Long group bike ride was a major bust!

Is anyone out there?! LOL

This picture from the net sums up how I felt yesterday waiting at the "meeting spot". 

I woke up early yesterday morning. I was excited to join in on a big group ride. My first group ride.  If you're cycling regularly, group rides help you improve your speed and they get you ready to race in larger groups. I went to the place I was told to go by someone who told me that there would absolutely be people there. She insisted that I shouldn't worry because there were always people at the meeting spot. Guess what? I got there. I waited 30 minutes. Nothing! Not one person showed up.  Great. Just great. What a huge waste of time! 

Lesson learned - never go to a group ride that is hear say by someone who is insisting that people will just "show up". Find an established group ride. 

There are many established group rides by bicycle shops and serious riding teams and if you're wanting to go on a big group ride, that's the way to go. I was seriously ticked off and so I continued my journey to the Miccosukee Golf & Country Club in Kendall Lakes and did a ride after all but it was a solo ride. I hit 24 miles and back home I went. It wasn't what I expected or wanted to do, but it was good anyway.

Countdown to duathlon - 6 days!  I can't believe it's next week-end! :-)

Gnats are sexy! NOT!!!

Fueled by a heated argument with my 9 year old daughter, I laced up my shoes and decided to go out for a long run today. My goal, 5 miles. I didn't know if I would make it but I was going to try. I set my music, put on my headphones and away I went. There was no stroller, there were no kids, just me and my music. There was peace. I enjoyed it. There was also about 2 million gnats on my run. I already had the experience of eating a bug so I was mindful to keep my mouth closed. There were so many gnats that they kept getting stuck to me. Gross! I got home and my daughter was disgusted. My husband steps in and says "Nah, dead gnats are sexy". Thanks for trying honey! He also said "You need to shower!". Nah, really? Many, many, many gnats were harmed during this run. I apologize to Mother Nature.

The best part was that I did hit my 5 mile goal. Just 6 weeks ago I thought it was pretty great that I could jog 1 mile and here I was doing 5 in 1:04! Even better was the fact that I'm 13 days short of a birthday, getting older, mom of two, and I ran the longest run I have ever done in my life. That was way cool!

8 days to my duathlon and feeling great! Tomorrow, I'm attempting a long group bike ride. YIKES!

A mom's gym - where there is a will, there is a way!

I've gotten asked of how I have the time to go to the gym and put in the runs and the bike riding. Let it be known, I do not go to the gym. As a stay at home mom of two, going to the gym is way out of my time constraints. I simply don't have the time or the nannies to help out so I made my own gym with daycare sitting on-site and it's FREE! The picture below shows my little corner for Mommyathlon. I have a spinner and a treadmill right in front of it. This makes it easy when it's raining or during the week when I can't get out. If the weather is bearable, I  put my baby in his jogger and off we go. His jogger with his 30+lb cute butt is a great way of adding some resistance to my jogs. I also have a bike with a baby seat behind me and again his added weight is great for building strength. Week-ends are a treat and that's when I plan my longer runs and leave the kids with dad. I take off alone and it is bliss. I also find the time on week-ends to get on my road bike and away I go, fast and free from all the "to dos". AWESOMENESS!

Here is my corner/gym. A spinner is a great way to build strength for longer rides and it helps build stamina and speed.

On-site daycare i.e. pack-n-play! This is my view from the spinner.  A video keeps him entertained and an ipod keeps me going! It's a great way to fit in a hard workout at any time.

My husband/coach is famous!

My husband is now famous! HAHAHA He got mentioned in a DBR article as "the fastest attorney in Miami" from the 2012 CABA 5K last week-end. He laughed and told me to make sure I mention that it was a small race and that there are other attorneys out there faster than him. That being said, I told him to enjoy his fame while secretly thinking I am basically standing still next to him when we both run together! GEEZ!

Well, at least I am trying and I am off the couch and running towards many goals, slowly, but surely!!

The article can be found at:

http://dailybusinessreview.typepad.com/insidetrack/2012/06/the-fastest-attorney-in-miami.html 

Good Pain vs. Bad Pain

You hear people say "It's a good pain". I've said it myself when I have started an exercise plan in the past. I've been asked how I feel after my two 5K's this past week-end. "Ouch" just about covers it!  Calves are definitely a bit sore so I took a rest day yesterday but it is definitely a good pain. It's a soreness that comes from pushing forward and not from hurting yourself. I pushed myself and completed my week-end goals and today I get back on my bike and continue my journey to fitness and a healthier me.   

I like this poster. It really doesn't get easier but you do get better and stronger and that's what moves you to continue. At least it's what moves me. Getting stronger, hopefully leaner, and doing more. 5 weeks ago, I wouldn't have even thought about doing 5K's back to back and yet this past week-end, it became something to look forward to.  

Next stop, duathlon on June 17th!

2012 Twilight 5K Race Results

Race #2 for this week-end was yesterday evening. Lesson learned - I found out it's a lot harder to run at 7pm after a whole day of playing with the kids, running errands, and cleaning the house!! It was also HOT! You could feel the heat slapping you in the face just walking to the start line. That being said, I had a great time and am feeling pretty good this morning. It's amazing what consistent exercise can achieve. Little by little, I'm slowly coming back and getting stronger. I really love that feeling!

My official time for this race was 38:05.  3 minutes over what I wanted but the main point is I completed it and I'm feeling a lot more confident for my duathlon coming up on June 17th! There were also rumors that the other 5K was a bit short which may have contributed to my faster time. Thatjust means that I have to keep working it!

Husband and I before the race - The weather was sooooooooooo hot!

Pedro Perez and myself right after the race.

The finish smooch - happy and tired!

2012 CABA 5K Race Results

Early this morning, around 5:30am, having breakfast with my husband, he asked me what my goal was for this race since that would be my new "PR" moving forward. I stared at him over my bowl of oatmeal wondering what he meant and wondering why I wasn't laying in bed sleeping. "PR" = personal record. So whatever I was about to run, would be my new "PR" and the new time I would try to beat over and over through every other future race. I set it high. I told him I wanted to finish the 5K in under 40 minutes. I didn't ask him because I already knew. He shoots for under 20 minutes. Yes, that would be half of mine, no pressure! I reminded him to grab his sneakers. We got ready and I reminded him to grab his sneakers. We were out the door by 6:30 and right before we left, I reminded him to grab his sneakers again. We got to the race, parked the car and he starts cursing.  He forgot his sneakers. Nah, really?! I couldn't help but laugh. Luckily I had a good friend that was on the way to the race and he was kind enough to get the sneakers for us so we didn't have to go back home.

The race began and off we went. I kept it steady and didn't overdo it or try to keep up with the fastest runners. I'm not anywhere near that yet. I got passed by what seemed like hundreds of people and felt like I was standing still. It's a funny phenomenon. A lot of people that don't run regularly, run their hardest at the beginning of a race. The adrenalin is pumping and off they go. Somewhere after that, those of us that have been running regularly, start passing all those that took off with incredible speed at the beginning. I felt much better after the first mile as I started to pass more and more runners. Okay, I didn't feel better, I felt great! I have been working hard for over a month and it is really paying off. I thought about stopping, I didn't. I kept it going steady. I crossed the finish line at a little over 34 minutes!! I beat my goal by almost 6 minutes. JOY! Tomorrow another 5K. The Twilight Run. My new goal, under 35 minutes. Wish me luck!

Bob Kulpa, Will Diaz-Rousselot, Susie Diaz-Rousselot, Alfie Gonzalez (my husband) 

and me.  

Sandra M. Ferrera (CABA President-Elect), myself and Susie Diaz-Rousselot

Pedro Perez (He got the sneakers!!  THANK YOU) and myself

Hubby gets a congratulatory smooch.  He got 2nd place in his age group and 4th overall! 

(NO PRESSURE FOR ME!!)

Proudly wearing my own medal!  FEELS GREAT!