Ironman Maryland 2016

En nombre de todos mis alumnos, familiares y amigos en las artes del bienestar emocional y físico realicé mi tercer full Ironman de este año.

A pesar de las inundaciones causadas por las torrenciales lluvias ocurridas los días previos a la carrera pudimos realizar 100 millas de bicicleta y 26 millas de maratón.

La natación quedó cancelada por la seguridad de los competidores. 

El curso de la bicicleta fue frío, con viento y bajo la lluvia un verdadero reto para personas como yo acostumbradas a la humedad y el calor. Una desventaja que puede convertirse en bendición para desinflamar las articulaciones. 

La maratón por su parte tuvo tramos donde el agua casi me llevaba al nivel de las rodillas lo cual fue un verdadero reto para el avance, sin embargo la mente jugó allí su mejor papel liberándome de todo prejuicio respecto a la higiene, el cansancio y la dificultad.

Una distancia tal nunca es fácil y al final cuando logramos terminar este gran sacrificio nos podemos llamar Ironman. Es un orgullo para mí llevar un mensaje de Motivacion a todos aquellos quienes por alguna razón no pueden liberarse de sus condiciones crónicas, emocionales o físicas. Yo como paciente de fibromialgia y sobreviviente de Cancer puedo decir que mi salud esta mejor que nunca en mi vida. Gracias al propósito de vida que llevo, al entrenamiento progresivo sistemático, a la actitud positiva y a la nutrición natural lo cual disfruto cada día.

Gracias por el grandioso apoyo y la colaboración que dia a día la gente hermosa que me rodea me brinda. 

BQ Marathon Geneva

My 8th Ironman in Zurich.

Ironman Switzerland was another challenging task that I am satisfied of achieving. For us Floridians the only place near Miami to train for the hills is Clermont, so I appreciate that I was able to prepare myself there.

While competing in Zurich, I had the taste of what it is like to bike in the tour the France for just one day. 

The scenic green landscapes, the cows with bells in their necks making that sound that I will always remember. The bunch of people cheering and running next to you at the top of Break heart hill, located at the last part of the two laps of the Bycicle course (Just like the one in Boston Marathon a killer almost at the end).  

The amazing physical condition of the  competitors. This event was mostly raced by man but the few women were just incredible.

I missed the U.S. volunteers they really take care of us, but for the rest, the European Ironman organization was excellent. 

The lake was clear water with some currents and the run took us through the historical city.  

Today I am sore but happy and

I am deeply touched by the messages of love and support of my couple, trainees, friends and family.

All of you helped me to push myself to improve and get cure.

Having Fibromyalgia and fighting pain each day, took me to this life style and I won't change it for anything else.

 I will keep bringing the message of health and positivism through the practice of inner peace, self consciousness, appreciation for little things in life, sports, and healthy eating. 

You can also be an Ironsoul.

Life coaching and training works to make you fully happy.

For the ones who wonder how do I mix #lifecoaching and #training it is important to understand that the ultimate goal of every human being is the #innerpeace and #consciousness of the mind is your awareness at the present moment. When you are aware of something on the outside as well as some specific mental and physical functions happening on the inside. For example, you are aware of your environment, your breathing, your body, your feelings, controlling the pain and fear, at the very same moment that you are riding your bike carefully enjoying the present moment (or running, or practicing pilates, yoga, swimming, core workout, etc), that's equilibrium, that's pure #happiness. Is your moment for active #meditation.

Ironsoul is the symbol that I created to represent that balance or #innerpower within us. And I am proud to teach that to my trainees. IronSoul is the result of my experience as #thyroidcancer survivor and #fibromyalgia patient over 15 years of research and I love to share it with the ones that understand this concept or want to learn it.🙏🙏🙏🙏

Ironman Texas, American Championship

Texas 2016 was my 7th Ironman and I can tell that each competition is always unique and challenging. There is not such a thing as an easy Ironman. Yesterday the dense/dark water and the lack of visibility due to the fog intimidated me but I was able to make it. Then the curves on the bike were not my specialty ☺️ but I had more than 82 turns to practice😉. Then running was very painful  against the hail and the wind, I had to hold myself on a pole for 3 minutes because of the gust that was making me fall. Some people started running back in the opposite direction because the hail and strong wind made us feel in danger, others stepped on the sides. Even that we faced all these challenges, once more I was able to bring hope to the people with chronic conditions.

 In these opportunity I had the pleasure to meet an interesting competitor who believes that the sport shouldn't be as expensive. As you see in this picture he is very creative and found the way to adjust his Bycicle and helmet in an aerodynamic way with some cardboard. He enjoys every race with a Bycicle that costs $200 dollar. Wow he is amazing. 

He works on this foot track that was the perfect healthy veggie option for me before the race. Check their Instagram.

Boston Marathon 2016

I am proud of being part in their life.

 

This people believe in the benefits of the life coaching.

Today they enjoy the benefits of living the best version of themselves. And I am proud to be part of their process as there Life coach and trainer.

Every each of them have achieved their goals. Congratulations to all of them. 

We will continue working for our inner peace, health, well being and happiness.

Laura Ramos was the only woman representing Colombia the 2012 ITU DuathlonChampionship. Laura Ramos fué la unica mujer representando a Colombia en el ITU mundial de Duathlon 2012.

In 2012, I was fortunate enough to meet Laura Ramos, who was the only athlete representing Colombia in the World Duathlon Championships. I was honored and proud to talk to the only Colombian woman who met the requirements to be there after overcoming all sorts of obstacles, almost insurmountable challenges to most of my dear Colombian athletes.

Although I represented the USA team at the time, I was proud to share her experience and for a brief moment held the flag of my country in the parade of nations. Because of her excellent athletic performance, she won the 10th place in the world. And I'm happy to share her story as she told it to me. 

“It's not your body moving you, it's your Ironsoul”. Dream, dream, and dream, but if you do it, do it really big!!!

Duathlon World Championships

It's all about representing Colombia, competing against many other countries. It's a dream, but it will become true!

Sponsorship in Colombia is usually for the elite, and this fact can turn into an obstacle if you want to pursue your dreams regarding sports. However, no matter what it costs, if you really wish it, you can get it. I've been blessed by having the best parents in the world, who have always supported me in my dreams and illusions; thus, my only commitment was to train hard to have their unconditional sponsorship.

The toughest thing was getting the Visa for France, and after getting all the paperwork ready and a somewhat slowletter from the Colombian Federation of Triathlon, the next step to compete in this marathon was just to get the appointment at the embassy and go to apply for the visa. Running against the clock to get to the embassy, once there ​​it turned out that the form I had filled out did not match the category of visa I applied for, and the likelihood of getting a refusal for my visa because of this little neglect was really high. Everything became silent ... and amid that silence, I just managed to say, God if you want me to go, then just make up your mind, because I have already done my part. Some two minutes later, the girl who was dealing with my case came over and told me; “We're going to make an exception in your case, the type of visa you requested does not correspond to the one you need; however, since you are going to represent your country in France, we will accept it” and after a few simple words ‘I hope this never happens again’ I left the embassy with a positive response to the visa but with a worrying situation ahead of me: the time at which my passport with the visa on it would get to my house and theincreasingly short time to start the trip on time for the race.

My only hope was to have the visa on time. I felt like I was forcing all possible time limits to start or miss a trip. I had everything ready before having the visa in my hands. Fortunately, the passport with the visa arrived on a Friday and I travelled early next Monday.  Arriving in France was like a dream coming true.

After buying a train ticket to Nancy, I was just looking at the rows of people when I saw a girl with a suitcase with a bike and the letters USA on it. And I said to myself, “it looks like she is going there, too” and I approached her, and though I cannot recall how we started talking, the fact is that I felt like I was at home because she began to speakwith a Colombian accent. Then for a while she went her way and I went mine, but after a few minutes waiting for the train, we found out in astonishment that we were on the same car and precisely that girl, Estela, was sitting beside me. So this is how we met, and during the next few days we got to know each other better while we trained before the race. Sharing those moments with her was something really special.

The most exciting moment, one that still takes my breath away, is when we were walking around Stanislas Square (the third most beautiful square in the world) with athletes from all over the world, but with a person next to me carrying a little flag with the beloved colors: yellow, blue and red. This special moment is immortal to me.

Being on the starting line of this race as the only female athlete representing Colombia has so far been the most important sporting experience in my life. I had already run some races in the USA, but not one as huge and important as this one...

I felt very fast during the race, with a lot of strength and deeply excited because I was running alongside the best female athletes in my category, and just with 1 lap remaining on bicycle, a judge penalized me with 2 min; a real pity, because in the previous lap someone had shouted letting me know that I was in seventh place... seventh place in a world race is very good, but those 2 minutes meant that I was overtaken by the two girls who were racing behind me, and I wasn't able to catch up with them when I got off the bike to start the last part running on foot, since I had spent all my energies on the bicycle, and I gave it all despite running with some cramps. I ended up happy in tenth place. Tenth place in a world race is really great. I could not ask for more.

Finally, I have to say that life gives you the space and time for you to share with those you love. I feel happy again after this world race, happy because I was accompanied by someone I love with my soul, and also because I met people like Estela, people who tell their own stories in the most charming ways and become living examples to all of us.

 SPANISH VERSION

En el año 2012 tuve la oportunidad de conocer a Laura Ramos quien fue la única participante en el mundial de duathlon representando a Colombia. Fue un honor y un orgullo ver la única mujer que cumplió los requisitos para llegar alla, venciendo todos los obstáculos que para mis queridos atletas colombianos son un gran reto.

 Aunque en esta ocasión yo representé al team USA, fue un orgullo compartir con ella esta experiencia y sostener por un momento la bandera de mi patria en el desfile de las Naciones. Por su excelente desempeño atlético obtuvo el 10th lugar en el mundo. Y hoy estoy feliz de compartir su historia contada por ella misma.

“ No es tu cuerpo el que te mueve es tu Ironsoul”. Sueña, sueña, sueña pero hazlo en grande!!!

Esta es la historia contada con las palabras de Laura.

¿Un campeonato mundial de Duatlón?

Es representar a Colombia, correr contra distintos países. Es un sueño, vamos a lograrlo…

Las dificultades de un país como Colombia, en donde los patrocinios son para los élites y eso, pueden ser un obstáculo. Sin embargo, no importa cuánto cueste, si lo deseas lo puedes conseguir.  Tengo la fortuna de tener los mejores padres del mundo, que me apoyan en mis sueños y mis ilusiones; así que el único compromiso era entrenar fuerte para tener su patrocinio incondicional.  

Lo más difícil era sacar la Visa para Francia, entre elpapeleo, y una carta de la federación colombiana de triathlon que fue algo lenta en su respuesta el próximo paso en esta maratón era solo conseguir la cita en la embajada para solicitar la visa.  Contra el tiempo y en la embajada, resulta que el formulario que había diligenciado no correspondía con la categoría de visa que solicité, y el riesgo de obtener la visa a causa de esta pequeña desatención era muy alto. Todo se quedo en silencio… y entre ese silencio, solo dije, Dios si tú quieres que vaya será, tu decisión, yo ya hice mi parte.  Pasaron como dos minutos. La chica que me atendía me dijo; (vamos a hacer una excepción contigo, este tipo de visa que pediste no corresponde con lo que tú necesitas, sin embargo, como vas a representar a tu país en Francia te aceptamos) y con unas simples palabras de “espero que no vuelva a suceder”. Me fui de la embajada con una respuesta positiva a la visa pero con otra situación a solucionar: el tiempo de llegada de la visa y el tiempo para iniciar el viaje.  

La situación era que llegara la visa a tiempo, estaba rosando todos los límites que nunca pueden suceder en un viaje, yo los tenía todos. Sin embargo, todo se resolvió un viernes,  así que viaje el lunes a primera hora. En ese momento y antes de llegar la visa a mis manos tenía todo preparado para viajar o no. El hecho de llegar a Francia era un sueño cumplido.

Luego comprar un tiquete de tren que me llevara a Nancy,  entre mirar las filas, vi a una chica con una maleta de bici, que decía USA.  Y me dije a mi misma, “ellos también van” me acerque, no recuerdo bien cómo fue que hablamos, el caso es que, me sentí en casa escuchando un acento colombiano.  Luego nos perdimos,  después de unos minutos esperando el tren, no podía ser máscasualidad tener el mismo vagón y las sillas seguidas del tren con Estela.  Así fue que nos conocimos,  durante los siguientes días estuvimos conociéndonos, entrenando previo a la carrera. Fue muy especial y lindo poder compartir ese momento con ella.

El momento más emocionante y que te deja sin aliento, es caminar por la Plaza Stanislas (la tercera plaza màs bella del mundo) con todos los deportistas de diferentes países, y una banderita con una persona caminando a mi lado con el amarillo azul y rojo, es un momento que inmortalicé en mi memoria. 

Estar en la línea de partida y ser la única representante mujer de Colombia, ha sido para mí la experiencia deportiva más importante de mi vida. Ya había corrido en USA algunas carreas, pero no una de esta magnitud…

Durante la carrera me sentí muy rápida, con fuerzas y con una emoción profunda de correr al lado de las mejores de mi categoría, a  falta de 1 vuelta en el ciclismo, un juez me penalizò 2 min, en la vuelta anterior me habían gritado vas de séptima… una séptima posición en un mundial no está nada mal, pero esa penalización de 2 minutos no fue la mejor, en esos dos minutos me sobrepasaron las dos chicas que venían persiguiéndome,  al bajarme a correr no las pude alcanzar había gastado las energías en el ciclismo, me baje con calambres a correr, pero lo di todo. Terminé feliz y un feliz décimo lugar en un mundial, no podía pedir más.

Finalmente, la vida te regala el espacio y lo momentos para que los compartas con los que amas, yo volví a ser feliz después de ese mundial, estaba feliz porque me acompañó alguien a quien amo con el alma, y conocí personas como Estela que cuentan su historia y la hace de la manera más encantadora y se convierten en un ejemplo de vida.