Girls Just Wanna Have Fun! (continued)

By Amity Hall

Who is inspired beyond belief by these wonderful women

FLOW FITNESS Inc., a health and fitness company that specializes in motivating women and the 50 + population to embrace exercise, took these then wannabe triathletes on an 8 - week training program. This program consisted of swimming 3 times/week, biking 3-4 times/week, running/walking 3-4 times/week, and strength training 2 times/week. This might sound like an exorbitant amount of time and training, but it is actually organized in a way that makes the requisite training and time commitment quite reasonable and totally manageable, even for people with full-time jobs and family responsibilities.  “We realized women regardless of age wanted more out of their fitness routines” notes Marc Grabisch, co director of FLOW FITNESS.  “There was no reason because of their age that these women could not be in as good as, if not better shape than women half their age.  It is just not something they were conditioned to believe in.”  

Of course, the Triathaladies did not realize their goals overnight – most started with an interest, which evolved into desire, which step by step and day by day turned into accomplishment.   The training program for the Triathlon was designed to slowly introduce the three events (swimming, biking, running) and then each week to build on the gained fitness. This enabled the women to develop confidence along the way, gradually confirming each woman’s belief in herself that she could compete in and complete the triathlon. Donna Hofsess remembers, “Every achievement along the way is a victory in and of itself. When I was able to swim the length of the pool the first time it was as exhilarating as crossing the finish line of the triathlon because it was such a personal victory.”

The Triathaladies discovered that athletes come in all shapes, sizes and age brackets; that a common goal is one worth pursuing; and that satisfaction and self-empowerment are achieved not only through goal-oriented accomplishment, but often through the journey itself.  Certainly these are lessons that transcend the finish line.  So congratulations,  Triathaladies  - you are an inspiration to us all.