Review Written by Rich Fowler Ohio Edition of Transition Times Magazine

Review also appeared in Louisiana Edition of Transition Times Magazine and in Findley Striders Running Club Newsletter

When Big Boys Tri

It’s not the race – it’s the journey

When I first saw this book, I knew I had to have it, just from the title.  As you know from my ramblings here and elsewhere, I am also a “big boy” who just had to “tri” (a cute alliterative for the sport of Triathlon), and to know that there are others out there who have had a similar experience – I just had to read it.  I wasn’t sure what to expect from the book, but I wanted to know what he had to say, mainly to see if I was alone in this crazy endeavor, or if I had company.  I am glad I read the book, and also not so glad I did, all at the same time.  Let me explain.

When Big Boys Tri chronicles Pate’s journey from inactivity to triathlete, complete with all the underlying ideas, fears, and revelations he encounters along the way.  As with most of us, Michael Pate didn’t intentionally get into the sport of triathlon – it more or less drug him in…against his better judgment – just like the rest of us.  It’s not a “how to” on triathlons: there are plenty of those out there, and Pate spares us the technical stuff in favor of the more intimate details.  That is what makes this book special – the personal touches.  Pate treats the reader like one of the family, opening up and exposing some wounds that only us Clydesdales can truly appreciate (and remember vividly the first time we addressed similar situations and attitudes).  It’s also the underlying “attitude” of the book that hits home.  You’ve heard me say before that it’s tough to find a “negative jerk” on the start line at a tri, because you simply cannot be a “negative jerk” and be a part of this sport; it’s too demanding.  Pate is an Extra-Grande example of that positive attitude – even in the face of adversity and harsh critics.  We Clydesdales are not the bean pole thin athletes with 5% body fat and washboard abs you see on TV, so it takes a certain degree of guts (no pun intended) to step up to the start line in a XXL Speedo (yes, they make them!) and stand there in front of God and everybody else.  There is literally no place to hide.  But Pate points out very early in his “tri” career that “not a single person had made me feel out of place”.  Is it any wonder these things are addictive, and that we get so attached to each other?  Triathletes rock as human beings!

He first experienced a “tri” as the sound engineer for a race.  He got to see and hear and experience all that goes on in the transition area, the in/out of the water, and the finish line without the pressure of having to do it.  And he says it looked like “fun”!  Yup, he’s got the triathlete frame of mind – it won’t be long and he’ll be hooked.  He also echoes a thought that I’ve verbalized many times about doing a “tri”: “I became aware of the smiles on…these people’s faces …and their happiness to finish the race.  Crossing that finish line must be an awesome experience.”  Well, frankly it is! 

This book is chocked full of great examples of how we Clydesdales thunder through you herd of gazelles with a smile and a laugh – because we can!  There are too many tremendously funny, telling, and touching moments to even begin to list them here, so go read the book.  Each chapter is punctuated by very relevant motivational quotes from Pate or some other famous athlete – and just that collection of quotes alone is worth the price of the book. 

When Big Boys Tri is a great book, and I have to admit that I sat down to glance through it, and a short time later had read it through, cover to cover in one sitting.  Pate will make you laugh (at the lifeguard who quit at the thought of dragging him out of the water, or trying to buy a bike that we DON’T exceed the tire weight limits on), yell, cheer, get irritable at knuckleheads (like the guy who stopped and asked him on a training run if he needed a ride – because he’d “never seen a big feller like you run…if he didn’t need no help”.  Grrrrr), and choke back that lump in your throat more than once – but it’s time well spent. 

But remember I said that I didn’t enjoy reading the book, too?  It’s totally selfish, but it has to be said – this book mad me mad!  Not the content – as it is fabulous.  The concept is what irritated me, as I caught myself nodding or grinning at nearly every experience he recounted as something I’ve tackled too.  The revelation for me is that I should have written this book!  He hit me right between the eyes more than once, with everything from well meaning friends laughing at you to finding that XXL Speedo:  “at a triathlon you will notice a lot of racers swim in “tri shorts” (aka-banana smugglers)…not me.  I put on a pair of swim trunks OVER my tri shorts…(and) I am sure that somewhere there is a Clydesdale… doing the same thing.”  Yeah, Mike – there is.  It’s me.  Thanks for confirming that we are not alone (or crazy) in our tri dreams, and thanks for having the guts to “tri”, and to write this book.    I’ll add one more quote to the other much better one’s you’ll read in the book, and for Michael it’s one from a Louisiana buddy of mine:  “It ain’t the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”  Not once does Pate recall considering a DNF in any of his races, and he points out clearly that “Big Dogs” have “big fight” in us, too.  “It’s not what I did today – it’s what I know I can do tomorrow.” – Michael Pate

About the Author – from www.whenbigboystri.com

Michael Pate is not a professional athlete. He is not a world-famous author with a string of best-selling novels to his credit. He is, however, an exceptional man with a big heart and a never-say-die attitude about every endeavor he undertakes. He is a man who inspires all of those who know him with his optimism and love of life.
This inspiring account of the beginning of his journey towards personal fitness is offered as an encouragement to those who want to make a change but aren’t sure how to go about it.

Michael Pate lives in Central Louisiana with his wife Felicia and son Christopher. He is their hero

If you ask, he’ll even personalize your copy of the book, or personalize one to give as a great gift to your favorite “Big Boy”.