Pre Race Jitters

Tomorrow is my last race of the season, Atlantic Coast Triathlon - and the first race for me on the east coast.  I'm not going to lie, I'm not a fan of the Atlantic Ocean.  The gulf is no biggie - maybe you'll see some fish, some rays and a few jelly fish, but nothing huge.  But the Atlantic, you can get bumped by strange objects in the murky water.  Thankfully, I'm in the 3rd wave, so hopefully I'll just get bumped by random people! 

So this is another solo race for me.  Big J is having a 'man camping' weekend and no one else from PCB is racing.  But I do have several of my awesome east coast friends who will be here. 

Remember the raw food parties that I attend when I'm traveling in Jacksonville?  Well, the wonderful Chef, Doris, met up with me for check in today.  This is her first race since April due to an injury - so she is fresh and ready to rock out this 70.3!

Doris prepping her bike

 The princess is ready to go

The girls are ready for the bike party

So I'm lounging in this huge hotel room (thanks Hilton for the gold card upgrade!) Getting my normal pre race nerves.  Did I train enough?  Do I have all of my nutrition?  Water bottles in the freezer? Gear bag packed?  You know, the normal jitters.  But to be honest - I know I've slacked in my swimming the past few months, so I'm not looking at a stellar swim (unless I get bumped by random sea life).  But the bike course is fast and flat and the run course is flat and shady.  Did I mention that it's not going to be hot and humid either?   So hopefully I'll fair with a good time! 

For those of you doing Ironman Florida - per my gulf swim yesterday - all of the jelly fish are gone.  For now :)  I'll try my best to keep them way for the next three weeks!! 

Happy Training!! 

Wetsuit Issues

So, you are getting ready to have an awesome open water swim.  The gulf is a bit chilly and you are ready to break out the wet suit.  You pull it up and ...whoops!...too much tension in the wrong place.  Next thing you know, you have nice little hole to let all of that chilly water in.  So, what do you do? 

This happened to me this time last year right before Ironman Florida. (And if you have done an IM, you know how stressed out RIGHT before the race)  Thankfully I was able to go to a dive shop for their expert opinion on how to fix a damaged wetsuit.  And what did they say?  Take it to a shoe repair man!  Who would have thought?  

Well, lets rewind to this year.  Same thing.  Except it was a lager hole that appeared (whoops).  But sure thing, my shoe repair guy pulled though like a knight in shining armor.  

It might look like a Frankenstein suit - but hey - it works!

(And a heck of allot cheaper then purchasing a new one!)

Today I tested out - and it was as good as new!

Jason was awesome enough to paddle out with me while I did my open water swim - we where a site to see.  Me rocking my cap and goggle and Jason with his surfboard....and a flat gulf.  

Tourists got a kick out of us.  

So I have the last race of my season this weekend!  A 70.3 - and it's going to be a solo race for me.  I'll know a few people there, which I'm so excited to see!!  BUT it will be a long five hour drive back Sunday :)  

One. More. Week.

I hate to say this.  But I am burned out.  My body is just tired and I'm looking forward to a week from today when my season is over.  But - my training the past few days helped lift my spirits.  I really like the saying 'the only time you regret a run - is the run you decided not to do'.  So I went into my 12 mile run yesterday morning with a positive attitude - and that smile on my face made all the difference.  My running mileage has been high and fast this past week, so I was not sure if I could keep the pace coach wanted me to hit.  But I did - and the last mile being the fastest keeping a great 8:40 pace which is my goal for next Sunday.

The rest of the day was spent cheering all of my kick ass friends who where rocking out Kona - Libby, Kim, and Marni, (while cleaning out closets...yeah...I know...real exciting) and then heading out to a beautiful beach wedding for one of my training partners - and drank some wine:

I woke up this morning ready meet up with good friends and have a great 50ish mile ride down to Grayton Beach.  But looking at the radar - it was showing lots of rain and 25-30 mph winds at 5am.  Humm.  The trainer was looking pretty good.  No one wanted to ride so I decided to go back to bed.  Slept until 8 (which was AWESOME) and decided to suck it up and ride outside.  It was a tough solo ride due to the hard core hurricane like winds - but it was worth it.  I kept on thinking about my friends riding in Kona the previous day - and knew I could get through it.  Done and done.  I'll take a ride in the wind then on the trainer any day!  

I know I've said this before - but having a positive attitude is everyone.  So the next time you don't 'feel' like training - just suck it up and get it done.  You won't regret it!  

Holy Cow

First of all - thank you SO MUCH for all of the kind words!  Big J and I are so excited - and I can't stop looking at my left hand!

Anyway - I PROMISE you this will not turn into a 'wedding blog'.  But I've been in several wonderful weddings:

But HOLY CRAP.  I'm just 'looking' at some magazines and have been in one bridal store.....and I already have anxiety.  So - any pointers/websites would be helpful!  

Now - back to normal triathlon stuff.  I have my last race of the season a week from today and I could not be more excited.  I am just a bit burned out and looking forward to rocking out this 70.3 with a smile on my face.  And then sleep in for a few days!  

And how about KONA tomorrow?  I am so excited to see some of my kick ass friends rock it out.  (Must remember to charge the Macbook so that I can carry it around as I clean out an organize closets!) 

Happy Training!  

Best. Weekend. Ever.

The past few days have probably been some of the best I've ever had.  The weekend started out with a crazy sprint triathlon that Heidi and I decided a few months ago to meet up and race together.  And I also 

have a friend who has an amazing condo he let use for our epic girls weekend. AND (this totally rocks)  it also ended up that Maggs was in town visiting family - and was able to meet up and booze it up with us.  

So the Santa Rosa Sprint was crazy huge - like 1200 people.  Heidi and I had NO idea until check in.  Holy crap.   But it was a fun race with a great after party.

Long story short -  600 meter swim was full of jelly fish.  Awesome.  The bike was and 18 mile out and back - with a pretty killer tail wind.  Since we where in one of the last waves - there where quite a few 'on your left's yelled.  The run was a 5K and I kept a pretty strong 7:30 pace - which was my goal.  Anyway - 5th in age group which I was pretty pumped about, since I was finally warmed up once I finished. :)  Sprints are fun - but I do prefer something just a bit longer!

Ok - now to the fun stuff.  We did not waste any time enjoying our weekend!  

Have to love acting like a tourist with some amazing friends - specially when the pool you are lounging by has pool side service and is full of 'The Real Housewives of Tennessee'.  (I don't think they where a fan of triathletes - since by the end of the day they dubed us the 'triathlon bitches' - which I'll gladly take with a smile!) 

We had an awesome time which included hanging out with some pretty random people, seeing a few weddings, and tipsy jumping on a water trampoline.  Sunday morning was somewhat painful (not due to the race, but the crazy water sports) - but totally worth it.  

Here are a few photos of the weekend:

Did I also mention that I turned 31 this week?  Heidi was so sweet to surprise me with a wonderful birthday cake!  

I'm not going to lie - but my blogger friends are truly the best.  I feel so blessed to have them in my life!  I wish we all lived closer!  If you ever get the chance to meet up with any fellow bloggers - do!    

Oh yeah - something else awesome happened.  Big J finally popped the question - which I gladly answered with a huge YES! 

Happy Training Everyone!

    

IMFL is over - now that do we do?

So - you've raced the race of your life.  The kids/support crew and yourself are ready to go an enjoy what the gulf coast has to offer.  So what do you do?  Well, the following are some of my most favorite places to visit when I want to feel like a tourist (and remind me of why I moved to Florida!)

South Walton

This area is about 30 minutes west of Panama City beach - but so worth the drive.  Quaint beach towns full of wonderful sites, food, and small shops.

Below are some of those beautiful places:

Seaside

Ever see the Truman Show?  If so, check out Seaside.  And in my opinion - Bud N Allys is the best bar with the best views.  Ever.  :) 

Grayton Beach
A great beach town with amazing views and killer live music!
If you make it to Grayton Beach - the Red Bar is a must!

Want to check out the gulf via a YOLO? 

So much fun for everyone - including kids!

Well, there you go!  If you have any other questions - let me know!  And happy training!