Team SMASHFEST QUEEN and 2017

I'm incredibly psyched about everything coming up next year.

Aside from being an official member of Team USA, I will also be representing Team SMASHFEST QUEEN! I applied for it earlier in the year  thanks to my friend Sandra's encouragement, but didn't think I'd have much of a chance since it's a pretty popular brand in the world of triathlon... but life once again proved to me that where there's a will, there's a way. I'll be wearing their gear at all my upcoming races- Including 70.3 Pucon and 70.3 Lake Placid- I am psyched! Check them out HERE. Their gear is comfy AND beautiful.
Next up? 70.3 Ironman Pucon on January 15th. I'll be headed down to Chile (my home country) to race in what has been argued to be the most beautiful race in the world. With my book coming out in December, training has been hard to fit in, but after a few weeks of setting the alarm to 4:45 every morning, you get use to it.
I've also been working on metabolic efficiency, and it has been showing some amazing results;  I've lost 10 pounds! Essentially, I've increased my fat intake and significantly reduced my carbohydrate intake- aka: becoming a fat burning machine by ensuring my body is going into ketosis. I've done some intermittent fasting. Coach Kitty has been helping me reach these awesome results. I still have a little more to go and I look forward to becoming a lean racing machine in 2017! 

2017: TEAM SMASHFEST QUEEN AND TEAM USA!

Here are some very exciting news:

I qualified for TEAM USA! 

Yeah... my jaw dropped as well when I went to the results tent to get my splits! It turns out, I came in 6th within my age group, and the top 18 qualify for TEAM USA and the World Championships in Penticton, Canada, 2017. Yikes! More to come on this as details emerge.

Tri National Championship

 Just as many people are winding down their seasons, mine is ramping up. I totally understand why you would want your season to be over at this point, the days are getting cold in New Hampshire and training outdoors is becoming harder and harder. The indoor trainer and the treadmill are becoming more appealing as it gets colder.
 This Sunday is a triathlon national long course championship in Miami, my brothers stomping ground. Well he never raced this actual race, he did race a similar one in Miami and my goal this weekend is to beat his times... nothing like a little sibling rivalry ( even if he's no longer here to contest).
It just so happens that this triathlon is also the USA Triathlon Long Course National Championship, and if I place within the top 18 of my category, I qualify for TEAM USA. I've been working hard and doing a little poking around to get a feel for my competition... and I think it's feasible. I guess we'll see. I've been working hard with a sports nutitionist on my training and eating habits.  I feel that that I will be reaping some rewards over the next few months I've been putting in the hours and working really hard.
I'm excited and thrilled to be taking triathlon to the next level.

Battling that scale.... AND WINNING!

So I was a little skeptical about the weight loss that would come with transitioning two way more Primal lifestyle. For those of you who don't know what this means, it is essentially means eating a very few carbs in your daily diet, limiting your protein intake and bringing up your fat consumption. In other words bring on the bacon butter and broccoli.

I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to stick with it, and I was skeptical that I would actually lose weight with it. One month in, I can't begin to explain how good I am physically feeling about myself. I have lost approximately 10 pounds since Timberman half Ironman, and my swim, run and bike times has improved significantly.

I am sleeping much better and I feel well rested every morning. My ability to focus is intense and awesome.

When I talk to friends about my new metabolic efficiency lifestyle, they seem quite skeptical and concerned that I am not getting enough fiber or veggies. But as I explained to them, it's not about not eating veggies. The trick is to eat greens/veggies that are loaded with fiber, because that essentially cancels out the impact of the carbs.

How does it work? Essentially a western diet trains us to burn carbs for fuel. But we can re-train our body to burn our fat stores (virtually unlimited stores in my case) instead of carbs. It's all about teaching your body to use the metabolic pathway that prefers fat as a source of fueling all your bodily functions rather than carbohydrates. Proof that this was working for me came the other day in the form of a 21 kilometer trail run. All I had with me was my water backpack and some salts because it was quite warm. Other than that I ate nothing even though traditionally I would have had a good three to four gels (if not more) during the run. And I felt fantastic!

I'm an absolute convert and firm believer bet nutrition fundamental for performance- and then even a stronger proponent of encouraging of metabolic efficiency!

Living my dream- LONG COURSE NATS AND PUCON 2017!!!!

Sometimes your dream big, but you don't actually believe in yourself. I realize this a few weeks ago when I kept talking about wanting to race the 70.3 Ironman in Chile, but yet I was never sure about timing, funding or even the ability to train for a mid January race. Committing to my dreams is very different than just thinking that my dreams can come true magically. Commitment seems to be a better route the magic most of the time.

So this year my dream is happening. I'm taking my best self to race for Pucon 70.3 Ironman 2017! This used to be my brothers favorite race in the entire world, and for many years I was his support crew and cheer-meister. But this year my family will be cheering me as I walk in my brothers footsteps. Regardless of the outcome, Pucon next year will certainly be one of the highlights of my athletic career.

I have also signed up for the USA Triathlon National Long Course Triathlon (70.3) Championships in Miami Florida on November 13. My brother lived in Miami and raced this particular race on a few occasions. It'll be a really cool adventure- and who knows, I may even qualify for WORLDS in Canada! With all run and biking done on the flats, my worries have shifted to sharks and humidity. Which considering that those are factors I've never really had to worry before, I'm not really sure how much I should be worried... Right?
I've also signed up for Lake Placid 70.3 next year.

 I think the biggest news is that I'm working closely with a sports nutritionist named Kitty Clark from Wisconsin. She is helping me revamp my body to become metabolically adaptive. In short- I've drastically reduced my carb intake, I'm feeling fabulous AND I've lost 6 pounds in the few weeks since Timberman!  

Timberman 70.3 recap

So this year we decided to do it right! My friend Sandra and booked a hotel and made travel plans WITHOUT husbands and kids for the Timberman 70.3 race. I love my family to pieces, but buy did it make a difference to not have to worry about anyone else but ourselves! 

Here is us on race morning (circa 4 am...) eating organic Pete & Gerry's hard-boiled eggs for breakfast:

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Note the bags under my eyes... and my sleepy face in spite of a great night of sleep. Then look at how fresh an peppy my friend Sandra looks after allegedly tossing and turning all night! Can someone say photogenic?!


We were lucky to find parking about a mile away from the race- it was chaos! Since we had to rack our bikes the day before, we had to walk that mile with all our gear and bags to the race venue... we needed the warm-up anyway!
Sandra and I wished each other luck and parted ways to meet our age groups. The race took off and I felt great in the swim. The bike was going well until I realized my base salts had fallen out of my picnic baggie!!!
The rest of the bike ride was rough. I was eating and hydrating to the point I felt bloated, but I was desperate for salt... at one point, I started licking my arms for the extra salt!
I had another salt tube in transition- which made a world of difference on the run. But I think that the bloating really set me back from achieving my goals in the run. Along the run, I decided that once the race was over, I was talking to a real nutritionist- my race day nutrition was not working for me.

Overall though, I cut over 20 minutes from last year, coming in at 5:50. While numerically this is awesome, it BARELY moved me within my age group... I went from 42nd only to 39th! (...It makes me wonder what kind of super humans are racing in my age group...)

Post race selfie:

The ladies and their bikes:

THIS is how you do post-race fueling... Steak with fries (*note the decorative roughage*), buffalo boneless wings with a large coke, simultaneously served with desert; chocolate lava cake with ice-cream and hot churros. 

I felt motivated after the race. Not sure what else is in the books, but MORE is certainly on the way. I don't feel as tired as I did last year... I actually feel incredibly energized (though physically still a little jelly-fied and not quite ready to get out of bed for another week or two).

Made the news in Chile!

 A few weeks ago, my cousin told me that she had been talking to a friend of hers about my story and how I used my sport as a strength to overcome a lot of loss in my life. It turns out that my cousin's friend was a reporter, and the reporter asked if she could write an article about my story.

Next thing I know, my cousin sent me a message to let me know they will be contacting me for an interview. 

Monica, the editor for an important weekend newspaper magazine that focuses on women and tendencies, called me and we had a nice hour-long conversation. I wasn't really sure what would transpire with my story, or even it would get published in anyway. But on Saturday morning, Monica email me a copy of the article... It apparently went out to millions of readers!

Basically, for those who can't read in Spanish, it talks about how I use my brother's life as inspiration to train and race triathlon. He is my inspiration to keep going and better myself every day.

It was very emotional to read this. Within a few hours the notes on Facebook started coming in my inbox. Women from all walks of life talking about how inspired they were. One memorable woman told me she was an elevator attendant at a building, and she had been struggling for four years since she had her son to lose the weight, but that this article inspired her and she was going to sign up for a 5K. Another woman also reached out to me about her loss in her life, and told me how she was thinking about moving forward as well by getting involved in sports.

It's so inspiring to see that my story can help motivate other women. Even more fuel for the fire!

Timberman 2016!!!!!

Training this year has been very hard for me. It has been a struggle to juggle my work, with parenting and training. Oddly enough though, I am more motivated than ever. Not only is the memory of my brother really pushing me forward and motivating me to keep training, but the hopeful thought that my legacy to my daughters will be that of a strong mom is also a constant thought in my head while training.

 I often find myself thinking about how generations down the line, my great-great grandkids will know about me.

Will they hear about a great great grandmother that settled and lived a meek life, afraid of dreaming big? Or will they hear about a very strong woman who never settled for anything less than her dreams?

My choice is pretty clear. I might not be around to meet them, but I know what I want them to say.

 The funny thing is, my two daughters are already my biggest supporters... And they are only 2.5 and 4 years old!!!

Grit CAN trump talent!

Last weekend was my first triathlon of the season. Not that I have many lined up, but this was the first in preparation for Timberman. I had pretty low expectations since it was being held locally, impliying hills beyond my comfort zone.

While I've been training for the past five months or so on every hill I can find, I'm not a natural climber and I'm also built like a sprinter... A sprinter that still hasn't managed to shed off the extra 10 pounds post babies. 

But on this fateful first tri of the season day, all the hard work I've put in paid off- not only did I win my age group qualifying me for the national championships, but I also came in 5th overall! In my wildest dreams did I ever expect such awesome results.

I've been putting in some hard miles in preparation for this season, now it's time to step it up further and ask myself, how bad do I want it? How much am I willing to sacrifice in order to be good at this sport? The truth is I don't know, but I'm a long way from being done.

Summer is here and so is my new gear!

This training season has been harder and more humbling than I ever expected. Not just physically, but I've had to mentally keep myself in check while juggling with multiple demands that require my attention. Particularly over the last few weeks it has been a big challenge to find the time to train.
My biggest struggles at the moment are:
1) Losing a good 5-10 pounds before HIM (which stands for Half Iron Man) in August.
2) Improving my run. Coach C is busting my chops with interval training, speed and distance work. The improvements have been astounding for short distances so far, but it feels that the improvements to my long run abilities are coming along so slow! I know I can't become a fast long distance runner over night, but I desperately want to!

On another note, I found myself in need to order a new kit and/or join a team. I recently joined this Facebook group WomenForTri, and after learning about the group's goals, I realized that they completely align with my mission to close the gender wage gap. So after much consideration, I decided to put my money where my mouth is. Do I really believe women can achieve what they set their mind to? Yes I do. Do I believe women can raise each other up? Absolutely. Triathlon is an individual sport, but as women, if we support and encourage each other, we can reduce those barriers that limit our ability to believe in ourselves to achieve our dreams.

Here's the kit that arrived today!

It ain't easy.

Training for a Half Ironman is not easy, but neither is being married, having kids, or having a job. At least for me, life in general is hard, and adding anything to the mix outside of the "normal" daily routine makes things chaotic enough that I often find myself on the verge of quitting my aspirations. But when I manage to accomplish everything, I feel so satisfied, that it makes the adventure worth it. This year, Coach C had laid down the gauntlet on training... the volume of work has doubled (if not tripled) from same time last year, and the quality is also under tight scrutiny.
A few weeks ago I was whining about the volume of work and Coach C goes... "Sure, do nothing. But I bet that's not what the woman who won last year's race is doing right now..." That little asinine comment has plagued my mind since, making me train harder and better than ever before. Sure I could get away with less training in order to finish the race, but not if I want to improve on last year.
So I am working on pushing myself harder and for longer because I want to achieve my goals.
And yes, training puts a strain on everything- my body, mind, kids, marriage, down-time, vacation time, friendships, nutrition, etc. Thus, pushing myself to the edge of my comfort zone in any area of life is not an adventure that I can accomplish on my own. Without the support of Paul, my girls, mom, coach, our nanny, and my good friends who encourage me to keep going, I would not be en-route to reaching my dreams- be it athletically, or work-wise.
Thankfully, I have an incredibly supportive network. My family is amazing, and so are my friends. This year, even my tools are spectacular- I have a beautiful triathlon bike! It's a 2016 Cervelo P2 time-trial bike. I've wanted one of these for the better part of 15 years, and thankfully this year this all came together for me to afford it. I put Benji's pedals on it and it goes incredibly fast!!!

Lessons from The Sancho... believing in me is half the battle.

The last couple of days have been very introspective. Coach C has launched me into training with no mercy. Over the last week I joined the local Masters Swim Team, run endless hilly miles and even sneaked in a 30 mile ride after who knows how many months of not doing ANY kind of cycling. 

Just as I was beginning to complain about my choice of sport, my dog Sancho's cancerous tumor took a turn for worse. He had been dealing with it for about a month, but today, his time here with us ended. He was an awesome dog- a pure bred mutt who never doubted his nobility. While he was never able to communicate with words, it was all too clear that he believed his heritage to be that of royalty. He was convinced he belonged to the landed gentry of his canine world.  Sancho was terrible, wild and bossy as a puppy. He turned into the world's best shadow chaser in his teens and the laziest dog in old age. He was our good ol' man, and we will miss him dearly.

His passing has really made me ponder a couple of things- 

1) How life continues to prove its ephemeral nature.

2) How believing in yourself and your story is half the battle. Sancho never doubted his nobility and always played the part. During his 10 years with us, I must have been asked hundreds of times what breed he was and how regal he looked. His confidence and regal demeanor was an integral part of him- he believed his royal breed into being. 

This last point is what I'm extrapolating today into my life. I have to believe in myself and my goals in order to make them a reality. But it all needs to start in my head. 

So here's to a life well lived and to believing in oneself!

Sancho- RIP 04/24/2016

And so a new training season is upon us!

I have spent the last 6 months or so focusing on my business start up www.salarycoaching.com which has taken off and is doing quite well. I'm psyched to be doing what I love and helping women all over the world. That said, my training has almost fallen by the wayside... I've done some crossfit here and there, done some trail running and a triathlon over Christmas break, but otherwise NADA.
Until yesterday.
Yesterday I began again plotting how to take over the world and place in my age group at Timberman. The itch to race is in full swing and I'm quite certain it has something to do with spring. My inspiration is still Benji, and my coach is Carlitos (Benji's best friend and former pro).
This year my goal is to train harder than last year. My goals are lofty, and some would say unachievable, but alas... what do we have if not hope and dreams? I want to place in the top 10 of my age group. I am going to train as if I could place in the top 10. Better yet.... I believe that I am going to place in the top 10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The challenge is on!!!

HERE'S TO A GREAT 2016 SEASON!!!!

They say you can't have it all... but I'm out to prove them wrong!

“The good in life does not depend on life’s length, but upon the use we make of it. It is possible, or rather usual, for a man who has lived long, lived too little.” – Seneca 

Today is my 4th day of training and I am really sore. Not merely from working out, but from chasing my two girls around and a couple of sleepless nights. Running a business, cooking dinner, dealing with spring colds, and the overall life outside of my need can be time-consuming. But then add in my own ambitions, and the day isn't long enough! 
That said, I'm determined to see my ambitions through. I want to have it all- a successful and satisfied life. For me, that means figuring a way to juggle my family, work and athletic aspirations. This is a work in progress, but I'll get there one day!