Team Athletic Mentors News

By: Brian Reynol​​ds, Team OAM NOW triathlete

During the Fall of 2015 I decided to pursue one of my ultimate goals which was to quality for the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.  The Hawaii Ironman is the most prestigious race in the Triathlon World.  In fact this race inspired me to get into triathlons.  I remember during high school watching the NBC documentary coverage of the race and thinking to myself “I want to do this race someday.”  That someday could be October 14th, 2017 if everything goes according to plan.

To qualify for Kona I will be doing the 2016 Wisconsin Ironman which will be my first Ironman distance.  There are 50 Kona slots available at Wisconsin. In my age group (25-29) it has historically been the top 3 that have qualified.  Last year’s 3rd place overall time was 9:41 hours which is a very doable time for me if training goes well.

Achieving a Kona slot will take hard work, dedication, and more importantly a smart training plan.  When my coach Mark Olson and I sat down to review the game plan it was obvious that I needed to work on my biking.  The bike leg of the triathlon has always been my weaker discipline.  In the Ironman distance the bike leg will make up over 50% or roughly 5 hours of the race so it’s very important to be a strong cyclist.  

The game plan was to dedicate more time to biking early in the season which meant significantly reducing my running mileage.  During the late fall and winter I was putting in 10+ hour weeks on the bike which was the most I’ve ever done.  My biking improved significantly; however, my running was getting worst.  I was only doing 10-15 miles per week which is very low.  This low mileage was making me lose running fitness.  Being a runner my entire career I was not used to being out of running shape.  However, my coach had confidence that once I started to pick up the running miles in the late winter my running would come back.  I had to remind myself that the goal was not to run fast during the winter but rather be the best triathlete I could be at the Wisconsin Ironman.  

Brian claimed second overall in the Seahorse Olympic Tri during his early season prep for his first Ironman

My first triathlon of the season was the Seahorse Olympic distance.  The Seahorse would be the first true test to see if the bike training was paying off.  At the race I had my best power average for the bike split by over 30 watts.  The game plan was working!  In addition, my running was quickly improving and I was looking forward to my next race which was the Grand Rapids Triathlon.

The Half Iron distance at the Grand Rapids Triathlon was my first “A” race of the year.  I did this race last year so it would be a good comparison to measure my improvements.  At this year’s race we had perfect weather conditions.  Besides my swim being a little slower than last year I set a new Half Iron PR of 4:09:33.  I was very happy with my bike split which was the 11th best bike split in the field whereas last year I was 23rd.  My power average was 40 watts better than last year which was a significant improvement.  In addition, I was able to pull off a personal best run split in the half-marathon split by a few seconds.

After the Grand Rapids Triathlon I have more confidence in my biking and am looking forward to the Wisconsin Ironman.  So far this season has shown me that in order to become a better triathlete you need to try different things.  However, trying different things may mean some areas  being sacrificed temporarily.  In my case that was sacrificing my running fitness to improve my biking.  Working on your weaknesses is best utilized early in the training season so there is time to refocus on the other two disciplines before race season. Right now I have 5 weeks to go until the Wisconsin Ironman.  My training is more balanced to ensure I have good fitness in all three disciplines on race day.  Keep in mind that I still need swim for 2.4 miles and run a marathon which makes up roughly 4 hours of the race. Hopefully everything comes together on race day and I’ll be sure to post a blog on my results.

Brian celebrates with coach Mark Olsen and teammates James and Michelle Dalton after the Grand Rapids Tri

The post Pursuing the Ultimate Goal appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

–By Elaine Sheikh, Team OAM NOW triathlete

It was a week before the first triathlon of the season for me. I was starting my season later than many of my friends – the end of May instead of attending collegiate national championships in April. I had kept a close eye on the registrations. I was being told what others were capable of. I was well aware of the strengths of some of my other competitors. But instead of being motivated by that, I was petrified. I had so much self-doubt that I would just panic any time I thought about actually racing. Despite that fear, that race went on to be ok and I PR’d my 10k off the bike.

The same thing happened before the Grand rapids Triathlon. I saw a competitor’s bike come in to the shop where I work and when a co-worker joked that she was going to crush me because her bike was so fast (not to mention that she is an amazing runner), I had to take a break so I could leave the building to get control of myself so I could actually do my job. I learned from these experiences that negative emotions are not only uncalled for, but are extremely damaging and waste a lot of energy that could be focused towards racing and training. Of course I’m still nervous when I have a race coming up. But instead of focusing on how bad I feel, I am working towards making a conscience choice to breathe, and have confidence.

Someone once told me that I am not capable of an “ok” race. I have great races or I have catastrophic races. My goal for the season is to change that. I don’t have unrealistic expectations. I know every race will not be a “great” race. But instead of having a race spiral down into catastrophe, I want to practice mindfulness and mental toughness to turn that race into something that is “ok.” I got a taste of that at my most recent sprint tri of the year. I came out of the water in 5th, 3 minutes down from a collegiate swimmer who was leading the race. On the bike, I moved myself into third. I felt strong and knew that I should be able to run right around 20 minutes for the 5k. I had put in a big training day the day before and was fatigued, but I know what I am capable of on a good day and a bad day. However, catastrophe struck as I finished off the bike. It was tight to get to the dismount line, and a man braked hard in front of me as I was getting my shoes off. I was forced to dismount with one foot still stuck in my shoe on the bike. As a result, I wasn’t aware of the position of my shoes and one caught the ground as I ran into transition. My bike catapulted through the air and crashed onto the asphalt. I bent over to pick it up and tried unsuccessfully to get it on the rack.

As I struggled, I knew I was wasting precious seconds. I finally got it on the bar and headed out on the run, trying not to think about the potential damage… just to have both hips lock completely. I felt completely fine cardiovascularly, and I had so much more to give, but I couldn’t run. I ended up averaging around 35 seconds per mile slower than I was capable of averaging on a “bad day.” I crossed the finish line and the announcer called out that I was the second overall female. I knew I should acknowledge it but the fact that I finished a sprint triathlon and I wasn’t even breathing hard was a terrible sign. On a good race day I would be on the edge of passing out because I would have run that hard. But that day my heart and lungs had so much more to give. I struggled with it for the rest of that morning. But then I realized – catastrophe is what you make it. Maybe that race was a catastrophe for me on a personal level, but was it really? By most people’s standards, my race would be considered “ok.” Sure, I don’t want to view my life through the lens of other people’s opinions, but I think my goal was met that day. I had an “ok” race… because that’s what I decided to make it. I could have chosen to view it as a trainwreck, but I decided to accept it, cry, breathe, and move on. Racing is just as much mental as it is physical. Even if your results aren’t up to your expectations, if you gave all you could on a particular day, adjust your mindset. Giving your all and having it not be enough is not a catastrophe!

The post On Confidence and Expectations appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.

–By Raquel Torres, OAM NOW triathlete

This past Sunday, July 17 I competed in my first Ironman 70.3 in Racine, Wisconsin. After this event, I decided to be more active in sharing my experiences in the hopes it will inspire others to keep fighting for their goals and dreams.  I suffered a stress fracture in my right femur at a very critical period on my personal life. Honestly, I spent a long time (Summer 2015-2016) seriously considering retiring from my dream to be an athlete as a profession. I considered finding a regular job, as I did in 2015 almost abandoning my sports career, but my heart would not let me.
I was willing to sacrifice even more to follow my heart, even with lots of noise and my own close family pushing me to abandon my dream. Many people thought that doing this is impossible, perhaps simply expressing their own fears. I make this comment as it has been one of the biggest challenges in my life. I have fought against a thousand and one obstacles: mental, physical, family-related, economic, emotional and even social.

I competed in the ITU Elite level triathlon, classifying for the Central American Games in Veracruz, Mexico in 2014 and the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada in 2015 which was achieved with great sacrifices in pursuit of being an Olympian in Rio. I also competed in more than 20 races internationally and earn the necessary points to reach the world ranking, which is the way to qualify for the Olympics in triathlons. Despite the many obstacles, I believe that trying to qualify for the Rio Olympics was well worth it. By all means, it was my schooling, all this knowledge and experiences is invaluable, and with God all of this only the time will reflect.

In February/March 2016 I came to the U.S. for treatment and they discovered the stress fracture and informed me that the rehab period was going to be VERY slow. Stress fractures typically come from drastic changes in your training, nutrition or training terrain. In my case, it was probably the change from not training for 3 months and then going from 0 to 100 way too fast.

I started running in April 2016 after months off, slowly jogging one minute and increasing the time every 3 days so that after one month I was able to run for 15 minutes without stopping. I continued to increase slowly after that.  I committed to catch opportunities, to create them, to read and to gain mental knowledge in the field to develop and grow emotionally. I created a mental plan and got to know myself again well.

Now, after so many people commenting that I should try the 70.3 distance, I decided to try a new thing, I planned a trajectory so that I could do my first 70.3 in Wisconsin.

The Racine IM 70.3, July 17, 2016
Retrospective review:
I arrived on July 15th to Wisconsin to know the area and to train on my new bike which I had only had for two days, but I was happy to try something new with this “machine.” I was focused and I decided to mentally gain as much from this experience as possible, to concentrate on the details and not on the whole environment.
The day before the race I was happy, I would again compete after almost one year, after I had thought never to be able to run again after the injury. On this occasion my daughter Chantal and her Dad, Eque were with me, both of whom have been of great support to me.

Raquel with her new bike in Racine

On race day my 4:30 AM alarm went off to prepare for the day.  When we arrived at the transition area they mentioned the approaching storm and the possibility that the swim would be cancelled.  I just took it in stride as nothing had happened. My attitude was that we have to give our best and focus on what I have control over. Then, they announced that the race would be postponed to 9:30 AM, so we walked to seek refuge at a nearby restaurant. I slept for a bit there and we ordered breakfast since I had only had my light breakfast which is what I usually take before racing, my shake and two slices of bread at 4:45 AM.

 
Feelings, thoughts and good actions and errors:
9:15 AM, we ordered American Breakfast- Over easy eggs, hash browns and French Toast.
The race started at 10:20 AM and I had not warmed up well, with a full stomach and a not so positive attitude, I was almost in shock as I never accepted the idea in my head and heart of this change in the race. Perhaps a way to manage change was to not accept it as real.
A 70.3 Ironman race consist of: 1,900 meters swimming on open water, 90 kilometers (56 miles) on the Bike and 21 kilometers (13.1 miles) running. In this case, they had us do only 30k on the bike using a time trial start, where each athlete leaves 30 seconds apart according to their ranking. I was second to last to start.
The contemplative feeling in my mind and soul was starting to turn off while I was in line to start, which is when I am normally focused with an explosive mind.  In this case I was thinking about all the items outside of my control-  the wind, cancelled swim, all that went wrong. I allowed these thoughts to dictate the other factors for which I did have control such as nutrition, strategy, respiration and maintaining focus.

Before I started, I had already heard that the route was very very bumpy with potholes caused by the long winter months. Using the aerobars on a street with bumps and with winds gusting from 25-30 MPH was very challenging. The first 10 miles I held a good pace and caught two other athletes who had left before me. I felt fast and strong and am very thankful to my Coach Mark Olson as it is nice  to see and feel improvements even in the worst conditions. However, I was honestly riding very uncomfortably as I was afraid to fall. I was not able to take more than one Gel and I did not have water as I left it behind thinking I wouldn’t need it since they had shortened the race distance, my stomach hurt and I did not have the desire to push hard. But after the first 20 miles, I was thirsty and I had no water.

I arrived at T2 comfortably, but I was not happy with myself and when I started to run I said to myself, keep the pace as your coach told you. It has been almost a year since I had run this much only doing 18 k twice. I kept the pace comfortable but I was dying of thirst, I was dehydrated and when I tried to eat something or take fluids other than water I felt like I was going to vomit. After the first 10 k I felt like  my body was wasting away, I had no energy. I tried twice to take Coke and Red Bull, which pushed me a bit but I had no desire for anything, so I just decided to mentally focus on completing the event. I finished 12th, but I discovered lot of space for improvement.

I think after all, I learned my weaknesses and how to manage situations, and to have a plan A, B and C. I realized the importance of quieting intrusive thoughts  and channeling the important and positive. I learned to concentrate on what I have control over, make intelligent decisions even when things change, and  not to allow the storm to stop me from rowing in the direction I want to go.

The post Overcoming 1,001 Obstacles- An Update from Raquel Torres appeared first on Team Athletic Mentors.