david’s writing

As I learned more about how to train and race effectively for Ironman races, I was inspired to share my experiences and general training advice with other people inside and outside the endurance sports world.

Whether describing a triathlon experience to a general audience or giving training tips to fellow athletes, I found writing to be a great way to share my thoughts and emotions with others about what I love to do.

In 2003, I began writing about my life as an athlete in my blog. I then published my personal story in 2006: Full Time and Sub-Nine: Fitting Iron Distance Training into Everyday Life. This story is about my experiences at the Naval Academy, in the Navy, becoming an Ironman triathlete, and ultimately beating cancer.

Since then, I have authored numerous articles and training programs related to triathlon and other endurance sports. Over the years, I have expanded my interests beyond triathlon to other adventure sports and endurance events. For example, in 2008, I spent a week training with the Special Operations Force Academy in Virginia Beach and wrote about an experience that taught me an enormous amount about myself, emotionally and physically.

My doctoral dissertation (view my dissertation defense) emerged from over a decade of immersive training in ninpo taijutsu, a Japanese martial art grounded in the ninja tradition. Drawing on phenomenology, autoethnography, and a transdisciplinary theoretical framework, I explored imperceptibility as both a martial skill and a metaphor for transformation. My writing investigates how embodied practice can challenge dominant cultural narratives and open new possibilities for perception, personal agency, and relational freedom.

In the future, I am looking forward to finding new challenges that I can experience, write about, and share with others. Please feel free to reach out to me.