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!!!