Tubby Toni to Ironman
I’m sitting in my home office eating Skittles as I write this. I’m staring at this side-by-side picture of where I was in 2004 (left) and 2017 (right). I think I will put the Skittles away…
I’ve had quite the fitness journey. It’s still evolving to this day. I’ll start from the beginning.
Younger Years
I’ve always been athletic. As a kid, I played soccer, volleyball, ran track, gymnastics, and as I got “older” cheerleading in high school. Yes, cheerleading is a sport! In my senior year of high school, I was captain of the cheerleading squad, MVP, and 1st Team All-Conference. I’m still proud of that, although it seems like a lifetime ago! My name is on a plaque at Vicksburg High School. Go Bulldogs!
My 20's
I affectionately referred to myself as Tubby Toni. My 20's was a time where I was getting married, starting my career, buying my first home, starting a family. I took my pregnancy with Landon very seriously. I was scared the entire pregnancy that something bad was going to happen to him. I freaked out if he didn’t move enough. So my way of dealing with it was to eat! I gained A LOT of weight. Onion Rings from Burger King were my favorite!
After Landon was born I was determined to lose weight. I taught myself how to eat right, exercise, and food journal. This was back in the day when I had to physically carry a journal around and a small book with calorie counts of all kinds of food. There was no Fitness Pal app in 2004! I lost 50 pounds and thus began my passion for fitness and nutrition. I didn’t drink alcohol back then because of the demands of raising young children. Chloe came along in 2006. During that pregnancy, I was equally as nervous but I channeled that energy into eating right and exercising.
I joined a local gym here in Kalamazoo and fell in love with group fitness classes. I wanted to teach classes, so I asked how and did it! I became a spin instructor, step instructor, kickboxing instructor, and taught HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) classes. I discovered Les Mills programs (if you don’t know what they are google it...you can stream the workouts these days). I began teaching those classes for several years. I became a certified personal trainer to help others reach their fitness goals. This ushered me into my 30’s where I began the journey of endurance sports.
My 30's
It started with trying a duathlon (run, bike, run). I grew up on a lake and was comfortable swimming in a lake but I didn’t know how to swim competitively. So, the duathlon it was! It was hard, but I LOVED it!
I quickly learned how to swim. Although the first time I swam with the triathlon club in town I couldn’t make it 100 yards. I didn’t have a wet suit. After that open water swim the club made it mandatory that anyone in the club swimming had to wear a wetsuit.
I started tackling the sprint triathlon distance (500-yard swim, 12-mile bike, 3.1-mile run). These distances are approximate as it depends on the race director and location of what the actual distance could be. I trained year-round. I kept increasing the distances. From Sprint to Olympic (.9 mile swim, 25-mile bike, 6.2-mile run) to Half Ironman Distance (1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run).
In between my triathlon racing, I would train for distance running events such as 10K’s, half-marathons, and even a handful of full marathons. The first marathon I ran was in Detroit in 2009. That year it was cold and 3 people died during the full distance race due to heart attacks. I ran by one of them not knowing he had died. The body and heart have to work so much harder in the colder weather. You burn way more calories and can easily get dehydrated which is counterintuitive because of the cold temperatures. Knowing your nutrition and water intake is a critical plan to have in place while training and on race day.
As the years passed by I kept setting higher goals for myself. I had the Ironman in my sight and was determined to cross the finish line just like I watched on NBC each year with tears streaming down my face with all those inspirational athlete stories!
My first attempt at completing an Ironman was in 2012. A full Ironman consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike, and then a marathon (26.2 miles). I decided to follow an online training plan. To be properly trained I needed at least 7 months of training (but I prefer a full year). I followed the plan religiously and just seven weeks before the race I had a bike accident. The day the accident happened I purchased a brand new triathlon bike. I could write a whole blog about bikes, but instead, I will say go to the experts in your local town. The bike I raced on for years prior was a road bike and didn’t have aero bars with gear shifts in the bars for long-distance riding. Tri bikes also weigh less due to the materials they are made out of so you can go faster.
On a sunny June evening, I set out on my new bike to ride 30 plus miles. A squirrel ran out into the road (which happens often). Normally squirrels run in the other direction but this one couldn’t make up his mind. I popped my brakes and launched myself over the handlebars into the middle of the road. I could hear a truck coming and was telling myself to get up to avoid getting hit by the truck. I was in an intense amount of pain. It felt like my shoulder blade was on the back of my head. I made it as far as standing with my injured arm coiled up to my chest and my uninjured arm sticking straight out with my hand in a stop sign, head bowed down bracing for impact. Please don’t hit me was all I could think.
The truck stopped and a woman and a man came rushing out to help me. They offered to take me home. I couldn’t ride because my injury was pretty bad. I had a road rash all over my body and my shoulder blade was throbbing. I was worried that these people were ax murderers and might take advantage of me. I called my husband to make sure he knew I was hurt and these people (who were very kind and didn’t harm me in the least) were bringing me home.
My bike was totally fine. I was not. Both physically or emotionally. I had a diagonal hairline fracture in my left shoulder blade which took months to heal. It was more painful than having two c-sections giving birth to the kids. I was scared to ride my bike again once I healed. It took me a full year to ride outside again. But I did.
Two years later I was ready to make another attempt at the Ironman in Louisville, Kentucky. I hired a coach. I trained for a year. I didn’t crash my bike. I will spare you every gory detail but in August of 2014, I crossed the finish line completing the 140.6-mile race in 13 hours and 56 minutes. It was 94 degrees that day with a heat index of over 100 degrees. My kids, my parents, and my friends all cheered me on. It was one of the proudest moments of my life. I got a tattoo on my wrist to commemorate the accomplishment. It simply says Ironman in my cursive handwriting.
I continued to work out and find a balance coming off such a huge endeavor. I raced smaller events for a couple of years but felt like I had one more Ironman in me before I turned 40 in 2018. I signed up for Ironman Chattanooga in September of 2017. Again, I hired a coach and dedicated a year of my life to accomplish this goal. I was working full time and raising my family which required a high level of organization and A LOT of early mornings to get workouts in. Often two per day. My calendar was color-coded. I would be training upwards of 17 hours per week with the majority of the long hours on the weekends with long runs and long bikes.
Ironman Chattanooga is 4 miles longer than other IM’s. Because of the way the city is set up, there was no way to make the race shorter. In September of 2017, I swam 2.4 miles, rode 116 miles on my bike, and ran a VERY hilly 26.2 miles to finish the race in 15 hours and 29 minutes. It was the hardest physical and emotional day of my life. There were times I didn’t think I could finish. It was hot, 97 degrees! My stomach was a mess. But I refused to give up. As I crossed the finish line I knew this chapter in my life was closing. I had accomplished everything I set out to and even overcame adversity. It was time to work out like a normal person.
My 40's
My 40's have been about raising teenagers, continuing my career in professional hockey which I love so much, and continuing to work out for my overall physical and mental health. I choose to stop drinking alcohol, caffeine, and soda. I’ve added other self-care beyond just a hard sweat session. I meditate each morning, I write in a gratitude journal, I walk the dog, I eat more mindfully, I have a vitamin ritual and I can say I have never felt more healthy. Does the scale reflect that???? Most days, no. Turning 40 changed my metabolism and at the same time, the hours of working out went from on average 11-12 hours per week to 5-6 hours per week (cut in half!). And that’s ok.
I started my own business to help others achieve their lifestyle goals. I’m living a full life! Who knows what the rest of my 40’s will bring. For that matter, I have the back half (plus some) of my life remaining. I’m excited to see what’s in store next!
