Triathlon FTW

I used to tell people that triathlon saved my life. Back then, I didn't know how accurate that statement was. At 22, I decided to do triathlon because my doctor told me that my blood pressure was elevated and if I didn't do something about it, I would need to be on medication for the rest of my life. When I first started, I could barely run one track lap. Getting on a bike and cycling up any hill was an amazing feat for me. I kept with it and eventually got to the point where I did several triathlons a year and started training for Ironman Canada.

Not only did I get my blood pressure down below 130/80, but my mood improved and I just felt better in general. I went from being overweight at around 170 pounds with over 30% body fat to just under 140 pounds with under 20% body fat. My eating habits changed to be healthier in order to support my best performances at events. For almost 8 years, I never ate fast food or drank soda. Instead I carefully consumed a diet high in whole grains, vegetables and lean protein.

Little did I know what my body was probably going through at the time and that what I was doing was treating it in a way. I think triathlon is the reason that I didn't get a PCOS diagnosis until a decade later at 32. Even now I think that triathlon might be the reason why I haven't developed insulin resistance. In fact, women who have PCOS are 4-7 times more likely to have a heart attack than "normal" women their age. Part of this is due to insulin resistance as well as other factors. There is a substance in the body that influences the development of heart disease called C-reactive protein (CRP). Women with PCOS commonly have elevated baseline levels of CRP. This substance is probably the reason why I have borderline high blood pressure when I am not training for triathlon and have never seen my blood pressure below 125/75 on a normal day. Without triathlon, I wonder what my state of health would have been like through my twenties.

I've been away from triathlon for almost 5 years now. I miss it! After I broke my foot and injured my hip, I went back to school and busied myself with school. I still do regular exercise, just not the crazy schedule I used to. That's when the PCOS symptoms started showing up in small ways here and there, then in slightly bigger ways until finally my ob/gyn (still thinking it was something else) did an ultrasound of my ovaries.

My belief is that doing triathlon has staved off the negative PCOS symptoms for me for many years. I consider myself to be very lucky to have the health that I have. There is nothing like the whoosh of the water in your ears that you hear while swimming, the beauty of the trail early in the morning while you are running next to your best friend, the feeling of accomplishment when you finally get to the top of the hill, the nervousness you feel as you get your race number marked all over your body on race day, the dangerous speed that you attain while whizzing downhill or the tears of pride in your eyes as you cross the finish line. Thank you triathlon for giving me all that!

This October, I will participate in a half marathon at the Nike Women's Marathon. I'm starting to get back into it. When school ends in June, I want to go full force back into triathlon. For anyone who is thinking about attempting triathlon or any other endurance sport, I say GO FOR IT! Even if you are like me, not being able to run a track lap or bike up a small hill, you will amaze yourself with what you are capable of. You won't be sorry that you did.