65: Gifts For Athletes, When To Have Kids, Scheduling Workouts

Juggling work-life balance can be a real three-ring circus, which Lauren & Jesse know first hand. Led by listener questions, the Work, Play, Love Podcast is all about sports, biz, and family. [ASK YOUR QUESTION]

65: Night-Time Edition - Gift Ideas For Athletes, When To Have Kids, Scheduling Workouts, Angry Partners

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Description:

On the eve of Thanksgiving, Jesse and Lauren settle in for a late-night edition of Work, Play, Love.Around the holidays, everyone’s thinking about family, food, exercise, and work, and Lauren and Jesse answer your hard-hitting questions. Things like, what’s their favorite Thanksgiving food? And why are age-groupers peeing on the bike during triathlons? Plus, the Work, Play, Loveduo talk about gift ideas for young athletes, how to fit in exercise in an already packed schedule, when to have kids, and how to work with a partner who has wildly different reactions to some situations than you do.

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What’s goin’ on?!!

Holidays are BUSY. And the Flomas duo is feeling it at work and at home. Lauren shares some of the f’real challenges of parenting two kids who are still completely reliant on the ‘rents. While some folks cherish these years, Lauren’s excited for when the kids are a bit more independent. Meanwhile, Jesse’s been working hard on the Picky Bars BFS (BIG Freaking Sale). The sale goes all day on Cyber Monday, so grab your Picky wares while the gettin’s good!

Lastly, if you’re in Austin, TX, head out to Hops and Grain brewing on Wednesday (12/4/2019) this week at 6:30PM to meet Picky Bars founders Jesse and Steph and go on a beer run!

  

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Tasty Bites

14:46 - What do you think about a Work, Play, Love dating app? Your listeners seem uniquely articulate and active (not to toot our horns), and I know I'd appreciate a partner who listens to your podcasts and takes (most of) your advice to heart.

This is seriously an outstanding suggestion, but we’re a bit too busy matching delicious snacks to your taste buds to take on developing an app. 

15:43 - Are there enough male listeners out here that we can do some sort of Work, Play, Love message board? I live in Denver, and one issue I have is that people don’t get my triathlon and training—so I can be hard to relate to...

While it’s not necessarily surprising that you’re finding it hard to connect with others while training for a triathlon, it issurprising you can’t find a kindred spirit in Denverof all places. Jesse and Lauren make a call to Work, Play, Love listeners to reach out to this lonely triathlete. 

16:33 - What’s the deal with peeing on the bike during a triathlon?

Peeing on the bike is sometimes a reality during triathlon. If you’re racing your heart out and there’s no bathrooms or rest stops in sight, it might be the only option. But here are some things to keep in mind so you don’t…affect anyone else’s race:

• Peeing on downhills is the way to go—allows for the most saddle clearance
• Please don’t pee while anyone else is nearby. The wind will…carry the wetness
• If you’re near a rest station or bathrooms, just try and make it to the bathroom, dude
• If you’re probably not going to actually win the race, just hop off the bike and find a spot to pee

19:59 - Is the Believe Training Journal gender-neutral? Would it be an appropriate gift for my 16-year-old nephew who runs cross country?

The Believe Training Journal is used by both men and women and is appropriate for all gendered athletes! But your nephew might like the Compete Training Journal a bit more. It includes more imagery of men and women, and the journal is all about the art of racing and honing your craft as a runner.

20:52 - What’s your favorite Thanksgiving food?

Lauren’s not so jazzed about traditional Thanksgiving foods, but as for Jesse? He digs a sweet potato casserole that Lauren makes!

24:57 - What are your favorite small companies besides Picky Bars?

Here are a few small businesses and individuals that Lauren and Jesse dig to support:

• Tianna Bartoletta (check out the awesomeness of her blog)
• Linden x Two Coffee
• ROKA
• Oiselle
• Ladies All Ride of Bend, OR
• And keep an eye out for independent activists who rely on Patreon and Venmo donations to continue doing their work.

28:28 - As someone with zero bike-handling skills (but who has somehow survived a few triathlons), how do you get started mountain bike riding?

It always helps to ride with someone who’s more skilled than you, that can introduce you to new ways of doing things and will push you to grow! You can also check out:

• Grit Clinics – which will hook you up with group and individual mountain bike coaching almost anywhere in the US.
• Come to Bend, OR and spend some time with the Ladies All Ride group

30:46 - Will there be any holiday flavors released from Picky Bars?

Not this year! But we do have some fun things in the works when it comes to new bar flavors.

 

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Meat & Potatoes

31:35 – My son is a senior in high school and runs cross country and track. He's been contacted by a number of college coaches, and thinks he wants to continue to run in college. Is there anything you wish you had known before you ran in college? Do you have any advice I could pass along?

Parenting for teens, we can imagine, is tricky business. But here are a few pieces of advice that you might be helpful for teenage runners who are interested in running in college:

• Pick a program at a college where you would still love to attend even if you are injured and can’t run
• Make sure you really like the people you meet—you’ll be spending a LOT of time with your team mates
• Know that collegiate running, for some programs, is a business—and that means there can be a lot of pressure from coaches, the administration, and other team members to perform at your absolute best. It can lead to burnout!
• Check out Lauren’s essay Dear Younger Me

36:53 - What are you suggestions you have for squeezing in your workout each day?

With work and family demands, finding the time to work out can be pretty tough. Here are some things to try to get even 15 minutes of physical activity in:

• Not always a popular recommendation, but getting up earlier is an efficient way to get your workout done first thing
• If you’re not a morning person, try a lunch run at work
• Cut the workday short by a little bit and workout before you head home—let’s face it, you’re not that productive at the end of the workday anyway
• Let the people in your life know—your boss, your partner—that you’ll be more productive, happier, and have more energy if you can get this small bit of time to yourself to be active

41:13 - How do you know WHEN to have kids?

You may never feelready to have kids. But if you want to have kids. If you’ve considered it. If you know it’s something you want to do in your life. Just do it. There’s never a perfect time, and if you feel reasonably ready, go for it. Being relatively stable and being able to feed, clothe, and house your kids is important, but the threshold is not as high as you think. Children are raised in a wildly diverse set of circumstances. They survive, and even thrive in many of them.

43:49 - What’s the best way to address situations where you and your partner have really different reactions—like getting angry vs. staying calm in a stressful situation?

Great, thoughtful question! Jesse and Lauren discuss how they’ve worked on communicating when one of them brings big feelings to a conversation or situation. One thing that can be helpful is to let your partner know how it makes you feel when they react the way that they do! Find a neutral time and ask them to have a conversation about it. It’s important to reassure your partner that you don’t want them to change, but it’s also important to let them know how you feel. Lastly, know that it’s OK for your partner to express intense feelings and that when they do so, it’s not personal. Being there for them during times of stress is a great way to support your partner, and just acknowledging their feelings (“you sound really angry right now!”) can go a long way to making your partner feel better.

 

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Follow Ups

56:22 – Lauren and Jesse get a pretty sweet follow-up (to episode 52) about a love story with a really happy ending. You might just call it the first Work, Play, Love romance.

Other Mentions In this Episode

Runner’s World Follow Up To Mary Cain’s NYT Op-Ed

The Whole-Brain Childby Drs. Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson

Thousand cycling gear

 

 

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As always, submit your work/play/love question at pickybars.com/workplaylove - Thanks for listening!

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