FOUR WEEKS BEFORE THE RACE

My coach Toro and his girlfriend Paloma were planning a race similar to a half-ironman so we as a team could race and whoever else that would be interested could join as well. I signed up as soon as I knew about it because why not. A couple of weeks later, right before I was gonna head back to Mexico City I felt like it was gonna be quite tough to train while traveling with friends who were visiting from afar. I did not train as hard as usual but tried to get as much training as possible wherever I was. Fortunately, two weeks later my team and I went to Baja California to cycle for three days in a row. By the time we had finished the three days I was really exhausted and had zero desire to race in the next two weeks, to be more precise by the end of day one I was already tired, day two it's when I had died, day three I came back to life from the dead and did not want to see my bike in a while. So doing a "half-ironman" did not feel quite enticing. For those who are not familiar with triathlon it is 1.9 km of swimming, 90 km cycling and 21 km running.Also, trying to book a pool lane was very tough since it was booked every-single-time(COVID, limited capacity) This meant that I did not swim for a total of a 4 weeks! Did not even swim in Baja California because it was so windy and cold. I might have stressed out a little bit, I might have been not in the best mood! I was not running very well either so I was not excited about racing. I just felt very inadequate overall. As I am writing this I realize how tired or weak my mind was. So, a week before the race I literally texted my coach Toro Rosas and brother Alex asking them if they thought I could do it. My biggest fear this time was not be able to finish it. They both replied and told me that I needed to pace myself during the bike to then be able to run well. The next day, I went to cycle my first 90 km and ran 7 km on my own to test myself and gain more confidence since I have always cycled that distance with other team members.

Practicing T1 with the team. Video by Diego Espinosa. Practicing T2 with the team. Video by Diego Espinosa.

1 DAY BEFORE THE RACE

Mathias Goeritz, Message c.1959

In the morning I went to cycle for about an hour with the team. Then, Charles and I went to see a marvelous exhibit by Mathias Goeritz at the "Instituto Cabañas" which we both very much enjoyed. We then headed to meet my mom to have lunch together at an Italian restaurant to get the nutrition right by fueling my body with plenty of carbs. Hours later I started to feel under the weather, a little nauseous. I am not used to racing for 5 hours or training for 5 hours so I knew I needed to eat more than I would usually do for a marathon. I forced myself to eat a bowl of plain pasta which just made me feel more nauseous. I didn’t want to pay too much attention to it so I just kept getting everything ready and organized for my race. I separated my gear and nutrition in categories and bags, tagged them with my name(felt like elementary school all over again) and checked everything off from my checklist.

RACE DAY

The Best! Gabriel and Ana Lucia. picture by Andres Orellana

Believe in yourself. Believe in your capacity to do great and good things. Believe that no mountain is so high that you cannot climb it. Believe that no storm is so great that you cannot weather it. You are not destined to be a scrub. You are a child of God, of infinite capacity. Believe that you can do it whatever it is that you set your heart on. Opportunities will unfold and open before you. The skies will clear when they have been dark with portent...He who is our Eternal Father has blessed you with miraculous powers of mind and body. He never intended that you should be less than the crowning glory of His creations.” ― Gordon B. Hinckley

I felt more sick during the night, had a fever but again didn’t want to pay attention to it. I could not even think about not showing up because I was feeling sick. I had a small conversation with myself about how I was just gonna be fine and not to worry about it. Alarm clock goes off at 5:00 am. I was excited, but nauseous at the same time. I decided to re-read one of my favorite quotes from President Hinckley which always motivates me and reminds me I can do hard things. The fever had somewhat gone down. I thought that I was perhaps feeling that way because of how much more I ate than usual. I didn’t feel like I digested the food well. I continued getting ready for the race, loaded the bike, the extra pair of rims and my backpack with everything else in it. I toasted some bread and smashed a banana and made some oatmeal which I usually love eating. I had to force myself to eat the toast. I felt a lot of nausea again so could not even eat the oatmeal. And that was pretty much all I ate for the next 12 hours.

SWIM

Family is everything! Gaby, Gabriel, Ana Lucia and Charles. picture by Andres Orellana

Around 5:50 am I drove to the race venue to set up all my stuff. I did forget to bring some elastics for one of my gels. Edgar, a team member(Overall Champ) helped out with some tape he had and taught me a little trick to just grab it and rip it open at the same time. Then warmed up a little bit with my dearest friend Efren before starting the swim part. I wasn’t too nervous about the swimming part this time. I think it’s because I knew that cycling and running well in this type of race was more important. Efren led pretty much the whole swimming part (Tamayo, another team member also swam a few laps to help out which was very kind of him. I did not lead one single lap but definitely was open to it if they needed help which was previously stated) and honestly he did so well, kept a steady pace and helped me PR my 1900’s for sure. We finished in about 32 min I believe.

BIKE

Picture by Andres Orellana

We then ran to get our bike and tried to start the cycling part as fast as we could. There were some “speed bumps'', some bigger speed bumps and some gravel along the way as well so all I could think of at that time was one of President Hinckley's advice “Be Smart” and don’t fall or ruin this because a) I had borrowed the triathlon bike from my friend Mildreth b) It would suck to have an accident c) It would also be unfortunate to get a flat tire. Long-story short I passed the test and the nice road was just ahead of me. I drank some water and tried getting comfortable on the bike which I was still trying to figure out since I borrowed that bike 5 days prior to the race. For those who don’t know, I own a road bike which is less aerodynamic than a triathlon bike. And since a triathlon bike is more aerodynamic it also means that my position needed to adjust to that. I definitely didn’t feel horrible riding with it during the race and also felt significantly better than my first day riding it.

Picture by Andres Orellana

We needed to complete 11 laps near the Chivas Stadium. Efren went way ahead of me. He averaged 36 km per hour a lot faster than myself. I then saw two of my beautiful female teammates Ale and Francesca. I would pass Ale going uphill and she would pass me super fast going downhill and that’s how it was for like 6 laps. I didn’t even try going faster than what I had planned with my brother Alex so I could have legs for the running part.

Picture by Andres Orellana

In lap number nine I saw my brother Andres taking pictures of me with his camera while someone else was driving. It was one of my favorite parts of the race. I wish I had pictures of him taking pictures of me. His upper body and part of his lower body were hanging out of the window backwards. Seeing how happy he was made me happy too. Man, I loved seeing those two guys smiling.

Picture by Andres Orellana

Going back in time for a few laps, in lap number four I tried eating a gummy from “Skratch” because again I knew I needed to eat something. I wanted to eat more but it just made me feel more and more like throwing up so I kept drinking my plain water and my water bottle with fizz in it. My teammates(Juanqui Quintero in particular) and all the volunteers kept asking me if I needed something and I just kept saying no until the 10th lap, I asked for a banana( Richard did a great job handing me the banana) . I got a banana. I kind of gave it a bite and spit it out because I just couldn’t eat it (sorry, I know that’s gross). I finally completed the 11 laps in about 2:39 minutes (10 minutes faster than when I had practiced at the Autodromo in Mexico City).

RUN

picture by Andres Orellana

I put on my running shoes, my belt , my Boston visor and off I was to the 21K. As I was crossing the transition part I told Juanqui that I really wanted to throw up. He then said to me to just throw up lol! and then He said that I was going to feel better as I kept running. I ran past my coach and other teammates who were so supportive and kind. I do remember the words of my Coach Toro "No te atasques, es largo” which kind of translates to “Don’t go too fast at the beginning because there’s still long ways to go”. I know, the translation it’s kind of long. Feel free to suggest a better translation down below in the comments section. I kept both comments on my mind as I kept running, I started to feel better. I did not throw up. I still could eat anything. I passed the sponge part where Rojita was along with Guason and Claudia as well. Those freezing sponges were THE BOMB DOT COM.

picture by Andres Orellana

Then, I ran by another coke and water station with Javier Orozco and one of the guys who watches our cars when we cycle there. Then, I saw Melissa and Paloma for the first time during the race. I had no idea in what place I was standing but seeing them both gave me an idea. Melissa has raced multiple half-ironmans and other triathlons. We cycled together in Baja California for three days about three weeks ago. She is super strong, very competitive and sweet. Paloma and I have raced together in Boston 2019. We trained together prior to the race, shared some laughs and conversations while training and after the race. She’s definitely been a support while I have been in Cannibal. What I love about Paloma is how passionate she is about the things or people she cares for and you can see it when she does it and that’s exactly how she cycled, like a champ at 36.4 KM/HR. I also saw Ximena probably at the end of my first lap. She was way ahead of me. Ximena is the whole package; she dominated the three disciplines very well. Xime and Dasha(who didn’t come to the race and miss) were literally the first teammates who were very kind and open as I first entered the team. I also looked up to Xime because she’s really good at racing and remaining humble. This time was not the exception, she was indubitably the Best and won the competition. I could not be happier for her win.

picture by Andres Orellana

Back to the race… I kept running, tried eating another Skratch gummy, kept drinking water at most of the water stations. I could not even drink electrolyt(a drink that has sugar and electrolytes) until my 13K. By that time I had realized that I was in second place. The closer I got to the finish line the closer I would also hear people cheering for Melissa which only meant one thing, she was closing the gap more and more to get that second place. I never planned on beating anyone coming to the race, I just wanted to finish it in the best way possible. So, when I saw Melissa and Paloma I was like “This can’t be right” there’s no FN way I am in second place. We all cheered for each other which I also loved about this race. It made it that much special even though we were competing against each other. One of my teammates asked me how far Melissa was from me and I said I am sure she’s very close to which he responded “She won’t catch you” .

THE CHASE. picture by Andres Orellana

About two minutes later I saw her and she kept cheering for me, I did the same and then had a conversation with myself that went like this: 'I am feeling okay, I don’t want to throw up, you have to drink coke or something and keep pushing until the end because she will catch you'. I then drank coke, spit it out, and sucked the juice of two pieces of orange slices. Seeing Xime motivated me, especially at the end because she would remind me to secure my 2nd place and to not let it go. Also my friend Efren said something similar and encouraged me. My niece Ana Lucia, nephew Gabriel, sister-in-law Gaby were still there for the running part along with Charles and Andres which just meant the world to me. I love them all.

THE END

Mane cheering for both us. Picture by Andres Orellana

Also, forgot to mention that David Novoa, told me in the first 5 km “Esto es lo tuyo” or “Running is your thing”. In my mind ‘oh ya, I love running except I am already tired by now, enjoy your race’. Everytime I would run by David Castillejos he would remind me to keep a steady pace until the very end of the race where he said “start sprinting”. I knew Melissa was right behind me and could sprint anytime to get 2nd place. I did not look behind, started sprinting, saw my brother Andres who ran a few meters with me at the end, opened my stride and got 2nd place overall. Melissa finished like 5 seconds right after me. She ran so fast! And also rode pretty well!

Sprinting Video

The End. Picture by Andres Orellana

Xime welcoming with wide open arms. The picture says it all. picture by Andres Orellana

Me and Melissa picture by Andres Orellana

Xime and Melissa. Picture by Andres Orellana

Crossing the finish line by Jessica Cortes

Me, Melissa and Ximena, picture by Jessica Cortes

SPECIAL THANKS

Me, Toro and Meli picture by Charles R.

As soon as I crossed the line and saw my family and teammates I kind of wanted to cry but I couldn’t. I just felt so much joy, not only towards me but towards one another. I am so very grateful to every single person who was out there during the race and behind all the organization and training. Grateful for my beautiful family Alex for always pushing me to do my best and all of his support in many ways when we train, Andres for being so enthusiastic and positive and loving as well as my sister-in-law Gaby , Lucia y Gabriel and of course my mom who supports me unconditionally and so lovingly and Charles who supported me making sure I had everything I needed for the race and taking care of me as it turned out I had food poisoning hence the fever( Saturday and all day Sunday), nausea and me throwing up the pizza, pasta from the previous day and toast I had the morning of the race and for having to clean up a lot of what I threw up and didn’t make it to the toilet bowl. Thank you to all my teammates who are always there in the good and bad, to everyone who made sure that we were safe and taken care of by stopping the traffic, making sure we were all hydrated, and also to the PT’s. Grateful for all the organizers specially Toro, my coach for coming up with the idea of organizing a race and executing perfectly as he always does and grateful for his coaching even when it gets a little rough. So thankful for my coach Pizzitas as well . He is the Yin to the Yan in the coach department with Toro. Thank you to Paloma, Rojita, Danny and MariTere, Sonia, Paciente, Juanqui, Kadex, Guero, Maru, Estefi, Endurero, Zazueta, Javier and everyone else that I might be missing for all the time, money, sacrifices and everything they did so we could finally race after having so many races canceled.

OMNIMAN 2021 CANNIBAL TRITEAM

With my niece Ana Lu. picture by Andres Orellana

Por si alguien de los participantes lo lee ... Gracias a todos mis compañeros de equipo que siempre están ahí en lo bueno y en lo malo, a todos los que se aseguraron de que estuviéramos seguros y atendidos deteniendo el tráfico, asegurándose de que todos estuviéramos hidratados, y también a los fisios. Agradecida a todos los organizadores, especialmente a Toro, mi entrenador por tener la idea de organizar una carrera y ejecutarla perfectamente como siempre lo hace y agradecido por su entrenamiento incluso cuando se pone un poco difícil. Muy agradecido por mi entrenador Pizzitas también. Es el Yin del Yan en el departamento de entrenadores con Toro. Gracias a Paloma, Rojita, Danny y MariTere, Sonia, Paciente, Juanqui, Kadex, Guero, Maru, Estefi, Endurero, Zazueta, Javier y a todos los demás que tal vez me falten por todo el tiempo, dinero, sacrificios y todo lo que hicieron. así que finalmente pudimos correr después de haber cancelado tantas carreras. La nadada no es nada lo mio pero definitivamente Larissa Hinojosa de Carril 4 me ha ayudado a mejorar y nadar un poco mas decente. Tambien, agradecida por mi hermosa familia. Alex ,por siempre empujarme a dar lo mejor de mí y todo su apoyo de muchas maneras cuando entrenamos. Andrés, por ser tan entusiasta, positivo y cariñoso y por supuesto el MEJOR FOTOGRAFO! A mi cuñada Gaby que nos apoya siempre a todos, Lucia y Gabriel y por supuesto mi mamá que me apoya incondicionalmente y con tanto amor y Charles que me apoyó asegurándose de que tuviera todo lo que necesitaba para la carrera y cuidándome, ya que resultó que me cayo algo mal de lo que había comido, de ahí la fiebre (sábado y todo el día domingo), náuseas y vomitar la pizza, la pasta del día anterior y el pan tostado que me había preparado en la mañana de la carrera y por tener que limpiar mucho de lo que vomité.

I was actually in a lot of pain while the PT was massaging my leg. I happened to be smiling because Charles was laughing about me making funny expressions of pain...picture by Charles

I am so grateful for the lessons this pandemic has been reminding me of, one in particular is not waiting for things to fall into place all the time but to create opportunities for things to fall into place, increasing the chances, doing what we can. I say this because most likely this event would not have taken place this year due to our global pandemic. However, my coach and everyone who organized it created the opportunity for us to race. And we also could have just kept waiting for the official events to take place instead of wanting to participate. Thankful to the Head of it all, Heavenly Father who allowed me to race again despite the circumstances "He is there in the good, the bad, the in-between, fast or slow, no matter who we are or who we were, no exceptions, no lost causes, in all paces He is there for us" - He lives.

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