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

I registered for this race in February, 2008... almost as soon as registration opened. I was 8 months pregnant at the time and thought it would be a great way to celebrate the baby's birthday and visit with family, plus I would be able to train with a goal and try to lose the baby weight. Well, I still have about 15 lbs of baby weight to lose and training proved more of a challenge than I originally anticipated however - I finished! Little did I know that it would become the largest 70.3 in the world with 3000 registered entrants. Holy Cow! Race morning started just as any other race morning. I woke about 3 AM and got right into routine of bodyglide, dress, contacts, last minute packing, etc. J asked if he should wear jeans or shorts... I quickly put an end to that nonsense with the simple response "Husband, you are not my concern right now". He wore shorts. I mixed up my carbpro drinks that Sandy had given me a week earlier in Austin and pulled my uncrustables ou...

After tossing and turning with a migraine into the wee hours of the morning, I was so glad to wake up feeling good and headache free. Today was my final swim before the race (and first open water of the season). The GNO Triathlon club meets every Saturday so today I planned to crash their workout! How great to have others to swim with. I dressed, put in my contacts, and left husband & baby sleeping peacefully. The drive out to the lake took about 45 minutes. I struggled into my wetsuit, thankful it still zips, put on my cap and goggles, then headed down the seawall. Not as cold as I expected! I swam for a short while and was thrilled to feel good. Then I swam back to the start. I'm ready for tomorrow. Another swimmer asked me to swim alongside her, as it was her first time in the open water ever. She did alright and it gave me a little extra practice. When finished, I headed back to Slidell. Now it's time to check lil blue into transition for the night. Early morning tomo...

My husband is navigating the bumper to bumper New Orleans rush hour traffic and I figure that now is a perfect time to do a test-post. We decided to pick up my race packet today rather than wait for Saturday, in hopes of avoiding a big crowd. We succeeded, though there was a good turn out. I sat through the mandatory briefing and then got my packet. I did buy a new tri suit that felt phenomenal when I tried it on. Best part...no elastic so it eliminates "sausage leg". My legs need all the help they can get. Then we talked to Tom Ziebart, who is one of my favorite race directors. Finally we purchased a "race crew" shirt for Elise and decided it was time to go. Swimming tomorrow with the GNOTriathletes! Race is 2 days away.