Obese --> Triathlete -->Appalachian Trail

So, to start, I've been feeling a bit lousy recently because my weight has been bouncing up and down for the past few months. I wanted to write this to remind myself how far I've come. It might be a long one, bear with me. My BMI is still sitting at 25ish, in fact, so maybe some wouldn't even consider this a weight loss success story, but here it is:

In 2011, I weighed in at an alarming 240 pounds (female, 5'8", 21 at the time). I had been steadily gaining weight since high school, was unemployed, and generally not in a great place. On a visit to Gatlinburg with my family, we walked from the parking lot to the top of Clingman's Dome, and the half mile climb on a paved path kicked my butt. The Appalachian Trail also summits Clingman's Dome and, like lots of tourists, I stopped to get my picture taken at the sign.

That's me on the right (those sunglasses are bad, I know).

A few months later, even heavier, I got a job that required me to walk most of the day and things started to get better. Not great, but at least I was a little healthier.
Back to a desk job with crazy hours and the weight went right back on. I was miserable-uncomfortable all the time. Constant joint pain from being completely sedentary, sick from a terrible diet, heart palpitations from constant caffeine because I was so tired all the time.
After a significant health scare (at 23 years old) I joined MFP in 2013 for the first time and started C25K.
My first 5k was in the spring of 2013. I jogged about 1/2 mile of it, walked the rest. I was still pretty proud of myself, though.
By that fall, I was able to almost enjoy running, though I wasn't fast or even very dedicated. Weight came off, went back on.
At around 220:


Then my brother loaned me his bike and that was a game changer. First ride was 9 miles and I couldn't walk the next day, but I loved it. He and my parents chipped in to get me a road bike for my birthday and I haven't looked back since.
I fell in love with the freedom and strength I gained from cycling. I felt great, finally. Eventually, I joined a gym, too. I still struggled with my eating habits, but one step at a time, right?

I got in my head to try a triathlon. Mind you, I could barely swim, ran a 12 minute mile, and biked barely 14mph on flat pavement. But I started training, nonetheless, for a mini tri- 250m swim, 7 mi bike, 2 mi Run. My first race was an unmitigated disaster. It rained, I crashed my bike, and I walked almost the whole run. But I finished and it was awesome. I was hooked on the adrenaline and the medals!
It's true what they say, it never gets easier, you just get faster. That year I did 6 triathlons, culminating in a sprint distance on my birthday. I puked off the side of my bike, I walked a LOT of runs, and I collapsed at the finish line once. But for some reason, I didn't want to stop.
One of my first races, around 190


I even ran my first half marathon in the fall of 2014. It was ugly, but I finished it in 2 hrs, 36 minutes. Improvement.


2015, I got it in my head to try for longer distances. I still struggled with my weight, sitting at 190 now. I kept getting injured from overtraining. I did a sprint tri, winning my age group. On a whim, I signed up for an Olympic Distance race. It hurt pretty bad, but at this point training was my life, so I kept going. The end of the 2015 season culminated in a half ironman. I had won my age group several times that year, even snagged an overall win in a local sprint, so I just kept grinding.
The half iron was a whole different beast, so I didn't race to beat any set goals, just to finish. My training schedule was up to 12 hours a week, not including strength training.
The race was amazing. Terrible weather conditions-wind, heat, dangerous waves. But I finished. I expected to be elated but I was mostly just exhausted. Here was this huge accomplishment that I'd spent 6 months singlemindedly working towards and I just wanted to lie down!


After the race, I did some soul searching. Triathlons are amazing, but my personal and professional lives weren't going so hot. I was underemployed and frustrated and having regular panic attacks about my future. Sort of impulsively, I decided to try thruhiking. I liked weekend backpacking trips and was in fairly good shape at that point.
I thought back to that visit to Clingman's Dome and knew I wanted to try the Appalachian Trail.
The odds were against me, only about 20-25% of people who attempted the 2189 mile trail actually finished it, but I'd beaten a lot of odds at that point. I started saving, gave up my apartment, and gave away a lot of my possessions. I resigned from my job, my boss telling me good luck "finding myself."
On April 29th, I started walking from Harper's Ferry, WV. The plan was to hike the northern half first, get to Maine, then drive back to Harper's Ferry to hike south to Georgia. I can go in to reasons for that and any other details, if people are interested, but this post is SO long already.
The whole hike took me 6 months. I almost quit more times than I can count. I hiked solo most of the time, though I picked up an incredible "trail family" along the way.
I got caught in thunderstorms, accidentally stuck my trekking pole in a hornets nest, and slid down a shear rock face, amongst other adventures. I also witnessed sunrises from mountain tops and lake sides and witnessed some of the most incredible beauty the US has to offer. I wouldn't say I found myself, but I was the happiest I've ever been.





See, throughout this entire process of the last few years, I struggled with an eating disorder and depression. It crippled me sometimes. Sometimes the only thing that got me out of bed was my planned bike rides or 18 mile hiking days. I messed up a lot. I missed a lot of workouts, binged on a lot of crazy foods. My weight loss was never consistent, so I stopped making it the goal. I developed muscles and endurance I never thought I could have. I learned discipline and self forgiveness.
I summited Mt Katahdin in Maine on August 1st, still technically overweight


I summited Springer Mountain in Georgia on October 25th, completing my 2189.1 mile hike


And when I crossed Clingman's Dome as a thruhiker, I attracted a crowd of admirers who wanted me to answer questions, take pictures with their kids, and to pray for me.

I'm not superhuman, I'm not a world class athlete. I'm chubby and have stretch marks and loose skin and all manner of other gross stuff. Anyone can do what I did, no matter how many demons are chasing you.

At Clingman's Dome. 240lbs versus 170ish.

TLDR: you are capable of so much more than you could possibly imagine.