Enough abbreviations for you?  I had the pleasure of organizing a Beginner Triathlete Dallas/Ft. Worth Ironman Texas Get Together on Sunday.  What an awesome group of people! (I'm unfortunately the one slouching in this photo.. uggh!)  We ate at Uncle Julio's in Grapevine - I don't think you can ever go wrong eating there. Their salsa and flour tortillas are to die for.  I tried not to make a pig out of myself in front of everyone, but seriously I could probably down a dozen of their tortillas in a sitting and not think twice about it.

Back row: Craig, John, Aaron, Tommy, Shannon, Brandt, Brandon & Ernesto Front Row: Grady, Craig, Marcy & Steve

Triathletes seriously have to be the nicest people around. We traded race stories, training mishaps, travel adventures and the like.  It's fun to be around a group of people who have the same "sickness".. and I mean that with the greatest of sincerity!  Grady shared a story of not going to a high school reunion, because what he could save on travel costs would equate to some new wheels. Umm.. obvious choice, right?  Ha!

My favorite part had to be the Ironman tattoo parade.  I wanted to check out the fabulous ink on these guys who have conquered the 140.6.  From a girl's perspective, Marcy says she's going for the diamond M-Dot pendant instead of ink. I'm on the fence. I think a small-ish M-dot tat with the Texas flag incorporated would be pretty cool.  I've never really had the desire to get a tattoo- nothing really struck as something so monumental in my life (not to downplay childbirth) that I needed to have a permanent reminder on my body to celebrate it.  But, this just might be the occasion. More on this later I guess... still have months to waffle back and forth.

Anyway, while many of the people who attended have met before, it was great to be welcomed as a newbie and I look forward to getting to know everyone better and even happier to know that I'll have some friendly faces to see on the Ironman Texas course on May 21, 2011!