Archive for September, 2010

Rafael Aquino

Star Endurance August 2010 Athlete of the month

I started my triathlon journey about a year ago.  I was looking for a sport which would give me a physical challenge as well as a mental challenge.  At first I didn’t think triathlons would do it for me because I really didn’t enjoy running.  However a good friend of mine convinced me to do a sprint distance triathlon and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Several races later I set myself a challenge and I decided to do an Ironman 70.3.  I knew that if I wanted to do well in this race I needed to dedicate time and look for a coach or a team. I was skeptical of training with a team since triathlons are an individual sport but I was wrong.  I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Magui Pena-Martinez, my current coach and team (Star Endurance.)  Even though I didn’t believe in the coach’s program initially I was proven wrong when it was time to compete:  Miami Nice 2^nd place in age group and E2M (Escape to Miami triathlon) 10^th place age group.

There isn’t better feeling then accomplishing something which you true desire and sharing it amongst family, friends and teammates. I’m truly in love with the sport and it’s been an experience which I will continue to share and enjoy.

Magui (Coach), thank you for all your support and guidance.  Without you I wouldn’t have done as well as I’ve done this year.  Team Star Endurance, thank you for all your motivation, support and most importantly your friendship. Finally to my grandfather, who recently passed away, I promise you that I will rock this Ironman 70.3 in your honor.

Rafael P. Aquino

It takes tenacity and energy to launch a business, even in laid-back Coconut Grove. Fortunately, Grove resident Magui Martinez-Pena, proprietor of Trijungle, “Your Ultimate Source for Triathlon Gear and Expertise,” has that ten-fold. Perhaps that’s because she doesn’t just sell the goods triathletes need, this young woman with a charming smile is a triathlete herself.

In 2005, when Magui first signed up for Team In Training, a non-profit athletic program that offers hands-on training while raising money for The Leukemia Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, she had never run so far, biked so long or swam so vigorously in her life. However, with her first triathlon set to occur in Hawaii, she trained constantly, even doing the best she could to replicate Hawaii’s mountainous terrain in flat Florida by running up and down the Rickenbacker Causeway. That June, she completed her first triathlon, and the rest is history.

Since then, she has completed two Half Iron distance triathlons, several Olympic distance triathlon, dozens of sprint races, a full marathon and two half-marathons. In 2005, she got her Spinning Instructor certification. From 2007 to 2009, Magui has been triathlon head coach for the Team In Training Miami team. Later in 2007, she got her coach certification by Dave Scott, six-time Ironman champion. In 2008, Magui became a USA Triathlon Certified Coach and in 2009 got her USAT Track & Field Level I Coaching Certification. She is also a PowerBar Team Elite athlete. All of this experience gave her enough cred to start her own coaching company in 2009, under the name Star Endurance (www.starendurance.com).

The same dedication Magui applies to her training and coaching, she also brings to Trijungle. What started as an online-only store in 2008, has grown into a brick-and-mortar business, located at 2829 Bird Avenue, Suite 11, on the second floor of the Grove Center Mall.

Fully stocked with favored brands like Orca, Louis Garneau, 2XU and Garmin, Trijungle also offers little touches of home: Magui’s stoic miniature giraffe figurine, as well as her Maltese dog Bandido, not nearly as stoic, but very friendly. “We could not have Trijungle without Bandido. He gives it the special touch, and acts as our host and security guard, letting us know when a customer walks in,” Magui says with a rub of Bandido’s ears.

Beyond hospitality, Trijungle’s staff — Magui and Lil —  offer tips about training, directions around town, as well as advice on the best brick oven pizzas in Coconut Grove.

Trijungle
2829 Bird Avenue, Suite 11
Grove Center Mall
Coconut Grove, Florida
P 305-460-9980
Toll-Free 877-874-5864
F 305-460-9979
info@trijungle.com
www.trijungle.com