This is the first part of a two-part interview. The second part will be published one week from today. 

Prepare to be blown away by this Scott Tinley and his book, Things To Be Survived. This book is amazing and its writer moved me near tears — and that's no easy accomplishment -- with his stories, some true, some fiction and most somewhere in that gray area in between. More on that latter thought shortly.

I first heard of Scott Tinley through articles about him in Outside magazine, which I have been reading faithfully since I was about 15. (The magazine itself is one you should definitely be reading even if you, like me, spend more time reading about being outside than you actually do being outside.) Tinley was written about being a professional triathlete who twice won the Hawaii Ironman endurance race.

I had not heard from him in years until I received an email from him asking if I'd be willing to read his new book and interview him about it. Thanks again to Bill Katovsky, author of Patriots Act, for suggesting Tinley and I connect. Apparently my interviews with Katovsky and others are getting more notice than I realized.

I agreed to the interview and had the fleeting thought — later proved to be correct -- that the book might help me better understand my father and brother, both of whom competed in many athletic events. As with my brother, Tinley worked as a lifeguard in Southern California. But if your impression of lifeguards is based on shows like Baywatch you will quickly realize that some of these guys are not just strong but also quite intelligent. Read his answers and tell me you are not impressed. 

Reading up on him on the Internet I learned that seventh-generation Californian Tinley now teaches sport humanities at San Diego State University, not too far from where I grew up in Southern California.

What has Tinley been up since winning the Ironman in 1982 and 1985? I'll let him answer that with an answer to one of my questions.Scott Butki: Do you really believe this comment in your book: “Perhaps my career choices were guided by a secret desire to cheat death: lifeguard, firefighter, paramedic, professional athlete and then, at forty, graduate student”? 

Scott Tinley: I’m still doing it, trying to get my PhD, working with kids, lying about my age, the whole thing. But I think I’m better about the realities of it now. I’ve seen enough death to know how I’d like to go, not that I’m in a rush to go anytime soon. How did your background as an athlete affect your future work as a writer?