DC Triathlon Club

Member Spotlight – Pat Dougherty

March, 2018

Pat Dougherty

What do you do for a day job?

I’m an aerospace/operational physiologist in the Navy.  My current assignment is with a special project team based out of the Pentagon

If you were an animal what would you be?

A sloth – I kind of operate on my own schedule at my own speed. I like to nap, too.

Have you ever faced any obstacles in your life/career/fitness journey and what did you do to get over them?

Yes, I’ve had a number of challenges to deal with over the years – I lost my younger sister to cancer a few years ago; I’ve been married and divorced; I move frequently due to the military lifestyle; I have had various overuse injuries over the years and have been hit by a car while riding twice, and some others.  I suppose working through each one of those challenges was a little different, but, in general, I’d say the four things that got me through all of them were: (1) Being realistic with regard to expectations associated with the particular obstacle, then breaking down something that might seem overwhelming into smaller, more manageable pieces; (2) I have an incredible support network of family and close friends; (3) Exercise – it is my primary stress reliever/coping mechanism; and (4) Having a clear sense of what my priorities are in life.