Great Indoors

Recently heat has not allowed me to train properly for running, and being on vacation hasn’t also helped; so I have been concentrated in training indoor, swimming and spinning…
It has been great, on Monday I swam 2000 meters, but the important thing is that I did 2 series of 500, a thing I hadn’t done in a long long time; and today I built a spinning class for myself, I had my iPod and I started cycling at the rhythm of the music, it was great!
I don’t know why every spinning class must involve lame pop and reggaeton music, I did my own class with rock and I must admit my performance was way better…I did a sprint while listening to “Walcott” (Vampire Weekend), and I enjoy “Just Like Heaven” (The Cure) so much that I managed to kept my cadence with more gear.
The sad thing is that indoor training will only last until next weekend, and I will have to find another gym, or else, wake up early to avoid the terrible Mexican and Texan sun.
Anyway, great training indoor is better than lame training outdoors or not training at all…somehow I’ll manage to keep my motivated and great streak in other kind of training.

Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)

So, it's been a while without blogging, but not without training, even though I didn't do it with the proper intensity.
I have been training every week for at least 4 times, and of course it hasn't been enough to successfully finish another olympic triathlon, but at least I haven't lost my condition.
The reason I haven't been able to blog, nor to train every day, is because I am currently closing an important phase of my life, and it has been physically and emotionally demanding...aside from the fact that I just recently returned from the best vacation I've ever had, in which I wanted to do nothing, specially not being in touch with any electronic device (apart from reading twitter, of course).
And the thing is that I am very eager to start my new life now, not only because being unemployed and not studying has been very boring, but because I need to finally be established somewhere, wherever it is...
I hope my further entries are a little bit optimistic, but right now I just feel like I am already gone, but at the same time stuck in limbo.
Anyway, training has kept me calm, at least...

Crazy In Love

I hate to admit this, but I have fallen deeply in love with a pair of tennis shoes I found in a retail store...every item in the store is on sale except for that pair of shoes...the Asics Gel Kayano 17, coloured white and pink.
And I would have bought them if I would still be working, but spending 180 USD in a pair of shoes I do not need (careless their beauty and the fact that they of course will be useful) does not seem like a very intelligent idea.
I am sure I will find such shoes on sale soon in any other store, but the whole situation has made me wonder why now I feel more excited for a pair of tennis shoes than for a pair of stilettos...
I guess in the end people don’t change...I am a compulsive shopper when it comes to clothing, whether it's clothes for partying or for sporting...
Anyway, I will begin the shoe hunting right now, wish me luck!

Free As A Bird

It’s been 5 days since I started being a “not-nor” (nini in Spanish, those who do NOT work, NOR study), and although I know this will only last for a little while, I feel certain freedom that I hadn’t felt in my entire life.
The reason for this is that in the next weeks, I will be moving to Austin, to pursue a Masters Degree…not only will I be studying, but I also know that such city will help me improve my training skills, Austin is a city that just invites people to exercise.
And with such freedom, my first thought was “man, I will have plenty of time to dedicate to my triathlon training”, and it hasn’t been that way for these 5 days; and it will get worse because on Friday I will be taking a vacation for over one week, therefore training seems impossible.
The above mentioned has led me to think, is it really true that now I am more free than before? Or is it that now that I am thinking that going in a vacation will not allow me train, not only means that I am giving more important to exercise than life, but is also a small symptom of some kind of slavery?
Sport goals can never be greater than personal goals and personal growth, and I do not see it that way; but somehow those who surround me think that I will ruin my training if I take 8 days to travel and enjoy being with my boyfriend (an activity even greater, and which makes me way happier than really succeed in any race).
Then who is the one who is free? Does having time to spare mean that I am free? Or could it be that freedom comes from somewhere hidden in every heart, and is completely isolated from the idea of having enough time to train?

Stormy Weather

I am deeply sorry I haven't written my friend Johana her post, I promised her a while ago I'd write about faith and how everyone has his or her own way to renew energy and gather confidence; but today's rain really made my day!
It's been a while since it rained for the last time in Monterrey, and today was the perfect day to rain, given that I was feeling low and with no will to train whatsoever...
I had scheduled a swimming training for today, but then the idea to only wander in a 25 meters space seemed boring; then I thought that I'd go home and ride my stationary bike while watching Sex and The City, but the minute I went back from work I saw a set of beautiful black clouds, menacing to explode in the following minutes, so I decided to go for a run.
It was just beautiful, the watch would not go below 6:00/km, and I wasn't even trying hard!!!
I guess it was just the weather, or perhaps the unbelievable effect of last weekend's duathlon, but I felt great...and I am ready do to it tomorrow once again, rain or shine...

To Wish Impossible Things

It's a scientific fact that if one person does not train enough, he or she will not be able to finish a race...
I guess that assumption applies to me in a duathlon, but somehow today I managed to finish the race...and surprisingly I was not the last person to finish it (even when we were only 100 athletes).
It was a 5K run, 20K bike and 2.5 run journey, but it felt like a half ironman. It took place in a very beautiful place to train, but at the same time a very hilly street, difficult mostly for cycling.
Even when I have been cycling non-stop (at least once a week) since January, this kind of cycling is very different, because I never ever leave Fundidora, which is a flat and friendly route. SO the lesson here is that I have to get out of my comfort zone, and I have to start challenging myself; even when I have no important races ahead, just to increase speed and strength.
The other relevant learning about today, is that for the first time in my life, I had an "I can't do it anymore" feeling...a very strong one...when I was riding my first out of 4 laps of cycling and I saw that terrible hill, I thought "well first and only one, once I arrive the transition zone I will throw away my bike and go from athlete to spectator"...in the end I decided that it was better to finish last, than having a "DNF" score, so I went very deep into my motivation fountain, and I finished the race.
Anyway, I hated such quitting feeling, and I will fight my entire life to not feel it ever again...
So perhaps people might think it's impossible, and even when you have that "I can't do it anymore" feeling, we always have to remember that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR A WILLING HEART. I am not risking my health, and I am sure I will not get injured if I keep taking care of my body, but quitting a race just because I think I can't do it is worse than finishing last...a thing that today didn’t happen…

Moody Mooday

Next Sunday I will do a duathlon...
It will consist in running 5K, cycling 20K and running 2.5K
I am glad about it but at the same time I feel a bit scared because I completely ignore the route and its elevation.
I have heard that it is terrible, and at the same time I haven't trained enough since the triathlon, but anyway it's only to have fun and to enjoy with my friends.
Why is it that sometimes we feel more comfortable and confident with some races than with others?
When I was about to race my triathlon, even though I was scared to death once I realized that I'd have to run at 1:30 pm and having a temperature of more than 36o, I was very excited and it was the only thing I could think and talk about; but now I don't feel the same, and I don't know why...
Is it that I need the swimming part of a triathlon? Is it that I am scared about the route? Or is it that many other aspects in my life are affecting my "training libido"?
I do not know, but still I'll enjoy it and I am sure it will be an unforgettable experience...
The route, as difficult as it is, seems inevitable and unchangeable; external aspects will always be there and my temperament should be improved by the endorphins generated by the duathlon; and about swimming, well I can swim next Monday, can't I?...