8 Things You Didn’t Know About Me

I got double-tagged with the “eight things you didn’t know about me” meme today by Collin Douma and Eden Spodek. In fact, Collin tagged two of my blogs so I guess I’m triple-tagged.

I figure that not responding wouldn’t be very… well… social, so here goes.

Fact 1: I Run, But It Isn’t Always Fun

You may already know that I’m a runner. I run. A lot. I blog about it, too.

My first marathon... while still verticalYou probably don’t know, though, that I passed out after my first marathon.

Yes, passed out. Properly. Dramatically too – in the middle of the sidewalk, hitting the back of my head on the way down. Apparently it was spectacular.

I was fine throughout the race. However, I couldn’t find any Gatorade to replace my blood salts after I finished. Rather than not drink anything, I worked my way through a litre of water. That, combined with not being able to stomach any food (I get that a lot after races), diluted the few salts left in my blood. My body said, “I don’t think so, thankyouverymuch.”

I woke up to a crowd of people calling 911. Not a good first marathon experience.

I learned a lot about myself that day. Fortunately, much of it involved knowing how to stop that from ever happening again.

Fact 2: I’m A Soppy Romantic

I left my friends and family behind and moved to Canada from England in 2003… for a girl (all together: awwwww).

We broke up the next year, but that worked out well as I’ve ended up with my dream girl, who I wouldn’t be living with if I hadn’t moved here for someone else.

Life has a funny way of kicking you down then picking you back up.

Fact 3: It’s All Or Nothing

I obsess over everything I do, whether it’s work or play. It’s all or nothing for me (as illustrated by my running goals for 2008). That leads to me burning out on a lot of things.

Generally, my big challenge is holding myself back enough to enjoy whatever I’m doing.

Fact 4: I Love Snow!

Having grown up in England, I still enjoy the Canadian snow (although my running is slowly helping me to get over it).

DinnerFact 5: I love skittles

I could eat a full pack of skittles in about a minute. Two handfuls, that’s all it takes. Mmmmmm.

Fact 6: I Had Really Bad Dress Sense A Few Years Ago

During my ‘dress like a fool’ stage in my teen years, I once went to a mainstream dance club in a black long-sleeved Metallica top with a full-on glow-in-the-dark pattern, including a giant skull on the back.

Let’s just say went home alone that night. I never stopped being a rocker, though 🙂 And no, there are no photos of that shirt. Just… no.

StewieFact 7: If I Were In A Cartoon…

…I’d be Stewie.

No, I don’t want to kill my mother.

I’m addicted to Family Guy. Something about it mirrors my sense of humour (is that a good thing?).

Plus, I’m an evil British baby.

Fact 8: PR Found Me

I didn’t find PR; it found me. If it weren’t for a bizarre set of coincidences, I’d probably be an IT consultant now.

I studied business at university with a focus on marketing and IT, and I gained experience as a web developer in the UK with Hitachi and Lloyds TSB.

My entry into communications happened as a two-week temporary contract with the Ontario government evolved into something longer-term, and I found I actually liked this work. I mean, really liked it.

Then I discovered social media and that sealed the deal. Now, a short time later, it’s my life. What’s more, I’m still at the beginning of the learning curve, which makes it all the more exciting.

There you have it – 8 things you probably didn’t know about me. To keep this thing going, the following people can consider themselves tagged. Why? Because I have immense respect for all of you and I feel I know far too little about you:

Mitch Joel, Colin McKay, Todd Defren, Joseph Thornley, David Jones, CC Chapman, Jason Falls, Ed Lee

(Skittles photo credit: Neoroma)

Dave Fleet
Managing Director and Head of Global Digital Crisis at Edelman. Husband and dad of two. Cycling nut; bookworm; videogamer; Britnadian. Opinions are mine, not my employer's.