Triathlon training begins...

Heated pool my @$$!!!

Sorry. I had to get that out! Apart from that, I loved every single minute of it! I was dreading swimming but I found it to be really relaxing and quiet. Us moms need some quiet time and this is a great way to get it. I was worried I wouldn't like the swimming training aspect and I found that it's going to be a lot better than I anticipated.

And so begins my triathlon training!

Sarasota Half Marathon Results

So one week after doing the Oleta trails, I was back at it with the Sarasota Half Marathon. This was the last marathon from the Storm Series and boy oh boy, did I have to pull strength from every ounce of my being to get through this race. As luck would have it (and I mean that sarcastically), my daughter had a special field trip to Disney leaving the Saturday before the race at 3am from Miami. We arrived to Disney at 8am, spent 10 hours in the park and left back to Miami at 6pm. The a/c on the bus broke and we hit massive traffic making our return trip 6 hours in a steamy sauna bus. BRUTAL! Needless to say, I was a bit dehydrated and plenty exhausted. We arrived home at 12:30am race day. Yes, you read correctly. My feet were so achy! They were still sore from the trail run the week before and then Disney 10 hours. Brilliant Michelle, way to go to prepare for a half I thought but then remembered my daughter laughing on the bus having a blast and it was somehow worth the soreness! I napped from 12:30am to 1:30am, took a shower and got in the car at 2:30am to drive to Sarasota. Luckily, my crazy husband and one of my best friends went along. Hubs drove there so I could nap along the way. We arrived by 6am, got our packets, got ready and began the race. Hubs felt good and took off in search of his PR, which he got. I felt sick and tired and nauseous but somewhere around mile 5, I started to feel great and happy that I was ending the series and I had been able to do it. I just had to carry myself 8 more miles. 

And I did it. I went on for 8 more miles, crossed, got my medals, got my sense of closure with the series and walked away real happy knowing I wasn't racing again until May. All I have to do now is get ready for my first triathlon (gulp).

As soon as we finished our race, we went to the local 7-11, got slurpees, donuts (not my usual breakfast but I was so exhausted at this point, that it seemed like a great idea!) and headed back to Miami. I was so happy to get home and relax. As you can imagine, that night I slept like a baby!!

It's been a heck of a running season for me and I took on way too much but I learned a  lot along the way. I also learned to pick and choose my races so I can prepare better for them.  As much fun as it was to race all these different courses, I am a bit raced out and need a break! Tri training here I come!

  

My awesome friend, who did the crazy drive to Sarasota and back again, also PR'd!

Congrats to her and the hubs on their PR's!!!

Oleta Diva Trail Race Results

My first trail race and all I have to say is this S#$% is HARD! I went in thinking it was going to be a new experience and it really was. New and very challenging, trail racing is on the other opposite end from road racing. I found myself loving the adventure but I also found myself rolling ankles all over the place and starting to get one mega blister which was enough for me to call it quits at the 5K. I had originally signed up for the 10K but it wasn't going to happen because the blister was telling me to bow out at 3.1 miles and I always listen to my body, especially when I have one more race next Sunday to complete the Florida Storm Series.

Trail racing means you pay attention every second of every minute. You don't jam to music and you don't really participate in any type of intense conversation. You look down and PAY ATTENTION! There are thousands of rocks, ups, downs, roots and other things ready to cause you to trip and soar. There was one point where my right foot hit something and I felt myself flying thinking "OH CRAP". As I landed and caught my balance, luckily on both feet, both my friends were staring at me. They had heard and expected to see me sprawled out on the floor. I got lucky! That being said, we had a blast and then went to Hollywood to have a delicious breakfast!     

We decided to do the camouflage thing - it was fun!

That top pic with the girl in the crown is my friend Chrissie who 

managed to finish the 10K AND win 2nd overall in the 10K!  

This is a cool shot of my two friends and me running. I'm the last one behind but

it really catches the type of terrain and slopes we ran through. Definitely doing this again!

Miami Beach Half Marathon Results

Some races you race, others you struggle, others you attack and others you just flat out enjoy and take it easy. We chose the latter. I did my first full 2 weeks ago, hubs did a 50 miler last week-end and my friend did the glass slipper challenge last week-end. This was a recovery race and we all had some extra time to take pics of the beautiful views and to just enjoy it without any pressure from our Garmins. It was a beautiful day, nice weather and this was my 4th race from the Storm Series. One more to go!