Fan Girl went into a little off-season slumber, but with track season getting underway and rust-busting races dropping on the daily it’s time to clear the cobwebs on my job as well.

P.S. Did you see the UW Invite? Heyo, 1-2 punch, PRs, and post-baby track debuts! Those pro Oiselle kits had their fair share of air time and it’s safe to say we’ll be seeing lots more of them this year.

I got to chat with the Little Wing girls (CBab, Mel, Betsy, and Fleshman) about life as a pro and how they were making the transition into somewhat literally, running for their lives. Lauren of course has years of experience and a fabled career of US titles, World Championship meets, and operating life around training cycles. But the three young guns, freshly removed from college without much of an idea of what’s “normal” after age 22, I was dying to pick their brains. Was “living the dream” all they thought it would be? Was it just like an extension to their NCAA days? Did they feel how I felt after taking my first career-building job and realizing briefcases and corner offices were on hold for at least 20 years and a cubicle with a non-stop ringing phone was the reality my fancy piece of diploma paper got me?

I asked them.

"So, what’s it really like? You know, up in Bend with your pals, just being studs and living the dream, your daily work based around being insanely fast and badass? Give me the scoop!"

I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to hear about VIP guest lists, autograph requests, and paparazzi woes, or something along the lines of an average 9-5 working person. I mean these girls have got it GOING ON, but they’re still human, right? While playing a game for a career seems very far-fetched (and freaking AWESOME) for most of us, they still rely on hard work, inherent talent, and a honed craft the same way a teacher, architect, or sandwich maker would go about being the best at what they do as well.

And so I thought, maybe in their line of work they’ve had an equivalent to an accidental reply all, or used the “doctor’s appointment” excuse to play hooky for the afternoon, or napped in their car on their lunch break because they stayed up too late watching Netflix. Maybe these pro athletes aren’t quite as different from you and I as I thought...

Which got me thinking...

7am 
Little Wing - Wake up, breakfast with teammates.
Average Cubicle Jane - Roll out of bed, pull on semi-unwrinkled clothes, zombie drive to work, eat breakfast at desk while avoiding the boss until properly caffeinated.

9am 
LW - Run
Jane - Conference call. Grumble to coworker, mock mediator. Second cup of coffee.

9:15
LW - Dream about what to eat for lunch.
Jane - Same.

10am
LW - Finish run, eat Picky Bar, start circuits.
Jane - Finish conference call, start circuits of calls and emails.

10:45
LW - Hit the weight room, load up rack with 150-200 lbs and do max squats, deadlifts, pelvic thrusts. (editor’s note: there was a “hee hee” here that I presume means this is a joke but I have literally no idea how to comprehend whether this is a feasible workout or not, female, male, superhero, anyone).
Jane - Watch funny Youtube video.

11:30
LW - Lunch, eat as if a typhoon is rapidly approaching the apartment.
Jane - Dream about lunch (again), wonder why time is moving so slowly.

12pm
LW - Shower (maybe).

12:01
Jane - Casually stroll to break room pretending not to have been counting the seconds until break, eat as if a typhoon is rapidly approaching the office.

1pm
LW - Poolside Vitamin D treatment with some snoozing spaced intermittently.
Jane - “Safety in the Workplace” training, practice snoozing with eyes open.

2pm
LW - Much needed snack.
Jane - Consider a snack before realizing that would leave three hours till end of day with no food, settle on coffee #3.

2:15
Jane - Can’t resist any longer, eat afternoon snack.

4pm
LW - Chiropractor.
Jane - Department meeting, consider faking chiropractor appointment to get out early.

5pm
LW - Pre-dinner abs session.
Jane - Commute home, curse traffic and overplayed Taylor Swift song.

6pm
LW - Dinner! Make a massively large dinner because we earned it.
Jane - Dinner time! Make a massively large dinner despite swearing you’re going to the gym later.

7pm
LW - Sit around the table together, not talking, catching up on social media while drinking a Rogue Chocolate Stout.
Jane - Same.

8pm
LW - Discuss workout plan for the next day.
Jane - Discuss outfit plan for the next day that won’t require doing laundry tonight.

8:30pm
LW - Wonder how much longer before it is socially acceptable to go to bed.
Jane - Same.

9:15pm
LW - Go to bed… It’s after 9, must be ok now.
Jane - Consider going to bed, start another episode of Scandal, think about how tired you’ll be in the morning.

10:15pm
Jane - … start another episode. Move morning workout to evening, vow to eat a smaller dinner and go to bed early tomorrow.

And repeat.

It’s definitely not a complete “they’re just like us!” situation, but I guess it’s not too far out of the realm of comprehension. All I know is I’m super excited to see what the Little Wing and other Haute Volee girls do this season. Strap in, run-fans, hot birds coming through!

Plus, it will make it even more fun cheering them on knowing those mid-morning sandwich dreams hit them, too.

Jane/Fan Girl,
Sarah OUaL