I had someone tell me there’s no way I did a triathlon because I’m not “ripped”.

Even when I showed them my pictures, they said I probably walked the whole thing, or got help because I don’t look like the triathletes they’ve seen. I didn’t know there was a “mold” you had to fit in to swim, bike and run.

I finished my first sprint in 1:53- under 2 hours, after only training 1 summer. Why can’t people just be proud of the things you DO accomplish, instead of knocking you down because they don’t think you could have. This is a person outside of the tri community. If there’s one thing I do know, triathletes are a VERY accepting group. No one made me feel like I shouldn’t have been on the course with them back in Tarpon. And although I didn’t finish first (and second to last, honestly), the hard-core pros were there at the finish line, cheering me on, encouraging me, rooting for me, and treating me with respect- no matter what I looked like. Until humanity learns to accept others based on their character, not their body shape, skin color, sexual orientation or disability, we will continue to do each other a great disservice.

I’m thankful for my tri training group, who showed me that it CAN be done. I’m thankful for Lindsey who showed me that you can set your mind to accomplish anything-no matter what limitations people might put on you. I’m thankful for Meghan who I got to share my first tri race with and who stuck by my side through all the hard training. I’m thankful for my family and friends who came out and cheered me on without a drop of embarassment. I’m thankful to all of the triathletes I follow on Facebook and Twitter, for they are the ones that I look to for tips, encouragement and motivation. And I’m thankful for the people who took pictures of me during the race- so that I can show dumbasses like this guy what this body is capable of!

On another note, tri training for the 2011 season is up and running! The group hit Ft. Desoto a few weekends ago to swim, bike and run. Getting into that FREEZING cold Gulf water was a bitch not easy, but once we got moving, conditions improved. We swam for about 1000yds. I did SO well! No panic attacks, great breathing, form and stamina. Probably one of my better swims, considering I had not been in the water since October.

What I lacked on the bike ride, I made up for in the water. The 10 mile stretch made me nervous, so I opted to do 6 miles on the trail instead. I think I’ll need to build up my nerve again to be able to ride on the road- especially later in the day when traffic is at it’s peak. The wind on the way back was horrific! But I was able to finish the ride, and went onto a nice brisk jalk (jog/walk) to finish out training.

In addition to Ft. Desoto, I have also joined a gym to help with some strength training.

Stay tuned to race updates—– a June race looks like a possibility. Hmm, we’ll see!

Two Sundays after my “episode with dehydration”, I decided to get back into the game with some longer training sessions.

With a perfect weekend upon us, Kristin, Meghan, Jay ( and baby Sean) and I decided to spend a nice little Sunday at Flatwoods park. Us gals had set our sights on 4 miles, while Jay, unknowingly, had ventured out to achieve much, MUCH more.

The weather was on the chilly side when we started, but by the second mile, we had become quite warm. We started off slow- walking the first two miles- then finished stronger with about a 1.50 mile jog. It felt good to end the workout NOT passed out in the back of my car, which once again solidified the fact that I am definitely not ready for anything longer than a 5k.

After our 4 mile jaunt was complete, we had some catchup time talking and chatting while waiting for Jay to meet up with us in the parking lot. When we had started our first mile, Jay had begun to jog (baby in tow), leaving us in the dust. We honestly weren’t sure how far he was going to go, but looking back, we would have never thought he would return with a half marathon under his belt. After a few bouts of worry (on Momma Meghan’s part), and 2 additional miles added to our own workout to see if we could find them, we were reunited with an exhausted daddy-o and a little sleepy unaware boy.

After decompressing from all of these adventures, we headed back to the parking lot, feeling satisfied, accomplished (a bit sore) and extremely hungry, so we wrapped up our day at Panera.

The moral of the story? Wrong turns suck, and will turn a few miles into 13 when faced with the Flatwoods loop. Use maps, or just turn around-or commit to a half marathon!

25 miles on foot down, 475 to go…
~Steph 🙂

Being overweight is hard. Being overweight and mentally
picturing yourself doing marathons and Ironmans is even rougher.
You see, although I’m carrying an extra 80lbs or so, I don’t always
feel it. I picture myself as a runner, cyclist and yes, even a
triathlete. In my mind I can run 26.2 miles, bike 60 miles and swim
until I reach Cuba. I want to push myself to the limit. I want to
do more. I want to be the athlete I’ve always dreamed of
being.

Then, a little something called “fat”
says- NO way woman, and puts up a big barrier in the way of rolls,
folds and clumps.

On my quest for 500 miles
on foot in 2011, of of those fat rolls practically punched me in
the gut.

In one of my latest “fitness
adventures”, I thought I’d tackle the Gasparilla race once again
this year. Last year, the Gasparilla 5k was the very first road
race I had participated in. This year, I wanted to “up the ante”. I
signed up for the 15k. In my mind, I had already crossed the finish
line- medal in hand. Unfortunately, my body had it’s own plans.

Kristin had decided to take on this goal
with me. Our mentality was “we walk more than 9 miles at Disney
World!” I’m sure this is partially true, I mean, we DO walk around
the park at LEAST 11 times while we’re there. That has GOT to equal
the distance of a 10k. I already knew there was no chance I would
be able to run the entire thing, but I was OK walking it- after
all, it’s all about the finish line for me.

So after spending about a month getting back into the swing of
things with my running, I decided to meet Kristin for a 9mile test
“walk” at Flatwoods on Sunday. Now, let me preface this by
saying:
1. I KNOW about hydration. If there’s one thing
triathlon training has taught me, it’s hydrate, hydrate, hydrate…
snack, snack, snack!
2. I KNOW not to wear new shoes for
long jaunts like this.
3. I KNOW not to change the type
of socks I’m used to. In fact… I have been barefoot running for a
year now- I’m not used to ANY socks!

Well.
With all of that said, all I can say is “stupid”.
1. I
didn’t prepare for the 9 miles. I had 1 bottle of water (in the
car), no Gatorade, and 1 snack (again, in the car.)
2.
With only 8 miles in my new shoes, all I can say is “stupid”.
3. I should leave the barefoot runners for running, and the
new shoes for personal training!

We started
off strong- power walking and jogging the first 4 miles,
maintaining 15-16 minute miles. Not bad!
By mile 5, I
began feeling a “tinge” on the ball of my foot. I wrote it off as
“new shoe pain”.
By mile 7, I could barely keep up with
Kristin. Even a regular walk was painful. This was just about the
time when the headache reared its ugly mug. Dehydration. I knew it.
Although it wasn’t sweltering, we were on the open black top, with
limited shade. I had a bottle of water + 2 cups from the trail in
my system, a bagel and a banana. Between the limited hydration AND
food, I knew this was not going to be a good ending to this fitness
adventure.

By the end of the 9th mile, I
could barely walk. At this point, I would have crawled faster (and
probably should have!). The damage I was doing to my foot would
have been prevented if I had just called it quits at mile 5, and
hitched a ride with the ranger. (Damn you hindsight).

As we approached the parking lot, I immediately
sat down on a nearby bench (bad idea), collapsing my head in
between my legs. Tunnel vision set in. Blurred vision. Shakes, and
of course, the headache, and I knew exactly what had happened.

DEHYDRATION. Say it with me kids. DE HY DRA
TION. And I was the only one to blame.
In addition, I
had developed a painful little friend known as the “blood blister”
on the ball of my right foot.

Put a fork in
me, ’cause at this point, I was MORE than DONE.

After a few attempts at “pulling myself together”, I
eventually had to have Kristin come rescue my pathetic ass. She
drove me to Walgreens, got me some Gatorade and crackers, then
plopped me on her couch with a few Ibuprofen. It literally took me
3 hours to become functional again, and even 24 hours later, I am
STILL feeling the effects of the lack of liquids.

Did I say stupid yet?

And
of course, I soon as I pulled off my socks and realized with what I
was faced with underneath, I was definitely done with my quest for
adding distance.

It was a difficult
decision, but today I sent out an email and reduced my Gasparilla
registration to the 5k. Not only would I not be able to train with
this damn blister under my foot, but I was also worried about what
would happen to me during the actual race. I mean, if you know
anything about Bayshore, there isn’t a lick of shade to be found.
What if I haven’t gotten the whole distance running
nutrition/hydration thing down? I might pass out and fall over the
railing into the Bay (just read the rest of these triathlon blogs
and you’ll know just how I feel about “water”). With a little more
time, weight loss, strength training and education, I know I’ll be
able to tackle a longer road race in no time. For now? I’ll stick
with 5ks and Sprint Triathlons. I know I can handle those!

As for my 2011 goal? Well, I DID complete 10 miles
in total. So I’m 18 miles into my quest. I’ll have to make up some
lost time this week, but that’s OK. No big deal! As for Kristin?
She was a rock star. She survived to tell the boring tale of
finishing 9miles without any drama! Go her!

~Steph

PS- BandAid, you rock. Thank you
for making these!

So I’ve started a boot camp. No, no… I haven’t joined the Marines (gasp!), but i have found that whatever I’m doing/eating… even triathlon training has got me in the slump of all slumps. I needed something to kick myself into gear- and I think a personal trainer will be JUST the trick I need to get the rest of this wretched weight off!

With the addition of yet ANOTHER activity into my life, I’m finding I need to get even MORE creative in the kitchen to make sure I continue to eat healthy throughout the week.

I had originally planned on making a turkey meatloaf this evening, but alas, Wednesday night personal training took us all the way ’til after 7 tonight. Hungry and tired, the last thing I wanted was to wait an hour to eat! (not including the prep time, which I should have done in advanced!)

My solution? Meatloaf muffins! I had seen Rachael Ray make these a while back and thought it would be the perfect (and quick!) dinner on the run. Here’s my healthy low cal version.

Here’s the recipe:
2 pounds of ground turkey (or chicken)
1 medium onion, diced
1 egg (or 1/4 cup of plain yogurt)
2 celery ribs, diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach leaves
1 small bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup squeezable tomato sauce (like the squeezable pizza sauce- check ingredients though… buy with low sodium and no added fructose corn syrup!)
1 slice sesame Ezekiel bread, toasted and crumbled (small dice)
1 tbsp. sea salt
1 tsp. cracked black pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. garlic powder
non-stick cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix seasonings, egg, and tomato sauce into the ground meat. Add bread crumbs and gently fold in. Add all veggies and gently fold in. (You don’t want to over-work your loaf, so handle as little as possible).
2. Using an ice cream scooper, place scoops of meat loaf mixture into greased muffin (or cupcake) pans.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink (if you’re using chicken/turkey!).
Yields 6 muffin sized; 8 cupcake sized

Enjoy!

Let’s look at some numbers:

Saturday, 7/17/10= 1st triathlon training EVER.
Saturday, 9/11/10= 1st sprint triathlon.

As I turned 31, back in June, I would have never, in my wildest (or most insane) dreams, would have thought that in just 3, yes 3 months, I would be able to call myself a “triathlete” with 1 sprint tri under my belt.

I’d like to take this moment to thank… myself. Conceited you say? Well, you know what- all of the motivation, pushing, inspiring and “kudos” in the world cannot actually make your ass MOVE. Setting a goal for yourself is something that must come from inside.
You hold the cards.
You control your destiny.

So again, I’d like to say “thanks” to myself for a job well done! If it wasn’t for “me”, I would have never gotten up that hot July morning for the first training session, and I would not be where I am today.

(Of course, of course, the cheerleaders, motivators, kudo-givers and all-in-all rock-stars by my side and on the side lines shall never be overlooked!) =)

Two weeks after my very first triathlon, I was right back on board with my training. I was SO happy when I found out Deb had scheduled a tri training, because honestly, in the back of my mind, for just one second, I thought to myself “I’ve done a triathlon, so now I can take a break, right?” Wrong! Training keeps me motivated, active and accomplished. There’s no way I’ll quit this. No way.

2 weeks post tri we completed about a 1250yd swim, the normal 10mile bike, then about a 1.2mile jalk (jog+walk… thanks Lindsey!). It felt good to be back in the game. Real good.

Today we hit Ft. Desoto for another training session. We had a new member come out with us (Silvia) and she certainly kept up for being a newbie! I skipped the swim, as I had been feeling scratchety and sore throat-filled for a few days. The weather in Tampa has shifted- fall is into full gear- so I didn’t want to exasperate the back-to-school mung with the shivers. So I decided to run while they were out in the water. Looking back, I probably would have been OK doing the swim, as the sun came up pretty quickly and melted any sign of fall by 9am. Oh well…Que sera, sera.

I started out at the parking lot and set my goal to the Fort, which would put me right at 5k (3.1miles). I threw on my sunglasses, and started a brisk walk to warm up. The weather and scenery were truly beautiful- a bit cool, calm air, sweet smells from the gulf, and the rising sun casting a warm glow on the pavement. Perfect conditions for tri training. I started with a slow jog, which turned into a truffle shuffle- which I happily accepted. After all, I wasn’t feeling 100%, so I knew this wouldn’t be a spectacular jaunt. When I reached the fort, I was actually feeling quite good! Sooooo, I continued on- about an additional 1/4 mile passed the Fort.

I decided to cut across and head to the pier, where I moved over to the beach for the hop back to the parking lot. Low tide was in full force, leaving long, wide stretches of packed sand- ideal for running! I pulled out some more energy and Chunked it down the beach a bit more, finally cutting back over the sea oats (legally) then back onto the path to the lot. Although I didn’t time or measure distance, I know I did more than 3.1miles-probably close to 4.5miles, which I was proud of!

By now, I had figured about an hour had passed and expected the rest of the team to be half way through their biking by now! But as I rounded the corner heading back to the cars, I saw that the bikes were still hitched, with no triathlete in sight.

Minutes later, I spotted the rest of the team coming down the beach path, looking refreshed and accomplished. After all, they had completed about 1250yds!

We all regrouped, snacked, and hit the pavement. I’m not going to lie- today’s bike was HARD. Mentally HARD. I wanted to quit about a bisquillion times, but each thought was shot down with sense. If I know I can do 10 miles, well then I’m going to do 10 miles. As I hit the 5 mile turn around point, a “pro” came up next to me. Expensive bike, sponsored jersey- the whole shebang. And as he road by, he slowed down just enough to say “Keep up the good work. You’re doing great!” You won’t get this kind of acceptance in any other sport, believe me!

I didn’t time myself, but I felt pretty good as I rolled back towards my car, and completely satisfied with myself for not quitting or shortening my ride. Sitting on the couch watching TV cannot replace the way accomplishment feels!

You know, many times when I’m out here on these long rides, or scary open water swims, or even while I’m doing some foot distance, I oftentimes think about my cousin Daryl. He passed away back in April after a long battle with pan can. He was only a few years older than me. When whining or doubtful thoughts enter my brain, I’ll think about him, and how he won’t be able to spend the remaining 60 or 70 years he might have had if he had lived a full life here on earth.

His life is gone.

During his fight, I’m sure he would have given anything to be able to ride a bike, or go for a swim, or a jog. I am healthy, and able to do these things that most people cannot or will never do because of health reasons, or mental doubts. Keeping positive thoughts and Daryl’s memory in the forefront of my mind during triathlon trainings keeps things in perspective- giving me all the more reason to want to continue with this adventure.

We didn’t do a post-run. It seems like we were all kinda pooped out from the long swim (and my run) and the bike. So instead we had some snacks, chatted a bit then headed out.

We’ll be back next Saturday for Lindsey’s “Oh shit, I’m doing a triathlon next week” training session at Ft. Desoto. Be there or be square…shaped!

The past week has been a whirlwind of triathlon preparation
and panic positive thinking. But I’m
happy to announce that I have officially completed my very first
TRIATHLON! As many of you know from my last post, I was NOT
expecting to do a tri so soon, but boy am I glad I did it. It was
worth ALL 6 days of diarrhea!

I decided to
take the day off from work on Friday, mainly to sleep in a little
(in case I couldn’t Friday night!) and to do some last minute prep
and packing for the big day. With the help of a few tri pros, I put
together the essentials.

Lindsey, Meghan and
I drove out to Tarpon Springs late afternoon on Friday to pick up
our race packets. We were happy to be able to see the transition
area was already set up, and were able to ask a few questions and
gather some details for race day. At this point, a tad bit of freak
out mode had set in, but I was trying to avoid it with big toothy
smiles all afternoon =D

We had a yummy
dinner at Sweet Tomatoes- veggies plus lots o’ carbs), then headed
back home for a good night’s sleep. We knew our 4:15am wake up
calls would creep up fast!

I had no problem
falling asleep, and no problem waking up in the morning. I felt
rested from my nice little day off, and felt pumped about the whole
thing in general. I had baked some banana bread the night before,
so I forced a few slices down (waaaay to early to eat) and drank
some vitamin water. Lindsey was at my place before I even had my
shorts on (eek!), but I was able to get everything ready and we
were on the road by 4:45. After a short stop at Meghan’s house, we
were able to get the caravan on the road by 5:15.

We got to the park around 5:45, and realized how
DARK it was (note to self: add flashlights to tri list), but we
were able to set up anyway. Lindsey walked Meghan and I through the
ins and outs of transition set up, and luckily, because we were so
early, I was able to get an end space- meaning only 1 bike next to
me instead of 2!

During all of this set up
and preparation, a moment of panic set in. I developed a major
stomachache, but I was able to tell it to shut the hell up, and
calmed down! We realized what a beautiful day we were going to have
for this tri as the sun came up, and also noticed how incredibly
CALM the water was! (score!) We lined up and got “markered up” then
grabbed our time chips and strapped them on our ankles. Even after
taking a shower I can still see the number 313 all over me! Oh, and
they also put my age on my calf with a nice big V… for
Virgin…as in TRIVIRGIN! HA! That definitely loosened up my
tension and helped me to start enjoying the whole experience.

Our wave start time was at 8:09, giving us
plenty of time to mingle with the other athletes, scarf down
breakfast #2, visit with family and friends, and do a practice swim
to get warmed up. My parents, Meghan’s husband, Laurie, Michele and
Kristin came to cheer us on (complete with signs!) and Gene, Deb’s
husband, was our official photographer, so needless to say, we had
a great support system all throughout the race.

At around 7:40, we decided to head down to the beach for a
practice swim. As you know, the swim battle is something that I
fight daily, but when I saw where the buoys were positioned, I was
actually feeling a lot better about things. The buoys were no where
NEAR as far as I thought they were going to be, AND, it was low
tide, meaning no great depths to fear. (hooray!) Now, for those
participants scared of sea grass, well I felt sorry for them,
because at times, the grass was so thick and so high, I couldn’t
even see the sand. But, the water was amazingly clear (AND I had my
spiffy new goggles) so I had no problem seeing where I was headed
at all times.

I climbed back on shore,
feeling panic-free, and waited until our wave was ready to jump in.
We were able to take some funny photographs, and once again mingle
with our “spectators”. For a few moments, I really did feel out of
place- like people were saying “why is SHE here” or “boy, she’s
going to get in OUR way”. I mean, there were some heroes here- real
power athletes, Kona style, with $15,000 bikes complete with
sponsors. All of that can really, REALLY freak out someone like me
who’s plus-sized, on a makeshift hybrid bike from Wal-mart, with a
big ol’ scarlet V written on her calf. But, I was totally wrong.
Everyone was so warm and welcoming, and even went as far as calling
ME a hero for even attempting a triathlon. It definitely made me
feel like I had ventured into a very accepting sport… for life.

By 8:00, I was feeling good, amazing, excited,
anxious! I was ready to get into that water and start swimming. We
watched and waited as the first three waves roared through the
shore, around the buoys and through the Gulf. By the time the 2nd
wave had started, some swimmers were already finished! (X-Men?)
Before I knew it, my purple-capped body was standing ankle deep in
the Gulf, ready for 400 yards of splashing, arm-aching, endurance
testing fun. I positioned myself on the outside of the group, so
that I wouldn’t be “run” over, prepared the stopwatch on my watch
to start, then waited for the buzzer that would signal our wave to
GO.

Within minutes, I found myself, face
in, swimming through the grasslands. My breathing was under
control, my body was moving in the right direction, and the only
thing I was thinking about was the purple cap in front of me. I
literally focused on this lady’s cranium until I rounded the 2nd
buoy. I didn’t look at the shore. I didn’t look out into the
horizon. At times, I think I may have even had my eyes closed
(ha!), but before I even realized it, I was rounding the 2nd and
final buoy, and heading back to shore.

That’s when it happened. Shark!
Fatigue.

My arms started to give way. I
looked up and realized what a long way I still had to swim to get
back to the shore. Lindsey was side by side with me the whole time,
so of course she pushed me to keep moving, but let me tell you…
that was the most difficult 8 minutes of my life! We were able to
run the last 30 yards or so of the swim because of the low tide
(thank you moon), and by that time, I was happy to be on my feet
because my arms felt like Twizzlers. During this last little run
through the underwater meadow, not only were my arms
non-functional, but I also began to feel ill. In fact, so ill, that
I thought I was going to provide the fish with some food, right
there in the water. Luckily, I was able to hold in any projectiles,
and make it onto the beach.

That’s it. The
swim was over in a blink. (success!)

I
slunked over to T1, threw on my helmet, shuffled on my shoes (tri
laces ROCK), sipped some water and pulled out. I had brought some
snacks with me to refuel during transitions, but I didn’t think I
would able to hold anything down right at that moment.

Lindsey waited for me to mount, then off we went.
In all honesty, the bike wasn’t all that rough. In fact, it wasn’t
much different from our usual training jaunts out at Ft. Desoto.
Lindsey, with her fancy shmancy bike computer, was able to give me
some motivating audio cues like “flag pole”, “turn around” and
“fort” to help move me along. Meghan had predicted the hardest part
was going to be passing by the Greek bakeries in downtown Tarpon
Springs. Let me tell you… it WAS. Buttery phyllo dough crisping
up in the morning… the best smell you’ll ever smell (well, on a
bike anyway).

The second most difficult
part was the “hilly” terrain. Apparently, and I never realized
this, Tarpon Springs has a few hills here and there. Pumping those
legs up a hill is NOT an easy task-especially when you’re carrying
extra weight. The good news? What goes up, must come down (thanks
for noticing, Newton). And honestly, before I even realized it, we
were already back in the park, heading to T2. It was an incredibly
fast ride, with beautiful scenery, cool shady spots, and volunteers
with smiles and positive attitudes at every corner. I was
exhausted, but still alive! (and all belly contents intact!)

Lindsey and I were able to catch up to Meghan
while on the bike ride, and rolled into T2 together. I dismounted,
threw on my infamous Wally world yoga bermudas, stuffed a half of a
PB&J in my mouth, grabbed some cold water, snapped on my
race belt and off we went. My legs gave me the finger as we
approached the start of the first mile. Unfortunately, mile 1 was
absolutely shadeless, making the heat an unwelcome visitor. So far,
we had had great weather and cooler temps, but by the time we
started the 5k, the sun was beating down on us. We were excited to
see the shade approaching as we completed the first mile. I decided
to jog from mile 1-2, then an additional 1/4 mile back towards the
causeway. Lindsey and I were making GREAT time on the run, and were
having an awesome time listening to all of the cheers and kudos
from passerbys and volunteers.

We waved
goodbye to the shade, and said hello to my parents as they met us
for the last stretch of the 5k. The sun felt even WORSE on the way
back, but I knew I was only a few tenths of a mile away from
completing my FIRST triathlon- a goal I never dreamed I would
achieve in a million years. As we came off the causeway and rounded
the parking lot, the cheers and kudos became more and more
frequent… especially when the finish line came into sight.
Lindsey and I decided to run that last few hundred feet, and
crossed the finish line to crowds of onlookers hooting and
hollering about what a great thing this “virgin” had just
accomplished.

So…. was it worth
it?

100% YES. I truly had a
blast. I didn’t realize what my body could do and how much fun I
could have putting it to the test.

So… will I do it
again?

I’m thinking about #2
RIGHT as I type this. Addicted? You betcha.

So… any last minute
words of wisdom?

Kill the “I
can’t” attitude, throw any self-doubts about your image in the
garbage and just get your ass on a training program… NOW!

So…are you
still scared of deep water?
Well
unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to test out any fears today,
because the swim wasn’t all that deep, but stay tuned to the next
episode of A Girl’s Gotta Tri and see just how far I can go!

As you already know, I have just signed up for my first triathlon. Thank goodness Meghan and the rest of the training group will be there to:

A. Cheer me on
B. Slap me around if I freak out about the deep water
and
C. Not laugh at me as they pass by and I’m vomiting (or passed out)

On Labor Day, Meghan and I decided to take a little road trip out to Tarpon Springs to check out the course, and back out of become more comfortable with what we had gotten ourselves into. Little Sean was with us too, but he was much more interested in sleeping than exploring!

By looking at the online maps at www.tarponrotary.org/TriDetails.aspx, the course looks scary, long, and all in all HORRIFIC (well, to me anyways). But in person, the beach really isn’t all that terrifying. In fact the water didn’t resemble Loch Ness one bit! The bike route (which we decided to drive) seems doable and the run is almost completely in the shade (woot!). Our biggest concern, and I quote “will be riding by the Greek bakeries” -Meghan.

After our little investigation, we headed to downtown Tarpon Springs for some yummy Greek treats. I hope that these places aren’t open during the bike ride, because I’m liable to wheel right through a store front and pick up a Spanakopita.

So, here I am. T-3 days until “liftoff”. I’m planning on hitting the pool tomorrow for one last swim, and possibly a short bike ride around Al Lopez in the late afternoon. Then, it’s rest, nutrition, and mental health days so that I’m in the right frame of mind to do this without having to be admitted afterward.

Send the positive thoughts my way. Let’s do this!

*If you’d like to come and cheer me on, spectators are welcome into the park, but you would need to arrive no later than 7:15am, as the park will close at 7:30am for the race. Parking is all throughout the park and along the causeway that connects the park to the beach. Parking at the beach won’t be permitted, as that is reserved for athletes and the transition area. You will be able to park on the causeway or inside the park then walk along the causeway to the beach to watch the swim portion. Here is the link and directions to Fred Howard Park. See you there!

Transition area

It’s official!

Causeway starting the bike/run.

Swim area!

Usually, I reserve my farmer’s market trips for the fall
when pumpkins are a plenty, or late winter when, in Plant City,
Strawberries are plump and ready for purchase. But when you’re on a
budget, your local farmer’s market might be just the place to
really make your dollar stretch!

Today I
decided to pay a visit to Parksdale Farms out in east Tampa. As I
pulled up, I realized that the parking lot seemed a little scarce.
It was then that I read the sign “Closed until August 22”

Rats!

I decided to head
back west and hit another market that I had bought strawberries at
earlier in the year. Johnson’s Produce Stand off Branch Forbes Road
and I-4 is a great family owned market where the produce is fresh
and the prices are just my style. I was able to get a plethora of
fresh fruits and veggies for a fraction of the price I would have
paid at the supermarket. For $17.00, I got:
6 limes, 4
lemons, 1 eggplant, 2 baskets of cherry tomatoes, 2 mangoes, 2
avocados, 1 cantaloupe, 3 cucumbers, 4 yellow squash, 5 nectarines,
2 onions, and 3 bulbs of garlic.

WOWzahs!

And if you take a look at my
pics below, you’ll see that all of these little gems are a decent
size! No puny plants here.

So the next time
you have a moment, try a local farmer’s market. You’ll be glad you
did!

I just got back from my final summertime vacation before school starts up again (barf). My family and I went down to Key West for a little extended weekend, which gave me the perfect opportunity to work on my weakest tri sport—- swimming! Not only would I have a plethora of open water opportunities, but the house that we were renting also had a pool (score!).

Like I’ve mentioned before, I come from a family of swimmers, scuba divers, snorkelers and water skiers. Water sports come naturally to most of them, so I knew they would be partaking in all of these adventurous actives in the beautiful clear waters of the Keys. I tried to get into a “you can do it” mentality before I left, but I failed epically.

The first day of vacation, Kristin and I decided to take a drive up to Bahia Honda State Park. Beautiful beaches, crystal clear waters, coral reefs, and untouched mangroves as far as the eye can see. Kris brought her snorkeling gear, and I brought my swim cap and goggles. I left my fins behind so that I could work on strengthening my upper body in preparation for my first tri. Everyone keeps telling me that if I use my legs too much during the swim, I’ll regret it during the bike and run! So arms it is. Kris decided to go out a little deeper where the coral reefs were, while I decided to not take my chances and swim a little closer to shore. I marked out what I thought was about 100 yards, threw my head in the water and started crawling. The ocean was calm, and the water was so incredibly clear, it was like I was swimming in a pool (damn you Ft. Desoto). I reached my first goal and mapped out another 100 yards, then swam back to the start, completing 400 yards total. I was feeling good, and I noticed my breathing was improving. Before, I was taking breaths at the first, sometimes second stroke. Now, I was taking breaths on the fifth and sixth! (yay!) I decided to do another 200 yards before I called it quits.

Before we got out of the water, Kris convinced me to come out to the tippy tip edge of the coral reef and see a conch. I saw it. Then swam back. lol. I’ll get there. Really I will.

I was able to use the pool all week long, getting about 400-600 yards in each time. I really made a great effort to work on my breathing and my stroke, and within days I was feeling like a much stronger swimmer than when I first started out! I read a great article in Triathlete Magazine about beginner swimming techniques that gave me so much information on how to improve my swim. Now if I could just tackle the deep water, I’ll be golden!

One day during my trip, my uncle took us out on his boat for some fishing and snorkeling adventures. I really wanted to get into the water and do some swimming, but the 14ft depth was totally freaking me out. Thank goodness I won’t have to swim in 14ft of water during a tri! (hopefully).

Even though I only tackled one open water swim during my Key West adventure, I still feel like I made some major progress in my swimming! Hey, feeling good about what I’m doing is half the battle, right?

On another note, I purchased some tri goodies! My swimsuit came in, but unfortunately, it was too big and lacking support, so I had to send it back. As soon as I get my credit I will be purchasing another! To make up for that disappointment, my tri charm came in! (and it fit just right lol.) I found it while searching around Etsy (a site for all things handmade). I attached a picture below, and if you’d like to order one for yourself, check out Jessica’s Gifts! I’ve also picked up a tank to wear during the bike and run portion of the tri, to wear over my swimsuit (to spare any horror to onlookers). It’s a dri-fit Nike tank which happened to be on clearance (whoo!). I bought an xl men’s, thinking I would get a little more length. Check out the Nike online store if you’d like to buy one before they all sell out!

The last bit of exciting news that I’d like to share is:
1. I have another tri training partner! It looks like my pal Meghan is going to be joining me on this endeavor. We did some biking and walking this week, and we’ll be tackling open water swimming soon! (she’s not too thrilled about the OWS, so we’ll be getting our funoodles ready together)

2. My parents booked a weekend at Turtle Beach Campground in Siesta Key for the weekend of October 3rd… which happens to be the weekend of the Siesta Key Shark’s Sprint Tri. Coincidence?

3. I’m ordering 2 bike accessories: road tires and handle bar extenders. I’ll be flying in no time!

4. The weight loss has begun! FINALLY!

I’m feeling good. Real good. =)

You know the old saying “if you fall off the horse, you’ve gotta get right back on”. Well, falling off that horse can be freakin’ scary! I mean, hello, you just fell 5 feet off of a LIVE animal, most likely head first! If you are a perfectly sane individual, you’re going to think twice about getting back onto that horse’s back. And if you’re really sane, you’re going to get the hell out of there and go get yourself a nice, safe ice cream cone.

Luckily, I’m completely insane. I went back for more. (And no, not ice cream)

Now I’m not saying that I didn’t enjoy my first tri training experience, but it wasn’t a walk in the park. Physically? I felt great the next day. Mentally? All I could think about was being defeated by the depths. Your mind can definitely make you want to “not get right back on”, but if it’s something that you really want, then you’ve just got to get over it, and do it.

All week long I was trying to mentally and physically prepare myself for the next tri training with the group. I knew they would be preparing for the Top Gun Sprint Tri the following weekend, so they would definitely be in a serious mode.

The week after my first tri training I was focused on my two weaknesses: biking and swimming. I got in about 15 miles on my bike, and about 600 practice yards in the pool. I really tried to work on my stroke, my posture on the bike, and my breathing for both sports. It’s funny, but when I’m jogging, my breathing takes on such a rhythmic pattern that I don’t get winded, and I feel really great when I jog. As a swimmer and biker, my breathing is completely out of wack. I’m trying breathe the way I would on the pavement, but it’s totally wrong, and definitely something I need to work on. I hit the bookstore on the Saturday after my first tri training and read a few great articles on perfecting your swim experience. SO great that I found it necessary to drop some cash and buy two of the most expensive magazines. Ever. I was feeling a lot more educated on the subject, and couldn’t wait to put it to the test on Sunday morning.

During the week, my parents added to my tri quest by purchasing some proper apparel for me. (When your birthday is in June, you pretty much celebrate it all summer long). The package wasn’t delivered in time for Sunday, but I should be able to take it on my trip to the Keys this weekend and put it to the test out in the pool! I’d like to take a moment to thank one of the sponsors of my first triathlon: Rick and Judy. We now return to our regularly scheduled blog.

I arrived right on time Sunday morning at Ft. Desoto. Same gear, same lunch, same drinks, same bike… different mindset. I woke up feeling like I could tackle the deep water. I had mentally prepared myself all week long for it, and this would be the true test. Unfortunately, Lindsey had already checked out the shore with another member and informed us that buoys were set up for another group doing a practice for next week’s Top Gun. I would be able to get a first hand look at what I would be faced with during an actual tri. A moment of brief panic slipped into my gut. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to face the reality just yet. After all, it was only my second training.

As we walked around the lagoon on our way to the beach, I caught a glimpse of the orange bulbous buoys bobbing over the waves. There were four of them set up, about 50 yards or so offshore. Originally I thought that all tris had participants swimming directly out towards the horizon and back to the shore. Another misconception that was cleared for me that morning. You see there are some tris that have you do a distance swim parallel to the shore (score!). I was definitely feeling better about things, as they didn’t look too far off shore, and the distance from the first buoy the fourth was less than the distance that I had completed the week before. I knew I was capable of that, so I thought this would be an easy, first accomplishment of the morning.

WRONG.

I got in the water. Magical swim cap and super goggles in tow. Followed the group out to the first buoy. Put my head in the water and started swimming. I literally got about 10 feet when panic started to set in. The water was deep. I definitely was not able to see the bottom, and I kept seeing these dark splotches all around me. Realistically, I knew exactly what I was seeing. The water bubbles inside my goggles were creating these dark patches which of course made my brain appear to be seeing sharks, whales, manta rays, alligators and more swimming underneath me.

Like I said… insane.

The rest of course is history. Hyperventilation set in. I flopped on my back and high tailed it back to where I could reach. I was terribly mad at myself. I could feel the tears welling up inside my not-so-super goggles. I felt defeated. Why couldn’t I get over this. A woman of 31 years was letting her imagination and fear get the best of her. I looked down at the rest of the group, and even two of the new members who claimed they weren’t the best swimmers were out there, in the deep water, doing their thing. I was really proud of them, and so so angry at myself. I kept thinking about last week, and being in the deep water for that last leg back to the start, but I couldn’t put myself back in that mindset, especially since I was alone in the water.

After about five minutes, I got my breathing under control, went a little further out to my tippy toes and started swimming towards the group. I was parallel to the buoys, so I knew I was getting my distance in. Lindsey came to meet me half way and I explained to her what had happened. I was grateful for her kind words and motivation, but I knew that it would take more than outside support to get me over this stupid fear. It was ingrained in my brain, and I had to find a way to evict it on my own.

Once my breathing was controlled and my mind was clear, I took the same route back to the first buoy. I thought about being in the pool. I closed my eyes if I saw something questionable, and I concentrated on each and every stroke and kick. My swim back was strong. I just wish it had been on the other side of the buoys. Deb, the group organizer, gave me tons of great feedback on my form and continued to encourage me to do this. It’s definitely nice to have people motivating you to do something you never thought you would ever be able to do.

When we got out of the water, and prepared to bike, I knew I was going to be biking alone today because Lindsey didn’t have her mountain bike this week. She found a place in Riverview that will rent you one of their bikes for a week to take it for a test spin (great idea, huh!?). If you decide to purchase one of the bikes you rent, they’ll put the rent fee towards the final cost of the bike. She had been looking to upgrade to a hybrid bike, so that’s what she had rented. The other three members had road bikes, and because of that, I would be the caboose in our bike train that morning. The good news?

A. I had a new bike seat courtesy of my mom (which I installed at the last minute Saturday night).

B. I knew all of the landmarks to help gauge my progress.

C. I did the mileage before. I knew I was capable.

D. There are no landsharks.

I hopped on my bike, set my stop watch and hit the pavement. I lost sight of the group pretty quickly, but I kept on peddling.

Flag pole.

Dead end.

Fort.

46 minutes later, I was back at the parking lot feeling better than the week before. My legs weren’t jellyfish this week (ok, maybe octopus?) and I felt like I could put out more foot distance this time around.

The 5k practice was excruciatingly hot. Again we only did about a mile and a half, but at least I didn’t feel like I had the weakest quads on the block. All that biking during the week had definitely helped, and if I had really wanted to, I think I could have gone further on foot.
In the end, I feel like my second tri training experience was a success, despite the watery meltdown. With a little time, more practice and motivated people all around, I WILL conquer this fear and complete my first triathlon in no time. I’m feeling stronger than I ever have felt. I’m feeling like an athlete. I never got to be one in high school or college. I never had the skills to make the softball team, or the courage to try out the following year. I have always been the token “fat girl” who was “a nice friend”, but deep down inside, I have always wanted to be an athlete.

It may have taken me 15 years to get here, but I’m doing it now, and that’s what counts.