Welcome to The Aging Athlete's Blog!

I'm an athlete.  I have been for the better part of my life.  Now don't get me wrong here, I'm not what you would consider an elite athlete...more like a weekend warrior.  I never competed at the college level...and it goes without saying that I was never a professional athlete.  For the past twenty-three years however, I have been a professional 'industrial athlete'.

"What in the world is an industrial athlete" you ask?  Well, there are numerous forms such as police officers, military personnel, etc...I am a professional firefighter.  Throughout the years however, I have also participated in a wide variety of competitive sports such as baseball, basketball, softball, golf, tennis, and others.  My current passion is mountain biking.

I compete in mountain bike races throughout the year, both endurance and short track.  My favorite?  Endurance events, such as twelve and twenty-four hour races.  I have competed many times as a member of a four man team, but my true passion is to compete in the solo category...where it's just me and the bike, riding nearly non-stop for 12-hours.  It's a sickness I think.

In 2011 I made the decision to race my mountain bike in the World Police and Fire Games.  I chronicled, in my blog Getting Race Ready, my nine month journey to prepare myself to compete against police officers and firefighters from around the world,.  The journey was long and arduous, and unfortunately did not have a story book ending.  I encourage you to check out my journey by clicking on the link above.

Aside from my career as a professional firefighter, I have been training elite level athletes for nearly fifteen years.  I have had the opportunity to work with some amazing young men and women, many of whom are fulfilling their dreams of competing at the college and professional levels.  It is truly an honor to be a part of the these athletes' lives, and watch them progress in their chosen sport.  I am thankful for those opportunities that I have been given over the years, but recently, I made the difficult decision to call it quits...no more training of young athletes for me.  I feel it is time to share my knowledge and passion for performance, with athletes my own age. 

I considered working one on one (just as I have with my young athletes) with the aging athlete population, but have decided to 'coach' via the online medium...blogging.  This blog will serve as my vehicle to share valuable information with others who, like me, have a passion for fitness and sports competition...men and women looking to improve their performance and reduce their potential for injury as they get older.

The tips and techniques, as well as information about nutrition and injury prevention that I share with my readers will be evidence-based, rather than just my opinion.  I give you fair warning however, there will be opinions shared on random topics...that's the reason we bloggers blog, isn't it?  I have years of practical experience training athletes, but I also possess advanced level education in the field of exercise science at both the undergraduate and graduate level.  The focus of my graduate work was human performance and injury prevention therefore, much of my effort centers on correcting faulty movement patterns that can predispose an athlete to injury...especially an aging athlete.

So...if you are an aging athlete like me, and are looking for some sound advice regarding training, nutrition, flexibility, movement...or just some random thoughts here and there, let's take a journey together into the world of the aging athlete.  I think you'll be happy you did!