The Gateway Drug

    I have always been a user, to some degree or another, at least since I was about 18. It really did start my senior year in high school, when I attended college instead of high school. True, I had dabbled from about 7th grade on. But college was when it really began. It started innocently enough, with Ballet. That quickly escalated to Jazz and Modern dance, with weight lifting added in as a supplement. Shortly after that I was an instructor at a gym, and that is when weight lifting became my preferred high. Oh, I dabbled in other activities, racquet sports, Jazzercise, aerobics classes, but always came back to weight lifting as the easy, mellow buzz, and one I could access on my own. Armored combat came into my life over 15 years ago, and it was a rush, but too sporadic, and it introduced me the the gut clenching, sweat dripping, hardcore blast of a heavy bag workout. But that wasn't sustainable over time, too much potential body damage, too reliant on others. Stepping away from armored combat, I continued with the mild buzz of weight lifting, it sustained me through dark times, an antidepressant. It was surgery that brought me face to face with what would become my drug of choice. Sheerly by accident, a chance remark from my physical therapist, "You can swim and cycle all you want." That was it, the door opened; Sprint Triathlon, amped up by glorious visions of Ironman. I was hooked. I admit, as with any hardcore drug it took me a little time to adjust, some uncomfortable, painful, even nauseous moments. I started small and easy, thinking "just this once." Isn't that what all addicts think? Just once? There were times when I wanted to quit, struggled with rising addiction, almost walked away. But I was hooked. Sometimes, the build up to the high was almost more than I could stomach, but then the endorphins kick in and all the pain and misery fall away. Now, I need more. Bigger and better. There will be more pain and misery, but I am prepared to suffer just to experience that amazing buzz. I can't go back to the small doses, that just won't cut it. I've found 70.3 and it is glorious, I can only imagine what 140.6 will feel like. I want to put out a public service announcement, "Sprint Triathlon, the Gateway Drug."