More than a Real Estate Mom - Triathlon, Fitness, and Life on 30A

My first triathlon of the season was scheduled to be the Pineapple Man in Melbourne, Florida. Conveniently, two days before the race my body revolted against me and I got dog sick so I made the tough call to bag the race. So my first race of the 2008 triathlon season was the Jacksonville Sprint Tri! It was also my first tri after baby. I was excited and a little apprehensive at the same time. While I'm great at telling others how to train and guiding my athletes, I have been remiss in my own training. My bike had been hanging in the garage since early May. At least I have gotten back to running (slowly) and I did make it out to the lake a week earlier for a great open water swim. This race was to be a baseline for the coming season so I could tell exactly how much the pregnancy, and stubborn 20 extra pounds of baby weight affected me. Sharon and I got on the road at 4 AM and arrived at the race site exactly 2.5 hours later. We picked up our packets and set up transition. I'm ou...

Whenever the water temps in Florida rise above 80 degrees there is an advisory against swimming in the lakes. Last summer, due to the fact that I was pregnant and exercising for two, I heeded the warnings and did not swim. This summer I decided to take the risk despite the threat of the brain eating amoeba. My husband, though supportive, is not a fan of this decision. Saturday morning I got up and headed over to Lucky's Lake Swim. This is a local 1K swim hosted by a kindhearted swimmer. It offers locals and visitors the opportunity to practice open water swimming and while there is no lifeguard on duty, there is a sense of security with others in the lake. As we learn from an early age... never swim alone. My previous swim across the lake was Mothers Day weekend. Half way across I was tired and breathing every stroke. By the time I finished the lap, I got in my car and could barely lift my arms. Thankfully, this weekend showed a marked improvement. I was able to breathe every 3rd s...

I get to see this every day. I also get to see this... Every up has its down.

My life has changed since the baby arrived and in some ways, it has not. I still go out to dinner, still go to the movies, still shop. I'm blessed to have a very good baby who is calm (for the most part) and quiet (for the most part). So I take her with me. However, she is my new priority and I must consider how my actions will affect her. As a result of this new thinking, I decided not to race the Pineapple Man on Sunday. I really wanted to because I'm ready to get back out there and I just love triathlon. I love the community of athletes and the comaraderie among the bike racks. I love the challenge of it all. So what happened? Friday night I was sick. It was beyond the sniffles. I had a fever with chills and felt wretched. I tried not to breathe on Elise too much, or cough on her, or spread my germs but I'm her caretaker and well... when you breastfeed you do have to touch your child. My fever broke overnight, thanks to a strict regimen of Tylenol, but the co...