Over the past eleven years I have had the honor of training and competing in thirteen Ironman races as well as  several dozen half Ironman distance races or 70.3 races (an Ironman race travels 140.6 miles so half is 70.3) and another dozen or so Olympic distance races. During this time I have learned many life altering lessons that have helped me as a husband, father and friend.

So, take a look around. Even if you have no intention of getting off the couch there still might be something here that can inspire you, motivate you and hopefully help you across the finish line of this

It’s been nearly two weeks since I found myself having a brutal conversation with myself. It was one of those rambling, self-loathing, silent types you can have while smiling at others as they walk by. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon, it was 95 degrees and I had already swam 2.4 miles, ridden my bike 112 miles and ran 18 miles with another 8.2 to go.

On May 7th I was competing in Ironman St. George, arguably the most difficult Ironman course in the world. I’ve been a competitive Ironman triathlete for years and I was having one of the worst races of my career. At mile 18 of the marathon my legs began to have some very severe pain that I’ve not experienced before. Unable to continue my

As a triathlete, I've learned one of the great lessons in life is... It takes less knowledge accomplishing a thing then it takes doing that thing! I know a lot of folks who talk about things but that seems to be all they do... talk about them. Then I know people who do things but don't talk about them... at all. Of course those are two opposite extremes and most people I know lie somewhere in the middle. So, where are you?

What keeps people from talking rather than doing? I believe many people who talk the talk actually talk it quite well. In fact, they are some of the best talkers on the topic they're talking about. Some are intent to be just talkers... college professors for example. Some are just hobbyists... baseball fans who know an entire team's batting averages is another

The off-season allows dedicated endurance athletes a chance to get a break from the weekly grind of training. It provides time for the body to recover from nagging injuries caused by over use and provides the mind a chance to erase the grooves etched in the soul from daily routines washing away fatigue and

When a friend of mine told me she knew an Ironman triathlete who was dying of cancer and asked if I could drop by his house to pray for him, I didn’t hesitate. I called Tom’s house, spoke with his wife, Carol, and dropped by that afternoon. When Carol walked me back to the bedroom I noticed a framed plaque — a photo of Tom on his bike smiling — and, next to it, his Ironman race medal.  But when I walked into the bedroom I found a small, frail, drugged and propped up man in a T-shirt and baseball cap.

We chatted casually, about the weather, the church I

Prostate Cancer is considered one of those "Silent Killers" because symptoms are often undetectable. Add to that, it's a disease among men who are less prone to go to the doctor and more likely to "man up" to the pain. Men tend to ignore personal warning signs while running to the alarm of everyone else's trouble. This is truly unfortunate when it comes to

This reminded me awhile back when I headed out for a late afternoon ride. As I pedaled down the Monterey corridor the wind was stiff and giving me a nice little push from behind. While keeping a steady pace at about 28mph and relatively low heart rate, I suddenly felt a sharp burning sensation on the inside of my right

Now that the season is officially over (at least for me) I have declared a season of rest. This means a break from training and opportunities to eat fast food and sit on the couch... well, not quite but I'll not worry about those early morning swim sessions as much nor will I be anxious to get home and pull on those shoes for a 90 minute run before dinner! Regardless of how I look at it one thing is certain; a break from training means simply that... a break. Training is necessary and should be a constant discipline of a successful triathlete. The same is true for success of any kind in any field.

Let me state the obvious as it relates to us on a personal level: The very word "training" sounds hard. Training comes in all kinds of means and methods. For a musician training

It's the same thing that gets us up in the morning. It's a doubt, perhaps fear, within one's mind of personal limits. It's a destination never been. It's an accomplishment to impress others if asked. It's a disruption of the mundane routine of life... it's not the start of the race but rather the finish for which we strive.

But what if the finish has become too common or mundane itself? What gets us across the line?

I have competed in triathlon now for

When we arrived on the Big Island I noticed immediately the tell signs that the race which, defines all other races had unofficially started. The Queen K already had streams of cyclists