Meanwhile in my Hometown...

Im very honored of being awarded with a tribute from the Legislative Council of the State of Paraná!

The ceremony was on the April 30th in the Legislative Assembly of Parana, to receive from the hands of Deputy Mr. Ney Leprevost the "Honored Mention".

I am very grateful for politicians like Mr. Ney Leprevost, who appreciate sports as a way of building a better society! The city of Curitiba has been a great supporter for my goals since I was starting my professional career.

 

Going soon to the north hemisphere, next races are the Panamerican Championship on May 31st in Dallas, TX and the Huatulco World Cup in Mexico on June 16th.

 

Meanwhile I am taking advantage of being home, doing some check-ups with doctors, working out in my favorite routes, spending time with old friends and enjoying the unique food. There is so much great energy here in Curitiba!

 

Good Feeling!!

On September 30th was LA Triathlon day!!

It was not one of my best races in terms of performance, but surely a great one as far as sensation concerns. I felt great, and could push a strong race pace, besides I was not at peak of performance, I had not felt this great in ages!

On the picture above I am with my dear friends Bobby, who raced as well, and Valerie who was cheering for us!!

I finished in 7th place, and was very happy specially on feeling no more injury signs, after 8 months fighting with knee and hips.

The weather has been great here in Los Angeles, and with a great physical harmony I can't wait for every other training day!

On the following week (Oct 6th), I also joined the Santa Monica 5000!
I ran 5k in 16'01" (click here for results!)

A great fator on feeling so healthy for sure was the contribution of the nutritionist Megan Forbes, who I had the chance to meet while staying in Boulder, Co.

Since then, I have a very interesting meal plan. After a blood testing I got a food panel, and all the bad foods were excluded from my menu, as they could react negatively to my blood. So now, my recovery system will not lose time fighting food inflammations, whereas will boost muscular regeneration after hard workouts. 

The bad news is that I can`t eat more cashew, strawberry and malt!! I have also to be careful and use a rotation plan for another 30 foods that I have a moderate sensitivity.

A great thing about having Megan Forbes as my dietician is that she also does online consultations and follow ups, so if I have nutritional questions or even need to re-test my blood, I am covered in any US city!! #Prettyawesome!
For more info, check her website out: http://www.forbesnutritionalconsulting.com/

Back to races, due to a change of ITU (International Triathlon Union) calendar, I am pulling out from Oceanside and San Diego competitions. And now on I will be focused entirely on the Colombian World Cup to be raced on the new date of October 27th.

Hasta pronto Guatape!!

Changing the focus!

It is nothing new for politics and sports to collide.
This has already happened in other countries, and the Brazilian federation is no exception.
The lack of rules allows politics to bias their favorites, especially when those employing politics are also the coaches of athletes in the contest for the national team...

After fighting to compete in almost every World Cup in 2011, this year my Federation said I will not race anyone for Olympic points. The justification (and I am not joking...) was that as were other Brazilians with more points than me, their positions should be preserved without the risk that I might take points away by coming in before them. (Seems like a joke, because if I can really beat the other Brazilians, it just indicates I would be a better contender for a Olympic spot.)

Luckily triathlon offers many possibilities with different races, which do not involves federations.
Although disappointed that I will not being able to compete in the Olympic Games, I am very optimistic to start a new season with several non-draft cups and also the Ironman series.

I could not be on a better team or in a better place to tread this new path!! Training with Siri Lindley in Santa Monica, CA.  has brought back the pleasure of working hard. She really knows how to make us give it our all, each and every day!!

I can't wait to start racing on 2012!!
Ironman, Here I come!!!

Crash on the bike ride...

Unfortunately yesterday I attended a trial of Giro Helium helmet!

I was returning from a 3 hours ride with my "team mates" Chris Foster and Colin O'Brady, when a car crossed ahead and I was the first to hit it...

Not many time to think and I was flying over the hood of that Mercedes and I can exactly remember smacking the ground with my head, when it seemed that my neck was being flattened, just like the enemies in Super Mario Bros when they were crushed at the somersault!

My first thought was ... "F # $% I will not be able to train for a long time ..."
The second was... "Damn.. if I get into the ambulance I will going to spend $ 5,000..."
(That is something new for me, cause in Brasil no one pay for this service)

After a few minutes with the adrenaline coming down, I realized that was no apparent serious damage, and I thought about the things that really matter... later I went to the hospital to make sure that the cervical spine would be fine!

Thank goodness that I only suffered some scratches on my leg and elbow beyond the punch in the head ...
I'm still feeling a lot of pain at the top of the column, and can barely turn my neck, but I'm very optimistic that more few days I will be ready to get back to work!

My team mate, Chris Foster, had the most ugly injure, and had 22 stitches in the arm ... The photos of the accident seems a medicine book because you can see the layer of fat over the muscle tissue ... In the picture above you can have an idea, I'll save you from the study of tissues!

I can only be appreciated for all the friends who gave me a big support, and were always ready for my screams! What to say about my American family, Crista who would not let me go home without going to the hospital and check everything, they are all super!!

Well... helmet approved! Tomorrow I will see if the bike still working, and continue the battle in the World Cup Triathlon!