Military Officer - June 2008 - (Page 30)

rapidfire L Active Duty Spotlight t. j.g. Liam O’Connell, USCG, is training to become a professional triathlete and has competed in about 60 swim-bike-run events since 2002. A marine inspector in Houston, O’Connell serves as Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston’s health promotion coordinator. O’Connell, 24, recently ﬁnished ﬁrst among amateurs and second overall at the Longhorn Half-Iron in Austin, Texas. What got you into triathlons? I have a background in swimming. [After reading] Lance Armstrong’s It’s Not About the Bike (Putnam Adult, 2000), I bought a bike. Then a friend said, “Why don’t you do the Boston Triathlon with me?” So I did it — and got hooked. Why go professional? When I started doing the longer races, I realized I was having more success and could be competitive. It really just comes down to how far you can push yourself, [and] how far you can go in anything if you put your mind to it. Do most professional triathletes keep their day jobs? Yes. [But] it obviously helps to not have a job, because you can wake up, go for a four-hour bike ride, come home, take a nap. Go to the pool and swim, come home, take a nap — or just sit on the couch and put your feet up. Recovery time is as important as training. What triathlon lessons would you share with other “Coasties”? As my unit’s health promotion coordinator, I do training with people in the weight-loss program and all-hands training on nutrition, working out, and ﬁtness. The one thing I stress is to have a goal. If you say, “I’m going to run the 10K in March with my daughter,” you’re going to go out there and work out. It’s easier to sit on the couch, watch “Law & Order” reruns, and eat Pop-Tarts. But Coast Guard members didn’t join the Coast Guard to sit on the couch. They joined because they wanted to do something. And if you correlate that to their ﬁtness or their overall well-being and lifestyle, and you say, “Hey, get a goal; use this as a goal,” it’s easy to sell, and it’s more successful. People [with] a goal [will] make the sacriﬁces. — Teresa Talerico Attention! Check out these military-related entertainment offerings. DVD Weapons Masters (Half Yard Productions, 2008) Technology and history collide in this series about rebuilding and updating ancient or antique weapons using modern technology and techniques. Hosts Mike 30 MILITARY OFFICER Loades and Chad Houseknecht witness firsthand the power of these pivotal world-changing devices. BOOK My Hero: Military Kids Write About Their Moms and Dads (St. Martin’s Press, 2008) This original collection of children’s essays and pictures for their deployed parents is sometimes sad, regularly funny, always sweet, and undoubtedly earnest. It is an intimate look into the hearts and minds of kids who love and honor their moms and dads as heroes. BOOK The 33 Strategies of War (Penguin Books, 2008) Robert Greene has gathered strategies for life from the ancient wisdom of war. MO PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT JUNE 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - June 2008

Military Officer - June 2008 Contents MOAA Online From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire MOAA Member Services Washington Scene Chapters in Action Financial Forum Ask the Doctor MOAA Scholarship Donors Cover Story: Mission to Modernize World War Web Playing to Win Fitness in Numbers Fighting Infection Pages of History Faces of MOAA Information Exchange Member Books Advertising Index MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps Encore

Military Officer - June 2008

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