Bia field tester Kelly Delgado knows the drill. 2 months ago, this rock star mother of 5 completed her first full Ironman (Florida). Coming to our Kickstarter campaign by way of Bia-love shared by Swim Bike Mom, Kelly did her homework, decided we were about to revolutionize the GPS watch industry, and signed on to be one of our early field testers. Not shy about her opinions and beliefs, Kelly doesn’t hesitate to challenge others in a debate or shy away from calling words of encouragement to those she meets in a race. She’s goal-oriented (Kona some day), content (loves what she’s doing), busy (5 energetic kids), and blessed with a husband who works hard so she can stay home and take care of their children and who still supports all of her “sometimes crazy” athletic endeavors.

“At the end of the day, I am racing against myself.”

Following her memorable Ironman experience of 2012, Kelly plans to spend 2013 drawing her teenage daughters into triathlon, fine tuning her own athletic training and efficiency, and participating in a number of races at various distances, all with an eye toward another full Ironman, perhaps Couer d’Alene or Cozumel, in 2014. Of course, she’s eager to have Bia along for the ride. She looks forward to field testing our watch during training, specifically in the ocean and under foggy California coastal conditions, and she can’t wait to try it out in an actual race.

In Her Own Words

What’s your athletic history? What brought you to your sport?
I started running Cross Country and Track in high school at the age of 14, and have been addicted ever since. I was the number 2 runner at Antelope Valley College, and then I won a partial scholarship to Cal State San Bernardino and ran there for two years while pursuing my Criminal Justice degree. After college when ‘real life’ took over, my athletic endeavors were put to the wayside. I still exercised regularly and found my stress outlet in running, but I did not compete again until after I was married and my children started school.

My first return to racing was the American Martyrs School 5K in Manhattan Beach, CA.  I went into it thinking that I would just take it easy and have fun, which I did for about the first mile but then the competitive bug bit and in a big way.  I took off and ended up finishing first in my age group. From there, my good friend who is a triathlete, somehow talked me into doing my very first triathlon with her in 2011. I was not a good swimmer, and in fact, was terrified of water in my face and I had not been on a bicycle in many years. But, the athlete in me likes a challenge. Terrified and excited at the same time, I signed up for The Oschner Ironman 70.3 New Orleans with a mere 4 months to learn to swim and bike. It was quite the learning experience and despite the swim portion being cancelled that year (a disappointment after all of the work I put in), I finished and have been hooked on triathlon ever since.

In what ways do you fit, defy, or break the mold of the “Female Athlete”?
I think I am a combination of the “typical” female athlete as well as a bit of a mold-breaker in other areas. I am constantly trying to balance being a good wife and mother, with training as efficiently as I can.  Like many other female athletes, I am driven, determined, and sometimes very lonely during training sessions. I am a stay-at-home mom of 5 kids dealing with 3 different schools, so time is very precious.

I break the mold of the typical “female athlete” in a different way.  I am fanatical about food and its part in health and athletic performance. We follow the Paleo diet, so I make sure that we have a constant supply of fresh grass-fed beef and wild-caught fish and fresh fruits and veggies from our own urban garden. I make our own butter, chicken-foot broth, bone broth, sauerkraut, and some fun adult things like wine, beer, Limoncello, and Grand Marnier –not so great for you, but hey, a mom needs a break once in awhile! I’ve found that the better I eat, the better I feel and perform as an athlete.

What personal transformation has most influenced you?
I think the most transformative experiences come from pain. That is where learning and growth comes from; there is no growth without first feeling the pain.  Like any other person, I am not unfamiliar with that. My personal transformations are a collection of all of my experiences and growth so far. The key is to acknowledge the pain, test the limit, and eventually, push through it. That is where true transformation takes place. A quote that I meditate upon on occasion: “Change will come when the pain of staying the same is worse than the pain of change.”

What was your biggest athletic accomplishment of 2012?
By far, my biggest accomplishment of 2012 was finishing Ironman Florida, November 3, 2012.  Before that I had competed in (in order) Ironman 70.3 New Orleans, Ironman 70.3 San Juan, Barb’s Race 70.3, and the Nautica Malibu International Distance. It was a huge deal for me since it was my first full Ironman and my fifth race ever. My goal was simply to finish, which I did in 16 hours and 15 minutes. I wanted to quit so many times. I hurt. I was hungry for real food. I was mentally and physically exhausted. My brain kept trying to bargain with me to stop and just quit. I have never been a quitter, but I honestly considered it several times. I had pretty bad stomach cramping, but I just kept pushing through. I had to keep moving, and so I did. I was not the fastest in Florida, but I did it and I was so proud of myself that I bawled like a baby crossing that finish line.

There were a number of things that helped me to the finish. I am grateful for Island Boost, which was the only thing that was palatable and that I was able to digest near the end. I am grateful for LA Tri Club’s Ocean 101 class and the amazing coaches they have for helping me get over my fear of the surf and swimming en masse. I am grateful for Adrian Valdivieso from LA Tri Club, because he provided me with a fantastic training plan that I tried to follow as best I could, even if he had me cursing most of the time. But at the end of the day, I owe my successful completion of that race to three people:

1. My amazing husband, Jerry, and the unconditional love and support that he has given me throughout my journey.  I love you, baby!
2. My unbelievable swim coach, Mallory Mead, without whom I would still be terrified of the water.
3. My good friend, Leslie Jordan, who got me into triathlon in the first place and pushed me to continue the race when I was begging her to let me quit.

For each of them, I am eternally thankful and truly blessed.

What’s your best piece advice for a busy person contemplating a new athletic goal?
If you can, join a group of people.  It makes training that much easier and makes you keep an appointment.  Also, stick to a training plan as much as possible, with a lot of variety so that you don’t get burned out.  If you are going solo, fit in sessions (no matter if it is only 30-45 minutes!) whenever you can- early morning, lunch breaks, early evening before dinner. Make the time and stick to it, otherwise there will always be an excuse to skip it.

Below are 10 suggestions to make your next workout the best.

Switch Cardio and Strength Training. If you always do cardio first, switch it up and do weights first followed by your cardio. You’ll be surprised how switching this up every once in a while will change how your muscles perform.

Stay Hydrated. Water, water everywhere. Stay hydrated through your entire workout. Start drinking before you are thirsty.

Get Unbalanced. Challenge yourself by adding stabilizing efforts to your workout. Bicep curls? Try standing on the soft side of the bosu, on one leg. Squats? On the soft side up of the bosu.

Change Your Tune. People who listen to their favorite music while working out can complete on average one to two more reps. Create a playlist for different parts of your workout and add new songs. Keep singing on the downhills!

Get a Partner. Workout with a friend, run in a group, make arrangements to hit the spin bike with a friend. Having a partner keeps you accountable and keeps the motivation up.

Core it Up. Do you save abs and core work for last? How about peppering them in during the workout? Shoulders and then plank on the ball. Lunges and then reverse curls with a medicine ball between your feet. Get more core work in over the course of your workout.

Go to the End. Find the end of range motion on your movement. Give a little extra reach and hold.

Change Sets and Reps. Change up your sets and reps. If you normally do 3 sets of 12, try making your three sets with reps 15, 12, 10 increasing the weight or resistance on each one and then followed by the orginal weight for 5.

Mind to Muscle. Think about and focus on the muscle you’re working. Research shows when you think about the muscle being worked you will have more overall muscle activity.

Go Pro. If you tend to workout alone, find a class or use a certified personal trainer from time to time. If you’re a runner, visit a run coach to check your stride. Visiting a pro can help you refine your movements, improve and stay up on the latest tips and research.

We are thrilled to have Meredith of Swim Bike Mom with us!  Love it, favorite and share! 

Like it or not, things change. People change. Places change. Lives are altered in split seconds, by bad decisions, by non-decisions… by simple little twists of timing. Before my first half-Ironman, I went to see my parents …and their home for the first time since their house fire.

On the outside, the part of the house untouched by the fire looked the same. But the exterior burned portions were horrible. Still, because the scorched material was on the outside, maybe the destruction was surmountable, quarantined to the exterior. But once the door to the house was opened, an entire foreign mess opened up. The inside of the house was broken and bare, having been gutted, stripped and pieces of a family history removed. The house that my mom and dad “built” over the past two decades, had been reduced to wood, beams and a few scraps of random piles.

Of course, the fire was a huge (unwelcomed) change. But in the mess of it all, rebuilding plans began to reveal a new, beautiful house – a future glimpse of the beauty that would eventually be. The months during the rebuild were difficult for my parents. But six months after seemingly complete devastation, my parents moved into a gorgeous “new” home, completely renovated, utterly healed.

Change is inevitable. Slow or fast, welcomed or not. Purposeful, or blindsided. The how and the where of change does not matter. Somehow change will seek us out, point its finger and shout, “Your turn.”

Part of my experience during my journey to my first 70.3 was embracing all changes, good and bad, and learning to make these changes something beautiful. To remember that the “house” I was building might break and change, but the structure was sound, and the work would result in something beautiful.

Now, during my broken foot, I am learning to appreciate the body I have, broken foot and all. To treat my diet a little kinder, to go a little easier on myself. To embrace the change with a grace and sense of purpose that will serve my next triathlon adventure well – and make me stronger in the long run.

Just Keep Moving Forward.

Follow Meredith on her journey at Facebook and on Twitter at @SwimBikeMom.

The folks at Swim Smooth and HUUB (pronounced “hube”) Design went back to the drawing board and designed a wetsuit to address not just our shape but our body mechanics and movement as well.

Here’s what the HUUB Aura addresses:

1. Balance – The Aura matches a woman’s natural buoyancy and body position in the water.  Our hips and legs have more buoyancy than men so wearing a suit originally for men gives most women too much buoyancy in the rear.  This makes for hips and legs bobbing up out of the water making for an unbalanced sensation.  If you have a kick, kicking into the air isn’t that efficient.
2. Shoulder Movement – Women suffer from shoulder fatigue more than men and part of this is fighting the restriction of the wetsuit in the shoulder area.

Read what women have to say about it.  So far the wetsuit is available in Australia and the UK. but will hopefully hit the U.S. soon.

I logged something like a million miles across sea, bicycle and foot last year. Okay, so that might be a stretch. But we are dealing with thousands of miles. Handfuls of races, including a big-un, half-Ironman. I had a few bumps and bruises, along with some IT band and foam roller wars, but really, I can say I left 2011 triathlon unscathed.

Two weeks ago, the Expert and I went for a bike ride, then a little four mile run. A brick. The brick was bloody glorious, the sun was shining, and I felt like a semi-real triathlete. I had a nice afternoon, a hefty dinner, and I was ready to begin the week. Monday morning rolled in with a bang, and the zoo that is our house with two young children was insane. I ran out of the house a little too quickly towards the car.

I ended up on the ground. I am not sure precisely what happened. Possibly some sliding off my wedge loafer action, or perhaps a war with a roly pinecone, but all I do know is that I hit the ground, heard a snap, and glanced up to see the neighbor across the street staring at me. My work bag, my purse, my keys were splayed across the yard. I was so stinking humiliated that I popped up like a gimp Jack-in-the-box and limped to the house. Bollocks! My keys were in the yard. My foot was throbbing. I rang the doorbells sixteen times before the Expert screamed, “What do you want?”

“Let me in,” I wailed, “I fell!”  Dude, I was sobbing. Messy tears, sweaty and grass spread across the side of my sweater and face. “New Orleans,” I muttered. “Oh, my Lord.”

The Expert stared at me. I fell. I walked in the house crying like a maniac. The only thing I said was, “New Orleans.”

My race. My next big race was Ironman New Orleans 70.3. Eight week countdown had begun, and I fell in my flipping yard. I fell in my yard. My yard! My yard.

Later that day, I learned that I broke my 5th metatarsal bone in my right foot. Oh, I broke it good too. In two places. Same bone that David Beckham broke. I suppose that’s where the similarities between Becks and me ends. The doctor x-rayed me, walked in with her computer and said, “It’s broken.” I thought she was talking about her laptop. Turns out, nope, my foot was the thing broken.

Next, enter the man carrying a grey boot, smarting off something like, “Say hello to your little friend.”I thought, Say hello to my middle finger.

But I behaved, and I wore the boot outside the office, brandishing my crutches like a true champ. I was upset, but I was dealing. I called my coach, who proceeded to talk in a string of appropriately-timed expletives.

Two weeks have passed. I am still wearing my boot. I am not okay. Yes, I am. No, I’m not. Perhaps I should rewind. During this time, I have experience three very distinct phases. These three phases are so clear, that I am able to declare that a triathlon injury has three stages. Perhaps there are more stages to come. But for now, I’ve got three.

Grief
Much like a death, I have been forced to mourn the death of my New Orleans dream. I sobbed at the thought of my running legs melting down to fat stumpy things, much like they were two years ago. I was forced to look at my rear end, and invite more of its fat cell friends to leap upon it. Seriously, I had to say goodbye to the training and the life that I had ingrained in my skin. That life was gone.

Now, of course, the life is not gone… forever. But loss, no matter how small, is still a loss. And I had to look my loss in the face, cry and grieve it.

Madness
After I cried for three days, I went mad. The crazy land was entered, and all I heard were the crazy voices: how are you ever going to run again? You are going to become mentally unstable? What about your bicycle? Won’t your bicycle be lonely? Will the GU in the cabinet actually go bad?

The voices started, and I began to dream of nothing but running. I would run in my sleep, and wake up screaming from the pain (because I was also running on my broken foot, under the sheets). I would think about running at work. I would pack my cycling shoes for work, just in case I had time, forgetting that spin class was not on the list of acceptable behaviors.

The pure madness (insanity) then quickly turned to real madness (anger). I was mad, mad, and more mad.

Coping
After the grief and the madness, I have begun to cope. This stage is less insane, but just like the title of the phase, it’s manageable. Coping. Yes, I am coping with the fact that I cannot run. I am dealing with my sadness for missing race day. I am whining about missing my favorite spin class. I am learning ways to get in some swimming (take off boot, limp to pool, hope no one kicks me and breaks my foot in a third place).

So that’s where I am. What comes next? Is there a fourth phase of the triathlon injury? I sure as hell hope so.

Actually, I hope there are three more phases: Recovery, Running, and Racing like a Bat Out of Hell. Stay tuned.

Follow Meredith on her journey at Facebook and on Twitter at @SwimBikeMom.

As I struggled through my 3 miles last night, I didn’t go to my usual place of beating myself up for not doing more, for not being more motivated, for not feeling better.  Yay!  That’s progress .

Reality is that I haven’t been running because I have been doing many other things.  Truth be told, I haven’t been swimming either.  I’m plain ole busy right now.  It’s all I’ve been able to do to keep up on the bike, but it’s been ok because what’s making me so busy is valuable as well.

Here’s the age old question…How in the world does a person manage and balance all that life has to offer with training?  How am I going to fit in training for all 3 disciplines with everything else that makes up the busy-ness I call life?

Either something has to give so I’m not over obligated or it’s time to focus on … Organization!  Time management!  Prioritization!  All this equals mom, life, profession, AND training balance.

It really is difficult to keep up the balance.  Some times the scale will tip one way toward training, and then tip back the other way.  That said, the people who want it manage to make it happen, so if you’re not making it happen, what’s standing in the way?

Ask yourself a few questions…

• Why are you training?
• What motivates you?
• What stands in the way?
• How much do you enjoy your training?  Or do you enjoy it at all?
• Does your training time create a rift between you and your spouse/significant other/your kids?
• What is the benefit of your training?

The first key in balance is really understanding why you’re training…the benefits and drawbacks.

Next week we’ll take a look at options for creating balance between training and the rest of life.

If you have ideas on what works for you in terms of balance, I’d love to hear from you via email and add your ideas into next week’s blog.

~ Coach Carrie

PS.  As always, I can be reached via email, Facebook, Twitter, and my website/blog.

www.cybergorillas.com

You know, “it” HAS gotten easier, but the workouts have gotten harder as I’ve gained fitness, so it feels the same.  The reality is that I’m climbing hills I could never have contemplated before.  I’m riding faster  and longer AND recovering quicker.  That’s HUGE for me.  I get more mileage, more speed, more laps for the same amount of effort as before.  That’s progress!!

I now realize the true importance of tracking your training journey in some fashion.  I mean, really journal it…not just distance  and time, but route, intervals, recovery, how you felt mentally and physically.  There are so many ways to do this, and of course, Bia Sport makes it quite easy to do this with their tracking system.   If you don’t do so already, make a committed to becoming more diligent because it’s so important for down the road when you need a little boost.

If you want some perspective, look back to your first workouts or back 3 months ago and then you’ll realize how far you’ve come.  Look at what you’re doing now for that hard workout.  I remember a time not too long ago that I couldn’t even run 1/4 mile without feeling like I was going to throw up.  Now I can do 3.2 for that same throw up feeling .  So how about we all give ourselves credit for how far we’ve come.  

http://www.sparklysoul.com

All you couch to 5K people…look at what you’re doing?  Inspirational!  What about those of you who had never hopped on a bike until you were in your late 40s.  Wow!!  And those who start off with sprint triathlons only to be tackling 70.3  now. Impressive!   Have the workouts become easier?  Doubt it!  Are you doing more during your workout than you ever thought yourself capable?  Very likely!

Here’s an abridged list of my improvements…I ride the brakes a lot less going downhill (meaning I’m not so scared any more). I’m riding up hills that I couldn’t do before, and the “big” hills of the past are now routine.  I can swim in open water without total panic (still working on the ocean fear though).  My “recovery” during speed track workout is a jog now rather than a walk.   Most importantly, I’m gaining control over the thoughts that taunt me into giving up and am replacing them with “keep going, you’re doing great” thoughts.

Perspective is so important to keeping you motivated and moving forward.  Acknowledge how far you’ve come.  Focus on every little achievement, not just the big ones.  Log these little things in so that you can remember and refer to them for added encouragement down the road.

So, when is this going to get easier?  It will only get easier when we stop trying.

Keep it going strong…

~Coach Carrie @Tempo Life Coaching

(I can always be reached here on the boards, via email, Facebook, or Twitter.  I love feedback, comments, questions, so bring ‘em on)

I’m quite lucky to have Cheryl @XXfounder (follow her, funny as hell) as my business partner and in that relationship we also keep each other accountable for what’s happening week to week.

If you’re looking for an accountability partner – post below in the comments.

There was great advice from people in the chat last night.  Here are some great tweets:

-@FitFluential Start keeping an activity journal and log at least every other day At Bia Sport – we can help with this because we’ve built an everyday activity journal for you!

-@MizFitOnline for me the acct.partners doent even need 2 train w/me or live here! texts, emails, calls can help too

-@KellyOlexa @MizFitOnline Texting for accountability! That IS genuis! Never thought of that before

-@SwimBikeMom - accountability is everything. That’s why I blog…. so people we can keep each other moving!

- @Dabobie - I don’t think I’d have running & weight loss that I do…if not for online accountability. My support is awesome.

At Bia Sport we appreciate accountability!  We let you set goals and post them to Facebook, Twitter asking friends to help keep you accountable.  We then automatically track your activities to your goals so your friends can keep cheering you on!  Join us in our launch http://launch.bia-sport.com!

When it comes to fitness/training and diet, that becomes a little more challenging.  I’m not really going to blog each time I eat a gingersnap or slogged on a workout but coming clean to an accountability buddy could be a pretty motivating factor.

There are not many things that can increase producitivity and motivate you in such a drastic way than having an accountability partner. It is probably one of the single most effective ways to become more productive and successful.

Here are 5 reasons why you DO need an accountability partner:

1. Accountability partner increases your productivity & activity: You can’t make excuses if your partner won’t let you stand on weak excuses.  Yes, there’s a little guilt in there too

2. Accountability partner keeps you on track: They can help you stay on track towards reaching your goals and creating a life by design rather than by whatever the cat drags in.

3. Accountability partner gives you freedom: Don’t pick a moral giant as your partner.  Pick someone who is firm with you but has struggles of their own.  If they’ve struggled through it themselves, you’ll get a sense of freedom knowing it’s possible.

4. Accountability partner gives you encouragement: Need I say more?  Whether it’s the text or the conversation each week – that’s encouragement and also gives small milestones to stay on track towards your goal.

5. Accountability partner means you’re never alone:  Accomplishing goals are great.  Crossing the finish line is an amazing feeling but the journey to get there relies on not just you, but your network.  Keep a good support network!

We’re pretty excited here at Bia about 2012.  We’ve worked hard this last year to really look at what motivates us as women to get on the path of “first”.  Not first place necessarily, but firsts – first 5k, first half-marathon, first triathlon and sometimes it’s 7pm and it’s the first time I’ve had to myself all day and make it to the gym, a spin class or a walk.

We hope you will join us in 2012 in setting goals, logging your workouts and races, encouraging others.  If you haven’t done so already, go to http://launch.bia-sport.com and enter your email address to get your own URL to our launch to share with friends.  It’s always more fun with friends!  Plus, if you get 5 to sign-up at the launch, you get some cool Bia schwag.  Be an influencer!

I also hate that I can’t get myself to spin class when the class takes place.  It’s either time to pick the kids up from school, I oversleep – you name it.  I have a thousand reasons.  Yet the spin bike is always there – class or not.  There isn’t anything stopping me from hauling my rear to the gym, plugging in my iPod and spinning away.

Who better to ask for a spin mix than your favorite spin instructor?  I’ve been lucky enough to take classes from Amy Landers @amyFITland of Welcome to AmyLand  who has been training people in Northern California for a number of years.  You have to love her motto

…move frequently, eat smart, be informed, have fun and rock out.  Enjoy life more with some added fitness and a smile on your face.

She’s started putting her mixes on iTunes as playlists you can buy including fav’s from spin students in Paradise Council Believer.  You can checkout all of Amy’s playlists at AmyLand’s Ping Playlists.

I do have some favorite songs to plugin when I really want to grind out some miles and stay sane.  Best for hills?  I have to say Lose Yourself by Eminem’s 8 Mile Soundtrack.  Turn up the volume, turn up the resistance and then stand, howl and march you butt up the hill.

In the spirit of no more excuses, here are a few spin CD’s I’ve found on iTunes.  Most are remakes, so no original artists, but let’s say you can’t have the excuse of no music to spin on your own.

Cycle PowerMix Vol. 2

Spin Coach Vol. 1 - Includes an instructor with commands to stand up and get up that hill.  I also like that the titles have the RPM’s next to them.

Spinning Music

Do you have a spin playlist you’d recommend? What is it?