The Mexican Almudena Arrechea is a great cyclist who has been runner-up of the L'ÉTAPE STATE OF MEXICO, leader of the Marías Cycling Club Team, participating triathlete in Mazda IRONMAN 70.3 Los Cabos and Mazda IRONMAN Cozumel , who on this occasion shares her training experience to do a triathlon.
Her achievements have been the result of a constant effort to get up every day, train and be one of the best on a bicycle.
-How have you become the athlete you are now?
-All my life I have played sports, I have always liked to set a goal, train to achieve it and be better every day. I haven't participated in many triathlons, but I have always been consistent. Every day I do some exercise. It's about putting in the effort to get up and exercise.
-How many days do you recommend training?
-Training depends on each person, my training will not work for everyone, it is important to consider this. You need a coach to guide you, to establish what to do.
It is very important to have a plan to know what exercise you are going to do each day. It's about better managing your energy, performance and time.
It doesn't mean you have to train eight hours, not at all. Maybe you can train for an hour, and in that time 40 minutes will put stress on your body and are much more efficient than doing three hours of exercise.
“It is not the hours you have to train, but it is completely quality”-Almudena.
-What do you recommend to train for a marathon?
-Start from scratch, little by little, every day run 1 km, then 2 km, depending on the plan they give you, but I think it is important for someone professional to guide each person to end up being better.
When a professional really tells you what you have to do during the week, it helps you train in a more professional way, so that you reach your goal well, so that you don't arrive so tired, and that you arrive with greater performance.
-What diet do you suggest for a marathon runner who is just starting out?
-It is not a strict diet, but you have to be constant, know how to eat and have a lot of discipline, that is the most important thing. In long training sessions it is very important to eat 5 meals a day and always eat before exercising.
-Removing the professional person, it is about taking a balance in your food, it is important to study what you like and what you don't, and to be well fed, because to perform you have to eat and sleep well.
-As a successful triathlete, how do you jump from a marathon to a triathlon?
-For me, a marathon is more difficult than a triathlon, because in a marathon it is the same muscle that is worn out all the time, while training for a triathlon uses different disciplines, your body and your head work differently.
"The most important thing is to decree and want to do it!"
-Almudena.
Set the goal of what triathlon you are going to do, and always with enough time in advance to be able to train, not from one month to the next, because many people do that. Find one that is in three or four months so that you can train well for the race, and not do it on the run, because that is where people get hurt and when you don't arrive well.
Obviously in the triathlon you must have a place to swim, look for Olympic pools, or you go to Las Estacas.
For triathlon, a training plan must be established with a professional, to know how you have to train during the week for these disciplines, and you must be mentally prepared.
-Is everyone suitable for doing a triathlon?
-Yes I completely believe it, because I started much later and anyone who sets their mind to it and wants to do it, with the follow-up of the training, will achieve it. Because I am competitive, I set a goal and I like to achieve it. I like strong challenges and that's why I do it. Obviously in circumstances where it rains or your tire goes flat, it is no longer in you.
In the end everything becomes a habit, it's getting up and training. The satisfaction of reaching the goal, no one can take that away from you. May it always be a challenge against you, an improvement against you and something that you can improve. What I do is say -Ok, yesterday I did 04:00 minutes on that climb, today I'm going to try to do 03:59 minutes-. Don't compare yourself to others, because there are people who have been doing it their entire lives and there are people who are just starting out.
“Forget about comparing, and little by little you will achieve it. The goal is to be satisfied with the achievement you set out to achieve.”-Almudena.
-What would you say to people who are afraid to get on a bike?
-Don't let fear make you miss out on one of life's pleasures. You can ride without “clipping”, that is, without the bike shoes that get stuck in the pedals with the clip, and little by little, learn to “clip”. It can be intimidating at first, but like everything it is a matter of practice and in a couple of days it becomes natural.
-What has been your most satisfying experience as an athlete?
Obviously my first IRONMAN, because it was seven months after having my baby. I had never done a full triathlon, and when you reach the finish line it really makes you want to cry, and the tears come when you know that you have achieved what you set out to do. It really makes your skin crawl. At the moment you don't believe it, you don't care how long you've done, you're IRONMAN .