Showing posts with label ironman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ironman. Show all posts

Sunday, April 7, 2019

Patrocinios y Gestion Deportiva- Atletas y Influencers

Hola!! Creo que es mi segundo post en español :) jajaja...
Mi involucramiento en el deporte y especialmente en Mexico a dado un giro- de atleta a formar una iniciativa para generar cambios positivos para Mexico y nuestras siguientes generaciones a través del deporte.

Hace unos días publique un video sobre las inquietudes que creo que muchos tenemos sobre como las redes sociales están afectando los patrocinios y gestión deportiva en Mexico (también en otros países, pero como Mexicana, mi enfoque esta ahi).

Quiero poder tener el máximo alcance posible con este mensaje para unir a todos los que quieran entrar a este movimiento de autenticidad, consciencia, y responsabilidad.

Pueden ver el video en mi instagram: @tativertizm , o en mi Facebook (esta en publico).

En el blog dejare el guion.... Los que quieran apoyar como individuos o compañías /marcas favor de darle "like" y interactuar en la pagina de Atletas Por Un Mexico Mejor que abrí en Facebook!! Apenas la hice entonces voy a ir llenándola de info y demás :) Gracias!
.........

Hola! 

Hoy les quiero hablar del tema de patrocinios y gestión deportiva de atletas e influencers. 

Voy a empezar contando mi historia personal de la lucha para conseguir apoyo como triatleta. 

Después, lo que he observado del mercado deportivo en Mexico,  y al final lo que propongo hacer para concientizar el entorno de patrocinios. Espero que al empezar este movimiento personalmente, mis amigos, conocidos, y los que lleguen a ver este video también se unan a el. 

Como muchos sabrán, soy Mexicana de sangre y corazón, pero empecé mi carrera deportiva en EEUU. En el pico de mi trayectoria, 2009-2011, el mercado de Ironman en Mexico apenas estaba iniciando su crecimiento brutal, y era muy difícil conseguir que una marca apostara por una triatleta de larga distancia y menos una viviendo en el extranjero.

Mis patrocinios durante mi carrera en la cual conseguí estar en el podio del Mundial de Kona 4 de cuatro veces, y ser doble campeona mundial, ser también dos veces campeona de edad de Ironman Cozumel y Ironman Arizona, y ganar el premio de deporte de la ciudad de Mexico, eran únicamente de producto - de EEUU.  

Al volver a mi país en 2014, ya semi retirada por una lesión de espalda, me di cuenta de la explosión que Ironman y el triatlón en general estaban teniendo en Mexico.  Mis ganas de entrenar, competir, y ganar nunca se apagaron, y creí tener una oportunidad enorme en Mexico no solo para darme a conocer como atleta y así poder seguir haciendo lo que mas me apasiona, sino también para tener una plataforma que me permitiera compartir mis conocimientos, y aportar mi granito de arena para mejorar el deporte en Mexico -  especialmente para nuestros jóvenes de bajo nivel socioeconómico. 

En 2015 gane el triatlón de La Paz y también volví a calificar para el mundial de 70.3 quedando en 11eavo ahi. En 2016, competi en casi todas las carreras del serial nacional quedando en el podio en mi categoría y en la general de edades en cada una. 

A pesar de seguir comprobándome como atleta, haciendo presencia por casi todo Mexico, y contactando a prácticamente todas las marcas de deporte, no solo de triatlón, y nada se realizo. 

Me quede frustrada pero mas motivada para demostrar que aun que no me ayudaran, ahí iba a seguir.  

En 2017 6 semanas después de un podio en el Ironman de Texas, quede en 2ndo en el Ironman de Boulder, y califique por 5ta vez al mundial de Kona. 

Dije, “ahora si!” ya estoy establecida de nuevo como una de las triatletas top en este boom Mexicano de Ironman, claro que me van a apoyar algunas marcas. 

Contacte a compañías de bici, de tenis, de zapatillas, lo que se les ocurra-- y aun así NADIE de Mexico, mas que CompressSport que me apoyo con ropa técnica, se junto conmigo. 

A un mes del mundial, donde personalmente solo me quedaba ser campeona por 3era vez y vencer mi propia marca de 10hrs 1 min, me puse a reflexionar sobre por que seguía insistiendo cuando claramente no estaba consiguiendo esa plataforma para tener una voz en el deporte Mexicano. Me sentía rechazada por el mercado deportivo en Mexico, y decepcionada de darme cuenta poco a poco que muchas de las marcas del sector deportivo, estaban mas bien apostando por psuedo influencers. 

Entonces dije, “Si eso es lo que quieren, si eso es lo necesario para al final poder influenciar en el deporte, eso hare- si entrenar, y ganar no vale tanto, y las marcas quieren que dediques tu tiempo a encontrar la mejor luz del atardecer para hacerte fotos sexies y selfies, vale, lo hago! Si prefieren que dediques tu tiempo en conseguir el mejor robot de instagram para aumentar tus likes y tus seguidores en vez de sudar para mejorar tus tiempos y resultados como verdadero deportista, pues mas fácil!

Y asi pase unos meses incrementando mi “valor” en redes, pero personalmente no fue tan fácil como pensé- pues espiritualmente sentía que me estaba traicionando yo misma. Es decir, mi valor propio lo había crecido desde chiquita a través del deporte puro y duro, y venderme de esta manera se sentía falso y feo. 

También me hizo sentir que me estaba rindiendo de mi propuesta final de cambiar las oportunidades para jóvenes Mexicanos. Si no valen tanto los resultados, y basamos los apoyos mas en guapura, en tu “look”, y en el dinero que inviertas para crecer tus redes, como le va a hacer el deportista que no tiene ni para comprarse unos tenis para patear el balón de fut por la calle?! 

El choque entre la autenticidad y falta de es lo que está creando un malestar en las redes sociales y lo que determinará el ejemplo que ponemos a los niños de las siguientes generaciones. 
Yo me había desviado de la esencia de hacer todo únicamente por el amor al deporte y mi propia satisfacción y llegue al punto de querer reconocimiento por lo q había logrado por que creo que al final todos queremos sentir que nuestros esfuerzos pudieron generar un valor externo, que pudieron aportar algo a la sociedad.


De un día al otro, ya no aguantaba mas y me arrepentí. Quite mas de 2,000 seguidores que me había conseguido mi robot- y que al final probablemente ni se vinculaban con cualquier marca que quisiera patrocinarme y buscara un retorno medible y tangible (cosa que me pregunto si las marcas de verdad están conscientes de ello).  Puse mi cuenta en privado, y tome un break literal del deporte y de Mexico, y me vine a estudiar una maestría a España.  Estoy a dos meses de acabar la maestría, enfocada al marketing y gestión deportiva y este tiempo aquí me ha renovado la confianza de que SI puedo marcar una diferencia en Mexico, de cómo alinear esa pasión por el deporte y también por competir, con la parte laboral que implica la política deportiva. 

Dentro de mis planes esta juntar a los que tienen criterio deportivo, y de gestionar recursos para atletas e infraestructura, y formar un consejo que sirva como intermediario del gobierno y del sector privado. 

En la parte de patrocinios y mi marca personal como atleta, claro que volveré a competir- al menos en varias de las carreras nacionales. Mi crecimiento tan chico o grande que llegue a ser, será orgánico, y con el fin de ayudar a los demás. Cada patrocinio que llegue a recibir, tendrá que ser igualado para un o una joven de bajos recursos. Es decir, si una marca de tenis me manda un par, tendrá que haber otro par para alguien de necesidad. Si llegara a tener un patrocinio de bici, al mínimo, yo misma recaudare fondos totalmente transparentes para conseguir una, o cuantas mas se logren, para los que no tienen para comprarse.  Y cada carrera que haga tendrá alianza con una fundación, para que el esfuerzo personal tenga un beneficio ajeno.  

Sean deportistas, influencers, Mexicanos, o de otro país, los invito a unirse conmigo en este movimiento de patrocinio colectivo en la capacidad que puedan.  

Muchas veces pensamos que lo que nosotros hacemos personalmente no llegara a cambiar el entorno general, pero si varios hacemos algo, la suma si que lo cambia. 

Gracias, y darle! 




Thursday, May 3, 2018

The Shame in the Game

Let me start out by saying that I never thought I’d make a blog post out of something that anyone with the logic of a 4 year old could see was a black and white matter.

But, after a few days now of constant absurd defenses, and the fact that the very governing body of the sport- IRONMAN- decided to uphold times, qualifications, and records of cheaters, I feel the urge to voice my opinion on a permanent platform as a participant, ambassador, and lover of triathlon for over a decade.  After all, the day I can’t say what I think and feel, I’d rather be buried a few feet underground.

Numerous people took my anti-drafting comments over the weekend personal, and the defensive attacks commenced because when you’re guilty what else is left to do but defend and be paranoid that everything is about you?

To those, all I can say is that guilt you feel won’t go away any time soon; and my comments, along with hundreds of others that thought and wrote about the blatant drafting (aka cheating) over the weekend, were valid because it’s a sport/industry we’ve been a part of for over a decade and we’re incredibly sad to see how much it has decayed; because we have raced numerous IRONMANs and other non draft races letting packs (and slots, and PRs, and podiums) go by; and lastly, because if we don’t speak up and let this slide, what hope if any is left to save the essence of IRONMAN?

When I started racing in 2006, I got into it because I read articles, books, and watched documentaries about what IRONMAN and the people that did it were about- a desire to push the human body to its limits in an individual competition. Back then (yes even in 2006) it wasn’t about how many IM’s you’d done or how fast, or how expensive your bike was, or who designed your race outfit- but instead this community that shared a passion for athleticism and the outdoors. That’s it! How simple, how fun, how raw!

Despite my own achievements, I always (and more so to this day) felt like a goldfish in a sea of sharks, because I was fortunate enough to train with and be mentored by some of the most accomplished, ethical, and HUMBLE men and women in triathlon.

Now, it’s ego, it’s money, it’s whatever it takes to get that time and beat that person, and if it’s gotta be done wrong and dirty, “bring it!”… because the ego boost is more important than the ethics behind those achievements.

Records, and personal bests are meant to be broken, and as a lover of all sports, there is no one I cheer for more than the bad ass hard worker that makes shit happen and breaks those barriers- even if those are mine or a friend’s. In fact, it only drives my motivation and appreciation for what we’re all capable of. With one simple condition: that it’s done clean. Drafting, like doping, is illegal in IRONMAN racing- you draft, you’re cheating, and your outcome on that day is not legit.  Period.

Regardless if they’re my own family member or close friend- independent of the love and care that will always remain intact, my respect for them as an athlete goes to zero.

So, with a heavy heart, I accept losing “friends” and watching our dear sport deteriorate, while upholding my principles. For me, and for the vast majority, what happened in Texas (and in any other race where athletes stood behind their artificial times despite cheating), is a disgrace, and does not count for anything except a colossal disappointment of the brand itself and the people that chose to break the rules.

The only plus side to IRONMAN Texas having the most blatant and massive violations I think of all time, along with the race officials not patrolling the course, is that hopefully this will spark more consciousness into the triathlon industry in general, and the cheating-inclined will think twice before going down that path the next time they race.

Work hard. Race clean.










Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Cycles...

Life is full of them, in every context. Some we open/close overnight, others take longer, maybe even years. Whatever the case, it's when we heed the lessons life is trying to teach us, when we finally outgrow something,  or it just doesn't serve our purpose or path anymore that these pages of our life story turn to another chapter.

Ironman Boulder was a closing of a cycle in my life. It was much more than training these last few months- it was rediscovering WHY I wanted to race an Ironman (which btw, when you can answer that, is when you know you should be doing it), rediscovering my strengths, and more importantly my weaknesses in multiple aspects, finding out who is there for me as a true friend/supporter, what thoughts, feelings, and things do or don't serve me, and what it is exactly that I want for myself at least in the short term of a few years.

To quote one of my favorite authors, and public speakers, Brene Brown, "Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it's having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. It is not weakness; it is our greatest measure of courage." 

That is racing, and that is life lived authentically.

I'm back home now, after achieving the one goal I had for IM Boulder: the slot to Kona. It'll be my fifth time on the island for that race, 10 years after my first Ironman which happened to be Kona! So to say it is special, is an understatement.

After a solid few weeks of incredibly needed rest I look forward to putting on the best preparation of my life for this Ironman. It starts a new cycle with immense experience, growth, grit, and connection to the people that are really my pillars for this fabulous journey.

Let's go over Boulder briefly....

First, I want to thank Andree and Chris Miceli for being the most wonderful hosts during my stay! Spoiled doesn't even begin to cut it. I met them in Cabo when they were there for IM in 2015, and that's the cool thing about triathlon- in one weekend you make friends for life.

I went in to Boulder, mentally ready and of course physically since I had prepped well for IM TX and also had that event in my legs. But that was a double edged sword...a couple weeks ago I felt the deep fatigue in my legs that just wouldn't shake. I did nothing too "long" in these six weeks between the two Ironmans, but still it lingered.

The swim was the best part of the day, it was a beautiful morning, and the Res is awesome. Exiting the swim, I found myself right next to Larissa- our newest 18-24 IM AG World Champ also from Mexico! It was super cool to head out onto the bike together :)

About 20miles into riding my legs were shot. Just bricks. Fortunately, I was enjoying the ride/scenery too much so convinced myself to just get to T2 and it was okay to hand in my chip there.

So I got to T2, and I honestly have ZERO idea how suddenly I was running. It was robotic, like I didn't even think and just headed out.

I ran about 8-10 miles decent, at least it qualified as "running" so this pumped me up and got me thinking dang I might just be able to finish this quite well, what a lovely surprise. Then slowly from there, everything fell apart.

This was unlike anything I'd ever experienced in a race because it wasn't mental demons, it wasn't caloric lows, or GI upset, or cramps....it was UNPLUGGED, DONE, ZAPPED, LEGS WILL ONLY WALK STOP TRYING TO RUN RIGHT NOW!!!!!!

So at mile 16 the walk began. Larissa passed me and yelled to hang with her. LOL, girl was moving! I smiled and told her to keep at it because I was beyond done.

Then an angel came by :)... At around mile 10 I had met this guy in a Timex kit, later to find out his name is Kyle, we briefly exchanged some words of encouragement and I ran ahead. At about that mile 16/17 aid station he saw me walking and said "Oh no, you said you want that Kona slot, you're not gonna miss it! Move your a**!" He was moving slower than Larissa, and it was like hearing my coach say none of that this hurts business, how bad do you want it?! So the jog of death began.

We walked the aid stations, and trotted the rest. The last 4 miles were an indescribable agony. It literally felt like I had to lift 200lb legs each step.

But then, there it was, the finish chute... Kyle and I ran in together, and he was right- KONA BABY!!!!






Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Galveston 70.3

In 2013, I "raced" Galveston after barely surviving Qt2 Pro Camp, and months of underlying fatigue that just wouldn't go away. Only now that I'm healthy do I realize how grey that cloud was that loomed over me. There was almost complete apathy toward being there and taking one more step- I felt bloated and stone legged, annoyed, and just wanting to move on from the world of swim, bike, and run. The back pain lasted for days after, and it wasn't long before I called my coach at the time, Jesse, and said I'm done racing.

In the last 2 years I've discovered that the general health issues had to do with my body's ability to process folic acid, and its need for bio active folate...which I talked about at length in another post. I also did find balance in my life, and got a life ;) haha. As well, maybe it was just giving time, time, but I learned to manage my back pain and spent many of what felt like stupid minutes a day doing tiny exercises/stretches that have accumulated to nothing short of a miracle.

I don't for once take my health for granted, so I know that the back pain is a part of me as an athlete and the spondy as a condition is a part of me as a person in whatever activity or lack thereof I partake in.  So I can only continue the diligence when it comes to this bodily maintenance.

Onto the race...

I arrived in Texas on Wednesday night, got a great night's sleep, and was eagerly at the pool at 6am on Thursday. Everything was going perfect until 11am when a sudden urge to puke my brains out hit and didn't stop until 5pm that I was letting out vile and coiling in screams at the stomach pain. Realizing I couldn't even keep down 2oz of water, and my mom said I looked like death, we headed to Urgent Care. I passed out in the car over. Two IV bags and a triple dose of anti nausea medicine later, and life looked promising again.

The doctor said it was a virus, so not food poisoning, and that if I wanted to race I just had to get as much fluid and hopefully solid food in by Sunday morning (race day).

Cool.

Saturday evening in Galveston was my first real meal aside from boiled potatoes, fruit cups, and bananas. I even felt good enough to have a glass of white wine.

The mistake was made on Sunday morning when I should've been preemptive and downed some electrolyte tabs, or drank a bottle of sports drink with Base salt.

The race----
Swim: I lined up front center, and ended up swimming 99% of the course on Alicia's feet ahead of the whole group, minus one girl that was farther ahead of us. It felt cruisey and the only bummer was having to navigate hundreds of slower age group men from prior waves. I did cramp 3 times on my right calf in the swim and still didn't take the hint to load up on extra salt on the bike!

I lost Alicia through a crowd of those men right before the last turn bouey toward the ramp.

Onto the bike I felt awesome. The Dimond is just ridiculous, that's all I need to say. I opted for a disc in the most perfect flat conditions. I passed Alicia a few miles into it, and then she caught back up with about 10miles to go.

I ended up coming into T1 only about a min ahead. I knew she ran well since she trains with my friend Sam Mazer, and so I just hoped I could run strong and even if she did end up ahead by a couple minutes she had her Worlds slot so I'd be good and have had a breakthrough race.

Looking at my watch if I ran 1:35 I'd be finishing right at 4:35-:4:40 so possibly a 70.3 PR (Vineman 4:39)...I was stoked!!!

Then it happened. Roughly 2 miles in, the quads started to cramp. I stared grabbing bananas, gatorade, and coke at every aid station like I was at an eating contest vs a triathlon. Too late. It was very humid, but I train in heat and I do well in humidity, and have never ever cramped in a race- EVER.

By the middle of the first lap I was about to hand my chip in and call it a day. The pain was ridiculous. Every step felt like my legs were going to buckle and I was jogging at a frustrating pace. It sucks when you feel great but your legs are worthless!

At the middle of the second loop I actually laid down for about 10min and had a massage on my legs to try and get the cramps out enough to just finish.

Devastatingly enough, I got passed with about 3/4mi to go by the girl that got second, and thankfully managed to hang on and finish because the slot rolled down to me for Austria.

Some things are just out of your control, but I do feel a bit of anger at myself for not having the light bulb go off and load up to prevent the cramps. It was such an obvious possibility that I dropped the ball. But, you learn.

That said, I am thrilled that I PR'd the bike with a 2:22 and had almost ZERO back discomfort. Knowing that with even a decent run I might've PR'd for a 70.3, motivates me like heck to put my head down and drill the training for Austria and Chicago.

You never know what will happen on race day but I'm in it to win it so after a couple weeks break, I'll be back to work;)!!

Thursday, April 2, 2015

One month to go!!! Racing for the Children's Tumor Foundation

I am Incredibly grateful to my friends that have already donated to this great cause which I hope to race not just the Hawaii 70.3 for, but many more events!! 

It will be an honor to line up on that start line knowing that the journey was more than time spent in a pool, a trail, or cycling highways. It was about being thankful each and every day for health and the OPPORTUNITY to be able to do each of those things. Children born with neurofibromatosis battle obstacles much greater than most of us could ever imagine. 

From all the reading I've done regarding neurofibromatosis, it is wonderful to be able to play a part, however small, in funding the research and education/counseling for families affected by this genetic disorder- especially with my recent involvement with all the kids in Cabo, and our own TriCaboKidz foundation. 30 days left for us to reach the goal together!! Thank you!!

CLICK HERE to help!!

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Hawaii 70.3- Children's Tumor Foundation!

We're fools if we do things the same way expecting different results, right?

Well, the last time I raced Hawaii 70.3 was in 2012- the birth of the low back "injury" that has haunted me since. I kept racing that whole season, and tried again to swim/bike/run in 2013 until calling it quits at Galveston 70.3....

Fast forward to now- I'm attempting a return to triathlon but this time with a different perspective and cause.

For one, I've come to terms with the low back situation and see it as a "dare" to manage it through a whole season by successfully getting to the finish line at each event without having to sacrifice performance.

Secondly, being on the SMASH/DIMOND women's team has renewed my sense of purpose and reach, in terms of being able to inspire others, by belonging to something bigger than myself. I feel accountable to these women and what we stand for, as well as all the people and companies supporting the team.

Finally, as part of TriCabo and TriCaboKidz, I want to be a role model for the triathlon school of Cabo and to walk the talk of sport development in Baja Sur.

I guess on top of all of this, is also the weird sense that if keys from the Universe keep showing up at my fingertips to hold steady on the triathlon road, it must mean I shouldn't give up! Not a believer in coincidence, I think when obstacles are thrown at us, and walls block us even from what we (*think*) want most in life, we have to take it with a grain of salt and accept that we are meant to be on a different journey.

For some odd reason, the triathlon train still reserves my seat! So I've decided to hop on board again.

I don't have a clue how I'll fare this weekend at the La Paz Olympic, or Galveston 70.3 in April, and I've now committed to raising money for Hawaii 70.3 May 30th...but I do know that I'm in shape, healthy, and ready to leave the back pain and results to fate. The daily process of and interaction with other athletes in this crazy sport is what makes me happy.

That said, I know that if I am to race on the Big Island again, it has to be for something other than myself, so when a friend mentioned Hawaii 70.3 and I curiously looked at the site the "entry for charity" stood right out.

The sense of training and racing for kids in need is far more motivating and fulfilling than for any podium spot or qualifying time.

The Children's Tumor Foundation asks for a minimum of $3000 dls by May 1st for the charity entry and it would mean a lot to me to have your support.

Please share, and follow the link if you want to help me in this cause:)!





Tuesday, January 27, 2015

2015 Race Team & Schedule!

I could not be more thrilled, honored, and motivated to join this amazing group of women in the 2015 SMASH DIMOND Triathlon Team!!!


In a few weeks I'll have my hands on this sexy bike and plan to fly with it in the following races...

March 21- ITU LaPaz (Chicago 2015 ITU Worlds Qualifier)

March 29- Cabo Whaleman Half Iron Distance (tentative)

April 26- Galveston 70.3 (Intention of qualifying for Austria 70.3 Worlds which hurricane Odile kindly stepped on my attempt to grab the slot in Cozumel last Sept!)

May - August a few sprints and olympics in Texas as I go home for the summer to train for Chicago and Austria (fingers crossed!).

Depending on how my back fares....end of season Ironman to have just one chance at my new AG 25-29 that I never raced Kona in, and...well...I've never been known to just treat Kona as a "fun run" ;)

BUTTTT above all the goals and results, is getting to meet each of my teammates, train and race alongside them, and inspire and be a role model for other triathletes.





Monday, January 26, 2015

2015...Checking in from Cabo!

Um, wow. That about sums up my reaction to life thus far. Up until I reached a quarter century, literally at 25, life had been pretty smooth sailing. The biggest stressors I had faced were college papers, demands from parents and coaches, the occasional fight with a friend, a sports injury, the buildup to an Ironman....cake!

This post may be a long one because I have a lot of personal and professional things that I've kept to myself the last couple of years that I'm finally ready to speak about and release, welcoming a breath of new air, new beginnings, and a new found strength that only certain downfalls could've provided.

The first bump in my step isn't really news- the back injury that seemed to pop out of nowhere in 2012, thus leading me to pull away from any hope of being a professional triathlete, maybe ever competing in an Ironman distance again, and starting the real world job hunt that had only proved fruitless since my 2009 college graduation.

It came at a necessary time as I was also exhausted and craved change- maybe not so much change as came about- but change nonetheless.

Fast forward to moving to LA and no luck at finding a job that would sponsor a visa. There were amazing internship offers that I wasn't legally allowed to take as an intern can't be foreign unless the company sponsors an entire H-1B petition for them (no company in their right mind would do such a ludicrous thing).

So out of a casual bar conversation with a stranger bloomed the idea of moving to Cabo San Lucas- the thought of which had never entered my mind prior to that fateful February evening in Pebble Beach.

So in a span of two months I visited Cabo, signed employment with Snell to sell real estate, sold my car in LA, packed up my condo, flew to TX, packed bags there, and moved to Cabo.

Through all of this, beginning in November 2013, I was battling some perplexing, frustrating, and depressing health issues. I've only vaguely told people about this because until recently I still had no clue what was really going on.

All I knew was that since cutting back my training from a full time athlete to your average gym-goer, I had actually become more fatigued. Where was the sense in that?

If only it had been just fatigue, I started getting double vision, headaches, grave unexplained and random bloating, muscle cramps, and a complete apathy toward any and everything.

One could say I was depressed, but it was different. It would come in bouts, and even when my mood was great, when I was stoked and at my most optimistic, this cloud loomed over my physical and mental health.

Around April, when I was finally in Texas for a few weeks before the move to Cabo, I Googled my symptoms like mad, determined to narrow down what could possibly be preventing me from even 30minutes of activity a day, causing weight gain while eating healthy organic foods and in complete caloric control.

Enter hypothyroidism. I was convinced. This had to be it. Thyroid and a major hormonal imbalance whether related or not, where causing this turmoil.

Back track for a second- even in early 2013 when I went to Clermont for QT2 Pro training camp, I had a discussion with Jesse about my ridiculous fatigue and recovery issues at my young age. How I felt like I was 80 and training was ten fold harder.

Anyway, three days before scheduling an appointment with my family's endocrinologist, I started taking a supplement by Mega Food (I love this company btw because everything is FOOD based). I didn't want to take anything synthetic, especially on my own, and I didn't want supplements that had thyroid hormone etc because if I was wrong I'd be playing with fire.

Mega Food's Thyroid Strength has a large dose of iodine from kelp, 300mg of tyrosine, some holy basil, copper, magnesium, basic things that help to support your thyroid.

You may think I am crazy as heck and that's fantastic but I swear by the time I stepped into the doctors office a few days later, I almost wanted to apologize for not canceling the appointment because I felt 16 again.

I had energy to conquer the world, I slept amazing, the water retention disappeared about as magically as a bad bout of PMS, the headache gone...just out of this world amazing.

I told the doctor this, he ordered blood work, and a week later we discussed that I may be borderline hypothyroid. As such, I should continue on Mega Food's supplement, my multi, and check back at year's end. If I feel like stopping that supplement then I could go off it a few days or weeks and monitor the symptoms.

I lost roughly 10 lbs by July, and the sky was blue and sunny again!...And then it happened....In Cabo Mega Food anything can't be found, and the only multi is Alive (which is ok, but you'll later understand why this didn't work for me), and I had run out of my own. Everything returned to the nightmare of early that year, until late August when a trip to Mexico City reunited me with my pills haha that my mom had sent from the US with a friend for me to pick up there.

Again like a roller coaster, I was revving back up to normal. Thanks to the hurricane, once back in the US I wanted to monitor blood and all again and see if there was a way I could not be dependent on this supplement forever...I mean what if they discontinue it? What if I am in another country? etc. Also, I was sure something else was missing in this puzzle.

Coincidentally, I happened to read Jordan Blanco's post about some health issues and her doctor, in Colorado, Dr. Silver at Boulder Peak Health. She seemed like an excellent option- a doctor that lives in the heart of crazy endurance athletes like myself, is an athlete herself, and speaks of hormonal and women's health so passionately.

Immediately I scheduled a phone consultation, we ordered blood work, and this is what we found....

Everything looked normal and actually very healthy. Creatine looked a bit elevated, could just be dehydration....but there was ONE "aha!" to my symptoms: MTHFR.

I have a genetic mutation C677T that hinders my usage and production of folic acid.

Very few multi vitamins on the market use FOLATE- the bioactive form- and instead use synthetic folic acid, which if you have my issue you can't use and it only in a sense clogs you.

Folic acid is also used to fortify a lot of foods- luckily many are gluten products like pasta and cereals that I don't eat.

Regardless, through my years as an endurance athlete I had run these reserves of folate pretty low, and since a couple years ago I had stopped taking a certain multi vitamin that contained the FOLATE that I didn't know I needed and had switched to multi's like Alive that have folic acid.

If you do your research you'll see that your body's ability to use folate directly impacts your thyroid, your hormones, your ability to make new cells, seratonin, dopamine, everythingggg!!

So why had Mega Food's thyroid supplement worked really well for me? Because it fed me the tyrosine and other thyroid supporters that my body wasn't churning on its own.

Since then, taking METHYLFOLATE, and/or a vitamin like Garden of Life's Kind Organics Women's Daily which has folate (from lemon), I feel like a NORMAL 27 year old!!

These ups and downs have resulted in my inconstant training, in reality exercise. They've caused me to value health and the ability to have even the most basic active lifestyle, and more importantly that Ironman did not cause this, that I didn't overtrain, that I'm not a hypochondriac, that I wasn't depressed, and that I can and will still workout avidly and compete in sports- especially the one I love most.

Through this all, through the moves, the job challenges, the hurricane that left me literally feeling homeless and unemployed, and sad about what had happened to such a beautiful place, I learned that as quickly as the body recovers, so does the soul...so do groups of people, and cities like Cabo.

And out of the storm, if you keep your mind and your heart in the good that you want out of life and what you hope to contribute, life will exceed your expectations and give you tremendous fortitude and opportunity to live out your potential and help others do the same.

I came back to Cabo in early December, with only plans of staying a few days at a friend's house- unsure what conditions it was really in, just wanting to tie some lose ends, not overstay my tourist-visa-welcome in the US, and clear my head a bit after two months of another round of door knocking for US jobs that led to nothing.

The progress was outstanding! Sure roughly 60% of hotels are still shut until late spring/summer, there are some "issues" in the lower income areas of San Lucas and San Jose, and only things pertinent to tourism are being dealt with full force, but if you really witnessed or understood what this place went through with Odile, the fact that it felt 99% normal in its everyday functions, leads to nothing but respect and admiration for the community.

At that point, I had a gut feeling (I always say there's one thing you can trust over everything else and that's your gut!) to try and stay in Cabo. So I put it up to fate. I said, if there's a place for me here, then I will be able to commit myself to the sports development that I had begun to get deeply involved in with TriCabo, it will be nearly effortless to find a place to live, and my family will be receptive to the choice.

One phone call to Paco of TriCabo expressing my desire to commit to them 100% at least until summer and see where it goes, and he was on board and thrilled at my decision. One email to these condos that a new friend had shown me, and they responded with ONE unit left for lease through June available Jan1.

Coincidently, one of our TriCabo coworkers that had been administering TriCaboKidz had begun to slowly step out of that role and so it was perfect timing that I came in to shadow her and take the reins to grow our Triathlon School for kids, promote our races, our camps, and help develop sport in Cabo.

I feel elated, healthy, free, and honored to be giving back doing what I love more than anything else.

Working with the kids is refreshing, inspiring, challenging, and am also coaching some local adults, and hoping to change a little bit of the culture in this part of Mexico to be more in tune with an active and healthy lifestyle.

As well, I have my own lofty triathlon goals for this season that I can't wat to announce in the next post...now with the fabulous assurance that my health is on track!:)

My hope is that I can welcome any of you to Cabo in the near future and showcase the progress we have made with the community's involvement in sport, and host you in a wonderful training or racing experience.

Cheers from sunny Cabo!



Wednesday, October 22, 2014

The rest of the Kona trip & Seattle

It was my true intention to blog every day while I was in Hawaii but after the very first blog post on, technically, day zero, it simply wasn't going to happen.

When I'd finally sit down on the computer, it was with mediocre wifi, so more often than not I'd resort to my smart phone.

The trip as a whole was fantastic! I set out to try and connect with as many people as possible in hopes of finding a job in this industry that could keep me in the US or somewhere cool abroad, and I left with numerous promising leads.

It was fabulous to see new and old faces, and spend some time helping out at the expo and for the first time, getting involved in the keiki (kid's) race before Ironman.



The Saturday right after I arrived I found out there was an organized race of the full swim course and jumped in last minute with a friend which was amazing because it felt like I was racing again but then emerged to find fruit and bagels waiting at the King Kam beach restaurant.

Every day I'd run and/or swim, mostly solo but got in a solid 11 miler with Hillary (www.smashfestqueen.com) all along Alii, and another short one with Beth before finally leaving the Island- got to meet little Wynne too :) The swim highlights were: obviously the "race", finding the Smash girls mid-sea and joining them for the remainder, and the last dip from the Pier getting to swim out to the 1.2 bouey with Chrissie Wellington, and the Grangers.

For the majority of the trip I shared a condo with Holly, SOAS' Steph, and her sister Andrea- it was awesome spending time with these great women! The night before last, Jen Barber let me crash with her before slumming it back down to Uncle Billy's "hotel" and we had a great dinner and a failed attempt to find late night local Big Island ice cream despite miles of walking in effort.
 (Jen, Me, Jordan Blanco at the Aloha Party)
(Our yummy dinner with an awesome view at Daylight Mind)

I also had two long lunches with some of the Mexican athletes and it was cool to hear of their journey to Kona and how/where they train back home.


The rest of the sun and fun is all in pics....

some amazing salads: Ultimate Burger (in a bowl), Lava Java Greek chicken, & Huggo's seared ahi :P




Sinfully hydrating Nuun cocktails at the Triathlete house party

 One of the first swims in my new Betty suit (www.bettydesigns.com)

Rad view from our stay at the Royal Kona the night after the race!
Finally stole a pic with this legend!




cheering along the run course!!
Race Day!

Sebastian the King of 2014

What a performance by Ben Hoffman!!


Fun times at the ClifBar party

Day after the after-party on a couple hours sleep with Tawnee for a "swim"
Shiono Sushi- top notch!!

The best for last: Rinny in absolute Beast Mode about to cross the mat for her 3rd Kona title!


From Hawaii, I was set to travel back a whole 17.5 hours to Texas with stops in Seattle and Dallas. The Ebola scare in Dallas coupled with the agony of being sleep deprived in airports felt enough to warrant getting off in Seattle and stay with my good friend Sam a few days. I'd only passed through Seattle in 2007 en route to Portland for Nationals, so never explored any of it.

Aside from the gloomy weather, the people, abundant culture, fantastic food, and general love/support for outdoor activities made me think I could totally live there! We enjoyed walks to some amazing coffee, cocktails at the chic Edge Water Hotel, a swim in Mercer Island, and a fabulous dinner at Anthony's Home Port in Kirkland.





Icing on the cake was getting to play original Nintendo and meeting Sam's horrendously cute rescue dog, Mimi.

Friday, October 3, 2014

Kona 2014 Day 0

It happened! For the 7th year I'm back at the Hawaii World Championship- 3rd time not racing...except last year was a total catastrophe as I spent only a few days on the Island sick and counting down the minutes to return home. Needless to say, I didn't stay even to the race week and sort of left apathetically without looking back- more concerned about fixing my own work/life situation than playing around in the Hawaii sun.

However, this year the Kona plot began brewing early summer when the TriCabo races and events were being planned at full gear and I was set to come promote the camps and primarily our inaugural Cabo Whaleman. As well, I wanted to help some friends out at the Expo- LAVA Mag & SOAS.

The almost too-good-to-be-true fun of 2012 was begging to be repeated and 2014 had to be it. Then Hurricane Odile came through Cabo and did its little dance of destruction and there went Cozumel 70.3, and any concrete thoughts of promoting Cabo tourism through Ironman week.

Fast forward to a few days ago, sitting at home in Texas, regrouped and looking at everything through a "blessing in disguise"/"glass half full" lens and tick tick the dots connected and...well...ALOHA!

It's hard to succinctly describe the feeling of touching down in Kona. Wait, backup to getting on the triathlete-filled plane at LAX, and feeling a mix of butterflies as if I was going to race again, and an excitement of the week when this whole community of swim, bike, run lovers unites in paradise to celebrate the best of the best. I ran into a good friend, Pablo who was seated just across from me, and it was amazing to hear about all the endurance racing he packs on year after year! The baggage claim was full of people from all over the world, each with their unique story of how they got to be at this year's World Championship.

I got my suitcase, which was all I had since my bike is still cozy in Cabo, and another good friend and Kona local, Cody, picked me up and we went to grab lunch at the Kona Brewing Company. I'm not a beer person, but their Longboard is fantastic and after a whole morning of travel it went down like liquid gold.


From lunch he dropped me off to check in at Uncle Billy's where I'll be two nights before joining some girl friends at a condo for the remainder of the trip. At the lobby I met the cutest woman- in one of the elder categories- that was telling the receptionist she qualified in IM Sweden but had never swam without a wetsuit and was nervous and just hoping she'd make the swim cutoff. I couldn't resist, and asked her if she wouldn't mind me helping her out these next few days in the ocean to give her a few pointers and get her more comfortable so she makes that cut off no problem! So tomorrow we'll start bright and early :)!

Quicky, I unpacked and put on my bikini to head straight to the beach to get back some of the color I lost since Odile. I enjoyed a little swim in the ocean and was feeling surprisingly awake despite the 4am TX-time wake up, so also went for a run on Alii.

Now I'm starting to wind down and will just relax the rest of the evening.

Tomorrow after I swim with the woman I met, I think there's a group doing the whole course so why the heck not?!



Thursday, August 7, 2014

Where did the summer go?!

The last time I remember really wanting to blog was about a month ago- I'd had an awesome week leading into the 4th of July and wanted to share all the fun but then I got sick which left me wanting to do absolutely NOTHING and then a week later I got sick again! It started with an ear infection which led to a nasty cold, or likely flu, thanks to my genius idea to run in the rain in downtown San Lucas as cars whipped by drenching me with dirty street water like Shamu at Sea World:(

It's crazy we're already into August and only 6 weeks out from Cozumel 70.3! I'm very happy with the way things are going balancing training, work, and life. It's not that hard when you live in a place that gives off vacation energy 24/7. My back still gets tight, still hurts on some rides, but I've come to make peace with it and more or less know how to manage it. Luckily we have a fabulous massage guy, Chris Vincent (www.cabomassageacupuncture.com), and he introduced me to Dr. Green of Vital Balance in San Jose, who I'm pretty confident can get me back in the game- at least finishing another Ironman in a year or two pain free. Fingers crossed!


Late June I headed up to La Paz and raced a half marathon- it was one of the coolest half's I've done! I stayed at the Perla Hotel right on the coast, or Mallecon, and jogged to the start where I met up with some of the peeps from Cabo. I felt fit, and though not rested, I was shocked at my time for a hilly hot course in 1:36 given the Kenyan that won went 1:31. My friend Miriam clocked 1:32 for second female, I finished 4th and still got some dough:). Got a great meal on the beach waiting for the awards and drove home at a steady 100mph on that fantasy highway 19 hehe.























At this point, I just want to qualify for Austria Worlds 2015 in Cozumel. I've been obsessed with The Sound Of Music since forever, and never felt inclined to race Clearwater or Vegas 70.3 Worlds, but the hills are alive in Austria just screaming my name.


Anyway, prior to the two bouts of illness, I met a wonderful family that vacations in Cabo- the dad, his son, and his son's friend were in town a few days to get in some surfing. We were introduced by another realtor I work with as we were planning a girls night to dine at The Market's wine pairing in the One & Only Palmilla. We stopped by the guys' house for a cocktail and that led to a group of about 10 of us heading to the dinner- such a great night! The food was fantasticcccc!!







The next day, I joined them for a surf lesson as they are good friends with one of the best surf instructors at the Cabo Surf Hotel, Daniel. After a quick overview on the beach, we paddled out and I was surprised to get the hang of it quickly. We got lucky with some great sets, and I caught more than a handful of waves- hooked!






From there we sped off (no pun intended) to Cabo Wide Open dune bugging for the rest of the afternoon- about 5 hours of dirt, hills, and sharp turns....and I learned to drive stick;) Then that night the fun continued as they threw Daniel a surprise birthday party. 

After a night out the 4th of July, the training and the playing had caught up to me. It was a rough rest of the month until the very end when I finally got into some consistency with the guys at Diamante, namely Brent, that are also training for Cozumel. We get in some amazing riding with not even a stop sign for upwards of 4 hours if we desire. Right now 3-4 is our longest, but with that heat and those mountains, it's insane quality.

Finally better, I flew to Mexico City last week as I was invited for the second year to open the Triathlon Expo at the World Trade Center and to give a speech. At first they asked me to talk about my experiences as a 2x World Champion- but that's in the past and I doubt many people want an hour of someone's life spilled on them, so I took it as the perfect opportunity to announce the race series, training camps, kids school, and foundation that we have developing, or already ongoing, in Cabo.





















It was also a chance to apply for my tourist visa to get back in the states- I barely slept and had my stomach lodged in my throat the weeks leading to this consular appointment because although I have absolutely moved to Mexico and am not looking to reside in the US atm, and everything I was disclosing is true- all the t's crossed and i's dotted- there was still that by-the-book mentality that I feared could be an insurmountable obstacle for me right now...see, you have to prove income, property, etc that ties you to Mexico, but I earn commission, have not yet closed a deal, rent my apartment, and my immediate family, albeit my dad, live as citizens in Texas:/

Fortunately, it all went well, though I was trembling as I handed over my documents, and literally my life, to the consulate on Monday morning. In the end, having had visas and never violating any terms for over 20 years, was a sure sign that there was no reason to prevent me from visiting friends, family, and straight up vacationing in the US as I please:)





Today I fly back to Cabo with a huge sense of accomplishment and pumped to continue my life there full throttle with real estate, the sports development, and my own triathlon goals, as everything that I had planned and more has unfolded in a mere two months.

For those curious on what we have going on...I'm working the sponsorship, PR/marketing side of things and all of us at TriCabo are stoked and intent on giving you all the opportunity to train and have a world class racing experience in Baja....

We have a local race series of sprints, olympics, duathlons, and mountain bike events that have already been going on a couple years but we are now taking control of these local, basically group based workouts, and giving them a formal race structure/environment. They will run through the year in different venus of Cabo to mix things up, and allow locals to earn points culminating in awards at our half distance triathlon in March.

Here's the international race calendar-

Feb 8, Los Cabos Half Marathon (www.mediomaratonloscabos.com)

Approx Feb 8-15 Michael Lovato & I will host a training camp for 10-15 amateurs - long rides and runs, interval rides and runs, trx sessions on the beach, track, pool and open water swims, optional cross training Cabo style: surfing, outrigger paddling, yoga.

March 29, Cabo Whaleman Half Distance Triathlon (www.whalemanloscabos.com) - inaugural race as the IM got moved to October. The weather in Cabo is perfection until May (summer months), and this is a beautiful time of the year for a half and to vacation with family- play some golf, do some fishing, whale watching, snorkeling, etc pre or post race.

2 Gran Fondos from Cabo to La Paz, and La Paz to Cabo- dates TBD but one in spring one in fall.

May 2, Los Cabos 7k Open Water swim (also 3.5k relay), and SUP race from Palmilla to Puerto Los Cabos.

Another training camp at start of summer. Eventually one leading into Kona for pros that want to come get in some excellent heat training, and prep for IM Cabo.  Lastly, one late Oct for IM Cozumel.  *** Pros interested in leading any of these camps with me please email me. You'll get comped stay and a % of camper fees***


Nov 15 Xtreme Cabo Off Road Triathlon

Our whole project, as I mentioned above, is very focused on the community and on youth development. We already have the TriCaboKidz (www.tricabokidz.com) summer camps and after school clinics. These boys and girls are lucky to be able to exercise in such a beautiful place- the Cabo del Sol grounds, where the lovely Sheraton Hacienda del Mar is, has carved out a trail path for the kids, and let the camp use a fairway style lawn overlooking the Sea of Cortez for them to run and do drills. Their open water swimming and obstacles courses, as well as canoeing, takes place in the El Ganzo Hotel of Puerto Los Cabos, where they have a waveless beach that gets them comfortable with open water in a safe environment.

TriCabo also has the kids foundation (link on kidz site)- and a portion of our race fees will be given to this cause, helping underprivileged kids get the proper equipment and training tools to be involved in sport.

Unofficially, our Olympic swimming pool has been approved, it is now a matter of getting the financials and administrative rights in order to hopefully have it done by end of 2015. For now, there's the 25scm lap pool at Sporti-K gym in San Lucas, the Huerta Spotrts Club pool in San Jose, and the incredible endless pool of the Sea of Cortez- Chileno Bay, Palmilla Beach, Puerto Los Cabos, and Medano.

We're still looking for companies and individuals to get involved as sponsors or investors (on a larger sports complex project we have in the works), so please contact me with any questions, ideas, or comments. Our Kids program could really benefit from a swim wear sponsor, bike donations, running equipment- all the necessities that are simply out of reach for some.


So that's THAT! It's a lot, and come Feb/March I'll likely be pulling my hair out, but I've always loved the behind the scenes of this crazy sport we do and I am thankful to have landed in a place that is prime for development and that allows me to blend both my cultures and languages and passion for sport to give back in the same way that so many people gave to me when I was a kid and total novice.