Florida Winter

My plan for our wedding was to have the rehearsal and reception outside.  Well, mother nature did not agree with that plan and made December 29th, 2012 one of the coldest days of the year! So we had to move everything inside (Thank God I planned in advance and chose a party friendly location when we booked the wedding house!)

Now, lets move forward to this weekend!  This is what we call a 'Chamber of Commerence' weekend - perfect weather and fantastic blue water:

We all took full advantage of it and enjoyed the fantastic weather!  Anyone up north want to come down and visit?  :)  

Also - Rev3 announced our new teammates!  I am so excited to meet up with these crazy ass people!!  

Working out before work

Sometimes I get really jealous of men. Why you ask? Because it takes them 5 minutes to get ready in the morning! For my job - I can't pull the 'just out of the shower wet hair' look. So when I train before work (which a majority of time is not close to my house) I have to plan ahead to be presentable. And I know I'm not the only one out there! But it can be done - how you might ask? OCD. Just kidding. Kind of.

Luckily my coach lives about 5 minutes from my office - so she lets me use her 'beach shower' to get ready in the morning. But I still have to pack everything the night before. Why? Because I don't want to forget an essential item (bra, makeup, etc) which will totally happen if I pack my crap at 4:30am. So what are my secrets?

I put all of my hair/shower/makeup items in one bag- and all of my shower items in a plastic baggie:

I choose to use the shampoo/soap/conditioner etc from hotels just because it's simpler to carry around mini bottles.  I also keep them in a plastic baggie so 1)  they are separate and 2) if they are wet, they will not get everything else wet in the bag.  

A snapshot of my bathroom away from my bathroom.  Keeping all of my toiletries in a drawstring bag seems to work best for me - also you can spot my breakfast shake (aka my fat shake - thanks to Vinnie Tortorich) to the far right.  I typically make those the night before and freeze.  

It's also important to grab a plastic bag - to put all of your stinky clothes in:

Any yes, keep everything in one huge bag -Keeping is simple is the best thing! 

I don't mind getting ready at random places - because it allows me to swim/bike/run in different areas.  So with OCD planning - you can totally make it work.  Give me 30 minutes, and I'll be ready to roll!  No excuses for this girl!  

Any suggestions you might have?  

So - when it rains it pours

How many people like changes?  I mean like big time holy shit changes?  Well, 2012 was a year of change for me (and all of them being awesome!)

I started off the year doing the most responsible thing that an 'adult' can do.  Bought a freaking house.

Then - Jason and I became PARENTS

The duchess was purchased (aka - my totally kick ass QuintanaRoo)

Decided to take a totally new direction in my life and started a brand new career working for Watercolor Inn and Resort!  

Oh yeah - I GOT MARRIED!

I'm not going to bore you with a ton a wedding photos - but just a few of my favs. I was also lucky enough for some of my blogging/triathlon/Rev3 to join me in this awesome time of my life!

So.  It's 2013.  What kind of amazing changes are you looking into making this year?  Maybe do a race you didn't think you could ever complete?  Whatever you decide to do, make it awesome.  I don't know how I can top 2012 - but I will try my best!  

Weight Loss

I know I've been holding back on blogging for few months - but there are a ton of awesome things going on in my life right now:

*  I'm getting MARRIED in less then two weeks!

*  I will be starting a new job shortly!

* I've been running my ASS off (and it's paying off!)

* And I've found a new way to eat (which is what this post is about)

As an avid triathlete - people seem to think that you naturally work off everything you eat.  I always here 'you ran 11 miles today?  you deserve to eat an entire pizza!'.  Well, that is not how it works.  I've been struggling with my weight for years.  I don't eat McDonalds everyday or drink soda like it's gong out of style, but I do have (well, did) have 5-10 lbs that I've been wanting to get rid of for years.  That might not seem like a ton - but for my small frame, it's pretty significant.  

I've been listening to John at Garden Variety Triathlon podcast for a few years now and love it.  He recently mentioned this amazing new podcast and stressed that everyone should listen to learn a few things about diet.  What the hell - I trust John and I know if he says it's awesome it must be.  So I loaded some Vinnie Tortorich aka America's Angriest Trainer aka King of Fitness  onto my iphone and listened to a few hours of this goodness on my way to Orlando. 

Holy shit.  

This podcast rocks.  So much so - I've downloaded EVERY SINGLE EPISODE and re-listen to old ones until a new one comes out.  Let me also throwout that they (he has a kick ass co-host Anna Vocino ) have a new 30 minute podcast three times a week. And it's also extremely entertaining.  Lots of f bombs and such - and for those of you who know me - makes me feel right at home. 

Anyway - Vinnie knows his shit. He has been training people for 30+ years and even made an appearance on Oprah back in the day.  But what he talks about works.  Totally works.  Works so well that I've dropped EIGHT lbs in the past three weeks.  Yes.  EIGHT LBS - and I feel FANTASTIC.  It's simple.  Easy.  And works.  

He made me realize that everything I thought I was doing correct - was not.  And I know I'm not the only one out there on this sinking boat.  

I'm not going to go into detail (yet) but I strongly suggest that everyone checks out a few of his podcasts!  

And in REV3 News - the new teammates will be announced shortly!  I'm so excited to be apart of this AMAZING team for 2013.  If you didn't do a REV3 race in 2012 (shame on you!) check out our schedule and join this fun in 2013!  

Keep Calm and Keep It Simple!

We have a pretty large group of local people doing Ironman Florida this year - and most of them are first timers.  And if you've done an Ironman distance, you know about three weeks out how it feels.  A ball of fing nerves.

Did I ride enough?

Did I swim enough?

Did I do enough bricks?

and it goes on and on.  

And on top of it - you have to think about what to put in those damn bags!

Should I change clothes?

Should I bring arm warmers?

What if I forget something?

Well - that is what we talked about tonight.  We decided to have a little Q&A session to help calm a few of those nerves. (And gave us a chance to drink some wine)

Our main topic was what to pack in those bags of goodness:

I won't go into to much detail and not go into the basics (because this blog post will go on forever) and I like to KEEP IS SIMPLE!  

You will have enough going on that day!

T1

I actually kept on the same clothes throughout the entire race - but if you don't want to hop on you bike wet, feel free to strip down and change.  T1 is like a locker room, don't be scared.  Believe me, no one is looking or cares :) 

If you throw on a dry jersey - think about putting your nutrition in your pockets before you turn in you bag so everything is already in its place.

Or put your nutrition (thats not already on your bike) into baggies.  That way you can just throw it into your tri top and not have to worry if you forgot something.

Wet wipes (you never know).  I don't trust port-a-potties having toilet paper.

TRISLIDE (or whatever cream you use)  

Armwarmers, gloves, ear covers, etc (depending on the weather - duh)

Also, be sure to tell your volunteer (if you are lucky enough to have one) what you want them to help you with.  Most likely they will take your bag and dump it.  (that is why it's smart to keep everything in baggies) If you want them to help you put your socks on - ask them!  That is why those awesome people are there!

Special Needs Bike

More TRISLIDE.  56 miles into the bike - you might need an extra spray for down there

Extra nutrition.  You never know what might fall out of your pockets!  

Extra water bottle.

Extra CO2 and tube (in case you have a flat in the first half of the ride)

Wet wipes - again, you never trust a port-a-pottie!

T2

Clean arm warmers, hat, shoes, yadda yadda...

Mouth wash - specially if all you eat on the bike are gels...ugh.  

More TRISLIDE!  

Wet wipes - this time to wipe off your face.  We all know how grimy you can get on the bike and a clean face will help you feel just a bit better

Run Special Needs

Extra shoes and socks.  You never know the conditions and those could be a life saver.  

Something else that we did was have our family write notes.  Don't read them until you really need that extra push - but a little note from your hubbs saying 'I love you' or your training partner saying 'get this sh*t done' will put a smile on your face!    

If you have any other suggestions or questions, please let me know!  

Last weekend was REV3 SC and it was awesome - race report tomorrow!

Taking Chances - Making Changes

Since I've started training with my new coach, I've taken some chances.  Prior to me taking these chances I pretty much did the same thing over and over again.  The same routes, the same pace, the same old same old.  You know you are guilty of that as well!  We get into a comfort zone.  

But growing up, my mother had a saying when I was not happy with something:

"If you keep on doing what you are doing.  You'll keep on getting what you are getting"

Man my mom is a wise woman.

So for the past few months I've broken the mold.  Stepped way out of my comfort zone.  Riding with faster groups of riders.  Running with faster people.

And guess what.

It's paying off.  

I might not be the fastest one pulling - but I'm able to hang with the pack of fast boys for a 60 mile ride with a 22+ MPH avg.   I might not run the first 5 miles at a 7 minute pace - but I'll run the last 5 miles with the fast girls (ahhmmm..Helen Phipps) and kill that negative split.

I'm not going to lie and say that it is easy - because it's not.  But the pain is just temporary and totally worth it.  

I have never felt this good with my training - and I f-ing love it.

So go out there and take a chance.  Be smart with the changes you make and make sure they are right for you - but something small can lead to awesome things.

October is totally my month

I love October.  One is that my birthday is the 3rd!   But this year it's uber special for the following reasons:

I have FOUR races this month!

And two of them are REV3!

I'm GOTRIbal Ambassador of the month! (Which means I will be blogging more since I've neglected it for the past month!)

Jason and I are having our wedding shower! - one step closer to marrying the surfer boy of my dreams!





Pretty dreamy don't you think?

And hopefully the humidity will go away! 


I'm also getting really excited about my new coach - Karen Meadows.  I'll talk more about her in another post, but I'm so excited about the improvment I've seen and what next season will bring for me!  Karen rocks and I've known her and her family for years!







This month is going to ROCK.  And require large amounts of coffee!