Why Train Triathlon
I’ve been asked this question a lot recently which has caused me to reflect quite a bit.
It’s definitely not because I’m built to excel at it, (Clydesdale status) but that is the whole point.
This year has been an awesome ride of change and challenges. Mostly related to a big move to join the team at Pro-Activity in New Jersey for a 6 month immersion experience. This meant moving away from my wife of 3 months (Thank you Megan) and family to chase a dream.
I knew this would be a worthwhile experience and it definitely did not disappoint.
If you’ve spent any time around Basecamp, you know there is no shortage of top notch endurance athletes. I remember back to my good friend Aaron Perez and I talking one night and we were joking about me becoming an endurance athlete and trying to get sponsored by @chilis (Donning a chili pepper on my tri suit is still the dream).
I had done a couple triathlons when I was 22, but as a former defensive lineman who hasn’t seen south of 200lbs on the scale since I was about 16, endurance athletics haven’t necessarily been something I thought I could be successful at. But, that’s the point.
I knew being away from my wife and family would be tough. I knew, starting and growing a business would be tough. I knew that there would be many times I would want to pack it in and quit, but ultimately that the end result would be worth it. I needed something that I was pretty terrible at that would challenge my toughness from a physical standpoint, so I could become more mentally resilient. Something that most days I would want to quit at, but knew I needed to push through. Something that would prepare me for the everyday challenges of business.
Over the past 5-6 months of training there were definitely runs or rides or swims that I quit on, but every time I didn’t, I deposited a little more resilience in the bank. Those are the moments of overcoming the suck that I’ll be able to draw on daily, and in to the future.
Triathlon continues to challenge me on a daily basis and I hope it always does.