Boy does it ever feel good to be back in the dreary, chilly, and wet weather I’ve come to find normal for Northern Virginia in the winter months. Miami was great, but it felt a bit weird to me to be in a tank top and shorts in the middle of the beginning of the winter holiday season. Sweater weather just started and I missed 5 days of it! 

Traveling to Miami to support one of our clients during Miami Man, their A race of the season, proved to be a lot more action packed than we had anticipated. And not just because we started the journey out with a 6 hour maintenance delay at the airport (Stranger Things marathon anyone?).  We took this trip as an opportunity to meet some online clients and do some lessons in person, and we’re so glad we did.  

Carmen started swimming less than 2 years ago and recently began competing in triathlons with her husband, Jose. Before competing in Miami Man on Sunday we met up with her for two private lessons on Friday and Saturday at her neighborhood pool. Although bringing in outside coaches is “frowned upon,” so we had to be pretty stealthy during our lessons. And by that I mean I walked around taking pictures, Dominic filmed for video analysis, and Jose filmed with his GoPro throughout both two hour sessions. Oops? 

Dominic worked with her on her kick, rotation, body posture, and balance.  

We also got to meet Marcel, who is a client we’ve been communicating with online for about half a year now. His first half Ironman is coming up next March in Puerto Rico, and we got the opportunity to work with him on our Foundational Breathing Method to correct his sinking legs/hips and body posture in the water.  

I had pretty intense oral surgery less than a week before our trip, so hopping on a plane to Miami wasn’t really something I was looking forward to. But getting to meet all of these great people and spend time with them was really a wonderful experience. And yes, I’m sure the fact that I was on painkillers throughout most of it aided my happy mood, but I digress. One of the best things about running your own schedule is getting to take trips like this, and I need to remember to be more appreciative of these experiences while I’m having them. 

Ohh, did I forget to mention the food? The food was AMAZING. We drove an hour and 23 minutes (after our 6 hour plane delay and 3 hours of rental car hassle) to a Cuban restaurant in Miami Beach and it was more than worth it. My mouth is watering now just thinking about that food, sigh. 

But all of that being said Sunday was the best day. We got to cheer on our client and friend Gail and be there to celebrate all of the hard work she’s put in this season. She placed second overall in her age group! 

Our clients are the driving force to what we do and make all of this so rewarding. We can’t thank you guys enough for your loyalty and support.