UrbanUpdate

"Cycling is my strength. I ride 300 to 400 miles a week, with an occasional 600-miler. I like to gauge my fitness level on the Henshaw loop—a route that's synonymous with triathletes in San Diego, where I live. It's almost a replica of the Ironman world championship course in Kona, Hawaii, with similar climbs and descents. Generally, I run between 35 and 50 miles a week. Anything over that is beyond what I think is necessary. It's basic injury protection.

"For swimming, I do my own workouts two or three days a week and meet up with a squad at the Encinitas YMCA pool twice or three times weekly, too, usually at 6 A.M. We'll cover between 4,000 and 5,000 yards. I don't tend to swim in the ocean because sharks are always in the back of my mind, but I do like to swim in the lakes in Oregon. My partner, Beth, is also an Ironman; she and I and now our baby girl, Wynne, do an annual pilgrimage to Oregon for a few weeks every summer for dedicated training—no distractions. Southern California gets inundated with tourists, and Oregon gives us more space.

"I do two key sessions—bike, swim, or run—per day and supplement in strength, so I'm typically doing three workouts. I use a TRX at home and go to a gym called Rehab United twice a week to meet up with other triathletes for an hour of plyometric work, lunges, core work, that sort of thing. When training gets tough, it helps to have a group. Then I try to go to Bikram yoga once a week; it's great for adapting to heat, which is important going into a race like Kona.

"I like to wake up early—5 A.M. Coffee is very important on the way to the pool; it jump-starts the engine. I'll have three or four cups a day. I guess I drink too much coffee. After swimming, I have eggs scrambled with a concoction of peppers, onions, a little sprinkling of cheese, tomatoes. I'll also have some gluten-free granola, maybe some raspberries. I'm not celiac, but I've found that gluten aggravates my system. I know it's a fad, but I honestly feel better being gluten-free.

"I love a good steak. My favorite is rib eye, medium-rare. And I like to have a glass of red wine with dinner. Even the night before a race, I have wine. It helps me relax. Race day is a long day; the key is to focus on the immediate—like my cadence on the bike. If you do that, it's surprising how quickly the time goes.

"I really love being by the ocean and surfing in my downtime. Sometimes I'll paddle out for 30 minutes at the end of the day when I need that release. Whatever happens, we'll stay in Kona for almost a week after the race. It feels like back home, in Queensland. I'll play a round of golf and surf in the nice, warm water."

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