July 2017 Athlete Spotlight

Name: Robinson Howell
Age: 58
City/State:  Mercer Island, Wa
Primary sport: Running & Bicycling
How many years in the sport: 3rd Year of Multi-sports racing. 38 years of running.

What Zeren PT and Performance services have you used? Duathlon Coaching

Describe your athletic background and how you discovered your current sport? Despite coming from a family of tennis players, growing up I was always attracted to running.  During my junior year abroad in France I was bicycle commuting to school and read about a marathon that was to be held in the local town. So I had a month to train and I even persuaded my host family father to run the 10km using “Jogging” the french translation of Jim Fixx’s “Complete Book of Running” for training and nutritional tips. After finishing the marathon in just over 3 hours I was hooked and have run 24 marathons and over 50 half marathons since 1979. After I turned forty I started bicycling with my teenage son doing organized but non-competitive rides like RAMROD and STP. Three years ago I entered a couple of duathlons and enjoyed the challenge of incorporating two different sports into one training routine.

What keeps you training and racing in your current sport?  Multi-sport training affords balance to avoid over training in either element but still keep a fairly competitive level. I also still enjoy competing despite the challenges of logistics and learning curve of transitions and equipment considerations.

What are your go to Zeren PT exercise videos? Vimeo and Youtube

Do you have kids? How does having kids affect your training? How do you balance it all? I have two children (31 and 26) and two grandchildren (2 1/2 and 6 months) who are currently living with us while their new home is being renovated.

How does having kids affect your training? You sometimes get strange looks when you say you’re going to do a double workout bike-run brick.

What tips and tricks do you have for other athletes who struggle to balance training with family?
Socialize the workout schedule in terms of scheduling and nutrition and be flexible in fitting a workout or race in the calendar. When my children were very young I would run at lunch time at work, bike commute to work and do my long runs very early in the morning.

How do you balance your training with your partner? Any tips or tricks for keeping your partner happy while you train to reach your personal goals?  Socialize the upcoming calendar and try to fit in some fun race locations.  And support their activities as they support yours!

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What are your top tips for athletes, as it relates to staying happy, healthy and performing well? Consistency is the key and not over doing the time away training.  In the summer it is easy to get your workout in before breakfast and it also helps with race day preparedness.

How would you define athletic success as it relates to your personal journey? Having worked in various I.T. jobs for thirty years I found that training has helped me reduce stress levels and manage my time better. And I know that it has been good from the perspective of being a good role model for my children.

What's your favorite post-race meal, drink or food? Roast Chicken with roast potatoes and a glass of Zinfandel or Malbec.

What key races do you have planned in 2017?  Duathlon Age Group Nationals in Bend (ended up finishing 6th...on a road bike).  Seafair and Columbia Tri Festival.

What are your athletic goals for the next 5 years? I’d like to compete in Duathlon Age Group Nationals and qualify for a World Championship event.  Also I’ve run a marathon every decade so that’s on my list when I turn 60 in 2019.  Hopefully I can stay under 3 hours.

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