Triathlon has afforded me the opportunity to not only train in diverse ways, but demonstrate a passion for sport beyond the high school Cross Country team I coach. I think most students believe that when you’re an adult, you might take on the occasional 5k…if you’re up for it! As a high school student, I played soccer. In college I started to run for fun, but nothing ever very serious. I signed up to train for a marathon and fundraise with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society during my senior year of college and loved both the cause and the training. Over time, I got bored just running and then signed up for triathlons. Since then, tri’s have been my passion. I’ve completed all distances but think Olympics are my favorite. This last year I wanted my students to see the journey of Ironman training and was happy to set goals, let them know what they were, and keep them informed while we both trained (me for IMAZ, them for the State meet in Arizona). Being motivated by athletes helps me and I think it gives them the appreciation that their coach isn’t some slouch!