All Aboard

Along with my "big jump" to the world of professional racing comes a lot of responsibility and extra work. By "work," I don't just mean the physical kind (though that is definitely a BIG part of it), but also all the little things that must be done. Things like eating right, stretching, resting, taking care of equipment, administrative work and yes- MORE TRAINING. All of these things take time and time is money. Athletes typically have more time than they do money and this is were I believe sponsors come in. In exchange for the use of their product to help the athlete perform better and more cost efficiently, the athlete is giving the sponsor product exposure and the use of his time. With that in mind I have beenable to bring aboard a couple small sponsors for the 2012 season. These are company's that I have used before, researched and believe in. I am proud of the brands I get to represent this year and am grateful for the support they are giving me. Below is a quick highlight of the three companies I have so far

Fluid will be helping me with my nutrition for this year. They have 2 great performance and recovery products. I spent a lot of time researching different nutrition companies because I wanted to be confident in what I was putting in my body. One of the biggest things I like is that their recovery drink is lactose free but does not include soy. They use whey protein isolate which does not contain lactose. My wife is extremely lactose intolerant and I avoid it as much as possible because it improves my allergies and congestion when I don't consume dairy. It is hard to find any recovery product that doesn't have some dairy in it and we are a 99% dairy free household and I'm excited that Fluid will fit right in! There drinks taste great but aren't too sweet and don't leave that syrupy gunk in your mouth. I'm really looking forward to using a product I like and that works this year for my training and recovery!

Who doesn't love crazy cycling socks? Well I certainly do and have since I started in this sport! That's why I am super excited to be working with SockGuy this year and can't wait to model some of their awesome designs! Putting in all those lonely miles on the road I'm always looking for ways to make things interesting and a pair of crazy socks are the perfect way to make things funky! Hopefully those trying to hold my wheel will be so distracted looking at my socks they can't concentrate and get dropped. SockGuy doesn't sacrifice quality either. These socks are comfy and don't wear out.

Ok so feet are definitely important when you use them to train all day. I've got some good socks on my feet now and I'm really, really happy to be able to back that up with some good arch support in the form of Superfeet. A big thanks to Robbie Wade for helping out our team, IconeOne Multisport, with these so we can all wear them. I've been using Superfeet for about 4 years now and they really make a difference in helping my stride mechanics and preventing me from getting injured. I'm a "neutral" runner and previously thought this meant that all I needed was a non-supportive, cushioned shoe. That's simply not true. I get re-occurring shinsplint problems and my feet get a lot more sore and tight without the use of Superfeet. Not only that but I can tell my power transfer is much better on the bike with them and when running they help my foot roll more quickly across the arch and into my toe off.

Of course my coach and team IconOne Multisport is backing me again this year. I am where I am today because of my coach, Shelly. She gives me all the hard workouts that suck so much and make me so much faster.

So that's the line up for this year so far. I'm very grateful for these opportunities I have and am proud to represent these brands. I still need a lot of help with clothing, shoes, helmet, sunglasses, wheels, race entries, plane tickets and hotels so if you or anyone you know is interested in working with me please feel free to contact me at- thetrilife@gmail.com

The Big Jump

2011 saw a lot of changes for and I made a lot of improvement. I never had a really, really big breakthrough race like I was hoping for but I had some solid, consistent performances. I never had a really bad race and I never had one that was really good. But that was my goal for the year- to race consistently. And I did that, all my Olympic distance races were within about 3min of each other. I was in really good form late in the season and eager to throw down a very quick race at the Toyota US Open but a flat tire derailed that attempt. Nonetheless, it was a good year and one that leaves me even hungrier for this year.

All that being said, in May last year at the Capitol of Texas Triathlon I placed 3rd overall amateur which qualified me to take my pro card should I choose to do so. Last year was too early and I chose to stay amateur for the rest of the year. However, after much reflection and talking with my coach I have decided to make the big jump and turn pro in 2012. A lot of people wait until they achieve a top 5 at Collegiate or Age Group Nationals and I haven't done that but I feel that, for me, what is going to motivate me to keep working hard is to make that jump. I learned a lot last year about training, consistency and just putting in the work. Moving to San Antonio last May has enabled me to work with my coach, Shelly O'Brien, full-time and that has helped me immensely.

I know that this year I will be at the complete bottom of the totem pole but... who cares? If I'm getting faster (and my goal is to get faster) then there is nothing like throwing yourself to the wolves and trying to survive. I'm the fittest I've ever been this time of year and immensely excited. Being a professional triathlete is something I've dreamed of for many years and now I finally am one! I'm not making any money yet and sponsors certainly aren't knocking at my door but I'll start at the bottom and work my way up. The way I see it is- I'm almost 23, I have a good 15-20 years of racing in front of me and if I can continue to improve that whole time who knows where I'll be at age 40? There's no time like the present so I'm going to take the opportunities I have and give it my best effort!