First Half 2014

I know how that sounds, it is certainly unbelievable how fast time flies by, but what I can be certain about is that 2014 has been quite possitive and remarkable. When it comes to sport, I have had great experiences through racing; in fact, I have gotten unexpected outcomes regardless my lack of training and my new "non-pressure-have-fun-phylosophy". I realised that the least pressured you feel, the more fun you have and the better the result tends to be; I did not think about that 5 years ago, when I found myself injured, sick and worn out of the sport´s pressure. Indeed, I can proudly say I feel happy with what I have accomplished and sometimes I even think I can still be competitive at a high level, and  if I wanted, I could still be fully dedicated to sport, but to be honest, I feel detached from that person who used to think about triathlon 24/7. Now I have new goals, new life perspectives and dreams in regards to my professional development as well.

Reflecting about my past life as a full-time athlete, I realise how much I grew up as a person; needless to say, triathlon always opened new opportunities to me, I got the chance to make endless friendship bonds and race in different venues within and outside my country, which was so much fun and I will always feel grateful for that, I will never forget my teens as an athlete who proudly represented El Salvador. It took a while to replace this endless passion for the competitive sport in 2010, it does not mean I do not hold the same passion anymore, but I think that overwhelming yourself with such pressure is not sane. Taking a step away from my sporting life 4 years ago was the best decision, which also led to open myself different opportunities outside my boundaries!  I will always be proud of what I have accomplised within triathlon, of course, and that will never change. However, I will always hold the statement that being an exchange student in America shaped me in regards to my professional and personal development, and thanks to this experience, I now have a clearer indicator of where I want to direct myself to. 

People ask me whether I miss triathlon at a high level, my answer (hand in heart) NO! 6 years ago I used to measure success with trophies, podiums, medals and race results but now it is different, I deem it on how good I do my work and how much I have learnt from it. I will always strive for new opportunities and give my best in everything I do; I seriously feel grateful for the professional development I have come to build since my return from my exchange program in the United States. Being part of the USAID Transparency and Anticorruption Program was such a remarkable experience; it has shaped me as a professional as well as a person in the most possitive way. I discovered skills that I did not know I had and everyday was such a new learning experience; I could see the need of strenghtening El Salvador´s institutions in order to improving domestic issues. There is always going to be abuse of power of course (I guess that´s human nature) , but if there is an enforcement of civil society participation, then a democratic State will remain stable, with the respect of its citizens and the respect of the Rule of Law. Big thanks to the program´s chief of party, who believed in me and gave me this opportunity, I could not be happier and more grateful of being part of this project, such an honour indeed!!! 

First half of 2014 was full of learning and good experiences, I have enjoyed my job and being a normal athlete; I am looking forward to keeping following this professional path and I am eager to learn more about it. I am also excited about my further training and racing meets, but as I said they will be taken as "zero-pressure-level experiences".