Loves Lately

Other than my wedding band/engagement ring, there is no other piece of jewelry that I wear daily. 

Until this necklace entered the picture. I've worn it since the moment it arrived on my doorstep (other than at night, of course!).

I am usually not one for monograms. In fact, I barely remember seeing monograms growing up in the north. After living in the south for a few days, I realized monograms are a big deal down here.

So either I've been influenced by the perpetual initialing of all your possessions, or my eye just settled on this necklace and brought forth the deep desire for everyone to know my husbands initial. . .either way, I loved it. 

And I have big plans for my Maya Brenner jewelry collection. When Justin and I start a family, I will request a new necklace with two initials. Or maybe just one with the baby's initial and I'll layer them. Who could ever know.

 I actually considered getting a necklace with 2 "G's" for my cats but that really pushes the crazy cat lady envelope. So I stuck with the more socially acceptable husband initial. 

necklace: c/o Maya Brenner

*use code SMALLTHINGS for 25% off! 

**

I walked into Tj Maxx for a sports bra and left with a cake plate.  (how many times has that sentance been uttered?)

I also found one of these beauties for $6.99. I saw these in a Pottery Barn catalog recently and thought, "I bet something similar will turn up at Tj Maxx or HomeGoods". 

I was right.

Think of all the possibilities! 

You could use it as your "gift wrap" when giving jewelry. You could fill it with candy. You could fill it with paper clips. You could fill it with bobby pins. You could fill it with glitter. You could fill it with cat treats.

The options are endless. 

That's all for today. Oh, and Happy Halloween! 

Wallums Giveaway!

One of my favorite ways to spice up a room is with a wall decal. It's a zero-commitment way to add a design, words, or "art" to finish off an empty space.

Wallums.com is my go-to decal shop. Michele, who also runs Diesel + Juice (AND who designed my blog) runs Wallums.com as well. You can tell, based on all her businesses, that she has a love for design and quality. 

I requested this "hello" decal for my front door from Wallums and received it promptly and couldn't wait to get it on my door.

I also choose this laundry room decal. I appreciate the bit of sarcasm in it, and also like how it adds a little interest to the room!

I can't say enough great things about Michele and her customer service skills, as well as her unending talent. There hasn't been a single thing I've been unhappy with, and I could shop her stores for hours. 

While this giveaway is for Wallums.com, be sure to check out Diesel + Juice for custom pet portraits and other prints! 

Would you like to win a $50 gift certificate to Wallums.com ? Enter using the giveaway tool below! 

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Not Just a Ponytail

there are so many simple changes you can do to pulling your hair back into a ponytail to completely change the look.

This tutorial is simple and very similar to the Elegant Half Up.

You can start with straight, curly, or practically any texture of hair! It does need to be long enough to pull back into a ponytail, but if you have short hair, just try the Elegant Half up!  

top: Loft
Earrings: Anthropologie (sold out) 

A Tad Monroe Giveaway

Jewelry really is one of the cheapest ways to accessorize an outfit. Especially with bold, or statement, pieces!

Today's giveaway comes from A Tad Monroe, a business born from a love designer pieces, but not always being able to handle those designer prices. Denise and Lauren, the owners, wanted to find a way to participate in the latest trends without breaking the bank. 

How the business works: Simply like the page (www.Facebook.com/ATadMonroe) and stay tuned each Tuesday night at 8 p.m. CST to buy bracelets, necklaces, rings and more during the weekly Trunk Show. They'll post the pieces; you pick the one(s) you want; and the first people on the list get to buy. They invoice through PayPal, and domestic shipping is free! 

earrings: c/o A Tad Monroe 

Would like to win a MAJOR prize pack from A Tad Monroe? Enter using the giveaway tool below!

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High Five for Friday!

It is Friday! Although it kind of feels like a Wednesday or something. It's hard to adjust back to a schedule after traveling. I've learned that about myself.

Here are my top 5 things of the week!

1. The Bieber concert! 

It was so fun to go to this concert with my sister, mom, cousin & her kids (who are 13 & 9). Bieber is such a tiny person. It surprised me how skinny and small he was! But, he's a great entertainer and the girls loved it. So did the rest of us!
My ears rung and buzzed for about 16 hours after the concert. I was pretty sure I did some serious damage. #totallyworthit 

2. Spent some good quality time with the family. I love when my mom comes to visit in NC, but it's great to go back home and hang with my dad and brother too. The four of us (my sister had already returned back to NC) went to the Bulls game on Tuesday night. My brother has gotten into basketball in the past year or two, so it's a family event we can all enjoy. Justin was majorly jealous, but I cheered for Boozer like a true Duke fan would. Carlos Boozer plays on the Bulls and is kinda "meh". He has moments of good plays, but otherwise seems heavy and old. BUT, he went to Duke sooooo I love him. Marc, my brother, isn't a huge fan--can't really blame him--but he does like the Bulls. But if you bring up LeBron James? Watch out. Justin and I love Baby Bron Bron, but my dad and brother cannot be swayed. We've managed to influence mom to join us in the Bron-love, but it will take a lot more to convince the men.

Joakim Noa has the ugliest shot in all time history. But it isn't as ugly as his top knot. 

#cmon

--ANYWAY--

3. I watched a giraffe birth. 

I thought I would ralph but it actually wasn't as graphic as I anticipated. I felt bad for the baby though as he hit the ground after exiting his mother! Talk about a rough entrance! And he struggled, OH he struggled, to stand. But hey, those legs are long. And he was about an hour old so you kinda had to throw him a bone.

But he's CA-UUTE!

4. Some friends and I (including this chick) are running in the Color Me Rad this Saturday. It's a 5k downtown Raleigh. My sister and I ran 3 miles when we were home last weekend so it was good to "check off the list" that I could complete that run.

It's funny, now that the triathlon is over, I miss the intensity of training for it. I mean, I lost 10 lbs! It was hard work! I never would have thought that I would enjoy working out regularly but it turns out that I do!

5. My man is just the best. It's good to be home. I love him. That's all.


Go link up at From My Grey Desk Blog with your High Five for Friday! 

October Birchbox

My Birchbox arrived last week! And this one was a good one! 

I got the special goop box. This month, goop picked the contents of the birchbox! I was excited about it because the Teen Vogue box earlier this year was one of my favorites! 

I'm saving this hair mask for an evening when I can really deep conditinon my hair and then let it air dry. (disclaimer: you don't need to air dry after a deep conditioner, I just like to give my hair a break every once in awhile!)

This Eve Lom facial cleansing cloth went right into my gym bag. I love these little samples for things like that

I can't wait to try the DDF product. I forgot to bring it home last weekend, but now that I'm back in North Carolina, I'm going to give this a shot. 

The Chantecaille mascara smells amazing. Probably the best mascara I've ever smelled. It didn't wow me, but I'm super picky about mascara. For a clean lash look, though, this will do the trick!

What did you get in your Birchbox this month? If you didn't get the Goop box, do you wish you would have, or were you happy with your original Birchbox? 

Your Lips But Better

I wasn't always a lipstick kinda gal. 

For many, many years it was Soft Lips chapstick, and maybe the occasional gloss. 

But man. That has changed, hasn't it?

I've really enjoyed playing around with different lip colors. I feel braver experimenting with lipsticks rather than eyeshadows. 

Anything from a bright pink to a bold, rich red can totally change your "look" and may, in fact, be the boldest accessory. 

Other than the fun colorful shades, it's good to have a "your lips but better" shade as well. Basically look at it as the color of your lips, but slightly bolder/more pigmented. Get it? Your lips but better? Finding this shade may require an employee at a makeup counter--but there is NO reason why you can't figure out the shade, apply it to your lips, walk out of the department store, kiss the back of your hand, and then swatch some different brands (maybe at Target?) that are in your price point. 

Lipstick is one of those things where I'm not sure the pricey high-end brands are amazingly better than, say, Revlon. It may just be me, but the application of my Revlon lipstick is much smoother than my Mac lipstick.

Speaking of Mac lipstick, that is what I'm wearing. I ran into Mac right before the Becoming Conference to find a "your lips but better" shade. I was planning on wearing a bright color when I spoke, so I wanted a slightly neutral lip color.

Just as they always do at Mac, the employee found me the perfect shade. It's called Syrup.

It's a raspberry mauve-y color, and pretty much a pumped up version of my natural lip color. I'm actually surprised no one has recommended it up until now. It's kinda great.

If you are looking for a "your lips but better"shade, try Syrup--but also ask the opinion of the employee. They may find you an even better shade.

Stella & Dot Giveaway

Do you have that one pair of earrings that goes with practically everything you own? Your "go-to's" or the ones you always bring on trips? 

Well, I finally found mine. 

These beauties sent to me by my wonderful Stella & Dot consultant have been in my ears since the day they arrived in the mail. I wouldn't have thought that this raspberry color would be something I would love so much--I typically stick to neutral earrings. But I love them. They really could work with outfits all year round.

Would you like to win your very own pair of the Serenity Small Stone Drop earrings in Raspberry? Enter using the giveaway tool below! 

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October FAQ Video

It's time for the October FAQ video!

In this video I'll answer questions like "does a cool rinse really matter?" and "How on earth do I open a bobby pin without using my teeth!?"

I also talk about what it would be like to pet a fish. . . . I digress . . .

Each month I'll answer a new handful of questions in a FAQ video. "Like" on Facebook to see when post the call for questions!

MadeOn Skin Care Giveaway

I am LOVING these products from MadeOn Skin Care that Renee sent me! The hard lotion (the bar wrapped in paper in the tin) is great for travel and is easy to apply. It's much less messier than lotion and leaves a clean feeling moisture on your body.

The lip balm is great as well. Not even the slightest bit greasy--which is really nice. 

If you have christmas gifts on the brain, be sure to check out the options that MadeOn Skin Care offers! 

Click here to shop her website! And check out the Facebook page here! 

Would you like to win a $50.00 gift card to MadeOn Skin Care? Enter using the giveaway tool below! 

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Dress + Boots

Dress: Target

Tights: No clue. but you could probably find some at Target.

Boots: Loft

I've said this before and I'll say it again. Target is killin' it this season. I loved this polka dot dress as soon as I saw it. 

And I thought all it needs is some brown boots. 

I'm heading out of town for the weekend! Hope you enjoy yours doing whatever it is you do at the end of the week.

FAQ's about the Sprint Triathalon

Thank you for all your excitement and congratulations on yesterdays post! 

I'm so excited that so many of you have considered doing a sprint triathlon! I know you will love it. It is simply the best feeling when you cross the finish line and know that you have trained hard for it. 

I can't tell you enough how naturally "non-atheltic" I am--so I am convinced that if I can do this, so can you!

I'm planning on doing at least one next year, and I hope-if you are on the fence-you decide to do one too! 

***

Here are a few questions that I grabbed from the comments of yesterdays' post that may answer some questions you may have as well!


TP asked, "How much did all the gear cost you? It seems most races are at least $60. Any advice on what gear is essential, and what you could have skipped? Thanks! And congrats again."

The tri-outfit was a little expensive but we were able to buy ours at about 60-70% off since the store was going out of business. I would say ,though, that if cost was an issue, you could buy spandex/tight running shorts and a fitted workout top (not cotton) and that would suffice. I didn't end up using a swim cap, but it's only $8.00. So you can kind of make it as cheap or expensive as you want!
It's important to wear really tight clothes since you swim first and don't want to deal with loose clothes for the bike and run.


BeckyJ asked, "Did you follow a C25k type program for swimming to build up your 
endurance? I'd love to know more about how you did your swim training."

I have never heard of the C25k program. For swimming practice, I just did laps. Once my husband taught me how to swim/breathe (it was too hard for me to take 3 strokes and breathe on the 3rd stroke, so I breathe every other stroke), I just swam laps at a slow pace to practice. I learned, the hard way, that if I start too strong right out of the gate, I'll be exhausted by my second lap. So, I would push off the wall at the start, glide for as long as I could and then begin taking strokes. 

I swam just about every saturday with my husband, which turned out to be about 6-8 days, and would occasionally swim by myself during the week. The week before the tri, I swam twice, and finished with the best swim of my life. I felt good about my breathing and had practiced swimming slow and steady. 


Elizabeth asked,"I am interested in doing a sprint tri sometime in the near future, it's always been a dream of mine. After reading about your experience I am super excited!! Do you have any advice on training for the biking section? That is the part that scares me the most!"

I wish I would have better prepared for the biking. I wasn't very nervous about it, so I spent most of my time on swimming and running. I biked the full 12.5 miles on a stationary bike at the gym so I'm glad I got to see how long it would take to complete (about 45 minutes). I should have biked outside more. Just like running on the treadmill is completely different than running outside, biking outdoors is much more challenging than indoors. Plus, I did not anticipate the hills on the course. I wish I would have done more strength training on my legs and practiced pacing myself on the bike.

The bike portion was the hardest for me. It was the most physically tolling, and mentally draining. When you are swimming with a bunch of people around you, it's motivating to stay strong. Same with running. When I was biking on the side of the road with few people in sight, I began to shut down a little bit and not push it as hard as I could have. It took about 4 miles (I think) into the bike ride to feel strong and get my breathing in check.


Anonymous asked, "Wow what an accomplishment! I can't believe you started from nothing. How did you change your diet? I know you started meal planning. Can you give some examples on a blog? How fast did you start to get your heart rate going when you had never worked out previously?"

Thanks! Well, I ended up losing 7 lbs during these past few months of training. I didn't make drastic changes to my diet other than eating a healthy breakfast every morning and cutting down on portions. For the past 5 months I have had 3 egg whites, 2-3 pieces of turkey bacon, natural apple sauce and coffee w/ sugar free creamer for breakfast everyday. EVERYday. I love that I have developed this habit and it has helped keep me from overeating at lunch due to crazy hunger.

I don't drink pop, I don't eat junk food, but I do love dessert. So I tried to cut down on sweets but wouldn't let it ruin my life. I still had ice cream occasionally--and sometimes it would be a skinny cow ice cream sandwich, or just a smaller portion. My husband and I also had fresh fruit smoothies (w/ no extra sugar added) for desserts instead of ice cream/brownies/etc.  

We cut out a lot of pizza (we both love pizza) and focused on chicken. We used whole wheat pasta. Avoided cream sauces. Barely ate out. But, keep in mind, we weren't overly strict. We would occasionally go out to eat and just make wise choices.

And I really found that since I knew I was working out regularly and working toward a health goal, I didn't want to put junk in my body to ruin it.

As far as my heart rate goes, I didn't pay attention to that as much as I did my labored breathing. I could tell I was stronger and had better cardio health based on how much, or how little, I struggled breathing. It took a long time (I would say 4-5 weeks) to feel like I could breathe consistently and steadily during a run. As far as biking goes, it wasn't hard to breathe. That was just easier for me to do. And breathing during swimming was tough. But once you practice enough, you get the hang of it. I can't express enough how I was not a swimmer. But I ended up enjoying those work outs the most. It's not as painful as a run can be, and your heart rate goes through the roof right away.

LK asked, "Congratulations! For the swim, do you have to dive in? Or can you just jump in or climb in? I have never been able to dive."

I, too, cannot dive. Nor would I want to. For this tri, there was a line of about 15-20 people on the side of the last lane on the right. People in this line would feed into the start of the swim, and for your first lap, you would swim down the other side of this lane. So, I probably spent 4-5 minutes just standing in the pool, slowly making my way toward the start as people kept going. I would have hated diving in, or jumping in, so this made for a smooth start.

I don't know if this is always how they do it, but it was a beginner triathlon so I can only assume other sprint tri's would do this as well!

Laura asked, "So, you answered this a bit in the comments, but I saw your fb post that you are answering questions tomorrow, so I had a few: 1. What clothing pieces do you need to invest it? And, what are you wearing each leg of the race? 2. I am HORRIBLE at swimming. What swimming techniques did your husband teach you? Any advice on how to be better at it? 3. What would you do to practice the bike portion? Indoors, outdoors, hills? Thank you!"

I'm glad I had my triathlon outfit, but I could have done it in spandex shorts and a tight work out top, as long as it wasn't cotton. There were plenty of men and women there in fitted workout clothes and not "official" tri outfits.

For each leg of the race you are wearing the same thing. The reason you want to wear spandex to begin is because you swim in that, and after the swim you jump out, run to your bike, towel off for 10 seconds and then start your bike. So you don't want to deal with changing or a loose, wet cotton shirt. I brought a long sleeve top to wear over my tri outfit due to the chilly temperatures, but I didn't have to wear that. My husband wore just his tri outfit for the whole race.

Check this video for a quick swim lesson:

I hope this has provided some answers for you! Sign up for a Tri! You can do it! 

(e-mail me if you do and I'll try to create an "encouragement" e-mail list or something where we can all share successful work outs and encouragement!)

Why you should try a Tri

If you follow on Instgram, Twitter or Facebook, you may have read that the sprint triathlon that myself, my husband and a few other friends participated in was on Sunday.

It was the most physically challenging thing I have ever done. Let me take you back to the beginning to explain how I got from not being able to run one half of a mile, to doing this sprint triathalon.

*a sprint triathalon means it's shorter than a more typical tri. It was a 250 yard swim, 12.5 mile bike, and 2 mile run.

So, it's summer. My husband is deep into P90X. He's lookin' good. He's getting fit. In fact, he lost about 15 lbs and he wasn't overweight to begin with! He went from a no-pack to a 6-pack. He was in, what we like to call, "Beast-Mode".

So while he's getting all healthy and eating better, I'm sitting around doing the same old same old. I have never had a particularly healthy diet. I can take in a ton of sugar. I also would never book a "lunch" time at the studio so it was pretty common for me to chug a coke and cram some goldfish in my mouth for lunch.

I was inspired by my husbands new healthy lifestyle but not remotely interested in P90X. So while sitting in Midway airport retuning to Raleigh from a week at home, my sister and I started talking about mini-triathalons. Long story short, we found one in Knightdale (which is only 10-15 minutes away) and  talked seriously about doing it.

I told my husband about it and he jumped right on board, which he always does! My sister decided to wait a little bit, so it ended up just being Justin and I. We asked Chris and Mary if they were interested, both of them being runners, and they were--so it turned into the four of us.

My athletic P90X-ed husband asked me if I wanted to join him on a two mile run one Sunday afternoon in July. We had already decided to do the Tri, so I thought, "Well sure. I've got to start somewhere!".

So we went out, at 1:00 in 105 degrees and ran. I lasted about 6 minutes. (I'm aware that these are not ideal conditions for a first run, but just go with me here)

I quickly learned that I was wildly out of shape and had to get into gear for this Tri.

So I started training, seriously, for it in August. We joined a gym with a pool, and I started going 4-5 days a week. I didn't have a schedule, but I just started at what I was worst at and worked up from there. I wanted to get running down since that was my biggest struggle.

I would get on the treadmill, set it for 20 minutes, and start my training. I would run 2 minutes, walk 1 minute, run 2 minutes, walk 1 minute, until I got to 20 minutes. And slowly increase from there. Eventually, I could run 20 minutes confidently without walking.

While I was getting into running shape, I was also biking (mostly indoor) and swimming. I had to learn how to properly swim for this Tri. I could doggy paddle, but that's about it!

My husband taught me how to swim, and we would train together on Saturday mornings. I loved that time with him. We would go bright and early, either run or bike to start, and then head to the pool to swim. For a lot of our training the outdoor pool was open so we would be outside swimming laps at 8:00a. It was so peaceful outside, but such a tough workout in the pool.

Swimming is no joke.

So, from August to October I would train in all three areas. I spent most of my time running and swimming, but in hind sight I wish I would have biked more.

The day before the Tri, Chris, Mary, Justin and I went to pick up our packets and bibs. I wasn't feeling very nervous about it, but after we left the info session, I was nervous. It became real.

We "drove" the bike route to get a feel for it and it was looooooooong. Oh man, this bike was going to be tough. There was an abundance of hills.

We returned home that evening and got our stuff ready for an early start the next morning. We had to be at the location at 6:00am!

Justin and I both bought triathalon outfits/uniform/whatever at a local store that was going out of business--how perfect. So we tried those on one more time, grabbed our towels, goggles, sun glasses, extra socks, shoes and I added a long sleeve shirt that I thought I may want during the 50 degree bike ride. We load the bikes in the car, and make our peanut butter sandwiches for the morning.

So, if you are new to triathlons, you wear the same thing during each leg of the race. It's basically spandex (you will see in the photos) and could not be less flattering. So my slogan for race day was "The worst I've ever looked, but the best I've ever felt", in a jovial tone.

Neither of us slept well that night, of course, and had to be up at 4:30a.

We arrive at the race location when it was still dark and freezing. I think the temperature was 45 degrees. Justin points out that our fingers are going to absolutely freeze during the bike ride. I wish I packed gloves!

We get checked in, get our numbers written on us in permanent marker, attach our chips to our ankles, and wait for the start. The four of us are excited, nervous, and anxious. Of the 300 people in attendance, there was a huge variety of skill levels, which helped me relax a little. The serious triathletes were at the front. They were skinny, already walking around barefoot, and confident. Then as the numbers grew, the variety of people and skill levels increased. A lot of people were beginners like the four of us.

Justin and Chris were seeded earlier than Mary and I since they were faster swimmers. They were called into the pool area and Mary and I crammed our way through the crowd to watch them. I was most nervous about the swim so I thought watching it would help me, and it did. But it also affirmed my greatest fear--the swim was chaos. Somewhat organized, but a little chaotic.

You didn't swim up and down the same lane, you weaved through the lanes like a maze. This was the most efficient way to get 300 people through. The hard part was not knowing how to space the swimmers and either passing people or being passed. There were plenty of times where 4-5 swimmers were in the same lane swimming opposite directions. It was a little crazy.

Justin and Chris got through it, and both did well. When Mary and I got in the pool, two of the tallest women competing got in right behind us. We should have had them go first, but we didn't. Sure enough, only 1 lap into my swim, they both passed me--which was completely fine, but it sort of gets you out of rhythm.

Swimming up and down the lanes went fine, it was the turns that caused a little trouble. But all in all, it was the quickest part of the triathalon and in some ways the easiest.

I climbed out of the pool and was blasted by the cold air. I jogged to the transition area where my bike was racked. I toweled off as best as I could, threw my helmet on, and tried to dry my feet. I pulled my socks and shoes on and when I stood back up to pull on my long sleeve shirt, I could feel water dripping from my outfit down into my shoes. My feet were soaked. But, I had to go.

I hop on my bike and ride. And about 1 minute in I realize I forgot my sunglasses.

As it turns out, my soaking wet feet was much more uncomfortable than my freezing hands. I was cold! And already out of breath. I tried to shift gears but my thumbs were so cold I could barely muster the strength.

The worst hill of the bike ride was right at the beginning. I really wanted to pedal through it but it was just too steep. I followed the several people in front of me and hopped off to walk it up the hill. It took forever. It was great to get past that and get into a good groove.

The most challenging part of the bike ride, other than the frequent hills, was the isolation. There was a lot of time where I was by myself. I could see a person way in front, and was occasionally passed by another biker, but it was pretty quiet out there. That was the most mentally exhausting.

Upon my return from the longest bike ride of my life, I saw Mary who had just started her run. I knew I was close to the next transition, and I also knew Justin and Chris were finished.

I pulled in from my bike ride, and there was my wonderful husband cheering me on. He was so excited and proud of me, it was so sweet. I got off my bike and he said, "Your legs will feel better". I'm thinking,"well, they are kind of tired but they aren't that bad. . .I don't know what he's talking about". I give him a high-five and head out on my run.

Oh. That's what he was talking about. Running, or attempting to run, after a brutal bike ride, is nearly impossible. Your legs are like rubber. I felt like I just got off a horse!

I pushed through it, and was able to run almost all of the 2 miles. I grabbed a cup of water from the water girls and threw it on my face just like they do in the movies. :)

The run, since I was well-prepared for it, was challenging but not as hard as I thought.

(Mary coming in to the finish!)

As I came back around, I saw Justin, Chris and Mary waiting for me by the finish. Justin came and ran next to me for the last 30 feet, and was cheering me on.

I ran through the final shute and had completed my first sprint triathlon.

I was so proud. And so proud of my husband and my friends. And so glad it was over!

We all shared stories over orange slices and water about our experiences on each leg of the race. It was really great to hear we all had a successful race and finished in about the time we thought we would.

Justin and Chris finished in 1 hour, 13 minutes, with Justin only 38 seconds behind Chris. Mary finished in 1 hour, 33 minutes, and I finished in 1 hour, 43 minutes.

(Chris, looking barely worn out, after the race)

I anticipated, based on my training beforehand, that it would take about an hour and a half (without transitions), so I was glad to be near that time!

So, would I do it again? Absolutely. In fact, I'm planning on doing one next year. And I would tell anyone to do it because it is one of the most rewarding feelings when you finish it. It gave me a purpose for working out and getting in shape, and it's also really cool to say I've done a triathlon. 

So, try a Tri. And remember my slogan, "The worst you've ever looked, but the best you've ever felt"! 

***
Okay, now it's time for pictures of my hot husband and pictures that capture the essence of an exhausted semi-atheltic triathlete (me), Chris on his bike, and Mary--the runner--who posed for the camera--because why not? She's just running? Psshhhttt. easy. :)

see that 6-pack? ow ow! 

maaaaaaaaaaan those shorts are bad. Am I right? 

I would seriously love to answer any other questions you may have if you are considering doing a sprint triathalon. Feel free to comment below with anything!