Napa Photos

My buddy Connor- he made me the best Turkey Bacon Saturday morning. He is the coolest dude. He had just gotten back from Basketball Camp and came home with the MVP Award. CONGRATULATIONS CONNOR!

At the top of a hill on our Monday recovery ride- Signs directing you to various vineyards or family homes. As I took the photo, behind me was an aerial shot of amazing vineyards.

The vineyards below. I didn't visit a Winery this trip, but I hope to go with Cathy, Eric and Zane to one after the Epihany Ride coming up in the fall! That is when they will be harvesting all the grapes!

This is Mojo- the most chill dog I have ever met. My buddy Connor and I took him walking through a lush green vineyard. That night Mojo slept on the floor next to my bed. He is just one happy doggy.

Vineman 70.3 Report

“Real glory springs from the silent conquest of ourselves”- Anonymous

After the Lubbock 70.3, I put my head down, back into training with the excitement of Vineman 70.3 around the corner. Seeing the improvements in Lubbock, I knew with some rest that my legs would be ready for an even better performance.

Cathy Chesky, my Luna Tri teammate, opened her house to me in St Helena, CA and her husband, Eric, became the most amazing support staff an athlete could ever want. He made sure the bikes were ready to go, he drove us at the lovely hour of 4:15am to the race site, and post race made sure we recovered with food and WARM clothes. Their son Eric made me breakfast Saturday morning- I even have a photo as evidence.

Race day quickly came, with the usual early wake up calls and the pre-race coffee! A nice ride over to the swim start, and it was officially RACE MORNING!

The swim was a nice wetsuit out/back river swim and I came out in another swim PR- okay off to a great start! Did I mention I love my Blue Seventy Helix wetsuit? Oh I am so grateful for it- speed and WARMTH!

I jumped on my “Black Stealth Bomber” Orbea and instantly I had the “oh no” thoughts flood the mind. Morning temperatures were in the 50s with nice fog/cloud cover. NORMALLY this blows over by 9am and the hot sun comes out (day before was 85F by 10am), so like the rest of the pro field, I didn’t plan “accordingly”. This was my big mistake of the day.

As I built into the ride, I struggled to keep warm and the battle of the mind quite frankly was hammering down. Austin has had the constant 90-101F temperatures now for weeks on end. I have fully adjusted to the heat and humidity. On this morning, I had to focus on turning off my mental “vomit” and focus on the task at hand- that in races there will be times of battles, that as an athlete we must slay that dragon to win what is ours- our performance. What happens in one segment of the race DOES NOT dictate what will happen in the next.

In this case, I got off my bike running on frozen popsicle stilts in my “Retro” AVIAS. The focus became “Going to go to battle with each mile”; bringing back the performance I wanted. By mile 4, I could feel my feet, and I was enjoying the rolling course through lush vineyards and farm land.

As I set out on a “new run PR pace” I got to see the beaming and gracious Tyler Stewart, my new teammate, run like wind (and Bike Course Record) into 2nd place. I was able to high five Gary Erickson on his way to an under-5 hour performance. I screamed for Cathy who despite a nasty crash, came back into 2nd place in her age group!

I hit the line with a run time that was 7 min faster than my time in Lubbock. The day was a lesson in slaying the “mental takeover” that many athletes get pelted with, and crossing the line an even better athlete.

I am forever grateful for the support of all our amazing sponsors that help me reach these new levels of performances. A HUGE THANK YOU TO CATHY, ERIC AND MY BUDDY CONNOR for opening up your home and letting me be a part of your family. You guys mean the world to me. Most importantly, thank you Gary and Kit Erickson, for opening the door for me to reach the dreams I have set. Their support, their belief in healthy organic products, and sustainable living has impacted not only my racing but my daily life. At our post race BBQ, Kit convinced me to make my own jam- note: If you get a chance read the book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” by Barbara Kingsolver. I devoured the ENTIRE book while away this weekend and my conversation with Kit has me motivated to move forward to being a better steward of our Planet Earth AND a champion triathlete.

NEXT UP: Ironman Wisconsin, September 7, 2008- I CANNOT WAIT!

My First Triathlon- Clark Lake Triathlon 1997

My first triathlon was in the summer of 1997- The Clark Lake Triathlon. I rode my Steel Rossi bike, I had a old school styrofoam-like helmet, and YES I wore my run shoes! I remember getting my first pair of bike shoes from my Papa, Christmas 1997.

I started thinking about my racing history as my Mom, my uncle (her brother), and my Papa will all be racing Clark Lake this Sunday, while I am racing Vineman. This is my Papa's first race back (he will be doing the duathlon) post breaking his neck (halo, fusion, therapy in 2006) and prostate cancer. It has been a long road for him and he is at a point where he is ready to get out there. As I race through the beautiful vineyards of Napa Valley, with my head down, the legs burning- I will think of my family racing at the same time. I will think about what a blessing it is that God gives us the opportunity to race PERIOD- my papa being an example to me.

It is funny to look back at the photos from the race- the equipment, how young I was, the face of "umm...hmmm what am I doing?" and the official photo of my papa and I sprinting to the finish. For the last 10 years I remember that sprint as my Papa winning, BUT when I saw the finish photo- NOPE- I passed him. Nothing like a sprint finish with your Papa in your first race.


Pre-race talk at the lake. Papa explaining the bouys as a look on. We have been buddies ever since. We have raced3 Duathlon World Championships together and 2 Triathlon World Championships. The memories are so vivid and close to my heart.

Setting up transition- as you can see I am just doing what everyone else is doing. I had my blue and yellow Marion High School bag (I loved that thing!) full of probably crap. I saw in one photo that I was snacking on oranges pre-race. I definetly would not being eating oranges pre race these days.

NO LAUGHING AT MY BIKE OR MY HELMET! I know I am wearing run shoes...there was no way I was going to use clipless pedals my first time out. I had trouble just grabbing my bottle to drink. I love how fashionable my styrofoam helmet is! NICE! That steel Rossi bike was bomb proof. It was a 6 speed with down-tube shifting. It got me through my first Duathlon World Championships in Germany, 1998. I remember spectators screaming for me to shift on this 3 mile climb on the multiple loop course,as they screamed GO GO GO... I had to scream back "I HAVE NO MORE GEARS!". That day, Tim Yount of USAT told my mom that if I finished, to buy me a new bike. I finished, almost last, but the only USA Junior Female to do so. It was brutal but I grew from that experience. And that fall I received my first new bike- a Green Specialized Allez Pro. I loved that bike. It went around the world with me and had a cool yellow J.Furtado saddle and yellow computer. It went to a good home, to a up and coming triathlete from Mexico, in 2000.

PAPA VS ME! I am the girl in the blue suit to the left, with collapsing form but duking it out with her Grandfather. What a day! This was the start to my journey that the Lord has directed. I feel blessed and grateful that I am able to wake up each day in complete love with what I do and having the support of my husband, family, and friends. The key has been my faith because like any journey there are many road blocks and detours. I haven't been given a map, but with prayer and guidance, I am finding my way. Past mistakes, poor races, not so great decisions, family struggles, moving numerous times, financial constraints- these are all things that could have made me call it quits. But each time I faced a struggle, I FOUGHT forward like in this sprint- on my knees in prayer and then in patience knowing God never gives me more than I can handle. Becoming a champion is about getting past the adversities before us and focusing completely on winning- worrying about nothing else.

Post race banter. Here I am sharing my first round of "war stories" from the race. What I love about triathlon is the friendships and the community that exists. I love that I can have friends from all over the world, and that at each race I make more friends! I remember this one Junior Tri-girl from Brazil. I raced against her for 3 years straight. Because of the language barrier we didn't get to share much, but I remember running into her in downtown Paris, post Du Worlds in France, and we instantly gave one another a hug. Nothing really said other than yes- you are my friend in sport. Now we have this blogging world that allows my journey to be shared to people I may never meet, BUT if my stories and life path can help motivate them, then this adventure was WELL WORTH IT.

Here's to at least 10 more years of racing!

Cashew Express Bike Box

The Bike is Packed for Vineman with my cool new sticker of support!

FAST MAKING - Honey Cilantro Jalepeno Chicken

Truth be told, I am not really a fan of cooking in the evenings after a long day of training. BUT I have started to change my poor attitude about it, especially since we are sticking to a more "designated" budget.

Today during lunch I was watching the Food Network in hopes of getting a good kick in the pants of motivation to cook. AND I DID! I found this show "Quick Meal Options" (or something like that...) and grabbed a pen/paper. Dinner was now planned.

KEY ELEMENT- THE CHEF SAID IT WON'T TAKE LONGER THAN 15 min MAX! Sounds good to me.

Honey Cilantro Jalepeno Chicken

Ingredients:

1 Rotisserie Chicken (pre cooked and melts in your mouth! There are organic ones at Austin

Farmer's Market in the Triangle on Wednesdays)

Buckwheat Soba Noodles

Local Honey (good for allergies)

Cilantro (grab a bundle in produce)

1 jalepeno (yes, that green spicy thing...don't be scared!)

Ginger (for time, grab a jar of pre-chopped)

Green Onion (grab a bundle in produce)

Sesame oil

Soy Sauce

STEP BY STEP:

- Boil water and put in Buckwheat Soba noodles. They are starchy so stir here and there, done in 8 mins. Rinse with cold water and put back in pot

- While water is boiling, pull off the chicken from bones and put in a lightly warmed skillet to pre-heat/prep to pour sauce over chicken

- In a food processor: Cilantro bunch, one jalepeno (cut in a few bits WITH NO SEEDS and CUT OUT the white meat portion where seeds are attached) 2/3 cup of honey, a little bit of water to make "less thick". CHOP/BLEND to create your Honey Sauce to go over the preheating chicken in skillet.

- Pour sauce over chicken and allow to warm up while your finish the rest of the dinner.

- Chop up the green portions of green onions into small bits and put on top of pasta

- Pour a splash or two of sesame oil and soy sauce on pasta, while adding a couple little scoops of ginger

- Mix the pasta and additions together.

AND YOU ARE DONE! Make a nice plate of Ginger Sabo pasta with Honey Cilantro Jalepeno Chicken. IT WAS AN AWESOME DINNER- sweet yet THAI dinner that DIDN'T take LONG AT ALL!

We added some beautifully sweet cheeries for desert.

Tuesday Night

It is Tuesday night, and poor Zaner is up late working on Coaching stuff, something he has been working on all day. He continues to impress me with his dedication to this family. I know he is exhausted and I only pray that the Lord continues to bless him as he progresses in his career. I believe in him as a coach. He not only has the gift of guiding others to their performance goals, but listening/helping people grow in their faith and life.

Yeah- I am up because well, I am keeping Zaner company and enjoying a bit of veg out time on the couch. This is a rest week which is great timing, as I will be racing Vineman 70.3 on Sunday. I get to meet our new teammate, Tyler Stewart, and stay with teammate Cathy. It is going to be a fun weekend. THANK YOU TO THE CASHEW EXPRESS SUPPORT CREW for helping me with my travels coming up- I have the coolest C.Express sticker for my bike box. Having this support around me is so crucial to progressing forward and the friendships mean so much to me.

I have started an awesome bible study- Breaking Free by Beth Moore. I just started it last week and already I can tell you it is going to be probably one of the most impactful studies I have done.

A glimpse of the study:

1 Corinthians 10:31- "Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." God desires that He be recognizable in us in all that we do! Living a life that glorifies God is synonymous with living a life that reveals God.

* When God's glory appears, it just can't help but interrupt any routine.

* A life that glorifies God is not something we suddenly attain. As we spend time in the presence of God, His glory both transforms us and radiates FROM us.

Born to Run Program

Last Friday I was invited along with the amazing Gilbert G from Gilbert's Gazelles Training, to talk to about 50 kiddos at the BORN TO RUN summer program. This program is held in South Austin, 3 days a week, to help educated kids about running, eating healthy, and being active. With child obesity on the rise, this is a program that is greatly needed nationwide.

The morning started with me sharing about my triathlon career and why I do this sport. I had a blast sharing what I do with these kids, showing them my bike, my "silly torpedo" helmet. They loved the CO2 cartridges and adapter. The burst of air made them jump- they wanted to me to explain ALL my equipment. By the end, they were sharing how they could BEAT Tony Hawk, how one wanted to be a vet when they grow up, another wants to train Shamu. To see the purity of a child's dreams is so special. I wanted to bottle it up and give it back to them when time, maturity, and society pressure, starts to change that dream.

The rest of the morning was about RUNNING! The kids ran a warm up and then did drills. The big kids ended with hill repeats. I was so proud of them all, as it was already over 90F when they were running.

It was motivational to see children's eyes sparkle in regards to movement and "playing outside". I only hope that this program- even if they only do the summer session- will help them see how they can CHOSE to be healthy.

NEW IRONMAN STANDARD

(Yvonne on her way to the record with Erika C- who won Ironman Arizona, close behind with 8:47.05)

The Female's World Record for Ironman 8:51 and change was broken 3 times this weekend

2 times at Challenge Roth- 8:45.48 and 8:47.05

1 time at Ironman Austria- 8:47.25

This was bound to happen soon. Wellington knocking on the door last weekend and last year Yvonne who went 8:45.48 TODAY was only 30 sec to 1 min from it last year at Roth.

A new standard of speed has been set. Kind of like the 4 minute mile story. Once 1 person breaks the world record, it is seen as possible and it becomes the new level of racing.

To my Husband:

This week started so amazing, I wanted to bottle it up and save it for those days when you are blue and lonely. Zane and I have been spending time getting organized as a family- our budget, our family goals, basically just like you would organize a business start up.

We have reached a point in our lives that we don't want to "settle" for okay living, for just getting by and making it day to day. We want to excel, to reach higher, to achieve what God has called us to achieve with his blessings. Together we want to make an impact, hand in hand.

As a family, Zane and I have made our fair share of major mistakes, hitting road blocks and crashing back down because we didn't brake and ask God specifically TOGETHER as a couple- Lord, What do you want us to do? What is your plan for us as a family?- But after a few wars, many tears (yes, these are from me... I get mad, yell and then cry...yep- been that way since I was a kid...ask my mom!), and finally coming to our senses, the CASTRO FAMILY IS ON THE MOVE.

So Fast Forward to Monday and we are making steps- no matter how small or silly they may be to others. Zane and I, hand in hand, and it IS SO EXCITING! We are on the same page, we have things on paper, and we are communicating clearly on a day to day basis.

I am so grateful for Zane's patience with this marriage. Obviously, no one is perfect and we all bring things to the table that aren't so pretty. I am 9 years younger than Zane and at times, I think this has caused problems because he has already been through many things I have not. But in it all, he is patient, he goes to the Lord on his knees...probably praying that I get a nice kick in my bottom...but he still calls upon the Lord.

Zaner- thank you for wanting to be a part of a team with me. For being my husband for what has now been almost 6 years (October anniversary!). Together we have been through ugly storms, moved numerous times, and have faced things that would have torn marriages apart. Thank you to God that we have a faith that stands the test of time and that keeps us on our two feet, clear that we have a specific direction.

I love you and look forward to a bizzillion more years of adventures....and again thank you trusting the Lord to direct our family.

Where do you set your limits?

( 41 years old and a 2 year old! HOLY CRAP! photo from NY Times Magazine 6.29.08)

I have been following Dara Torres for a few years now. When I saw the link on Amanda's blog to the killer NYTimes article, I had to read it. As you read through the article, you get the sense of how driven and focused Dara truly is. Yesterday, Dara WON the 100m freestyle in 53.78, beating Natalie C to the wall who is the American Record holder. This will be Dara's 5th Olympics, at 41 years of age, with 9 medals already to her name. She is also VOLUNTARILY a part of a pilot USADA/WADA drug testing program that not only does urine but also blood testing, while the frequency of tests is increased. She says she has been tested around 12 times from just Jan - March.

Our society is quick to make judgement on athletes because their successes are hard to "believe". Thanks to the Balco crack-down, and the inconsistent lying of Marion Jones, professional athletes are always considered "guilty till proven innocent".

As a professional athlete, I am constantly watching what I put in my mouth, making sure not to get "a vitaboost" at Jamba Juice as you don't know the purity of the supplement and not taking a supplement on a whim because a company has it at an expo etc. While I do have a strict supplementation routine, I work VERY CLOSELY with a doctor/nutritionist to make sure the entire supplement line is certified DRUG FREE.

I think it is sad that TRUE hard work- in Dara's case: 5 days in the pool, 4x60-90 min specific dynamic strength/core routine, 2 person stretching protocol for up to 2 hrs x3 a week, chiro and massages and a strict fueling regimen, isn't ENOUGH in the public's eye to warrant her performance on race day.

More than her specific, intense training program, it is HER DESIRE TO WIN, HER DESIRE TO NOT SET LIMITS ON WHAT HER BODY IS CAPABLE OF DOING that has propeled her forward to her 5th Olympic Games.

Okay- I hear you whining out there- that maybe she is "ahead" of the testing curve. Well, that is your decision to judge.

As an athlete who believes that God gives us talents to better his kingdom, that God can bless us beyond imaginable, and that the Lord gives some athletes abilities most will never be capable of or fathom... I believe Dara will go on to take her medals that she has worked so hard to win.

So next time you are quick to make a judgement on an athlete, consider that maybe they just have been blessed, that maybe they have just tapped into the true potential that God calls us to use.