Honolulu International Triathlon 1st Place!!

Let me start saying that after the first two weeks we had in Kona, I'm very surprised with the result in Honolulu, I was almost sure I was in for a bad day.

Paola and I have waited for almost a year to finally made it to Kona, and the excitement led me to do almost every possible mistake in my training, but how can you turn back in the Queen K when you feel so happy just to be there? So the first week was all about riding, the written plan was a balanced hard week, but it all started to go wrong when I went paddle boarding, I had so much fun, but the next day my shoulders were done, also my calves and shins were pretty sore due to the effort I had to do, just to stay standing in the board, so my running and my swimming training were affected.
Another thing that got me in that negative frame of mind, is that changing the swim stroke is not an easy thing to do, even if you know that you are in the right path there's a lack of confidence due to the lack of results.
So there I was, the day before the race with a bad attitude, fortunately after the alarm went off I knew I was in the right frame of mind. The swim was pretty intense at the start, but after a while I was swimming with plenty of space, that went on for just a while when I had to start passing the first 3 waves that started 3, 6 and 9 minutes before mine. So I had to swerve a lot the rest of the swim, which I finished in 23 minutes, I was hoping a better time, but as soon as I was on my bike I started passing the rest of the previous waves.
After the first turnaround I knew I was in a good position and almost sure I was in first place, that's when I was passed by two guys that were clearly drafting, they had the same uniform and that got me very mad,  I only hoped that they were not in my age group. The last 10kms were under a light rain and we also had a little wind, but nothing to important.
My bike split for the 40k was 59 minutes, a race PR split in an Olympic Triathlon and that helped me get trough the first mile of the run, I felt my legs very heavy, I was afraid I over did it in the bike, but after a while my legs came back and I was able to keep up with the pace, the heavy feeling came back at the end but knowing I was doing fine helped my to finish strong in 39 minutes, also a PR.
I was 1st place in my Age Group and 9th Overall.

The actual race was excellent, the run course in the Ala Moana Park is Beautiful, but the organization of the race I think is not so good. There was no control of the wave starts, it would have been very easy that someone started in the wrong wave on purpose, that could have been avoided with the color of the swim caps, that by the way......... they were handed right before the start along with the timing chips, both should have been in the race bag, luckily the cheating didn't happened at least in my age group or in front of me.

Another thing to mention is the attitude of the race Director someone called JJ, I had the bad luck to catch him in a bad moment I think............ The previous day there was this misunderstanding when I asked him about the next race briefing, I had just arrived when he was finishing the first race brief of the day, so I think he thought I was in the briefing, so the first thing he told, well............ he pretty much yelled at me, was that I had to have the bracelet on before I pick up my number, but when I arrived there was this lady who asked me of I was doing the Olympic, I said yes and she handed me an Orange bracelet, and told me to pick up my number, and that's what I did, so when I came to ask JJ about the next meeting he saw me with the bracelet in one hand and the race number in another, and it was supposed to be mandatory to have the bracelet on, to be handed the number, so he got mad, I just said it wasn't my fault that I received my number without having the bracelet on, that I thought that was his staff responsibility, not mine, and wow! He just exploded, I really thought he was going to hit me in the face, I tried not to explode also by just keeping my mouth shut, and waiting for him to end his show, so after he screamed that this was his race that this were his rules and bla bla bla, I just kept looking at him with a neutral face, and after some awkward seconds of silence, he just shake my hand and said he was cool......... What a freak moment, and what a freak dude! 

That was the bad of the race, but everything else was really good, Honolulu is a great city, it's very cool that everything is so close, the perfect beach of Waikiki with all of it's Restaurant's, Shops and Hotels just steps apart.

The day after the race we went to Kailua Beach, they say it's the number one Beach in the US, Ít's really great but I bet I've heard this same thing about some other beaches ha ha!

Another Highlight of this excellent trip is that Paola raced a 10k race and she also got a PR! She's been running a lot of miles every week! and I mean a Lot!
More than me by far........ There's no doubt that in Kona, she will turn into a runner, I better start coaching her, because she's really strong and I think it's about time to put some sense into her running...... I think she's a power runner, lets see. She was so happy after the race, and got 4th in her age group,  she is very excited to start a formal training program, I Love Her!

Kona. Our First Week.

We finally made it to Kona, since last year it was just a dream, now it's real. We arrived Sunday night after a day with our friend Lalo in L.A. We both were pretty tired of the trip, but monday morning it was like we had new batteries, I was supposed to ride 50k at moderate pace in the Queen K and I ended up riding 120k at almost race pace.

I know it's not the smartest thing to do, specially one week before a race, but I kept doing it the whole week, and to make ir a little worst I took my first shot at Paddlebording, It was really fun, and before I knew I had more than one hour standing in the paddleboard, I won't say it's easy or difficult, because the point is not only stand up and paddle, the point is to go where you wanna go and do it swiftly, and that's when you fall. I had a blast but next day I could feel wich muscles I used to stay upright, the calves and the shins, so my run sessions for the week were in pure pain.

I also put myself in the hands of Coach Steve, I meet him last year and I knew he was the one to trust to change my stroke and help me take my swim to the next step, I do have a long way to go, but here's the place to do it. What I didn't knew about Coach Steve is that he was the assistant coach for Mark Spitz, Amazing!!!

Our place is very close to the pier and to the pool, so we are in the heart of Kona, Paola is running all the time, and of course taking all the sun possible.

Saturday Morning we went to Waikoloa Beach to spend the day, we had Spicy Ahi Poke and Sushi and the day was perfect, we just can't believe that we have already a week here.

Friday we are going to Honolulu, I will race at the Honolulu International Triathlon, it's an Olympic distance Triathlon, it might be not so important in my racing schedule but still I want to do good, so i will try to take it easy this week and get there rested, It's also my first Olympic Triathlon in almost two years, and there's no worst feeling than race with heavy legs.

The people in Kona is very very friendly, it's like a big family and everyone is ready to help in any way you need, so we already feel locals.

Abu Dhabi, Dubai & New York City. What a Trip!

Finally I had the time to Upload to the pictures from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, & New York.

It was pretty hard because Paola shoot more than 3,000 pictures.
I just love to say this...... "THIS WAS THE BEST TRIP OF MY LIFE" and I keep saying that at least once a year, that means we are going to the right places, or least to "our" Right places.

Abu Dhabi is unreal............ Everything is perfect and beautyful, & The Hotel Shangri-La just made it seem even more perfect.

Since the moment you enter the lobby you know you are in a Special Hotel, I've never seen anything like it, the service and disposition of everyone is above normal, they make you feel like a Sheik, the view of the Zayed Mosque is amazing, you can see it from every place in the Hotel, and at night the Ilumination of the pool with the Purple Mosque in the Background seems unreal.

The race as I said in my previous Blog, was almost perfect, I know that the organizers want this to be one of the most important Triathlon races in the world, and I think they achieved that in the very first attempt.
After the race, we went to a Safari in the desert, an expert driver took us on a Toyota 4 Runner along with other 7 or 8 Toyotas, and going up and down 60 meters high Dunes is an experience I wont forget, ever.

After about and hour, we stop to see the Sunset, and that's something you want to see in the Desert, then we arrived to the Camp Site where we had Libanese food, Shi Sha, Camel Riding and a Belly Dancer Show.

Dubai was also pretty amazing, the Burj Khalifa Tower is the tallest in the World, with 800 meters you kind of loose the perspective of things, the Tall Buildings at it's side are pretty tall, but they seem tiny, and then you think about the sorrounding thing, like the Fountains and the Mall in the explanade below, even that the Fountains are twice bigger than the Fountains of the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

Then.......... New York. It was a long time since I visited NYC, and I didn't remember that I liked it so much, even that this kind of life has nothing to do with Triathlon, I kind of like it, It has a "something" about it that's pretty cool and adictive. We went for a run in Central Park almost everyday, then have breakfast in a random place in the Strees, we just looked for a different "cafe" So there we were, next to the usual kind of New Yorkers, ha ha! Very Very different one from the other, this is where you get to find so many different people.
We went to a Knicks Game, and to the Liberty Statue, we were also turning experts in the Subway, and we also walked and walked and walked a little more.
One of the best things about triathlon, is that you get to travel and meet interesting people and places, and like this trip, places that if it wasn't because of a race, we might have never visited, and now we can't wait to come back.

Abu Dhabi International Triathlon, Race Recap. 3rd Place.

Yesterday was the day that I've been waiting, and training for more than 120 days. It was a long wait, and with it came a lot of expectation from this race, so to tell you the truth the previous days I was a little nervous, the long long trip to Abu Dhabi and all the waiting made difficult to take it as "just another race"

This time there was my family here to watch me race, so my thinking was
"I took them all across the Globe to watch me race, I just can't let them down"
So the simple idea of having a flat tubular, gave me nightmares.
There were also other things to worry about, even I didn't wanted to think to much about it, but they were always in the back of my mind.

One of them was the approach that I took with my training for this new distance for me, my longest race before this was Half Ironman distance races, so 90kms at race pace was the longest distance I ever done. And my approach to training for a 200kms bike ride, was the opposite as almost everyone does it, instead of doing various Long & Slow Rides, I took it with mid distance (90-120k) At slightly below race pace, so my longest ride in the year was just one, of 120kms. So even that I knew I had it in me, there was this fear of the 200kms that I have never, ever ride in my life.

There was the Heat factor also. I like the hot races, and I tend to handle the heat ok, but the previous days here in Abu Dhabi were just too much, I was starting to doubt of my affinity with the mercury.

And the last one, was the field.........it was like a Kona Week, everyone was very fit, so I knew it was going to be "Hard" in every aspect.

4am.......... and I was already up and ready to go, after a Good Breakfast, we went to the Emirates Palace, a Hotel that really deserves a couple of lines, it's simply AMAZING!
It's the most expensive Hotel ever built, 3,000 Million Dollars, it has 850,000 m2 of floor space, an underground parking for 2,500 cars, and the exterior has 114 domes of 60 meters high. so being on it's beach front at T1 was a privilege.

So there I was preparing my stuff in T1 with a surreal view of this amazing changing color hotel in the background.
The swim was 2 laps of 1500 meters and a 100 meter dash in the sand in between. My first lap was right on time, 23 minutes, and my second I think I didn't swim straight, because I lost a minute, coming out of the water in 47 minutes.

Already in the bike I knew it was going to be a hard & hot day, much more than the previous days, because I had been training at that time, and it wasn't as hot as this day at the same time.
The bike course was in the Corniche that is along the beach front of Abu Dhabi, where all this super hyper modern buildings are, so the first 7kms of the course are extremely beautiful. but then you cross the first out of many bridges, and enter the real Desert, at the moment you start seeing the sand dunes you feel the temperature rising, the view was fantastic, and I was feeling also fantastic, the first 40k split came in 1:04, the second 40k in 1:05:50, the 90kms split was 2:27 and the 180kms split was 4:57 for a Total of 5:30 pretty much what I expected in the right conditions, the only "problem" was that this were no right conditions by any means.....

The heat was just like being in a barbecue, just like Bjorn Andersson later said it. I was pushing like there was no run after the 200kms bike ride, I knew I was taking a risk of blowing up, but since biking is my strongest leg, it was also my best bet, so there I was hammering through a hotter than hell heat, some winds, and hot water & gatorade at the aid stations.

It was a real hard bike, but it also had something that no Triathlon race in the world has.......
You get to enter and ride the incredible "ABU DHABI YAS MARINA FORMULA 1 CIRCUIT" this was a rest for your mind and body the 2 times we rode the 4 kilometers of the circuit. The surface of the Abu Dhabi roads is very smooth, but as I entered the Yas Marina Circuit was like there was someone pushing me, the pain in my legs was gone and the mind was to busy enjoying the surreal view of the buildings like the Ferrari Building, or the Yachts parked inside the Marina that's inside of the circuit, it was like being inside an X-BOX game of car racing.
(I can't wait for the pictures)

After 150kms I started to feel cramps in my thighs every time I was out of the saddle, so for the next bridges I was forced to stay in the saddle.

Arriving a T2, there was a smile in my face when I saw my bike split of 5:30, but that smile turned into a scream of pain when I took my first stride, my left thigh was cramping bad, and the floor was like a frying pan, after a couple of steps the cramp started to fade away, so I knew I was ok for that 20kms run that was in front of me, and that I was pretending it didn't existed for the previous 6 hours, now it was about time to start thinking they were as real as the 3k of swiming plus the 200kms bike ride.

The run was ok, I never felt like I was suffering, I just didn't have another gear, the first lap I did it, in 40 minutes, and the second in 46 minutes, for a total of 7:48 enough for a podiumo 3rd place in the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon.

p.s. as soon as I have time, I will upload some pictures in the Gallery @ http://www.janosoto.com/

My better Half.

Today I'm feeling good because is hard for me to even climb the steps in my house. That's a good sign in your day off with just some days to go, till the next race.

It's been a long wait and lots of hard work since my last Half Ironman at the Worlds in Clearwater last November, but I have this nice feeling that I did my job.

And is in this time off that I've been thinking a lot in my other half, the best one, my better Half... Paola.

I really know how lucky I am to have someone like Paola by my side, in this last few months I know I've been like a maniac, full of energy in the morning and depleted in the afternoon, I know the bipolar mood changes we triathletes have while training, and it's amazing to realize how easy she changes to good, something that for other couples can be hard.

I have to give her credit for pushing me to train when I needed to train, and holding me back when I needed to rest, I've always relied a lot in listening to my body, but I think she might have a super coach soul inside, she can actually read me better than I do, she's been taking care of my nutrition and even my hours of sleep.

So this last few months the correct way to say it, is "We've done the work, now lets RACE"

I know that this nice feeling won't last long, and it will turn into butterflies in the stomach, I know it's going to feel like that because of the same long waiting, also because it will be, by far..........my longest race ever.

This year "we" decided that my goal was Kona, and this is the first step, I know that the whole road is going be tough, but I'm enjoying every minute of it. I'm starting to think that I like pain ( maybe just like every triathlete, ha ha)

In this last few months I discovered that I really like the long distance, maybe it's too soon to say that, but at least I like training for it, lets hope I can say that after I cross the finish line.

After Abu Dhabi, a new chapter in my life will begin, and it has the M-dot written all over.

I might never have the M-dot tattoo, but with the new training surely it is already stamped under my skin.

It's not only the Ironman race that made Hawaii so special for me and for Paola, there's something about the Island and it's Ohana, that makes you never want to leave that place, Paola felt the same, so in May, we will be arriving with plenty of time to make a good training camp for the Honu 70.3 (that's the next step) So the 2010 year ride starts now..........

This month there will be a Kiwami advertise in the French Triathlete Magazine, where I will be using the new Konami Trisuit, Super comfortable, by the way!

Check it out:

www.kiwami.co.uk/shop/konami-trisuit_1-60.html Or http://www.kiwamitri.com/ for the U.S.

I love what they wrote in the Ad, I just can't get it out of my head. And I don't want to, I love it!

I hope I can buy the magazine in the Zurich Airport.

.

Birthday Set! Swim: 40x100mt Bike: 40k TT Run: 40x400mt

Today, February 10th was my Birthday.
And Finally I can write about a crazy idea I had a couple of weeks ago when Paola asked me what did I wanted to do in my birthday. The Usual stuff would be a party right? But I really didn't wanted to be forced to eat cake and have a drink just 30 days before Abu Dhabi, and just when my training should be at it's highest intensity. So I remembered bits and pieces of birthday sets that I've heard in the past, like the 100x100mt swim set, or beer miles, but since I was like I said, just 30 days away from The Abu Dhabi Triathlon, the best thing to do, would be a race, but there are no races in Wednesdays, so I thought about doing something more race like it.
I didn't wanted to write about it "before" because I really didn't knew if I was going to be able to finish the day within the parameters that I established before I started. I wanted it to be really challenging, so it will be rewarding as well. The idea was to swim 40x100 every 2 minutes if I did every 100 in 1:30 it will be Great, then a 40km Bike Time Trial, and then to finish up the day, a run set of 40x400mt every 2 minutes, this one was what I knew it was going to be hard, I was hoping to make every 400 at 1:36, that's a 4 minute per km Pace.

So here we go.
6:45am: Breakfast # 1.
7:45am: Swim Set: 400mt easy, and 40x100mt every 2 minutes. Average per 100mt= 1:26, and the last 100mt @ 1:21
9:30am: Breakfast #2 with my friends, they were at the pool making sure I go out every 2 min.
Rest & Hydration.
11:30am: While getting my bike gear ready, and making a little seat height adjustment I broke the seat clamp screw, so we had to hurry up to find a new one.
12:30: After a 15min Run and a 10km bike warm up, with race gear & my Kiwami new Suit. 40km Time Trail in a hilly and windy road, similar to the last 20kms up to Hawii. Time 1:05 @ 143 bpm & 153 max, 10km cool down.
3:00pm When we got home there they were, my family waiting with my favorite food, presents, cake, and good coffee (Paola told them about my day plans)
5:30pm: I was already frightened about my idea of doing 40 times 400 meters going out every 2 minutes, the plan was to do them at a 4 minute/km pace, that's 1:36 every 400 meters, the previous days seemed possible, but I was having a little of doubt, So I started easy, thinking that I might take it easy at least on the first 4.
The Park is called "The Art Park" ( I had no idea why, since there's not even a sculpture ) and it has a flat trail of 1 mile, marked every 100 meters, so I pretty know my rhythm in that particular place.
So I started easy, and the first 400 came out at 1:34, that gave me 26 seconds to erase every bit of doubt and go for all or nothing, so the second 400 came out at 1:29, so in the next 31 seconds and now with no trace of doubt in my mind, I decided to keep the pace, It was fairly easy until the 12th 400 when I did it in 1:34, in that moment I was feeling a little funny in the stomach, so I decided to stop in the middle and rest for 5 minutes. But suddenly my mate Robert Oliver appeared, I was just finishing the lap # 5 and about to rest, So seeing him was like a big energy rush, in the morning he told me that he wanted to run some of my 400's with me, to help me keep the pace, so how could I stop to rest just when he was arriving?
I was very grateful and soon, I forgot about that 5 minute rest that would have ruined my perfect day.
At the end, the 40X 400 time splits were like this:
1:34, 1:29, 1:30, 1:30, 1:29, 1:29, 1:30, 1:30, 1:31, 1:29,
1:31, 1:34, 1:32, 1:31, 1:34, 1:34, 1:32, 1:32, 1:34, 1:33,
1:34, 1:36, 1:37, 1:37, 1:34, 1:32, 1:34, 1:35, 1:35, 1:35,
1:35, 1:39, 1:36, 1:34, 1:40, 1:40, 1:36, 1:34, 1:32, 1:26. @ 150 bpm average 159 bpm max

I can't describe how happy I was, since at the middle of the set I was already thinking about cutting the set with a 5 minute rest, I know that, doing that would have been a reason to be mad the rest of my day.
It was already 7:00pm and I had to take a well deserved (needed) shower because we had planned a birthday dinner with friends at 8:30pm in very cool french restaurant where they have a delicious fondue.
So after a big recovery Shake we were on our way to the restaurant when Paola told me that there was a slightly change of plans, I really believed her and just followed her directions to the supposed new dinner location.
The place looked very nice, and when we entered "Surprise" my first ever surprise party!
There they were............. my really good friends all together waiting to surprise me.
The place is called MiTra, and the garden was adorned with fire torches, and had 3 little lounge huts, it was very very cool!
It was my "Perfect Day" and nobody had to force me to eat cake or have a few beers........
I did it on my own..........
p.s. after analyzing my birthday set, I guess that you guys know my age, right?

Kiwami 2010 Racing Gear

I've just received my new 2010 Kiwami Racing Suit's, as always they are really great, specially the new Kaiman 2010, and the Black & White Colors are going to be perfect for racing in the Heat of the Desert of Abu Dhabi.
Thank you www.kiwamitri.com

Building up Steam

Almost a month without writing in my Blog, I guess I'm not too much of a Blogger, Ha!
Maybe I was too busy being afraid of the new type of training, don't get me wrong, I knew that training for Abu Dhabi will require to increase the distance and maybe ease down on the intensity, but a part of me maybe was hoping to carry the same intensity in the 100% plus distance. So the first weeks of the year, were a little like a crash and burn weeks, I don't regret it, because this week I started to feel fast in my longer than usual rides, my back also got used to be in the Aero Position for double the time. I knew I was doing it the hard way, but I'm feeling alright now.
Yesterday Sunday ride, was to see where I really was in my Long Distance Bike, specially after a hard week of Run Focus. So I headed to the Airport where there's a Circuit of 25 kms of Flat with a couple of Rolling hills and a part where the wind might hit you pretty good, Yesterday the wind was picking up, as I was getting ready to start a 15k warm up before a 100kms Tempo ride, not too hard not too easy. But I thought that my goal of a 2:45 at 140bpm was going to be out of my reach because of the wind.
Anyway I started with no expectations, but I passed the first 40kms in 1:04, so that gave me more power to keep going at the same time that the wind kept getting stronger. 80kms @ 2:09 perfect! and I ended up doing my 100kms in 2:39 at 141bpm average with a max of 151bpm.
So now I can write something in my Blog, So in this month I can just say that the blogs would have been all the same and something like this
" I had a very hard week, I was not able to reach the required distance, because maybe I over did it in the intensity, I can't walk! I want a massage, I need to rest blah blah blah"
So that's it, that's what I might have wrote in the last 5 weeks.
Another thing that might be worth to write, is that we moved to another house, our last before Kona! Everything is on it's way! So we are very very excited!
The new supplements are also working pretty good, I can see that my recovery time is far better than a couple of months before, The Eicopro is just magic, I can't see myself not having my dose every night, in so many years I've tried so many thing's and the truth is that I never see the difference, but with the Eicopro is so easy to tell that this stuff really works, there have been some days that I forgot, and before I realize that I didn't drink it the night before, I knew that something was wrong, that I just didn't recovered as I should.
So that's it, I know I'm doing what I should be doing for Abu Dhabi, so I'm happy (and tired) So come on 200kms I getting ready for you!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas 2009 has gone by, and also with this year I completed my first ever! One Year Training Cycle.

I can't say I didn't knew that if trained consistently I could achieve good or better results, but after those "good" results came, Now I know I can do much better, and that those good results might be not that good. It's amazing how the body is able to be better and better if you keep pushing it.

At the beginning of 2009 my goal was just to Qualify for Clearwater Worlds. I really didn't hoped to finish at the Podium 4 times, win the AG in an Ironman 70.3 event and cross the finish line at Clearwater in 4:23 (with a 4 minute penalty ) It's funny......... but at the same time I'm satisfied with this season, I'm more certain than ever that there's a long long way to go.

We are close to the end of the Year, and I'm already in the Starting List for my First Ironman 140 event, A distance I've always said that I will never do if it was only for finishing.

It's been a good year but the most important thing that I learned is that "I can Learn" So many things have changed in the last few years, and my frame of mind have changed with those things.

Actually, I learned "Because" of that frame of mind......... It's hard to explain without boring you to death with so many words, but I can say that I'm in my best shape of mind ever!

After the 70.3 in Hawaii, I was riding in the Queen K with Benjamin Sanson, and we were talking about training methods and that kind of stuff, but the conversation then took a deeper insight, and we ended talking about FEAR, we both got to the conclusion that the hardest obstacle in our way, is always FEAR, again it's a little hard to explain what kind of fear we were talking about, but let's just say it's the FEAR of the unknown, the FEAR of getting out of what we are used to, and most important, the FEAR of really listening to that inner ME that never stops saying what he wants, but we are so used so not listen, because this or that reason that "Learning" to listen again like when we were kids, might take some effort.

So what the hell I'm talking about?

I think It might not be all about the Bike, It might not be all about training or even results, it's something else, and without FEAR we all might find out what that "Something else" is for everyone.

Destination: Ali'i Drive

I guess that I knew it since mt first year as a triathlete, Ali'i Drive will be, sooner or later, my final destination.

In 2005 I was there for the first time in Ironman week, but I wasn't racing IM, the previous week, I competed in the ITU Worlds in Honolulu, so the jump to the Big Island was a must.

It was really exciting to see the most important Triathlon in the world, Since I was also writing an article for a Sports Magazine, I was privileged to carry a Media Pass, the result was a great article and great pictures. Even with that, I really didn't catch the bug of racing at Kona.

It was until this year "2009" and after riding the Queen K plenty of times, racing at Ironman Honu 70.3 in May, and once doing the whole 180kms starting from the Lava Java, Hawi, and back to Kona, when I started thinking seriously to qualify and then come back to Race the "Ironman World Championship"

I've just signed for Ironman Louisville, Kentucky, it's still a long time away from this day, but I can already feel the difference, every Ironman is tough, and Louisville is not an exception, I know that first, I have to qualify against the best of the world, but I already have the "Bug"

So the switch is ON!

Even that I will be training for every race I enter, this 2010 the main goal IS KONA!

is Ali'i Drive!

Zone Diet Sponsorship

Today I received an excellent news. I'm officially sponsored by ZONE DIET http://www.zonediet.com.mx/ I've always said that I will never sponsor something that I don't really believe in, and Zone Diet couldn't be a better example.

I'm a true believer in the 40-30-30 Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat ratio and how's related to your body composition and performance. Since I read the book of "Enter the Zone" by Dr Barry Sears, I became a follower, it literally changed my body, and took my performance to another level, and now with their support, I will be able to reach deeper in the Zone, and get the most out of their really good products like the ones that I currently use, like Eico-Pro (omega oil) Sea Health (antioxidants) protein and energy bars.

I know it sound like an Ad for my new Sponsor, but the Zone Diet program is much more, than just supplements and a type of Diet.

For example........Today they will test my blood for a full profile of cellular inflammation and Omega Oils Blood Profile, with those lab results a Dr Gustavo Orozco, from Zone Diet and Nutrasource Diagnostics "NDI" will elaborate a Diet, and Supplement plan tailored just for me, it's really exciting!

The lab itself is impressive www.ndimexico.com/home.html NDI Mexico is part of NDI based in The University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

Ok........... Got to go to the Lab appointment......

(Funny this sponsorship came right after my 3 kilos post, and by the way.....Those kilos are gone........ In just 5 days into my 2010 Training Pre-Season)

3 Kilos in 1 week

It's scary how fast you can gain weight if you stop training, and at the same time stop taking care of your food intake, and that's exactly what I did last week. Sure I enjoyed some desserts, a couple of beers, and more than one Breakfast "a la" Michael Phelps Style. But after a week I was already feeling like a Fat Person, I didn't weight myself until yesterday, my first day of training for Abu Dhabi and the 2010 Season, and the scale just confirmed my feelings, I was up by 2 kilos! And I felt them in today's run...... So the break is officially off. Now it's time to train.

Race week & Race Recap

I'm still reflecting of what happened in Clearwater last saturday, there are hundred of thing to learn from, and as I said, I still have to find out what went wrong or right, because it was a bittersweet race, a couple of bad things and also some nice things occurred that day.

First it was race week, my last post was on Tuesday morning, & the day before was an off day with a well deserved massage, Tuesday I was preparing to do a couple of things that I was postponing due to training all year, they ended up being more time consuming and a little bit more stressful than I thought, being one of them finding a new house to live.....

So the previous week was not what I wished it to be.

Then....... here comes the first mistake that ended up having an influence in the outcome of my race, for some reason I thought that the race was Sunday, so we had our flight scheduled for Thursday, too close to the race, but I bought these plane tickets months ago and they were non refundable, so in the back of my mind I knew that it was a little bit dangerous to have only one day to prep for a World Championship, anyway I tried not to think to much about it, but that ended as soon as we were on the counter of Mexicana Airlines.

The flight plan was Mexico City/Miami, Miami/Tampa, not ideal but it was ok, so it was a surprise when the lady of Mexicana tell us that first the plane was going to Cancun! I couldn't believe that just like that! they can change the flight schedule, I had in my hands the online ticket and it clearly didn't have a stop in Cancun, in that second I knew there will be problems with my bike, it's not that I can predict the future, but surely I can recognize Disorder when I see it., and what happened next just confirmed it, they sent us to the other side of Mexico City's Airport because now...we were departing "Domestic" but after a long walk and once inside the domestic gates, we had to walk back to the "International" gates, it was just dumb.

When we arrived to Miami after a 60 minute stop in Cancun, my worst and every other Triathletes nightmare came true, My Bike didn't arrived.

They told me to continue my trip to Tampa and that the bike will come 3 hours later in another plane, they even gave me the plane number, so we spent 3 hours at the Tampa Airport just to find out that again, my bike didn't arrived, I tried to talk to the same person who assured me that in 3 hours I will have my bike, but we was already gone, so there was no ones fault.

Again they told me that it will arrive to my hotel in Clearwater at midnight, so I couldn't sleep well, waiting for the Bike that never arrived!

Friday was pretty much the same, they kept telling me that it should arrive in the next "few" hours and that I should stay in my hotel, so there I was.... making phone calls, trying to rent another bike just in case, and having to register.

When I had a rental bike ready and with just one hour left for the mandatory bike check in, my bike arrived, so I didn't even had time to ride it more than the 800 meters from my hotel to transition.

After I left my bike at T1, I realized that I haven't hydrated or eaten properly, so we went to the first place to eat and to the hotel to get some sleep.

At morning race I found out that they changed the swim to a canal, just because Friday the sea was a little rough, very disappointing because I like swimming at the sea, and if it's choppy, better.

The swim start was supposed to be on waves, so it really took my by surprise when we got to a little dock and everyone was already entering the water one by one, so before I knew what the hell was going on, I was already racing, I didn't even had a chance to start my watch.

(I missed the compulsory race meeting due to the bike issue)

My swim was a disaster, I couldn't see the buoys because the sun was hitting right in our faces, and I didn't really knew where they were supposed to be, in fewer words, I didn't knew where we were going, but I knew I wasn't swimming straight, as I found out later after the finish, the swim course was not a rectangle, it had a few non straight lines in the middle.

I also didn't got into a rhythm at any point of the swim, so when I saw my slow swim split in 32 minutes, it really wasn't a surprise. I was very UN-concentrated, at the point that I couldn't find my transition bag!

Once in the Bike I screamed to myself " Jano, just get it together! " So I did, I found my focus, and started passing people, I was flying, there was always someone in front to pass, so I even thought that a slow swim was a good thing, that coming late out of the water gave me the chanceway to pass slower riders and avoid drafting issues with guys with the same physical abilities.

It all went "Perfect" until the 65km mark, I was on my way to a 2:07 bike split and suddenly here comes a " drafting group" and absorbs me, almost at the same time the Marshall comes in a motorcycle screaming the numbers he could see, and there was my number and my first drafting penalty in my life. Even worse is that I slowed down my pace! Because I couldn't break out from the group, It was very stressful.

I got into T2 in 2:10 and headed to the penalty box, after 4 minutes of waiting and seeing people passing by, I headed into the 21km run.

At this point I knew that even if I had a lousy run I would still break my 4:34 pb for a Half Ironman distance.

But still I set my mind to no matter what, I had to run like never before, and hold a 7 minute a mile pace for the 13 miles, that's the pace I've been training, and I was on mode of succeed or blow up!

First mile 6:50, last mile 7:00. There was a bridge that we had to climb 4 times, and in those miles was where I pushed it the most, so at the end the pace was exactly 7 minutes per mile. Right On!

My placing is not even worth mention it, but the time was ok, 4:23 with a 4 minute penalty is not so bad, at the end I had a good year and I'm very excited to start the 2010 racing season with the Abu Dhabi Triathlon in March.

I still don't know if I will come back to Clearwater next year, focus in Kona, 70.3s or 140's but I will have time to think about it later next week.

Right now I have more important things to decide on, I have to enjoy my rest week in Vegas, and I still don't know if I will have the Cheesecake, or the Brownie Chocolate Delight for dessert.

Clearwater in 4 days, Abu Dhabi in 123 days.

I know I'm not too much of a Blogger, but I promise to do better in the future. My last hard week just finished and I'm already into the hardest week of all, the Taper week, I don't know but for me is easier to go out and train like a maniac than train with certain limits, I really feel like an animal in a zoo. I guess that must be a good sign..... Ha Ha....

I was about to sign up for IM Langkawi, and Paola was about to start the travel arrangements to our trip to Malaysia and also to Bangkok, so there we were with our laptops on, and our index fingers ready to start clicking when we find out about this new Triathlon in Abu Dhabi, and we just couldn't resist.

The Abu Dhabi International Triathlon http://www.abudhabitriathlon.com/

Abu Dhabi seem "fantastique" just like Ben says, the race course is irresistible, and Dubai another place that we were planning on visiting soon, is just an hour by car, so after a couple of minutes I was already signed in, and Paola was taking care of the travel itinerary.

The Race date is March 13, 2010 and the unique distance of the main race will be a 3km swim, 200km bike ride and 20km run, all around of one of the most amazing cities in the world, so this race, as they say it's already an Instant Classic and a "must" for my 2010 season.

The presentation of the race was set up at the Abu Dhabi Shangri-La Hotel, where we will be staying, it was presented by Faisal Al Sheik, head of the ADTA (Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority) Faris Al-Sultan 2005 Ironman world Champion, and John Hazan, race director of the Inaugural Abu Dhabi International Triathlon.

As for the "Amazing course" the opening swim leg takes place in the lagoon of the Grandiose Emirates Palace Hotel http://www.emiratespalace.com/ one of the most luxurious Hotels in the World.

The Bike passes many of Abu Dhabi's iconic sights including The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, before moving onto Yas Island, home of the recent F1 Grand Prix, and yes, the bike course takes in the impressive Grand Prix course, so imagine just riding onto that same ground where just a week ago Sebastian Vettel in his RBR Renault won the last F1 race of the 2009 season.

After the 200kms bike ride in a course that will be completely cosed off to traffic and thus setting the stage for a very safe event.

"The race will be quite flat and fast, but it'll be windy and hot" said Faris Al-Sultan at the press conference.

So Yes! I can repeat like in my last post that 2010 is already here, I guess that if you want to be competitive it's not only about training, resting and eating right, there's also planning, marketing and all the stuff managers do, so I guess I can say I already have a manager, Paola.

Well........ I will go back to my taper day ( I have a massage appointment soon ) and then start to focus for Clearwater that's just 4 days from today!

2010 Already?

With so many races around the world we could think that it's just a matter of choosing where to race, but it's much more complicated than that. You have to plan your training months ahead and then, there's the registration to the event.
I've been thinking in my 2010 season and if I don't decide and register almost right now, I might find the events "sold out" in a couple of months.
Next year I will do my first Full Ironman in Langkawi, this race doesn't fills out that fast, but there's also the flight prices, here it's the same, if you wait to buy the tickets and hotels you will be paying more as the date gets closer.
So... I guess that 2010 is already here, I already decided to race Langkawi, and Ironman 70.3 Hawaii, but it seems that I will have to keep going till the end of the year if I don't want to find myself left out of other races.
After 70.3 Hawaii in June, Paola and I want to rent a Motorhome or RV, and drive from Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Niagara Falls, and in the way race at Ironman 70.3 Muskoka and a week later Ironman 70.3 Syracuse, that's in September but again, If we don't decide (and pay) now, we might have problems either with the planes, the RV, or with the registration to the events.
I reckon that soon I will have to register to a 2011 Ironman Distance event.
(I want to do IM Western Australia, and IM Canada)
How crazy is that?

Back from Malaysia and USA. And now Clearwater is around the corner.

Finally a solid 10 days of training after Malaysia.

After the race in Putrajaya, we went to Kuala Lumpur, where we had a great time, KL is an amazing city and we left with the feeling that we needed a little more than the 4 days we spent there.

In the way back to the U.S.A. we had the longest (and strangest) day of our lives.

It started waking up in Kuala Lumpur with the amazing and surreal view of the Petronas Towers in our window, we spend the morning at KL, we had lunch there, and then we took a "teksi" to the airport, our plane left at 2pm to Taiwan, where we arrived at about 7pm, and the next flight to L.A. was at 11pm, so we had 4 hours to be at the Airport, the Taipei Airport is very interesting so it really gives you the feeling that you are in Taiwan.

So we left Taiwan at 11pm heading to L.A. and here's where everything starts to get a little strange, after a 13 hours flight, we arrived L.A. at 8pm of the same day, we waited 2 hours to get in our third plane of the day, heading to Las Vegas, where we arrived at 11pm, so there we were... at Las Vegas Strip, surrounded with all the nightlights and thinking "What a long day" we just couldn't believe that we were still on the same day, after all it was a 39 hour day! Strange, Strange, ha ha!

We had the weekend to relax in Vegas before heading back home, I was ready to resume training, and I was feeling rested and energized because a managed to swim almost everyday in KL, in a very cool Swimming Pool of 25 meters in the 33th floor, with an excellent view of the Petronas Towers, actually this pool becomes the "Sky Bar"at night. So it was very nice to swim there.

The problem started as soon as we walked into our house, in that moment I felt like I was about to get a cold, and in less than 3 hours I was feeling like crap, with a fever of 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) muscle pains like never before and a terrible headache, I went to see the Doctor and he said I had The Swine Flu or H1N1, I was like "WHAT?"

He told me that it wasn't that bad, and that I didn't need medications, so I went home with a prescription of a simple dose of Paracetamol and over the counter cold medicine.

Just as the Doctor told me, the lab results came positive for H1N1, and I felt much worse the next 2 days before I started to get better, in the 5th day I was riding my bike again, 3 days of easy training, and now it's been already 10 days of solid training.

I'm feeling great and ready to race.

Clearwater is just around the corner, so I have this weekend of hard training, and then just taper for the Big Race. Another good news is that my Website http://www.janosoto.com/ is ready, everything is going great and now I'm immune to the H1N1 virus ha ha!

Ironman Putrajaya 70.3 1st Place!!!!!!

It was simply the perfect day and the perfect race I could ever wish for.

Starting by the swim leg, after the gun shot I went to the front of the pack, at my sides i had a Korean guy and a Aussie, the lake was flat as a pancake so it was very easy to see the buoys but since I was at the front it was easier to follow the Kayak, the feeling of being at the front was excellent but in the 950mt turnaround I let the Aussie take the lead and get some rest at his feet, I knew I could get him later, and that happened at t1, so there I was in the bike 5 minutes behind the Elite Group, and at the front of the rest.

The bike course this time didn't look flat anymore it was more hilly than the previous days ha ha! But after checking some splits I knew I was going fast, after the first lap I started to pass the Elite women and I got to t2 in front of all of them and some local pros.

The run was simply beautiful as I said in the previous blog, and running in the main street of this exotic place was really incredible, and being at the front of the Age Group pack was just the best I could ask for, in front of me there was just Jan Rehula, Cameron Watt, Passuello, and .... ( I still have to see the results)

My plan was simple, try to hold my target 21kms pace (4:30 min per Km) as long as I could, and I did it til the 18km mark from that point I lost the pace, but nothing disastrous, I was passed again by 3 Elite girls, one Elite guy and by one guy from the 30-34 Age Group, so I finished 1st place for the First time in an Ironman 70.3 Event, and I just can't by more satisfied.

Later in the week I will post the great pictures that Paola Shoot, they are really great.

Malaysia 70.3 Preview

After a 25,000 kms trip, Here I'm in Putrajaya, Malaysia at the other side of the world literally..... It was a long long trip, but it also was not as terrible as I thought it would be, a Shuttle Bus from Puebla to Mexico City International Airport 2 hours, then the flights... Mexico/Las Vegas, Las Vegas/L.A. L.A/Taipei (14 hours straight) Taipei/Kuala Lumpur, and finally a cab to Putrjaya, funny but we enjoyed the whole time.

The City is simply Beautiful! This is a new Federal city created to move the Government powers from KL ( Kuala Lumpur) And looks like they didn't spare a dime. You get the feeling that things are not real, everything seems so perfect, and the streets so clean, even the sidewalks have beautiful designs and are made of different kinds of stones, just like the lobby floor of a 5 star hotel.

We are staying at The Shangri-La Hotel, in the top of a Hill right next to the Prime Minister's house, the name of the hotel says everything and from our balcony you can see the Putrajaya Mosque, one of the 3 other ones in the Main Street, where the run leg is gonna be (2 laps) I can't wait to be running here.


The Putrajaya 70.3 is gonna be held in the Pullman Hotel, also an incredible place (later I will add some pictures) and the bike leg consists in 3 Laps around Putrajaya, in a perfect conditions freeway, flat with some rolling hills in the mix, I think we will get fast times, not like in Cancun.

Well...... I will eat breakfast and then head to the Pullman hotel where we will stay for this night (5 star hotels are very cheap here) there..... after a 1 hour ride, I will go for an easy swim in the course that's also very well marked with buoys every 100 meters and then relax for the rest of the day.

Everything seems perfect here, I'm feeling good and I know I'm in Shape, so I hope to be writing about a good result tomorrow after the race.