FAST MASTERS: WHO'S IN THAT LANE? -- EPISODE 6: MATT TRUXAW

Lauren Morford

FAST Masters: Who’s In That Lane? – Episode 6: Matt Truxaw

Who’s In That Lane? Episode 6: Matt Truxaw

An autobiography written by Matt Truxaw and presented by Bill McGarvey

 

I’m Matt Truxaw. I swim somewhere in the middle of the pool. Who am I? I am not really sure, but here are a few random facts about me.

I am truly a Fullerton native. I was born at St. Jude’s in Fullerton. My mother was also born and raised in Fullerton so I’m a second generation Fullertonian. I was raised in nearby Whittier. I got my degree in Economics from Cal State Fullerton in the early 1980s and somehow found a career in Computer Programming and IT. I’ve done that for about a thousand years and currently am thinking about not doing it anymore. I returned to Fullerton in the early 1990s. I still live here with my wife, Christine, and three cats and my kid, Atlas, when they’re not away at college.

I’ve been swimming on various teams since I was about 9 years old. I’ve swum Masters off and on since I was about 25. I swam and coached FAST Masters back in the early 1990s for a few months, writing up workouts and swimming with the team. I left to Novaquatics when I worked in Irvine, and have been back at FAST for the last ~14 years. I’m an OK swimmer but was never very fast and I don’t compete very often, but I do keep going. My philosophy of swimming is one that I stole from a buddy I used to swim with years ago:

“You have to show up and get in the pool every day. If you don’t feel like swimming, you can get out and go home, but you have to show up and get in.”

That’s why I’m usually one of the first ones waiting in the parking lot in the morning. I (almost) always get in, and most of the time I stay in.

Other random non-swimming facts:

  • I ran a 50K for my 50th birthday.
  • I ran the LA Marathon twice and a marathon up to the top of Saddleback Mountain once.
  • I completed a couple of half Ironman triathlons and bunch of shorter ones, but none in the past 30 years or so.
  • My knees are old, so now I mostly just swim and walk.
  • I recently published my first novel, Plastivore. It’s a science fiction novel, kind of Michael Crichton-esque with the promise vs. the perils of science and technology. You can get it on Amazon or most other online booksellers.

I recently lost my regular FAST lane mate, Heather, so if you want to change the intervals from time to time, stop by and join me in whatever lane I’m in. Remember, you don’t have to stay in, but you have to get in.