Never did I think, in a million years, that I would voluntarily sign up for an event where I have to swim, cycle, and run all together, but here I am. I have spent more time in the last few months looking up gear, nutrition, and how to prevent chaffing in that one sensitive spot than I ever thought I would.

My name is Jason, a late-30s husband and father who decided to compete in a triathlon. From an athletic perspective my background is very “meh”. I played baseball when I was much, much younger (think 12 and under), and I was not very good at batting. I don’t think I actually ever hit a ball from a pitching machine more than once (I promise I have since improved and do enjoy visiting batting cages). I played tennis for my high school and then recreationally throughout college, then that is kinda it for a while. I have done the occasional 5k here and there, I’ll start a random exercise program for a few weeks before drifting off, but never really took anything serious.

This isn’t the first time I have wanted to do a triathlon, I started “training” for one back in my mid-twenties, I just was not very serious about it. This time around however, I have taken the training much more seriously. I’ll document my progress thus far in a separate post.

My first triathlon is this October and I’m currently registered for the sprint distance. I am more than confident in my ability to complete that distance so, based on how I feel the day of the race, I may upgrade to the Olympic distance. HOWEVER, my big goal is the IRONMAN 70.3 in Panama City, FL for May 2026. That is ultimately what I am training for.

So, please join me on my journey as I document my training for my first triathlon, the realization that I did not know how to properly swim freestyle, and confusion on how much and what I should be eating.