Mighty Magali

So I’m in ….PANAMA CITY!

(My morning view)

I arrived in Panama city on a Wednesday night. The 6h flight from LAX went by so fast and upon landing, pro athletes were greeted by the race organizing crew. Wonderful surprise! From there, we were driven to the race hotel and everything just flowed. Both the driver and the only other athlete on the shuttle with me, spoke Spanish. I stumbled my way through a Spanish conversation and we giggled in the night all the way to the hotel.

But the night was still young! I randomly met Steve Godwin and Kurt Hoy from Competitor upon arrival and we went out to dinner in a local Italian restaurant for good CARBS!! Fun times, I love those guys!!!

The next day, it was time to find good places to get short trainings in and get into the beat! Since roads are quite crowded and there are not too many roads that have shoulders to ride on in Panama city, most people took taxis out to the run course and would ride their bikes out there, which was fine. I also went to the local bike shop (TriStore Panama was just a few minutes from the hotel, that was quite convenient! And the service was excellent!

Chante got my bike ready to go!!

And I got a super warm -Welcome- from the Tri Store crew and peeps from local Tri3max Magazine.

With just shorter training to do before the race, I just stayed near the Riu hotel to train. Early in the morning, I would just ride down to the run-bike path called Cinta Costera that goes along the water, it is only about two + miles long but I didn’t mind going back and forth a few times and keeping it simple, it allowed me to get things done early and head for breakfast back at the hotel.

I loved starting the day with this…

For swimming, I hear there was a good 50m pool not far from the hotel but I enjoyed swimming at the hotel pool with my buddies, it was pretty good too (25yards). So in the days leading up to the race, I was just mostly staying relaxed, saving up energy and enjoying time at the Riu hotel. There were some good times with great friends: Leanda Cave, Haley Cooper, Bree Wee, Paul Amey.

I had a STRATEGIC room view see? Water temp was perfect, 25 yards are fun AND…I got to pick the best time to go swimming by just looking out my window and counting swimmers! Also get to spy on the competition whenever you want to! (Just kidding…)

With SUPERBIRD!!! (Leanda Cave). I miss you Leanda!!!

It was the first race of the year and the mood was relaxed, I was smiling from ear to ear, catching up with these guys, doing some fun little trainings together etc…

As the days went by, it felt like race day was not coming soon enough. The day before the race, I got to see transition and Javier Mosquera from Honey Stingers took me to see the course with Ramon Serrano and his wife.

A look at transition.

And we are OFF! With Javier Mosquera!

Ramon and I had a -shoot from the car- photo contest. I obviously lost. See?

(I figured bad pics better then no pics at all…)

(If you noticed that one during the race, you weren’t going hard enough!)

(one of the long and fast descents, I tried to make it a nice picture….ugh)

still trying

One of the long steady climbs.

So that was the course pictures guys…sorry!!!

These pictures were taken in a more modest area of the city. We went through it on the way back from the course to the hotel. It’s more like the -behind the scenes- of Panama city but it is charming in a different way.

Finally, race day came!

On race morning, Leanda and I hopped into the car with Steve and Kurt and were –shipped- to transition. (Shuttle service was also organized and going well on race morning but we were happy to head out with our friends! Offer was hard to refuse.). I prepared my equipment, CHECKED MY TIRES, PUMPED MY TIRES. DOUBLE CHECKED MY TIRES and racked my bike. All set and ready to go.

The transition in Panama is very long but within walking distance of the swim start, so after setting up transition we all walked to point A through the crowd. I remember feeling so relaxed heading to the swim start. I just could not wait to see how all my efforts would pay off, particularly in the swim!!! I had been working the swim so hard!

There I was, finally walking down the stairs to the swim start….and the crowd went WILD. HUH? Okay hold on…stop the tape. Something wrong here. I knew the tidal wave that hit the crowd was NOT directed at Mighty Mags. I kind of had a feeling that a guy in black in yellow may be just behind me. So…instead of taking a bow…. I turned around to see Lance Armstrong, -following me-. Okay well not FOLLOWING me, he was just trying to get to the swim start.

(I never stutter and blush only occasionally. My jaw has never dropped (didn’t that only happen in cartoons?). But all of a sudden, all these symptoms hit me at once and I was paralyzed! Fortunately, I could still move my lips: – Welcome Lance!- I said. I do think he said thank you and that I got a smile in return for my silly words. That might have been why I turned back to face the water quite quickly and proceeded to march to the swim start, eyes wide open like I had just seen a ghost. No more warm up necessary, thank you.)

ANYWAYS….the swim in Panama was the swim I had been waiting for a LONG TIME!!!!!!!!! IT WAS THE SWIM I HAD DREAMED OF for a WHILE!!! In fact until about the half way point, I would say it had been the PERFECT swim!!! I was in the lead pack and the adrenaline was rushing through my veins!!!! Unfortunately, around the middle of the swim, I sighted to find out I had lost the pack by a tiny gap. I put my head down and promised myself to push as hard as I could for 30 seconds and see where I was….STILL THE SAME…another 30 second effort…not any closer. I had lost the magic draft but was determined not to get dropped. Michelle Vesterby went by my left side and I saw another opportunity to make my way to the front. Maybe she would swim into the lead pack! Unfortunately this didn’t happen, we just stayed together, at a slight gap behind the lead pack. Going over the mat, we were 30 seconds back from the lead out of the water. YEEEESSSS!!!!! I’m finally starting the bike with the lead girls. This is gooood!

There was a good current in that swim but I do have to still be proud to have finally made it into T1 at the front of a race in which some of the best swimmers in the sport were!!

That feeling was such a reward for my efforts since January and I was just STOKED and so proud when I arrived in transition to see them all un racking their bikes.

AND SUDDENDLY…..The wind changed….

…It all crumbled: I ran to the wrong bike, came back to mine, jumped on….nearly lost my shoe. Gave my first pedal stroke only to find out my rear tire was DEAD FLAT.

WHAT??????? NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! This has only happened happened to me ONCE in a race and I never carry a spare, I ride tubulars and couldn’t find any Pit stop before the race (not that I have ever needed to use that either). I guess I was feeling lucky or something and didn’t worry about it too much…MISTAKE!! And what a stupid mistake!! There was hope at the beginning, I almost got lucky. Someone yelled that there was bike tech at the end of transition (that was great that one was actually there and it could have saved my race). I rode my bike through to the tent but we could not get a hold of the bike mechanics…. 5-6 minutes later we were still looking for bike tech that were probably busy helping other athletes, they didn’t come until it was way too late.

About the flat, I will not elaborate on this part because it makes me quite upset. I will say that the circumstances appeared VERY STRANGE as we realized later that there was NO PUNCTURE in the tire of my disk wheel and that the valve was -unscrewed -(like when you want to let air out: you first –unscrew- the valve before applying pressure to it to release the air). The only way the tire could have gone flat with the –unscrewed- valve would have been if pressure had been applied on the valve and I certainly did not do that. I did the same routine as usual on race morning and the mechanic remembers clearly putting air in my tire and then me just placing my bike on the rack (the same person had also put air in my tire before a training ride a few days prior and everything was fine then). Even if the mechanic had not screwed the valve (secured it) after putting air in the disk wheel, it would not explain that the tire went flat. Strange stuff…

Nina and I, with Race director Alejandro Velasquez. Alejandro is a perfectionist and has done such an amazing job with this race AND San Juan 2011. We were with him right after this happened in transition.

Seems like Ramon Serrano caught me in a moment of deep reflection!

I had to remind myself that things happen for a reason and search for the positive in this situation. It took a while before I was able to, I was just so angry.  What happened with the tire was a test and I failed it. First, my equipment should be better organized and I should have a flat tire back-up plan. I took it for granted as in years of racing this had  only happened to me once. The other reason I failed is that: I think Siri is right, even if I had fixed the tire and hopped back onto my bike as far as ten minutes behind the lead, I should STILL have believed that I could manage to bike-run my way up the ranking as much as I could. I realize that I still wasn’t believing in myself enough since after having lost somewhere close to 10 minutes, I thought I totally blew my chances. Moral of the story: I still have to work on making the self belief stronger !! I feel it takes practice. Next time I have such an obstacle in a race I will stop and think: What if I could prove to myself that EVEN THIS couldn’t stop me from getting the best out of myself, make it a personal test and I will go out, focused on that new goal, be out there on my own if I have to. That would certainly earn me at least a smile in the day, not a DNF. Re-focusing, changing the source of motivation, right in the moment! That is what I have to do next time I hit adversity and I will.

My last blog was me realizing okay: so this is what I have to do, this is what I need to change!!! I have to race fearless, do it for me, go out and get what I deserve, forget about being judged, take risks. I guess this blog and some that will follow will help me answer THE NEXT QUESTION: Now HOW EXACTLY do I do that!!! Now I know that things going REAL bad can bring a NEW source of inspirations that may be VERY STRONG as long as I have integrity and am prepared to race FOR MYSELF. I need to change my goal and re-focus when that happens. Seems simple but emotions get very strong out there and when I would think about a race, I didn’t like to think about visualizing what could go wrong, I just shut it out. Huge MISTAKE! I do need to also imagine situations where things go wrong and have a super strong game plan. I have to know EXACTLY where I will find inspiration even when everything is falling apart because on the moment, it is sometimes hard to think straight and frustration can also sometimes get in the way. I feel that will apply to way more then the flat tire situation!!

Things happen for a reason: that situation won’t take me down twice.

Anyways, as Nina’s race was also over (for some equally strange reason, her aerobars were twisted to the side when she hopped onto her bike), we went on a long run together. It helped us feel a little bit better.

Needless to say that all I wanted to do the next day was stay in my hotel room and be sad and get very hard on myself. Fortunately, I have those great friends in triathlon. As Haley and Bree reminded me: Mags, when you are 80 (or 100+ I hope) years old and looking back, you’ll regret not having taken the day to explore Panama after that race where you had a flat. SO on the night of the race, I tried to relax and had some beers with friends Haley, Bree and I had some great time catching up.

Part of me just wanted to head home and away from the memories of what just had happened but my flight out was on Tuesday….I did not want to sit in my hotel room and beat myself up. No point in doing that. I am too much of a -lucky- girl in life to start a pity party over one race experience. I switched to a smile and took the day to press the RESET button because I had friends that made me smile. And what a day off it was…Race winner Angela Naeth called me, inviting me to join she and our new Panama friends (Javier Mosquera, Martin Sosa, Melissa Lamastus, Gaby Aued, Michelle Sanchez ) for lunch at the Panama Canal.

We were spoiled, had lunch at the restaurant that overlooks the Canal, it was wonderful! Then, the girls took us to a shopping center near the hotel. It was such a fun day and really distracted me from having any sad thoughts.

Things got better and better as the day went on! That night, I would discover my favorite part of Panama city. Javier picked me up at the hotel and took me to old Panama city (Casco Viejo), actually just a few minute drive from the hotel! He took his time driving through the little streets to point out elements of history and fun places to explore in the future.

Sideways picture is better then no picture. (Sorry…hihi)

I didn’t mean to be in all the pictures…

(do you see the human leg in those plants? We had no idea what it was doing there either)

Unfortunately another not so great picture…oh boy. Dinner in a charming little square at Casablanca restaurant.

So we met up with the others, once again, to have a delicious dinner in great company. I remember pausing for a moment, that night, and realizing how blessed I was. I was sitting at a table in a old Panama city Plaza, surrounded by the authentic smiles of my new friends. We laughed, talked about triathlon (of course) about the race, about our different lifestyles. We also shared much about each other and about life and that was wonderful. I can understand why they were so excited to introduce me to their wonderful world. They asked more then once: So…do you like Panama? All of their good intentions were reflected in that question, it really warmed my heart.

MY PANAMA FRIENDS!!! THE ONES THAT REALLY MADE MY DAY!!!

After dinner, there was more fun planned!! We walked through old streets and made our way to a really fun bar.

And this is why it was so fun….(see below)

A bar on the roof top! Good times… (wish the pic was better, it would show how, from that roof top, you could see both the old city and the -modern- Panama city that seemed to be just accross the water.

I have seen Panama city, the modern part, like most people that came to race did. But Javier and friends made me discover the heart behind the big city. I saw the -jungle- around the city and the life –behind the scenes- in the more modest area, when Javier took me to see the course. I have seen the old city and caught glimpses of the history in it all and THAT is truly what made me appreciate the surroundings. But to answer my friend’s question: yes, I did love discovering Panama city but it is meeting -the people of Panama city- that made the experience as rich as it was. Never have I felt so welcomed or have I been treated so well. There was such an authenticity in the way they shared as much as they could with me. And this extends beyond the circle of those new friends. The organizers, the people that I met at TriStore Panama, the people from Tri3Max, showed such excitement when talking about the race, there is a true passion for the growing sport in Panama city and it is great to see. There is also a great respect for the athletes.

So just like that, I switched off for a day, disconnected and enjoyed what life had in store for me. I have no doubt it was the right decision. I didn’t allow myself to get hard on myself and woke up the next morning ready to turn the page and think about the training to come and the next race. SAN JUAN 70.3!!!

ON TO THE NEXT ONE and taking wonderful memories with me. Thank you friends.