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TRIbe Athlete of the Month
We have a new section called TRIbe athlete of the month. This section will feature a TRIbe member with some Q and A’s.
If you have a specific question you would like to ask, or a member you would like to have featured, let us know.
Quick Facts
Name: Ricardo Gonzalez
Bike: Specialized Allez, Ultegra components, FSA Vision TT-Bar with clip-ons
My future bike: Specialized S-works with all the trimmings
Wheels: Mavic Ksyrium Elites, Zipp 404
Bike Shoes: Shimano single strap carbon
Running Shoe: Saucony Trigon Ride
Wetsuit: Ironman
Race Nutrition: Cytomax, Perpetuem, GU (Chocolate Outrage)
Comments: For good luck, power and courage I wear my Zuni bear silver earring.
TRIbe: Tell me about your last season. What was good? What was not so good?
Ricardo: 2006 was a very big year for me. Whenever you meet all your big goals in one year it's a very good year. The prior year had set high expectations for my triathlons. It was in May 2005 that I broke my collarbone at the St. Croix half ironman. In the middle of a Caribbean vacation, it was a major disappointment but the subsequent down time forced me to rest and split my season in two. I finished 2005 on a major roll with several local wins and my age group course record at Treasure Island Triathlon. This prompted me to set lofty goals for 2006. The biggest was to qualify for Kona. But somehow, it felt achievable. I needed some objectives to enable me to get to that goal. One of those objectives was to get coaching from Muddy Waters. I targeted three qualifiers: Oceanside, Honu (Hawaii), and Vineman. Then for good measure, I threw in Ironman Canada, because my buddy Gordon Graham had signed me up in 2005, and I had wanted to do that race since 1998.
TRIbe: What do you like about TRIbe as a club?
Ricardo: When I needed help training on long bike rides there were several friends that would push me beyond limits I set when I trained by myself. It's often very mental while you are training for long course by yourself, and it is very beneficial to have the alternative of a group workout.
TRIbe: What motivates you to train and race?
Ricardo: Beliefs are such a powerful force! It's very easy to focus only on the physical trials and breakthroughs during our season. But, the biggest breakthrough for me in 2006 was mental. When I finished third in my AG at Oceanside, a scant two minutes behind a perennial winner of my age group, I experienced a paradigm change. Suddenly, I saw myself as a contender-I could win a qualifier. Motivation is abundant when you truly believe you can achieve your goals. That’s why it is important to set achievable goals that tempt you beyond “the comfort zone.” Before each workout I review the objective of that session, and that keeps me focused on the bigger goal.
TRIbe: What is your favorite workout?
Ricardo: Next to a hilly trail run among the trees, my favorite workout is mile repeats. It’s a great indication of strength, and when I download my heart rate data, a great indicator of aerobic fitness. More than once during the run at Honu I thought back to tough workouts I had survived, and that gave me the confidence that I could maintain the pace that carried me to a PR and my first win at a qualifier.
TRIbe: What are your thoughts on Ironman Hawaii?
Ricardo: Going to Kona is a trip. There is a contagious hormonal exuberance throughout the town that’s worth feeling even if you don’t race. To measure yourself against the best in the world can be too daunting. I chose some race specific goals and concentrated on enjoying the whole experience. Plenty of triathlete friends were there either to race or to cheer. It is a wonderful memory that brings smiles to our faces wherever we are. Each one of the nine years I’ve been racing has its own special memories. Now to make new memories.
TRIbe: What is your plan for this season?
Ricardo: XTERRA was one of my “deferred” goals. The possibility of injury and the insistence of those that have seen me ride a MTB, kept me from jeopardizing my trip to Kona. So naturally, I made XTERRA Nationals a goal for 2007. I started out great; with a win at Xterra Real in Granite Bay. Then, to mix things up a bit, I placed in the Sea Otter XC (cross-country) MTB race last month. Karma? Sometimes. During the first of two bike loops at the Lake Castaic XTERRA, I stopped to help a hurt rider. A few minutes later, a buddy who knew I had hopes of placing, took over so I could get back to racing. The good Karma went to him; towards the end of that loop I crashed and broke a bone in my hand. I finished fourth, but Regionals (an ‘A’ race) was in three weeks and out of the question. Maybe it’ll be for the better, like the clavicle, but in the meantime I’ll hope to qualify for Xterra Nationals, and the 70.3 Championship. But I won’t pass up a roll-down slot at Vineman.
TRIbe: Thank's Ricardo, we appreciate your time.
Last Updated Thursday, May 24 2007 @ 02:04 PM EDT
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