In just seven short days, Ironman 70.3 Florida will take place. My wave is set to start at 6:40am. Yes, once again, us older guys go immediately following the pros and right behind us, the 18-24 year old males. My bib number is “200″. Luck number! For me, this will be the first of three A-races this summer, all three 70.3 distances. All three Ironman events.
Training for this race has been different to say the least. Different in that it hasn’t compared to last year’s regime for the Ironman. Nonetheless, I followed my coach’s instructions (for the most part) and put in the required numbers of yards and miles… for the most part.
For the most part, I say, because there’s only so much you can do with a damaged plantar fascia. It requires a lot of rest and while resting, obviously you can’t run.
Right about this time, I always begin to question my training. No matter how much I’ve done, no matter how little I’ve done, no matter the event, no matter the race. It has become a “tradition” with me, if you will, to always question my readiness. If everything falls into place, I should be able to put this behind me in a day or two. Luckily this time around, I’ve had a couple of tremendous training sessions in the past few days, so this has helped.
One big difference is that up until the Ironman, the swim always made me loose sleep. I would… Read the rest
About The Silver Lining
On April 30, 2012,
in Blogs,
by Mauricio
from Motivation and Inspiration: Beyond the Ironman Journey
“Clouds may come. Clouds may go. But behind each cloud you know, the sun or the moon is shinning through.”
It is often said that each and every cloud has a silver lining. Sometimes however, its difficult to at first glance recognize this. Because of this very same reason, I have learned to take time out after any “not so ideal” experience to gather my thoughts and compose myself.
This was the case after last Saturday’s Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville.
I had been looking forward to this event for weeks. Not just because it has become one of my favorite annual races but because this year I was going to run it with both my daughters and my brother. Add to this the fact that I had been running at a pace I had never done in the past and I was looking forward to a spectacular race.
The weekend started in great form. Along with my wife and one of my daughters, we picked up my brother Hernando at the airport and headed to pick up our race packet and to the expo. Neither experience disappointed. Both were organized with utmost professionalism, as usual.
Saturday morning’s 4am alarm came quick. Got out of bed without hesitation and had breakfast. All my running gear had been left out the night before so this was smooth. Left the house en route to pick up my daughter Marcela, on the other side of Nashville.
Everything was going just as planned. The… Read the rest
We all know that exercise is only part of the equation. Of course, good nutrition is another, highly significant part of that equation as well. And, as athletes, we all know that it’s also an essential component in helping to boost our athletic performance. Simply put, an athlete cannot maximize their health and fitness potential without it.
Of course, the tricky part is establishing and maintaining our path to good nutrition. Sometimes we might find that it can be especially challenging when we’re trying to form these new patterns, particularly because both eating and exercise have added psychological elements to them. 
While this is something that’s important to be aware of and acknowledge, we also need to recognize that we have a choice in the matter and don’t need to let it rule us or our behaviors. Usually, when we fall off course, it’s because we’ve let our less helpful emotions take hold and/or have switched from a state of awareness to unconsciousness, and just need to return to that former state, reestablish a sense of balance, and get back to basics. We have the option to make conscious choices, but in order to do this, we first need to be conscious of that fact. 
Then, we can find ways to change and reinforce those changes until they stick.
So what are some ways that we can stay on track and reinforce our healthy habits? The solution is actually fairly simple and straightforward. The… Read the rest
About Pushing Beyond Perceived Limits
On March 28, 2012,
in Blogs,
by Mauricio
from Motivation and Inspiration: Beyond the Ironman Journey
I had just about resigned myself to the fact that my run pace would be around the 10:00 to 10:15 mark. No matter how hard I tried, no matter what I did, it always came back to that. Sometimes I would venture into the 9:50ish pace but would quickly go back to that very familiar point.
And then my heel (plantar fasciitis) showed its ugly face. I was sidelined for some three months. No running whatsoever. I was advised to let it heal by letting it rest, amongst other things. So that I did. I ran The Nashville Half Marathon on November 12th and the pain was so intense, I could hardly finish the race. Did not lace up a running shoe until February 1st, this year.
Started running slow pace and short distances. A few minutes at a time, a couple of times a week. Did not worry about pace; just wanted to run and run without pain. Everything was going just as I had hoped. Well, just as I had hoped and as my coach had hoped and as my doctor had hoped. Things were looking up.
As times passed, so did the miles and the time. I would venture into longer runs but still held it to just a couple of times per week. I was told to be patient.
And then came March 14th., the day I decided to let it all hang out. Did not hold back, did not look back! … Read the rest
I have been dispensing free advise for as long as I can remember to anyone who is willing to listen. I have also been fascinated with the ability of the human mind to take us places we never thought possible, at times overcoming insurmountable obstacles. So much so that I have dedicated a good portion of whatever free time I may find, to educate myself in the subject and to test theories in the matter.
As human beings we often take the path of least resistance, keeping us in a comfortable and familiar zone. Venturing out of this zone takes work, effort and dedication and working on this sometimes takes more than we’re willing to put forth.
Enter the world of sports and fitness.
By now anyone not living under a rock understands the importance of physical activity. The problem is however, that the distance between understanding and taking action, actually doing something about it, is quiet large. Few people find themselves comfortable enough with themselves to tackle something new, something different, something that may actually take some hard work to accomplish.
But it’s not all lost. I have written and talked about the one element that ensures, or at least gives you a better shot at success… Mental Training.
On January 13, 2012, I wrote a post entitled: “About The Fifth Element”. In it I discussed the importance of being mentally ready to tackle your triathlon, specifically your Ironman. This post has been the second… Read the rest
About Bonehead Decisions
On February 27, 2012,
in Blogs,
by Mauricio
from Motivation and Inspiration: Beyond the Ironman Journey
I consider myself a pretty level headed kind’a person. I make decisions after a well thought out process. So far, this has served me well. I have no complaints.
A long time ago, I read somewhere that a logical person makes the right decision 95% of the time, given the facts and conditions of the moment. Circumstances may change after the decision is made which at time it may render the decision as a bonehead decision.
This is what happened to me this past Friday.
My younger daughter Marcela invited me (earlier in the week) to attend with her a Boot Camp class at the gym where she works. She told me, and I quote: “You WILL love this class, papa”.
Well, who am I to decline such a special invitation. I have heard of such classes. I have heard that they are not for the faint of heart. I have heard that it’ll whip you in shape, like it or not. I have heard all these marvelous things and now with my daughters recommendation and invitation, I had to try it.
And so I did. I showed up on time and ready to go. First thing I noticed was that I was the only male in the class. Not a problem, I can do this. Second thing I noticed was that I had at least 20 years on the rest of the class. Again, not a problem. I can so do this.
It also turns out that my daughter… Read the rest
About The Last Piece Of The Puzzle
On February 23, 2012,
in Blogs,
by Mauricio
from Motivation and Inspiration: Beyond the Ironman Journey
Planning a race season is not an easy task. Lots of things have to be taken into consideration and this year it was a bit more challenging than in years past. I have opted to race events that I have not raced before; there’s just to much to experience out there and not taking advantage of this is a shame.
First thing I had to get straight was the family vacation. Nothing can come between our time together, all of us, away for a week. Once that was settled then I was free to choose my third “A” event. Yes, third.
I have already registered for Ironman 70.3 Florida (May 20) and Ironman 70.3 Branson (Sept 23). The third and final piece of the puzzle fell right in the middle; Ironman 70.3 Muncie (July 7).
About Tri Types
On February 20, 2012,
in Blogs,
by Mauricio
from Motivation and Inspiration Beyond the Ironman Journey
Triathletes, for the most part, have Type A personalities…
“A type A individual is ambitious, aggressive, business-like, controlling, highly competitive, preoccupied with his or her status, time conscious, arrogant and tightly wound. People with Type A personalities are often high-achieving workaholics who multi-task, push themselves with deadlines, and hate both delays and ambivalence.” This general identification of a Type A personality has been around since 1950 when Cardiologist Marvin Friedman finished a 10 year study conducted with healthy males between the ages of 35-59… long, long before the sport of triathlon ever came along. It is amazing how accurate this applies to the majority of those in our sport, at least to the majority of triathletes I have come in contact with through the years seem to fit this profile.
We are all ambitious, somewhat aggressive, perfectly business-like, highly controlling and extremely competitive. I can’t form an opinion regarding the social status thing because I, personally don’t see this. Our time is very valuable and although most of us would not care to admit, we are arrogant. Yes, we are. The tightly wound part, I have to confess that I’m not. At this point in my life all the tightness has been unwound and am pretty loose.
Just spend a moment with any triathlete and you’ll see how high-achieving workaholics we are, at least when it comes to our sport. Multi-tasker? How else could we tackle three disciplines at once? Deadliness drive us and yes to the hating delays and… Read the rest
About One Hundred Push Ups
On January 27, 2012,
in Blogs,
by Mauricio
from Motivation and Inspiration Beyond the Ironman Journey
I am not one to back away from a challenge. Specially a self imposed challenge.
I came across a program called “One Hundred Push Ups” about two years ago. Interesting, I thought, considering the fact that back then it was a stretch… a very long stretch for me to complete 8-10 push ups in good form. So, I printed the schedule and off I went.
One thing led to another (excuses I think) and next thing you know I had forgotten about the program. I don’t remember how far into it I progressed, but I think it must have been somewhere around one, maybe two weeks. The only thing I can think of is that I wasn’t totally sold and committed to the challenge. Yet.
Later on I challenged myself to start, and finish P90X. Which I did. The thought of One Hundred Push Ups never crossed my mind again.
That is until a real good facebook friend, James T., started posting his progress in the program. This peaked my interest and curiosity once again for I was looking for something different to do during the winter months. This seemed like a good idea. So I pursued it.
After going over the fine print and downloading the plan to my computer, I found that there’s a nifty little app for the smart phones. I quickly paid the $.99 and was on my way.
First thing to do was to perform an initial “test”. Here you are instructed to… Read the rest
About 2012 Schedule
On January 16, 2012,
in Blogs,
by Mauricio
from Motivation and Inspiration Beyond the Ironman Journey
Alrighty! It looks like my “A” events for 2012 have been solidified for I have completed registration(s).
On May 20, 2012 I will be participating in…
I chose this one because most of my brothers and sisters, as well as their families live in the very area where this race will take place. They have never been to one of my events so this will be a great opportunity for them to do so. One of my brothers has actually purchased a new bike and will be venturing in the world of triathlons. This will be a great opportunity for him to see what he’s getting into. They are excited about it, as am I. It will be a blast!
On September 23, 2012 I will be participating in…
I chose this one because I heard the bike course is tough. Yes, tough. What else would you expect from an event in The Ozarks?
There could be another one in the works but I haven’t committed yet!
One of my goals as I move on is to participate in different events each year; never to repeat an event. With so many venues available it would be a shame not to experience all of them.
Any of you out there have experiences with either one of these two? I know the Florida venue is a new one this year for it has moved away from Walt Disney World to Haynes City, Fl. I suspect logistics for this will be easier… Read the rest
