Hello, world! My name is Stephanie, and I am a personal trainer/group exercise instructor/triathlon coach living in Nashville, Tennessee. Some of you may know me from my other blog. I know - when you think of a triathlete you typically don't think of knitting, but there are quite a few of us out there!
Anyway, about me: I actually grew up being a lazy, overweight kid. It wasn't until college that I discovered the joys of exercise. During my sophomore year at Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis - go Tigers!), I lost close to 60 pounds through Weight Watchers, step aerobics class and running. I slowly let running take over my step aerobics obsession and ran my first half marathon in 1994. My legs were so sore after that race that I vowed never to run a full marathon! Since then I have completed 6 marathons and one 12-hour run during which I covered 52.85 miles. Talk about having to eat my words, huh?
In 1995 I read an article about how more women needed to get involved in triathlon. I thought it sounded interesting, so I bought a bike, got in the pool, and kept up my running. My first race was the Dragonfly Triathlon in Sardis, MS, in June of 95. It's a sprint distance - 0.5 mile swim, 18.5 mile bike, 4 mile run. I had a blast and of course was hooked. I found that the slow-twitch fibers I was born with made me better at longer distances, so I went that direction. My first half Iron distance triathlon was 2002 in Ohio. I stuck with halves for a couple of years then tackled the biggie: Ironman Wisconsin in 2005. What an incredible feeling it was to cross that finish line and hear Mike Reilly call my name! I loved the entire experience so much that I did it again in Florida in 2006 and in Lake Placid in 2007.
The start of Ironman USA in Lake Placid July 22, 2007.
On the personal side of things, I was an accountant for a healthcare company until my son Hayden turned 13 months old. Being a stay at home mom was really fun until Hayden started attending a private preschool for children with special needs and we had a big tuition bill to pay. I went back into the workforce, working part-time as an office manager and full-time as a mom to a little boy with autism. While training for Ironman Florida, a friend persuaded me to chase my dream of having a job in the fitness industry. I had already been teaching indoor cycling classes since Hayden was 18 months old, but I also wanted to be a personal trainer. Exercise had changed my life and I wanted to help others discover what it could do for them. I passed the National Strength and Conditioning Association's Certified Personal Trainer exam in March of 2007. My clients range from high schoolers wanting to get fit to older women trying to find new ways to stay in shape. The triathletes I coach are mainly newbies discovering the joys of such a wonderful sport, but I also am writing training plans for a couple of Ironman wannabes. I am going to get them across the finish line in Florida on November 1st. Because I specialize in triathlon, I took and passed the certification exam to become a USAT Level I coach this spring.
Out on the bike course of Ironman Florida in 2006.
So, does my story fit yours in any way? If so, get in touch with me and I can help you plan the next step towards reaching your goals! My email address is tri2knit@yahoo.com.
Keep tri-ing and you'll be everything you've ever dreamed of!
