Not quitting….just postponing

Life is beautiful, hard, challenging, and difficult at times.  When I signed up to Haines City last Summer I was looking for a bigger challenge and a future date for it.  But life sometimes has other plans and other things came to my plate.  But I pushed as much and as hard as I could to keep my mind focused in my goal, to finish my first Half Ironman.

Time passed by and each day was more difficult and challenging to keep mind in sync with my body.  My body was great, my mind was not.   Until a month ago training was causing me more stressed than joy.  Found myself struggling too much, too anxious, to worried about something that for 5 years I have been enjoying and that is a stress reliever.  Seeing that date was so close and that I haven’t prepared as well as I wanted made me stress even more. 

As date got closer, anxiety and worry build up due to the fact that I haven’t been training consistently and as I was supposed to.  On race day I was going to hurt badly and possibly injure myself and that is not the idea. 

So this week I made the difficult decision to not be at Start Line at Florida 70.3 on April 12^th.  Number 656 won’t be there.  It does not mean that I’m quitting, it means I postpone to a better date so I can prepare the way I want, to feel happy that I’m at Start Line, to feel ready and focus that I will finish the damn race. It has been a hard decision, but not as hard as life itself it is lately. 

I’m taking this time to focus in my physical and mental strength.  Getting stronger, build proper endurance and be ready for next challenges.  Also want to motivate friends along the way.  I want to feel again the joy of training and competition, not stress.  I want to fall in love again with swim, bike and run.

What race is next? No clue, I’m still thinking about it, but for sure I will be at that start line with a smile.

I see myself at finish line of a 70.3 in the near future; I will let you know when.  Until then, I’m getting stronger and better.

“Cause I’m only human

And I bleed when I fall down

I’m only human

And I crash and I break down…” – Christina Perri

13 Weeks for 13th Triathlon Race...That First Tri

Happy Holidays, Happy New Year!!

Since December everything been up and down, more downs than up but I'm still here.

A weird characteristic about me is that I'm always counting in my head, I count steps, while going up and down stairs, count days, weeks, years, age. So is no surprise that I'm counting weeks until race day!

I've been thinking lately about my approach towards a 70.3 race. It will be longest race to complete in 5 years since started to do tris. So I remembered my first race, how for years I wanted to finish a triathlon. It took 4 weeks to get ready to my first race which was Sprint distance. I was already running and swimming so I increase times I did it per week like friends advice and also started taking spinning classes. My friend Maha lend me her road bike then started biking at a park few times per week as well.

In no time it was race day, June 5^th, 2010. Bib number was 23, my favorite number!! Had all my gear ready, nerves were kicking, family was cheering. While waiting for swim wave someone behind me ask if there were gators in the lake....apparently yes!! It is my turn to go to the water and I have to say that its been one of my fastest 400 meters open water!!

Out of the water and ready for transition and off to go to bike, I wanted to die!! two loops, 10 miles later I got out of the bike. This is South Florida, so was soooo hot!! Put bike in rack, got my hat and race belt and off I go to run...ouch! Now I know why they call it a brick! Legs were not responding at all, was so hot, heart in my throat, got so frustrated I started walking right away. My spinning trainer Meredith went to see the race and she jumped right next to me to encourage to walk and run. She never left my side until I saw the finish line. I sprint to finish line and lift my arms in the air, I was a triathlete.

All the emotions of that first race were amazing, I felt that I conquered, felt that was the hardest thing in sport I have done ever!! And for sure was hooked with the sport. Of course, that passion never stopped. 5 years later I'm training for my first 70.3 which 4 to 5 times the distance I did in that first race.

I'm ready? Not yet, still 13 weeks for race number 13! But getting stronger mentally to complete my workouts. 1 workout at a time, 1 day at a time.

“I am building a fire, and everyday I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match.” – Mia Hamm