Tag: open water swimming

St. Pete Beach: the Don

Andrew and I spent last week in Florida at the Don CeSar in St. Pete Beach.  It was our family vacation with Andrew’s grandma, taken every two summers or so these days, and our first repeat (we went four years ago).  It’s a big, beautiful pink Art Deco hotel on the beach with all the amenities.

The best part?  We got UPGRADED to the Penthouse!  (Andrew and I didn’t; we and his parents stayed in rooms on the second floor while his sisters, their spouses, nephew Blake and grandma got the Penthouse.  We’re pretty sure it was because the top floor wasn’t booked and we had such a large party, the hotel offered it so they could sell the suite we’d reserved more easily. Bummer.)

Check out this view:

The Penthouse came with a small kitchen, dining and living rooms, and three separate bedrooms.  Hi Grandma!

We spent most of our time camped out by the pool, taking turns swimming with Blake, who is a little fish!


I had to do a long run–14 miles–the day after we arrived.  I started on the beach and did 7.5 miles (from one end to the other and back), before heading inside for some air conditioning.  Running on a treadmill never felt so good!  My runs that week may not have been my fastest (how do the local runners do it?!), but I was pleased with my performances.  If nothing else, I gained mental toughness in the heat.

I also did some open-water swimming in the ocean (!!) and weight-lifting while I was there.  I really enjoy my workouts on vacation, but wish I had a buddy to do them with.

I’ll leave you with this photo of Andrew, hogging all the noodles to stay afloat:

open water

I joined some of the masters swim team members at Sunset Bay this morning for my first open water swim!

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While I’ve been swimming my whole life, I didn’t really know what to expect when I wasn’t in a pool. It’s much the same, but you can’t see much and it’s way harder. And there are waves. And it’s impossible to swim straight. So, exactly the same, right!?

Regardless, I had the most fun swimming that I’ve had EVER. Seriously, if it wasn’t a 40 minute drive, I’d be there every morning. Or almost every morning.

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It was pretty chilly to start–our coach was in a wet suit–but once our legs were numb, we were fine. By the end, the water felt just perfect. We only did about a mile, and I could have done at least double that. Can’t wait to do it again!