A day in the life of football-player-turned-triathlete

“I don’t want to be an icon, I want to be an idea. You know, I want to represent an idea, I want to represent possibilities, I want to represent magic.” – Will Smith

This quote represents everything I have done in my life up to this point. I hate the traditional way of thinking. I love breaking the mold. I revel in being the different one in the group. And I hope to serve as an inspiration to others to show the possibilities that lay before them, as I believe limits are only created by our own fears and inhibitions.

As you could guess from the title, I have been a football player for the majority of my life; middle school, high school, college, semi-pro, and professional arena. That is a lot of training, hits, practices, and games (and probably concussions). It was the only way I knew how to get my competitive drive out of me. Countless Saturday nights were spent going to middle-of-nowhere towns to play under the lights, in front of a crowd of a few hundred, for little to no pay. I wouldn't change that for the world.

As I approached 30, though, I decided something had to give, and I started searching for an alternative outlet for my competitive spirit. What could I do? As odd as this seems, it was one night will playing Grand Theft Auto V that my inspiration came to me: Triathlon. As I was competing in triathlon in GTA V, I thought to myself, "I swam in high school, and I like running. Anyone can ride a bike, right? Maybe this is for me...". I then texted my dad, and asked if he could help me purchase a bike. I could pay him back monthly, and I just needed a starter bike to get me going. He obliged, and within a week I had my first bike; "The Goldster". Little did I know, that bike was going to change my life...

A month after the purchase of my bike, in May of 2016, my father suddenly passed away. He never saw me compete in a single triathlon. I was determined to do the best that I could in my first triathlon later that month, and that I did. I finished second in my age group in my first ever sprint triathlon. From there, I've forever been hooked.

I'll spare you the minute details, but long story short, as I sit here on December 19th, 2017, just 17 months after competing in my first triathlon, I am a member of the Team USA Triathlon Team. I've competed in the ITU World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands in September of 2017, and will be traveling to Gold Coast, Australia for the ITU World Championships in September of 2018.

"What the hell was the point of the quote at the beginning of this blog?" you're probably asking yourself by now.

The point is, I am a 5'7", 170 lb 31-year-old guy that didn't get into the sport until the age of 29. Looking at me, the last thing in the world you would think I am is a triathlete. And I love it.

When I started in the sport, my main fear was that in order to get better, I was going to have to lose a ton of weight. I mean, that's all that I read about on the internet and that's what conventional wisdom would tell you. I wanted to find someone that broke the mold; that wasn't some super skinny athlete that never lifted or had any kind of background beyond endurance sports. I couldn't find anyone. Even asking local runners/triathletes, I came across the same answer - "Oh, yea, you're definitely going to have to lose weight."

"Why?", I kept asking myself. And from that point on, I have set out to prove that you don't have to have the stereotypical physique that people associate with triathletes. That is the point of this blog. I will provide insight into my workouts, what I'm doing, and what I'm eating.

If I can inspire at least one person, then I'll have done what I've set out to do. I know that if I was looking for someone like me, then I know there will be others looking for the same.

Thank you for reading, stay engaged with me, ask questions, give feedback, and let's start a movement! #SwimBikeRunLift