Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/842361
JULY / AUGUST 2017 35 including trimming nearly 16 minutes from his bike time. e effort qualified him for the world championships in Australia. Erik and his wife, Kate, a pediatric endocrinol- ogist at Seattle Children's, and their two daughters, ages 6 and 10, made a family trip of it, and Erik raced in the world championships on September 4, 2016, on Aus- tralia's Sunshine Coast. "at was a highlight of the year," he says. "Certainly from a racing standpoint, but more important, it was an amazing family trip." Erik generally aims for 12 to 16 hours of tri training weekly—averaging around three swims, four bike workouts (sometimes on a stationary trainer), and three runs—from spring through fall. He admittedly geeks out on the science of training methods and endurance-race nutrition. "I enjoy watching my progression based on scientific parameters," he says. "I'm fairly organized about what kind of workouts I do when, and about having a solid nutrition plan during longer races." His intent is that all that training and study will contin- ue to shed time, particularly at the half-Ironman distance. "I'm hoping to break four and a half hours," he says. "at would be a near perfect race for me. Even if I don't reach that goal, I know I will have a blast pursuing it." To put that goal in perspec- tive, four and a half hours would have been the fastest American time for a 45- to 49-year-old man at last year's world championships. is year, Erik raced in Victoria in early June and again at Sun River later that month. He's also considering 70.3 races in California and Maine and plans to finish the season with a full Ironman in Octo- ber or November. "I think triathlon kind of just takes you where you want to go," he says. "It's almost self-fulfilling. If you enjoy it, it carries you." —Darrick Meneken is Managing Editor of WAC Magazine. • Pool swims: 6–7 am on Tuesdays and Thursdays; 6th Floor pool • Open-water swims: 6 am on Fridays; Madison Park Beach • After-work bike rides: 6 pm on Thursdays; start in front of the WAC Contact the Tri/Cycle Club at tricycleclub@wac.net. For information about Tuesday night track workouts with coach Julie Vieselmeyer, contact TriCoachJulie@gmail.com. Tri/Cycle Club summer workouts