Tri the Wildwoods Triathlon and 5k

Well here it is.  The last race of the season.  I would like to apologize to everyone that it has taken me so long to post all of this.  I got caught up in the madness of training, racing and just life in general and my blog suffered.  I am back though and I have some exciting things for all of you coming up.

On to the race… This race was a little different for me because it is a Saturday race.  I don’t like to be rushed or stressed on race morning so I took a half day and headed to the beach for packet pickup.  Let me start by saying by the time this race came around I was done.  My head wasn’t in the race and I was so worn down from the season that I just wasn’t in it. 

After check in, some pizza and stickers etc I hit the hay.  I knew what I needed to do the next day.  When we got to transition it was a bit crazy.  There were A LOT of first timers at this race.  Not that there is anything wrong with doing a race for the first time.  I love seeing first timers come out, but I don’t like first timers who don’t do their homework.  There were a lot of those.  I weaved my way through the crowd and in to transition.  It was nice being able to pick your spot in transition.  I found a spot with a good landmark so I could remember where it was.  Super important! From there it was business as usual.

I pulled on my wetsuit and headed to the beach.  This was an ocean swim and I was a little nervous about that.  Of course the race director Steve put everyone’s mind at easy and gave us a few pointers before jumping in the water based on what the tide was doing.  I ran down the beach and in to the water I went.  Everything was going well until it was time to start heading back in.  I felt like I wasn’t going anywhere and just when I least expected it a huge wave came up behind me and freaked me out.  I made it in and got to my bike.

The bike course was a nice out and back.  Not too flat but not too challenging.  There was one gnarly climb going up and over a bridge but you got to come back down.  I found my groove and just peddled away.  Just before T2 I got to see my parents and Jamee, which is always a positive.  No matter the distance that little extra boost you get from seeing your cheer squad can carry you through the pain cave and I knew I was just entering.

On to the run, this run is no joke.  The first half is in the sand and not the nice hard sand down by the water.  They purposely put you up in the soft stuff so I took a moderate approach.  It was however TOO moderate.  I got back to the boards and my legs felt fresh.  I finished strong but I knew I still had some left in the tank and I was mad about that.  I knew I could have pushed myself harder in that soft sand.  I could have pushed myself harder the whole day but again my head just wasn’t there.  Must have been in the post race beer tent.

It has been a long season and now it is time to unwind.  Not before I thank EVERYONE who got me through this season.  I can’t name everyone but I will name a few.  First of all Jamee, this was a long season with lots of long training hours for both of us and I couldn’t have done it without her.  Jim and Brandon who helped me all through the way.  Jim keeping me healthy and coming to AC at the crack of dawn to cheer.  Brandon for getting me through my first 70.3 and all those early morning swims at the club.  My parents for traveling in the wee hours of the morning to almost every race.  My sponsors and everyone who enables me to do these things every single day in the beast gear.  Last but not least my followers.  All of you guys who read, comment, message and support me along the way.  Thank you so much.

As I said I have some exciting things for my readers coming up to keep an eye here and on social media!

Until next time, All for now

Keep FSU and Do It For Yourself.

I don't post on here daily but feel free to find me else where!

Atlantic City International Tri

It will always hold a special place in my heart because this is the race that started it all.  Coming off of an iffy race I was ready to murder this race. 

Let me start by saying I love racing in Atlantic City, it is my favorite place to race.  I go over the bridge into Atlantic City and I get all amped up and ready to go.  I hit bike check in, packet pick up, and the athlete meeting.  I have done this race before but I wanted to check in with the RD and say hello so I figured I would hangout.  Plus things change from year to year so it is good to catch one of these.  After chatting with Steve I learned that the idiot who went off on me at the Challenge Race was fired and we chuckled about that.  He had to be on his was and I needed to check in to my hotel so we parted ways.

I was trying to keep costs low for this trip so I booked a hotel at the Chelsea but on the “other” side and not in the towers.  Horrible idea, DON’T EVER DO IT.  If there is one thing I learned about AC, it’s don’t hit the cheap button on your hotel choice. On top of that there was a huge pool party right next to my room.  Thank god that ended before bedtime.

My alarm went off and it was game time.  I got set up in transition and did a warm up jog I was ready to go.  This course is so fast that things happen in the blink of an eye.  The swim course is great, back bay, calm and little current.  The bike course is super rad because it is on the AC expressway, which is obviously closed to bikes at any other time.  The run is on the boardwalk but it is early enough where all the drunk, party people are still sleeping. 

My swim went really well for this race, I have been trying to improve it and I felt great during this swim.  I jumped out of the water and went right to the bike.  

While on the bike I started to pick a few people off.  I caught up to one guy and he was clearly from north Jersey.  He look at me and was like “oh man these shorty bars are killing me. I am cramping up.”  2 mins later he puts his arms up over his head and screams “OHHHH MY ABS!!” I almost peed my pants.  

fasted bike split for AG

I continue riding my race.  We play cat and mouse, he said at one point “I thought I lost you.” And we headed in to T2 together.  I could see him leaving T2 and he actually stopped to “stretch” but turned around looking for me.  I was paying attention to my race and just let him go.  I knew what I needed to do and that was smoke this run.  And that I did.  I came back into Bader field and I was moving at a pretty good clip.  As I cam down the chute my boy Jim was waiting for me and he ran the whole time, yelling and pushing me to finish strong.  

Coming into Bader Field

Running the chute with Jim

Finish strong I did in 59:54.  I wanted to go under an hour at this race so bad and I did.  I was on cloud 9. 

I literally cannot thank everyone who supported me at this race enough.  Jamee, my mom, dad, and Jimbo.  It was incredible to do what I did there in front of all of them.  Thank you as always to my followers and sponsors and Coach Dave for getting me to the start line healthy and enabling me to accomplish this goal.

I can't thank this man enough for everything that he has done for me since day one.  He's been here through the entire journey. He was there on that first day I toed the line and he was there to witness the win. It was special that't for sure.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart Jimbo.

Up next is Challenge Pocono!

Until next time, All for Now

Keep FSU and Do It For Yourself

I don't post on here daily but feel free to find me else where!

Feeling Off in the Off Season

It's March and as I sit down to write this my entire town is covered in ice scratch that, we are now covered in 7+ inches of snow.  If you know anything about me, you can only imagine the effect this has taken on me haha.  It is killing me, but March comes in like a lion right? I can only hope so.

So let's get to it.  It's the off season.  It gets cold, it gets dark, it gets just down right miserable here on the east coast.  I had a plan to combat this though! I was doing more racing this past season so that I could make a bit of a name for myself and apply for a team this off season.  Going into a new season with a new team, a team that I always dreamed of would give me that "high" to carry me through this off season and get me to the spring ready to rock.  As you may have guessed things did not quite go as planned.  I applied to two teams. I will not put the teams on bast but one straight up denied me and the other "never got my application".  One of the teams is one that I have had my eye on since I started this sport.  Maybe it's a sign, maybe it's not right but nonetheless it was a hinge moment for me.  A moment that made me reconsider a few things and a few different approaches.

As you may know I had a GoFundMe account set up at the end of this summer to help off-set the cost of a new bike.  So I began to focus on that and how I could maximize the amount of support I received from family and friends.  It was absolutely incredibly how supportive people are and I am still, to this day, beside myself and cannot thank everyone enough.

Between the let down of not getting on to two teams again and the training break I took after the Marine Corps Marathon things started to spin out of control.  I ended up loosing interest in my training among other things.  Luckily enough I caught myself and I could right it before things got completely out of control and get back on track!

One day a good friend said to me "Yo man, why don't you apply to Xterra Wetsuits to be an ambassador."  I figured hey it couldn't hurt so I did. I applied to them and heard back pretty quickly and after talking with the East Coast regional manager I was in!  This got my brain working.  I started thinking of brands I use and love and I started reaching out to them.  Some I heard back from and others I did not.  It got me back on track though! I am now an ambassador for Xterra Wetsuits, Delmo Sports Elite Events, and Infinit Nutrition.  All brands that I know, use and love and I couldn't be happier with the results.  If anyone has any questions or needs help I would be happy to assist in any way that I can.

Now at this point you may be thinking wow, this guy is certainly tooting his own horn here.  Confession time.....not my intention at all! I am using this for two reasons, first, according to a very smart man, Jon Acuff, I had what was called a hinge moment.  Something was going on that I didn't like and I had to change it.  I had two options, I could really let this get to me and just hang it up.  Say you know what forget it, I don't have what it takes to make it on these teams so why am I even doing this.  As much as I don't want to admit it, that thought crossed my mind a time or two.  My other option was to find a better way.  That's what I did. I took the advice from a friend and I ran with it.  You have the same choice.  It could be with your job, relationships, training, or all of the above.  Whatever it is you may do, sit down, think about it, bring it up to people you trust and really put some thought into it.  I promise things will work out if you put the time in and take the time to figure it out.

As for training, Monday marks the start of a 16-week block leading up to my first 70.3 race in Atlantic City.  I am anxious, nervous, and excited all at the same time.  I can't wait to get things moving and I can't wait for this season to really get under way.

Thanks for reading and thanks for the support!

All for now.

Keep FSU and Do It For Yourself

"You're insane, I could never do that" Marine Corps Marathon

It's December 14 and its almost 2 months post my first ever 26.2 journey.  I have been neglecting this post for long enough but there are some reasons behind that.  I have started to structure my "race reports" different and I don't want them to be a play by play of all the events leading up to the race.  Instead I am attempting to recreate the feelings leading up to, during and after the race.  This race had a lot of feelings behind it so I wanted to get my thoughts together before I put it all down.  Today someone said to me, "I still can't believe you ran a marathon!" and I thought there was no better time than the present to get things down on the screen.

Let's start with a few facts before the race, leading up and in training.  I was a complete rookie and I made every mistake possible so I want to get that all out for people to learn from.  Over the summer, after Atlantic City I began ramping up my running.  My first long run was a 13 miler and I decided to make it 13.1 to complete my first half.  This was a different first half because there were no aid stations, no cheering, just me and the rode.  I packed a couple gels and completed the run in under two hours.  I was thrilled.  From there things went down hill.  For about three weeks in a row I pack the SAME amount of gel or maybe one more and ONE water bottle.  I couldn't figure out why I was hitting a wall every time and couldn't get through 2 hours of running.

Fast forward and after many phone conversations with seasoned runners I came to terms with the fact that I was under fueling and under hydrating for the demands of marathon training.  I ordered a bag of custom Infinit Nutrition (check it out here) and waited anxiously for it to arrive.  It came and I threw every time goal out the window at this point and my main goal for the day of the marathon was merely to finish.  Leading up to Marine Corps I had one 18 mile long run and one split 20 mile long run.  This will come into play later.  Unfortunately due to time constraints this was all I could push my body to do in order to recover properly for the marathon.

The race was on Sunday and I left the Thursday before for Washington DC.  The expo was friday and I was advised to get in as early as possible and I am glad I did.  I met some amazing people for the first time who had helped me through training and they reassured me that I was ready and I WOULD finish.  Aside from the normal expo shannanigans it was business as usual.  My cousin had just recently moved to the DC area from California and so I got a chance to see him for the first time in probably about 4-5 years.  He is an active duty Marine so it meant a lot to me to see him before the race.  As we were walking back from a late lunch he said something to me that stuck with me for the rest of the weekend.  He looked me dead in the face and said "Listen I know a lot of people have told you a lot of different things about completing this race.  I am not hear to over load you with any new information, I just want you to remember one thing, don't ever stop moving.  He looked me dead in the eyes and said listen to me DO NOT STOP MOVING!" This resonated with me and I took it very serious.  Little did I know how useful this would become.

Saturday came around and I wanted to stop back by the expo to exchange a shirt I bought the day before.  We got of the metro at the exit and before we even got to the top of the escalator I could see the line.  I said to my girlfriend "Thank god we came yesterday!" we turned around and got back on the subway.  It was off to some sight seeing for the day.  So we explored DC and saw all of the sites.  Another key mistake on my part.  At the time I did not realize it but later that day I knew I made a mistake.  We walked EVERYWHERE that day and by the end of the day my legs were tired.  Not to the point of exhaustion but I knew that they were tired.  I knew it was a mistake but I couldn't change it at that point.  I met with my parents, had a wonderful dinner and it was off to bed.

I woke up the next morning full of nerves.  I tried to eat as much as I could but it was a struggle.  With every bite I felt like I was swallowing a boulder. I dropped of a bottle of nutrition with the facebook crew in the lobby that I would exchange around mile 20(another key point) and it was off to the metro.  The rest of my bottle were in a bag with my family and I would exchange them along the route.  We followed the crowds to the start and it was a long walk through the parking lot. From there it was just a waiting game.  I made my way over to the start and I was overcome with emotion.  It was time, I was about to embark on the hardest journey of my life.  I waited to see my mom and sister before I started because they wanted to send me off.  I saw them and then began walking up to the start line.  I was way in the back of the pack for the start.

Largest flag ever used in a jump!

Here we goooooooo!

A few miles in I had to pee so bad.  I didn't want to stop but it got to a point where I knew I wasn't going to be able to fight it anymore.  I found a tree, relieved myself and continue on.  I had one bottle in my pack and an extra bag of Infinit just incase I missed my family for a bottle exchange.  The miles ticked by and I felt good. I got to mile 10 and I had some tummy problems and I got nervous.  I thought man if this is an indication for my day, its going to be a long one.  I tried to sip some nutrition and just stay calm.  Luckily it subsided and I was back on track.  I was not going as fast as I wanted to but I knew I had a long journey.  I saw my family around mile 11 and did the first bottle exchange.  They were incredible and I cannot thank them enough for being a part of this journey.   The last thing I want to say about this point in the race was that I was heading back from one of the turn arounds and the "straggler bus" passed me on the other side of the road.  I remember telling myself this was the first and last time you would see this!

After mile 16 or so we made our way out by the Potomac River.  This was the hardest part of the race for me.  The mental game really began.  I just remember seeing mile 18 and thinking, OK I have 8 more to go, I can do this.  If you remember from earlier, 18 miles was my longest run leading up to this race.  So here began the run walk.  I had a bottle from my family and I knew I just needed to make it to the party at mile 20 to see the Red Felt crew.  I started to really look forward to seeing this party.  I remember hitting 19 and thinking ok, one more mile and I will see them, then it is just a 10k to the finish.  I remember seeing people stopping and stretching out.  I wanted to stop and stretch my calves so bad.  I thought "I could stop just for a minute, what's it going to hurt?" Then I remembered the conversation with Michael, NO!!! NO STOPPING!!!  I hit mile 20 and I couldn't find them.  Not anywhere.....this hit me hard. I was mad, I was stunned, I just didn't know what to do.  It got in my head really bad.

I needed to just continue on and finish my race.  I remember being in the middle of the bridge and thinking for the first time, am I even going to be able to finish this.  From miles 20-23 it was a mental game.  "You can do this" to holy cow, how am I ever going to finish this all in the same breath.  When we got back to Crystal City I dumped the bag of nutrition into my bottle and filled it up with water.  I knew I had this in me.  The energy through this city was like nothing I have ever felt before.  They carried me to mile 25 and my walking at this point was minimal.

I remember getting to mile 24 somewhere and people started saying "just one more mile, you got this!"  To those of you who run, you may be able to related to how I felt at this point.  I wanted to smack these people in the face.  DO NOT tell me I have one more mile when in reality I don't.  It was a false sense of security for me and I did not like it.  I powered through and looked forward to that mile 25 sign.  I remember passing it and reaching up and smacking it.  We were almost there.  For the last mile of the race, I don't know where it came from but I ran the entire thing.  There were two things I heard about this race.  One I wasn't sure of and the other I knew was going to be there.  The first was the magical man with the keg of beer around mile 24 or so, but I never found him =/.  The second was the uphill finish.  I rounded the corner of mile 26 and it was there, starring me in the face.  I knew my family was at the top of that hill and still to this day I don't even remember feeling it.  I ran up the hill so fast to see my mom and girlfriend there.  This is where the tears started.  I remember approaching that finish line and just bawling like a little kid.  I had done it.  From a 300+ pound couch potato to a marathon runner in just over 2 years of blood sweat and tears.  I crossed the line and just stood there for a minute.  I kissed my hands and just threw them up to the sky and said thank you.

When the Marine put that medal around my neck and saluted me saying "Congratulations Sir!" I could have lost it.  I wanted to hug him but I thought that might be weird so I refrained.  I remember them pushing everyone to keep moving when all I wanted to do was sit down!! I found a curb and sat down for a second.  I just wanted to take it all in.  I took off my shoes and got out my phone so that I could find my family.  Having my phone on me the whole race was key.  I could keep in contact with my family and find them after the race.  I did not use it for music because I didn't want to kill the battery which was key and I also know that service can be touchy throughout the race so I had an iPod for that.  Smartest 50 bucks I have every spent!

Post race the only thing I wanted to do was drink my chocolate milk and take an ice bath. Luckily my hotel was less and a quarter mile from the finish.  This was HUGE! The last thing you want to try and do is navigate public transportation after such a large race. Unfortunately I guess do to safety concerns you cannot plug the tub in hotels.  So I settled for a shower and my wonderful 2XU compression tights.  I remember receiving a congratulations text from a friend and she offered some words of wisdom.  I was laying in bed when I got this text and all I wanted to do was stay there.  She said "GET UP!!!" another key piece of advice.  I got up and continued moving as bad as it hurt.  I walked and got food and walked around a bit more.  It hurt but I am so thankful that I did it.  Plus it gave me a chance to go out in my new jacket with my new hardware ;).

I remember walking back to the metro with Jamee and she told me again for the millionth time how proud she was of me.  She has been there from the first day I met her and I am so thankful for that.  I said to her:

"You know, I'll be honest, it did not go the way I planned.  I did not hit my time goal, but there is one thing I did do and that is complete a marathon.  It is something I swore I would never do, it is something some people say they want to do but don't and its something some people will never be able to say they did.  No one will ever be able to take that away from me."  

It is completely true what they say, you will never forget your first and I believe it to this day.  Two months later and I still feel the same amount of joy writing this as I did that day.

If you have skipped all the mumbo jumbo in between and got to this point please just read this paragraph.   Years ago I remember talking to someone and telling them I would NEVER run 26.2 miles just for fun.  On October the 26th I did just that.  Something I thought I could never do in a million years.  If you have something that you have always wanted to do and said you never would, please take my advice an consider doing it.  I promise you that you will not forget it.  It will be the most rewarding thing you have ever felt in your entire life.  It was not an easy journey, it was a fight every day, but god I wouldn't trade it for the world.  I made some key mistakes along the way but it has made me better for the next one.

I thank you all in advance for reading this extremely long and over worded post. I hope you find some motivation or inspiration in this to do something that you have always wanted to.  Lastly I thank everyone for their constant support.  Without you I would Have never been able to complete such an amazing task.  I cannot even begin to list the people but you know exactly who you are.

Next up I have some exciting things that I can't wait to tell you all about!

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks for your support!

Keep FSU and Do It For Yourself!

Post race excitement, Next race worries

Everyone knows that excitement, that feeling of accomplishment just after the race.  You can usually ride it for a few days, maybe even a week.  It's a nice cruise to come down from, but as will all good rides, this one must come to an end.  Once the ride comes to an end you start to dissect everything that happened from said race.  Things like breakfast, the car ride or walk to transition, the sleep, the nutrition both before and during, the swim, the bike, and the run.  You look at all aspects of it and try to determine, did I give me best? Where can I get better?  If you have multiple races close together, here come the worries of the next race.  Do I have enough time to get better, faster, stronger? Will I improve or will I stay the same?  God forbid.....will I get worse? And cue the emotional roller coaster of race season!


Since Escape the Cape I have been training my tush off for the Jersey State Triathlon.  This race is much bigger than my previous.  It is bigger in the field, longer in distance and just bringing some nerves.  Once my wave came to an end after ETC I knew it was time to get after things.  I was having good sessions on the bike, in the pool and on the run.  Things were just going well.  I wasn't shaving huge chunks of time off but my training felt good.  This could only mean one thing, I needed to step it up.  As soon as you get comfortable you need to get out of that comfort zone, or you could be stuck there for awhile.

So I started to step training up.  Workouts were getting harder and longer, efforts were going up and I was seeing results.  With Fourth of July right around the corner I knew I needed to take my bike with me to the beach.  Over the weekend I completed my longest ride to date.  30 miles through the beach towns and it felt great.  Coming home I was feeling good off of this ride.  I went to swim Monday however and I felt like garbage.  I couldn't hold my times I wanted to and I could barely get through my swim.  Things just started to go down hill from there.  The next swim felt like crap again.  At first I thought it was from the weekend away, having fun and enjoying myself, which is something that everyone needs to do.  As I thought about it more though, I knew that if it were because of what I was doing, I wouldn't have been able to do that ride.  Now I am not someone who looks for excuses, when things are going bad I put it on myself to get better.  I was standing on the pool deck one morning though and I noticed the board was reading a temp of 86 degrees in the lap pool.  I started talking to a friend and his swims were also struggling a bit.  I knew it was the water temp. I was freaking out about the upcoming race, knowing that the field is WAY more competitive than any field I have been in before and this wasn't helping.


Fast Forward.....I started this post at the end of last week.  Since then I swam two more times and went for another ride and run.  I swam outside where it was cooler and my times were right where I wanted them to be again.  My bike was the longest to date again, 46 miles and my run was 7.15 miles in an hour.  I am feeling much better about my training going into this weekend now.  I am pumped to compete against a competitive field and I know its going to push me to my max and I am very excited for that.  Coming off of some great workouts that were key going into taper week and thanks to the support of some amazing people the nerves have been calmed a bit.  On my ride this past weekend I conquered my fear of getting into areo on the road.  This was a huge step for me and I thank my buddy Brandon so much for pushing me to get over this.  It seems very small but it was a HUGE step for me.

Dropped down and getting over the fear!

Fenwick Island on the 46 mile ride.

Now it is time to taper off and rest up for this weekend.   I am going in feeling good and confident along with excited to see how things pan out.  As for the rest of the week I have some open water stuff on Wednesday depending on this weather along with one more run.  After that it is just some shake out stuff and a long care ride up to Princeton NJ for the race.  Race is sunday but I will pick up my packet and everything saturday and stay there Saturday night so that I do not have to travel far on race morning.  Anyone else have an races coming up this weekend or in the near future? What are you racing and when? Please share!



All For now
Keep FSU and Do It For Yourself




I do not post on here on a daily basis but feel free to catch me on other social media!

Demons....

Well post Broad Street run things have seemed to take a turn.  My posts are typically about how things went well or how I can at least take something away from them.  Everyone loves reading about people getting better and good news but this news is not good.  After my weekend away for golf I have not gotten in the training that I know I need to be hitting.  I have been making excuses and shying away from challenges.  The most frustrating part is, I have no idea why.

We all have demons, demons that we live with day to day that have come from various experiences.  As athletes we learn to deal with these challenges and face them head on.  For some of us, me included the training helps rid these demons from our lives.  For whatever reasons these demons have made a triumphed return.  They have affected my training and my mood lately.  I don't train the way I used to and when I do, things seem to go on a downward spiral as the training progresses.

For me it is race week as of today.  In less than seven days I will be taking on my very first olympic distance triathlon in Cape May, NJ.  I have a buddy who always tells me "trust you training and just do what you know how to do."  This is right but without the training I have nothing to trust and I am starting to get nervous about this race.  I know that I can finish the race, but I am not just a finisher.  I need to earn that medal.  I started this journey because for once I can be competitive in something and run with the "big dogs" so to speak.  I am just hoping that come race day I will be able to hang with the big dogs still.

As far as demons go, these race demons seem to come around for every race.  The doubt of can I do this? Will my body hold up? Do I really have what it takes?  I have goals in mind for myself, just as anyone else does.  For this race however I am not going into it with too many goals.  It is my first race at this distance, I need to see how things go on race day.  I know what I have done in training and I will repeat that on race day.  I have had some physical demons that I have been battling in racing and I am just hoping to work the kinks out and really use race week to chill out and get my mind right.

Mock race of .5mi swim, 15 mi bike 3.1 mi run

As for everything else in life, things are going very well.  Memorial Day weekend has just passed and things were awesome.  I had a great weekend with old friends and made some new ones.  This past weekend the weather was beautiful and I had more awesome times and there are sure to be some great times on the horizon.  Aside from being incredibly busy and not having much time to train for racing things are going spectacular.  I know that when I leave for the race on friday all of these things will be gone with the wind.  Has anyone else experienced things like this?  How do you combat these demons? Just know that you are not alone in this and everyone has demons that they must battle in some way, thats what makes this sport as amazing as it is.


Until next time, thank you as always for reading, sharing and commenting!



All for now
Keep FSU and Do It For Yourself










I do not post on here on a daily basis but you can follow my training and other posts here!

It's not always rainbows and butterflies...

I find myself reflecting as I lay down here in bed.  I find myself going back in time, far back in time.  Not just weeks or months but a few years back.  A time where things were very different, I was very different.  I didn't have a care in the world, about anything.  I was a teenager, I enjoyed simple things and I loved life.  I was so naive about life, love and the pursuit.....

As I lay here I wish I could go back in time and talk to that person I was.  Tell them(OK maybe scream in my face) that there are bad people in the world, bad things do in fact happen to very good people and yes you can and WILL get screwed.  People are going to talk about you, people are going to look on and judge like they know you when they probably don't.  There are more bad people than good and there are going to be times where it feels like there is a rain cloud stuck right over your head.  There will be times where it feels like the world is crashing down on your shoulders.  There will be times where it feels like no one understands. There will be times where it feels like people treat you like dirt and you just won't understand how they can do that.  It was a time where I thought I was on top of the world and nothing could ever possibly happen.  I was very wrong and I think  had I gone in knowing that these things could happen, it would have been different.  Maybe things wouldn't have gotten so out of control so fast, maybe things would be different.  Then again if if's and but's were candy and nuts, everyday would be Christmas right....The person I was is not the person who I have become however...

Things are very different now that is for sure.  I am certainly different than I was both inside and out.  I wouldn't change things for the world.  I have come so far and learned so much over the past year.  Things are turning around and beginning to become different, but it is a good different.  I find myself getting excited about things I would have only dreamed of in the old me.  If I have learned one thing that would sum it all up it would be that nothing is going to be handed to you.  If you want something, you are going to have to go out and get it.  If you sit around and wait for things to happen, it won't, bottom line.  When you work for something so hard though and you get to where you want to be it is quite possibly the most rewarding feeling in the entire world.  The last thing I learned is that there are going to be people who come and go in your life.  There will be people who come though and never go.  Those people will be there day in and day out.  Those are the people who will ALWAYS be there.  The trick is finding who those people are and hanging on to them for dear life.

If you are reading this, you probably found it via twitter, facebook, or instagram.  We also probably share some of the same interest, from swimming, biking, running, or all three.  Eating healthy or working out to better yourself.  Regardless of why you are reading this I would like to say thank you for one.  People like you are the reason that I can keep going.  Support from people who read and like my posts means everything in the world.  The second and last thing I want to say is that everything isn't always going to be rainbows and butterflies.  Although I would like it to be, as I am sure you would to, its not.  When things get tough, you have two options, you can throw your hands up in the air, quit, walk away and say screw this I am not doing it anymore.  OR you can step up to the plate, bat in hand and give it your best swing.  If you never try though, you'll never know whether you could do it or not.  So why not step up and try?  No it is not going to be easy, yes there will be times that suck more than anything, but it's a fight and when you win that fight you'll be so happy!  On top of that, you'll be ready for your next fight and whatever that may be. 

I thank you all for reading and if you are in a place right now where you don't know if you want to fight or flight, I highly urge you to fight on.  Things will get better and that sun will come up to push that rain cloud away I can promise that.  Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and have a productive week!

All for now.
Keep FSU and Do It For Yourself

Tomorrow is my birthday!

August 12th....it is always bittersweet when this day comes around.  It is sweet because it is my birthday, obviously that is exciting as always!  However it always indicates that the end of summer is near.  I am excited for the end of this summer for so many reasons.  I start student teaching in the fall and it means I am in the last stage of college.  It is the final stage, something I have been waiting for, for the longest time.  I know I still have a long road of job hunting after I graduate but it is one step closer to teaching.  The other reason I am excited is because my race is in September as you already may know.  It is what I have been working my tail off for since September of last year and I will finally be put to the test!

 This past week was another one which wasn't too exciting.  I worked and I trained.  No sailing this week because I took over at my buddies house to babysit his three dogs and they left early so I didn't want to leave them for that long.  I have continued to lift two days a week and I can definitely feel myself getting stronger in the weight room.  For whatever reason when it came to to my bike and run this week though it was very difficult to get myself going.  I think taking so much time off last week definitely hurt me.  I also did not swim this week, which I don't like but I will be back in the pool this week, I can promise you that.

My buddy who I am house sitting for was a personal trainer and is still into working out and staying fit.  One morning when I woke up I found an omron machine in the bathroom.  I decided to fire it up and plug in my info and see what it had to say.  I could see the little lines blinking across the bottom and the anticipation was building.  When the numbers popped up I had to rub my eyes and look at it again.  It told me I had 18% body fat.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME 18%!!  I didn't have one of these machines when I first started so I cannot give you an exact number for where I was, but it had to be somewhere between 25-30%.  I couldn't believe it...I was beside myself. 

Last week I was talking with a guy Brandon who I work with at my health club.  I used to see Brandon when he would come in to swim when I first started working there and I was super inspired.  I knew he was a triathlete and I knew that, that's what I wanted to become.  He has definitely been an inspiration throughout this whole thing and he has helped me more than I could ever imagine.  When I was talking to him, I told him that I wanted to get better and faster on my bike.  I am averaging about 15 mph on every ride when I go out but I want to be faster.  I also can feel how I am still a little hesitant when it comes to descending hills.  This is obviously something I need to work on because there are so many hills where I ride.  After talking awhile he said "it will come with time man, don't worry about it!"  This is so true....I constantly need to remind myself that I have just entered into this new world of triathlons.  I did not run or ride before I started.  I am basically starting from square one and he is right, it will come with time and practice. 

Today I woke up and grabbed some coffee before I went to church.  I knew after church that I needed to do a brick workout.  I was just delaying the inevitable.  I grabbed my water bottles, my Powerbar gel and I was off.  I started my ride and it was hot.  Not nearly as hot as a few rides I have done, but the sun was definitely beating down.  As I was descending one of the first big hills I went to change gears and my chain totally locked up.  I couldn't pedal and I immediately started freaking out on the inside.  I knew I just had to make it to the bottom of the hill.  When I got there I jumped off and started fooling around with the chain.  For whatever reason it had popped off.  As I said before I am totally new to this and I had to idea what to do.  I was over 6 miles from my car and I have no idea how far I was from home.  I wanted to just call it quits, call my friend to come get me who lives right in the town of Oxford and go home.  I finally figured it out and jumped back on the bike.  I rode some more and as I was descending another hill the same thing happened.  Luckily this time it was easy to fix because I knew what to do.  I popped the chain back on and finished my ride.  It was just over 17 miles.

Strava report from my ride.

When I got back to my car, I popped the wheel off and switched my shoes and started off for my run.  I headed over to the park across from where I parked my car and my legs felt like jello.  For my first mile it felt like I wasn't even moving.  I got through two miles in around 18 minutes and I knew I had to finish....I had to hit my 5K just for myself.  I was already over an hour into my workout and my legs were dead. In this moment I wanted to quit so bad.  As I was running I thought of a picture that I posted on my instagram last week and it pushed me to keep going.  I finished my 5K and although it wasn't my fastest time, I some how managed to go 8 min on my last mile!

Strava from my run with my first negative split!

As I said multiple times in this post, I am entering into an entirely new world here.  I am someone who wants things instantaneously.  I see something and I want it right then and there.  I have become better about this on this journey however.  If you go back to previous posts or check out my twitter(ForYourself15) You will see how I have gotten faster since I started running at the end of last year.  I know that I am getting better and better with each training sessions.  I can see my body changing and adapting to everything I have been doing and I am so happy with how far I have come.  I would have never thought when I started that I would be where I am today.  2-3 years ago....HA! I would have never even dreamed of doing what I am doing right now.  Still is it selfish of me to want more, to want to be faster?  No I don't think so....I have never wanted something quite as bad as this and I can promise you that I will stop at nothing until I get there.

I am not sure how you found this blog but I can tell you that I have found some amazing people through instagram who have been incredibly inspiring.  If you are on there or not on there, you should check it out and find me if you want to put a face with the blogger (doing_it_for_yourself).  People post their story and their progress and it is awesome, I love it!  It is insane how your body responds to the pressure you put on it!  

This week is a busy week coming up, yes tomorrow is my birthday but to me it will just be another day.  I am going to train, I want to swim and honestly I wouldn't have it any other way.  I had a great dinner with family tonight and I am so thankful for them. They have been absolutely amazing through this journey and I would be truly lost without them.  Wishing you all a wonderful week and I hope you enjoy what is left of your summer!

All for now

Keep FSU and Do It For Yourself

and AGAIN!

Today I was in the pool teaching some of my clients.  I felt like I was pulling my shorts up a little more than often.  Between clients I stood up on the pool deck and looked down at my shorts....they were practically falling off!  I just bought these shorts at the beginning of the summer.  They are a size 36 and they are falling down and loose on me.  It's insane.  I remember when my size 40 shorts were tight on me.  I am seeing so many changes and feeling so different than I did a year ago at this time.  This time last year, I was happy, I was having a good time and it was summer.  This year I am feeling 10,000 times better and it's simply INCREDIBLE.  I feel energized, I feel satisfied and I feel happy, but this time it is both inside and out.

When I was at work today a guy came in to swim before his race this weekend.  I have been watching this dude train for months and he is doing something that is still unthinkable to me...the IRONMAN Lake Placid race, which is this weekend.  I looked at him in awe for many reasons.  One was because I have so much respect for him.  He is going to compete in one of the most physically demanding things there is on the face of this earth.  The second reason was because I cannot imagine the feeling he is going through right now.  He has to be excited out of his mind.  I remember how I felt the night before my Broad Street race and it was a feeling I will never forget.  I can tell you right now I can't wait to feel that feeling in Atlantic City again the night before my race in September. 

I thought my body would be feeling the demands of my training much more at this point but I have been trying to train smarter not harder.  I have been doing my research and homework and talking to a lot of people.  At this point my focus has changed from shedding pounds to being successful in my race in September.  By successful I mean I have looked at times from last year and been tracking my progress and I want to be a top 10 finisher for the 20-24 year olds and this is completely attainable.

It's funny because today as I was sitting outside at 5:30 this morning I started to reflect.  I found myself focusing on two things.  One was that when I started I remember telling a friend "I will never look like him, I just want to be happy with who I am" and two was "I know I am not going to win but I just want to finish."  It's funny because these two things have changed drastically since I started.  For one I am certainly going to finish my race and I have a focused goal at this point.  I am not willing to stop at anything until I can attain that.  Two is I am going to look however I want.  I have the power, as do you to do anything in this world that you want.  Whether it be fitness related or anything else, you have the power and only you can make that happen.  It is an emotional ride and as I sit here and think about the ups and downs I am getting emotional too.  There is no reason in this world for me to give up on what I am focused on and you all should be doing the exact same thing!

I am doing my best to post on here as things come in to my head instead of waiting to do it in one long post.  I know I finish every post by thanking everyone who reads this, but I truly mean that from the bottom of my heart.  There is no way in the world that I would be able to do this without all of you reading this and the continued support I receive from you.  Whether you know it or not YOU are helping me every single day and I really thank you for that and I owe you more credit than I could ever give you.  Don't give up on what you are doing...

All for now
Keep FSU and Do It For Yourself

A BAD Case of the Modays

Ever hear that saying when it rains it pours?  Well that was me today.  It just felt like if there was something that could go wrong...it would.  I can't seem to win today and I am so ready to get out of this rut and start a fresh day tomorrow.

First of all I did my brick yesterday.  It was my first real brick workout and it was hard....very hard!  I drove down to the Y to park my car and jump on my bike.  I headed out filled with energy and a few cold water bottles.  I rode the route I usually go on from the Y and it was a nice ride.  The weather was beautiful and I just embraced the ride.  I finished 18 miles and headed back to the Y.  I jumped off my bike, switched my shoes, grabbed another water bottle and sucked down my Power Bar gel before heading out on my run.....OUCH!!! My legs were not happy with me, they felt like wet noodles when I started running.  I had my Nike+ app going and I felt like I was running at a 15:00 pace and I wanted to stop so bad.  Just as I rounded the line for my first mile, I could hear the app kick in and I wanted to swallow my head because I knew it was going to tell me my time.  That annoying voice chirping in my ear and then it came....8:00 first mile after an 18 mile ride!! Holy cow did that feel awesome!  I knew I had to put in at least another mile so I forged on.  Trying to keep pace with that 8:00 mark I picked up my speed.  She came on again after the second mile and I hit another 8:00 mile.  I couldn't believe it.  I have never held that pace before and I just did it, after an 18 mile ride!!!  What an INCREDIBLE feeling of accomplishment that came over me. 

Strava from my brick

Run portion of my brick.

Today didn't go so well though.  I got to work and I had forgotten my lock to put my bag in a locker.  Unfortunately we live in a world where you just can't trust anyone so I put my bag on the pool deck.  What's one day right? It's not that big of a deal....wrong! I got yelled at for having my bag on the deck when there were three other people who had their bags out there.  I took my wallet and keys out of my back and put the rest of my stuff in a locker.  I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, I was breaking the rules, no big deal.  It just felt like I was getting in trouble when I always have my stuff in a locker but other people don't.  Maybe I am being too sensitive, oh well...

I then got an email that my midterm paper for my summer class was late.  I was on the school's website everyday over the last week checking for my professor to put an update with what was due and she never did, so I assumed that nothing was do....well you know what they say about assuming.  So I said OK, no big deal I will just complete the paper when I get home and upload it.  AGAIN wrong....the paper requires a book which I of course, you guessed it, don't have.  So on top of not turning in the other assignments for last week, I know have no submitted my paper.....this is not going to end well.  I knew this class was going to be hell, but I really can't afford to fail this class.  I have to skip sailing tomorrow and find this stupid book to complete my paper.  I can only hope that my professor will accept it late and just give me a grade.  I need a C to pass this class and just be done.  I am praying that I can make that happen. 

Other than that today was very uneventful.  I needed to post to vent and get these things off my chest so that I can fall asleep and hopefully start tomorrow fresh.  I did my lift today but it didn't feel the same.  Hopefully I will get back into the swing of things tomorrow.  Although this was a bad day, I refuse to let it set the tone for the rest of my week.  I am going to stick to my guns and get things done!  One bad day isn't going to throw me off track and it shouldn't throw you off either.  Wishing you all a good week and hopefully it got off to a better start than mine!  Thank you for reading!


All for now
Keep FSU and Do It For Yourself

Never Take ANYTHING for Granted

Things are super duper busy these days and I have been trying to find time to post more but I just can't sometimes!! Things are going fairly well here though and I am loving the summer time.  Could be because it is my favorite time of year, could be the friends, family, the pool, the weather...Not sure what it is but I LOVE it!!

This past week was super busy but surprisingly super productive!  Last Sunday I went to a lifeguard in-service that I was dreading.  The month of July was designated to practice possible spinal injury extraction.  It is always a long meeting because it is a very serious topic and it is very involved.  Yes when life-guarding, everything is very serious, this is just one of the more involved and challenging topics that we have to cover.  We have been there for a long time in the passed and I knew I had to get up at 5 the next day so I just didn't want to be there until 10pm or later.  Luckily things went very smooth and I even had time to make it home to catch Sunday family dinner!! 

Monday I was up at 5am, had a long day at the health club and then turned around and taught some of my private clients.  I picked up a new client that came three days this passed week and he is doing very well!  I also somehow squeezed in my lift on Monday which was the start of my "power phase"  It was a challenge to get through because I was exhausted but man did it feel great!

Tuesday I had work again and in the middle of my shift I had a super long break so I figured what better time than to go out and ride my bike!  Best and yet worst idea yet.  In my last post I mentioned how I wanted to feel my lifting when going into my bike, but man not like this!!  My legs were killing me.  Instead of feeling faster, I was feeling like I really had to push through the workout more.  I did have a good ride though and I am happy that I could take advantage of the opportunity to better myself yet again for the race! 

Here is my Strava from Tuesday.  13 miles still ain't half bad!

 

Tuesday night was race night and as I have said before it is one of my favorite things to do!  We used a different main sail than we usually do and it messed us up for the first two races.  In the last race though we stopped messing around with the sails and configuration and just sailed the boat and we ended up taking a second which was pretty cool!  Had a total cheat meal at waffle house after the race but it was worth every bite!

Wednesday was pretty uninvolved, not much going on and super hot out.  I have been trying to swim more at the club, but the inside lap lanes are always taken.  Being an employee, I don't like to take up space for members who are there to swim.  Luckily there was some space outside so I went out there.  Again, not such a good idea.  The pool is sooo HOT out there and it is very hard to get in the groove!  I have been trying to do more sets, like 5X100 with 20 seconds rest to improve my 500yd time and it was tough in such a warm pool.  I would put my face in and it would feel like bath water and when I came out for a breath there was no relief because it was so hot out!  After work and private clients I decided I was going to go for a run.....again, bad idea!!  Are you starting to see a trend here?! I am haha.  When it rains, I complain, when it is too hot, I complain....I need to go somewhere like oh I don't know California ;)  The run was not my best to date lets just say and I didn't break any records but I got out and did it.  If I can do it now when it is hot and disgusting out, come September, I will be kicking butt!!

I actually did 5.9 miles but forgot to hit start!

Thursday I had another long break so I went out on the bike again.  This time was much better.  I am still not as confident as I would like to be on the bike, but I am getting there.  I am way more confident than I could have ever thought when I was first getting started.  I went out on some back roads around here that can be pretty sketch and didn't even think twice about it!  It's funny to stop and think how far you come when you don't over think things and you just go out and do it!

Here is my Strava, 2 miles further in 5 min ain't bad either huh?!

 

Friday was back to work and the weight room.  I tried to swim again and ran into the same problem outside.  Super hot and super hard to get into the groove.  There is a guy who must have been a swimmer in high school and is now doing triathlons who trains at my club.  He came out and jumped in my lane and I thought great just what I need.  I have watched him swim before and he is a pretty good swimmer.  When I pushed off the wall to start my first 100 I wasn't paying much attention to anything around me.  I came in and got my rest and pushed off for my second one and realized he pushed off at the same time I did...still never thought anything of it though.  We finished, I took my rest and then pushed off again, sure enough, HERE HE COMES. So I thought you know what, lets go.  I was keeping pace with this guy through my 100 the whole time!  He was doing flip turns on the walls and I wasn't yet I still kept up with him through my set!  I was pretty siked about it to be honest.  I have watched him before and thought that he was good, but never thought that I could keep up with him.  NEVER DOUBT YOURSELF or what you are capable of!  I finished up my lessons and went straight for the weighted room.  I crushed my lift and when I was doing my pull over this guy asked if I had ever done them on a bosu ball instead of on the bench (same guy who is ripped who was super impressed about my broad street time from a few posts back).  I said no way I couldn't do that and he said "man you absolutely could, just try it! You'd be surprised what you are capable of."  He's right and next week I am going to try it.  People like this keep me going that's for sure.  This guy doesn't even know me and he is pushing me to get better. So awesome.

Friday night I got an offer to go out with my buddy.  I was supposed to go out for dinner, but my plans ended up falling through and I was super bummed about that.  I really wanted to go to West Chester and grab some sushi after crushing a workout.  So we went to grab a drink and catch up.  When we were sitting at the bar we were joking about my biceps and my lift that day.  This is the same guy who got me started and who deserves more credit in the world for everything.  The conversation went on and he said man, you don't even need me anymore.  You have the passion and the drive to learn things and make yourself better and you go out and find what you need to do that.  He was absolutely right, some times it just takes someone else to say it for you to realize it.  This also ties into a comment my uncle left on a facebook post I made...side note, Do It For Yourself is now on facebook, head over and join me! https://www.facebook.com/foryourself15 On the post he said it's not about what you lost but what you have gained.  He was completely right.  Yes I have lost 90 pounds, but who cares, that is just a number, it doesn't define how far I have come in the least bit.  I have learned so much and bettered myself so much more than some stupid number!

Today I went to play golf in a benefit outing.  There was a woman who was paired in my group because we did not have a full group and she was by herself.  I am not a women hater and I don't give them flack for playing golf or think it is a man's sport etc.  It did however kill our team and give us a disadvantage because she was holding us back a bit.  When we were there my buddy and I agreed we weren't having fun and we just wanted to be DONE with golf for the day.  Although we did a lot of complaining I look back now and realize we were lucky to be on the course, have our health and be able to go out and do something we enjoy for the day. 

I came home and some family came out for the day who I haven't seen in forever.  It was great to see them and catch up and see their kids, etc.  My cousin said to me at one point, "do you realize how amazing it is what you have accomplished?!"  I gave her an honest answer and I said no.  I don't think what I am doing is amazing, it is something I should have done a long time ago.  Is that ignorant? Is it cocky or arrogant? I am not sure, but I don't think it is amazing....I am chasing a dream that I have wanted for such a long time and now I am not going to be satisfied until I reach it!

Tomorrow is going to be a brick day, I am not looking forward to it, but I haven't done one in a long while and I also haven't done one with a real bike ride.  Previous brick workouts have been done on a trainer so I am excited to get out and do a "real" one.  After that my plan is to sit at the pool and just RELAX for once.  There is nothing going on for the rest of the day and I am super excited about that.  Hope everyone is having a great weekend, enjoy your Sunday if you have it off!  Hopefully I will see you all on the other side!  Thank you so much for your continued support and remember you are not in this alone.  You always have a friend in me :)  Join me on facebook, follow my journey and introduce me to yours, let's do it togehter!

All for now

Keep FSU and Do It For Yourself

Time FLIES when you're having fun!

Time is literally flying by this summer and I can't believe it is July 14th already....I have only made it to the beach once or twice and we are half way through the summer!  Today is Sunday, which means Monday comes next and it is right back to work for me.  Most people use their weekends to RELAX and enjoy the time that they have off.  Nope not me!  I was constantly going this weekend... I woke up Saturday and knew I had to do some speed training this weekend because I hadn't done it yet this week.  I had a swim lesson at home Saturday morning so I woke up and enjoyed my coffee and THANK GOD the weather held off! 

So it was lesson time!  I have been trying to schedule this family since the beginning of the summer but between vacations and this stupid rain this was the first time they were able to get in.  I love ALL of the families that I work with over the summer but this family is just SPECTACULAR.  They are one of the nicest families I have ever met and I could not wait to see them!  I hadn't seen them since last summer so naturally they were beside themselves when they walked on to the pool deck.  After raining me over with wonderful compliments I got in the pool with the kids.  We had a great lesson and I couldn't believe how far their daughter has come since last summer.  Her parents also told me that they were getting into some small 5K races this summer and it just so happens we are doing the same color run!  I think it is so cool that they can do stuff like that together!  I want a workout partner like that!!

After the lesson I jumped in the car and headed out to the gym while slugging my second cup of coffee.  Good and bad idea all at the same time.  When I finished that second cup as I was pulling into the gym, the intensity level of speed training shot through the roof.  I was so ready to go.  As I was doing my 800's I glanced up and noticed that I CRUSHED my 5K PR at 24:20 and decided I wanted more.  I ended up finishing 4 miles in 30 minutes and some change. I felt absolutely incredible.  It is amazing the endorphin rush you get from working out.  I then went and blasted abs since I had to skip them in my lift this week.  Weighted situps and then a tabata with Russian twist, planks, flutter kicks, and ab roller.  I did two rounds of each and I was DEAD!  I headed straight for the smoothie bar to get my favorite recover shake and then it was off home for the party!

About the same distance as Saturday's run but look at that time difference!

Saturday when I got home my next door neighbor was outside.  We have had a few confrontations with this family and when I arrived I saw him and thought oh god, here we go....I got out of my car and I could just feel him starring me down.  I sitting here thinking, what could his problem possibly be.  I purposely turned my music down and rolled down the street at a crawl of 5 mph.  He looks over again and says, "Holy crap man, how much weight have you lost?"  It took me a minute to process...but I decided ok, just go with it.   So I started talking to him about my race and riding etc.  He opened his garage and showed me his bike and I ended up talking to him for about 20 minutes.  The entire time I was standing there thinking to myself, is this real? Is this seriously happening right now?!  Do you remember saying you were going to kill our dogs like two weeks ago you wacko?!  Either way I entertained him and then went on my way.

Saturday evening I had some people from work here.  A girl who I work with came up with a challenge to Swim Across America.  Every lap that we swim converts to distance on the map and we have certain check points.  We hit our check point for New Orleans and so I offered to host the party at my house.  I was bumming a little bit because all of my friends happened to be heading to the beach for running of the bulls in Dewey.  I was a little low on cash though so it was no biggy.  Once everyone got here we fired up the grill and everyone had a really great time!  It was nice to have some people here and enjoy time away from being at work, that's for sure.  When we were sitting around the table someone looked over at me, and right in front of everyone said "Ian!! Holy cow, look at your arms!"  Now if you have learned anything about me from these posts, I HATE being the center of attention! So of course someone else joined in and complimented me and I was just beside myself.  She followed it up with "Every time I look at you I am just amazed!" So even though I was the center of attention for a minute I didn't mind it because that was one of the greatest compliments I have received yet. 

As for the rest of last week, nothing too big happened.  I workout, I eat and I teach swimming.  That's about my life right now.  I did take my friend on a ride last Thursday.  It was her first ride on her bike so we took it slow and I just gave her a chance to crunch through some gears and get used to the roads around here.  After circling back to where we started, I hadn't had enough yet and wasn't ready to go back home.  So naturally I went back out.  I ended up killing my ride and really enjoyed it.  I know I said it before but there is just something about clipping into your bike and forgetting about everything else that is going on. 

Even after a slow start I still managed 20 miles in an hour and a half.  Can't complain!

Tomorrow it is right back to work.  I am excited to start the "power phase" of my lifting and I really hope it carries over into my riding and swimming.  Everyone keeps telling me that if I just learn how to flip turn that my times will get faster but I won't have to flip turn in my race so why waste pool time so close to my race on learning it and perfecting it.  Definitely something to consider for the "off season" though. 

Last thing I want to share is a picture of the family in front of the camper(that gave us a hell of a ride down) at the beach.  When I saw this picture I must say that I didn't even recognize myself.  Still there are some days where I will walk passed a mirror or something and see my reflection and catch myself stopping for a second look.  It's a great feeling and I wouldn't trade it for the world!

 Thank you to our awesome photographer Susan for this shot of the whole family!

Here we are in front of our camper for the first time!

I think I covered most of the stuff I wanted to cover, naturally I am sure there are things I have left out.  I am going to make it a conscious effort to post more often on here even though it is hard with so much going on!  Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend.  Try to stay cool and HYDRATED with this heat wave coming across the east coast here!!

All for now

Keep FSU and Do It For Yourself.