2012 Dunedin Triathlon Recap

Posted on June 11, 2012 by fmadmin

It’s now Monday, a day after completing the 9th Annual Dunedin Rotary Triathlon at Honeymoon Island State Park.  As I mentioned before, the last time I completed a triathlon was September 2005.

According to google, we had about 1.5 hour drive to Dunedin.  We left our house around 4 am to make sure we would be there early to pick up the registration packet.  I also liked getting there early to avoid all the traffic getting into the park.  🙂  Another benefit of getting there early is you get to see the course so you have an idea of how it will flow once the race begins.

About 800 people competed in the Triathlon this past Sunday.  The event consisted of a 1/4 mile swim, 12 mile bike and 3.1 mile run.  The organization of this event was amazing.  Everyone knew what they were doing and the energy was contagious.  If you’ve ever been to Honeymoon Island Beach, then you know there are a lot of “rocks”.  I was very impressed with the race organizers who were yelling at us to keep “swimming” on our way out of the water and to use our hands so we wouldn’t cut our feet.  Also, there were no rocks between the beach exit and the transition zone!  Amazing job!

Personally, this was my best triathlon time 1:36:33.  It was a longer bike run than my previous one, and I finished about 4 minutes faster.  I can’t complain.  My transition times need work for sure.  The swimming portion will always be my weakness, but that’s ok.  If I can survive that, I can certainly finish the other two.

The post race party was incredible.  I couldn’t believe they had people at the finish line handing you an ice cold bottle of water!  There was plenty of food to go around.  Muffins, cookies, bagels, bananas, apples, pizza and beer! Unbelievable.  But the best part was having my mom, brother and daughter there with me.  My biggest supporter, my husband, stayed home with our youngest daughter.  I can still hear my youngest daughter cheering for me as I walked into our home.  I may not have been fast enough to place and win a medal, but the amount of love and encouragement I received from my family was priceless. 🙂

 

Posted in Featured Articles, Running | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Cilantro Salsa Verde twice in one week

Posted on June 8, 2012 by fmadmin

One of my favorite  meals of all time is Skirt Steak with Chimichurri sauce.  Although it may be difficult to pronounce, chimichurri is super easy to make.  Conventional chimichurri is made with Parsley, olive oil, salt, garlic, pepper and red pepper flakes.  There are all kinds of chimichurri variations.  Some add mint to the mix.  While changing channels the other day, I stumbled upon a chef on the cooking channel who was drizzling a cilantro salsa verde over grilled chicken.  Not wanting to miss anything, I quickly ran to a chair to watch him make it.  His ingredients reminded me of chimichurri,  and as far as I can tell the only difference was cilantro versus parsley.

Two nights ago, we decided it was time to fire up the grill.  Luckily, I had brought home some cilantro!  If you’ve never had chimichurri before, I encourage you to try it.  There’s just something about all the fresh ingredients drizzling over the grilled meat.  The bright colors and the citrusy bite can take your taste buds up to another level.  If you haven’t noticed I might be in need of an avocado intervention pretty soon.  I just can’t stop bringing them home!  Here’s round 1 of the Cilantro Salsa Verde…

Tonight’s menu consisted of ground beef tacos and yellow rice.  Halfway through cooking, I decided to add a bean salad as a side dish.  Yes, it had avocados.  Did I mention I might be obsessed with avocados lately?  I used small red beans, but you can use any bean.  As a dressing, I used the Cilantro Salsa Verde from the previous night.  Here’s Round 2…

The bean salad was made up of tomatoes, avocados, purple onion and yellow pepper.  It was also used as “taco filling” for a meatless option.  Do you like sour cream?  Have you tried using plain greek yogurt instead?  My personal favorite is Fage.

Cilantro Salsa Verde

Ingredients:

1 bunch of cilantro
1/2 lime
1 lemon
1 garlic clove
1 cup olive oil
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/4 tablespoon pepper

Directions:

  1. Using a food processor, add the cilantro and garlic clove and pulse into finely chopped.
  2. Once the cilantro is finely chopped, add the olive oil to the food processor and pulse for a few pulses.
  3. Bring mix to a mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients.  For best taste refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.  You may use it immediately.  If you refrigerate it, make sure to use it in a day or two.
Bean Salad with Cilantro Salsa Verde
Ingredients:
1 can of beans (black, red or white)
1/2 tomato, cubed
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
salt
Cilantro Salsa Verde

 Directions:

1. Rinse and drain the beans.

2. In a large bowl, combine beans, tomato, red onion, and yellow pepper.  Sprinkle some salt  to taste, then drizzle some of the cilantro salsa verde.  Refrigerate or serve immediately.

 

 

 

 

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Four Days ’till Dunedin Triathlon

Posted on June 6, 2012 by fmadmin

One of the things I look forward to during our “off season” time is our two days off.  Our Strawberry season goes from October to April when we are open seven days a week.  When April comes around, you better believe it we are ready for a break!  Having those two days off gives us time to slow down and enjoy our family.   It also gives us the opportunity to pursue personal goals and learn more about Tampa Bay.  For the past two years, I’ve made sure to take our girls to a different beach during the summer months.  Growing up in Puerto Rico, I would spend almost every weekend at the beach.  Most of my childhood memories in Puerto Rico bring me back to the southwestern coast, Cabo Rojo.  I want our kids to have those memories too.

 

Something else I enjoy doing in the summer is running.  Yes, I know it gets really hot.  I have to make sure I get my run in early in the morning or late at night.  When you work 7 days a week for seven months out of the year, the heat does not seem like such a deterrent. Back in 2005, I entered a Sprint Triathlon.  It was my first attempt at being an “athlete”.  The Sprint Triathlon was a ¼ mile swim, 12 mile bike ride and 3.1 mile run.  I remember waking up early on Saturday mornings, riding my bike to the beach, going for a swim as the sun was coming up, and then heading home on my bike.  I remember feeling such serenity and fulfillment by completing these “bike-swim-bike” training sessions.

photo courtesy of http://www.dunedintriathlon.com/photo-and-results.htm

Fast-forward a few years, we move to Plant City.  After having baby #2, I got back to running.  But that triathlon bug was still bothering me.  Every year since moving to Plant City I would check out the Dunedin Triathlon.  And every year, I would say to myself “Next Year”.  Guess what, next year is this year.

 If You Are Receiving This Email You Are Safely Registered For The 9th Annual Dunedin Triathlon on Sunday June 10, 2012!
Only 18 Spaces Remain So Forward To A Friend If They Are Thinking They Are Safe To Wait!
YIKES

I can honestly say I feel ready to complete another Sprint Triathlon.  Yes, I probably did not train for the swimming portion as much as I should have.  But, I have put in my time at the YMCA spinning class and running loops around Walden Lake.  Yes, I’m nervous.  But I’m also excited.

 

Have you ever completed or thought about doing a triathlon?

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