Name: Alan Warren
Age: 63+
Occupation: Medical Technologist at Moses Cone Hospital
Years doing triathlon? 14. The nurse at our Anheuser Busch brewery introduced a bunch of us to triathlon and we all got hooked.
First Triathlon? Green Lakes Sprint Tri in Syracuse, NY. This was also my boss’s first triathlon so I wanted to do well (i.e. kick his butt). Throughout the race I knew he was behind me somewhere, and that motivated me to push hard for a third place AG finish (he finished ten minutes behind me, heh heh!)
Your favorite triathlon? Has gotta be my first Ironman (Florida) in 2007. Perfect weather, great course, phenomenal volunteers, awesome spectators and a decent time (13:07).
Meal the night before race? Whatever my wife, Beth, eats. We are usually racing together and she prefers pasta. Personally, I don’t care what I eat.
Pre-Race Meal? Coffee and a bagel with peanut butter.
Race Nutrition? Longer courses I’ll pack a PBJ sandwich and some fig bars. Short courses I just do gels and Gatorade or whatever is on the course.
Favorite motivational training song? “Smile on Your Face” by Smiling Strangers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7tgKJqhRHE
Favorite mantra? Can’t say I have a specific mantra. I’m usually pretty quiet, but during a race I can get pretty chatty on the run. I think that helps me forget any discomfort of the moment and irritates the competition.
Key Workout? Can’t say I have a key workout either. Since Beth and I are usually doing the same races, I am usually tagging along with her training plan (I just do what she tells me to do!)
Best Triathlon training or racing tip? Do your best and enjoy the race (I wanna see that smile on your face!)
Triathlon literature or other sources of information? Start to Finish Ironman Training 24 Weeks to an Endurance Triathlon by Paul Buddle and Roch Frey, and Laval magazine.
Who inspires you? My wife. While I subscribe to the minimalist approach to training… (my experience has taught me that too much training only ends in overuse injuries), Beth is dedicated to her training plans and is very disciplined, training almost every day. I have seen phenomenal improvements in her performance, and she keeps me motivated.
Future goal? I’m currently being treated for an Achilles issue, and hope to improve my run once it clears up. I’m also interested in doing more duathlons.