How It All Began...

Michelle, Katie, me, and Megan

I am a swimmer, a cyclist, and a runner. I am a triathlete. I am 45 years old (9/7/1968) and have been married to my wife, Michelle, for 24 years (8/7/1989). My wife is also a triathlete, competing in many of the same events that I do. We have two amazing daughters, ages 10 and 15. My youngest daughter also now competes in youth triathlons!

I am an Applications Training Supervisor at Capital Health Plan (CHP) (http://www.capitalhealth.com) in Tallahassee, Florida. CHP is a highly-ranked, non-profit HMO that provides evidence-based medical care under the direction of primary care physicians in an effective, timely, and cost-effective manner. I love CHP’s proactive and innovative quest to improve the health of our community!

I am a disabled veteran, having previously served in the US Army for eight years. Nearly six of those years was spent overseas. After getting out of the military in 1994, I focused on building a career in Information Technology and mistakenly adopted a much more sedentary lifestyle. In 1996 I had surgery to repair a meniscus tear in my right knee. I did not rehabilitate from surgery properly and continued to become more inactive and gain weight. In June 2010, I weighed MORE than 281 pounds. My daughters bought me a gym membership for Father’s Day and I decided that some changes had to be made.

FSU Cares 5K, 10/31/2010

The biggest step I took to turn things around was when I joined the annual Gulf Winds Track Club’s (http://gulfwinds.org) Beginner’s Running Class in September of 2010. The “Beginner’s Running Class” is an 8-week class that prepares beginning runners of all skill-levels to successfully complete their first 5K race. The class graduation was the FSU Cares 5K charity run. I showed up to the first class on September 8, one day after my 42nd birthday, barely able to run a mile. A few short weeks later, I finished my first 5K and somehow managed to finish 3rd in my age group! You’ve heard the proverb, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Give a man an age group medal and he’ll only want more… and more… and more!”? Or something like that?! Yes, I was hooked on running!

The course has not always been smooth. In April of 2011, while training for my first 10K race, I tore the meniscus in my right knee and underwent surgery. This time, I rehabilitated from surgery properly and, six months later, ran my first half marathon! For as emotionally trying as being injured was, it introduced me to cross-training. There is a humorous saying that triathletes are born from injured runners. This is absolutely true in my case. After my injury, I began cycling. In December, 2011, I began learning to swim freestyle while training to run my first Sprint-distance triathlon.

In May of 2012, I began working with an amazing, USAT-Certified Coach, Sandy Holt, of TriAttic (http://www.TriAttic.com). Sandy has done SO much to help me understand my unique capabilities, individual strengths, and personal limits. I am thrilled with the results and the knowledge I am gaining from her, the entire TriAttic coaching staff, and other athletes!

Speaking to the 2013 Beginner's Running Class, September 2013

The most amazing thing about any sport and especially triathlon is how your greatest accomplishments may not come atop a podium, but simply in competition with yourself and the existing conditions. Since I began this journey, I have so many achievements that I am proud of. A few are listed below. One that isn’t listed there is how the year 2013 was capped off by the incredible honor of being elected to the 2014 Gulf Winds Triathletes Board of Directors by the club members. However, that and these other accomplishments pale in comparison to beginning the 2013 Gulf Winds Track Club Beginner’s Running Class in September of 2013 as a Coach and weighing in at 181 pounds! Three years and 100 pounds lighter/later from when I first started my journey!

Accomplishments:

• Triathlon Sprint, First in AG, 2012, Army Strong Triathlon, Ft. Rucker, Alabama, 1:14:56.
• Triathlon Sprint, PR (Second in AG), 2013, Army Strong Triathlon, Ft. Rucker, Alabama, 1:08:02.
• Triathlon Olympic, PR, 2013, Chattahoochee Challenge Triathlon, Columbus, Georgia, 2:24:37.
• Triathlon Olympic, Qualified 2013 USA Triathlon Age Group National Championship, 2013, St. Anthony’s Triathlon, St. Petersburg, Florida, 2:25:58.
• Triathlon Half Ironman Distance (70.3), PR, 2013, Ironman Augusta 70.3, Augusta, Georgia, 5:27:04.
• Running 5K, PR, 2013, Fight for Air 5K, Tallahassee, Florida, 21:15.
• Running 10K, PR, 2013, Springtime Tallahassee, Tallahassee, Florida, 46:39.
• Running 15K, PR, 2013, Gate River Run USA 15K Championships, Jacksonville, Florida, 1:15:58.
• Running Half Marathon, PR, 2013, Mount Dora Half Marathon, Mt. Dora, Florida, 1:55:12.
• Running Full Marathon, PR, 2013, Tallahassee Marathon, Tallahassee, Florida, 4:33:29.
• Cycling Metric Century (~68 mi.), 2011, 2012, and 2013, Spaghetti 100,  Miccosukee, Florida.
• Cycling Century (100 mi.), 2013, Horrible Hundred Century, Clermont, Florida.

As important as my past accomplishments are to me, I am focused and very excited about the future!

Future:

• Gate River Run, USA 15K Championship, March 2014.
• Red Hills Triathlon (Sprint), April 2014.
• Gulf Coast Triathlon (70.3), May 2014.
• Ride for Hope Century Ride, June 2014.
• Army Strong Triathlon (Sprint), June 2014.
• Ironman Florida 140.6, November 2014.