A:  Carl Regenauer, Saratoga Springs, NY

A:  46

A:  Electrical Engineer

A:  The addiction started in 2006. Twelve days after my first race, I finished my third one. They say the first step is to admit you have a problem...

A:  Since May, 2011.

A:  Montréal. It provides an opportunity to catch up with some friends and sample Québécois beers and baked goods. With respect to the race, the course is very consistent, flat, and fast so it has become a great benchmark for me each year at the end of the season.

A:  My Felt S22 Tri bike is comfortable, fast, and very good looking, I might add. A close second is my Garmin Forerunner 305, which has been part of a revolution in training for me, but on race day I only use it while running.

A:  Hiking the 46 Adirondack high peaks is definitely on the list. For me, it was a big experience in many ways: physically, socially, spiritually. I enjoy recalling some experience or image associated with each of the peaks. My biggest single athletic highlight of any kind was my recent participation in the 2011 USAT Age Group National Championships. It was the perfect time and place to have my fastest Olympic distance race ever.

A:  My major goal for this season was to finish in the top half of my age group at the national championships, which I did. I intend to do more off-season swim work because there is the most room for improvement in that discipline for me. Looking to 2012, I would like to get back to the nationals and see if I can claim one of the Team USA spots. Now I know where I stand with respect to that: I need to find another 5-8 minutes.

A:  It’s to continue to have fun. My wife, Melinda, catches me stressing over race details here and there and asks me, "Why are you doing this?" I answer, "To have fun," and life gets back in balance. I have to thank her frequently for the perspective and support.

A:  Walnuts, almonds, and chick peas. The walnuts and chick peas find their way into a lot of salads. Additionally, I eat about a cup of nuts, usually almonds or pecans, per day.

A:  Although I’ve had it for a while, I just recently used my iPod for the first time. I intend to fill it with music from the Beatles, U2, and Red Hot Chili Peppers for starters. I’m not likely to train with it often – I enjoy experiencing the sights, sounds, heat, cold, etc. when I’m outdoors.

A:  My preference is for Olympic distance triathlon. I do some sprints, but there is more satisfaction for me in racing for a couple of hours. I don’t have the patience to do the longer distances, but maybe I would try a longer race when I grow up.

A:  Once you think you’re ready, just get out there and do it, safely. It should be fun; you aren’t going to make a living competing in triathlon, are you? After each race, you’ll find a lot of things to work on. Join a club (the Saratoga Triathlon Club has been really good to me) and ask questions of everyone. Triathletes are a friendly bunch with very few secrets. You can’t even keep your age secret – on race day, you’ll let a complete stranger write it on your leg.

A:  Following Kevin Crossman’s transition instruction. I keep more notes on what to do before the race than during and more notes on the transitions than on the swim, bike, and run combined. Kevin will tell you that there is real time to be gained in the transitions: I was more than 2 minutes faster in transitions alone from 2010 to 2011 at the Fronhofer Tool Triathlon. In another race this year, I came out of the water 11th, got on the bike in 8th place, and moved to 7th before I got my feet in my bike shoes. The gains are real without even breaking a sweat if you work at it.

A:  I’ve learned so many good ones this summer, but my current favorite is a version of power intervals for speed development on the bike. Kevin has me do as many ½ mile increments as I can with 1 minute of rest in between until I can’t maintain a 25 mph average through an interval.

A:  In triathlon, it’s easy for a newcomer to be intimidated by all the expensive bikes, but that would be like looking at someone’s muscle car and being intimidated by the drive shaft and differential. The engine is what really matters, right? With Kevin’s coaching, you work on the engine. This year, I had more enjoyable workouts and race results beyond what I thought I could achieve. The gains were far more than what I could have achieved at the bike shop.