Thursday Game of Tag

Oh..My..God. My very first game of tag. Believe it or not this is my first official invitation to play tag. It's kind of nice when you don't have to think of anything "original" to post. My good IronSista, TriSaraTops smacked me with this tag. Here goes............

1. Describe a memory from your first triathlon ever

2001 edition of the Huntington Beach sprint tri in Bay Village, OH. Aimee and I both did this tri. We tried to train for the swim and that is how I discovered I really sucked for the swim. However this swim was only 400 yards.
Memory 1
This picture shows me with two other people exiting the swim at the back of our wave.....the very back of the wave.......I'm sure some people in our wave may have been in T1 already.

Memory 2
Aimee's wave started late enough that I was done before she finished her bike.....with an almost flat front tire. While she was in T1 she was very frustrated and asked me to run the 5k with her. Here I am chasing her down out of T2......So I ran another 5k to be with Aimee. It was worth it.

2. Describe a memory from your most recent triathlon

That would be Ironman USA. So many to choose from. How much I saw Aimee. I caught a glimpse of her while running to T1.....on the bike course........on the run course (alot)......and another glimpse of her running down the finishing chute. Just like in training she was there with me the entire time.

3. What's the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you in a tri?

I caught a fist during the first 200 yards of an olympic distance tri in '04. Split my lip and was bleeding the entire two loop swim. As I approached T1 I asked where medical was. The race announcer said, over the PA system, "Eric the ambulance is back there". Of course Aimee heard this as she was approaching T1. Everything was fine and I completed the race. This picture shows the gauze I got from the EMTs. I had it in my mouth for 10 miles to stop the bleeding.

4. What's the most thrilling thing that's happened to you in a tri?

2004 edition of the Huntington Beach Tri. This was my final tune-up for my first half IM. I finished top 10 overall, first in my age group and caught almost everyone in the wave ahead of me...2 minute gap......including TriAl. Sorry Alan....I had to mention it.

5. What is something you discovered about yourself by doing triathlons?

How to keep things in perspective. How to prioritize what is truly important. How to have fun.

6. What is The Big Goal that you're working towards?

I've "discovered", through triathlon/training, that I am not a big life goal planner. I plan my race schedule more than I plan my life. So from a Big Goal aspect, two things. First, there is an 80% chance that I will be doing IM Wisconsin in '08. Second, keep finding those certain "events" that will push me farther than ever before. Be them athletic, personal, career, life.

Who do I tag......BuckeyeRunner (or the Mr.), My Coach Angela, Snickers Girl, Eric Hodska (my coach's coach)