Yesterday while walking home from the grocery store I passed a woman selling Spare Change News (a paper published by the Homeless Empowerment Project and sold by Boston's homeless and low income). She was singing "spare change news" over and over in a sort of bluesy monotone. It was actually really beautiful. I happened to have $5 in my pocket, so I gave it to her.
It's just $5 and for many of you, that might seem like nothing. But it wasn't nothing to me, because I'm currently living off savings and I'm getting a little bit stingy.
When I was young and had an infinite knowledge of the world, I thought charitable giving was selfish - just a way for people to feel better about themselves - and that made it something not worth doing. I think this was around the time I read The Fountainhead, and if you were ever a teenager and read Ayn Rand, maybe you can forgive me.
It doesn't matter why you do something good, just that you do it. If you need to give to feel better about your rabid consumerism, fine. If you give so you don't feel guilty, fine. If you give because someone tells you to, or everyone else it doing it, that's great. If you give your time instead of money, or if you make a sacrifice - like reducing your electricity & heating usage - for the good of mankind, that's wonderful. If you want to one-up each other by doing all these things and more, I won't stop you.
Do something nice for someone today. You will be doing it for all of the above reasons, and that's just fine with me.
Edit: I just realized today is known as "Giving Tuesday." I had no idea that was a thing - I guess it's a happy accident I posted this today. I propose we just make every day "Giving Tuesday".
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Friday, November 14, 2014
Finding Zen
I've written before about learning from my role as assistant coach for Girls on the Run.
Earlier this semester we challenged the girls to run laps without talking to anyone - just focusing on themselves, their thoughts, and how they felt while running. These girls are very chatty, so this was really a challenge for them, but they gave it their best and were (mostly) quiet. After our run, we talked about the value of slowing down and spending time with just ourselves.
It's a great lesson for everyone, so I decided to challenge myself to 30 minutes of solitude.
Even when we are by ourselves, solitude is hard to find. Technology provides the world at our doorstep, and that can be a great thing. But to be truly alone in my challenge, I turned my phone and laptop off.
At first, the quiet and sense of space around me was amazing. I felt both big and small - just a small part of the world, but with so much possibility. It felt like a long time, but that probably took about a minute. Then I thought about doing pushups.
I stuck it out for the full 30 minutes, but I can't say I really achieved any sort of zen state. Most of the time I had conversations with myself and planned out my schedule for next year.
I know some people practice meditation and find it really beneficial. I find I have a better shot at zen if I'm wearing myself out physically - so yoga, or a long run, is my version of finding solitude. And while I do bring my phone with me when I run (both for safety and to track my progress), I've stopped listening to music and just allow myself to be present.
If you always run with music, try going without. Maybe just start with a short run. You might be surprised at how refreshing it feels to be alone out there, just putting one foot in front of the other.
Earlier this semester we challenged the girls to run laps without talking to anyone - just focusing on themselves, their thoughts, and how they felt while running. These girls are very chatty, so this was really a challenge for them, but they gave it their best and were (mostly) quiet. After our run, we talked about the value of slowing down and spending time with just ourselves.
 |
| via Huffington Post |
It's a great lesson for everyone, so I decided to challenge myself to 30 minutes of solitude.
Even when we are by ourselves, solitude is hard to find. Technology provides the world at our doorstep, and that can be a great thing. But to be truly alone in my challenge, I turned my phone and laptop off.
At first, the quiet and sense of space around me was amazing. I felt both big and small - just a small part of the world, but with so much possibility. It felt like a long time, but that probably took about a minute. Then I thought about doing pushups.
I stuck it out for the full 30 minutes, but I can't say I really achieved any sort of zen state. Most of the time I had conversations with myself and planned out my schedule for next year.
I know some people practice meditation and find it really beneficial. I find I have a better shot at zen if I'm wearing myself out physically - so yoga, or a long run, is my version of finding solitude. And while I do bring my phone with me when I run (both for safety and to track my progress), I've stopped listening to music and just allow myself to be present.
If you always run with music, try going without. Maybe just start with a short run. You might be surprised at how refreshing it feels to be alone out there, just putting one foot in front of the other.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Overcoming The Bear
Boston saw its first snowflake this past weekend, so it's official. Summer is over.
If you're like me, training over the winter is really hard. Something switches, and I suddenly crave naps, cheese, and whiskey. The athlete in me wants to keep my training schedule, eat lots of veggies, and spend time outside. But The Bear in me wants to eat that athlete with a side of cheesy-bread and then hide in a cave until the sun comes out again.
Every summer I think This is the year I overcome The Bear. But the following summer I always find myself slowly working off the extra pounds, and wondering why I couldn't have been more diligent. This year, I'm hoping to do better by combining a dose of realism - I probably will gain some weight, and that's ok - with a plan of attack, following these tips:
1. Be realistic, keep it small: If you struggle to stay active through the winter, don't pretend you're going to be running a marathon a week. Make a few small commitments, set reasonable goals to ensure you are meeting your commitments, and then give yourself a break. If you want to run consistently over the winter to keep your base, set a reasonable weekly distance goal and let yourself meet that goal anyway your body feels like it. Enter a few winter races to keep yourself accountable (I do the Super Sunday 5 mile race in Cambridge every year).
2. Find a buddy: If you can't find it in yourself to get up and workout, find someone who will make you. They don't have to actually be there physically, although that's nice; the key is accountability. You have to hate the idea of letting them down more than you hate getting out of bed. For me, November Project is my buddy.
3. Make a schedule: Or a training plan, or whatever you want to call it. It needs to be something that benefits you, not something that makes you feel guilty and angry, so keep Tip 1 in mind. And remember, it doesn't need to be daily or even weekly, and it doesn't even need to be specific. For instance, my "schedule" looks like this: Wednesdays - November Project stairs, 2 swim workouts/week, 1 trainer session/week, 3-6 miles running. It's loose in terms of schedule, because I tried regimenting my training, and it made me cranky. And it's low on activity, because if I do more than scheduled, I feel awesome. No shame here.
4. Prioritize: You'll notice that my "schedule" above has more swimming workouts than anything else. That's because I prioritize swimming in the winter - it's easy to ramp up that training because it's not weather dependent.
5. Focus on water: Drink lots of water. Winters are dry, and you are probably spending more time at the bar. If you can't resist the whiskey and cheese, at least chug water like it's your job.
What's your strategy for fending off The Bear? I suppose I could simply avoid him by living in a warmer climate...
If you're like me, training over the winter is really hard. Something switches, and I suddenly crave naps, cheese, and whiskey. The athlete in me wants to keep my training schedule, eat lots of veggies, and spend time outside. But The Bear in me wants to eat that athlete with a side of cheesy-bread and then hide in a cave until the sun comes out again.
Every summer I think This is the year I overcome The Bear. But the following summer I always find myself slowly working off the extra pounds, and wondering why I couldn't have been more diligent. This year, I'm hoping to do better by combining a dose of realism - I probably will gain some weight, and that's ok - with a plan of attack, following these tips:
1. Be realistic, keep it small: If you struggle to stay active through the winter, don't pretend you're going to be running a marathon a week. Make a few small commitments, set reasonable goals to ensure you are meeting your commitments, and then give yourself a break. If you want to run consistently over the winter to keep your base, set a reasonable weekly distance goal and let yourself meet that goal anyway your body feels like it. Enter a few winter races to keep yourself accountable (I do the Super Sunday 5 mile race in Cambridge every year).
2. Find a buddy: If you can't find it in yourself to get up and workout, find someone who will make you. They don't have to actually be there physically, although that's nice; the key is accountability. You have to hate the idea of letting them down more than you hate getting out of bed. For me, November Project is my buddy.
3. Make a schedule: Or a training plan, or whatever you want to call it. It needs to be something that benefits you, not something that makes you feel guilty and angry, so keep Tip 1 in mind. And remember, it doesn't need to be daily or even weekly, and it doesn't even need to be specific. For instance, my "schedule" looks like this: Wednesdays - November Project stairs, 2 swim workouts/week, 1 trainer session/week, 3-6 miles running. It's loose in terms of schedule, because I tried regimenting my training, and it made me cranky. And it's low on activity, because if I do more than scheduled, I feel awesome. No shame here.
4. Prioritize: You'll notice that my "schedule" above has more swimming workouts than anything else. That's because I prioritize swimming in the winter - it's easy to ramp up that training because it's not weather dependent.
5. Focus on water: Drink lots of water. Winters are dry, and you are probably spending more time at the bar. If you can't resist the whiskey and cheese, at least chug water like it's your job.
What's your strategy for fending off The Bear? I suppose I could simply avoid him by living in a warmer climate...
Monday, October 27, 2014
The Experience
This spring I took a leap - I left my job, where I had been happily telling people what to do for seven years, to find my passion in life. I wasn't sure at the time what that was, but I knew I couldn't wait to figure it out. So I jumped.
It was exciting, but it was also lonely. I didn't realize how much I valued being around people all day. I'm an introvert (mostly) and because all my social needs were filled at the office, I never thought much about other communities. But now I started to see community all around me, even in things that probably weren't intended to be social environments, like going to CVS. Why yes, I do need some help choosing toothpaste. Want to be friends?
Something really cool jumped out at me. We spend our lives consuming stuff. Food, technology, infrastructure, media... and every time we consume we have an "experience" - the customer experience. Companies strategize on how to best provide great customer experience, through customer service, product quality, etc. Now, with so much information available to consumers which gives us a lot more power to be choosy, customer experience is changing.
Providing a great customer experience still means attentive customer service, knowledgeable employees, innovative products, etc. - but now it's critical to provide a sense of community and identity, to keep customers engaged, to make them feel like they belong to something big.
Companies are definitely starting to get this - UnderArmour has its "I will what I want" campaign (watch this video of ballerina Misty Copeland. Totally inspiring.), Reebok has Spartan Race and CrossFit and "immersive fitness".
But it has to be bigger than events or marketing campaigns - customer experience is about telling a consistent, compelling story in every part of a company's operations. Oiselle, one of my favorite women's athletic apparel brands, sponsors amazing female atheletes who kick ass and blog about it. But they also provide a community for runners (including some cool dudes) called the Flock, with outlets on Twitter, Facebook, and Strava. The brand is much more than clothing - it's a shared bond. Even if you never meet any of your new running buddies in person, it's nice to know that someone out there is rooting for you.
After all that warm fuzziness, are products just icing on the cake? Quality, innovation, and design are still important - but I think the experience is becoming more of a non-negotiable, a requirement to selling great product. Without it, no matter how beautiful or innovative your product is, it's just stuff competing with other stuff for shelf space. Experience is the differentiator.
 |
| Bob Mankoff/The New Yorker Collection/Conde Nast via nwpr.org |
It was exciting, but it was also lonely. I didn't realize how much I valued being around people all day. I'm an introvert (mostly) and because all my social needs were filled at the office, I never thought much about other communities. But now I started to see community all around me, even in things that probably weren't intended to be social environments, like going to CVS. Why yes, I do need some help choosing toothpaste. Want to be friends?
Something really cool jumped out at me. We spend our lives consuming stuff. Food, technology, infrastructure, media... and every time we consume we have an "experience" - the customer experience. Companies strategize on how to best provide great customer experience, through customer service, product quality, etc. Now, with so much information available to consumers which gives us a lot more power to be choosy, customer experience is changing.
Providing a great customer experience still means attentive customer service, knowledgeable employees, innovative products, etc. - but now it's critical to provide a sense of community and identity, to keep customers engaged, to make them feel like they belong to something big.
Companies are definitely starting to get this - UnderArmour has its "I will what I want" campaign (watch this video of ballerina Misty Copeland. Totally inspiring.), Reebok has Spartan Race and CrossFit and "immersive fitness".
But it has to be bigger than events or marketing campaigns - customer experience is about telling a consistent, compelling story in every part of a company's operations. Oiselle, one of my favorite women's athletic apparel brands, sponsors amazing female atheletes who kick ass and blog about it. But they also provide a community for runners (including some cool dudes) called the Flock, with outlets on Twitter, Facebook, and Strava. The brand is much more than clothing - it's a shared bond. Even if you never meet any of your new running buddies in person, it's nice to know that someone out there is rooting for you.
After all that warm fuzziness, are products just icing on the cake? Quality, innovation, and design are still important - but I think the experience is becoming more of a non-negotiable, a requirement to selling great product. Without it, no matter how beautiful or innovative your product is, it's just stuff competing with other stuff for shelf space. Experience is the differentiator.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
You decide.
I was at an event this past weekend where someone I didn't know told me "You have a cute nose." It's a pretty weird thing to say, but it's not that much weirder than a lot of other comments that solely address appearance. Whenever this happens, I want to somehow explain every cell, thought, belief in my body - all the other things that describe and define me - but that's pretty difficult. I sometimes feel like who I am is out of my control.
Truthfully, I'm obsessed with image and always have been. I care about how I look, and about how I'm perceived. I'm not mad that my nose is cute. I'm mad that there's so much more to me, and it's so much harder for people to see. I'm mad that people think commenting on nose cuteness is an appropriate social interaction.
Most people probably remember being taught that perception is on the outside, and not worth worrying about. It's who you are on the inside that counts, and no one can take that away from you. But on the other hand, there isn't such a solid line between outside and inside. Or between real and perceived. Or between now and the future. Oh boy.
Maybe it's a merging, or a reconciliation. I'm not that different at thirty than I was at three:
Truthfully, I'm obsessed with image and always have been. I care about how I look, and about how I'm perceived. I'm not mad that my nose is cute. I'm mad that there's so much more to me, and it's so much harder for people to see. I'm mad that people think commenting on nose cuteness is an appropriate social interaction.
Most people probably remember being taught that perception is on the outside, and not worth worrying about. It's who you are on the inside that counts, and no one can take that away from you. But on the other hand, there isn't such a solid line between outside and inside. Or between real and perceived. Or between now and the future. Oh boy.
Maybe it's a merging, or a reconciliation. I'm not that different at thirty than I was at three:
 |
Super focused. Loves sweaters. Definitely does not color inside the lines.
But obviously, I've been through a lot more at thirty and those experiences have made me more capable of making decisions about who I am. People often describe life as a journey, but I'd say it's a process. You build, review, and change the process until it works optimally. Sometimes you choose the inputs and sometimes you don't, but you get to decide how they contribute to the process. Over time, you decide who you want to be, and hopefully you use that power for good. After a while, maybe those decisions become so strong that people are compelled to perceive you the way you see yourself. But if that's not the case, at least you got to decide.
I find that to be an incredible freedom, and also a good mantra. You decide.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Gratitude
This fall I started working with a program called Girls on the Run as an assistant coach for a group of twenty 4th & 5th grade girls. They are crazy, super fun, talented, intelligent, and amazing. I am learning so much from them! Twice a week, we discuss issues relevant in their lives and then work on our strength and conditioning and put in some miles with the goal of completing a 5k at the end of the season.
Leading discussion with the girls makes me think about how these issues affect my life (in a shocking amount of ways, life is not that different now than in 4th grade). Today, we talked about gratitude.
 |
| Annapurna Circuit, Nepal |
I think of my recent adventure trekking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal, a trip that was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting. I had just quit my office job, where I had been for seven years, to focus on finishing my masters. I had no idea who I was anymore, or what I wanted in life. I needed this adventure to wipe the slate clean - and it did.
Everything I had worried about at home - which essentially boiled down to Am I enough? - was irrelevant. All I worried about in Nepal was access to clean water and putting one foot in front of the next. The most grateful I have ever felt was when I stepped into an outdoor solar shower and found that the water was not only hot, but had good water pressure.
That shower was so damn good, given the circumstances, that I'll never forget it. I mean that seriously. Every time I take a shower at home I tear up a little. I have such a nice shower, and I am so grateful for it. There is no sarcasm here. I feel similarly about toilet paper and working plumbing, and anyone who has spent time on a similar adventure knows what I'm talking about.
So I'm grateful for showers - but also what they remind me of: surviving, persisting, and succeeding through my 20s, only to find in my 29th year that I felt like a stranger to myself. And then having the courage, and the support from my friends and family, to go find myself again. I'm still in that process and it's been tough, but man am I grateful for being here.
But gratitude isn't just about feeling thankful. It is also "readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness" (Oxford). This is the gratitude that strikes me as important now. To be thankful is good, and good for you. To return kindness, to take your thankfulness and happy feelings and do something with it - actually means something.
Now I have to ask myself: I'm thankful for hot showers, so what...?
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Humpday Commit
 |
| via theoatmeal.com (it's like he's in our heads!!) |
It's Wednesday, and the week is half over. What have you accomplished? If you're anything like me, this is the point when you think Crap, I meant to do _________ and now it's basically Friday. Ugh. I guess I'll do it next week. Except, as you probably know, next Wednesday rolls around and the same thing happens.
This is not about procrastinating - I'm not a procrastinator so I have no advice for people who struggle with that. When it comes to getting things done, I'm the queen of lists. I'm a do-er, a get-it-done-er.
The problem I have is that my goals don't actually need to get done, and usually get pushed to the side by the things that do. So I'm creating something called "Humpday Commit" (#humpdaycommit) - every Wednesday, I'm making a small commitment that helps me achieve my bigger goals. (Let's take a moment here to recognize that I'm making a commitment to make commitments. Woah. I might have problems.)
This is about setting yourself up to win at life by making regular, incremental commitments to bring about change for yourself. Not just to complete a task and cross it off the list.
I really hope you will join me in this. I'd love to hear your commitments and share in your success, but I'll also need you to hold me accountable!
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Race Recap: Wallis Sands Sprint Triathlon
Last Sunday I raced in the Wallis Sands Sprint Tri in Rye, NH. I finished 3rd in my age group, and it was my happiest race yet, so a great way to end the season! Here's the recap:
I always get nervous about races, usually the night before when I'm trying to sleep. Sometimes, it hits me in the morning when my alarm goes off and every single part of me except my heart tries to stay in bed. But I was more nervous about this race because of the ocean swim - I'm not a fan of salt water, so I've made a point of avoiding ocean swims. This was only my second since I started racing in 2012.
So, in an effort to distract myself from freaking out, I had a very busy Saturday. I went to a spin class at Flywheel - my first, and I meant to take it easy but... oops. I might have turned the resistance up at least one over everything the instructor said. I guess I'm a little competitive.
Then, my husband wanted to play a round of golf, so we played 9 holes at our local course. (Laugh if you want, but golf is as athletic as you make it). By the time I got home, I only had about an hour to pack up my stuff before heading to bed.
The most painful part of triathlons for me is waking up so early - and I try to remember that when my brain is flooded with pain-thoughts during the swim, bike, and run later. My alarm went off at 4:45, we got out the door by 5:30. (My husband is so supportive of my racing - he comes to every race and sometimes gets up earlier than me to ride his bike there! What a stud.) The forecast called for sunny, warm weather - perfect. Except as we got up to the NH border, it started pouring.
It's not a big deal to race in rain. It's cooler, which is nice for the run. I'm not a fan of a rainy bike leg, because I worry about handling on wet roads and being able to see potholes. And I'm not a huge fan that all my gear gets soaking wet in transition. But my real concern was that the ocean might be choppy. The race was delayed a few minutes to allow some of the worst weather to pass, and after that it was fortunately pretty calm. Cold. But calm.
The swim went really well - I actually enjoyed it, and I felt strong.
I had a pretty good transition, although I have to work on getting out of my wetsuit faster.
The bike leg was great - super flat, mostly perfect roads. I had a few moments that were like riding on the back of a unicorn, and a few that felt like the unicorns were trampling me on their way to the unicorn block party, but that's normal. The only issue I had on the bike was that there were so many people drafting! In the worst cases, people were riding two or three abreast.
There's breaking the rules, and then there's being a rude weirdo and blocking me from setting a PR. Don't be a rude weirdo. Also, follow the rules man. It's not that hard. Erg.
I pushed so hard on the bike that my second transition wasn't great - I should have done a flying dismount but I felt too tired, and then I was sort of confused after racking my bike and wasn't as clean as I could have been.
The run was fantastic. I felt so great the whole time, and I came really close to a PR. I'm not a fast runner and I have been fighting a hamstring injury for almost a year now, but I've been working hard to improve this season and it's nice to see that paying off. No photos of the run leg, because I look like a crazy person when I run. And I get to choose what photos show up here, so tough luck.
Final result, 3rd in my age group, 16th overall woman.
1/3 mile Swim pace 1:46/meter
T1: 1:45
14.5 mile Bike pace: 21:27/mile
T2: 1:13
3.2 mile Run pace: 7:52/mile
I don't worry about total time because I think my pace and how I feel during the race is more beneficial to tracking my improvement. For the most part, I felt super-happy during this race. Can't beat that result!
The race was really well run, and Vinyard Vines was one of the sponsors so the swim caps had wales on them. Super cute.
What can I say? Will race for swim caps with wales.
I always get nervous about races, usually the night before when I'm trying to sleep. Sometimes, it hits me in the morning when my alarm goes off and every single part of me except my heart tries to stay in bed. But I was more nervous about this race because of the ocean swim - I'm not a fan of salt water, so I've made a point of avoiding ocean swims. This was only my second since I started racing in 2012.
So, in an effort to distract myself from freaking out, I had a very busy Saturday. I went to a spin class at Flywheel - my first, and I meant to take it easy but... oops. I might have turned the resistance up at least one over everything the instructor said. I guess I'm a little competitive.
Then, my husband wanted to play a round of golf, so we played 9 holes at our local course. (Laugh if you want, but golf is as athletic as you make it). By the time I got home, I only had about an hour to pack up my stuff before heading to bed.
The most painful part of triathlons for me is waking up so early - and I try to remember that when my brain is flooded with pain-thoughts during the swim, bike, and run later. My alarm went off at 4:45, we got out the door by 5:30. (My husband is so supportive of my racing - he comes to every race and sometimes gets up earlier than me to ride his bike there! What a stud.) The forecast called for sunny, warm weather - perfect. Except as we got up to the NH border, it started pouring.
It's not a big deal to race in rain. It's cooler, which is nice for the run. I'm not a fan of a rainy bike leg, because I worry about handling on wet roads and being able to see potholes. And I'm not a huge fan that all my gear gets soaking wet in transition. But my real concern was that the ocean might be choppy. The race was delayed a few minutes to allow some of the worst weather to pass, and after that it was fortunately pretty calm. Cold. But calm.
The swim went really well - I actually enjoyed it, and I felt strong.
I had a pretty good transition, although I have to work on getting out of my wetsuit faster.
The bike leg was great - super flat, mostly perfect roads. I had a few moments that were like riding on the back of a unicorn, and a few that felt like the unicorns were trampling me on their way to the unicorn block party, but that's normal. The only issue I had on the bike was that there were so many people drafting! In the worst cases, people were riding two or three abreast.
There's breaking the rules, and then there's being a rude weirdo and blocking me from setting a PR. Don't be a rude weirdo. Also, follow the rules man. It's not that hard. Erg.
I pushed so hard on the bike that my second transition wasn't great - I should have done a flying dismount but I felt too tired, and then I was sort of confused after racking my bike and wasn't as clean as I could have been.
The run was fantastic. I felt so great the whole time, and I came really close to a PR. I'm not a fast runner and I have been fighting a hamstring injury for almost a year now, but I've been working hard to improve this season and it's nice to see that paying off. No photos of the run leg, because I look like a crazy person when I run. And I get to choose what photos show up here, so tough luck.
Final result, 3rd in my age group, 16th overall woman.
1/3 mile Swim pace 1:46/meter
T1: 1:45
14.5 mile Bike pace: 21:27/mile
T2: 1:13
3.2 mile Run pace: 7:52/mile
I don't worry about total time because I think my pace and how I feel during the race is more beneficial to tracking my improvement. For the most part, I felt super-happy during this race. Can't beat that result!
The race was really well run, and Vinyard Vines was one of the sponsors so the swim caps had wales on them. Super cute.
What can I say? Will race for swim caps with wales.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Just how much is a female athlete worth?
If you are unsure as to whether gender inequality still exists, I assure you it does. Here are some sports-related examples:
Prize winnings: At the 2013 US Open, Inbee Park won the women's title and $585,000. Justin Rose won the men's title, and a prize of $1.4 million.
Salaries: Based on the 2013 CBA, athletes in the WNBA have salaries ranging from a minimum of $37,950 to a max of $107,000 depending on years of service. The maximum a WNBA team can spend on player salaries is $913,000. Based on the NBA's 2011 CBA, male athletes earn minimum salaries between $473,604 and $1.35 million based on service years, and teams are capped at over $58 million for 2012-2013. Note that $1.35 million is a minimum salary in the NBA.
Publicity and Endorsements: According to research at the University of Minnesota Tucker Center, "women's sports receive only 4% of all sport media coverage...". It follows that with less publicity, female athletes also receive fewer and less lucrative endorsements. Additionally, in this area particularly, female athletes who prove themselves as top performers are also judged on their physical appearance. Women must be both successful and hot (I'll allow that sometimes success isn't necessary, but that won't add much in a positive way to this post).
I understand why some people make the argument that female athletes are paid less because no one watches women's sports. But I believe that at the very least, those people are short-sighted. They must not see the endless circle: low pay because low publicity, low publicity because no one watches, no one watches because fewer endorsements, fewer endorsements because low publicity... and round we go.
Categorizing this as a "women's issue" carries both social and economic risks. First, there's the problem that if girls aren't engaged in certain areas - a popular example is STEM fields, but I'll argue that all fields are important including athletics - they end up being underrepresented as women and that hurts everyone. And with child obesity on the rise, active & healthy girls are both happier citizens and cheaper for tax payers (that one's for the cynics out there), both in childhood and adulthood.
Finally, consider this:
In the US, the median salary for women in full-time jobs in 2012 was $37,391. Women make up approximately 50% of the US population, and according to the Tucker Institute, 40% of all sports participants are female. Even if you assume a very small number of women participating in sports are also full-time salary earners, that's a lot of women and a lot of revenue to be tossing away.
The issue of gender inequality is nothing new, and I won't pretend that I've said anything outrageously inventive or that I have said it better than many of the athletes and brands that I love have already done. But let's keep the discussion going. For my part, I've been watching a lot of LPGA on the Golf Channel lately, and I promise you it is at least as interesting to me as the PGA. Take that for what you will.
Prize winnings: At the 2013 US Open, Inbee Park won the women's title and $585,000. Justin Rose won the men's title, and a prize of $1.4 million.
Salaries: Based on the 2013 CBA, athletes in the WNBA have salaries ranging from a minimum of $37,950 to a max of $107,000 depending on years of service. The maximum a WNBA team can spend on player salaries is $913,000. Based on the NBA's 2011 CBA, male athletes earn minimum salaries between $473,604 and $1.35 million based on service years, and teams are capped at over $58 million for 2012-2013. Note that $1.35 million is a minimum salary in the NBA.
Publicity and Endorsements: According to research at the University of Minnesota Tucker Center, "women's sports receive only 4% of all sport media coverage...". It follows that with less publicity, female athletes also receive fewer and less lucrative endorsements. Additionally, in this area particularly, female athletes who prove themselves as top performers are also judged on their physical appearance. Women must be both successful and hot (I'll allow that sometimes success isn't necessary, but that won't add much in a positive way to this post).
I understand why some people make the argument that female athletes are paid less because no one watches women's sports. But I believe that at the very least, those people are short-sighted. They must not see the endless circle: low pay because low publicity, low publicity because no one watches, no one watches because fewer endorsements, fewer endorsements because low publicity... and round we go.
Categorizing this as a "women's issue" carries both social and economic risks. First, there's the problem that if girls aren't engaged in certain areas - a popular example is STEM fields, but I'll argue that all fields are important including athletics - they end up being underrepresented as women and that hurts everyone. And with child obesity on the rise, active & healthy girls are both happier citizens and cheaper for tax payers (that one's for the cynics out there), both in childhood and adulthood.
Finally, consider this:
In the US, the median salary for women in full-time jobs in 2012 was $37,391. Women make up approximately 50% of the US population, and according to the Tucker Institute, 40% of all sports participants are female. Even if you assume a very small number of women participating in sports are also full-time salary earners, that's a lot of women and a lot of revenue to be tossing away.
The issue of gender inequality is nothing new, and I won't pretend that I've said anything outrageously inventive or that I have said it better than many of the athletes and brands that I love have already done. But let's keep the discussion going. For my part, I've been watching a lot of LPGA on the Golf Channel lately, and I promise you it is at least as interesting to me as the PGA. Take that for what you will.
Friday, September 12, 2014
Pacing Fail
Ah, the beginning of a run. The wind in your hair, light on your feet, easy-breathing... rainbows and ponies. Yay.
But then you enter the 3rd minute of your run. DOOM. Just kidding, I usually get about 10 minutes in before Doom visits.
Sometimes Doom sends his friendlier cousin, Impending Doom (This is when you suddenly know, deep down, that pain is coming. Eventually. You just don't know when. And your mind has nothing to do but think about that).
Don't worry. Doom will overstay his welcome and be incredibly rude and annoying, but eventually you'll finish your workout and take a nap and all will be good again.
The worst part is when Bliss shows up. Bliss is an a-hole. Bliss makes you run a 7:30 pace through rainbows and ponies when you very well know you don't run anywhere near a 7:30 pace. Then this happens:
But then you enter the 3rd minute of your run. DOOM. Just kidding, I usually get about 10 minutes in before Doom visits.
Sometimes Doom sends his friendlier cousin, Impending Doom (This is when you suddenly know, deep down, that pain is coming. Eventually. You just don't know when. And your mind has nothing to do but think about that).
Don't worry. Doom will overstay his welcome and be incredibly rude and annoying, but eventually you'll finish your workout and take a nap and all will be good again.
The worst part is when Bliss shows up. Bliss is an a-hole. Bliss makes you run a 7:30 pace through rainbows and ponies when you very well know you don't run anywhere near a 7:30 pace. Then this happens:
SURPRISE!!
Sometimes pacing is so hard.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Social Sports
Last May, I quit my job. (Yep, I'm crazy, but let's talk about that later.) For the past few years I have been working toward my graduate degree in management in the evenings while working full time. Now that I'm unemployed, I'm studying full-time and looking to join the athletic apparel/footwear industry in an operations role after I graduate in March 2015.
Why athletic apparel/footwear? Because I'm an athlete and an end user, and because I find that athletic-industry companies are full of intense, competitive, positive, go-getters and I want to be around those people.
In the meantime, now that I have a lot more time on my hands than money, I've been able to get involved in a lot of cool things. And, because social media provides a benefit to organizations they would otherwise have to pay a lot of money for, a lot of the cool things I get to do are free. Here are two organizations that show just how important building community through social media has become in the sports & fitness industry:
November Project (NP) started out as a pact between two guys to get together and sweat three days a week during Boston's awful demoralizing winters. But since those two guys fit the intense, go-getter types I mentioned above, NP blew up and is now a giant, crazy, free group workout full of sweaty, yelling, hugging strangers in 17 cities around the country. I'm an introvert, and large group activities are not really my thing - yet I wake up before 6am to go run up the stairs in Harvard Stadium with a lot of very, very friendly people every week. Actually, I look forward to it. Obviously, they put something in the Kool-Aid.
Pact is a smartphone app that tracks your workouts and eating habits. That might not sound appealing, even if it's free - but Pact actually pays you to workout and eat healthy. You set the number of workouts you will complete each week, or the amount of fruit and veggies you'll consume, and set dollar stakes for failing to meet your pact. If you fail to complete your pact for the week, you pay the stakes you set. If you succeed, you get paid, effectively by others in the community that failed. Getting paid to workout - it's almost like going pro.
These are just two examples of "social sports" that I participate in and admire. There are tons of other great things out there. Let me know what you love!
Pact is a smartphone app that tracks your workouts and eating habits. That might not sound appealing, even if it's free - but Pact actually pays you to workout and eat healthy. You set the number of workouts you will complete each week, or the amount of fruit and veggies you'll consume, and set dollar stakes for failing to meet your pact. If you fail to complete your pact for the week, you pay the stakes you set. If you succeed, you get paid, effectively by others in the community that failed. Getting paid to workout - it's almost like going pro.
These are just two examples of "social sports" that I participate in and admire. There are tons of other great things out there. Let me know what you love!
Monday, September 8, 2014
When I grow up, I want to be average!
A long time ago on one particularly angsty day in my teens, when
my mom tried get me to start thinking about my future by getting out of bed, I declared
that all I wanted to be when I grew up was average. My poor mom. I was such a
delight to be around.
The thing is, I did turn out to be pretty darn average. Most of us
are. But that's not a bad thing - it means we have a lot in common. We can
connect, encourage, and commiserate with each other. And we can achieve
greatness in our own ways.
For me, accepting my average-ness allows me the freedom to
improve. I can always climb a little higher, push a little harder, or try
again. No one sets a personal record every day. No one is totally kicking
a** at everything. Isn't that a relief?!
This is my commitment to continued improvement. Show up, or shut up.
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