Summer Running #3

Before I sat on my butt and watched the CrossFit Games…I had the third in the Summer Watermelon 5k Series on Saturday morning. My running buddy, Julian, was back from basketball camp! I sure did miss my “baby” for the 4 days he was gone! 😢

The run was held again in beautiful Lakeland, Florida around the picturesque Lake Hollingsworth.

Sunrise on the lake before the run.

The race started at 7 am before the HORRIBLE Florida heat kicks in! This race was also special because my Dad came to watch. I usually don’t invite/ask anyone to come watch me race, even my parents! I’m embarrassed! Always have been…always will be!

My “baby” Julian

Me and my girl, Salt! 😉

It was a great run and I shaved another 20 seconds off my time. I’m getting there! As soon as I get under 30 minutes again, which hopefully will be next race (and 20 seconds off), I won’t know what to do with myself!! Cartwheels, handstands, back flips…I don’t know…🎉PARTY🎉

I bought a new singlet for the race from Fitniche. LOVE it!!

Maybe it brought me good luck! But then I found that my FAVORITE running hat is falling apart…

What’s a girl to do?? This Nike hat has been with me for 5 years!! You think if someone from Nike sees this and feels sorry for me, they’ll send me a new one?? PUH-LEEZE?????😃
Well…I’m running in it until it falls completely apart!!

Did you do any races this weekend?

Getting to Know You #5

I know…I KNOW that you’ve been dying for me to return with my “10 Day You Challenge”!! #riiiight

6 Places

1.Australia

The Opera House in Sydney! Uh yes…sign me up! “Me me me meeeeeee🎶🎶”

Who WOULDN’T want to see this?? ALL of this!! I’ve made or as far as New Zealand, but I’m getting there!!

2. Italy

A country that I have been blessed to see but was so young don’t remember much. And I would really like to appreciate the country (and WINE) through adult eyes!

3. France

Vive la France!! I took French in middle school and high school and really didn’t a chance to use it as much as I’d would have liked to (mind you this is the 42 year old talking NOT the 14 year old!!)

Arc de Triumph

I’m OBSESSED with the Lourve! I want to see literally every square inch of it!!

And there you have it…The Eiffel Tower! What is more “France” than that????

4. Spain

España…how I want to see you! Hubby is of Cuban decent and his connection to Spain is via his grandfathers on BOTH sides. I can wait to see this country and eat all of that scrumptious food…like THIS paella!! #omg

5. Charleston, SC
Ok…this is the ODD man out! I can’t get enough of the gentle South! I’m secretly wanting to have EVERYTHING in Southern Living magazine! I love the history and the charm that defines the South…

Who wouldn’t want a horse drawn carriage ride??

6. Germany

EVERYONE wants to see the inspiration for Cinderella’s castle! Neuschwanstein Castle is magical and I would love to see it in person…BEFORE my ball dress turns back to shreads! 😉

What do you think about this list? I’d like to point out that all of my places, with the exception of Charleston, ALL have great wines and beers! That didn’t necessarily factor into my list….probably just coincidence! 😉

Where are the places you’d like to go??

Next up….5 Foods

Another summer goodbye…..

My CF buddy (ie my Running buddy) will be gone for the next few days because he went to basketball camp.

The excitement….! His face is saying “ENOUGH with the pictures, Mom!!”. I thought he was saying “I’m ready for some BASKETBALL!!”
He is about an 1 hour and 1/2 from home in Orlando…on the campus of the University of Central Florida.

This place is the off campus dorms that he will stay.

Yep…dorm beds still SUCK!

We don’t care WHAT UCF’s mascot IS…we’re GATORS and we ALWAYS represent!! 😉❤️🐊

I had to say “goodbye” to No.4 and get back home to pick up #2. Dropping Julian off at camp gave me a glimpse of how it’s going to be when college comes calling. 😢

Off to pick up #2 and to the gym we go….

UGH…it was HOT! Again, you look at the WOD and think “Oh…that’s not too bad!”. And then BOOM…it IS!
The first WOD was a 3 min AMRAP of burpees box jumps. WHAT??? Yes…first you do a burpee, come up and jump on the box. Nice!!!
REPS?. I did 29.
The second WOD was a 15 min AMRAP (R = ROUNDS in this one) of the exercises listed. ROUNDS??? 4 2/3.
GRAND TOTAL for the WOD : 33 2/3 (29 from the first and 4 2/3 from the second)
That was a much needed Monday WOD!

How was your day?
Any parents say “goodbye” to their babies this week?

My First World Problems….

As I am recovering from my triathlon this week, I’m not killing myself to get back “at it”. I did go to CF yesterday with Julian!

Tuesdays are my rest days normally but I decided to incorporate a short run…about 1.5 miles or so….just to DO something. I wanted to go outside but typically Florida weather didn’t allow that to happen. #RAIN. Which means, what???? Yep….DREADmill!! UGH….
It’s VERY hard to stay motivated when you “just” have a DREADmill! #firstworldPROBLEMS. That’s sounds horrible to verbalize it!! I should be BLESSED that I have such problems!

I bought a FitBit prior to my triathlon. I was very excited to have one because of all of the features it had. Well….it’s a little overwhelming to me! I thought it was going to just calculate the calories I’ve burned….not really! I’ll do a review in a little bit, but I did use it this evening for my run. Boy was it WAY OFF!! This think had me running a pace 46 minutes or something like that! I closed the app and went back to my trusty and faithful Nike+ app. Stick with what you know and like!
Review to come….

What did you do today??

The FIRST Time….(“This one time…at CF…”)

I was going to write about 6 Places today from the 10 Day You Challenge. But something far more interesting happened today! My “baby” Julian did his first CrossFit WOD today!!! 😃

Look at that face! Excited!!

Julian is a basketball player and he wants to get better. All he TALKS about is basketball…all he THINKS about is basketball….you think he wants to play?😉. I’ve been waiting for the right time for him to try CF.
He’s 13 and I feel this is a good age to incorporate weights. When I was a competitive swimmer, at the same age as Julian, I was lifting weights too. So why not?

This WOD was a PERFECT introduction to the sport!

He totally kicked my old ass! First time
doing KBS and not only did he KILL them in the WOD, but he killed the 100 KBS we had to do for time. You know what that makes me…other than OLD??? A PROUD MAMA!!!He’s excited and can’t wait to go back!

Wasn’t that more exciting that my 6 Places? Don’t worry…it’s coming tomorrow! 😉

What was one of your proud parent moments?

Getting to Know You #4

Apparently this post didn’t “POST” because I couldn’t find it!! I already wrote this, but hear I go again!

7 Wants
First let’s day, that I interpreted this differently than maybe others may have.
I went pretty superficial on this one because “wants” to me means things that I CRAVE but MAY never have….

1. Health
Of course I want this and strive for this every day! This is one of those things that I crave and will HAVE!!! 😃

2. Computer
The iMac is calling my name!!

I want one of these babies BADLY, so I can work on posts on an actually computer and not my iPhone! Oh yeah…the kids need it for school too!!😉

3. House
Did you know that it was possible to outgrow a house?? Never knew that I could, but 2 boys later, you CAN! Plus…I’m tired of driving 50 minutes every day to work and school for the boys! It sure would be nice to love closer…..
Oh yeah…and I want a POOL with his new house too! #GREEDY#sorryNOTsorry

4. FitBit
REALLY want one of these!

It looks like it will help me keep on track with exercise and weight loss!

5. Ninja Blender
You know..I love smoothies, but the 1996 blender I’m rocking right now just AIN’T cutting the mustard!!

This thing is the BOMB! I want it…but I’m too CHEAP! But….if someone would like to BUY me one or GIVE me one…I’m interested!! 👍

6. Worry Free eating
Uh…..YEAH! Who wouldn’t want to chow down on their favorite thing without worrying?? Unrealistic? Yes! Still a want? HELL YES!!

7. Skinny ankles
You know…I see these runners and people always complement the shoes, their outfits, etc. The one thing I’m looking at and liking?? Their ankles!!!. Weird? Maybe…but you haven’t SEEN this ankle of mine!!!Ever since my shin splint injuries, my ankle is fat….

Look at it!! I’m 42 years old and I have a CANKLE! (You know…calf running into an ankle??!!! Ugh). It won’t.go.AWAY! So I’m stuck with it!! DOUBLE UGH!!!

So, there you have it…my 7 SUPERFICIAL wants!

Next up….6 Places

Swim, Bike…..DONE!

…Uh huh…my Triathlon is DONE!!!
What an experience. This was the first one I have done in 3 years. Injuries sidelined me and then just life got in the way with training. I was all too excited to get back at it!!

This race is the 2nd in a series of 4 sprint triathlons (Central Florida Triathlon Series) located in Clermont, FL, nestled between Orlando and Tampa. I’d never been to Clermont, so I was looking forward to being there! I was more nervous about doing a triathlon in July…in FLORIDA! My other races have been in October, when it tends to be cooler (believe it or not!).

Each race in the Central Florida Triathlon Series has a theme..

…..this one was “America” #merica
I didn’t dress in my Red,White, and Blue…simply because I don’t own any tri stuff in those colors. 😃

Clermont is about an 1 hour and 25 minutes from me in the Tampa Bay Area…so suffice to say…I left my house at a** crack of dawn so I could fudge in “getting lost” time and get to check in with plenty of time.

The Full Moon that followed me….

I checked in, got marked and went to the transition area to set up. Number 522, baby!!

My set up in the transition area had all my items needed for the race:
Bike helmet
Bike Shoes (and socks)
Running shoes (and socks)
Running shirt
Hat
Towel
Bag (with remaining items)
Fluids (Gatorade)
Energy chews

The cap and goggles stayed with me because I needed them for the first leg.

I waited for my girlfriend, Sam, to meet me

We workout at the same gym and she was the ONLY one of my friends that I could bribe convince to do this race with me!

This distance was a Sprint:
Swim: 1/4 mi (440yds)
Bike: 10 mi
Run: 3.1 mi

The wave times were posted

..and since I’m OLD (42!)..I had a pink swim cap and therefore an 8:00 am wave time. Sam was 3 minutes ahead of me in the green caps.

Swim🏊
1/4 mile in beautiful Lake Minneola

From the sand, those buoys looked FAR AWAY! The swim happens to be my strongest leg, so I wasn’t really worried about it.

This was a lake swim which was a first for me. My other races have been in open water. Many asked me if I was scared because of our Florida gators (NOT my BELOVED University of Florida GATORS!) that swim in the lakes. I was more worried about amoebas and parasites and stuff like THAT from swimming in a lake! 😁
Time: 8:50

Bike🚴
Whoa…not my strongest leg…EVER! I wasn’t looking forward to this part. I’m not good not confident on my bike. But how do you get better?? Get on IT!!!
I can now see WHY people gave me the “look” when I told them I was doing a race in Clermont. One word…HILLS!!! I’m a Florida girl and we don’t have hills. Well guess what?? We DO have hills in Clermont! I didn’t have my phone on me (SMH), so I can only show you some after shots and some representation of the ACTUAL hills…

Mind you, there was the biggest hill I have EVER been on, towards the end of the bike route!! #really. It wasn’t my beat bike, but considering there were THREE hills, I’ll take it!! Seriously….
Time:53:10

Run🏃
Ok…I now have LEAD legs and I have to run a 5k. Oh yeah…and some hills too! #damn
I had to walk one part for the first time EVER! I didn’t feel good about it, but it is what it is! I felt good but my legs were tired!

Time:36:29

Transitions
That’s the “in between” between each leg in the race. This is an art, in and of it self! This should be practiced in some way, but in not sure how…
How well you do in your transition will help you smoothly move from one leg to the next. Having everything set up and easily accessible is the key to a great transition. That….and having a good “rack” neighbor. 😉

T1:3:41
T2:3:05

These times aren’t impressive at all…

Final time:1:45:13
Not great but not bad for a gal who didn’t do a LICK of training. All I did was CF and run. Not bragging, but I wouldn’t recommend doing “JUST” this for a race.

What did I learn?

1. Training is the key!!
You can’t expect your body to weather the demands if you don’t put the work in! I was about 10 minutes of my last triathlon time. Mind you…I was 3 years younger BUT I prepared and trained for it. I won’t let that happen in my next one!

2. Gear preparation
I made a list of the items I needed the night before. I was fairly confident I had everything. But I did forget to bring a little bin to put water in it to wash my feet off after the swim.
Ehhh…not too bad!

3. You have to start SOMEWHERE
I used this race as a baseline…some place to start to see where I need to improve. Which again…refers back to #1.

4.Loading during the race
You probably saw the Gatorade in my bike. Yeah…it didn’t get TOUCHED! I drank some before my swim and that was the last time something of food source touched my lips. I didn’t drink during the bike or the run. I had some energy chews

and didn’t touch them! It’s not like I forgot…they were out…I guess I just didn’t think about it. It was pure ADRENALINE that fueled me and kept me going, I guess. I surprisingly didn’t crash (mentally or physically), but I wouldn’t recommend it! I will make sure on my next one, to fuel up appropriately.

Who I do it again?
In a HEARTBEAT! I can’t make the race in this series in August, but I found one for September! Unless I can find one another day in August😉

I’d love to hear about your experience with triathlons…first or one hundredth. Any tidbits? Any training tips?

It’s the FINAL Countdown….

…c’mon…sing it with me!! Da da daaaaaa…da da dat da da…
LOVE that song! SN: didn’t realize it had words until about 10 years ago!😃

Today, I did my last WOD before……
THE TRIATHLON!!!!

Just a quick recap of what I did this week-

Monday

What can’t be seen is that last 15 front squats! This was pure hell!

Tuesday
REST DAY!

Wednesday
LAZY! Just plain LAZY! I didn’t go to the gym OR run! #slacker

Thursday

Lordy…I thought the Grim Reaper was coming for me after this WOD! Did you like what I named the WOD?? And THAT was kind……

RIP Angie 😲

So, tomorrow I will be getting ready for the race on Saturday. I won’t go to the gym because I don’t want to be extremely sore and tired. I also have to get my “stuff” together. I’m going to put together a list of items to have…whether it’s your first or one hundred first…it might be interesting.
Or at least I HOPE it will be interesting for you….😃

Ever have a workout when you thought you were going to “DIE”?!!

SN: Hopefully…tomorrow’s post will be 6 Places from the 10 Day You Challenge. Hey…no one ever said it had to be 10 days in a ROW! 😉

🇺🇸 Fourth of July🇺🇸

Whew…that seemed like a blur! I really enjoy July 4th! It’s nice that we all come together, no matter what ethnicity, religion, background, and celebrate as AMERICANS!! I wish it was like this ALL the time……

We usually go to the parade in town. I’ll have you know that ours (in Brandon, FL) is the LARGEST in Florida (so I’ve been told and so has it been advertised!! 😃). The boys always look forward to it…

You see the excitement! Gotta LOVE that!!

Many local businesses, school bands and organizations, local politicians (incumbents and ones that are running), anyone you can think of participates in this parade. It really shows what kind of community we live in.

Just a small sample of some participants. I didn’t get as many as I wanted because I was too busy having fun! This year they were celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the first high school in the area, Brandon High School.

You can’t go to ANY parade in the Tampa Bay Area without beads! You know like Mardi Gras in NOLA?

The boys are WAITING for the beads!
I have a TON of beads…like…two plastic grocery bags full!
During the parade, candy is thrown with the beads, too. We have enough to last us until Halloween! 😉

After the parade, we go home and hubby ALWAYS hooks up a great holiday meal! We had fried chicken, BBQ Pork, fried fish, veggies, Mac and Cheese. Not exactly the healthy meal, but HEY…it only comes around once a year!! 😉. Oh…how can I forget…my hubby’s corn! This is literally my favorite!!

He uses milk, butter, and sugar! OMG!! I really eat the corn more than everything else!!

And of course what is this holiday without fireworks?? Hubby picks the best kind….

WOO HOO!! They were great and the boys loved it!!

HAHAHAHAHA!! A little July 4th humor! I couldn’t resist…..

All in all, it was a great holiday with family. The only thing that is “sad” about this holiday….
School supplies are in the stores the VERY next day!!! #toosoon #notREADY #REALLY

How was your holiday??

#tpt

Tomorrow, I will be back on track with the 10 Day You Challenge. I have the day off and I can focus on the challenge at hand!

In the mean time, today’s WOD was a b**tch! Today’s Thursday, right?? Well, forget about #tbt, I dubbed “her” #tpt for “Throw punch (in my trainer’s throat) Thursday”! I told her that I loved her, but I wanted to chop her dead in her throat for creating that WOD!! It was AWFUL….necessary but awful!!

This was a continuous WOD. It was 4 rounds of 20 push ups and 20 sit-ups, immediately followed by 3 rounds of 20 KBS with 35# and 10 T2B, then 2 rounds of an 800 m run and 20 burpees. LAWD!!!!
I finished and literally thought death was coming! I needed that workout! I am going to sleep GOOD tonight!! I didn’t do a run today because I did a mile in the WOD and well…I was just plain tired when I was done!

So, I sit, exhausted, and wait for tomorrow to celebrate our nation’s INDEPENDENCE! I’m thrilled to have the day off and to spend the day with family. Maybe I will get a run in…before the festivities or after?? Not quite sure yet…😉

🇺🇸 Happy 4th of July🇺🇸
What are your plans tomorrow?

PS…do you remember what KBS and T2B stands for?
KBS = Kettle Bell Swing

T2B = Toes “2” Bar