triathlon

 

I did it! I finished my first triathlon! I am so happy and proud of myself.

Finishing a triathlon was one of the first goals I set for myself when I moved to the US 10 years ago. The fastest triathlon I completed was 4 hours and 15 minutes. I was under the assumption that setting a US triathlon goal would be a great thing to do in Florida with the “perfect” weather. What I didn’t realize was how hot the weather is in Florida and how difficult it is to run on the road. I took the time to acclimate and put off my training until now.

10 years later, I finally reached my goal!!!

I finished in 3:06:30 and first of my category!

One of the most important things to consider weeks before your first triathlon is to know what to prepare. It can be a difficult task because there are three sports involved in the race: swimming, biking, and running. You need to have the right equipment for all of them. I have created a list of things I would suggest you pack for a triathlon. Let me know if this proves to be helpful to any of you. Please find it attached.

As always, thanks for reading Severine’s Corner.

triathlon list

Back to Top Contact Me Pin it Tweet this Post Email to a Friend

As some of you may know, my first triathlon is coming up in less than a month! For those of you wondering if I feel ready or if I think I will finish, the answer is no, not at all. But, I am determined to push myself everyday of training to achieve my goal.

When I decided to pursue the goal of completing a triathlon this year, I had no idea what I was in store for. One of the things I did not expect was the varying distances in each category. Let me explain:

The Sprint is 0.5 miles Swim, 12.4 miles Bike, and 3.1 mile run
The Olympic is 0.93 mile Swim, 24.8 mile Bike, and 6.2 mile run
The Ironman 70 is 1.2 mile Swim, 56 mile Bike, and 13.1 mile run
The Ironman is 2.4 mile Swim, 112 mile Bike, 26.2 mile run

During the fall of 2016, I started to feel as though the Sprint category was not challenging enough for me. I decided to work towards the Olympic category instead. It was exhilarating to know that I would be participating in the same race they do in the Olympics! The training is hard as I have to exercise one of the disciplines each day.  I usually swim twice a week, bike twice a week, and run two or three times a week. I try to take a rest day for my body to recuperate. My training sessions usually take me between 20 minutes and two hours, depending on the distance and sport.

Today, I completed 0.93 miles of swimming for the first time! I am incredibly happy as this was the only sport I hadn’t reached the minimum distance requirement. I was already able to meet the distances for Biking and Running. My next challenge is being able to do all three sports right after each other. We’ll see how that turns out on Race Day 😉

I would love it if you followed my race on Facebook! Here is the link to my page:https://www.facebook.com/severine.wider. Feel free to add me as a friend and stay posted on my progress.

Until next time,
Severine

swim

Back to Top Contact Me Pin it Tweet this Post Email to a Friend

It was such a pleasure to be part of Jessica & Colin’s wedding. We had a blast and all their family and friends were so nice, we felt like we were part of the family. They got married at the Sawgrass Marriott in Ponte Vedra, Florida. It was a perfect day and they couldn’t have dreamt of a better weather. It was cold the week before and Jessica had grey wraps ready just in case but nobody needed them as the temperature was ideal.

Jessica had everything ready and each details were just beautiful. Look through the album to see how she incorporates her colors during the day. Even the cake was two different shades of grey.

To see the sneak peek slideshow teaser in high resolution, click HERE.

 

sawgrass-wedding-1sawgrass-wedding-2sawgrass-wedding-3sawgrass-wedding-4sawgrass-wedding-5sawgrass-wedding-6sawgrass-wedding-7sawgrass-wedding-8sawgrass-wedding-9sawgrass-wedding-10sawgrass-wedding-11sawgrass-wedding-12sawgrass-wedding-13sawgrass-wedding-14sawgrass-wedding-15sawgrass-wedding-16sawgrass-wedding-17sawgrass-wedding-18sawgrass-wedding-19sawgrass-wedding-20sawgrass-wedding-21sawgrass-wedding-22sawgrass-wedding-23sawgrass-wedding-24sawgrass-wedding-25sawgrass-wedding-26sawgrass-wedding-27sawgrass-wedding-28sawgrass-wedding-29sawgrass-wedding-30

Photographer: Severine Photography
Wedding planner: White Veil Occasions, Kallie Tucker
Venue: Sawgrass Marriott, Ponte Vedra
Hair: Frangipani Hair Studio, Niki Davis
Make-up: Tiffani King
Band: The Chris Thomas Band
Cake: Sawgrass Marriott
Florist: Seahorse Florist, Lori Whitmarsh
Officiant: Clergy Wedding Services, Rev Graig Grandstaff Sr

Back to Top Contact Me Pin it Tweet this Post Email to a Friend

Healthy fitness

In my last post I shared with you why I started my fitness journey. After overwhelming feedback about how helpful this post was, I decided to share with you how I did it.

During the Fall of 2014, I registered at a small fitness center near my house.  I started going once or twice a week. I wasn’t very consistent and did not really follow any special training – but it was a start. By the end of that year, I got word that the fitness center was closing down. I remembered there was an LA Fitness not too far from me. When I registered they offered me a personal training session. I went the next day and liked it a lot. It was a great option for me because it kept me accountable. I couldn’t keep my trainer waiting and was forced to push myself. At this point, I was going to the gym three times a week. In the summer, I got a pass for my husband and he started to come with me. He wasn’t very happy about it at first. Once he found out his friend Steven had a membership there as well, he was eager to start a team. I would meet with them after my personal training sessions.

Once I got to the point where I felt stronger, my personal trainer encouraged me to weight lift. Initially, I could only lift the bar, but I was determined to keep going. Around this time, my husband and I went on vacation. We were so determined to stay on track that we utilized the hotel fitness center every day of our vacation. He asked me if I wanted to start training with him and his friend Steven. After our vacation I took him up on the offer. I would lift light weights 3-4 times a week and would see my trainer once a week. This routine lasted for a while, until my trainer left LA Fitness. Nonetheless, I was confident in my ability to continue progressing. I had a team by my side and I knew I could accomplish anything with their encouragement. Every day of the week one of us would text about when we were going to the gym. We would work out together and rotate sets – even though I could only lift half of what they could. J

By the time fall of 2016 came around, it was time to add some cardio to our training. We were doing chest/biceps on Monday; back/triceps on Tuesday; shoulders/legs on Wednesday; chest and biceps on Thursday; and sometimes back/triceps on Friday. This was great, however we weren’t doing enough cardio. Most of the time, after a late lifting session, we were too tired. To get us to our goal, we started going through our routine a little faster, and attending a spin class at 7:15pm. After a few months of attending spin class once a week, Steven told us he had a dream about completing the Iron Man triathlon before his 40th birthday. On to the next challenge we go J

I’ll start by telling you about me as a runner. I used to run a lot back in Switzerland. I even did two marathons with my best time being 4 hours and 15 minutes. When I moved to the United States 11 years ago, I thought that I would have more time and that Florida had the perfect weather for me to start training again. Needless to say, that didn’t happen. Initially, I was too busy learning English. But the reality of it is, I was not used to the weather here. It can be extremely humid and unbearably hot. Flash forward to when Steven mentioned his dream of competing in Iron Man, this triggered a desire in me that I had not felt since moving to the United States. It was finally time for me to actualize this goal and start training for a triathlon in 2017!  I will provide more details in my next post. In the meantime if you want to follow my training journey, follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/severine_photography/.

I know how important a team is when you’re just getting started. It helps hold you accountable and can be your motivation through the toughest of days. Let me know if you’d like to be a part of a private group where I can share my training plan with you and you can keep me updated with your progress. If you don’t want to be in a group, and you still want someone to help you get started, send me an email at severine.wider@gmail.com.

 

Back to Top Contact Me Pin it Tweet this Post Email to a Friend

 

Holidays cards

We are excited to announce that we have partnered with Minted to provide you with the easiest and most creative way to create your personalized Holiday cards. They have tons of amazing designs to choose from and they even allow you to upload your own photos. In addition to these incredible features, you are also able to preview the final result before placing your order.

That’s not even the best part! If you schedule a mini session with us, we can upload your photos directly to their system and you can create your cards all at once. Even if you decide to use your own photos, we still have your back! Use our link to receive $25 credit on your first purchase of $100 or more! http://www.minted.com/referral/landing/nkt8s

I have used minted for the last few years and have always been happy with the results. I have included some pictures here for you all to see which designs I liked the most! The system is so easy to use and there are plenty of options to choose from. Schedule your mini sessions and get your cards today!

Back to Top Contact Me Pin it Tweet this Post Email to a Friend
UA-7835293-10