Is there one word that describes the joy you receive from your sport?
Love

How did you become interested in your sport?
A brief bit about my intro to triathlon. I started cycling in August of 2003 on a Huffy bike from Kmart. I did the 5 boro bike tour on that bike and realized I really liked riding around the city and the ability to go distances and places in and around NYC that I had never been, with ease. I also realized that I potentially could be a decent cyclist. A month later, I bought a starter road bike - a Specialized Sirrus - and signed up for a cycling trip to Umbria and Tuscany. While on that trip I realized that I loved cycling.

The following spring I did the BSIG with the New York Cycle Club - which is a spring training series that also focuses on cycling skills and safety. After the BSIG a friend suggested to me to do a triathlon. It definitely hit a nerve because within the week I signed up for my first sprint triathlon the Harriman triathlon held every August. It was mid-June 2004 and the race was about 6 weeks away.

That first race was amazing. I was very nervous before the race and hyperventilated in the swim so ended up doing some semblance of backstroke, floating and breaststroke for the entire swim.... The feeling of accomplishment and overcoming the mental component of wanting to stop in the middle of the swim made me only want to do another. So I signed up for my second race -another sprint - in Orange County, NY After the second race, I was hooked. Thus, a triathlete I became.

What other hobbies do you enjoy?
Cooking, eating, reading about food and restaurants, learning more about and drinking wine, traveling (not only for triathlons!), hanging out with my friends in NYC and elsewhere, seeing new and old art and architecture.

What's your favorite meal to eat before and after a big race?
Before - Whole wheat pasta with red sauce and plenty of cheese.
After - Pizza (almost any kind will do), a salad, some wine and definitely dessert!

Do you have a favorite song, favorite music group, or is there music you like to train to, or is there a certain song that plays in your head when you race or ride?
Thank God for ipods (unfortunately only for training runs) I mix up the music from Hotel Costes, to Jay-Z, to Ben Folds. I sometimes have to sing to myself when I'm racing - which is pretty unsuccessful because I can never remember words to songs...

Do you have a personal motto?
carpe diem

The most memorable and meaningful race you've been in and why?
Because of a couple of funny circumstances I ended up signing up for the Montauk Half Ironman last October. Last season - my first triathlon season in earnest - my goal was to complete one an Olympic distance race. I raced in the NYC Triathlon and was so exhilarated after it that I threw caution to the wind and decided to up the stakes with a Half Iron.

I joined a small group of people who were also training for the Montauk Half. The race was 11 weeks away. I had one Olympic under my belt, I'd run one half marathon, knew I was physically capable of the swim (not sure about the mental component of that) and felt comfortable with the distance of the bike since cycling was my entrée into triathlon.

The race approached and 5 weeks before the race I got a horrible sinus infection that moved into severe bronchitis. Since I was new to training, I was not terribly good at pacing the training effort. Needless to say, I had to take about two weeks off and was still coughing at the race. It didn't stop me though.

Race day approached. We traveled to Montauk. The group with whom I trained was all there. That was incredibly comforting. We set our alarms and it was race day.

The swim - I've had trouble with hyperventilating during race swims but I visualized and reminded myself of the thousands of meters that I had swum, I made it through.

The bike - so 56 miles, not that far...?! but so boring when one is used to riding with others and chatting. It's a game of mind over matter.

The run - I set my watch for two hours knowing that would be about the amount of time I would finish the run. It worked great for me so that I could gauge how much longer I had to race - more helpful than the mileage.

The finish - AMAZING, beyond words, can't believe I raced for six hours and felt good and could walk after. I left something on the course that day - there was more to give. I have many races in the future to find that out.