On The Water

I am a triathlete. I did not grow up swimming. Sounds familiar? This is me as this is with a lot of triathletes out there. I never really paid attention during the first year of training and racing-I just practiced and practiced and practiced. My 2011-2012 season showed that I could have some potential in triathlons but it ended prematurely (due to a deep abdominal pain) with my 4th finish at the Collegiate Nationals ( Lili 2011-2012 racing season ). I was hit with and unknown injury (see An unknown injury ) and as a result, I lost the two following seasons trying to resolve my problem. During these seasons, I could not run as much or as fast as I wanted because I was constantly in pain. The good thing though was that I could focus on my swim and on the bike (see How I trained through my injury  and  Swimming technique facts ). With Mike Cantrell The "junk" swim miles got substituted this year with real technique work under the supervision of my husband, who is al...

It has been a long time. I could not run pain free for almost 2 years. I went through exams and numerous doctoral visits ( An unknown injury ). I thought I got it under control last year with the weekly visits to a great massage therapist ( Who is Nathan Henderson? ), yet I was not completely pain free. This is because the massage was really treating the symptoms and not the cause. I never gave up hopes though. In July 2014 I got this little demon right ( My abdominal pain ,  Posterior Mediastinal Expansion ). At the Cantrell Center , I started a series of physical therapy to correct my muscoloskeletal diaphragmatic and pelvic imbalances. To tell you the truth, I did not have high hopes in the program back then. I have now. I have been running pain free for a month. I started with 20min runs every other day and I can now put up with a long run of 45min - what a joy! I can fully breath from my right diaphragm, which was awfully atrophic, and most importantly, I can somehow r...

CycleOps has been the leader in cycling indoor solutions for so many years. The company got acquired by Saris (famous for their bike racks) in 1999, and since then, Saris has brought CycleOps to the next level! Not much to tell about the science, the superb quality, the lifetime warranty, the great functionality and the awesome looks of all CycleOps products! I am fortunate to train in one of their best products, the CycleOps SuperMagneto Pro. I have used the trainer during the winter mostly but also during the season for more controlled interval workouts and power tests ( quick indoor workout , power test ). The SuperMagneto Pro belongs to the Pro-series of the brand featuring ultra-quiet progressive magnetic resistance to simulate the feel of open road cycling. The coolest feature (and one of the differences compared to the the Magneto trainer) is the four resistance settings (easy spin, open road, intervals, mountain) that make your workouts really count! The unit is super...

Oftentimes,  my friends and fellow athletes ask me how to get sponsorships from sports companies. First and foremost, for professional athletes and for competitive amateurs alike, being sponsored is not about YOU! A sponsorship is a partnership, a long-term relationship between the athlete and the company. It is a give and take relationship with mutual benefits. The athlete gets product and support (and rarely a stipend if the athlete is at a world-class level) and the company gets publicity with the hopes to increase their profits and sales. You gotta LOVE the companies you are looking to get sponsored from. If you are not using their products, if you do not like the quality, if you are not agreeing with the goals and overall mantra of the company then do not attempt to form a partnership because you are not the right representative for them. A sponsored athlete should act as an ambassador with passion and credibility: representing, supporting, and advertising along with...

I have been struggling with some major setbacks the last two seasons, feeling more like a yo-yo in despair to resolve a injury that was not really an injury but more the result of a chronic wrong muscoloskeletal pattern ( The resolution of my two lost seasons ). Without the support of my First Endurance family that helped me come in contact with the guru of the Postural Restoration Institute, Mike Cantrell , I wouldn't be able to start training again. I have been doing lots of physical therapy and core work specific to firing the right muscles at the right time since July 2014. I should be in full motion by the New Years, so I am excited! Good things started rolling with the new season coming up, among those my new relationship with Juliana bikes . I am excited to announce that I am now a sponsored ambassador of the brand, riding the all new Juliana Nevis hardtail and trying to get some trail training and racing for the coming season. My mentor and coach Dave said that the t...

For all of my friends who know or do not know me. My physical therapy is going well, a little slower than expected but we are moving forward, slowly and steadily. My right diaphragm is more or less restored and my pelvis is moved to its correct posture (read here: My chronic abdominal pain ). I will stop running for 45 days (oh-my-gosh! it sounds sooo long!) in order to let my abdominal and peripheral muscles recover from the chronic multiple injuries. In the meantime, I can swim (yeah!) and bike (yeah again!) and focus on restoring my ... posterior mediastinal expansion or back breathing. If you still don't get what I mean, check the video below...you will get the memo! It is almost like an advanced yoga "cat pose". It is really really difficult to do it right. But, it is worth the time. Most elite cyclists breath with their whole diaphragm and back resembling a turtle back...here you go my friends, start practicing! Or visit this awesome physical therapist who can...

For most of us, who did not grow up swimming, technique is the key to faster swimming times in the future. I learned to approach swimming with a long-term perspective, work systematically and be patient! I had been swimming a little for some years but I really started swimming three years ago. This is a picture from a swimming analysis video after my first competitive year. What do you see? My elbow enters the water first, my whole body is literally submerged in the water, and I am dragging myself with zero body rotation. BAD. This is a similar picture from a swimming analysis video today, two years later. Things that have changed: More body rotation, almost no elbow drop in the entry and pull stroke phase and high elbow in the recovery phase. Not good yet but certainly BETTER. Lots of things helped me improve. Things that have worked for me may not work for you but here are the four must-dos that improved my swimming technique: 1. LOTS of kick-sets!!! Especially s...