Ryan Giuliano, M20-24

chicago, il

How long have you been competing in multi-sport races? This will be my 5^th season

What is your favorite product available at TriSports.com? This has to be a trick question.  I often find myself looking at all of the products for hours, there are just so many to choose from. If I had to pick one though, it would probably be Carbo-Pro for all the long hours on the bike.

How did you get your start in Triathlons? I started when my college roommate brought his bike to our apartment one year. I saw him riding all of the time and thought it would be a lot of fun. The next summer I picked up a bike and ever since then I’ve grown more and more in love with the sport each year.

What is your favorite workout? 400 repeats.  Being a college runner, I was forced to do this workout just about once a week.  I love the quickness of it, yet if you do enough of them you get a great endurance workout out of them.  20x400 at 63 or under with 60 seconds rest…it’ll make you tough.

“When I’m not training/racing, I enjoy…” skiing, snowboarding, watching movies, taking naps, or just browsing the internet.  There is an endless amount of information out there in regards to training/racing.  You can never stop learning!

If you could train for a week with one other triathlete who would it be and why? I would train with my girlfriend because I still remember one of the first times we did anything together was a 10 mile run in the blistering cold/snow that could make anybody miserable, but it was one of the best training days I’ve ever had.

If you could do any triathlon in the World (regardless of monetary restrictions) which one would you do? Ironman Hawaii.  I have heard many stories and watched videos on this historic race.  One day I definitely plan to race on the big island.

Describe your biggest race disaster. My first ever triathlon I had no idea what to expect.  I hopped into the water and went right to the front not knowing what a mass start consisted of.  The gun went off and I was pushed, kicked, grabbed, and stuffed under the water.  I have never had a panic attack like that and came extremely close to drowning.  Once the swimmers went by and I had a gallon of water in my stomach, I doggy paddled to the swim finish in dead last place, rode my butt off, and ran all the way up to finish in 2^nd place overall.

Do you have a non-negotiable pre-race ritual? Rituals come and go but none have stuck. I used to not shave my face the week leading to a race and it worked until I had a bad finish. The facial hair was shaved from that point on. I still do it once in a while, but don’t have the same success rate as I did when I first started it.

What culinary indulgence do you allow yourself after a big race (that you don’t normally partake of)?    Culvers concrete mixer! If you’ve never had one, you are MISSING OUT!

Have you ever accidentally destroyed a very expensive piece of gear? (For example, have you driven into the garage with a bike on the roof, run over race wheels, etc.) Luckily not yet. I try to take care of my equipment that best that I can.  I still train and use my 1^st tri bike from 5 years ago and it doesn’t have a scratch on it.

What is the worst job you’ve ever had? I used to work in a shipping department where I would look at the order slip, grab the items out of boxes, pack them up, and ship them. Well, many of the items were little pins and I would constantly get pricked and bleed from the finger tips when retrieving them. 

What adjective describes you best? Dedicated

Finally, do you have any advice for athletes new to multi-sport competition?  Enjoy each and every minute of the sport.  You are supposed to the do the things that you love, so go out there, meet new people, take in the scenery, and enjoy each training day and race. Every personal best that I have has come from a race that I was smiling and enjoying.

www.rybread.com

www.ryangiuliano.blogspot.com