When Slowing Down Wins
When Slowing Down Wins
Four months can change everything. When I reconnected with Jeffrey Weiss for a Fireside Chat, I assumed we’d talk miles logged, races planned, and whatever shiny goal was next on the calendar. Instead, we talked about something far more familiar, and far more uncomfortable, for endurance athletes: getting hurt, slowing down, and figuring out who you are when momentum disappears.
Shortly after our last conversation, Jeffrey got injured. Not a “shake it out and keep rolling” injury, but the kind that forces you to listen whether you want to or not. Instead of doing what many of us do which is to ignore it, bargain with it, or pretend yoga is optional he leaned in. He slowed down. And somewhere in that slowdown, he found something surprising: enjoyment.
When Recovery Becomes the Work
Yoga went from being a box to check to a cornerstone practice. Three to four times a week. Not because it looked cool on Instagram, but because it worked. Flexibility, balance, and core strength stopped being “nice-to-haves” and became non-negotiables.
We talked about a phrase I’ve been repeating for years: the greatest ability is availability. Endurance athletes are wildly committed to doing hard things but oddly resistant to doing the small things that keep us healthy. Injury has a brutal way of clarifying priorities.
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Writing, Racing, and Long Games
While promoting his book Racing Against Time, Jeffrey is already outlining his next project, The Seventh Decade. This is a look at fitness, curiosity, and adventure in your 60s. His approach to writing mirrors his training: patient, research-driven, and focused on sustainability over shortcuts.
We also covered race fuel (yes, Ghirardelli chocolate with caramel), writing rituals, and the difference between bucket lists and lives built with intention.
Getting Selective, Not Slower
At 63, Jeffrey isn’t doing more. Instead, he’s doing what matters. Saying no to the “nice-to-dos” so there’s room for the real hell yeses. That perspective matters in a culture obsessed with faster, harder, louder.
This conversation is what Fireside Chat, and Run Tri Bike, is about. Everyday athletes doing the real work. Not chasing podiums. Building meaningful, sustainable lives through movement, creativity, and community.
Because sometimes the best finish lines aren’t the ones we sprint toward.
They’re the ones that teach us how to enjoy the journey.
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