Growing up I had a number of typical nerd traits, and my siblings were fairly convinced that I was going to be a computer nerd stereotype. It didn’t quite happen that way, though. At my first job I almost freaked out when one of my co-workers referred to me as a “jock” because, if we have learned anything from 80′s cinema, jocks are the mortal enemy of nerds, and I was definitely a nerd. Or was I?

Since coming to Garmin I’ve found that there are a lot more nerd jocks, and that we even have a whole line of products devoted to them (plug plug). However amongst the nerd jock brethren I’m something of an anomaly. While most of my friends specialize in a particular sport – running, biking, swimming – I tend to float between many activities; I often tell people that I enjoy triathlons because they are a great sport for the indecisive. I have a lot more breadth than depth in my activities, which is a nice way of saying I suck at a lot of things. I always like to keep my options open.

The first triathlon of the year – the Heritage Park Triathlon – is coming up on Sunday, and it serves as a great warm up to the triathlon season. Staying in shape for it has meant finding new ways to stay active during the Kansas winter, and I realized recently that while staying active is actually a fairly big part of my daily life it is not something I usually discuss with others out of fears of coming off as “one of those jocks.” There are a number of places on the web about fitness and sports, but usually those sites are written by true believers who mock anyone who does not share their views on fitness and diet.

Since this blog has 3 too many focuses (it’s about movies! No, it’s about my videos! Or it’s about computers?) I figured another one wouldn’t hurt. My goal is to write a number of posts about the fitness activities I do or have done from a personal perspective; less about the technical details and more about why I enjoy (or dislike) it and some tips I learned along the way. I’m also starting a new Twitter feed, @fitnick, where I’ll post about my daily workout or lack thereof, and what races I’m gearing up for. I’d also like to hear what other people do to stay active – let me know!

I am not a medical or fitness professional so please don’t sue me if you get injured doing anything I do. I’ll try to give advice on how to get started as well as where I stand. Unlike just about everyone else writing about fitness on the web, I make no promises of results or improved spiritual well being. I do what I do because I enjoy it, and I’d like others to enjoy it too.

Name                    City              Age   Overall       Time      Pace

Nicolas Kral            Lawrence  KS        31       30      38:01.4    7:55/M

Jim Ryun                                    61       37      39:02.2    8:08/M

Granted, he is almost twice my age. Have to celebrate the little victories.