I’m pleased to announce that I will begin a new blog series, Inside the Tri-Mind, devoted to exploring the psychology of triathlon. You may ask: why triathlon and why now? A little backstory.

I don’t usually mix my professional and personal lives on my blog or social media. But I’m making an exception here because each bleeds into the other. I take great pride in my athletic accomplishments, from my international ski racing career as a youth, to my 2nd degree black belt in karate, to my sub-3-hour marathons, and culminating in two Ironman finishes. I also believe that my athletic experience helps me in my professional life as well. It gives me credibility with the athletes and coaches I work with because they know I’ve “been there” and know what it’s like. I can better understand their challenges (while being careful not to project myself in their sports lives). And I’m able to actually train with the athletes I work with in a number of sports in which I have some proficiency, which gives me an entirely different and powerful way of connecting to and helping them.

As some of you may know, I was a pretty serious triathlete 2002-2008 after transitioning out of marathon running. During that period, I also got married (I met my wife through triathlon!), had two children, and, as I turned my focus to my family life, my competitive life slowly faded away. To be honest, I simply lost my competitive mojo. I stayed active through the years, of course, continuing to bike and run, as well as alpine and Nordic ski during the winter. I always had the idea of returning to triathlon at some point, but never felt the urge…until last summer.

All of a sudden, my tri-mojo was coursing through my veins again. So, I pulled my old tri-bike out of storage and began training. To my surprise and satisfaction, I had two victories, as well as 3rd and 4th place finishes in my age group in my four Olympic-distance races in 2019. I also earned a USA Triathlon national ranking and an invitation to the National Age-Group Championships this summer. I spent the winter training really hard, with a special emphasis on improving my swimming and biking (both real liabilities) and bought a rocket of a new tri-bike (I bought the frameset, sourced the parts myself, and had it built locally, so it wasn’t nearly that expensive!). I began my 2020 race season with a gratifying 2nd place finish at a sprint-distance race in early March (pre-COVID), just behind the #6 USAT-ranked triathlete in my age group. Then, of course, COVID struck, derailing my race season (though I have a race this Sunday and several more that appear to have received state approval to be held). I used this “down time” to continue to train intensely (including far too much time in the very cold water of San Francisco Bay because all the pools were closed).

Now returning to my professional life, a few months ago, I was interviewed for an article on triathlete.com (they also publish VeloNews , Podium Runner, Women’s Running, and Climbing) and was invited to become a twice-monthly columnist writing about the psychology of triathlon and endurance sports in general. Alongside my column, I will be posting my Inside the Tri-Mind here on my blog and on my social media. I welcome topic ideas that, as a triathlete or endurance sport athlete, might interest you.

If you are a triathlete, cyclist, or runner, I encourage you to sign up to become an “Active Pass” member at triathlete.com. For just $99/year, you get a ton of great triathlon, running, and general endurance sports information that includes race reports, gear reviews, training ideas, nutrition recommendations that will inspire, educate, and entertain you.

So, be on the lookout for my Inside the Tri-Mind series beginning Monday.