From DNF to 70.3: One Woman's Journey During Menopause Ep 52

Every endurance athlete remembers the moment when things finally click. Your swim feels smoother, your pacing makes sense, your fueling works, and suddenly the sport feels not only easier, but more fun. And for many athletes, that moment happens at training camp. That's exactly why we created the Endurance Edge Triathlon Training Camp happening April 22nd through 26th at Lake Jocassee in South Carolina. For 4 incredible days, you'll train in a small group with expert coaches, sports nutrition support, and sports psychology guidance, all designed to help you train smarter, race stronger, and finally connect the dots in your performance. We swim in crystal clear mountain water, ride beautiful and challenging roads, run scenic trails, and spend the rest of the time recovering, learning, laughing, and eating some seriously amazing chef-prepared food. Mm-hmm. Camp is intentionally small, just 20 athletes, so you get real coaching, true connection, and amazing breakthroughs. So if you want an experience that can transform your entire season, we invite you to join us. Head to theenduranceedge.com and click training camp and reserve your spot with just a $100 deposit. Come train hard, learn a ton, and leave stronger than you ever imagined. I'll see you there. All right, welcome back to the Find Your Edge podcast. I am your host, Christina Fiumara Newport, and I am here in person with a special guest. I thought our friend Julie here would be a really fascinating story to share about getting into the sport and your journey. So Julie, welcome to the show.

Thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you.

So give us a little bit— we looked it up. You started with us in 2021. So give us a little bit of background into how you got started into triathlon.

I'm just a basic runner, loved running, and my son got into doing some triathlon stuff with a local gym, and he asked me if I would do this inside triathlon with him. And I knew nothing about swimming, hadn't been on my bike in like 20 years, and all I had was running behind me. And I just went, sure, why not? And so I trained with them and it was quite fun. I didn't do any swimming because I was petrified, but it was a pool swim, so we just had to swim the amount of time. And I did backstroke with the frilly bathing suit on, the whole shebang, and finished it. And I found that I really enjoyed the 3-sport. Instead of just running. It was super fun, and my son had so much fun doing the sport with me, I couldn't stop. So we just started training together.

That's really cool. And so when was that?

That was way back in 2020.

Okay, 2020. And then you decided to go big.

Then he decided to go big, and I decided to train with him.

And Define Big.

Define Big was a 70.3 in Santa Cruz, California, which sounds really scary, but I'm from the area and I'm from Santa Cruz Beach area, so I knew I could swim it. So I thought, actually, I've only played in the water and the waves knocked me down. So it was quite scary when we got there. Yeah, it was petrified and the water was cold. But I jumped in. I did it. I ended up doing it by myself for personal reasons. He couldn't do it. I did it. And I got bumped out of the swim for being 2 minutes too late because I did it with backstroke. But in my defense, it was very foggy and it was my first mile swim in open water ever.

So, and you know what? This is super common with triathletes. They're like, it's not that bad, right? Like I play in the water and then they get in and they're like, oh my gosh, this is a whole nother ballgame. So then, uh, fast forward a couple of months, right? Cuz you, Santa Cruz was September, September of 2021. Mm-hmm. And at the time we had literally just started our team program, which is like our group triathlon training that we call our team. And I remember coaching open water, and you came and kind of got a little background from you, and then we pushed off the shore, and maybe 100 yards in, we were having a nice little conversation. Do you remember that?

I do. I don't remember it word for word other than breathe, Julie, breathe. Yeah.

So what, what made you— I mean, after having that experience at Santa Cruz, what made you want to stick with it?

I felt very upset and frustrated, but I'm the type of person that likes to finish what I start, and I just really wanted to prove to my son and to myself that I could probably do this. The training was fun. The race was scary, but the training was quite fun. And my son said I just needed really good coaching, and he had been with Endurance Edge, so he told me, you need to go straight to Chris Newport and go home back to North Carolina and call Endurance Edge right away, which is pretty much what I did after about a week of whining.

Okay. Okay. So you had to mourn a little bit.

I had to mourn a little bit. Yeah. And I was on a group of triathletes and I texted all of them and I told them what I had just been through and they were like, man, you got a lot of balls coming on here saying you just DNF on a 70.3.

Yeah.

And then they were like, did you have coaching? I was like, no. Do you have swimming? I was like, no. So, yeah. Okay.

So, so, yeah. So you were on that swim, and I do remember you very distinctly backstroking a lot.

A lot.

Yes.

That's all I knew how to do. Yeah.

So, and then you would flip over and you would swim a couple of strokes, and then you'd pop back up.

And so I thought for sure I could handle that swim, but I could not handle that swim.

Yeah. Yeah. So then what was next after that?

I mean, yeah, we engaged in coaching, but we engaged in coaching and you came out and I really thought my swim bombed, but you believed in me and you told me I had the fitness to do this. And I just—

y'all should see Julie, by the way. She is super buff. Oh, by the way, you have to share your age.

I'm 58.

Yes. And a super fit 58. That is for sure. Yeah.

I don't feel super fit, but yeah, I guess I kind of am. Yard work kind of makes you fit. So I do lots of yard work.

Swimming, biking, running, picking up heavy things, all that stuff too. Yeah. So when did you find that the whole coaching process and going through the motions, when it was like, did you feel like there was a moment that it clicked, or was it just a process?

It was a process, but it was also a moment. Again, I got a— you handed me to another coach who was really good, and I looked into his background and he did a bunch of really awesome Ironmans and triathlons, and his job was in the field of triathlons. And so he liked my training and kept telling me I was crushing it. I was crushing it. And I just kept remembering that. And when I did my first 70.3, I didn't quite know what I was doing. I didn't know if I belonged in the race. I just knew I had the training behind me, which he said, if the hay is in the barn— I don't know what that meant at the time, but the hay was in the barn.

Such a common—

I could handle it.

Because then you ended up doing, um, Ironman North Carolina.

Yeah, after White Lake, I did Ironman North Carolina because I finished the White Lake, and that was incredible. And then did, uh, Ironman North Carolina. The training was just It was fun. It was enjoyable. It was really hard. But when you talked with the coach, the coach just kept making me feel like I could do it. And getting strong felt really good. Yeah. I have never felt this strong in my life.

That's really cool. So that's awesome.

At 58, I've never felt this good in my own body in my entire 58 years of life.

That's pretty badass.

Yeah. Usually it's teenage years. Oh, no, baby. I'm just there.

Love it. I love it. You recently— so speaking of a coach, you recently had a coaching switch.

Yeah.

Which we ever so often, or, you know, maybe not so super often, but we'll switch people around to different coaches. How has that process been?

I was very nervous because I had personal reasons why I wanted to switch a coach, and it was embarrassing. I was having a hard time understanding my equipment, and the coach that I was dealing with loved them, super informational, but I couldn't have my hands on of what I was doing coach-wise, seeing things, doing things. And I'm a very hands-on person. So even though the message was getting relayed to me through the phone, I could not remember it and relay it the week later. And I just kept getting tripped up and I kept thinking to myself, I think I need to see someone physically, like hands-on to show them what I am doing. And I bounced it back for probably about 6 months because I really, really, really liked my coach. But I had to figure this other part of this puzzle out. And so I made the switch. Yeah.

How has that journey been? I mean, it's relatively fresh.

It's been good. I've kind of felt like, oh, no, wait, kind of drowning. You're kind of like reaching for one but trying to go for the other. It's like, no, don't leave me. I've already learned several different things that I didn't think I could get my hands on before. And so I'm starting to pick up a whole new knowledge of triathlons as far as how to operate all those mechanisms.

There is a lot of tech.

There is a lot of tech.

Yeah. I think that's a good— and I wanted to bring that up because I think sometimes people get very— this is a very personal sport, right? It's a journey just like anything else.

And you get attached.

Yeah. Yeah.

So people become friends.

Yep.

Coaches become friends.

Yes. I know sometimes people are like, are we breaking up? It's like, no, we're just having a different path.

Kind of felt weirdly like that. Yeah. He was a great coach and it was kind of like, I don't know how to do this because I feel so bad.

Hopefully we supported you through this process.

I had to think of myself for just a little bit and just do what I needed to do.

And I'm glad I did that.

And I know my other coach is still there if I have a question. He's just a phone call or a text away, and you made that very clear to me, so I'm happy.

Good. Yeah. Yes. Cool. Okay. So speaking of the group, so you've had this one-on-one coach, but then you've also been doing the team stuff. So what has that— do you feel like that's made a difference at all in this whole process?

I came into it just looking for a coach and not feeling like I was gonna do a team, but I kind of wanted to belong to a team as a member and wear your little fancy outfit, which I Very much right now, Julie has her fancy outfit on. I do. I do. I wear it all the time. I'm like a billboard, as one coach says. But I love the team. I have found friends within the team that the chemistry is, like, so deep and so strong. You would think it was like we've known each other for years and years and years and years. I'm talking decades. And we've just barely known each other for 3 years. And we only see each other when we swim, bike, or run. Yet somehow we all pull each other into this crazy sport of training and we just keep each other going.

And you guys are all doing the same 70.3 this year. Yeah, you guys have all roped each other. I know, I know, which y'all are nuts, but that's okay.

And it involved no alcohol, no, no, no, that is a common thing, fancy fermented food, no nothing. It was, it was sober decisions of all adrenaline. That's what it was. It was adrenaline.

I think social connections— we were just talking before we started recording about how that can seem like it just sort of dwindles over the span of a lifetime because you're a mom.

Yeah.

Your kids are grown.

Yeah.

Right. You have grandkids now.

Yeah.

Is it different?

It's so different. You don't have— and I even live in a rural area, so I don't see people around me even. The friends I used to have in my neighborhood walking around, I could see them walk if I didn't join them walking. Yeah, I don't see anymore. So now I'm in the house all the time unless I'm out doing yard work, so I don't see people. So coming here is like my chatty catty hour, which is lovely.

And you've said to me multiple times because you're always like glowing and smiling and you're just like always the first to introduce yourself to a new person. New person walks in, you're like, hi, I'm Julie. They're always like, oh my God. How it's happening. And I love it because I mean that we deserve to belong, right? So, but you somehow characterize yourself a little bit differently than what I see.

I just like people. I like people. I like happy people. Yeah. And I want people to know how good this sport is for them because it makes you happy. It's so much better than any medicine out there. It's so much better than depression. It's so much better than being sad or being lonely. It's like, this can cure so much. Yeah.

How about that?

I know.

I like that as a quote.

It just can. Yeah.

So what's next on the horizon? I mean, I know you're doing the 70.3 that you guys all ripped each other into.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Next on the horizon, you know, I'm really looking into healthy stuff and I really would love to do a full Ironman. I think that's everyone's dream after doing all these 70.3s. But, I don't know if, if my knee can't handle it, I think I'm going to just do a bunch of Olympics or something. Yeah, I just, I don't know how to back off the 70.3s, but I don't know.

Is that kind of like your distance that you feel sort of like engaged to right now?

I'm so comfortable with 70.3 or an Olympic. I like those two distances. If I'm going to do it, I want to do it for a longer distance rather than a shorter distance. Even though I'm slower, I enjoy it so much more.

Reminds me when I saw you and Sarah on the run at North Carolina, you said oranges in your mouth and were like smiling at me with orange slices, which is hilarious.

We were having so much fun. Yes, we were having so much fun. And I think if you have fun, your body relaxes and you enjoy it more and go a little faster, baby.

Have you seen— I mean, because this sport can be intimidating.

Completely.

Yeah. Do you think that that's a deterrent for a lot of women your age to get into?

Oh my gosh. Yeah. It's a scary, scary sport to get into. One, you feel like you can't do it. Two, you feel like you're too slow, you can't do it. And then you feel like you're going to be judged. And then you feel like, oh my gosh, and then I got to wear that tight stuff. As a woman, no woman wants to wear that tight stuff around her body. Yeah, but we look kind of cute in that tight stuff. We just got to realize it. I haven't seen a woman look bad in one of those kits yet. You know, in our heads we think that, but we don't on the outside. So it's so scary and intimidating. But once again, if we just show up, make that first step, go to the practices, train, we start feeling better from within. We look better on the outside. Yeah, we meet the team, we have fun, we joke around. Next thing you know, it's like coming to practice is like—

it's like family.

It's like family. It's like the fun time of the day. And then you leave and you're like, you guys are like kids.

It's so great.

I think we like being like kids.

I mean, when else do you just get to, like, cut up? But then, like, also, you know, get to work and do your workout. But then also, yeah, like, let's see, at strength training on— right after Christmas, you came to class wearing— was it a reindeer outfit? It was—

it was a gingerbread onesie. It was a hooded gingerbread onesie. Okay. And then you came to track wearing an ostrich blow-up outfit because I called one of the teammates like the day before we had track and I said, let's surprise the coach and dress in costumes. I'm getting a blow-up costume. And she loved it. So she called the other team members and we didn't— I said, but you got to tell me, do not tell the coach. And she tells the coach everything. So I said, you got to promise me. And we didn't tell the coach. And he laughed so hard when he came to the track and saw us all in our different costumes.

I want to have to see if I can pull a photo of you guys up to share. But it was so funny.

I always wanted to run in one of them blow-up costumes.

Well, check. You have checked the life box.

Yeah. Yeah.

That's awesome.

Not so easy to run in.

All right, so 70.3, maybe some Ironmans on the horizon, but it sounds like this is your thing, kind of like your activity for in and outside.

This is my jam. I think this is my— Yeah. Yeah. I want to do some more open water swims. I think I really love that. Long-distance open water swims. I just don't want to get too carried away in that.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Which I guess we didn't really tie that bow. Like, you were so fearful when you first came and then you just freaking crushed your 70.3. Like, I mean, things we learned. And I think— how long do you— do you remember how long it took you? Is it maybe 40 minutes? Is it something like— maybe I'll have to look it up. We're going to have to get some evidence.

It was fun. It was fun. I enjoy swimming. Is like my favorite out of running, biking, Swimming is now my favorite, and it was my least favorite when I started. How about that?

That's so cool.

Isn't that crazy?

Yes.

That's so crazy. I don't know how I got my head wrapped around that because I was so incredibly nervous for the first year of every single one of them swims. Every one of them.

Congratulations. It's a big accomplishment.

Thank you.

Yeah. So if you had to just sort of tie it all together, if you had to give 2 or 3 tips to whether it be a new triathlete or someone who's perhaps a woman your age, plus or minus, whatever, what would you— what would your tips be so that they could get involved and feel stronger like you?

Don't be scared. Don't be nervous and just show up. Come, just come and give it a try because you don't know unless you try it. And eat protein. You got to eat your protein.

As Julie's sitting here with her, like, bowl of chicken. I'm going to have to take a selfie of us here in a minute. All right, so show up and eat your protein.

Show up and eat your protein, but give it a try. Give it a try. You don't know unless you try it. Scary things are good things. Yeah.

And I think what I've learned from you is that you— same kind of thing, like, to not be afraid and to just be yourself and to smile and to welcome people. It's very heartwarming.

I love it.

Yay. Yeah.

I think the more scared I am, the more I smile. So, yeah.

Okay. It's a coping mechanism. Our body coping mechanism. Yes. I mean, Julie literally has a smile on her face, like, all the time, no matter what, you know. Oh, we're doing an interval.

Okay, let's go.

Yeah, I got that. Like, yeah, you do. Or, like, you know, bringing up the rear end and, like, cheering for all the people everywhere. I mean, it's just like Your energy is contagious. So that's why I wanted to share your story.

Thank you.

With everyone else.

So thank you.

Thank you.

You make it fun.

Oh, well, good. I'm glad.

Thanks.

Thanks for listening to the Find Your Edge podcast. If you like what you heard, don't forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. And if you're interested in learning more about our endurance coaching, sports and wellness nutrition, metabolic and sweat testing, triathlon training team, or our triathlon training library, be sure to check us out at theenduranceedge.com. And don't forget to follow us on social media at The Endurance Edge. Thanks again, and we'll catch you next time.