Manuel Huerta

Almost Home

2012-01-30T15:49:00.000-08:00

Well its been 3 weeks since I left Miami and I'm heading back there next week, I'll be there for a few days before I go to Barbados for my second race of the season. I wasn't planning on racing there but because I did not perform well in La Paz and I want to keep my ranking high enough to get into San Diego WCS and be able to put a good block of training afterwards in Costa Rica without having to travel or to chase points around I will race in this small Caribbean island on February the 12th. Then I will get ready for the REV3 Costa Rica on March 18th a non drafting Olympic where I place 2nd last year and start an altitude camp all the way until San Diego. Training here in Argentina has been tough, its very hot (30-36 C) and windy but I love it here. Ive been watching a lot of soccer and eating tons of gluten as well :)

anyways hope your training is going excellent as well ciao :)

PATCO Champs

2012-01-18T06:28:00.000-08:00

Just arrived to Bahia Blanca in the Argentinean Patagonia where I'll be staying for the next couple of weeks for some warm weather training. After a disappointing finish at la paz (14th) I now will resume my training back again to get ready for the next races. Showing up half fit due to a break I took in November-December was the reason of this performance. A few months ago I was able to hang with the guys that podium but that was not the case now, my priority now is the big race in San Diego and by then I'll be ready to race the best guys in the US again. I'm very happy with the organization, the town and all my friends from la paz it was great being there and I enjoy this race a lot. Soon ill be posting some photos and videos that my girl friend Piri took while there.

also you can read two interviews they made about me and the race prior to the event one from the New York Times in English and another one from the local Parana newspaper in Spanish:

NEW YORK TIMES

El Diario PARANA

here is a a video from a camera that the Triamax crew set up on my bike:

www.triamax.com

One Week to Go/ Se viene La PAZ!!!!

2012-01-07T07:32:00.000-08:00

In about a week I will be heading back to Argentina. This year La Paz ITU will be the Pan American Championships and it will score double points crucial for a 3rd US Olympic Spot. Some of the best athletes from South America will be racing there and since its summer time down there it will be very hot. I'm excited to be back there to race and to meet again many of my Argentinians friends. After that I will travel south of Buenos Aries for my annual mini warm weather training camp in the Patagonia and probably compete in one of the local triathlons. Plus the wine, meat and empanadas are the best down there.

Click Here to read about it on Triathlon.org

Ill keep you posted on how it goes.

later

some photos of my 2008 victory there !!!!!

New Year= New Website

2011-12-29T03:59:00.000-08:00

Hi all

Check out my new website, Im still working on a couple of things it but its almost finished.

here is the link www.manuelhuerta.com

Happy new year to all of you

Kids Tri Clinic

2011-12-23T08:43:00.000-08:00

Two days ago I was invited to the Jewish Community Center in North Miami Beach to give out a presentation/ triathlon clinic to two 8-10 years olds afternoon classes. It reminded me a lot of when I was a swimming coach back in college and I enjoyed a lot teaching them some drills for their near future kids Triathlon. We also talked about the challenges you have to overcome to be one of the best athletes in country/world or even if you want to take on another type of professional career how they will need full commitment. After that we had some fun relay races at the community pool where i did loose to all of them :)

enjoy the photos courtesy of sandra and her husband mike.

Miami 2575 !!!!

2011-12-07T06:38:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was the inaugural Miami 2575 here in Key Biscayne. I was pretty excited that I got invited to this event where I got to catch up with many friends. Even though I was in no shape to race due to my winter break I still wanted to go out there and enjoy it.... and I did. The organization was great and the weather dispute the wind on the bike was pretty good. I end up in 3rd and my girlfriend Piri won the race witch was pretty good result for her. I now start my winter training to get ready for La Paz in Argentina and then Olympic trials in May.

The Swim Band

2011-11-28T07:06:00.000-08:00

Hi All

In this post I'm going to talk a bit about an inexpensive piece of equipment that I use a lot in my swimming. I started using it back when I was training with Sutton and every time I feel like I get weak in the water I put it on and use it for a couple of swim sessions. Its very simple, if you have a bike inner tube that you flatted just cut it small enough so that you can tie it around around ankles.

A couple of sets that I like to do are :

2x(10x100 with paddles and band and a 500 easy) with a short rest in between 100's

another set is

3x( 8x50's band only with a 200 easy) with 20 seconds rest in between 50's but all out.

this of course after a good warm up, if you are a beginner and feel like you cant do it try it first with a pull buoy around your legs and once your arms/shoulders get stronger then you can move on without the pull buoy. The trick here so that your legs don't sink is to do a dolphin kick every time you breath, sink your head into the water more than you are use to and pick up your stroke cadence, this will be great strength workout that you can keep using it all season long.

Guatape World Cup

2011-11-23T07:30:00.000-08:00

Hi all

here is a late race report from the Guatape World Cup, this race was in the mountains outside Medellin Colombia, this was the first time for me racing at altitude (2000 meters high). After Pan Ams games my left knee got swollen and i wasn't able to run for those 2 weeks prior to the race but because we needed the points to secure a 3rd spot I gave it a go and tried my best. The days leading to the race the weather was perfect and the bike was very hilly something that i could had used to my advantage due to my weight. The night before the race everything changed, as it started to rain really hard causing mudslides and ITU had to change the course to sprint distance. The wetsuit swim and the short and now flat bike course kept us together except on the last lap when some of the guys crash and the peloton broke up. I had a good T2 and took off on the run sitting in 4-5 place for most of the run, with a mile to go I felt that I wasn't as strong as two weeks ago due to my lack of running and ended up in 9th. Overall this was an ok race, I got back home and rested for two weeks. Guatape was a pretty small town and hopefully I'll get to race there again someday.

photos courtesy of ITU

coming soon

2011-11-11T14:48:00.000-08:00

coming soon my off season report!!!!

Pan American Games!!!!!!

2011-10-27T20:14:00.000-07:00

After a two day trip to Puerto Vallarta ,one day to go to houston for USOC stuff and then down to mexico we arrived to the tourist mexican city. USAT had a very good set up, with the best staff members that anyone could ask for and in a sweet condo with a great ocean view. I stayed with my two roomies Mark and Matt and other than training the days prior to the race we just hang out and watch TV.

Race day came and to be honest I wasn't nervous at all I kept my cool as i knew that i could rely on my two team mates if anything went wrong. I kept towards the front during the swim and on the last 300 meters a little gap opened up.

quick T1 and we chase for about a lap with matt and mark doing most of the job as the canadians and brazilians had a guy each up in the 5 man break. once we caught up it was a chess game no one got away and the race was controlled by canada, brasil and us. the last km was the quickest as i got on marks wheel and he lay down a 53km an hour sprint to get to T2 first and that turned out very good.

Brent from canada went out very quick and Rei the brazilian and I just followed him the temperature was rising very high and humidity was in the 80-90%. Once we pretty much knew that the medals would come out from the 3 of us I decided to start surging to see how they react brent drop off a bit but Rei was sharp and stay on. with about 300 meter to go Rei was stronger and pulled away and won.

well Pan American Games have been one of my greatest achievements in my athletic career. Earning the silver medal was a pretty cool experience!!!!

.
here is a link to the race highlights video:

http://esportes.terra.com.br/rumo-a-2012/videos/0,,386547.html

some race articles:

http://www.usatriathlon.org/news/articles/2011/10/102311-pan-am-games-recap.aspx

http://triathlon.competitor.com/2011/10/news/manny-huerta-earns-silver-at-pan-am-games_42319

photos:

http://www.usatriathlon.org/multimedia/media-center/pan-american-games-gallery.aspx

photos by: ITU/ rich cruse, trimexico.com & brad carlson

Pan Am Games Silver Medal

2011-10-23T21:15:00.000-07:00

photo from ITU/ rich cruse

Race report coming soon!!!

Huatulco World Cup race report

2011-10-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

photos from ITU/ rich cruse

Hola !!!!

Huatulco has been one of the toughest races Ive done in my entire career. I arrived there on thursday with an ear infection that was giving me bad headaches and some ear pain . By sunday morning I felt a lot better and was ready to go. The temperatures was in the 100's F and humidity was very high. The swim was in the ocean and the bike had a 20% hill that we climbed 8 times. So pretty much a survival race rather than a fast one. I knew that the pack in the bike would break up after every hill so i decided to stay towards the front of the pack the entire time. We came to T2 with about 50 seconds from the chasers and the front group was reduced to about 15 guys by the end of the bike. Once on the run I felt horrible very dizzy and legs were gone. I had to dig very deep to stay on it and moved myself to 6th by the end of the survival run. Overall Im happy with the race, two years ago I DNF here but this time I had my best result of the year so far in a World Cup. Im back in Costa Rica and I will be getting ready for the Pan American Games in two weeks this will be my first time representing my country at a major games and Im looking forward to it.

Huatulco World Cup

2011-09-30T15:59:00.000-07:00

Hola a todos

In about a week I will be going back to Mexico for the Huatulco World Cup, a very tough race, hilly bike a really hot and humid run. Im back to 100% now and training is going well for this time of the season when my body is tired from the almost 10 month straight of training and racing around the world without resting. I wasnt able to go to nationals due to sickness at the last minute so opted for staying at home and train. Some of the guys that my coach Roberto coaches also arrived, Omar from Puerto Rico and the Guatemalans so we will have a good group for training for the next couple of weeks. All of them are preparing the Panamerican Championships.

This week my training was a bit less since I wasnt feeling well last week and I wanted to get the body back to full racing mode and do less quantity.

so on monday :

Easy 4.5k swim with easy run 45 min

tuesday
Swim race pace intervals (main set 400, 2x200, 6 x100) total 4k
build up run 1hr

wednesday
Swim 4.5km
Bike hilly 2hrs

thursday
Swim Speed day ( main set 2 times 5x75 hard /25 easy and some 25's all out) 4km total
Ran 45 min

Friday
Track, 2(1x1600, 2x1km, 2 x800) all at 5km speed (miles at 4.44, 1k's at 2.55, 800 at 2.20)
spin a bit on the bike and 4km swim

Saturday
bike in the mountains 2.5hrs and easy swim afterwards

Sunday
brick bike/run
intervals for the bike after warm up 4x8min at 290 watts and a run building up every 10 min

Huatulco's Beach

Ciao

Resting and Racing

2011-09-19T12:10:00.000-07:00

Hola

This week I will be racing in Buffalo, NY for Elite Nationals. I never been there so it will be a new place to see. This will be my 3rd event of USAT's draft legal elite race series and probably my last one this year since I have to do two more World Cups and the finale of the 5150 in Clearwater. The week prior to an event I belive its one of the most important ones, you need to rest, hydrate and eat well. The travel is the most tricky one and it changes with every athlete, some like to arrive very early and some others the day before. I like to arrive early if the race is in another continent but for nationals i will be arriving on thursday for a saturday race. This week prior to a race i like to lower my training volume but keeping a high intensity in most of my workouts. Here are some of my key workouts this week:
Tomorrow Swim
total 4km with main set 10x100 at race pace with short rest in between.

Bike
total 90 minutes
with a workout of 2x10 minutes. 1min on at race pace 1min off

For wednesday a 3.5km total swim with drills and some pulling and some sprints

and a run in the track total about 50 minutes with a workout of 3-4 x 1200 meters with 200 meters jog in between

thursday travel with a 30 min jog

friday just check out the race course and sunday race.

Whats for dinner ??

2011-09-14T07:09:00.000-07:00

I would like to use this post to blog about one of my favorite and healthy meal that my girl friend Pieri makes around the house. I think you will like them so give it a try and let me know how it goes.

Quinoa with Chickpeas and Tomatoes

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups water
1 cup canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
1 tomato, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons lime juice
4 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer, and rinse under cold, running water until the water no longer foams. Bring the quinoa, salt, and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
Once done, stir in the garbanzo beans, tomatoes, garlic, lime juice, and olive oil. Season with cumin, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley to serve.

should take less than 30 min to prep and cook we also added some pita bread

Por los niños de nadie, niños de todos

2011-09-05T08:36:00.000-07:00

hola

Well after a quick break from my recent races in europe i'm back in full training mode, i had a two weeks build up finishing with a hilly 10km road race yesterday here in San josé, Costa Rica (Por los niños de nadie, niños de todos). This race was a though one here in costa rica all the running races are very hilly but by now i'm used to it and used them to my advantage. I end up winning with a 32.20 but the best thing about this race was that it was a fund raiser for the local children hospital, to help those kids that are abuse and left alone at the hospital. I was very happy to see the turnout of athletes over 1000 runners showed up. I also ran this race in honor of Candela the argentinean child who was kidnap and murdered last week in Buenos Aires. I hope these type of events can be helpful to stop the violence with children.

So about my race even though I did not feel that good I was able to push trough and only won by a few meters, the 10-12 hilly hours I've done on the bike this week definitely caught up and the legs were tired. I now have a few weeks before elite nationals in Buffalo then Huatulco WC and Guatape WC. I probably will run 2 more races here in Costa Rica in between then.

here are a few photos are newspaper article.

http://www.aldia.cr/ad_ee/2011/septiembre/05/deportes2900370.html

http://www.aldia.cr/galerias/carrera-hospital-de-ninos/index.html

My Newest Supporter

2011-09-03T07:38:00.000-07:00

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London WCS

2011-08-11T04:10:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Finishing 25th in London was a bit dissapointing. None of the US guys made the automatic olympic criteria for the race wish was a top 9 finish. At the 8km of the run I was the closest one to a top 9 but 18 seconds back wish it does not sounds that much but in a World Championship Series that is an iternity. Now I have to refocus get stronger and faster for the next Olympic trial event in May where the top 1-2 american regardless of their position will quilify for the summer games. I have a couple of races left in my calendar and this weekend I will be racing in Hungary for the Tizy World Cup a race that ive done a couple of times and it is always fun to do, the town, the organizer and the sponsors do a great job hosting us and putting on a great event.

Back in London we had a training camp in Guildford just outside London and the entire USAT staff and specially Andy our national team director did a great job acomodating all our needs prior to the race. Then we moved to a hotel close by Hyde Park where the race was. Race day was rainy and around 20C degrees. I got hammered on the first bouy of the swim and from there it was pretty much a fight the entire way. Came out of the water a bit back but caught up by the 2nd loop of the bike and just kept it safe by staying on the top half of the bunch. My run was ok for about 7-8 km and faded back to 25th. At least I got to test the olympic course.

photo from USAT/competitive image

Aslo a link to USAT race review : http://www.usatriathlon.org/news/2011/08/07/huerta-leads-u-s-men-at-london-wcs-event/43993

Last Week before London

2011-07-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

hello all

Training has been going well, this is the last week before I leave to London WCS and Tiszauvaros WC, these will be my last two races in europe this year and looking forward to get back there and race. In london any american who finishes in the top 9 will qualify for next year Olympic games, the next trial event will be next year hopefully in the USA.

This last two weeks I've been doing a mini altitude training camp and a road race in San Jose, this race was 8.3km and the last 4km were uphill. I finished 2nd and had to dig dip the last couple of kms as the hill got steeper and steeper.

Ill keep you guys updated on how these races go. here are some photos of the road race i did.

ITU Treasure Island

2011-07-15T13:11:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I raced in Treasure Island, a race that is known for its cold swim, rought roads on the bike and very windy run. I had a rough day having a very bad swim, strugling on the bike and run. I manage to finish 4th coming from behind and down 2 minutes after T2 from the leaders. Overall Im not happy with the results but these type of days we have them sometimes and just have to stay strong in the head and keep moving forward. I traveled back to Costa Rica and I started the altitude training camp with Leo, we train at 5000ft and sleep at 7000ft in a farm on the Irazu Volcano. We are less than a month away from the first USA's Olympic trial event and also ITU World Championship Serie in London, GB. Im one of the only 4 americans to qualify for this event and im looking forward to race on the 2012 olympic course.

Kitzbuhel WCS

2011-06-24T16:36:00.000-07:00

After two weeks in europe I raced in kitzbuhel, it was my first time in austria and it was a beautiful place. The days leading to the race the weather was actually very nice but everything changed on race day. The swim turn out to be pretty even since we swam with the wetsuits and the whole bunch came out within 30 seconds. I found myself in the second pack chasing for about a lap and we caugh on with the front. The bike was quite technical with long downhills, cobblestones and a long tunnel. Right around the 30km mark on the bike the rain got stronger and the temperature dropped to 10 celcius defenetly not my favorite. I came to T2 towards the back of the pack and that cost me big time as i ran the first 6km trying to catch up moving as high as 15th and faded on the last km and ended up in 24th. Overall im not very happy with the result i need to work on some things and nurse my right hammstring that has been cramping up on the 3 last races. Next I will be racing in San Francisco at the treasure Island triathlon in two weeks, my last time there was in 2005 and i placed 6th, from there i will start with the altitude camp , ill be sleeping on the volcano everyday to get ready for the WCS in London one of the USA olympic selection races.

here is a video of the last 15 minutes of the race :

Letter from my friend Ivan Rana

2011-06-14T04:13:00.000-07:00

Hello all hola a todos en castellano abajo:

this post is about one of my good friends in the ITU circuit a great guy who has many friends in the circuit due to his good personality, he is a former world champ, Ivan Rana. I read this in a spanish website and i wanted to share it with you all, I will translate it in english for you and please excuse me for my grammar errors english is not my first language and translating is defenetly a weakness.

here is a letter written by Ivan to one of his sponsors:

Dear Stopwatch.
Im writing you today, a week after the Dextro WCS in madrid, with the motive of this letter to get somethings clear about some topics. First of all I would like to remind you that Ive been behaving very well this season. Ive been puntual to all my training sessions. Ive been doing all my warm ups, strengh workouts, hydrating a lot, eating well and going to bed early. On top of that my splits at the track, timed BY YOU have been amazing and you have the balls my friend. I finished 41st here in Madrid! Did you lie to me ?? I always though that you were always right.
Now this is what Im going to do: I will train a lot just like old school. Yes i will climb big hills, I will have double running days and i will swim until I blow up and even if you say im going slow, i wont listen to you, i will keep training like an animal until i get to the front of the races.
Forget about saying no to an ice cream after practice, all my friends do it and the run very fast. I will not tolarate any more comments like: are you obsess, you think you can get any skinnier?

sincerely yours

ps. the track sessions, the splits saved, you can keep them or erase them from your memory

Here in the link : http://www.triatlonchannel.com/cuando-rana-encontro-a-rana/

aqui les traigo una cartita por un buen amigo del circuito pueden leerla en el link de arriba tambien.

Querido Cronómetro,
“Te extraña que te escriba hoy, una semana después de la Dextro de Madrid. El motivo de mi carta es el intentar aclarar ciertos temas. Primeramente me gustaría recordarte lo bien que me llevo portando toda esta temporada. Estoy siendo puntual en los entrenos, haciendo buenos calentamientos, ejercicios de fortalecimiento, hidratándome mucho, comiendo bien y acostándome temprano.
Por encima mis tiempos en la pista, según tú, son tremendos. Sin embargo que huevos los tuyos amigo cronómetro. Llego a Madrid y hago el 41! Me has engañado? Yo que me he hartado de presumir que siempre decías la verdad..
Lo que voy a hacer ahora es entrenar a tope, a la vieja usanza. Si, haré algún puerto en bici, doblaré a pie y nadaré hasta reventar. Y aunque digas que voy lento, no te haré caso, seguiré haciendo el animal hasta que consiga estar delante en las carreras.
Y olvídate de que diga que no a ese helado al acabar de entrenar, todos mis amigos lo hacen y corren rápido. No volveré a aguantar esos comentarios como: estas obsesionado, que te crees que vas a afinar más, ..
Sin más recibe un cordial saludo.
Las series y tiempos grabados puedes quedártelos o borrarlos de la memoria.”

Ivan and I at the Monterrey World Cup in the front

Madrid WCS

2011-06-08T14:43:00.000-07:00

I arrived to Madrid right after Ixtapa and got the news that i was going to be able to start just a couple of days before. i tried to get adjust quick to the time sone and rest, Ixtapa left me with a hamstring a bit sore and tired from all the traveling. At the race i was the last guy called to the pantoon son didnt really had a choice on where to start, and i end up right in the middle. I had a good swim for me, i came in between the 1st and 2nd bunch and got caught by the end of the first lap of the bike by the big chase pack. We ended up loosing about 90 seconds by the end of the bike and we started the run pretty quick. i hang on with the top runners from my pack for about 6km when my hamstring started to cramp up wich means my body started to give up. I tried to push trough since i really needed some ITU points to be elgible for our olympic trials in august but the pain was pretty bad, i got passed by 15-17 guys on the last lap of the run...ouch and end up in 39th not a good day. I will now stay in madrid for the next week and race at the Kitzbuhel WCS.

ITU Ixtapa

2011-06-02T04:48:00.000-07:00

hello all,

I arrived to madrid after a two day trip from ixtapa back to CR then to madrid, the first couple of days a bit jet lag but im now ready to go. It went well in Ixtapa, I finished 2nd behinde canadian Kyle Jones. On race day it was very hot and humid, one of the hottest races ive done. I came out of the water towards the front and had a little break with the other canadian brent mcmahon who finished 3rd and two mexican athletes, we got caught and after a couple of attacks no one manage to get away and we ended up together at T2. Kyle and I ran together until the last mile where he pulled away. This is my 7th career podium finish at an ITU continental cup and ive now move into the top 40 on the ITU ranking.

here is a video made by the tourism ixtapa department from the race weekend, you can watch the finish right around the 3 min mark.

Interview in La Nacion CR

2011-05-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

hi all
this is my last week here before i leave on a long trip, next saturday i will be racing the Ixtapa continental cup in Mexico, then fly to Madrid where at the moment im 2nd on the waiting list for the WCS and that means that i have 50% chanse to get into the race since I didnt got in the initial list. I will be staying in Madrid for 3 weeks training with my good friends Ramon Ejeda, Ivan Rana & Leo Chacon to prepare the WCS in kitzbuhel.

below is a link from the newspaper here in costa rica La nacion that followed us this past weekend at some of the training sessions, its in Espanol.

http://www.nacion.com/2011-05-22/Deportes/Relacionados/Deportes2783260.aspx

http://www.nacion.com/2011-05-22/Deportes/NotasSecundarias/Deportes2783255.aspx

Monterrey World Cup

2011-05-10T19:41:00.000-07:00

This was my 2nd world cup of the year in a very hot and humid mexico. The swim was on a man made channel that is 2 km long so it felt like swimming in a giant pool, the bike through the fundidora park where in the past have host indy car races was very tecnical, several turns but flat and the run was very hot. I came out of the water in the back of the first pack where i chase a bit to get back on. During the bike i tried to stay towards the front the whole time and then the run came, I pushed on the first lap running with the first pack of 7-8 guys for about 3 km and the wheels came off, falling off big time of the pace and finishing in 15th. Im now back in costa rica and this weekend im running the biggest road race of the country, its called sol y arena and its a 10k run completely on the sand at the punta arenas beach. Soon ill post some photos and videos from the monterrey race that my girlfriend took.

later

Entrevista en TV Costa Rica

2011-04-28T15:45:00.000-07:00

Hola esta entrevista fue hecha en costa rica sobre mi entrenado y que utilizamos, se puede ver unos de los lugares donde pedaleo a menudo en el valle orosi.

For my english speaking fans this interview was done by one of the national tv channels here in costa rica not to long ago. hopefully ESPN calls me and we can get one of those interviews here as well :)

Back in CR

2011-04-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

i ve been back in costa rica now for a couple of weeks now, australia was tought on my body, it took me a while to recover from the jet lag. waking up at 3.30 am was not fun at all. I have a couple of weeks now until monterrey world cup and then madrid, training is going well and looking forward to get back into racing after a dissapoiting day back in sydney.
my friend omarto from miami sent me this awesome youtube video that i wanted to share with you guys. ENJOY:

Mooloolaba World Cup Race report

2011-03-29T20:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay guys but here in Australia the internet is very expensive and very scarce. So I was back in mooloolaba last time here was in 08 and we had pretty much the same conditions, choppy swim, windy bike and hilly and humid run. My swim was good all the work i did during the off season paid off as i came out on the front group, this has been the most brutal swim of my life, i found myself fighting the whole time and did not have a clue where the heck i was until i came out. the bike was a Sunday group ride and the run was quite fast and hard, I didn't feel all that good on the run, i felt like i was stock in 3rd gear but had to do my best under the circumstances and dig deep. i finished 16th on the first world cup of the year not that good not that bad now just got race harder in two weeks here in Sydney.

fotos courtesy of the ITU media

and also a youtube video of the bike from atkinson's bike

Clermont Sprint nationals report

2011-03-11T15:17:00.000-08:00

So im back to costa rica after sprint nationals last weekend, the race didnt turn out the way I expected, didnt have quite the run I need it to have to hang on with the top runners. At least it was a good indication on where my running speed is at the moment and that i need to get back to the track for some running sessions. for now just a couple of weeks before mooloolaba and then sydney and im looking forward on getting back to australia to race. here is a short video from sprint nationals :
In other news I would like to let you know that I will be part of the USPROTRI team this season you can check out their website and great sponsor at :
http://www.usprotri.com/

Transition tips

2011-02-25T18:23:00.000-08:00

So here are some of the videos of the race this past weekend, you can see the beach start and both of my transitions. They are both quick in and out.

Beach Start:
http://vimeo.com/20160940

Swim Exit and T1
http://vimeo.com/20161469

T2:
http://vimeo.com/20166415

videos courtesy of revolution 3

REV 3 Costa Rica race report

2011-02-21T18:37:00.000-08:00

So the race started at 6.15 in the morning in one of the nicest pacific side beaches of costa rica, calm waters and warm weather. I had a good start right into Fleischmann's feet on the two loop swim. Out of the water i found myself in the lead pack of 4, flash,chacon, reed and I. Got to the bike and climbed the 10-18% half a mile climb right out of t1. Once on the highway i got passed by all 3 of them and hold to flash and reed to 20 sec for the first 20 km, after that my pace slowed tons falling back all the way to 7th place. Started the run quick and i knew that on that very challenging run course i could make a lot of ground, we ran on the sand, trail, uphill, downhill and golf course and pick all of the guys except leo. Im happy with the effort, this has been my best result at a major non draft race so far and i know that i have to work more on my time trialing in the future to get better at these events, for now the swim and run are good enough to start the season and now I'll get ready for the australian races in march/april with a quick trip to clermont in two weeks for sprint nationals.

Here are some of the links of the race write ups from the net:

http://triathlon.competitor.com/2011/02/news/chacon-and-williamson-win-at-rev3-costa-rica_21423

http://www.slowtwitch.com/News/Chacon_Williamson_take_Rev_3_Costa_Rica_1903.html

for race results, videos and photos click here:

http://rev3tri.com/live/

Some of my favorites youtube videos

2011-02-17T19:58:00.000-08:00

Here are some of my favorites youtube videos enjoy them and if you have a good one leave the link below in the comments.

REV 3 WEEK

2011-02-13T10:35:00.000-08:00

So Im back in costa rica getting ready for the REV 3 Olympic distance in the Guanacaste province about 4 hour drive from where i live. Im happy to be back here, where im going to be base for the reminder of the season. The REV 3 race will be non draft and some top guys are showing up, this will be a good race for me and hopefully I have the best mechanical luck. Here is a video that my girl friend surprice me with while doing some 12 minutes intervals in the trainer today. After REV 3 i will be traveling to clermont for sprint nationals

Here is the race website link check it out : http://www.rev3tri.com/!/costaRica/race%20info/index.htm

Viedma weekend

2011-02-09T06:02:00.000-08:00

So my last weekend in argentina was a very good one, i traveled south again to compete in 3 events, one 4km open water swim, an olympic distance non drafting tri and a mini aquathlon. all 3 events serve as a good preparation for the upcoming season. I won all 3 events and i would like to thank evryone out there who cheer for me and to the organization for inviting me for the 2nd time.

On saturday morning I did the 4000 meter river swim where i got to swim against some of the best swimmers in the country. the swim was fast as we swam downstream and i manage to get the best current. Sunday morning the olympic triathlon started with almost perfect conditions and in the afternoon the aquathlon. I slept pretty good that night :)

Im now in costa rica where I will be living here for the next couple of months. I want to thank everyone in bahia who took good care of me and ill see you guys next year.

again here are some of the race articles from the web in espanol :

http://eldepornauta.com/noticias.php?idNoticia=9256

http://atletas.info/manuel-huerta-y-nidia-kondratavicius-ganaron-en-el-tria-en-viedma/

http://www.triamax.com/2011/02/06/5-triatlon-patagones-viedma-2011/

Puerto Madryn

2011-01-31T17:50:00.000-08:00

So I decided to drive to down to Puerto Madryn for an olympic distance race. I had a great time and i would like to thank Brian the race organizer and everyone down there that host me and i will defently be back next year. This was an olympic distance race and the weather was perfect, i led all 3 disciplines and left with a great workout. Im staying one more week here in argentina and im doing one more race before i head back to costa rica.

here are some of the article news in the net :

http://www.diariojornada.com.ar/7718/Deportes/La_aplanadora_Huerta_paso_por_Madryn_

http://www.diariodemadryn.com/vernoti.php?ID=128050

http://chubutdeportes.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/el-internacional-manuel-huerta-gano-el-triatlon-de-madryn/

http://www.elchubut.com.ar/despliegue-noticias.php?idnoticia=150320

update

2011-01-21T12:45:00.000-08:00

So training is going well here in argentina, getting back to the routine. Im staying with the Rivas family great hospitality and they cook very good. The weather here is very warm 35-38 c and running before 6pm can become a hard challenge. The empanadas and dulce de leche for breakfast/lunch are a must down here. My next race will be on february 6th in the patagonia I will be doing an open water river race of 3700 meters and an olympic distance non-drafting race the following day. Here is a link for the spanish speakers for a press release for this next race and also the race website:

http://eldepornauta.com/noticias.php?idNoticia=9187

http://www.lapatagones-viedma.com.ar/index.php

Below is a video of the first bike lap of la paz we had a good group going until the storm arrived and you can check out this video of atletas.info of the actual storm:

http://atletas.info/video-la-paz-bajo-el-agua/

La paz race report

2011-01-19T11:30:00.000-08:00

The race started at 5pm very hot and the whole town out came out to watch us. I had a good start and I swam right behinde the leaders coming out of the water in 4th. We had a break and it seem like we where going to stay away. Suddenly the weather changed, a strong storm with high winds and tons of rain causing many of us to crash. Right around half way my budy Barrett crash into me breaking my rear wheel at one of the turns, he hit the floor and i manage to stay up but the damage was done, I rode by myself for half a loop trying to fix my rear brake but no luck it was too damage so I had to DNF. Im very dissapointed but this things happens, now just have to keep my preparation here in Argentina for the next 3 weeks and get ready for the REV3 race in february. Below is a video from the swim exit and later on this week ill post some photos and videos from the rest of the race.

LA Paz

2011-01-15T09:11:00.000-08:00

So I arrived to la paz on wednesday morning, after two days of traveling I arrived to the little town in the argentinean north part. The weather is hot 39-41 celcious this weekend and tons of triathletes in town. This is the 27th edition of this race and they have a junior/iron kids race on friday, a sprint and olympic age-group race on saturday and the elites on sunday. The town is full with flags, signs and music throughout the course. They are expecting about 1100 athletes in all the events. Last year I finished 4th and in 08 I won so a podium finish here will be the goal.

From here I will go to Bahia Blanca for a mini training camp and then to costa rica. I'll blog my race report next week once I have some free time. To the left is a photo of me winning the 2008 edition.

Last week at home

2011-01-07T05:25:00.000-08:00

So this is my last week at home until i return in march for the Elite sprint championships in Clermont. On Monday I have a very long trip to La paz, Argentina a long flight to buenos aires then followed by a 9 hour bus ride. Ill be in Argentina for a month most of the time in Bahia Blanca south of buenos aires. I enjoyed this past two months here at home with my family and friends and the weather is always better here than any other place in the country. Last year I finished 4th in la paz and in 08 I won, this year I would like to podium and start the season that way. i very familiar with this race specially with the 40-42 Celsius during the run. I feel that Im in a better form than last year at this time so it should be good race. here is video from my last track session running with my good friend Omarto at the nearby track. 4.50 /mile pace looks a lot slower in a video than what it actually feels ;)

Manny's Famous Smoothie

2011-01-04T14:27:00.000-08:00

So here you have it, here is my secret. My famous smoothie recipe:

1 frozen banana

1/2 cup of frozen blueberries

1/2 cup of frozen strawberries

1 spoon of almond butter

1 spoon of spirulina

1 spoon of chlorela

1 1/2 cup of almond milk

try it and let me know :)

Running Drills/ Training tip #2

2010-12-27T17:39:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the drills and stretching I do once a week at the track, my running partner and local running coach Omarto Fumero its an excellent expert at these. This is a great way to warm up and get the body going before a hard running session. I will be posting more of these videos in the next couple of weeks so that you too can also add them to your weekly running routine.

Running with traffic!!!!

2010-12-21T06:14:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago I ran my first local run race up in Boca raton, the Boca 10k. This was a first time event for me and since it wasn't too far from home I decided to go ahead and run it. I wasn't able to do any hard workouts in 3 months due to surgery and then a bike crash that left me with an injured knee. The last km as we approach Spanish river park we started to pick up some of the 5km runners/walkers and it got a bit hectic. I end up running 31.43 for the 10km or 10.89km (in my 405 garmin) this is an ok time to have an idea of where I'm at right now when I start doing some intervals in one of my favorite running places, the Coral Gables golf course (better get there before 8pm they turn on the sprinklers at that time :) Here is a video Piri filmed from my finish with Johnathan who finished 2nd and push me the entire time.
For now I got a couple of weeks before I head down to Argentina for La PAZ ITU.

Need to get adjust ??

2010-12-13T08:33:00.000-08:00

For those of you in the South Florida area if you need to get adjust go see Jody in Boca Raton.

Rockway Swimming

2010-12-08T07:52:00.000-08:00

Rockway Swimming Team is a competitive swimming club based in Miami, Florida. They cater for swimmers of all ages and levels, from beginners through to national level.
This has been my swim club here in Miami since 2003 and its one of the top swimming clubs in Florida with more than 100 swimmers. I swim with them Tuesday nights at Miami dade south and Saturday mornings at FIU or Dade south. http://www.rwyswim.com/index.html

A gift from my biggest fan :)

2010-12-08T06:38:00.000-08:00

So my girl friend piri decided to collect some of my race photos from my harddrive and make a video, most of them from costa rica and hamburg thanks to elizabeth bravo who took many of them. here it is

Chritsmas presents arrived early from OGK !!!

2010-12-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

I got a nice set of REDIMOS helmets today from one of my sponsors OGK in the mail. I will be wearing them in 2011 again at some of the major races in the US and around the world. I started with OGK at the end of last year and fell in love with them, they have the lightest and most comfortable helmets in the market. They also make other great products check them out at : http://www.ogkhelmet.com/

Winter Arrived!!!!

2010-12-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

So today is the first winter day of year for us here in miami, temperature in the 50's in the morning and everyone freaking out. I had a nice swim yesterday and it was 84 so imagine how it felt this morning. Now i lived in colorado and i remember if it got to the 50's during the winter i would probably run outside shirtless,but not here in miami, once you get use to this heat you can never get use to the cold again.

Training is going well already recovered from my crash and i will be probably going back to La paz ITU in January and spend some weeks training in the Bahia Blanca area about 500 km south of Buenos Aires then back to Costa Rica to prepare the summer races.

stay warm

Training Tips

2010-11-22T17:11:00.000-08:00

Over the next couple of weeks I'll be writing here on my blog some of the training sessions I do and if you are in the area you are welcome to join me, this week I will start with tip #1 uphill repeats(running), I like to do these sets the best during the off season, it's a great interval workout and it mainly gives you lots of strength in your running. Usually I keep them short around 200 meters up and very easy down for the recovery and you pick your poison on how many you want to do :) Here in Miami the best place to do these its the Key Biscayne bridge it has around 5% inclination and its about 400 meters long. You will find me there once a week.

ciao

Swim team

2010-11-17T06:46:00.000-08:00

So here at home I do most of my swims with a team, they have masters and high school sessions Tuesdays and Thursdays in the morning and then every afternoon down at the Kendall pool.
this is the team's website : www.rwyswim.com

Pepe Fernandez is the head coach and used to be the Cuban national team head coach back in the 80's. So if live in the area and want to join a team check them out and you'll see me around.

later

Update

2010-11-16T11:03:00.000-08:00

So this past year I spent most of the time in costa rica, living in cartago and in a farm up in the escazu volcano at 2100 meters high. I had a great training group down there and most of the hard efforts at the track or up the hills on the bike were done with Leonardo Chacon and Rom Arkenson, the top two costa rican triathletes. Through out the season we also had some other athletes from different countries that came and trained with us ( peter & gabor from hungary, omar from puerto rico and javier cuevas from the dominican republic.) I left the country very happy tons of people helped me a lot while i was there and I cant thank them enough. Im planning on going back very soon since my coach Roberto Solano lives there and I believe that I can train a lot better over there.

Back on my feet

2010-11-15T19:04:00.000-08:00

So Im back on a normal training schedule, after a crash a few weeks ago here in miami that left me with a concussion and a sore back Im now back on the bike. The temperature here so far have been awesome and i have started to train towards the 2011 season. My first race on next season will be probably sometime in january along with some local running races with Team Footworks.