On The Water

My racing season has come to an end on a high note. I finished 12th (out of 35 qualified women in my category) at the 2016 ITU long course World Championships in Oklahoma City. I am not completely satisfied but reflecting back over the years, and seeing all the difficulties I had to overcome in order to get where I am at, I can say I am happy to close up the season and plan for the future.  Let me tell you a little story to give you a perspective. When I was in elementary school, back in the early '90s in Greece, there was a two-day camp to selec t "talented" kids for the newly formed track and field team of the city. I was very keen and active at the time and I wanted with all of my heart to be in that team. I did my very best and tried with all the power of my soul to perform in the tests. But, I did not make the cut-offs and I did not get selected. I was told I was not good enough.  When I moved on to high-school, I was a very good student, but I was not g...

When it comes to training and racing for a goal or some few goals for the season, things do not always go right. They go left, up or down. Shopping for "going right" this year. Anybody? I spent last year in the shadows, training and racing minimally and trying to fix a problem that killed my running. After tons of exams that only proved my body is in perfect condition and after spending a good amount of six months on the massage table in the hands of Nathan Handerson, I finally got it under control. I got optimistic, I thought that all of my patience and persistence have finally paid off. I started running some pre-season races pain-free. Yes! I thought I got it! Unfortunately, timing is not always right. I am still on the roller-coaster train. Sometimes I am racing pain free and other times with some pain. So, things are not yet right 100%. Therefore, my scheduled training periods have started getting canceled and I started going south. But only for a little while. T...

My chronic injury that lasted almost a year and a half is finally giving up. I am happy, I can run and bike faster and further. Yet, last week, my knee let me down, and I thought: "Why?Why are you not letting me enjoy a completely pain free period of training?" Well ... guess what? If you are an elite age group athlete, who puts in about 25 to 30 hours of training each week, you will always have small aches and pains...like, always or almost always! Some serious ones some not so serious ones. I have an IT band syndrome (hey, it's one of the most common running inflammations!) and once every so often it hits me on the outside part of my meniscus. This means pain every time i flex my knee, pain when I go up and down the stairs or when I sit at my desk for too long. The well-known  RICE (Rest-Ice-Compression-Elevation) works miracles. One of the things my chronic injury taught me is how to deal with other major or minor injuries and how to work around them: 1. I...

Persistence is still determination to overcome adversity and keep moving forward regardless of your feelings or the environmental conditions. It is a sustained effort characterized by will power and desire. Every athlete, from amateurs to Olympians, has dealt with some sort of injury or injuries at some point. Small injuries, big injuries; injuries that take a week to heal or years to overcome. Having a clear vision of the future, removing any stubborn attachment to the past and just sticking to the original goals have helped all of us get through the rough times. Setting up a goal and working towards it, can have many ups and downs; when you are up, you can overcome challenges like a steamroller; when you are down, you have to stay put to that burning desire of succeeding your goal. You will have weak moments; maybe you will cry; maybe you will want to quit. Try to see the end of the tunnel, stay in the path, have faith and hope, and you will get out stronger, more mature and crav...