Mucha Vida en Colombia!!

After a few days with lots of good and bad luck, which means I have been living to the fullest!!

As I said many things had been going on, in addition I also had a computer crash, so now with a new laptop and a day-off on the train schedule, I have a lot to update on the blogosphere!

Its been a while since the last race in Colombia, but I think it's worth bringing it back...

The race was in Guatapé June 18th, shortly after the Cartagena race.
I spent a week with my Colombian friends in El Retiro, a small town with excellent training conditions at 2.300m above sea level!

The Colombians are very hospitable as always and warmly welcomed me!
I had a nice time with Juan, Oscar Preciado, his family, and the epic couple Ricardo Cardeño and Carmenza Morales!

I suffered a lot training at altitude, especially swiming, once I went to a 10x300m and my lungs were turned inside out trying to finish in 4 minutes!

A day before the race, I had a problem with my bike, but with super-glue and a bit of optimism I was ready for a good race!

I started it super motivated, even though I felt the altitude, I finished the swimming leading the second group and I was feeling strong and couldn't wait for the upcoming climbs, where I knew I could jump ahead a lot of positions on the bike course.

I started leading the second peloton with 8 or 9 guys, it was my day! (Maybe)
At the end of the first climb three of us pulled away from the group. I was felling good!

Suddenly the pedals were getting heavier and I could not take another climb and stay with the other two guys. I did not understand how my legs were so heavy and so soon.  A minute later going downhill at 60km/h I found out why, my rim touched the ground and I almost fell off, the tire was flat ... :-(

I could not continue racing, with the steep climbs and descents, it would be crazyness trying to continue the race with no air in the tires.

That's life! Sometimes seems that everything is coming together very well, but there is always some unpredictability.

Unfortunately, Felipe Santos, the other Brazilian athlete, also was unlucky and we met to watch the others... Usually this leaves us really angry, but on that day before competing he told me he was nervous, and I replied that we were anxious because we would run a risk, no risks or nervousness when we stay home!  I think we both were more confident about doing our best which was the most important thing!

It was not our day, but we were resigned to do our best as long as we could...

Well, the competition ended, and I went to a barbecue with my Colombian friends. Everything was going very well ... Until  Ricardo asked me the flight times and I replied, "I leave at  12:15 and arrive at 8:00."
And he asked "The whole day traveling?" and very calmly I said "No, this was the time zone!".
"Impossible!" he replied!

Then I realized that I was not traveling from China to Brazil (when traveling for 11 hours I back in time for 4 hours!) And decided to check the ticket ... was pointing 12:15am, what for me, should be 0:15...
C&#$t! I would arrive in Bogota 9 hours late for my flight!

By that time it was 6pm, I would have four hours to get from Medellin to Bogotá, to reach the flight at 0:15 ...
While some friends dismounted my bike and others called the airlines, I was throwing my stuff inside the luggage!

In 10 minutes I was heading to the airport, and making plans how to catch another flight. After running through the airport, I was lucky and got a flight at 20:40 with a reasonable price... unfortunately I would have to pay on the next flight an extra fee of 213USD because of 10 cubic centimeters, the size of a chocolate box, which was the extra volume of the bike bag.  :-(

Anyway with lots of good and bad luck mixed and all together, right now I am looking forward to the next race, which will be the World Cup in Edmonton Canada!

14th at Ibero-American Championship

It was a hot race!
Many felt ill and all of us were struggling against themselves to resist the intense heat...
Here goes some words about the race with pictures of Cartagena!

The start with many athletes and no much space resulted in many punchs and kicks just after the horn...
I got two punches in the eye that left my gogles in an uncomfortable position the whole swim, at least did not enter salt water...

My visibility was diminished and I thought I was well positioned, but leaved the water at the end of the second group... I swam not bad, but leaving the water exhausted, I couldn't get a strong cycling in the very begining to make the group...

I did 40km time trial. Could not reach the first pack, and wasn't caught by the 2nd group...
I have not imagine myself riding alone, so I was without the aerobars, I think I could have cycled much better with the aerodinamic, the same time I was not upset and made it powerfull all the time...

Even knowing that I would be more fatigued than the athletes of the pack, I knew the high temperature, would break some heads along the course, which should be close to 95ºF, and 105ºF of thermal sensation.

I was right, after reach approximately 20 positions in the 10km, at the end was the best one!!
Just 200m from the finish line caught a Guatemalan who had written in the tri-suit the last name "Flores" so my head said "gooooooo" and the legs screaming threats of cramp pulls me up to the sprint, are running shoulder to shoulder, I won one last position!

I came wanting to lie on the floor (not like the lady above!! hehe) but I was afraid of burning myself on the asphalt that should be really hot, so I hold the legs strong for walk until the hidratation area!

Kind of sad of not having done the swim I expected, but happy to have overcome myself in another battle!

Ibero-American Championship

Tomorrow happens the Ibero-American Championship Triathlon in Cartagena, Colombia!
I confess that I hardly know why there is an Ibero-American!?

Searching on dad Google, I saw that it is a junction of Spain and Portugal and several American nations that were colonized by these countries... Very interesting! LOL
The issue is that the technical brieffing was conducted in Spanish and English ... Still trying to discover which english speaker nation was colonized by Spain or Portugal!

Well .. nevermind! lol
The mean point is that this is also a Continental Cup and its worthing points for the international ranking!

Important news on the race brieffing:
Water temperature: 82°F
temperature at 8:00 am: 87ºF
thermal sensation caused by high humidity: 102°F

Lucky who starts at 8:00... But the male professional start will be at 11:30 (109ºF thermal sensation)!!

Uhuuuu the things will get ugly!! lol

9:30 on L.A. zone time, but unfortunately will not be covered... so as soon as I can, I will update the blog!

Despite being a Caribbean beach, Cartagena, has no paradisiac beaches, the water is not that clear as when we imagine Caribbean...
But it is a historic city with churches, forts and well-preserved buildings, the triathlon course will be inside a fort castle.

After nearly one month of a sequence of bad races, I did not feel very confident, but very optimistic and ready to have fun, going as hard as I can!!!

Soon result and pictures post of Cartagena!

Training in LA has been a priceless experience!

Things are progressing well after nearly one month of training, the difference in my workouts is radical and I hope that the race results are too!

My training partners are all very focused and all aim at great results, so the climate is full of motivation! Motivation should be the second name of my coach Siri Lindley,  because she is brilliant at inspiring us even on the days we do not have the strength to get out of bed!

Besides our beautiful team, I was sooooo lucky to find wonderful people here!
With Chris Foster´s help using Twitter, I met Renata a Brazilian who lives and trains here and is a member of the LA Tri Club.  She had a great idea and sent an email to tri club members asking if anyone could host me as a homestay.

I was very lucky to be greeted by a awesome couple Mark and Crista McCain (in the picture with me on a soccer match of L.A. Galaxy). They are very athletic and such nice people and they gave me a room to stay in while training here.
Crista was a college  athlete and knows the hassles we athletes have to endure,  that is until you get a great sponsor ...

They are helping me so much, not only as friends, but  now I have a new manager, an english teacher and gourmet cook, OMG!! You can't believe the delicious gluten-free foods Crista can make!!

If I call her mother, she kills me, because she is almost my age!
So instead I have to say I have a family two new brothers and a sister. There is also Dugan,  a chocolate labrador who is always around the house wanting to play with his dinosaur!

These days I found a little piece of Brazil when we went to Cafe Brazil restaurant, where I had  a nice sugar cane drink, with yuka fries and a steak bbq with rice and beans and "farofa", a kind of toasted yuka flour! Uhuuuuuuu, that was really tasty!!! :-D

My focus is now on the two Pan American Cups in Colombia, the first one will be in Cartagena, where I am right now,  the first one will be on June 12th and next one will be on 18th, in Guatapé!!

Training in L.A.

Hello Folks!! I know the blog has not been updated in a while, but at least I have a good excuse for that!! I have been training sooooo much here in Los Angeles!! 

I would like to upload more pictures,but the camera cable is in Borrego Springs... 

I will find a way to get it, but meanwhile I can utilize my friends pics from their i-phones!!! 

This is the view of Santa Mônica beach, where we ran some hard miles today!!! 

Siri was cheering all the way from her bike, she always keeps us going and super motivaed!! On the last few miles I made sure she was sweating trying to keep up with us!! 5'15" for the last mile, I not quite used to miles yet, but I know I was running hard!! hehehe 

 Swimming work-out in Culver City, on the last days also to ride my bike my arms are tight!! kkkk

 Takka was nº1 at the coffe shop!!!

After hard work-outs it is good to have a breakfast of blueberry pancakes or muffins with a "café latte"!!!

 Training TRX with Nikki!! 

I don't no how I could smile after running so hard on the treadmill.

I like to say that the trains here are hardly fun!!!

Thanks Crista for review my blog, and so many special things that you and Mark are doing for me!!
So glad to have friends like you!!

Monterrey World Cup

After a stressful week with the Brazillian Federation, there I was in Mexico!

Hope soon they can create some objetive rules for the substituition process...

Well, about the race, was nothing close to a good one, but I gave my best on that day!!

I was feeling good! Made a perfect last week of work-outs, and even on the warm up I was feeling ready to goooo...

Started well, and after 800m swimming, again felt arms weak and couldn't go harder...

Although only three weeks after Australia and Japan races, I thought I could improve well my performance. I know that what is lacking is some anaerobic endurance, and a great adaptation to this stimulus should take approx. 16 weeks... So lots of work to do!!

Well, if when you are not good on the water, is better to ride! So I killed myself cycling!
We got the first group missing three of eight laps. There was no time to rest, the group was pushing too hard, several fall offs and attacks, breaks the rhythm every lap...

I made the 6th best bike split, and I think I paid the price in the run course!
There was no way to run, since the first lap was feeling like my body was lock and spleen pain, thought that holding on the first lap it could get better, but I still suffering the whole 10k...

Happy to see the finish line, but after I felt a little blues from a bad race...

Now I am training here in Los Angeles, planning the next races, which maybe would be two Pan American Cups in Colombia.

Special thanks to Jay Prasuhn the photographer/journalist, from LAVA Magazine, who provided these amazing pictures posted here! And also gave me a big help during the mexican trip!

Trainning in the Desert!

Almost three weeks training in the USA, today its time to show some pics ot this new experience!

 Desert...

 Riding in the desert!

Another view of the desert!!

It is... as you can see, these have been my super different training places! Sand, sand, cactus, road and more sand! Occasionally I can see a car, a lizard or a hare, to remind me that I'm not on a Martian expedition!

State of California, more precisely Borrego Springs!

I am starting a new season of training, spending a month in BorregoSprings!

Hot Days and Cold Nights!!

It is a super small town, the center is a block where there is a police station, a grocery store, a hotel, about four stores, a petrol station, two coffee shops and a gym, where I live!

This is my coach, Siri Lindley in 2001, winning the world champion tittle! Every day I wake up in the gyms room looking at this poster, plastered on the wall! Not bad, to motivate a beautiful day of hard workouts!

In hot and dry days, the workouts are hard. The advantage is that every drop of sweat makes your own job, cause it dries almost instantly, cooling the body!

This is our pool, also known as fish bowl! It is on the backyard of Siris home, very different from any pool, it simulates the choppy water from open water races!

Clouds are rare! But when they come form beautiful landscapes!

Borrego Springs is surrounded by mountains! Some workouts are challenging!

Going Up!!

The climate is so dry that out of the water, we get dry in just 3 minutes! Three chilly, breezy minutes! Once, I forgot a wet towel inside my bag, was already prepared for a bad smell of mold! But when I saw it was perfectly dry... I was suprised!

Me, Siri, Takka & Donna!!

"V" of Vãnha, Victory!!

This is Borrego Springs! Smaller is the town, the better is to focus on training, all we need is a fish bowl, and loooots of asphalt!