Name: Walt Maxwell
Age: 50
Occupation: Dir. North American Operations for a Swiss Firm.
Years doing triathlon? 5
First Triathlon? A disaster – my first local Tri was the “Christmas in July” at Hagan Stone Park. This was the race that convinced me to reach out to Matt Clancy for proper coaching on my swim.
Your favorite triathlon? Beach to Battleship. Well organized and usually great weather. And relatively “flat.” Interested to see how this race evolves as IM has acquired the race for 2016.
Meal the night before race? Pasta, I still believe in carb-loading. No meat, salad and water. Call it “Old School.”
Pre-Race Meal? AM Bagel or Oatmeal and juice. I like to put something solid in the system and some extra carbs for a long day won’t go to waste.
Race Nutrition? The ‘Stinger’ products seem to do well for me. I like to alternate the gels and blocks during the swim and run and on the bike I work in the “Waffle” products for extra calories and to put something solid into my stomach. I believe these products are mostly organic and seem to do well with my digestive system.
Favorite motivational training song? Van Halen’s “Right Now”… that’s right… I am old.
Favorite mantra? I probably should adopt a mantra. Sometimes, I simply need to remind myself that I did the work; I belong here with the rest of these guys!
Key Workout? I like the bike/run “brick.” I try to work in bricks at varying distances throughout the season and increase the length and intensity as a race day approaches. My swim is not great (as many of you know me) so I use the bike and run to keep me in the race. Bricks help me reach my goals.
Best Triathlon training or racing tip? On set-up day, it is easy to start doubting yourself and/or comparing yourself to other athletes. But come race day, it is important to race within yourself; focusing on your strengths and staying with your own strategy. Unless you are an elite athlete, the day rarely goes as planned. So racing YOUR race becomes essential to making a successful day for yourself. And overall, don’t forget to smile, laugh at yourself and have fun. So much goes into your race; so many hours and sacrifices. We often forget to enjoy the face that we earned our way out there and need to celebrate the day!
Triathlon literature or other sources of information? It is easy to find resources with information on training, nutrition – all of it. In some cases, the information can be conflicting and very confusing. Given the potential for so many variations, we could be following advice which may not suit our potential or personal goals. In the end, I feel like professional coaching is the best way to help ourselves reach our goals. If we hand over a bit of control to someone who can objectively see us through our strengths and challenges, we may have the chance to face that which holds us back from reaching our true potential. And with proper coaching, we can set ourselves up for success we may not be able to achieve on our own.
Who inspires you? All of you! Our organization is evolving into one which reaches so many people with a wide range of talent and personal goals. It is “inclusive” and not an organization which only caters to the elite athlete. It is always motivating to watch our members train and race and achieve goals throughout the year. I am blessed to be a part of this organization where I have the opportunity to train with such a great group of athletes.
Future goal? For 2015, I reached my personal goal at the B2B Full. I wanted to complete a full-distance race by my 50th birthday and with the help of many of you, we were able to get there. Going forward, I would like to work toward some more full-distance races over the course of either the next few years and finish a race where I feel like I “gave it everything.”