Let’s Start This Party

So here we go.  I picked this picture for the first post as this is often the view that I have during the first leg of a triathlon race.  We are swimming and it is early morning.  Peaceful… with anticipation of what’s to come.

I have considered starting a blog for a few years, so finally, here it is. This site will be a place where I share my passion for endurance sports: family, friends and others are welcome to read and see what I do before and after my day job.

Almost every day of the week, I am involved in some type of movement/exercise. It is calming, centering, and stress relieving. For me, the pleasure is not only on race day, but in what got me to race day. Long term planning, perseverance, challenge are what drive me to do this stuff.  The actual race is a celebration of fitness.

I started this journey in 2008. The coach of my daughter Emily’s cross country team invited parents to come out on Fridays to run with the team in the Pisgah National Forest where we live in western North Carolina. My job was to be the sweeper to make sure no one was left behind. Perfect job for me: it was more walking than running.

I entered my first 5K that fall and haven’t stopped since. A 5K led to a 10 K which led to a half marathon. My running buddies at that time, Gordon, Gordon’s dad Tim, and Gary introduced me to track workouts, tempo and long runs.  PRs were set, times got quicker.  Man: this is fun!  Marathons ensued.  In 2011, an attempt to qualify for the Boston Marathon did not end as I had hoped.  In my disappointment, I turned to triathlon for more variety, new challenges and cross-training for injury prevention.

I followed the same progression in triathlon from 2012-17: a sprint distance event led to Olympic distance which led to a half Iron distance which led to my first full Iron distance event in 2013.  I continue to race all distances, they all have their unique challenges and fitness benefits.  (A brief triathlon tutorial: all triathlons involve swim-bike-run segments.  Distance is what determines the class of event.  Sprint is usually: 750 yd swim-12 to 15 mile bike-5K (3.1 mile) run.  Olympic (metric distances): 1500 meter swim-40 km bike-10K run.  Half iron: 1.2 mile swim-56 mile bike-13.1 mile run = 70.3 miles.  Full iron: 2.4 mile swim-112 mile bike-26.2 mile run = 140.6 miles).

I tend to race triathlon spring to fall and run race fall to spring.  Which brings me back to the unfinished business of qualifying for the Boston Marathon.  I fulfilled that dream by qualifying at Wrightsville Beach Marathon in March 2016.  On April 17, 2017, I was fortunate to run the 121st Boston Marathon, with my wife, 2 children and father in attendance, to date, my most proud racing moment.

Other moments await me.

So grab your favorite beverage, sit down and buckle up.  Let’s go on a journey together…