Jim’s Biography: A Short Course
So, who is this Jim guy, anyway?
I am not a celebrated sports star, but rather more of a cycling everyman. My story is not that of great victories or epic tours, but of the smaller personal experiences, thoughts, and reflections that make up the journey of life. So how did I get to where I am today? Here’s a quick look at my evolution as a cyclist and writer.
I was born in Los Angeles, California, but have no direct recollection of it since my family moved to Nebraska when I was an infant. I got my first bike while we lived there. I learned to ride on a rusty garage sale kid’s bike with no chain. I eventually upgraded to a bright yellow bike with a banana seat that I rode to school and sometimes around the neighborhood. Just for fun. Nothing serious.
When I was in fifth grade, my family moved to a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. To explore the area and pass the time, I rode my bike. There was a large parking lot a block or two from our house where I would while away the time riding up and down the open spaces. As I grew, I needed a bigger bike. I saved up the whopping sum of $200 and bought myself a 10-speed. A big, red Schwinn Traveler. I started to ride more and to ride farther.
Somewhere along the way I noticed some old (40-ish) guys down the street who wore funny shorts and rode nice bikes. I tagged along one time and got dropped. Wow! If old guys could kick my butt, there could be something to this cycling stuff. They invited me to join the local cycling club, and I got my first taste of real cycling. We did weekly rides and occasional day tours. I built up to riding centuries in the 6-hour range. Although I wasn’t a racer, I did an amateur criterium in Windsor, Ontario that also had a pro race featuring the 7-11 team pro cycling team. I got Eric Heiden’s autograph and became a life-long pro cycling fan.
Through high school and college, I rode mainly on my own and mainly for my personal health and amusement. I really didn’t run yet, or compete in anything. I did do some cross-country ski citizen races that tickled my competitive tendencies a little. What had the most impact on me was when I served as a rolling camp counselor on a youth bike tour in northern Michigan. It was on that trip that I started to make connections between cycling experiences and other life experiences and lessons. A seed was planted.
The summer after my junior year in college I had an internship with a small company in Pennsylvania. I lived in the spare room of one of the younger guys in the office. He was a runner, so I started to run with him. We did a couple local races, and a whole new world was opened to me. Of course, I was still cycling a lot, so he got me interested in trying a small triathlon – since I did two of the three parts. The obscurity and uniqueness of the sport appealed to me. I faked my way through the quarter mile swim and ended up 30th or so overall. Another seed planted.
After college, I got hired by the company where I had interned and moved to the Pittsburgh area. In a few years of dabbling in the runner and triathlon scene, I steadily improved and started placing in my age group. I decided that I needed to train for the swim, too. I did more races. I did longer races. A by-product of more training was more time to think. One bit of triathlon coaching I got was to develop a race mantra. So I thought about it. I came up with “Don’t Drown, Relax, Go Fast, Have Fun!” I taped that to my handlebars for race inspiration.
The thing is, it was taped to my handlebars all the time. So as I was out training, I would think more about it. And at some mysterious point, I made the leap (connection) from triathlon mantra to life lesson. The seeds were sprouting. I started looking for more lessons from my cycling experiences. I ended up with so many things bouncing around in my brain that I started writing them down on note cards. This was getting interesting. I decided to try to organize my thoughts (literally) and spent hours shuffling the cards and making connections. I ended up writing a book. Mainly for me, but also as a way to show what a little reflection can do.
“My life is a metaphor for itself.” That thought came to me one day. I now had a three-sided life: work, train and write. Each a different piece of me, and each connected by similar traits and skills. For example, in my work as a professional instructional designer, one key tenant of adult learning is that reflection is a vital component of learning. Indeed. I was living it.
Once my book was done, I looked for another excuse to reflect and write. I managed to talk my way into a monthly column for a state-wide health and fitness magazine. I wrote about my fitness-related experiences (I was a relatively successful triathlete, after all), and demonstrated how a little reflection can provide some interesting illumination, insight, and inspiration. My connection to the magazine and other athletes motivated me to qualify for and run the Boston marathon. I carried a small camera, took pictures along the way, and prepared a POV photo-story of what it is like to run Boston. My magazine credentials also enabled me to “cover” the pro cycling world championships when they came to Hamilton, Canada. I got to geek out with the top pros in the sport. A little reflection was taking me to all kinds of interesting places, in more than one way.
As the years have passed, so has my peak of athletic performance. I still train and race, but at a smaller scale. Longevity is taking priority over speed (and risk of injury). I still place in my age group frequently. I still have fun. I still look for ways to give back, pay forward, and inspire others.
That’s how I got here. And that’s why this web site is here. And now it’s time for you to explore more. Learn more. Reflect more. Connect more.
