Background

A bit about myself, and why I decided to create a blog about my experiences training and racing triathlons:

For starters, my name is Rob, and I live in San Marino, CA with my wife Amy, our daughter Rylie, and our dog Seamus. I'm 42 years old at the time of this post. For work, I manage a team of engineers that build and maintain large distributed computing systems for a company called OpenX Technologies, Inc. in Pasadena, CA. When I'm not busy with work or spending time with my family, I have recently begun spending quite a bit of time and energy training for and competing in triathlons.

Why triathlons? Well, quite a few years ago, I made a decision to join the US Army and become a Ranger (an actual member of the elite 75th Ranger Regiment). Though this job required a very high level of fitness, it differed greatly from the fitness of a runner or cyclist. Though I used to be a skinny kid, I wound up going through a big change in body type as I trained to be an elite soldier. My skinny ectomorph frame evolved into that of a much larger, more muscular body suited to the rigors of combat. After I left the military, I jumped into a very busy career, and within a few years got engaged, married, and became a father. Throughout these years, I made fitness less and less of a priority, and wound up gaining quite a bit of weight (from a lean 172 lb. Army Ranger, to a 200 lb. computer geek). Though I occasionally made efforts to stay in shape, usually by hitting the gym a couple times a week, or trying to get into running or cycling, I never seemed to be able to stick with it. My level of consistency was never enough to achieve the desired results, and I seemed to be constantly getting injured. I never really had any goals other than to be fit, but I didn't seem to get anywhere. Then, in the summer of 2014, I happened across some links to articles in Triathlete magazine. I don't remember the specifics of the articles, but I do remember that it sparked the idea of giving triathlon a try. Soon I found myself mildly obsessed with learning everything there was to know about the sport. I decided to jump in with both feet and signed up for a race: the 2014 Long Beach Triathlon. Shortly after entering that race, I also learned about a local triathlon club in my area, and I decided to join them: Pasadena Triathlon Club Since then, here's a quick list of highlights for my 2014 triathlon season:

• Raced the 2014 Long Beach Triathlon (sprint distance, finished in 1:29)
• Raced the 2014 TriRock San Diego Triathlon (sprint distance, finished 10th AG, 1:14)
• Raced the 2014 Bonelli Olympic Distance Triathlon (I did swim/bike legs of a relay team) finished 2nd in relay division.

Here are some pics from those events:

Heading into T1 at the 2014 Long Beach Triathlon

My family and I at the finish of the 2014 TriRock San Diego Triathlon

Heading out onto the bike course (2014 TriRock San Diego). Notice my feet are not yet in my shoes!

Enjoying my first podium at the 2014 Bonelli Olympic Distance Triathlon

So, now that I am hooked on triathlon, I am focusing hard on the upcoming 2015 season. Some goals I have for 2015 are:

• Complete my 'A' race: Ironman 70.3 St. George
• Get on the podium for my age group in a non-relay event.
• Crush my times at the 2014 BOD (my club's championship race). In 2014 I swam 29 minutes for the 1.5K, and rode 1h 19min for the 40K bike.
• Find every opportunity to make training and racing something my whole family can be a part of.

To help me focus, and to hold myself accountable, I decided to track my progress and document the journey with this blog as I get back in shape and tackle this sport head on. I plan to post a lot about my training, my races, gear that I use, and anything else I think pertinent.