NAME: Rob Wissolik

AGE: 32

TOWN: Chicago, IL

OCCUPATION: General Contractor, Project Manager for Leopardo Construction

ATHLETIC BACKGROUND: High School Ice Hockey Player, Cross County and Track. Ran Cross County and Track for Merrimack College. Won several important races including North East 10 Conference Champion in Cross Country.

WHAT IS YOUR MOTIVATION FOR TRAINING? Enjoy the healthy lifestyle. My wife and I constantly meet highly motivated, energetic and successful people on a continual basis. Being involved in triathlon keeps us in a positive groove -- a perpetual cycle of constant personal improvement. The praise and admiration of or friends, family and peers keep us going.

HOW DO YOU FIT TRAINING INTO YOUR BUSY SCHEDULE? Training consistently with a busy professional life requires extreme discipline. I consider successful time management the number one factor that contributes to the success (or meltdown) of an iron distance athlete. Anybody can crank out the mileage, but the athletes who can do so consistently month in, month out, year in, year out will be the most successful participants in this sport.

WHAT ARE YOUR 3 - YEAR GOALS IN TRIATHLON? To have fun, not get injured and share the experience with my wife, Coach Kelly.

WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU OFFER TO A NEWBIE TRIATHLETE? Stay Consistent and Stay Realistic. Get a trustworthy coach and learn the sport without the usual "rookie pitfalls." Learn your body and yield to the warning signs of extreme fatigue, overtraining and counterproductive wear and tear. Learn where to really exert yourself, and resist those junk miles! Train within your fitness level and build mileage and effort levels intelligently.

AS A FITNESS PROFESSIONAL, WHAT IS A KEY WORKOUT YOU RECOMMEND FOR COMPETITIVE TRIATHLETES? My favorite workout (once per week) was always 4 x one mile hard (400m jog between sets) in negative splits. This workout allows you to push really hard and "feel the burn" without wearing your body down too far. Your aerobic capacity and lactic threshold will skyrocket, and the workout doesn't take more than 40 minutes total!

TELL US ABOUT YOUR BIKE AND WHY YOU CHOSE THE STYLE/BRAND, ETC. I ride a Cervelo P2C. Carbon Fiber is a beautiful material for a bike because it absorbs the shock of the road and it looks really cool in the transition zone next to all the other bikes.