Day Job: Writer for Univision.com in Miami
My Favorite Water Sport: Swimming in Triathlons
Why: Getting better.
It was so dark that even though I was standing three feet from the shore of Crandon Beach I could not see the water. I knew the sea was in front of me because the roar was so loud that I wasn't able to process my fear of what 1 was going to do.
Seven thirty carne around and the start of the Huntington's Disease Triathlon was inevitable. And with it, my lack of training and technique in the swimming discipline would be clear to me and everybody present.
The result was a painfully embarrassing 18 plus minutes to swim 0.4 miles of dirty and smelly ocean. I needed to do something if I wanted to continue competing in this sport.
Later I visited Swim, Bike and Run, a South Miami triathlon store owned by my friend Wilber. He recommended that I sign up for Tri-Strong, a new triathlon club. Tri-Strong's motto captivated me on the spot: ""Get better together." "That's exactly what you need," Wilber told me. "A team where you can learn from other members and improve in all three sports, but especially in the swimming."
Tri-Strong's president, Juan Meza, said, "The time you spend on the swimming is only 8 percent of the total time of the race. Although it's not that much, it is very important to finish the swimming part fresh and with no lactic acid accumulated in your body to be able to perform the best way you can on the bike and the running."
He recommended that I start training with his swimming coach, Jose "Pepe" Fernandez, a former coach of the Cuban national swimming team. He's now in charge of the Rockway Swimming Team in Miami.
I called Pepe the next morning and hours later I was swimming under his supervision.
"Swimming is the most complete sport, he said. "You work all the muscles, it develops your cardiovascular system, your endurance and strength. With no stress on the body, your joints and bones don't suffer unlike running or biking."
A month later, The Coca Cola Classic in South Beach showed that all my training paid off'. I improved my time by five minutes.
My Favorite Water Sport, 8 Locals Share Theirs
Article extracted from South Florida Adventures Magazine, August/September 2006, Page 45
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