Nike Women's Half Marathon 2014

This past October I ran my second half marathon. For the past 3 years I have taken up running in my spare time. I wouldn't say i'm a natural runner, I've never really found myself to be exceptionally good at running, it was just something I fell into I guess. My God-mother was actually starting to run half marathons a few years ago and was a great influence, but the biggest influence I got was from my boyfriend. Running was his thing and I started to tag along because I got inspired to try something new. It was a great way to bond with him and now we have another hobby that we totally have in common. I've always been the girl who didn't necessarily like to work out but instead was just active. I like to swim a lot and I danced for years so my work-outs were really just me having fun. Running was really different...it just seemed like a punishment haha I mean who wants to run? As I started running I had goals to start running so many miles at a time and it got addicting! A little background on me, I have a type-A personality and one of the traits of a type-A person is to be very goal oriented. So, seeing myself progress made me extremely happy and to this day thats why I run, I like to see myself accomplish something I never thought I would be able to do. As the years went on, my boyfriend and I slowly started to sign up for races, we did a 5k, 6 months later a 10k, another 6 months later we did a 10k again, fast forward another 6 months we signed up for our first half marathon, and then I signed up for the Nike Women's Half to run on my own. Looking back on it now, running has taught me two things:

• mind over matter
• consistency

"Mind over matter" is a mantra everyone should learn. Mind, over matter, is really just that. That you are able to mentally be fine with what ever is going on around you (externally) whether good or bad. If you are a runner, you will pick this up quick! From time to time you might be running in the coldest of climates or even in the hottest. To continue running without stopping when it's blistering hot, I don't focus on the negatives. I start to think of random things in my life to be honest, I get into a groove with the music and just turn my focus on to something other than the heat. You really need to start to train your brain to do that, because your brain will keep on screaming at you, "its hot! lets go home!". You need to push yourself to your limits and see how far you can go. Obviously take heed if you really are feeling sick but if you aren't, challenge yourself. It's amazing what your body is capable of if you just give it a chance to get out of its comfort zone. Separate your mind from what is going on externally and focus on your goals not what's around you. 

It's easy to say, "Oh, i'm going to run a half marathon!" (insert girl with hand emoji) Yeah and how do you plan to finish that race if you haven't ran that far? Many a times have I felt that I bit off more than I can chew, like signing up for a 10k and not running consistently. I mean come on...you sign up for a race you need to follow through and commit to that race and make sure you can go the distance. (literally) Running has taught me to stay consistent and not forget to lose what I have worked so hard to earn. If you are inconsistent with your workouts, you lose the ability to run distances that you are used to. It's a sport that forces you to stay on top of it. Not only have I learned physical discipline from this hobby, I have learned to use this in my personal life. You have to be consistent, nobody likes a flake and it just teaches you to become more reliable. Because no one else if going to tell you to go and get up and run, it's up to you to do it every morning. Find the time, be creative and move plans around so you can carve out that workout before work or school.

I enjoy running, its really fun for me! I have a great time running the race and training for it. But, the best part of any race is prize! Nike women's half marathon has tiffany boxes waiting at the end of the race for you! Yep, a little blue box waiting at the end of the race for you <3 sounds like a dream right? What better way to end 13.1 miles of running than tiffany finisher necklace? :) Now this is my kinda race! We started in Union Square in San Francisco and ran through the city (with hills), golden gate park, Presidio (with a massive up hill section), and down to the Marina area. Seriously a scenic race, beautiful scenery and great foggy/cold San Francisco weather! Here are some shots of the race:

Xoxo,

E

College is over, time for DIY projects!

Seriously one of the coolest parts of finishing college is actually having time to do things you love! I'm a huge crafter and I have been loving the spare time I now have after work to work on projects I have been wanting to start. There is something about relaxing and doing something you genuinely love to do. Here are some DIY projects to get you started! 

Enjoy!

Xoxo,

E

Land Job Offers After College Tip #2: Clean up your Linkedin

To continue this series of ways to land job offers after college my next tip is to.....

Clean up your Linkedin.

I'm sure many of you have a Linkedin but don't use it to it's potential. If you don't know what Linkedin is, it is a professional networking site. In layman's terms it's like a professional/work version of Facebook. If you don't have one, I highly suggest you get on it because nowadays recruiters can easily find candidates's resumes on this online site. Cool functions on the site allow you to see other professionals in your field, job openings, and connect online. A well kept Linkedin page can lead to job offers and surprising opportunities.

Be sure to keep your skills updated as well as having a professional headshot on there. I noticed that when you have a picture on your page you get more notoriety and colleagues can easily find you. Your picture should be a clear shot of you, no selfies please! Make sure you are the only person in the picture, because for obvious reasons that can get confusing to hiring managers. Plus, this is not Facebook so lets keep the picture professional with appropriate business attire. Having your picture on your profile just shows hiring managers that you care that much more to fully complete your profile. Not having a picture just looks like you don't care to finish your profile and that you don't care that it's not finished, not a good impression to hiring managers. My Linkedin picture is down below for reference. My school actually held a cool event where they were taking professional head shots for Linkedin pages. It was awesome because I just needed to show up dressed and I got 10 shots of me posing like a boss haha. 

www.linkedin.com

Stay tuned for more tips to come! Hope this helped.

Xoxo,

E

Land Job Offers After College Tip #1: Internships!

Okay, so we spend 4 or 5 years of our lives killing ourselves with midterms, late night cram sessions, and finals (ew, totally felt a shiver in my spine) for what? An awesome job, duh! Ahhh college, its that last push of education before we are catapulted into adulthood. Those precious four years are the foundation of the rest of your life. Does that sound dramatic enough? Enough with the drama, but seriously you should be aware of how important that time is. So, how does one get a job after graduation you may ask? I am going to start a blog series of posts with tips every now and again with some tidbits i'd like to share with you guys. I graduated with 3 job offers, don't want to toot my own horn but my only problem after graduating was which one I was going to pick. Not a bad problem am I right? I really felt like I worked my tush off in college to make sure that happened. So here it goes, here comes the part where I try to rub off my success on to you ... that sounds cocky... i'm sorry. (inserts money into douche bag jar)

Tip #1: Get an Internship.

I cannot stress this enough. I credit my job offers to the two internships I had during college. I had one during junior year and the other during senior year. Both were with great companies where I learned so much about my field with a hands-on opportunity. 

How does one just go out and get an internship? Well, if you are freshman or even a junior start researching internships. Start looking at the job descriptions and see what companies are looking for.  Find out the qualifications and find ways to gain those skills. For example, "ability to prioritize".  As a college job you waitress at the restaurant down the street, explain how you would handle that with your current position. You can use many examples of those skills during an interview from your everyday life. Be sure to note an internship is not a job, its an opportunity to learn. So if an internship is unpaid. Well, you gotta think about what its worth to you. I know a ton of people who didn't take on internships because they were unpaid, but the knowledge and the related experience you will get out of it is worth much more! I suggest if possible working weekends and finding some space in your schedule during the week to intern if you need to make ends meet. I learned so much at my internships and I made some really good connections and my old bosses are great mentors of mine who have been extremely instrumental to my success. I cannot thank them enough for what they have given me through those experiences. My old boss even found me a job offer through one of his connections! The network you build through an internship program and knowledge you gain is priceless! Here are some helpful websites to look on for internships:

www.internmatch.com

www.indeed.com

www.malakye.com (action sport job board)

Stay tuned for more tips coming soon! 

Xoxo,

E

Let me introduce myself...

Well, i'm Eryn. I am your recent grad that is trying to figure out life after college. I did everything right, knocked out college in four tiring years and snagged a job right after graduation. It's crazy how much I feel that I personally changed since I graduated college last May (2014). So much growth has happened since, and I feel that my experiences "post grad" can really help out some people out there. Mind you, I have yet to finish this "growth" I speak of, its happening everyday and I want to document it. College was a beast of a challenge and now working full-time for the next 40 years or so is a very interesting journey to embark because now I totally have time for hobbies. *dusts off knitting needles and books that have been sitting on shelf all year*

It's funny they don't really tell you much about what happens after college like what things you will face in the workplace and socially. They tell us that after college that we need to get a good job and work and then eventually start saving to start a family. No one tells you that when you start a job what is acceptable workwear and what is acceptable socially interacting with coworkers. Do I go with my co-workers to go drinking? or is that against the rules? Am I allowed to wear boots during the week or is that too casual? These are the questions that buzz throughout my mind during the week and I guess this blog will be about me navigating those scenarios. Though I do have to admit life after college has given me so much time on my hands. A La this blog... and bringing back my old hobbies that I have neglected the past four years, its soo nice to have time to do that crap haha. But what really lies after college is yet to be seen until you actually face it. I mean everyone is going to go through different trials and obstacles after college and here are mine (plus some other things)...

Xoxo,

E