As a result of a passion for food, I spent a year training to be a Chef after I graduated from college with the dream of opening my own restaurant. It was a year well-spent, and while I didn’t open my own restaurant, my passion for food and cooking remains. My family has never complained about my decision to undertake that training as they sat down at the dinner table throughout the years.
While somewhat athletic in my early years, I found a passion beyond eating – or perhaps a way to ensure I could eat more – after giving birth to my son in discovering that I loved running. I began to run a little while pushing my son in a jogging stroller around the block. It was a painful experience early on. Once I started, however, I felt a little like Forrest Gump and couldn’t stop. I set a goal for a 5k, then a 10k, then a half-marathon which led to a full marathon. All of this led to the goal of running faster, and eventually led me to enter the world of triathlons in the last 10 years. These last years have had me competing in sprint, olympic, and half-ironman distance races. I did attempt an Ironman, but had breathing issues as a result of heavy winds and dust along the 112 mile cycling leg and had to pull out of the race before starting the run.
Today, I continue to challenge myself with the three triathlon disciplines – but have also added strength training to my fitness portfolio. I am currently training for the most physically and mentally challenging experience I’ve attempted with a 3800-mile, 48 day bike ride across the northern United States starting in Portland, Oregon and ending in Portland, Maine. Current training and preparation updates can be found at justalittledab.com.
The preparation for this undertaking has me spending a significant amount of time on my bike in addition to running, swimming, and also strength training. The cycling and running has provided me with ample time to listen to audiobooks and podcasts with a focus on non-fiction business or development books and the same theme in audiobooks. I have been tracking both here.
Finally, I love to travel and capture the experience in photographs. The images throughout this site are my own and are reflections of what has moved or struck me during these adventures.