My Story

If you would of told me 5 years ago that I'd be an owner of a fitness company I would of said you were crazy.  Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I'd be were I am today.  Thus begins the story, 5 years ago.....

A good friend of mine lost his sister to cancer and asked me to go to a Team in Training meeting and I told him I would be happy, but made no promises to commit.  After listening to the pitch I was sold!  It was a great opportunity to help people with blood cancer disease and get an expenses paid trip for a race.  After pondering my options of doing a marathon, half-marathon, or triathlon, I decided on doing a triathlon.  I think my decision was based on what would be most challenging,  get me out of my comfort zone, and get my competitive juices flowing - triathlon took the cake.  That year I trained on my own and finished the race in 3:25 at 190 pounds.  Not a great time, but I was hooked.

Fast forward to 2007 - this was the year I had my eyes set on doing an Ironman.  My schedule called for a Oly, Half IM, and Ironman.  This was the year I really engulfed myself in learning everything I could about triathlon and fitness in general by reading blogs, forums, etc.  My training was going pretty good for my limited experience and overall knowledge.  This was a point I allowed bad habits to take priority over my training which had negative implications on my training.  In hindsight, if I had to do it over again there would be many things I would of changed.  At the same time, I've learned from those mistakes and became a better person because of it.  I managed to make it through my 70.3 in August, and finished my Ironman.  Finishing an Ironman is truly one of the best feelings in the world - can't explain the range of emotion I went through crossing that finish line.  I can't wait to do it again.

In 2008 I continued my journey in triathlons as well as ramping up my knowledge.  I became a Certified Level 1 Triathlon Coach in late August and that was the first step in chasing my dream.  I completed a few more triathlons that year and met some great people that enriched my learning experience.

In 2009 I began my first year as a triathlon coach and personal trainer at a local health club.  I absolutely loved it and knew that I found what I was meant to do.  What a great opportunity; to help people get healthy, improve their lives, and to share my knowledge and passion for endurance sports and overall health.  During the day I continued my 8-5 in cubeland dreaming about the day when I'd break loose and began training full-time - I made that break in May 2009 and worked at a local club full time for 6 months.  Though I liked working at the local fitness club I have always dreamed of being more of an entrepreneur, so I officially ended my career at the health club in late 2009 and began GettingFitness.

The point that I am driving home is that I went from an overweight, unhappy, lazy person with a lot of negative life issues to a very fit, happy, and healthy person with high aspirations and an abundance of energy.  I attribute my changes to exercise and living a healthy life. My goal is to be able to share my experiences, knowledge, and skills with people.  I want to share my success with others, and a facilitate that opportunity with them.  Nothing makes me happier than seeing my clients succeed and see their excitement when their fitness has a positive impact on their lives.