From Gym Class Loser to Triathlete

Unless you have been reading for a while, or scrolled through my posts, you may have assumed I have always been the athletic type. That I am genetically engineered to be fit and thin. Let me tell ya a little secret....... HAHA, no frickin' way!!!! I was that girl that would dread gym class. I hated it, I was the one to be chosen last (it sucked big time). I actually went out of my way in Jr High to get lost during my stint in cross country so I wouldn't have to run the whole mile during practice!! I wasn't even overweight then. I was skinny fat. Have you heard of that? I could eat all the crap I wanted and not get heavy. Hate me? Well let me tell you, I developed some pretty bad habits and when I got older and those fun things called genes kicked in, I gained weight. I had no clue how to eat right. I ate the same crap, didn't work out, had kids and couldn't figure out why the heck I was getting bigger and couldn't lose weight!!

I tried everything, that pill that makes oil leak out your butt if you eat too much fat, online diet programs, long cardio sessions on the elliptical while watching Weeds on my ipod, starvation diets, juice diets, nothing flipping worked. I would end up sneaking a few cookies to balance out my "calorie deficit" and go about my day. I was unhealthy, unhappy, and clueless!

So what happened? A big AHHA moment? Sorry folks, no lightening bolt for me. It was gradual. I decided to give up the unhealthy diet crap I was doing and I started moving more, I think. To be honest, it was so gradual I am not even sure how it happened. I just started walking and running (a little). I started swimming and lifting. I was trying anything that I found fun. I tried Zumba and loved it.

Then I ran in a race, oooohhhhh baby, I was hooked! My inner competitor emerged! I wasn't necessarily just competitive against those running in the races (ok a little), but I was competitive against myself. I began to train and tried to run faster and further than what I had before. It was empowering to see what I could do. How I could push myself. When I felt like going slower, I would pick a point and run faster to it and only then slow down. I was coaching and pushing myself.


I started entering races and at first I didn't place, but that was ok, my times were getting faster. Then the coolest thing EVER happened, I began placing. SAAAY WHAAAT? I actually had to get a medal rack for my medals! It was/is the best feeling ever! How the heck did that happen? I hated all this stuff before, but now in my mid 30's I was embracing all of it! Now I don't want you to think it's all about winning. Don't get me wrong, it's awesome when I do. It feels great! I was never a stand out girl when I was younger. My grades were mediocre, I wasn't athletic, I was shy, I wasn't popular, I was just ordinary (not that being ordinary is a horrible thing). I just wasn't a prize winning gal. So what's cool is that I am doing something that I LOVE and doing it well. Then I decided that I wanted to see what I could really do. How I could push myself even more. I mean, why just stay within my comfort zone? Hence the Triathlon. This is a long post already, so I won't go crazy with details. The gist of it is that after training for weeks I felt prepared. However, my only swimming training was in a pool. So those of you out there who has done a triathlon probably have guessed, when it came time to swim, I FREAKED! Full on panic mode. Thank goodness I am pretty good at calming down. After floating on my back, I ended up doing the backstroke for my whole 1/2 mile portion! After that I was not sure I was cut out to be a triathlete! I couldn't go out without a fight though, I HAD to get over this fear. So I did an open water swim and entered a women's only sprint tri. The swim portion was a staggered start so there wouldn't be mass chaos in the beginning. Guess what? I DID IT! I focused on me breathing and swam the whole way!!

What's my point with this whole story? Does that mean that you all have to win? Nope. You don't even have to race, run, swim. What my point is, is that it's NEVER, NEVER too late to become who you want to be. NEVER! What you do need to do is to challenge yourself, get out of your comfort zone. Push yourself. You will never really know what you are capable of until you do. Maybe you can go back to school, start a new career. Try out that spin class you've been stalking. Get off your elliptical and try a weight machine you've been intimidated by. Start walking, try to walk to the corner and back, then around the block, start where you are. Try tofu, whatever! Do something with your life that you are proud of, challenged by. LIVE!