From the August 2004 issue of Runner's World
Would you run with them?
"I would try to keep up with them. As I became older I would literally stay in shape and start running a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving or Christmas, when I knew I was going to see them. They don't take no for answer. It's like 'Come on, get up, we're going for a run. Go. Move it.' "
When did you do your first triathlon?
"That was about three, four years ago."
How many have you done since?
"I won that one three years in a row. I have done about 5 a year. I've done about 15 triathlons. I really threw myself into it. Some I do better than others."
Were your running 10Ks before you started doing triathlons?
"Not really. I never really did races until I got into triathlons. It's just been a sort of new thing. It's really good. I'm glad I have. There's no better way to get yourself in shape than signing up for a race."
How long does it take you to recover after doing a triathlon?
"They're different lengths. There are half Ironmans that are brutal; they will destroy you. Then there are sprints, where you don't feel that bad. Once the race is over you're feeling pretty good. That's the thing about triathlons, it takes the stress off any one specific point on the body. You're whole body feels pretty good."
How have you been training the last few years?
"Pretty simple. Literally I would just swim one day. Cycle one day. Run one day. Do that six days a week and have one day off. Sometimes work would get in the way and I wouldn't be able to do that. Then I would double up on the weekends or try to get something in every day."
How long do train for each?
"It would depend on the race I'm shooting for. I did the Escape From Alcatraz, which is a wild swim from Alcatraz Island to the shores of San Francisco in fifty-degree water. It's insane. The bike ride is easy. The run is long but hilly. You sort of adapt your training to each race that's coming up next."
Was that the hardest triathlon that you've entered?
"The hardest one was one called the Wildflower Triathlon, which is just so hilly you would not believe it. It's in California and it's a 56-mile bike ride; it's just straight up and down these hills. Then the run is 13.1 miles, and it is just these trails. It's pretty much known as the toughest half Ironman there is. What made this specifically terrible was that I was shooting the movie Good Night and Good Luck; it's a great movie and you should see it if you haven't. I play a character who's a chain smoker. All those newsmen smoked like demons. So I'd spend all day on the set smoking cigarettes, and I am not a smoker, and I can't bear smoking, and then I'd go out for these long runs. It was just brutal. It was one of the worst experiences."
When did you start training for the New York marathon?
"Starting around August (2005) when I got in. I started taking longer runs. I had a couple of more triathlons to do but now I'm just…, after September 25th, which was the Malibu Tri, the last tri I did, I've just been running. It's been tough. Really. For me, I'm 42 years old, so I'm just trying not to get injured."
