Dream Big Triathlon Coaching 

"My wife and I often joke about my tendency to cycle through “phases” when it comes to my hobbies. And I don’t enter these phases lightly. If you took a tour of the inside of our garage, you might get a better picture. You’d see the home-brewing and cheese-making equipment. You’d see musical instruments and other sound gear. You’d certainly see golf clubs and accessories. And yes, at this very moment, you’d also see 13 week-old chicks roaming around the “brooding corner”. The latter example may also show my impulsive side. When I do something, I’m all-in. And I’ve probably not thought it all the way through.

​

This is a pretty accurate description of my first triathlon. I was scouring the Internet for a local 5k – something that would motivate me to keep running a bit (the latest hobby that had run its course).  While searching, I discovered a local sprint triathlon. When I read the distances for each discipline I said aloud, “I could probably live through that!” And I did. I lived through it twice that summer. A few triathlon books were soon ordered, and I had a new hobby.

​

Triathlon is a little more difficult to go “all-in” than other hobbies. I loved reading and researching. The training was tough. I could feel my next great hobby calling me. Maybe something easier – that involved food? Somewhere in my research, I ordered the book “The Perfect Distance” The author claimed this “perfect distance” was the 70.3 triathlon. It sounded amazing. It sounded ambitious. If I was honest with myself – it was perhaps the most unrealistic goal I’d had in a while. It was too big of a dream. A 70.3 finish would necessitate more than a “triathlon phase”. It would take consistent training. It would take motivation. It would take accountability.

​

As it turns out, it took an experienced and gifted coach like Brant Bahler for me to accomplish my unrealistic triathlon goal. I completed the Grafman Middle Distance Triathlon on May 21, 2017 in Cambridgeshire, UK. There is absolutely no way I could have accomplished this without Brant. Though I spent the final month of training “across the pond”, Brant provided the daily communication and coaching that I needed to accomplish this goal. And while I can laugh at myself, and my tendency to move through new hobbies now and then, I also know something else about myself: I accomplished something that necessitated a sustained, long-term commitment. And that’s something about which I have reason to be proud. Thanks, Brant!

​

Now, what am I going to do with these 13 chickens?