In the last episode of 2021, I had the opportunity to speak to Lissette Mares. Lissette currently works full-time in hospitality and lives in Yosemite National Park in California. Through the conversation she reveals that she grew up swimming, though conversation I determine that she may or may not have been an Olympic hopeful. She is also very open about living with Multiple Sclerosis. She was diagnosed in 2013 and has chosen to live her life as an example and to inspire others to reach their full potential.
Once again, because I didn’t graduate Doctor school, I had to get a high-level overview of an autoimmune disease. Lissette shares that MS attacks the Myelin Sheath, the protective coating that covers nerve fibers between the brain and the rest of the body. While she is currently in remission, she explains that heat, humidity, and stress can cause her symptoms to flare up.
Recently Lissette completed her 1st full distance Ironman race in Cozumel, Mexico. We discuss her decision to race Cozumel in spite of the heat and humidity, Lissette revealed she intentionally choose to subject herself to the toughest environment that she could.
Before talking about her training to prepare for Ironman, we discuss the 10 days that she spent in Mexico before and after the race. Lissette took the opportunity to arrive several days in advance to acclimate to the local climate which allowed her time to see family and explore. Being in hospitality, she provides some travel advice, rent through Airbnb and get a car.
Lissette trained for 1 year to prepare for the full Ironman distance. Living in Yosemite National Park there were plenty of opportunities to run and bike, but she didn’t have access to a lap pool, so she had to overcome her fear of open water to get ready for the ocean swim.
Because Ironman Cozumel is on my personal race bucket list, I was excited to hear her firsthand account of the race. She was so gracious to break the race down for me discipline by discipline. We start by talking about this year’s swim. There has been online conversation of how fast the swim was this year and if there was an advantageous current.
Being an extremely strong swimmer, Lissette preferred the warmer water of Cozumel and the fact that she didn’t need to wear a wetsuit. While she personally didn’t feel she benefited from a current, she does point out that the clear water made for a fast and fun swim.
After exiting the water 50 minutes faster than she had projected, Lissette celebrated with a chocolate bar and dancing to a song being played in the background. She had time to double-check her bike and nutrition before heading out onto the bike course.
Lissette gives a thorough account of her on-bike nutrition. We agree that no loosing water bottles on the bike course is better than loosing bottles on the bike course and we talk about the rain that fell race day and the impact that it made on the bike portion of the race. Because heat and humidity is her kryptonite, Lissette believes the rain helped cool her core temperature which was a welcomed relief.
Before talking about the run, I take the opportunity to ask Lissette about the actual bike course surface. The majority of the bike course takes place on the original highway that circles Cozumel island. While in Cozumel over the summer I was able to drive on the new highway that was installed several years back but was curious how well the original road is maintained.
After discussing how she grossly overestimated how long it would take her to swim and bike, we talk a little transition before breaking down the run course. Lissette confesses that she had a panic attack in T2 but was comforted by two other athletes assuring her that everything was going to be OK. After heading out on the run course a little faster than she wanted she was able to slow d