Monday, December 17, 2012

So I know these rockstars.....

I work with a lot of different people, and come across many different challenges when I am helping someone lose weight, or prepare for an event. More often than not though, my clients are not a challenge at all. They are fun, quirky, interested in learning, and incredible people. I could write several "bragging" blog posts, but I want to tell you about these two rockstars in particular!

Meet Elizabeth and Kimberly. They are awesome!

Elizabeth and Kimberly: BEFORE
Elizabeth: BEFORE
Kimberly: BEFORE
I first met them at the gym with Jason. They were training for their first Olympic triathlon. Super sweet, and energetic about the sport. We happened to be at the race ourselves, and it was great seeing how well they did!

When I started doing nutrition and health coaching, Elizabeth contacted me. She was interested in my services. Several days later I heard from Kimberly. We were off and running!

 In order to be successful working with me, a certain level of dedication is required on the part of my clients. Right off the bat I knew that they would be successful. They were committed, eager to learn, and very dedicated.Within a couple of weeks weight started coming off, then headaches went away. Energy levels were increasing. Then next thing you know, race times are getting faster. It felt like every time I turned around one of them was PR'ing at a race. I was so excited for them! They both signed up for Augusta 70.3, and I knew that they would do great. Questions popped up about race day nutrition, salt intake, cramping, run form, etc, and I answered them the best I could. It was truly invigorating to be around people who were experiencing distances for the first time. I will never forget reading an email from Elizabeth the first time they rode 60 miles. She was proud, and I was too! I had flashbacks from 2006 when I was new to the sport and was in totally uncharted territory.

The week of Augusta we emailed about attitude. It really is the most important element in long distance racing. A bad attitude will ruin you, a great attitude numbs the pain from blisters and puts more spring in your step. Elizabeth sent me a picture of her hand. She had written a smiley face on it with the words "smile!" I knew they would be fine. Jason and I tracked them in our hotel room the day following Texas Tejas bike race. I was anxious for both of them, and when ironman.com crapped out while they were on the run I just about lost it. I started sending off panic texts trying to figure out what happened. "Are you finished?" "The tracker stopped working!" "How are you feeling?" HELLO?!?". I am not psycho when it comes to race tracking. I promise.


Just as I expected, they both totally rocked the race! Finishing at 5:53 (Elizabeth) and 5:42 (Kimberly).  They both trained so hard, and were prepared for this race. I LOVE it when hard work pays off! In addition to growing as triathletes, they both look incredible!
Elizabeth and Kimberly halfway through the season! 
Elizabeth: AFTER 
Kimberley: AFTER

Elizabeth and Kimberly continue to impress me. I hope that by sharing their story, you are inspired too! They are always looking for the next challenge, and they are talking about running a marathon, and I've heard rumors of a 2014 140.6. It's been so much fun working with these ladies! They are proof that hard work does pay off, and if you want something bad enough, you can make it happen. 

Ironically, yesterday we were at Elizabeth's house decorating ninjaman cookies. I was the only person that ate any. Huh.