Quick Bio
Height: 6' 0" Weight: 165
Home: Yardley, PA
Education: Bachelor of Science, Villanova University / MBA, Fordham University
Day Job: Management Consultant, Life Sciences/Pharmaceutical Industry
1st Triathlon: Brigantine (NJ), August 2011
Introduction to Triathlon
Growing up, my parents always encouraged me to try different sports. So, at an early age, I was playing baseball in the Spring, swimming at the local swim club in the Summer, soccer in the Fall, and basketball during the Winter. In high school I played on our freshmen basketball team, but was cut sophomore year trying to make the junior varsity team. It was definitely a humbling experience; however, I believe everything happens for a reason, and I knew I wanted to continue playing a sport in high school even if it was not going to be basketball. Since I would swim each summer at our local community pool, I decided to try swimming on our high school team. After three years of swimming on the high school team, I was able to walk onto the Villanova University swim team and enjoyed four competitive seasons, including being named team captain my senior year.
After graduating and starting my career with a global life sciences organization, I spent a couple of years working before enrolling in graduate school night classes at Fordham University. I was able to finish my MBA and then accepted a new management consulting analyst level position within the same company. With the travel schedule of this new position, I was unable to continue playing on our company basketball and softball teams. As a result, I found myself running and biking in the hotel gym during the week and outside at home on the weekends.
Without knowing too much about triathlon, I bought a used road bike advertised on Craigslist and entered my first race in Brigantine, NJ. My basic "race preparation" included doing a lot of reading and going to the New Jersey States event a couple weeks earlier strictly as a spectator to get a "feel" for the event and watch/learn how to do transitions. After my first race, I knew right then I was hooked on the sport. I have become very impressed with the type of people who participate as well as those who dedicate themselves to perform at the pro/elite level.
Triathlon vs. Society
Sports are a great conduit to learn valuable lessons and help us be successful in life. Discipline, hard work, perseverance are all attributes cultivated when we participate in sports. By developing these attributes on the fields of competition, we can translate what we have learned, experienced, and practiced into our daily lives. Taking the sport of triathlon as an example, athletes are pushed to develop and grow these positive attributes in order to achieve success. Without the proper preparation, triathletes will never experience the true satisfaction that is attained when athletes push themselves and complete a race at their full potential. Life’s most memorable moments are times when we push our own limits to achieve something great. That is what the sport of triathlon is all about!
Currently, we live in a society of instant gratification. Many individuals desire to attain various items without putting in the necessary preparation or work that is needed. What people do not realize is that without putting in the work, we do not truly appreciate the accomplishment if achieved. Triathlon is a sport of suffering. There comes a time in the race when each triathlete suffers and they must decide whether to push and continue to suffer or pull up and allow the suffering to ease. It’s when we decide to push on and continue to suffer that we grow. To accept the suffering, we develop strength. In turn, it is this strength that we can leverage to overcome obstacles we experience in our daily lives.
We are all individuals with unique talents. The gifts that have been bestowed upon us need to be cultivated. If we do not work to develop these gifts, a sense of regret is often felt. The path to developing our gifts is a reward. We can use these gifts in our daily lives not just in the sport of triathlon.
Lessons from Triathlon
I appreciate the sport of triathlon for what it teaches us. In order to compete in triathlons, you need to put in the time and effort that the sport requires. Hard work is a key to success in life, and triathlon is no exception. The amount of time and work needed to compete in triathlons can be exhaustive; however, the effort can be definitely worth the rewards.
Patience: One reward that triathlon can provide is obtaining a true appreciation of the virtue of patience. No triathlete has ever been made overnight; rather it takes time to develop the needed diverse skill set. I understand it will take hard work to be successful in this sport. Unfortunately, I found out the hard way just how much time it may require. I came to this understanding one summer after I developed an IT band injury after trying to increase my training mileage and intensity without giving my body the necessary time to recover. Coming back from this injury, I remind myself frequently to stay patient and committed to the long term plan when it comes to training for triathlons.
Humility: Triathlon can be a very humbling sport. If you become too high on yourself, the sport has a way to bring us back down to earth. Courses are very diverse in offering triathletes obstacles to deal with while racing (e.g., swim currents, hills, extreme temperatures, and inclement weather). Each race presents triathletes with unique challenges. If we are able to stay humble, we give ourselves a chance to learn from each race and identify how we accept and overcome those challenges.
Focus: Triathlon is a big commitment. It is a humbling sport that requires tremendous patience as we log our training time and miles. To stay the course in hopes of reaping the potential rewards, focus is paramount. Two items that I’ve learned to help me stay focused are:
1. Setting goals – having something to strive for makes the work seem less daunting. It reminds us that the work is necessary to achieve something worthwhile. I believe true happiness comes from pushing our minds and bodies exerting tremendous energy in the pursuit of something desirable. Happiness is something we make happen.
2. Singleness of purpose – having a goal in mind, we start looking at various aspects of our lives differently. We now view those items with lenses asking “will this benefit me in my pursuit of achieving the ultimate goal.” If the answer is no, that item loses its importance. Our priorities are finely tuned with a keen sense of singleness of purpose. Items that help us achieve our goals are pushed to the forefront and are given priority; the other items that may be a detriment to achieving our goals are pushed to the wayside
Website Purpose
Ultimately, I would like to use this website as a vehicle to give back to the triathlon community to help fellow triathletes cultivate their unique talents. By sharing the knowledge and experiences I have encountered in the sport, I hope to be able to help, motivate, and provide the opportunity to learn from my mistakes. True joy and satisfaction is achieved when we push ourselves to the limits. It is then can we live life to the fullest!
Height: 6' 0" Weight: 165
Home: Yardley, PA
Education: Bachelor of Science, Villanova University / MBA, Fordham University
Day Job: Management Consultant, Life Sciences/Pharmaceutical Industry
1st Triathlon: Brigantine (NJ), August 2011
Introduction to Triathlon
Growing up, my parents always encouraged me to try different sports. So, at an early age, I was playing baseball in the Spring, swimming at the local swim club in the Summer, soccer in the Fall, and basketball during the Winter. In high school I played on our freshmen basketball team, but was cut sophomore year trying to make the junior varsity team. It was definitely a humbling experience; however, I believe everything happens for a reason, and I knew I wanted to continue playing a sport in high school even if it was not going to be basketball. Since I would swim each summer at our local community pool, I decided to try swimming on our high school team. After three years of swimming on the high school team, I was able to walk onto the Villanova University swim team and enjoyed four competitive seasons, including being named team captain my senior year.
After graduating and starting my career with a global life sciences organization, I spent a couple of years working before enrolling in graduate school night classes at Fordham University. I was able to finish my MBA and then accepted a new management consulting analyst level position within the same company. With the travel schedule of this new position, I was unable to continue playing on our company basketball and softball teams. As a result, I found myself running and biking in the hotel gym during the week and outside at home on the weekends.
Without knowing too much about triathlon, I bought a used road bike advertised on Craigslist and entered my first race in Brigantine, NJ. My basic "race preparation" included doing a lot of reading and going to the New Jersey States event a couple weeks earlier strictly as a spectator to get a "feel" for the event and watch/learn how to do transitions. After my first race, I knew right then I was hooked on the sport. I have become very impressed with the type of people who participate as well as those who dedicate themselves to perform at the pro/elite level.
Triathlon vs. Society
Sports are a great conduit to learn valuable lessons and help us be successful in life. Discipline, hard work, perseverance are all attributes cultivated when we participate in sports. By developing these attributes on the fields of competition, we can translate what we have learned, experienced, and practiced into our daily lives. Taking the sport of triathlon as an example, athletes are pushed to develop and grow these positive attributes in order to achieve success. Without the proper preparation, triathletes will never experience the true satisfaction that is attained when athletes push themselves and complete a race at their full potential. Life’s most memorable moments are times when we push our own limits to achieve something great. That is what the sport of triathlon is all about!
Currently, we live in a society of instant gratification. Many individuals desire to attain various items without putting in the necessary preparation or work that is needed. What people do not realize is that without putting in the work, we do not truly appreciate the accomplishment if achieved. Triathlon is a sport of suffering. There comes a time in the race when each triathlete suffers and they must decide whether to push and continue to suffer or pull up and allow the suffering to ease. It’s when we decide to push on and continue to suffer that we grow. To accept the suffering, we develop strength. In turn, it is this strength that we can leverage to overcome obstacles we experience in our daily lives.
We are all individuals with unique talents. The gifts that have been bestowed upon us need to be cultivated. If we do not work to develop these gifts, a sense of regret is often felt. The path to developing our gifts is a reward. We can use these gifts in our daily lives not just in the sport of triathlon.
Lessons from Triathlon
I appreciate the sport of triathlon for what it teaches us. In order to compete in triathlons, you need to put in the time and effort that the sport requires. Hard work is a key to success in life, and triathlon is no exception. The amount of time and work needed to compete in triathlons can be exhaustive; however, the effort can be definitely worth the rewards.
Patience: One reward that triathlon can provide is obtaining a true appreciation of the virtue of patience. No triathlete has ever been made overnight; rather it takes time to develop the needed diverse skill set. I understand it will take hard work to be successful in this sport. Unfortunately, I found out the hard way just how much time it may require. I came to this understanding one summer after I developed an IT band injury after trying to increase my training mileage and intensity without giving my body the necessary time to recover. Coming back from this injury, I remind myself frequently to stay patient and committed to the long term plan when it comes to training for triathlons.
Humility: Triathlon can be a very humbling sport. If you become too high on yourself, the sport has a way to bring us back down to earth. Courses are very diverse in offering triathletes obstacles to deal with while racing (e.g., swim currents, hills, extreme temperatures, and inclement weather). Each race presents triathletes with unique challenges. If we are able to stay humble, we give ourselves a chance to learn from each race and identify how we accept and overcome those challenges.
Focus: Triathlon is a big commitment. It is a humbling sport that requires tremendous patience as we log our training time and miles. To stay the course in hopes of reaping the potential rewards, focus is paramount. Two items that I’ve learned to help me stay focused are:
1. Setting goals – having something to strive for makes the work seem less daunting. It reminds us that the work is necessary to achieve something worthwhile. I believe true happiness comes from pushing our minds and bodies exerting tremendous energy in the pursuit of something desirable. Happiness is something we make happen.
2. Singleness of purpose – having a goal in mind, we start looking at various aspects of our lives differently. We now view those items with lenses asking “will this benefit me in my pursuit of achieving the ultimate goal.” If the answer is no, that item loses its importance. Our priorities are finely tuned with a keen sense of singleness of purpose. Items that help us achieve our goals are pushed to the forefront and are given priority; the other items that may be a detriment to achieving our goals are pushed to the wayside
Website Purpose
Ultimately, I would like to use this website as a vehicle to give back to the triathlon community to help fellow triathletes cultivate their unique talents. By sharing the knowledge and experiences I have encountered in the sport, I hope to be able to help, motivate, and provide the opportunity to learn from my mistakes. True joy and satisfaction is achieved when we push ourselves to the limits. It is then can we live life to the fullest!