About
Background
It's said that some people are born natural athletes. In my case the phrase 'unnatural' athlete might apply! As a child I was active enough but veered away from anything too demanding or strenuous. Through high school I can remember consciously avoiding gym class and while not the last one chosen for group events, I certainly was nowhere near being the first.
Until my mid 20's I was blessed with a naturally fast metabolism and rarely had to worry about what I ate or concern myself with regular exercise. After marriage and the birth of our daughter my more sedentary lifestyle began to show up in a few extra pounds and a loss of tone. In the early 80's I became active with aerobics eventually teaching classes 8 - 10 times a week. (Remember Jane Fonda? I was a clone - leg warmers and all!) However, a foolish injury sidetracked this venture. I went to have my legs waxed at a local salon. Rather than lying down flat on my back I raised myself up on my elbows to watch the proceedings. The first rip of the waxed tape was excruciatingly painful and I threw my head back in agony. This resulted in whiplash (I know, it's almost too silly to be true!) It took over a year to finally be pain free from that injury.
Into my 30's I maintained a sporadic exercise history, attending health clubs on a semi-regular basis. Then came the turning point in my life - my 40th birthday. Deciding to revamp my life, and realizing that my parents' health history didn't bode well for me unless I took steps to prevent heart disease later in life, I turned to jogging in the mornings before work. After a few months of this I began to experience searing pain through my right kneecap and an orthopaedic surgeon said I'd need arthroscopic surgery to correct the problem. He also advised me that I should avoid jogging, aerobics, stairclimbers, and step classes - in short, anything involving impact to the knees.
The surgery took place and during the recuperation period I was determined to maintain my fitness level. I went for walks that were, in hindsight, much longer than necessary. I also favoured the recuperating right knee and must have been holding my upper body at a awkward angle. Consequently I strained a ligament in my back which completely brought any hopes of maintaining my fitness level to a standstill. I was in great pain and discomfort for nearly 2 years and combated the frustration by overeating. I consequently gained 40 pounds. This continued until I went to a clinic specializing in back problems and through their tremendous help managed to finally get my back healthy and strong. The manager of the clinic was aghast at the orthopaedic surgeon's recommendation to avoid jogging, etc., and pointed out that I could always have knee replacement surgery when I was in my 70's. In the meantime I had 30 years of living ahead of me.
So I recommenced jogging - alternating between one block of walking and one block of jogging for a total of about 6 blocks. This was the most I could manage and it exhausted me! I managed to build up to about 3 km continuous movement which was a major accomplishment. I also joined Weight Watchers and over a period of 6 months lost the 40 pounds I had gained.
In the spring of 1999 my husband, Bob, a natural athlete if ever there was one, was taking swim stroke improvement classes at our local rec centre. I decided to join him. We thought it would be fun to take part in a sprint distance triathlon being held that summer. A sprint distance triathlon is comprised of a 500m swim, 20km cycle and 5 km run. We trained by ourselves for the next 3 months and finally the big day arrived. While the actual event took me only about an hour and a half to complete, it felt like the most daunting physical challenge I had ever undertaken - childbirth included!! I was so slow that I was one of the final few crossing the finish line, however, the feeling of accomplishment at the end (and for days later) was worth a million dollars.
We decided to join a triathlon club at the YM/YWCA of Greater Victoria that winter to properly train and prepare ourselves for the same sprint distance triathlon the next summer. We also wanted to complete an Olympic distance event (1500m swim, 40km bike, 10km run) a couple of months later. With proper conditioning and training both events were very successful. We also made the fateful decision to travel to Penticton, BC to spectate at Ironman Canada. The club coordinator was taking part in the event in which you have 17 hours to finish the race which starts at 7 in the morning. Not having any experience with the Ironman distance races (3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2km run) we thought that anyone attempting that distance had to be completely nuts!! We also expected that the race would be made up of professional athletes and super fit age-groupers. While the elite racers did finish hours earlier, it was seeing so many 'regular' people coming across the finish line from early evening until the cutoff point of midnight that convinced me that I had to become an Ironman before I died - and I informed Bob that he had to do it too!!
Upon returning home I consulted with my chiropractor, who is an Ironman triathlete himself, and got the green light to proceed with training over the next two years with the goal of completing Ironman Canada (along with Bob) in 2002. I have since completed three Ironman distance triathlons (2002, 2003 and 2004) and will be at the start line in Penticton again on August 28, 2005.
We have made so many wonderful friends since becoming involved with triathlon. Becoming so physically fit directly led to my decision to become involved fully in the fitness industry and no longer be a legal secretary, a job I had done since I was 18. I have learned to dig deep inside myself and to draw on reserves of strength and perseverance that I never knew existed.
One moment that stands out in my memory, and which helped to guide me in the direction to become a personal trainer, took place back in 2001. I was swimming alongside a new club member on her first openwater swim at a local lake. Even though she was in a wetsuit (and would not sink if she ran into trouble) she was experiencing a great deal of panic at the thought of swimming in the lake. I swam next to her and talked to her constantly on the outgoing portion of the swim. For the return leg, she put her head down and swam continuously back to shore - her fears conquered. As we exited the water she gave me a great, big hug and thanked me for my encouragement and support, saying she couldn't have done it without me. It was so wonderful to be able to provide the motivation and encouragement for someone to accomplish their goal. It is something I hope to pass on to others through my work as a personal trainer and triathlon coach.
