How it all started....

I really started running in early 2007. Our company sponsored a local 5k for St. Judes Children's hospital, and figured that we (Danielle and I) should participate in it........Before that time a mile run was quite an accomplishment! I worked my way up to about the 3 mile distance and before long the event day was here. I realized then what this 'running craze' was about! We had a blast. I ran the race while Danielle ran/walked/chased two of our daughters back and forth on the course (she probably covered about 5 miles) after that day I was hooked. I signed up for an 8k, then a 10k and started looking for other races. It was then I stumbled across a race listing for a local 'Sprint' triathlon.
I always thought triathlons were insanely long distance races called the Ironman and that only crazy people in Hawaii did them! But a 300m swim, 20k bike and 5k run sounded like a normal mortal could complete it. I thought "I used to swim as a kid, I can mountain bike and rode a 10 speed before, I know that I can finish a 5k so what the heck".... I signed up online that night. Well I headed to the pool the next day and quickly remembered how hard swimming was! I could barely make it one lap let alone 12! Not one to give up...I spent a lot of time in the pool, bought a road bike and kept up with my running and finally the big day arrived, my first triathlon! Of course Mother Nature didn't know that this was my big debut, so we had a tropical storm blow through that morning with cold wind and rain. It wasn't bad for the competitors (except at the start when standing inline for the pool swim) but my biggest fan (Danielle) was stuck there in the cold rain for hours! I made the 12 lengths of the pool, ran to my bike pedaled as fast as I could for 12 miles and then proceeded to head out on the run. It seemed like the longest 3.1 miles of my life as running after cycling is hard! But I made it and the minute I crossed that finish line I knew my life had changed. I was a triathlete and I was hooked!
After that first 'sprint' I raced an Xterra off-road triathlon, an open water swim sprint, a duathlon, a couple more sprint distance triathlons, a half marathon, and ended my first season with an Olympic distance triathlon, The Nation's Triathlon in Washington, DC.
This year I started with a half marathon, as well as some other early season running event. I am racing a handful of sprints distance triathlons, some off road with my big events being NYC Triathlon, Chicago Triathlon and The Nation's Triathlon all being Olympic distance races. (the standard Olympic distance is a 1500m swim, 40k bike and 10k run)
We are capping this year with the NYC Marathon and starting next spring with the California Ironman 70.3 half-iron race. (1.2mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run) I am amazed at what I have been able to accomplish at 44 years old. Some people buy sports cars, I bought a Triathlon bike :)
So who knows I might end up being one of those 'crazy people in Hawaii' someday. - Brad