer said I rode about 150 miles. That seems like an exquisite waste when you think of all of the money I invested in road biking. But let's be real, I thought I would be natural on my bike. Turns out I wasn't. Therefore I was intimidated by it all.

Blah blah. It happens to the best of us. This is a new season.

The race we did last year (Little Red Riding Hood) filled up in a mere 23 HOURS. WTF!? Seriously. Apparently all of Utah's female riding population decided to sign up. However, we had an excellent alternative--Goldilocks. Another all-female ride. This time in Herriman which is much closer to my house and I actually liked it so much more.

I wanted this ride to be more relaxed than last year's somewhat-of-a-failure first time. Kaylin was nervous. I was detached. I made sure Kaylin ate a hearty breakfast of oatmeal which she barely choked down. I felt pretty good for the upcoming 40 miles ahead.

The race was (dare I say) a total breeze. I plugged in my iPod and was ready to go. Kaylin and I passed people left and right. We set a really good pace and in many parts we led the way for a group of girls we started riding with.

By the way, Goldilocks sold these adorable arm warmers. They came in a bunch of colors with the cutest polka dots. I really want a pair now.

Kaylin was especially impressive. She set the pace and I just followed her. Looks like all of her cycling in the gym is really paying off.


By about mile 35 I began to feel it. My legs felt like noodles. I suspect it had more to do with the fact that I didn't eat a mid-race snack. I really think something like a Cliff bar would have done the trick. Since then, I've tried to eat more when I know I'm going to do a long ride. It's had me thinking a lot about what I'm going to eat as a means of fuel and not so much just because I'm hungry.

At the last leg of the ride there was a very small hill to climb. Seriously, on fresh legs it would just be a hump in the road. But I had reached absolute fatigue and it was the hardest hill I met. My legs agonized with every pump and all I could think is I was almost there...almost there! This is funny to me because one of the hills we climbed mid-race took us over a half hour to climb and I didn't even have a problem with that. In fact, I really enjoyed it. I passed a lot of people on that hill which is certainly good for the ol' morale.

By the end, all smiles. I really loved this race. The terrain was so hilly and dynamic. Doing 43 miles has emboldened me somewhat. I feel really excited about cycling this season and can't wait to do more. I've decided to set the goal of riding 500 miles this summer. Who knows if I've got it in me, but it seems like a good goal to make!