Drum roll please...

Ok, so I must admit it-  I'm a blog virgin.  I have finally succumbed to the growing trend of publicly displaying personal info for all the world to see.  Basically, I'm doing this not only for friends and family to keep up with what I'm doing and what's going on in my life (as if anyone cares, right?  Well, you'd be surprised), but also as a way for me to keep track of everything too.

Well, the most up-to-date news is that I'm a recent graduate of Western Kentucky University.  Go Tops!  Yes, I somehow managed to get a degree in Management with a concentration in International Business along with a 2nd major in Spanish and a minor in Economics on the 4-year track (plus 2 summer study abroad sessions)  Whew!  What a mouthful!  In case you don't already know, as both my undergrad degree and the title of my blog suggest, I'm an overachiever, a "but it could be better"- always going the extra mile- kind of person.  I suffer from the all-exclusive "Type AAA"personality, whose symptoms include relentless pursuit of perfection in not one, not two, but multiple areas.  If the sport of triathlon doesn't perfectly embody that concept then I don't know what does.  It's not good enough to JUST swim, or JUST bike, or JUST run.  No, I want to do it all.  I guess I don't understand the concept of doing something half-heartedly.  I mean, if you decide to do something, go all out!

Anyway, I decided that I needed a break from the academic world for a bit even though it's all I've ever really known til now.  I kick butt and take names at school (yes, ever since that one day back in Mrs. Clark's 4th grade class I vowed to get that Eagle's Perch Award, and by golly I held that 4.0 until I had that college diploma in my hand), but it's time I take a break from the memorize-regurgitate-forget cycle and get a taste of the real working world.  Sounds scary, but I'm always up for a challenge.   

Well, last summer I was surfing the net and stumbled upon some graduate programs in sports business.  Sports- something I've always loved and participated in, and business- something that I was getting a college degree for.  It didn't take much for me to put 2 and 2 together (yeah, I actually started out as a Math major, ridiculous, huh?) to see that this would be the route for me.  I then started browsing the Ironman website.  For those of you who don't know, or who haven't talked to me in the past year, the Ironman is a triathlon consisting of a 2.4 mile open water swim, 112 mile bike, and full marathon (26.2 miles), for a grand total of 140.6 miles to be completed in under 17 hours.  Yeah, hardcore!  Right up my alley!  Anyway, I searched the site because last year was my first year of triathlon.  It's my newest passion.  Well, a year later, and here I am, packing for a 5-month internship with the World Triathlon Corporation in Tarpon Springs, FL!  I'm so excited to get a taste of marketing, public relations, event and hospitality management, sponsorships, and endorsements all applied to the wonderful sport of triathlon, while living minutes from the beach.  Doesn't get much sweeter!

So this will be the beginning of the next chapter of my life.  I know I'll learn a lot, grow a lot, and maybe change a little, but at the root of it all I think I'll be better.