Interview with a triathlon competitor Part. 2

Part. 1 Here

I understand, yet you last year you placed 35th in an Olympic triathlon. So you are a fairly serious athlete. How do you train?

The Olympic triathlon is definitely my favorite level. I feel the strongest throughout those distances. I train mostly by myself actually. I have been doing this long enough to know what to expect, what my body needs to work on. When I was younger, I worked with a trainer from my college, and we would train each component separately before trying to combine them all together. That was the most challenging part for me—the transitions. When you work out one muscle group to near exhaustion, and then you’re expected to utilize another collection of muscles in a new way, at first your body just gives way. Moving from cycling to running was the worst. But you learn to use that to your advantage, to tap into unused and non-tired out resources in your body to propel you through the three-part races.

Do you have any tricks to offer the many people out there who find balancing physical fitness with their kids and jobs nearly impossible?

I am lucky because my full-time job allows me to put in two to three hours of exercise a day. My kids are ages 9 and 11, so after I drop them off at school, I usually go for a run, a bike ride, or a swim. Then I can go to work. At this point, I find that if I do not get in a good workout, I’m a worse mother and worker. Running, biking, and swimming make me calm and more focused. I think I might just have more energy to burn them the average woman, but at least I know how to spend it. On the weekends, we all try to do something outside. So we go hiking or camping at locations where I can go biking or swimming. I find a way to fit it in. Plus, I hope that I can be my own daughters’ trainer one day.

Patrick Marzo: Student of Jiu Jitsu

I am a devoted student of Jiu Jitsu, a Japanese martial arts style that literally translates to the “way of yielding.” With roots in feudal Japan, a time in which thick armor protected against strikes, Jiu Jitsu focuses on throws and immobilization. Training is divided into five main areas: the Art of Blocking, the Art of the Fulcrum Throw, the Art of the Non-Fulcrum Throw, the Art of Escaping, and the Art of Striking. Students are taught how to use balance, leverage, and momentum to conquer opponents instead of relying on raw strength and speed. Because of this, Jiu Jitsu is a “soft” art, which is what is implied by the Japanese word “Jiu.” Practitioners of Jiu Jitsu yield to an opponent’s attack rather than opposing it. By manipulating the attacker’s force and direction, he or she can throw the attacker off balance and therefore reduce the ability to block a counterattack. The essential elements of modern Jiu Jitsu instructions include grappling techniques, which have been adapted from the ancient system to create a safe sporting environment. Simple grappling techniques have been used during combat throughout the evolution of Jiu Jitsu. In serious sporting contests, more dangerous grappling techniques were developed to inflict severe injuries, but these have been left out of the modern derivations of Jiu Jitsu, including Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. In these systems, emphasis was laid on making them accessible to people of all ages and conditions for sport and self-defense. Only a few Jiu Jitsu schools continue to teach the dangerous old Samurai grapples and instead embrace the safer and more “sport oriented” versions. Practitioners use these grapples as one of the primary ways to throw an opponent off balance. A well-executed grapple technique uses an opponent’s strength to the advantage of the Jiu Jitsu practitioner.

Patrick Marzo: GCPfx Global

My partner, Anthony Viggiano, and I engineered GCPfx Global two years ago. It is a platform for institutional foreign-exchange trading that provides liquidity in currency pairs. All institutional investors can benefit from our platform, from global banking institutions to hedge funds. The platform is designed for use by those experienced in algorithm trading and offers a simple Graphical User Interface. Using the Global Platform and Foreign Exchange portals, clients can easily and efficiently handle different order types, automate trading with proprietary strategies, and achieve direct access to the market. GCPfx Global additionally offers API programmability and FIX Adapter capabilities with high-level connectivity, trade control, and execution speed. The interface combines multiple Foreign Exchange applications and uses proven algorithms to sort and rank prices. Clients can then execute trades in real-time over the pricing tiers of multiple liquidity providers. Trade execution is performed via Executable Streaming Prices, Request for Stream, or undisclosed orders. With our platform, clients realize maximum profits with lowered execution and operations risks. GCPfx Global is offered through my firm, Graceland Capital Partners Foreign Exchange, which executes more than $40 billion in foreign-exchange trades monthly. GCPfx strives to fulfill all of its clients’ foreign-exchange needs, from algorithmic and proprietary trading to prime-of-prime services. Our professionals hold a deep understanding of the rapidly shifting foreign-exchange market and work to guide clients to success through a wide range of products. For more information about GCPfx and its products, visit GCPfx.com or call us at (732) 792-6720.

About Patrick Marzo!

Executing more than $40 billion in forex transactions per month, Patrick Marzo leads the proprietary trading area at Graceland Capital Partners. Patrick Marzo founded Graceland Capital Partners along with a partner in 2007, and the company achieved more than 100% returns in 2008 and 2009. In addition, Patrick Marzo deals with vendors and pricing and is involved in the training and teaching of other members of the team at Graceland Capital Partners. A graduate of the University of Long Island’s C.W. Post Campus, Patrick Marzo is the bearer of a degree in accounting and finance. Patrick Marzo currently participates in Forex Professionals and the Electronic Trading Group. In his leisure time, Patrick Marzo pursues hobbies, including reading and golf. Patrick Marzo is also a member of Seikei Ryu Jiu-Jitsu and enjoys karate training.