I am super excited to start my blog journey, this has been a dream for the last 3 ½ years.  Why has it taken me 3 ½ years to start my blog?  FEAR!! I have been holding back due to FEAR.  Fear that not everyone will like me or what I have to say.  Fear that people may not agree with me. Fear that people may think I’m egotistical and roll their eyes at me.  Fear that I don’t know what to say. Fear that I am not good enough to blog.  Silly fear and yet it feels so real.   So…I am going to laugh in the face of fear share what I am passionate about. Mwahahaha!!

Who am I?

I am a courageous, passionate, and creative woman!  I strive to do things that excite me, inspire me, and that I am passionate about.  In 2009, I was overweight and extremely unhappy with life.  I was living the good life of pizza, beer (alcohol), and Mexican food, and didn’t realize how unhappy and unfulfilled I was.  I was out of shape and delusional in thinking that I could out-train a bad diet.  I’d eat Mexican food- go workout- go eat Mexican food or pizza and drink beer (like 3-4 times a week!) Then I got involved with an exercise program where I accepted a team challenge and released 20 pounds. This rekindled a childhood dream of competing in a triathlon; something I didn’t believe was possible for me.

What was the allure of Triathlon?

I always wanted to compete in triathlon after I saw footage of the Tour de France with Greg LeMond when I was a little girl.  I was intrigued by the mental stamina it took to race the Tour de France.  It seemed really cool to me; climbing Mt. Everest also seemed cool but that is a story for another time. Then, I saw what triathletes do, triathletes did thing most people don’t even dream of.  The thought of racing in three different sports all combined together seemed really challenging.  The drive, perseverance and the willingness to keep going when it no longer looked easy drew me in.  I also knew it would just be a dream because I didn’t know how to swim.

Fast forward, to where have I’ve released 20 pounds and feel INVINCIBLE! I’m running, doing pushups, and even doing step ups with 15# in each hand! I am a bad ass!  Woot! Woot!  I’ve made some amazing new friends who are as passionate about fitness and having fun, just like me.  We enter 5k races together; compete against ourselves, and cheer each other on.   We go out for a fun night of celebrating our successes and made a pact to complete a triathlon.  Great goal, right?!?!

 My biggest obstacle to overcome…

Overcoming my childhood fear of the water was my biggest obstacle to compete in triathlon.  Yea, it is always helpful to know how to swim if you are going to compete in a sport that has swimming in it.  I’m going to give you an insider tip on swimming.  Are you ready?  Always breathe out underwater and I mean always!!!  This seems like such an easy, logical concept.  For me, it was not.  I was not around water much as a kid and my mom had a fear of the water so I instinctively was afraid.  I dislike water on my face so much; I don’t get my face wet in the shower.  My tri peeps assured me they would support me and would keep me from downing.  Off to the pool I went, confident that watching my son swim for years was going to rub off on me and I am going to be able to swim.  Thank goodness, I gave myself six months to perfect my swimming.  I spent the first 2 months doing my best to drown and kept failing.  I watched my “tri peeps” swim by gracefully. They made it look so easy. They kept encouraging me, and eventually I was able stay afloat and get some actual laps in.   I even got to the point I actually looked forward to it and enjoyed it.  Race day came and I nervous, confident, scared, and determined that I was going to conquer the swim.  It wasn’t my best swim ever and I didn’t care! It was really such an accomplishment to get the hardest part of the race over.  Getting out of the pool made me smile on the inside and gave me confidence and energy to tackle the next leg of the race. I knew no matter what happened now; I was going to finish the race.

What VICTORY feels like!! YEAH BABY! 

Triathlon is an endurance sport and you must pace yourself. When you train, you take on a bit at a time.  You keep working on endurance, distance, speed, technique, swimming, biking, running, cross-training, and bricks.  For me, I kept visualizing what I wanted my race to look like.  I could see myself swimming effortlessly through the water. I saw myself in a good cadence on my bike with even breathing and I saw myself smiling and crossing the finish line with the Chariots of Fire theme song playing in the background.  I practiced these things in my mind daily on my runs, spin classes, and swims. I spent the majority of my time practicing swimming, I spent the least amount of time training for the bike (I didn’t have a bike until a week before the race).  I did everything in my power to give it my all so if I failed; I knew it wasn’t because I didn’t try.  The fear of failure was bigger than my fear of the water.  When I crossed the finish line I could hardly believe I completed a DREAM that I never thought I could achieve. I could hardly believe how much fun it was, how challenging it was, and how all the tri peep support and training made a difference.  I truly felt like I could do anything and once again I INVINCIBLE!!!

“I set goals and work hard to accomplish them. I understand the power of the human will. I strive to help others in their quest for success. I know that I can face whatever road that lies ahead. I am not satisfied with the status quo. MY TRUE SELF SHINES THROUGH…I AM A TRIATHLETE!!!”~ Unknown

triathlete leg race number

Today is the Day!

I was so inspired by doing something I never thought I would do, my next goal was to become to be a trainer, inspire others to engage in fitness and live out their dreams, too. I became a NESTA certified Personal trainer, NESTA certified Lifestyle Fitness coach, NESTA certified Injury Specialist and NESTA certified Figure and Physique training specialist. Through this process I learned how to be consistent with fitness and health and have created a healthy “lifestyle” that works for me. I now own my fitness business and run a small group fitness program, personal training and coach Lifestyle Fitness to support those who have BIG, CRAZY DREAMS they want to accomplish. Learn more about me here; enough about me!  What are your hopes, dreams, and goals?  What inspires you to add movement and fitness into your life?  What are your wins that you have had in health and fitness?  I LOVE when you share your wins.  It serves as inspiration to me and sparks me to keep dreaming!

Much love, Suzie