Babylon Resident Trains to Go the Distance

Peter Cunneen thought he worked out hard.

The Babylon Village resident hit the gym six times a week, lifting heavy weights, boxing, and competing in strongman and tug-of-war events. But when his police department coworkers started pressuring him to sign up for a triathlon event taking place in Washington, D.C. this September, he balked.

"In the past I have emphasized weight training, with some but not an awful lot of cardio," said Cunneen, who noted that working up to endurance distances has proven challenging.

But he was determined to work toward a new goal. "I always wanted to compete in a tri. I admired the commitment of athletes who had to train in multiple sports. I started out very slow. Running for 15 minutes and walking for five and then repeating, or just going on a casual 10-mile bike ride."

A triathlon consists of a swim, a bike leg and a run. The race Cunneen signed up, The Nation's Triathlon, which is taking place on the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, winds its way among the Capitol's landmarks, and features a 1.5k swim, a 40k bike ride and a 10k run.

The training hasn't been easy. The Suffolk County plainclothes officer, who was previously in the Marine Corps and worked for the New York City Police Department, juggles work, family life and a full schedule of training workouts.

"The kids add an extra dimension of difficulty to the training as training demands time and so do they," noted Cunneen. He has three children under five years old.

But support has come from both his coach, Bob McKeown, who specializes in training triathletes with his company South Shore TRI Coach, and his family.

Cunneen now feels that he is more well-rounded physically.

"I've always considered myself in decent shape but this has been a whole new dimension in my training."

With only two months left to go before race day, Cunneen's week is scheduled to the hilt with carefully calibrated workouts. He works out twice a day most days of the week. A typical week includes logging in 40 miles on his bicycle one day and running 10 miles on another.

He uses a website that tracks all his training, and allows him to see the progress he's made. The distances of his workouts vary, allowing Cunneen to slowly build his endurance, working up to that September race.

"I would definitely recommend triathlon training as a way to get and stay in shape," he said. "Sign up for a future event with some friends and train for it. Your body will have no choice but to respond."