Hi Friends!

Long time no talk. It’s crazy how you can blink and a month’s gone by and what have I even done with myself?

Well I can answer that pretty easily:

I’ve been training like a maniac (not to be confused with the Lewiston Maineiacs Hockey Team, RIP) (this is a bad joke that only my hometown friends will get).

I competed in my first Tough Mudder (and lived to talk about it, bruises and all).

I turned 26 (which still counts as your early twenties, right guys? …right?…)

I raced in another 5k and got my second best time ever (which felt soooo good).

AND I FINALLY got myself a bike (and I think I’m naming her Sparks).

The Tough Mudder was awesome. It was just as dirty as I expected but also a whole lot more fun. The event is very team-focused and you can’t get through it without lending and receiving help, which creates such an awesome community. As the day goes on, you just can’t wait to help other people. Plus, there’s something so vulnerable about running full speed up a half-pipe, launching yourself up into the air and HOPING, nay, PRAYING that the person up there will grab you and hold on. And when they do, and their arms are grasping yours and you’re trying to heave yourself up, you feel so supported (literally). And that feeling, my friends, is just as important as how strong you feel helping the next person up.

This past Saturday, I ran my first race since January, and it felt so great to get that bib on again. I signed up to run the Mission Possible 5k to support the Los Angeles Mission, which works to support homeless individuals. I like to sign up for smaller races while I’m training for a big race, so it gives me small goals to work towards and fun things to achieve along the way. The race went really well, and I actually did it in around 38 minutes, which I haven’t done in ages. My first and last miles were both about 11:30 min miles, which was great. I seldom get lower than 12 min miles. It was a really hilly race, which provided its own challenges, so it felt great to get a good time for myself.

My next race is going to be the LABC River Ride, which is a bike race along the Los Angeles river bike path. There are different distances, but I’m currently planning to ride the 25 mile distance. I haven’t ever done anything nearly that long, nor have I ever done any sort of bike race, so I’m feeling a LITTLE overwhelmed. But I’m there for fun and I plan to do my best and enjoy the process. If you’re interested in this fun ride, you can check out their website here: LABC River Ride. If you decide to sign up, let me know and we can ride together!

Well, that’s all I have time to write about right now. I’ll share more details on my new bike in a later post. 🙂

xoxo,

Michele

Hi Friends!

Welcome to my new page! If you’re here, it’s most likely because you’ve heard me animatedly talking about this triathlon I’ve registered for or you’ve seen one of my many Facebook posts. You’re probably thinking, “Wow, that sounds fun,” or more realistically, “Oh man, that sounds crazy.” Don’t worry, I feel like it’s crazy too.

I’ve been running casually for about a year, but I’ve never even CONSIDERED doing a triathlon. I’ve been focused on running 5ks and 10ks and thought, hm, maybe a half will be fun one day. But I have never thought of branching out from that. I was perfectly content with my casual running.

Then one day, while minding my own business walking across campus at work, a group of people tabling in the courtyard caught my attention. They were trying to recruit people to join the Disney Tri Team for a September triathlon. My initial reaction was, “Hah, no way in hell.”

Two weeks later, I registered.

When you think of doing a triathlon, it feels really overwhelming and daunting. It’s this big scary thing that requires not just skills in one fitness area, but in three. You have to be able to swim and bike and run, all in one fell swoop. And that is super overwhelming. But if you know me, I’m an all or none kind of person. So instead of tackling the much more reasonable goal of a relay team and doing just part of the triathlon, I figured, screw it, I’ll do it all.

So here I am, at the start of this terrifying and also exciting journey. I have to build muscle, tone my body, learn endurance, and work hard. This isn’t going to be an easy journey, but I’m excited about how this will shape me, not just physically but emotionally and personally.

I’ll be using this page to keep my friends and family posted on how this is all going and share training updates and photos. Plus, this will help keep me accountable to the work I’ve committed to do. I’m excited to share this adventure with you all!

Thanks for checking in, I’ll add updates now and then so feel free to subscribe! 🙂

xoxo,

Michele