I was not much of an athlete growing up. I was short, slow and had poor hand-eye coordination. I was the kid picked last for any team. However, as I got older, I discovered that I had pretty good endurance and started participating in long distance running races. Running helped me stay healthy and fit. However, as I aged, my legs could not take all the training and I shifted my focus to cross-training and triathlons. I found that triathlons attract people living exciting lives with passion and purpose and I adopted their lifestyle.
I also realized that not being able to run short distances fast, being small in stature, and lacking any hand-eye coordination was not a disadvantage for long distance triathlons. So, I was surprised when the little voice in my head stopped telling me I was a bad athlete and I started to do well in the races I entered. My success motivated me to continue training and keep physically fit.
The real benefit is that now I am one of those lucky ones fighting off the aging process and living an exciting life with passion and purpose. And the best part is that I can still ski in fresh powder through the trees with my two boys in their thirties. What a blessing for a guy who is 71 years old.
Mike Wien
Octagon Elite Team Member
