Metamorphosis

The first picture is me in 2001 at my first Ironman race. I was 128 lbs., 22-23% body fat. FAT!!! I actually gained weight while training for my first Ironman! Why? Because I figured I could eat "as much as I want." Stupid me. I had been smaller and leaner about 5 years before that when I was watching what I ate and knew how many calories I was taking in.

When I saw that picture of myself, I was disgusted. How did I go from 118 lbs., 18% body fat to THAT?? I ate mindlessly, that's how. The next spring I began keeping track of how many calories I was burning and how much I needed to eat and began making changes to my diet. I lost maybe 5 lbs. over 8 months of time, and it was probably mostly fat, because it was quite noticeable, and I did it slowly. At least I was getting my problem under control.

The next spring (2003), I was training for the 1/2 Ironman in Kona when I became injured--bilateral bursitis of the ischial tuberosities. In layman's terms, my ass hurt like hell when I ran. The pain was right at the top of the femur where the hamstrings originate. I knew I would need to stop running completely for a few weeks. I also was advised to stop biking for awhile too, to let the bursae calm down.

I was devastated. I wanted so badly to go to Kona in the springtime (it would have been my 3rd time in that race) and race and have fun, but the race was not to be. I stopped running and biking. I let myself cry uncontrollably for a few days. Then it hit me. Here is an opportunity to focus on nothing except swimming and eating right. So I swam. A LOT (about 25-30,000 yards per week). And I watched what I ate like a hawk. After 2 weeks, I began getting on my MTB, since its cushy saddle didn't seem to aggravate my butt. I stretched. I walked. I did as much as I could to retain my aerobic fitness without running. And in the process, I established some really good eating habits. I returned to running very slowly and conservatively, and 3 months after my injury, I did a 1/2 Ironman and PR'ed. I knew a big part of it was that I was lighter (by about 5 more lbs.) and healthier from my nutrition focus. I felt great! I ended up DNF'ing at Ironman Wisconsin that fall (I, and 2 other nurses, stupidly misdiagnosed hyponatremia as dehydration), but turned around and finished Great Floridian 8 weeks later.

I remember weighing in at Great Floridian at 116 lbs. I was feeling pretty good. As it turned out, I didn't have that great of a race there because the camber of the road around the lake did a number on my hips and left ankle. But I still finished.

My weight was down, but I still felt like I could do better on my body fat percentage. Fat is dead weight to a triathlete. Might as well carry around a few sacks of rocks and go for a run. I figured I was around 18% again, but I wanted to get to 15%--it was just a "thing" of mine. So I looked for places where I could cut a few calories here and there out of my diet. I switched from eating a 350 calorie MetRx bar in the morning to a different bar with about 250 calories. I switched from Healthy Choice meals at lunchtime to Lean Cuisine. I think those 2 changes saved me 250-300 calories per day, a reasonable reduction. I was on my way.

In March, 2004, I decided I wanted to see how I was doing, so I had my body fat measured. 13%. THIRTEEN PERCENT???? I figured I might be near 15 but certainly not lower. Wow. I guess I had done well. And the second photo is of me in Kona in October, 2004, and that's pretty much how I look today, but my legs are a little leaner and I'm a little more cut.

And guess what else happened between 2001 and 2004? Mysteriously, I got faster. Running became easier. I could ride hills faster than all my friends. All along I knew that I was trying to figure out if I had the "goods" to someday qualify for Hawaii, and I knew that an element of that is training, and another element is to be able to train to my potential which is most certainly affected by my weight and body fat percentage.

Being able to finish 2 Ironman races in 2004 7 weeks apart (and they were my 2 fastest Ironman races) I think is a testament to what REALLY being in shape means. No WAY I could have done that if I was still a 128-lb. fatty.

And now I'm at the point where I have to try and make sure I'm eating enough! It's a nice problem to have! But really, I DO watch what I eat, and I DO notice how great I feel being small. I was at one time a skinny 107 lbs. (post-divorce, the EASIEST diet you can go on!), but I had little muscle. Now at 112 lbs. I have more muscle and less fat than I did then, and I feel 100 times better.

Sure getting from A to B has been work--HARD work. But it has ABSOLUTELY been worth it for the feeling of being able to train somewhere close to my potential, given that I still have a full-time job. This is why when people act all amazed at the amount of training that I do, my response is usually, "The workouts are the EASY part. It's all the other stuff--nutrition, rest, stretching, massage, mindfulness--that is hard to master and find time for. But it's well worth it!"

My message to anyone who is training semi-seriously is to think like an Olympian--you don't see fat Olympians, do you? Well maybe some powerlifters and wrestlers, but the rest of them are all lean, mean machines. Most of us will never be Olympians, but that shouldn't stop us from doing whatever we can to achieve our potential in sport.