Carol Hill Williams, 50

Kresse Associates court reporter

Coral Gables

Whole new world: When I was growing up, I failed P.E. I just started running when I moved here from Virginia four years ago. I weighed 190; now I'm at 125. In January I completed the Miami marathon. I believe God opened up a piece of heaven when He showed me what athleticism is about.

Whew! I absolutely loved the marathon. The Footworks training group was great and the crowd was magnificent. The only thing I did that I wish I hadn't was in mile 25 -- I bent over to pick up a Hawaiian lei. (Ouch!) When I finished the race, I praised God. I went back to work on Monday and decided to do a triathlon.

Swim, bike, run: I'm doing the Key Biscayne Triathlon Sunday. It's a quarter-mile swim, 10-mile bike ride and 3.1-mile run. I'm a little nervous, but I'm ready. Swimming is so technical. I thought someone who is swimming just swam, but there are things such as body positioning that I never thought about.

Olympic caliber: My coach, KC Boutiette from Elite Cycling, knows what it takes to build an athlete. He's a four-time Olympic speed skater. He trains me in swimming, which I'm horrible at, and biking, which is coming along. I'm not Lance Armstrong, but I'm getting there.

No sweets, please: I'm trying to eat all organic, no red meat and limited alcohol. I drink enough water to float and I'm also limiting fat and sweets. It's a struggle, but it makes you feel better.

What's next? The Oregon Hood to Coast 197-mile relay in August, the Chicago marathon in October, and definitely the Miami marathon in January. Then, a half-Ironman in Augusta, Ga., in September 2009.

Join the discussion

Note: If this is your first time using our NEW commenting system, you will have to LOG OUT and then LOG BACK IN.

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.CommentBody@

@Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@