But when the meetings end and his colleagues go out for drinks, Dinsmore, who is training for the April 18th Honolulu Triathlon, heads for the gym.

"I've worked out every day but today," Dinsmore, 46, said following a recent week-long trip.

Even if you'd like to exercise for two hours, but only have 40 minutes, "you do something," he said. "Something is better than nothing."

After his business trip he was scheduled to return home for a week, then leave on a family trip with wife Dawn Suyenaga, general counsel for Gentry Companies, and their children, a daughter, 16, and a son, 7.

"Life is a balance," he said of the constant effort to devote time to everybody and everything. He said he finds that training specifically for a race is an apt motivator. "It's a goal. I'm somewhat competitive, so I'm not interested in getting out there and performing badly."

Triathlon coach Raul Boca said that when he arrives at the Honolulu Club to teach his early morning spinning class, Dinsmore is well into his workout.

"He's already there and he's already sweating," said Boca. "I'm barely waking up to teach my class. You know the guy gets up at 5 o'clock. He's very disciplined."

Dinsmore swam and ran track in his younger years and has always exercised, but said he is more fit now than he was in college. He began competing in triathlons in his mid-30s, and often places in the top three in his age group.

Dinsmore said training helps in his role as manager of 400 tenants at Victoria Ward, owner and developer of the Victoria Ward Centers. While swimming, biking or running, he can't answer the phone or sign papers. The body does the work, so the mind can relax. And this helps with decision-making. "It's a reflective time to analyze problems, which I find very helpful." It also makes him calmer in stressful situations and "less likely to say something you'll regret."

Part of the balancing act involves juggling his responsibilities as parent and athlete by trading off workout times and school pick-up duties with his wife. But he said he believes all of it benefits his children. Consistent exercise enables him to keep up with them and act as a good role model. He believes setting and achieving personal goals through hard work is more effective than lecturing youngsters about fitness. After all, he points out, "kids are what their parents do."

According to Boca, "He tries to do as much stuff as he can with the kids. He challenges himself not just to finish, but to do well." And through it all, "he keeps everything in perspective."

Dinsmore has found that joining a group — this time it's Boca's Honolulu Triathlon Masters Training for athletes over age 45 — that meets three days per week at set times helps accomplish his objectives. The schedule gives appointment status to his workouts and helps him avoid the perils of the neverending afternoon meeting.

"It's more enjoyable as a group," Dinsmore said. "There's a little bit of competition ... there's other people that help push you."

There also is the excitement of learning something new, even after 10 years of triathlon competition. "As I've gotten older, I'm more coachable, probably," Dinsmore said.

That enthusiasm shows no signs of waning. Although he admits that he may have to switch sports at some point to accommodate his son's interests, Dinsmore plans to train and race "as long as my body holds up."