This weekend was nothing short of amazing – The Arnold Sports Festival 2014 and my first (indoor) triathlon. I am left sitting at my desk on this Monday in complete awe and inspiration of the entire weekend. I met so many of my fitness inspirations, as well as got to meet some new ones. I also competed in an event that is brand new to me and I think it’s safe to say that I fell in love with it.

I love when I get like this – in complete admiration by how amazing the human body is. Being athletic and competing is such a gift and something you earn. Not everyone can do it and that is why I feel so blessed and awesome to be able to. It’s hard work, but it is so rewarding. Watching your body change. Seeing what you’re all about. Seeing how far you can run or how much you can lift…it is truly amazing.

This weekend I saw so many athletes and fitness celebrities that I’ve been a fan of for years. Seeing them in-person and actually getting the chance to talk to some of them was incredible.

I also got to meet the owners of an amazing fitness brand that I’ve followed for over a year – Flext Til You’re Famous (FTYF). About a year and a half ago I just started my fitness journey and FTYF had just launched a limited fitness apparel line. To see the business grow into what it is today and to follow the fitness journey of so many other FTYF fitness fans has been one of my favorite things about my own journey. Over the past year my friends joke that I’ve been the PR representative for FTYF in Northeast Ohio. I’ve gotten so many of my friends and family to now wear the brand and support the business. I was super excited about the expo this weekend because I’ve never seen a FTYF shirt outside one of my “converted” friends or family. I saw a bunch of people wearing shirts and eventually we ran into the two owners of FTYF – who then gave us another free shirt for wearing the brand! I was basically star struck and barely remember taking the picture with them! I can only hope they are even more successful in the future! Go check them out if you haven’t already.

The indoor triathlon on Sunday took place at the world’s most beautiful gym – Lifetime Fitness in Beachwood. We were wave 5 and started at 9AM sharp. The indoor triathlon consisted of a 10 minute swim, 30 minute bike (on a spin bike in one of the studios) and a 20 minute run (on a treadmill). We had 10 minutes to transition from the pool to the bike and then 5 minutes to transition from the bike to the run. I absolutely adored all the people in our wave. They were all super nice and fun to be around. Plus the fiancé and I were brand new to anything tri-related and everyone else was a tri veteran so we ended up learning a lot. After the race we talked to a few (real) triathletes who have competed outside and I think I got convinced to do an outdoor tri this summer. There are a few I have in mind so stay tuned for that!

I am still so new to swimming. It’s so challenging, but such a good workout. I still get my cardio fix, but it’s my entire body, not just my legs. I’m excited to keep training in the pool – even if it means still holding onto the side huffing and puffing for the first couple swims 🙂

Did anyone else go to The Arnold Sports Festival this weekend? Any advice or good races I should know about as a new “wanna be” triathlete?

For me life is continuously being hungry. The meaning of life is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer.
– Arnold Schwarzenegger