1. What would you say have been your top accomplishments in your life? Managing to avoid having to work for a living for almost 20 years (I don't view being a professional triathlete as work!) is certainly one. Raising my two children (still an ongoing process as they are only age 4 and age 9) is another one--parenthood is incredibly challenging but rewarding. Finally, I am proud of my record of finishes in the sport--this is my 25th year racing about 15 races per year, and the only DNF (Did Not Finish) was when I was in a crash that broke my collarbone. Many professionals find reasons to drop out when they are not having a good day, but I decided long ago that hurt pride was not a good reason to quit. There were a few times that just finishing the race on one of my bad days was harder than winning the Hawaiian Ironman!

2. How hard are you training right now and what are you preparing for? I am currently preparing for the start of the 2008 race season which for me will begin April 12th at an Irongirl race in Las Vegas. The weather in Boston hasn't been too conducive to getting in outdoor bike miles so I am going to be pretty "fresh-legged" for my first race. (Always helps to put a positive spin on things.)

3. What are your goals for this year and the next few years? I want to race the Hawaiian Ironman as my main goal this year--I had to miss last year due to a knee injury that prevented me from getting in the right training. I would love to have one more Hawaii Ironman where I hit it just right and am happy with my performance. Other than that, I would like to continue to push the envelope when it comes to athletic performance and aging. As a 46-year-old professional triathlete, I am in pretty new territory as it is.

4. Do you eat In The Zone everyday? Maybe on my "good" days! I have made a point of trying to be sure I am getting good quality protein during every meal of the day which is consistent with the Zone way of eating and I do snack on nuts for good fats and take my fish oil pills daily. I think a lot of athletes have too much of their diet coming from simple carbs like pasta and cereal and bread which don't provide all that much in the way of nutrients though it sure does satisfy a craving after a long bike ride or run! I am guilty of falling into that trap occasionally but constantly am trying to do better.

5. Have you begun to notice anything positive since you've started taking Zone products? I started taking the fish oil supplements because I felt that I was in a chronic state of inflammation and that I might be able to alleviate that through nutrition. I didn't like the fact that I have had to take a long-term asthma drug, Advair, for years and still had occasional breathing problems. I have now been off my Advair for several months and have had fewer breathing problems than when I was on it, so I believe the fish oils are helping with my reactive airway problems. I have also had some nagging injuries that were unusual for me that I hope will subside with time due to the supplements--I have seen some improvements but am hoping for even more with time. Also, I have been snacking on Zone bars when I need a little something between meals or before a workout when I don't have time to digest a meal and I have found that they curb my hunger and don't give me the energy swings that I get with snacking on crackers or the like.