We had the good fortune of connecting with Tyler McCandless and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tyler, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Work life balance is really trying to find a balance that gives you optimal happiness. It’s not about X number of hours working and Y number of hours being with your family and Z number of hours pursuing your passion or hobby, but ultimately how happy you are in your life. With a full-time career as a Data Science Director for Tomorrow.io, an elite runner who’s qualified for four Olympic Marathon Trials and most important a husband to an amazing wife Kristin and father to our two boys Levi (3 yrs old) and Jack (8 months old), my life is very full. When I was single and in my 20s and working as a graduate student, I had more hours in the day available to do other things. Now it’s important that I prioritize and plan each day to fully enjoy it and be as present as possible. My family always comes first so while 10 years ago I would have thought it is crazy to get up and run at 4:55am, now I thoroughly enjoy getting up then, putting on my headlamp and knocking out a 15-mile run before 7am to help get the boys up, have breakfast with them before I start my job. My balance is different today than it was 5 years ago and is different than it will be in 5 years and that’s great!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have a different balance than most do in their lives. On one hand, I’m a Director of Data Science for a leading weather intelligence company and hold a PhD in Meteorology. This requires deeply analytical skills. On the other hand, I’m one of the top consistent marathon runners in the US over the last decade. This requires intense physical effort and a relentless pursuit of my craft, running upwards of 120 miles per week in the biggest portions of marathon training. I’ve found these two pursuits to be extremely complementary and give me a great sense of purpose. When I’ve spent too much time focused on one over the other I tend to perform worse at both, but when both pursuits are going well I feel like I’m really in the moment, present, and happy.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First, Fort Collins is simply amazing. The people. The culture. The community. The trails. All of it are just phenomenal. Since I’m a runner I’ll focus on some great places to run. First, I’d be sure to do a hike or run up Horsetooth. My favorite is Towers Road from Soderburgh trailhead. I’d recommend going at sunrise and seeing the incredible view over the lake. Second, go for a run or walk along the Poudre River Trail from downtown and on a sunny afternoon you’ll see plenty of people enjoying the river, fly fishing and having fun. Third, Fossil Creek Reservoir has awesome gravel paths and plenty of neat birds to see, including multiple bald eagles during the appropriate season. Simply, just get outside and enjoy this awesome front range community!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’ve had very great mentors throughout my life, but one of those special mentors is my coach Steve Jones. He was a world class runner – in fact – he set the World Record in the marathon in the early 1980s. Steve Jones, who we affectionally call “Jonesy” coaches for the simple reason that he wants to give back to the sport and see us all enjoy pursuing our craft of being the best distance runners we can be. He inspires you to reach beyond what you may have thought was capable. He is the essence of a coach that makes you believe you can do hard things. Jonesy has been my coach for more than a decade and I look forward to the next decade of working together.

Website: tylermccandless.us

Instagram: @TrackTy

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylermccandless/

Twitter: @TrackTy

Facebook: @TrackTy

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