Rafa

Head of Global Internal Audit, Avon Comsetics

Current sporting discipline

Triathlon - ironman Wales in September

How and why did you get into this sport?

I didn’t plan to get into triathlon, have been going to the gym since i was a teenager cos i went to a military high school and it was part of pe, and used to commute cycling but never really trained, i wasnt too fond of cardio. During lockdown i got a road bike and cycling became a time for head space for me: consistent, grounding, and a way to look after myself.
From there, I added open water swimming which was and still is liberating to me, and eventually running — which, funnily enough, was the last and probably the hardest for me to get into. But I kept at it, and now I actually enjoy all three

What has been your biggest recent battle with training?

Definitely juggling everything in life along with training.

I think not only athletes deserve medals, their families do too.

The truth is, I constantly feel guilty stealing time away for long sessions. Only recently my wife went on a business trip, and i got away with a 6-hour guilt-free brick session.

So yeah, my biggest training battle? Not hills, not intervals, not injuries. Just trying to chase goals without turning my personal relationships into endurance sports too.

If we were to open your diary from the last week, what would it say?

‘My mind says taper, my body says taper, coach says ride your bike 4,5 hours then do a threshold run; i’d say send help but better send carbs. Silver lining is all the food i can eat. I CANT stop eating. when i’m not sweating or doing laundry to remove the sweat, i’m eating heroic amounts of food. One day i’ll even try eating healthier. That day is not today tho’