> report filed March 10, 2005 by Dave White
This is the latest in a series of interviews with the Undercovered, our effort here at Triathlon Informer to shine a light on some of the more interesting triathletes we run across in our travels. This time, the focus is on Josh Riff, a Baltimore-area lawyer medical student who is also an accomplished iron-distance triathlete. If you'd like to suggest an athlete for our profiles, please contact dave@triathloninformer.com.
Josh Riff successfully juggles being in medical residency with his marriage and his triathlon training, including iron-distance workouts. He shares some of what he has learned.
As part of our continuing series profiling undercovered (and clearly up-and-coming) age-groupers, we turn our attention to Josh and how he finds so many hours in the day. To suggest an athlete for our Undercovered profiles, please send us a note at dave@triathloninformer.com.
TRIATHLON INFORMER: How long have you been racing?
JOSH RIFF: I started racing triathlons 10 years ago when I started college at McGill. I was a freshman and I wanted to keep in shape for mountain biking and I heard about the triathlon team. I remember joining thinking I would do it for a few months, as the idea of training every day was so foreign to me. Anyhow, I started to race a little in Quebec and then raced world Dus and Tris in 1998. I started my MD/MBA program at Tufts University later that summer; thus, tris were put on the back burner and I focused on marathons for time's sake. The pendulum swung back to tris in 2002 when I started to train for IM Lake Placid. Needless to say, 10 years later, I am an endurance addict.
TI: How many races do you do a year?
JR: I have not had many "true" tri seasons, so I have no pattern. I remember years ago racing every other weekend. This was a big mistake, as I did not have time for breakthrough workouts. In addition, with my work schedule, I have only a few weekends off in the summer months (usually one or two weekends a month), so it is hard to schedule in the races I want. That said, you have to balance training goals with the competitive drive to race. This summer, I plan on racing most of Robert Vigorito's races (Columbia, Eagleman, Blackwater), one of the Powerman Dus, and I will be racing a triathlon in Israel. Columbia Triathlon is the only triathlon I have done more than once (It was my first triathlon in America, 5th place age group), and I raced last year. My goal is to head back to Maryland at least once a year to race one of Columbia Triathlon Organization's races, as the race director pulls out all the stops for all his athletes, from Peter Reid to age-groupers like me.
TI:What motivates you to train?
JR:Racing is my motivation. It is the competitive drive inside of me that makes me want to perform and to do as well as I can. My first coach, Dave Armour, told me that a good race is one in which you leave everything on the course and you finish spent. He also told me that each workout is a deposit in the bank and race day is the day to make the big withdrawal. I keep this in mind, and every training session is focused on improving myself to make myself faster and ready to race.
TI:What do you do when you're not training?
JR:Working or spending time with Jen, my wife. I am in my residency in Emergency Medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. The schedule of a resident is pretty brutal, so I spend a ton of time in the ER. I also have an interest in Endurance Nutrition, so I started a nutrition consulting business and I provide personal consulting and lectures to local triathlon groups. I am looking forward to next year, when my hours at work decrease significantly; hopefully, then I can travel and spend more time hiking with my wife.
TI:Whom do you admire among the people you know? Why?
R:Definitely my father. His work ethic and integrity was a huge influence in my life and in my choices in life. He had two sayings which still play a role in my everyday life. The first was "If you are going to do it in the end, just do it in the beginning." The second was "it does not matter how you do, just as long as you show up." Every day these play a role in my life. The other two people I admire are my younger brothers. As the oldest son in a family of 5, I didn't find it easy to admit, but they have had a huge influence on me and are two people I respect greatly
TI:Whom do you admire among the people you do not know? In other words, who do you look up to and why?
R:Anyone who works hard for what they achieve. Easy wins do not impress me. Someone who hustles and tries their hardest is what impresses me.
TI:If you could say one thing to all the triathletes reading this right now, what would it be?
JR:I would say that it is important to understand why they want to race and then to set their priorities in place and then understand the need to cycle their priorities. I am the proverbial age-grouper. I have a very demanding job, yet I managed to qualify for the ultimate race in triathlons, the Hawaii Ironman. My job requires over 200 hours a month in the ER, I have an exam every year which I need to study for, and I am required to keep on top of recent medical research and publications. On top of all of that, I have a loving wife. Knowing when to do what is the secret to success. Set your priorities, yet deviate as needed.
TI:What is your ultimate goal in triathlon?
JR:I change my goals every year as I change as a triathlete. My goals usually work in three-year cycles. However, my long-term goal is to be fit and racing well into the later days of my life, remembering Einstein "an object in motion stays in motion."
TI:What is your favorite workout? Why?
JR:Bricks and hills, track and computrainer. I love anything that leaves me feeling like I accomplished something; that’s why the long, slow IM training is sometimes frustrating. The truth of the matter is that if you can make it through the first 15 minutes of a training session and work up the inertia to get off the couch, it will likely be a good work out.
TI:Please share a funny story or two about racing, training, etc.
JR:I think the funniest is the most embarrassing. It was after I raced the World Finals in Germany when I was in my MD/MBA in Boston. One of the schools I took classes at was Northeastern, and they had a beautiful gym with a spinning class. I decided to go and I put on my racing shorts underneath a pair of sports shorts. Well, I took a bike at the front of the class and I was the only guy. Once we got warmed up, I took off my over shorts and felt very proud sporting my country's flag. As I leaned into aero position I was thinking I was hot stuff until I reached behind to scratch an itch and almost died. Months earlier I had ripped out the tag in the rear of the shorts and this ripped a large hole in the back. I had totally forgotten and ended up flashing the entire class and nobody said anything. Needless to say, I promptly left and did not return.
TI:Lastly, please list some of your recent and most-proud-of results. No need to be modest here.
JR:I am really proud of my Hawaii IM result, 103rd overall and 2nd North American in the 25-29 age group. This result helped me get listed on the Inside Triathlon All-American list and ranked as 7th in the USAT Age-Group Triathlon Ranking. Considering the fact that I was in the middle of the residency made this result extra special.