Almost 7 years ago, around Christmas of 2005, I came across Stella Shalem's advertisement as a running trainer in Miami while shopping at Whole Foods on South Beach. Little did I know that exact moment was about to change my life in a profoundly positive way. I remember coming to her with a passion for running which I had built up from my days living in West Palm Beach. She took what I had started and turned it into an obsession...which I was totally ok with :)

Before Stella, I was never really into heart rate monitors or plyometric type exercises, or even stretches that really help you get the most out of your running. When I say that she is worth the money and then some, I speak from the heart and from experience. Her training is incredibly well rounded and suited specifically to your goals; whether that be weight loss, running faster/longer, toning up, competition, et cetera.My first "running" meeting with her happened at the Flamingo Park track off Alton Road. It was a general assessment of my overall condition. Since I had been running around 4-5 mile distances in West Palm, I considered myself in pretty good shape. However, my body was not used to all of the cross training Stella was about to provide, so it came as quite a shock to my system. After the initial hump of acclimation to her exercises, I was on a whole new plateau. Running was seen in an entirely different light and became even more so, a lifestyle!  Competitions had never really been on my radar screen and I came to her just wanted to be a better runner I guess. I wanted to become super healthy and strong. Not only did she get me there, but we also competed in a couple half marathons in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, the first being just ONE MONTH after our first consultation at the tail end of 2006. After 2 short months, I ran the Fort Lauderdale 1/2 in 1 hour and 34 minutes!  That was an incredible feeling and one heck of an accomplishment!
 

Our training was probably 3-4 days a week at the most, which started off as running predominantly and then spread into other sprints, jumping exercises, fast paced movements, and eventually weight training in the gym. We even had a session where I followed her on the bike along the Venetian Causeway, doing all kinds of strengthening and endurance training. I remember that before the second 1/2 marathon in Lauderdale, not even 2 months after starting with Stella, we had a workout inside on the treadmill. She pushed me harder than ever before, but within my limits. The incline was pretty steep (maybe a 6 grade or something like that) and the conveyor belt was movin'!