Garmin Photo Shoot

I was recently contacted by Garmin, the maker of the GPS systems, watches, etc., to model for a photo shoot.  This all happened very quickly after I responded to an email asking for photos of triathletes in the San Diego area.  I was surprised, flattered and excited.  I am always eager for new adventures, and what better location for an outdoor athletic shoot than the beaches of North County San Diego?

My first day “on the job” started at 6:30 am.  I was asked to run up the beach, out of the Pacific Ocean with a mountain bike on my shoulder—acting as if I do this every day!  After numerous takes and numb feet, we proceeded to Torrey Pines State Park, which overlooks the Pacific and has beautiful hiking and running trails. Prior to showcasing my flawless running form, Terry the art director wanted to make sure I looked like a “real”  runner and sprayed me down with make-believe sweat. It looked fairly realistic and was super sticky!  My running partner Nick and I ran back and forth over and over again until I had to sprint off to class. Don’t ever believe a photographer who says “one more time”—this is code for “100 more shots!” I ended the first day with sore shoulders, covered in sand stuck to my fake sweat, and a gorgeous pair of NEW Oakley shades!

I hit the ground running on Day two and didn’t stop until the shoot ended. I worked the majority of the morning with Owen the videographer and my running partner, Susan. The company, Garmin, wanted footage to be used in promotional clips. It seemed as though I ran up every hill, cliff, staircase and incline in Del Mar. Garmin wanted natural looks and that’s certainly what they got after about 3 hours of running—no fake sweat required!

The Garmin artistic team was in San Diego for four days and I took part in two. The whole experience was amazing.  The staff at Garmin was very professional and a blast to work with.  I was able to meet other local athletes who were all very enthusiastic about being a part of the project. To me, the best part was doing something so different from my everyday routine. Yes, I do run and train daily—but it’s not often photographers are capturing my every move! My “take away” from this experience is that I should always inquire about opportunities that interest me, even if it seems like a long shot.  You never know when you are the one needed for the job.

Look out for pictures and video to appear this spring in Garmin ads, on their website and on product displays and packaging—you may see me!

Off-season

 While the idea of off-season sounds wonderful—free weekends, waking up after sunrise, later bedtimes, and added energy—it is a struggle for me to actually relax and take time off!  I know that I am not the only athlete that wrestles with the ideas of off-season weight gain, the challenge of starting fresh next season, and maintaining fitness level while giving our bodies a break.  Questions of what to do differently, how much more to train, or when to begin training again fill our thoughts.

Please let me help in answering these questions as someone who has faced the same challenges for years. For starters, what you can do differently this up coming season is grant yourself time off. Not only does your body need a break physically, but mentally as well. Designate a time-frame to be off (3 months, the winter, 16 weeks) and stick to it! During this time, remain active. Athletes often believe time-off equals weight gain, however this does not need to be true. The body naturally adjusts to a reduced caloric expenditure and does not require as much fuel (calories). You will have to listen to your body and not eat when you are not hungry. You may not need the additional snack you ate before or after a four-hour bike. However, stay active and find new sports/activities to participate in.

Learning a new sport can be exhilarating and remind you of how far you have come in your current sport. This off-season, I decided to learn tennis and golf.  Both are activities I chose because I live in a warm climate year-round. They are lifelong, social sports, and family and friends all play! The new challenges have taught me patience, respect for sport, and admiration for other athletes. It has given me the opportunity to think back to my early days of triathlon when I became acquainted with my bike clips. I feared stopping, and oftentimes would fall over scraping my entire side. How quickly we forget the struggles we overcame to get to where we are today! Sometimes we only focus on what’s ahead (very important in athleticism), however equally important is an appreciation of how far we have progressed.  

Even though these two new sports are extremely challenging and cannot be perfected overnight, I bring the same drive and motivation I have in triathlon to the court and course. It’s not always how much more time or training we invest in sports, but the approach in which we train. Maybe this off-season will be the key to technique improvement, which in the end will make you more efficient while using less energy.

Starting your training NOW for the upcoming season may seem like the best way to improve, however it may only be a direct path to BURNOUT.  Sports seasons are long, and there is plenty of time for training. Give yourself the training gift of REST. Find a new endeavor, and who knows?  Maybe it will make you a better athlete than you thought you could be.

La Jolla Rough Water swim

78th La Jolla Rough Water Swim
September 7th, 2008

I signed up for the 1 mile La Jolla Rough Water swim race after hearing about the event this summer during my visit to the East Coast. I figured my first week back in San Diego prior to the start of fall semester would allow me to get settled and provide plenty of race preparation time—maybe I could even squeeze in a swim practice or two. My good friend Richard also registered for the race.  Both of us opted for the 1 mile swim; the 3 mile Gatorman race was another option.

My wave went off at 11:00 am, a perfect San Diego start time. I was able to sleep in, eat breakfast, and even had time for my morning Starbucks routine—a Chai Tea Latte and newspaper.  The weather was perfect—sunny, mild and clear. Richard and I arrived at La Jolla Cove for pre-race registration and body marking. We decided to venture out in the ocean for a little warm-up. Since the event was non-wetsuit, the Pacific Ocean really woke us up when we dove in!  I couldn’t help but notice the brightly-colored fish swimming right below us—it was amazing.  We did a short warm-up and headed for the staging area.

I followed the women aged 18-39 down to the Cove and lined up for the start. There were about 200 women anxiously waiting, full of great energy and excitement for the race. A rescue boat showed us the course and we heard the announcer say “take your mark.” We were off! The start was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It was a sea of flailing arms and legs, aggressively sprinting for the first buoy. I have done many open water swims in triathlons, but have never been a part of a start so intense. It took about 500 meters for the group to eventually spread out.  Once it did, the swim went very well.

The course was very easy to navigate—only two turns, each one marked by large balloons.  I was able to site off the girls swimming out in front and stayed straight the entire time. When I rounded the last balloons, shore was straight ahead of me. With about 500 meters to go, I put my head down and swam hard into the beach. About 100 meters offshore, I swam through huge kelp beds, which made my sprint a little harder. Once on land, I was about 50 feet from the finish line and needed to do some beach running to officially cross the finish line.  My final time was 24:51.

Following the women’s one mile was the men’s. Richard did an awesome job with a time of 23:56—especially since the only swimming he does these days is with a surfboard. The event was a unique experience and a definite “must-do” for next year.