January 9, 2012

Going Pro

In the triathlon world there’s a big difference between “being Pro” and “going Pro”. The last two years I have been racing as a pro, but not living and training like one. I have been coaching swimming full time to help fund my career as a triathlete, but having to spend entire weekends at meets, develop relationships with swimmers and parents, and spend hours writing a workout program and responding to emails left me training on fumes. I finally decided that it was time to go 100% into triathlon and truly “go Pro”. Leaving a steady income for an unusual occupation is a scary choice; but having big goals, leads to big sacrifices, to gain big achievements!

Making absolutely no money is a tough position to put oneself in,  because as of right now I’m not on any salary so the only income I am getting is from racing well. I hope to have a couple good results early in the year to get funding from the USAT national team, but until then I am just going to put on a big smile and pretend that my training is earning me a grand a day.

Having the support of my girlfriend (who also doubles as my best friend), my family, my training partners, my friends, all my amazing sponsors, and the local community is what encourages me to push to the next level. Hopefully with my new found focus and this strong support crew I will prove myself worthy of making a living as a triathlete.

Thanks for following me into this unknown territory! I will report back when I have a million dollars, or another meaningful update, whichever comes first.