Mark at the Success Stories Board at 24-Hour Fitness
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My Story: It’s late 2009 and I’ve been asked to share “My Story”. The folks at 24-Hour Fitness want to post it on the “Success Stories” board. My first reaction: I have a story? I’ve been on a weight loss and Ironman triathlon journey, to be sure… but it’s not finished yet. I have a few pounds to go and I haven’t completed an Ironman yet. And, let’s be honest, even though genetics aren't really on my side it is my own fault I had weight to lose to begin with. I’m told my story will inspire others who want to be a part of the journey, not just read about it when the final chapter is written. And I'm reminded that the New Year is coming, it may be the spark that helps someone else.
Looking Back: So I went home and reluctantly took a wary look over my shoulder at photos of years past: 2008… 2007… 2006… 2005. As I ticked back through the years one-by-one, tears started to fall. I knew how much weight I had lost, I knew how far I had come in triathlon, but I was actually stunned to see what I looked like just two or three years ago. I feel like the same person on the inside but it was clear I wasn't the same person on the outside. I simply hadn’t looked at back at the photos since they were taken. I called over my husband Mark and all he said in his best man-of-little-tact style was: “Look at those cheeks!” The camera doesn’t lie, and sometimes the truth hurts. I guess I do have a story to share.
1996 – 2006: In 1996 we married and then I promptly, gradually, began to put on weight. No drama, no babies, no yo-yo dieting, just simply consuming more calories than I burned. Mark and I were active, had great friends and travelled extensively. For several years we played on two, sometimes three ice hockey teams. We also dabbled in running, mountain biking, soccer, cross country skiing and all sports in between. We were living the sweet life, to be sure. My health was generally good according to my doctor, but soon enough, I was a “bigger girl” in a skinny girl’s world. Degenerative disc disease in my lower back had caused multiple herniated discs on three occasions. A minor heart condition had resulted in quite a scare that, when all the tests were done, simply requires monitoring and does not restrict my activity. Negligible bumps in the road that were enough to set me back, but not enough to truly be the cause of the weight gain. And yes, I was happy but I was not confident. I didn’t like that there weren’t cute clothes in my size and that I needed bigger clothes each year. I didn’t like having to back shyly into the water at the beach. And I certainly didn’t like that my weight actually limited my performance in sports. I told myself it didn’t matter, and time marched on.
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Run Jenn, Run!
2007: Finishing the Valley Girl Sprint
2009: Finishing the Grand Columbian Half Ironman
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Tri It Class: It was early 2006 and I weighed over 200 pounds. On a whim, I responded to a flyer for a “Tri It” class. I think I was just looking for something… yes, that little spark. I had swum competitively in high school, could certainly ride a bike and (in lighter days) had run as much as a half-marathon. My friend Annette was willing to take the class, she got her friend Michelle to take it, and Mark wasn’t hard to persuade. Before we knew it we were all gathered around coaches Julie and Rosemary along with our new friend Christine on the first day of class. We talked about goals and expectations for the months ahead. My goals as written at that first class: To complete a Sprint distance triathlon. That would entail a 0.5 mile swim, a 12.0 mile bike and a 3.0 mile run. “Your goal is not to lose weight?” one of the instructors asked with a raised eyebrow? Nope. Guess I wasn’t ready yet.
Our First Triathlon: That summer of 2006 Mark, Annette, Christine, Michelle and I all completed our first Sprint triathlon. Mark, Christine and I did Lake Chelan and had a BLAST! We started in different waves so I finished the swim ahead of him but he caught up to me on the bike and from there to the finish line we raced side-by-side. Christine cheered us on and took photos coming down the final stretch. I continued to train for the Sprint distances and found the structure of triathlon training really suited my personality. Still, no weight loss.
Valley Girls: The following summer of 2007 I completed my second triathlon. It was the Valley Girl Sprint near Spokane and we stayed with Annette’s sisters Diana and Kathy. Annette's husband Steve was quickly becoming the staff photographer and getting some amazing action shots. By now I was REALLY having fun. Annette and I chatted constantly about training and Mark was losing weight too. I wanted to do better and go longer. It was crystal clear from Steve's finishing line photos I’d have to lose weight to do it. I set a goal of completing an Olympic distance triathlon, filed away the pictures and didn’t look back.
BeginnerTriathlete.com: I searced the internet for training plans to complete the 0.9 mile swim, 24.8 mile bike and 6.2 mile run for the Olympic distance. I stumbled onto BeginnerTriathlete.com and became a member. Here’s where the weight loss really took off. It’s a triathlete’s dream site. You can record anything imaginable: training, nutrition, sleep, even gear and race results. At first I simply logged everything: the calories, the yards in the pool, the miles and yes, even the weight, which topped out at 215.2 pounds. The key for me was I could analyze all the data. I could assess my training volume, review my nutrition, compare race results and graph my weight. In a lot of ways I began to consider myself one big biology and psychology experiment. When I didn’t get the results I wanted, I reviewed my log, made changes from what I’d learned and kept moving forward.
Calorie Management: It became clear pretty quickly that I could eat my way though any amount of training. Having a flat daily calorie budget didn’t work for me as I needed energy to train and wanted sustainable weight loss. So every day I created a calorie budget that included a base plus an approximation of calories for whatever training was in my plan. I estimated the calories burned for any given activity based on calculators found on several web sites. I aimed for creating a deficit of about 500 calories a day which I knew theoretically would result in a pound of weight loss per week. And, at long last, the weight started to come off. Not quickly, but consistently. At one point a girl at work said it looked like I stepped out of a fat suit. Ouch. Sometimes the truth hurts.
Getting Lit: By the summer of 2008 I had lost about 65 pounds while training for that relatively moderately distanced Olympic triathlon. Looking back this gives me the confidence to know I can maintain or lose weight at any level of activity. I don’t need to be training for an Ironman to be fit; I just need to manage my calorie budget accordingly. My biggest race that year was the Olympic at the Grand Columbian. I was in awe of fellow Tri It classmate Christine who was doing the Half Ironman distance that day. A Half Ironman consisted of a 1.2 mile swim a 56.0 mile bike and 13.1 mile run. As we caught up after the race I learned she had crashed her bike, cracked her ribs and still finished the race. If that wasn’t inspiring enough, she was gunning for an Ironman in 2009! WOW, one of our little Tri It class members doing an Ironman? That’s a full-on 2.4 mile swim, a 112.0 mile bike and a 26.2 mile marathon all in one day! Could I do one too? Well why not? I had momentum on my side, I was getting fitter by the week, I truly loved the training and I certainly wasn’t getting any younger. That week I set a goal do Ironman Canada 2010. I had two years to get ready. I made an appointment with Coach Julie, started researching training plans to do a Half Ironman in 2009 and checked out gyms near my home. That little spark had lit a fire, no doubt about it.
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No More Swimsuit Drama!
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2006: At the Beach
2009: Finishing the Lake Meridian 2.4 Mile Swim
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24-Hour Fitness: In the fall of 2008 I joined the 24-Hour Fitness near my home. It was glorious… a brand new top-of-the-line facility that brought with it access to a lap pool, personal training and new friendships. No more “combat swimming” for the single hour the city pool was open with six people crammed into a lane. In fact, now Mark and I often had the entire pool to ourselves. I started strength training with Master Trainer Josh and we had lots to talk about as he was also a triathlete. It’s here where I really started to understand and focus on body composition, not simply weight. I learned to incorporate strength training into triathlon, got all too familiar with those little skin pinching calipers and continued to drop body fat. Before long and without much arm twisting Josh was on board for Ironman Canada 2010 as well. It’s wild to know that a much abridged version of this story will be on their wall.
Highlight Reel of Training: Training for the Half Ironman brought a plethora of new experiences, new friends and a whole new level of fitness. It included “Friday Night Tights” on country roads with Mark and hockey buddy Greg. Fellow 24-Hour Fitness member Jan led us on breathtaking – literally and figuratively – rides up Mt. Rainier. One notable ride with Josh, Jan, Mark and fellow Ironman hopeful Shawn included 95 miles, over 4,900 feet of climbing and what felt like six inches of rain. Nothing will build confidence like surviving a ride like that. The third installment of Valley Girl was a ton of fun. Long training runs were, by choice, a solitary affair on the trails near my home. I always returned from those runs with a smile on my face, more energy than when I left and my worries thoroughly forgotten. I learned there is no better way to start a work day than with a serene open water swim at dawn led by Julie in Lake Washington. Following the swim was the "important meeting" at a nearby coffee shop. There where we chatted with Julie, her husband Duncan, Mark, Annette, Christine, Michelle, fellow triathletes Heidi and Jessica in addition to Ironman Canada 2009 trainee Ann. Near the end of the summer we travelled to Penticton for Ironman Canada 2009 along with Josh and his wife Eryn. We cheered for Ann, volunteered on the swim course and rode most of the bike course. On the way out of town Josh and I each plunked down several hundred dollars to register for 2010. No turning back now.
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2009 Training Highlights
2009: Valley Girls Michelle, Annette and Jenn
2009 Rearview Mirror Preview of the Ironman Canada Bike Course with Josh
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Half (Ironman) Way There: I had lost 75 pounds by the summer of 2009 and, when factoring in muscle gain, the loss totaled about 80 pounds of fat. My biggest race was the Half Ironman at the Grand Columbian. Consistent training rewarded me with a fun and successful race. By now I’d had Ironman Canada in my sights for a year and saw this event as an important stepping stone to 2010. Also noteworthy: Annette, Michelle, Mark and Heidi were there racing as well. One thing that ensured a good time was that Steve and Michelle’s husband Ross were at every turn taking photos and cheering.
It Takes a Village: The Half Ironman really solidified my sentiment that triathlon is a friends and family affair. Outside of all the remarkable folks previously mentioned, my non-triathlete friends and family have been fantastic. I’m sure their eyes are glazing over on the inside when the subject comes up, but on the outside they are nodding and at least looking interested. My mom and dad know what “T1” is and my brother introduced me to the 2.4 mile washing machine known as the Waikiki Roughwater Swim. Sara, Tricia, Deb and Tara will listen intently about how training is going over lunch. Steve R. will send me a text on the day of the race and is constantly trying to expand the culinary horizons in my calorie restricted world. Golf star Suzie sincerely wants to know what’s next on the agenda and even my hockey buddies get how exciting it is to get a new bike. And, last-but-not-least, one of our cats, “Drill Sergeant Toby”, keeps a mindful eye on the training in our home gym. The other three cats? Well, they keep the bed warm and toasty for post-workout naps. Yes, I am lucky girl.
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One Step Closer to Ironman Canada 2010!
2009 Seattle Marathon Finishers Jenn and Josh
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To Do List - Complete a Marathon: I finished my first stand-alone marathon in late November. I was well trained and had a good race, finishing with a luxurious 25 seconds to spare under my goal time. The highlight of the day? Josh and Eryn were at the finish for photos and congratulations all around. And trust me, that's a quite a gesture on a cold November day because rock star Josh finished well ahead of me. It's heartening to know I've completed the Ironman distance of each discipline at least once. Now just the small simple matter of stringing them all together on one day!
Ironman Training: You know when you’re a kid and you want to run around and ride your bike and go swimming all the time? That’s what I get to do almost every day of my adult life. Yes it’s more structured. Typically my training consists of twelve workouts a week: three each of swim, bike, run and strength. I try to get one or two done before work and one at lunch, leaving evenings and at least one full weekend day for a (gasp!) social life. It leads to a lot of laundry and not a lot of TV. In the winter it usually starts with the alarm clock going off at 4:00 AM and slogging to the gym in the rain with Mark in tow. Josh will be there, and on a lot of days Jan will too. Is it worth it? Absolutely.
Side Effects: 1) Things I’ve Gained: Deepening friendships, confidence, a wardrobe I’m sure will fit next year and energy aplenty. 2) Health: I haven’t had so much as a cold in over a year, I can’t remember the last time my back hurt and my heart condition is stable. 3) Inspiration: Ann completed Ironman Canada 2009 with a million smiles and the brightest tights ever to take to the course. She often pops into my training log to post cheerful notes of encouragement. We watched live and teary-eyed over the internet while Christine jumped and leapt and grinned all the way across the finish line of Ironman Florida 2009. My mom is amazed, has lost almost 60 pounds herself, and that in turn amazes me right back! 4) Traditions: Annette’s sisters Diana and Kathy continue to be gracious hosts for the annual invasion of Valley Girls. I still play hockey, just not as much and not before events when an injury could wipe out months of training. 5) New Experiences: Mark, Annette, Heidi, Michelle, Ross, Jessica and I are headed to Kona. That's Mecca for triathletes and home of the Ironman World Championships. We’ll swim in Kailua Bay, ride the bike course, run in the lava field heat and dare to dream while being coached by Julie and Duncan. 6) And, one last note: Mark still thinks my cheeks are cute. That’s love, I guess.
My Story: I found my spark, my fire is lit and I intend to keep it lit. No more looking back, no more tears. It’s all eyes forward from here on out and Ironman Canada 2010 is in my sights. The rest of the story is still unwritten.
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“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” -George Bernard Shaw
2009: Michelle, Mark, Jenn and Annette at the Grand Columbian
