Proximity, Parrots, and Pop-Tarts

A Group Ride, a Dose of Humility, and the Power of Community

In August 2022, I moved from Philly to Denver to make triathlon a bigger part of my life. Every weekend, I commuted from the city to train in the foothills of the Rockies. A year later, I relocated to Boulder to fully immerse myself in my ideal environment. In November 2023, I competed in my first full distance triathlon, Ironman Arizona, finishing 6th in my age group (AG) in 9:32.

Just weeks after Arizona, I registered for Ironman Texas with the sole goal of qualifying for Kona. In March 2024, I left my job at JPMorgan to prioritize swimming, biking, and running. In April 2024, I raced IM TX, finished 7th in my AG with a PR of 9:08, and punched my ticket to world champs on the Big Island in October, realizing a lifelong dream of qualifying for Kona.

But even after moving to Boulder and racing Kona last fall, something was missing.

Triathlon, like most endurance sports, can be lonely, solitary endeavors. We swim, bike, and run like it’s our job, often spending many of those hours alone—wanting to keep our heart rates at exactly 140 bpm or nail our intervals at precisely 300 watts.

When we can spend time with others, we’re tired from training and would rather stay home and curl up with a book or healthy meal than go out and engage in social pleasantries when we’re exhausted and have a long run in the morning.

Like most men, I’ve operated as a lone wolf, valuing self-reliance and independence. After realizing the flaws in that mentality, I’ve put myself in therapy and men’s groups for emotional support; however, I’ve been reluctant to adopt a similar approach with training—believing retreating to the mountains and avoiding other humans is going to boost my Whoop recovery score, functional threshold power, and red blood cell production.

While there may be some monks who have achieved enlightenment by isolating themselves to meditate in a cave for a dozen years, it’s not my path. Humans are social creatures and, as you probably learned in your first week of Psych 101, love and belonging are a basic need of our species.

While my pelvic stress fracture healed just weeks after Kona, I’m still dealing with stubborn soft tissue damage. In addition to climbing Colorado 14ers this winter, I’ve been riding consistently since December and recently started my return to running. That internal fire is building again, especially after Ironman announced the World Championship will be going back to Kona in 2026. As the flowers are blooming with the arrival of spring, my body, too, begins to come alive.

Pleased with my current level of fitness, I decided to join Parrot Endurance—a racing team here in Boulder—for group rides the past two weekends.

Co-founded by Matt Guenter, a fellow Pennsylvania native, whom I met after 2022 70.3 Blue Ridge, which he won, the group is a collection of like-minded athletes who like to train hard, race fast, and have fun.

The team is comprised of both professional and competitive amateur triathletes and organizes weekly workouts and social gatherings—group swims, tempo runs, long rides, and movie dates.

On Saturday, we headed up into the mountains for some climbing—hitting routes and roads I’ve never done in my two years in Boulder, including Sunshine Canyon, Four Mile, and Linden.

Most of the group sessions are aerobic, but I was definitely tested, especially as I worked to maintain conversation. Having run down South Boulder Peak the day before, my quads were wrecked, but I showed up and gave it what I had.

I was dropped on some of the climbs, trying to keep things steady and not push threshold during a deload period, but quickly accepted that this would serve as my intensity ride for the week. As I grinded to the top of the hill, my new friends waited for me as they snacked on Pop-Tarts, Skratch chews, and fig bars.

After our ride, feeling bad for holding back the group, I received encouraging messages from the guys—letting me know I’m always welcome to join and that each one of them has gone through a similar learning curve of how to ride bikes at a high level.

My maiden voyage up Sunshine with Tom, Matt, Mitch and Alex—two professionals and two age group-winning triathletes

This is a reminder to myself—meet up with that mutual friend for coffee, go to the group workout, and say “yes” to the social invitation, especially when it doubles as training time.

Socializing while exercising has various benefits—increased motivation, accountability and well-being, reduced stress, healthy competition, enhanced physical performance, and improved social bonds.

It’s one thing to put your ass where your heart wants to be, but you have to make it happen. I met my girlfriend

Candice Burt

in the sauna at North Boulder Rec Center. I met Taylor Knibb and the Metzlers in the pool at East Boulder Rec Center. Proximity is important. Opportunity doesn’t always knock, so create your own. Put yourself in situations and environments where luck can emerge and the universe can reward you.

As James Clear said in his perennial bestseller, Atomic Habits, “The key—if you want to build habits that last—is to join a group where the desired behavior is the normal behavior.” While what we do is important, who we do it with is just as, if not more, important.

I’m sure you’ve heard the line, “If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.” It encourages us to surround ourselves with others who possess more skills, knowledge, and experience. It forces us to adapt.

This weekend, I came up with a similar phrase—if you’re the fittest person in the group, you’re in the wrong group.

More socializing while exercising! Headed up South Boulder Peak with Candice and Jason.