Roberta Explains Why Competing In Races Is The Best Way To Tour The World
KPIX 5 Morning Weather Anchor Roberta Gonzales answers the questions you never get to ask on-air.
Q: Roberta; I am a runner and I heard you are going to compete in an Ironman Triathlon. How many Marathons have you done, which one would you recommend, and do you like Triathlons better than Marathons? –Dave Sinclair, Palo Alto
A: Hi Dave! Yes, you heard correctly. I will be competing this Saturday in Ironman 70.3 Hawaii. It will be my 3rd trip to the Big Island to compete in this prestigious race.
To answer your question, I have competed and completed 30 full Marathons. The International marathons I would highly recommend are Rome, Portugal, Barcelona and Paris. My favorite national marathon would be Boston, New York and Napa. Chicago is really fun and well organized too!
As to the question "do I like triathlons better than marathons?" That's a tough one to answer. I have been running marathons since 1996 and I love the journey. There is nothing like tossing my running shoes into my backpack, boarding a plane and seeing a new city by running through it! There's no better way to learn about a place and its people, than by foot!
I have been participating in triathlons since 2000. Little did I know! My first bike ride I competed with had a kick stand and a bell (but not a basket!)
Triathlons take a lot more thought, training and planning. Traveling with my bike is a chore and an additional expense! But I love training and competing in triathlons because of the three disciplines: swimming, cycling and running. With marathons, it's running only and my body takes a beating with all the pounding on the pavement and trails. With triathlons, swimming is the best exercise anyone can do, using all of your body muscles at once. By transitioning to cycling you are spending less time on the payment running, therefore sparing your knees and back, and extending your athletic career. Well, that's how I equate it!
I appreciate you, Dave, asking about my "weekend warrior" activities. I will be blogging from Hawaii about my Ironman experiences and hopefully sharing my trek to Hawaii's Volcanoes National Park to visit Kilauea Volcano!
Mahalo!
I would love to hear from you! Please send weather questions, observations and photos to me, Gonzales@kpix.cbs.com and I look forward to hearing from you!
