WW- Addiction

I have a friend who claims that I don't understand the emotional side of addiction. Every time we have this discussion, I mention 2 unrelated words combined together that scream addiction; Iron and man. If you do the Ironman just once, it's a lifetime experience. If you do it many times, you run the risk of foresaking everything that is important to you.

Training for triathlon is not the first time I've had an addiction. I used to lose sleep by playing video games. It started when I was a kid. No, I was not the first to flip Space Invaders, but I did rule the block in Megamania and RiverRaid. Long live Atari.

After we upgraded to the 2600, life got good. Eventually, we got the Commodore 64 and then the 64 which would become the 128 (assuming that we pressed the right button at start-up). There was a downward spiral through the early 90s which was highlighted by my Street Fighter II championship on my dorm floor.

After I got married, it was agreed that I would not purchase one of those gaming systems. No Wii. No Nintendo. X-box. This simple fact is probably the reason I'm still happily married (unsure about her level of happiness which is a completely different issue).

Thank god for the internet. Apparently, I can combine my age old gaming addiction with my replacement addiction of triathlon. I present:

Extreme Triathlon- The Video Game!
http://www.miniclip.com/games/extreme-triathlon/en/

With just a couple of key strokes, I can force my guy to swim.

What's nice about the swim is that it's super- realistic. No wetsuits. Boulders on the sidelines. And, large obstacles in the water, such as tree branches (or possibly full blown trees). Just like in real life, you have to press z to dive under the wood.

The transition is sequestered by USAT rules. Normally, you would find you bike sitting on it's kick stand (because $3000 carbon fiber triathlon bikes with aero wheels come complete with this assessory). Your helmet can be found on the ground. Mount and go.
 

While riding, follow these simple tips. Pedal. Don't tuck into aero unless you are going down hill. Avoid the many rocks, trees, oil slicks and other debris conveniently left on the course. Why the race directors chose not to clean the route is beyond me but I may be asking for my race fee back.

Back in transition, you are required to toss your helmet to the side. Racking your bike is simple; toss it on the ground. Maybe their bikes are better built than mine.

Running in the race is similar to the Steeplechase. Jump over stuff. Grab fluid along the way (absolutely necessary when competing in a 2 minute race). Running through large bushes and shrubs will slow you.

And, just like in real life... I suck.