An Inspirational Triathlon Story

October 11, 2012 by 5 Comments

I am the first to admit I’m not particularly eloquent. I’m more likely to be described as abrasive, aggressive, and impulsive. I’ve been accused of turning everything into a competition. I don’t deny it. I’ve also been called a “heavy hitter” although that was, I think, a compliment. As a result, I think that sometimes, when I share my race reports, they come across as stories of an experienced racer who has forgotten what it’s like to be afraid of failure and doesn’t know how a first-timer feels.

The truth is I’m very afraid of failure and it’s one of the things that drives me so hard and keeps me pushing in a race when the going gets tough. I use that fear to my advantage. But that’s not the point. So let me get to it.

This morning I read my team-mate Claudia’s tale of how she completed a Half Ironman, ignoring those who told her she couldn’t, ignoring the voices in her head that told her she wasn’t prepared, and I realized that this was a great story for those considering a triathlon or just starting out in the sport. There aren’t many things that make me cry but after reading Claudia’s story I was bawling, and I promise it wasn’t because Claudia beat my Austin Half Ironman time by one minute. ;)

Here’s Claudia’s beautiful, amazing story:

My Journey to a Half Ironman

Many of you know my story how I started doing triathlons, but reading one more time does not hurt anybody, one day I was reading the PEOPLE magazine and saw that Jennifer Lopez finished her first triathlon in NY and this words crossed my mind “If Jennifer Lopez did one triathlon I can do one”  I informed my PRECIOSO (husband),  that I want to do a triathlon and he said you want to do what???, then I called my mom and told her the same that I will do a triathlon like Jennifer Lopez, my mom said ” Yes but think about it Jennifer Lopez had Nanny, maids, chefs who cook a healthy meal for her, trainer and all the time in her life” while you need to keep your house, kids, husband and cook your self and train by your self. I told her I can do it.

I signed for DOGS DAY SPRINT TRIATHLON in Broadlands 2 years ago, I called my PRECIOSO he was out of town and told him that I signed for my first triathlon ever he said “YOU SIGNED FOR WHAT????, YOU HAVE NOT TRAINED AT ALL AND YOUR TRIATHLON IS IN 5 DAYS HOLY COW!” We join Lifetime Fitness and started my training of course I did not how to swim, I can ride a bike and run but swim that was the hardest thing ever I HAD PANIC TO THE DEEP…. Forget to mention I did not have a bike for the triathlon we bought one road bike…

The day of my first triathlon came, could not sleep at all my hands sweat just thinking that I have to jump in the pool and swim no way I can do that. Finally  I did it  but took me : 400 mts swim = 14 min,  12 miles on the bike, 46:54min, and 5K running = 28:55min TOTAL = 1 hr :34 min; after all this I went home and I slept the whole afternoon and my legs felt tired.

After the struggle with the swim I decided to take swim lessons ( needed badly), and I join Team TPR ( Team Tri Performance Racing )and train with an AWESOME group of people. I decided to do a Half Ironman (HIM) in Augusta Georgia (peer pressure :o ) and start the adventure sorry the training on February of this year, I have no words to thank every one who give me the opportunity to train with them, and believed in me and encouraged me to keep doing this and train for this race. Last Sunday September 30th I completed satisfactory my first HIM = 1.2 miles swimming + 56 miles biking + 13.1 running = 70.3 = HALF IRON MAN and all I did in 5:54 Less than the time I was planning or had in mind. MAKE ME FEEL SO GOOD AND HAPPY AND EVERYTHING

And most important my family, because with out them I am not be here, sorry for the long weekends and my absence some days during my training, now that I finished the race everything was worth LOVE EVERY ONE OF YOU, I do not put names but when you read it you know who you are and also I do not want to forget names.

Thank you PRECIOSO this race means alot for me but you are my EVERYTHING LOVE YOU

Thank you God for everything and for never leave me alone,

Thanks Fionna and Fabrizio

Thanks Mom and Dad

Thanks sisters and brothers

Thank you to every person who has ever told me I cannot. You are just another reason why I will and I did.

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Feeding my Addiction

August 14, 2011 by 6 Comments

I once ate cheese fondue right before a cross-country race. In my defense, it was in France, twenty years ago. Back then, the closest anyone I knew got to pre-race nutrition was eating a Mars bar on the start line. Hydration was for sissies. I remember taking Lucozade (dextrose) tablets to a marathon relay in High School and getting a lot of flak from other athletes because runners just didn’t take nutritional supplements back then. Never heard of Lucozade? It’s a well-known energy supplement brand in the UK. Twenty five years ago, it was pretty much the only game in town…and not a well-known one at that, despite having Olympic decathlete Daley Thompson as its spokesman.

Today, nutrition and hydration for endurance athletes is a big deal, and an even bigger business. The variety of products on the market is huge, almost overwhelming, and includes drinks, bars, gels, chews, you name it. And the flavors! Remember when there was just lemon-lime Gatorade?! We’re spoiled for choice, and everyone has their opinions and preferences. At the end of the day, of course, you have to find what works for you.

I’ve been a GU fan for a long time. (The Lucozade thing didn’t last…) In fact, vanilla bean GU used to be the only supplement I’d even consider. I’ve since broadened my horizons, adding Roctane, Nuun and Camelbak electrolyte tablets, and Honey Stinger chews. Still, I know I’m not the most adventurous when it comes to trying out new stuff. My stomach knows what it likes and, well, you don’t want to mess with that. But, with my first Half Ironman coming up in October, I know I need a good nutrition plan, possibly a better one than my “2-GUs-an-hour” plan during Capon Valley 50K. I still think GU is one of the easiest running supplements because it’s compact, there’s less fiddling with packages, it goes down fast, and you don’t have to chew (sometimes that’s hard while running!), but eating on the bike is a lot easier, so I’m in the process of trying some other stuff for variety.

Yesterday, for my 50 mile ride (yes, I have broken through the 30 mile barrier!) I took some cola Powerbar Gel Blasts with me. I’m into this cola thing right now. I don’t drink coke at all but there’s something about that coke flavor when racing that I really like. I just ordered kona cola flavor Nuun. 4 tubes. Better be good. Anyway, about an hour into the ride I tried one of these little coke gummies. OMG. They are like crack. I had to stop myself from eating the entire bag in 10 seconds flat. (It’s supposed to last an hour.) They taste like those coke gummy bottles we used to eat as kids…only better. They were so good I had to share (even though I really wanted to keep them all to myself) and I gave one to Meggan at a light. She let out a shriek right as the light changed and I thought something was wrong, then realized it was a reaction to the gummy. I quickly ate all the rest before she asked for another.

Maybe there should be a govt. warning: Seriously Addictive

Once the ride was over I returned to Potomac River Running to buy up all the cola Powerbar Gel Blasts they had. I only saw 3 bags on the shelf so I asked if they had any more in stock. The guy opened a drawer behind the counter and I saw a gigantic box full of them. It took a lot of will power not to jump over the counter and grab them. “How many do you want?” he asked. “How many have you got?” I replied. I ended up buying 14 bags. The guy had seen the glint in my eye and knew better than to mess around with an addict in the store.

In case you’re not a cola freak they do also come in other flavors: lemon, raspberry, and strawberry-banana. Cola and strawberry-banana have caffeine. 1 bag has 45g carbs compared to a GU which has 25, so I’ll eat one bag in an hour whereas if I’m taking GU I need 2 per hour.

Incidentally, I’ve been learning some interesting nutritional stuff as I get ready for this Half Ironman, so thought I’d share. Hey, I’m a sharing person…unless it’s my cola gummies.

  • Eat 200 – 400 calories 2 hrs prior to an endurance event (longer than an hour)
  • Drink 16 – 20oz fluid when you wake up (you wake up dehydrated)
  • After the first hour of racing, you need to take in 400-600mg sodium/hr and 40 – 60g carbs/hr
  • Drink 16 – 32oz fluid/hr
  • Chocolate milk is one of the best recovery drinks because of the almost 4:1 carb to protein ratio
  • Got gas? Check the ingredients in all those high fiber foods. Inulin (chicory root) is the culprit. Seriously, after hearing this I went and looked at my double fiber wheat bread, Luna bars, Fiber One bars, Clif bars…inulin was a top ingredient in all of them. Holy smokes!
All this food talk is making me hungry…time for an inulin-free snack.
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