Athlete of the Month

The Team Sheeper Athlete of the Month award is handed out to a member of the team on a monthly basis, 7 or 8 times a year. The AOM is someone who made a notable contribution to the team or did something remarkable. Selection is made by nomination and voting by the membership.

You can nominate anyone and the nomination period is usually during the first week or two of the month. Look for notification that nominations are being sought.  When nomination close, the voting starts and once all the votes are tallied, the new AOM is crowned.

Besides bragging rights for a month, our AOM gets some goodies from our gracious sponsors, such as free shoes from TRH, a massage from SMI, gift certificates from GoRide.

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GoRide Bicycles is proud to sponsor this month's athlete who embodies the spirit of Team Sheeper. Located in Redwood City, GoRide Bicycles continues the 30-year tradition of Garner's Pro Bikes.

Brad Grayson

June 2011 Athlete of the Month

"Finishing your first half IM is a huge accomplishment."
"Brad is very consistent and positive!"
"Brad completed his first half ironman in Hawaii a few weeks ago. This is a scenic but challenging race, and he finished with a smile on his face. "
- Fellow Teammates.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

At a very young age I wanted to be a fireman. I have often tried to remember when or why I gave up on that plan. For one reason or another it didn’t happen, probably has something to do with the whole running into burning buildings thing.

Do you have a spouse or children or pets to tell us about?

I have a great wife, Jamie. We have been married for 5 years. She is beautiful, smart, hardworking, and you can’t miss her smile. I totally married up. Our plan is to have kids at some point in the not-too-distant future. For now we have a very energetic 2 year old yellow lab named Murphy. He is fun and lovable, although we were just forced to purchase our fourth couch in 2 years. If you have seen the movie Marley and Me then you have the general idea.

What other hobbies do you have?

I like skiing (snow and water), golf, and scuba. I used to love playing online poker, however the U.S. government recently shut down the industry and I believe they are still currently in possession of my online poker funds. I hope things get worked out. I want to play in the world series of poker someday.

How did you become involved with Team Sheeper?

Well, let me make a short story long. A year and a half ago I was diagnosed with Melanoma (skin cancer). At first it was quite scary because the doctors weren’t sure how deeply it had spread, and I was told that it was potentially life threatening. I had one of those moments where you make a deal, “If I get out of this one I’ll get my sh— together, and be a good person, and make my life count, and so on”. After removing a sizable chunk out of my back it was determined that I was likely cured. In a quest to do something for my health and spirit, I searched out Team in Training as a way to do something for those with more serious cancers. While training with TNT I would sometimes see the Sheeper peeps at the pool or riding out around Woodside. By the time I was done with my TNT season I had decided that tri was not going to be a single event for me, but rather a new part of my life. Team Sheeper seemed to be the geographic default since I live in San Carlos. Although as time has passed I have found it hard to imagine a more talented, supportive, or exciting group of athletes that I could have joined up with.

What is your athletic background?

I played soccer, baseball, and wrestled in grade school and Jr. High. I was never particularly good at any of them, but I always had fun. In high school things seemed to get more competitive and I gave up on sports altogether. Around that time I got into running, but shied away from doing it competitively. I just liked to go on trail runs by myself. Since that time, I have run off and on through the years; more off than on. That is, until joining the team.

What motivates/inspires you?

The team motivates me. I don’t think I could have possibly increased my fitness to its current level without the encouragement of the coaches and the rest of the team. I appreciate the time that Hani, Lindsey, Tanja, Steve, Mike, and Tim put into planning and executing our training schedule. And I am always motivated by my teammates. Every workout is a little different depending on who shows up. Each person has their own goals and ability, but the entire cast of people as a whole working to improve themselves is very inspiring.

What races are you planning for the remainder of this year, or the future, that you are gearing up for?

My dance card is pretty full for the rest of the summer. I am doing 3 Olympic distance events: CA, Pleasanton in July, Santa Cruz and Pacific Grove in September. I am strongly considering the Lake Stevens 70.3 in August, but haven’t signed up yet. I do the SJ Rock N Roll Half Marathon every year which will be in early October this time. 2010 Pacific Grove was my very first triathlon so I am excited about setting a new benchmark on that race. 2011 Brad is going to make 2010 Brad look like an amateur. I’m going to completely smoke that guy. My long term goal is to race Kona via true qualification within the next three years, that is unless I hit the lottery first.

Tell us about your best & worst race.

The Hawaii 70.3 was a great race. It was my first half IM. I love swimming in the tropical Pacific, so clear and warm. The bike ride was challenging but fun. I have to admit that the run was ugly, hot, and a bit of a grind, but that just made finishing that much sweeter. AND YOU ARE IN HAWAII – nuff said.

Wildflower was my worst race. I can’t put my finger on it, but I was having an off day. I think I was a little run down from two days of cold/uncomfortable sleep, and maybe a little bit dehydrated. I learned Wildflower can be unforgiving if you don’t show with 100%.

How many hours a week do you train?

Right now I would say about 10 hours/week

What is your favorite Team Sheeper workout or memorable moment?

Two come straight to mind.

I don’t know if I would classify the first as a favorite memory, but I will certainly never forget locking my bike and my keys in the trunk of my car on day two of this year’s wine country bike tour. That was just before rollout. I won’t share with you the colorful and extensive list of profanities that I strung together that morning. Well, thank goodness for Michael Henshaw and his AAA card. I simply had to impersonate Michael in order to get the tow truck guy to break into my car on Michael’s behalf. I sat there as he practically ripped the door off my new Acura. Now every time I am closing my car door before the Saturday morning ride or chase groups I have a mini panic attack. I just stand by my car talking to myself. You might see me pacing while patting my pockets and repeating the word keys, keys, keys, keys like Rainman.

Secondly, I will always remember my first bike ride with the team. I had read about level 1 online and figured that this “beginner” group would be just right for me. So I decided to go out for the Saturday ride. It was unknown to me that by November Hani had already been training this group for a full season, and it just so happened that they were going up Moody’s 12% grade that day. By the half-way point I was hyperventilating, dizzy, and probably in danger of falling off my bike or completely collapsing; everyone was well ahead of me. I was simply trying to wrap my head around the fact that this was “level 1 “. I was mere seconds away from calling it quits and turning my bike around when Hani rode up behind me. At first he had some encouraging words, but before I knew what was going on he had one hand on his handle bars and the other was on my back. He literally pushed me up the rest of the way. I could not believe how strong this dude was!!! As we descended and I regained blood flow to the brain I was able to appreciate the magic of experience. On the very first day I had already been taken to the absolute brink of my abilities, but the team was there to make sure I wouldn’t fail. I have continued to feel that way since day one.

What is your favorite race?

I’ll be back at Honu next year for sure, but ask me again after Pac Grove.