
Photo: Amanda Sloane/CNN
Every year, CNN assembles a group of “iReporters” to train for a key triathlon and hopefully make healthy lifestyle changes along the way. This year’s group was known as the “Lucky Seven” and took on the 2012 Nautica Malibu Triathlon on Sept. 16. Each day of the next week we’ll introduce you to a member of the team and tell you a little bit about what he/she learned along the way. Today we profile Jeff Dauler.
“I didn’t understand in the beginning, when the CNN folks were explaining how transformative this would be, but in every aspect of this triathlon, it’s contributed to me being a better person. I’m much more prioritized in deciding what’s important to me. I’m now confident in my mental ability to overcome. I no longer think, ‘This sucks. I can’t do this. This is awful.’ I have more of a mental strength or stubbornness knowing that I can finish anything.”
Memorable Racing Moments:
Training Trials:
“Because I wasn’t athletic at all before starting the triathlon journey, I was really starting from zero. So I had to do something every single day, whether it was in the pool, or strength training, or going on a [bike] ride. Time management was the most difficult part. I had to say no to a few people on a few things, which is something that’s difficult for me. I had to prioritize and say, ‘No, I can’t really do that because I’ve got to train.’ So the most difficult part was getting into a routine.”
Training Triumphs:
“The best part was the little moments when things just clicked. I remember being in the pool one day and kind of struggling. I was in a 50-meter pool and three or four lengths into it, about halfway through one of the lengths, all of a sudden it just clicked. It was so much more efficient. The same thing happened on the bike. One day on the bike I realized that when I heard a car coming up behind me, I wasn’t gripping the handlebars or holding my breath anymore. I was just doing it. And those were the moments of like, ‘Holy crap! I’m really doing this.'”
Personal Lessons:
Inspirations
Recent Race:
Next Year’s Challenge:
Advice for Triathlon Newbies:
“I often tell the story of the very first time I met with my coach. We met on this 5K trail near my house. We walked it, but at two points we ran, and I think I only ran for about four minutes. It was a quarter mile each time, and I was destroyed. I was winded, it sucked and I hated it. That was in January.
“In March, on Saint Patrick’s Day, I did my first 5K. In September, I did two triathlons. So the advice I give to anyone is just pick a day and start moving forward. A couple days later, move forward again, but move a little bit faster and a little bit longer. It happens quicker than you think it would.”
Want to be a member of the 2013 CNN Fit Nation team, or know someone who would be a good fit? Visit Cnn.com to learn how to be considered.
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