Athlete Spotlight
Mike Callahan
Why did you choose BASE Tri Fitness as your training program provider: I reached out to a few coaches in the area and I liked the quick feedback and willingness to answer any of my questions. Every question Lauren answered made sense and I felt completely comfortable having her guide me. I never told her this, but after I chose her as my coach, I had another fellow triathlete tell me that I needed to find a male coach since I was a guy and they would understand me better. I politely ignored his advice and am so glad I did!
What has been the most challenging part of your training so far: Two things for me 1) Learning to swim! I suck swimming! In fact, last December I couldn’t swim with my head in the water. A lot of pool time and a few lessons, and I can at least not damage myself too badly 2) Time management – beside my full time job managing a chemotherapy unit, I was finishing up another academic degree, doing a weekly radio show and coached my son’s baseball team. Balancing everything was a bit of a trick.
What has been the most enjoyable part of your training: Learning to swim at a mediocre level. My first 2 mile swim took me 1:30 minutes, one month later I shaved 15 minutes off the swim. That was still something that I am excited about.
What is your favorite music to train to: I usually don’t train with music during the season, but during the off-season I have a variety of music on my ipod that I train with. Anything from Elvis to Pantera.
Favorite workout: Run workouts. It was a little painful for me earlier in the season when I had a knee injury that literally kept me from running for months.
If you could tell other athletes one thing you have learned so far in your training what would it be? I think it would be to be honest with yourself and your coach and be patient. I injured my knee right at the beginning of the training cycle and tried to rush back in several times only to re-injure myself. You truly have to know your limitations. The older I get the truer I find that statement to be but also the hardest to practice.
Any embarrassing moments or stories? I think we all have a bathroom story. I was actually doing the dreaded 90-90-90 and found myself a couple of miles from home and horrible abdominal cramping that would not let me make it home. Fortunately I was near a friends house but when I arrived I found that he was not at home. Remembering that he leaves his door unlocked, I let myself in to use his bathroom. Finding relief, I was coming out of the bathroom when he came in his door. Here I was sweating, pulling up my jogging pants and explaining to my friend why I was in his house. We both had a good laugh, but later he called me and I could tell he was a little irritated with me…I clogged up his toilet and someone didn’t own a plunger.
What is your equipment line up: Specialized Allez, Some type of wetsuit, a pair of Mizuno running shoes and a garmin. The more I find out about this sport, the more I realize there are all kinds of cool gadgets.
