A rambunctious kid who needed to get his energy out, I always needed a physical outlet. Growing up this meant biking in the neighborhood with friends, playing in our backyards, and doing any sport my mother signed me up for that month. I turned out to be a jack of all trades when it came to sports. My brother, sister, and I did traditional sports like baseball, soccer, swimming, skiing, street hockey, mountain biking, volleyball and basketball.
Never good enough at any of these activities to warrant focusing, but always enjoying the physical outlet they provided.
In college I found the club sport of rugby. From an athletics standpoint college is interesting. The “real” athletes have specialized and focused their efforts into high level sports. My rugby years were some of the best athletic years of my life. Unfortunately, however, a sport like rugby has some drawbacks when you enter the working world. There’s something unprofessional about black eyes in meetings that makes you rethink your athletic pastime…..So what’s next?
Rock climbing was the perfect balance of a physical and mental challenge. I could train on my own time and fit in climbing trips on the weekends. I spent years with climbing being my primary physical outlet. During this time I met my wife and then, like many, we began thinking about starting a family.
Deciding to give triathlon a try:
Climbing declined swiftly. Now what? Throughout the various sports I participated in I continuously came back to biking and running. I’m not sure why, but it’s likely because it was the only other way I knew how to get in shape (I was never any good in the gym). I had participated in a relay triathlon years before and thought about how impressive it was that some people could do all three disciplines back to back to back! I thought I would give it a try myself. At the time Rev 3 ran a 70.3 race in Connecticut they affectionately nicknamed “The Beast of the East”.
Training thoughts:
No training background, no guidance, and no clue what I was doing. This was a good idea…
“More is better” was my training philosophy back then. I swam, biked, and ran as hard as I could as often as I could. “Go till you blow” was basically my motto. Often needing to take days off in between training days. Needless to say this was not a sustainable way to prepare for a race.
My first race:
Despite the unsustainable training I made it to the start line. I thought I knew how to approach a 70.3 distance race. I was wrong. I swam and biked as hard as I could and my legs cramped on the run. I made it to the finish line, but it was slow going. Never the less, I caught the bug…… To have a bit of fun at my expense, do you know what I brought for nutrition during my first triathlon? If you guessed a peanut butter sandwich and a bag of cooked pasta you would be correct!!!
Public Service Announcement To All Athletes: Do not bring a bag of cooked pasta in your pocket during a triathlon!
Despite my inexperience, I was proud to have finished the race. Endurance sports fit well with my family life and provided the physical outlet I needed.
The big lesson I learned after my first triathlon:
The big lesson I learned was that endurance sports are a puzzle. I was originally drawn in by their physical nature and I’m now hooked on the metal challenge of trying to execute my best race. The distances are irrelevant. I’ve completed races from 5k to Ironman to ultramarathons. I feel the same way about all of them…….. I think I can do better.
Evolution:
Do I cringe when I look back at my original approach to endurance sports??? You bet I do, but I don’t regret any of it. Finding your way is key part of every athletes journey. My training approach now with myself and with our athletes is one of sustainability and consistency. “Live to fight another day” is a key motto and philosophical core value to how we structure athletes training to get them to the start line as physically fit and mentally ready to go as possible. Training must be in balance with the rest of your life if you’re going to be successful.
Now, after this many years, I find that I get the most satisfaction out of developing relationships with our athletes and helping them find that balance. Yes, writing training plans is fun, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. What I find is more important is to be “there” for our athletes along their journey. How do we rearrange training when life gets in the way? How do we approach outside stress? How do we keep an athlete accountable? At the core of these questions is simply…How do we help athletes be the best they can be?? The endurance sports puzzle continues……
-Coach Joe Gregoire