Name: Peter Johnson
Age: 29
Occupation: Electronics Engineer
Years doing triathlon? 5th, I guess, but 3rd with more than one in a season and training much at all.
First triathlon? 2014 Granite Man in Wolfeboro, NH
Your favorite triathlon? Granite Man (NH). It’s a race that benefits the memorial fund in honor of my uncle, Albert H. Dow III, who was killed in a 1982 avalanche on Mount Washington. My grandmother helped found it and coordinated the volunteers for 33 of its now 37 editions. I’ve been around it all my life and in 2014 I became the first in my family to race it.
Meal the night before race? I don’t have one that I have to have. Just nothing new!
Pre-race meal? Oatmeal with brown sugar, black coffee about 2 hours before the start. A banana about an hour before, if I’m feeling it.
Race Nutrition? UnTapped Maple all the way! MapleAid drink for shorter stuff and good old Maple Syrup packets for longer days. That’s the New Englander in me.
Favorite motivational training song? Bright Lights by Gary Clark Jr. always gets me.
Favorite mantra? Seek the joy. My summer camp had a traditional ceremony and one of the set of rules that was in it was “Be joyful – seek the joy of being alive.”
Key workout? I would say the best improvement for me has been from 2:1 intervals on the treadmill or road trying to push myself faster. Got to run faster in order to run faster.
Best triathlon training or racing tip? I try to transition as fast as I can. Practice it at home to know what works for you, set it up like that at the race, walk through it and visualize it.
Triathlon literature or other sources of information? Like a true millennial, I am very much online. YouTube, Slowtwitch, etc. But Jon Graham pointed me to “Swim Workouts for triathletes.” Having a workout written for me before I get to the pool deck has made it easier to just commit and push myself through.
Who inspires you? I have a lot of people who I have admired and inspire me, but the biggest motivators I have today are my boys, 4 and 2. I want to be healthy for them and want them to grow up being active and having fun. My 4 year old rides with no training wheels and is getting better at swimming and is already asking when he can do a “trilaffalon.”
Future goal or bucket list race? I have a couple that strike my fancy that are kind of out there. Survival of the Shawangunks (SOS) looks crazy and intimidating, but someday maybe I’ll feel good about it. And coming from an Alpine ski racing background I would love to try the Pole Pedal Paddle in Bend, Oregon sometime.