Jo Huxster: Really bad asthma and a heart arrhythmia limited her to swimming, snorkeling, and scuba. She rebelled with field hockey. Injuries forced her back into the water. That’s when friends got her to swim in a triathlon relay. It was love at first splash.
“I was a pretty strong swimmer, given all my early experience,” Jo told us. “From that first relay, amongst athletes of all ages and abilities, I was instantly hooked. I loved the camaraderie on course, the competition, and most of all realizing that I was capable of pushing my own limits. “
When she began participating in triathlons, Jo could barely ride a bike or run more than a mile. How did she go from asthmatic to hardcore triathlete? With perseverance and cautious, meticulous training.
Most days Jo works out twice a day. (Being a graduate student gives her the flexibility to do that.) She swims, bikes, or runs almost every day and usually does a strength workout in the evenings.
Her cardio routines rotate through strength, speed, and distance work. She also swears by arm, leg, and core circuits for strength training. Her toughest and most important workouts are called “bricks.” Bricks consist of going out on her bike for an hour or so, then hopping off and transitioning right into a short run. These workouts help triathletes get used to running right off the bike when their legs feel funky from all that pedaling.
She always carries an inhaler in case her asthma flares up. But the more fit she gets, the less she seems to need it.
Jo knows that the triathlete lifestyle requires special attention to nutrition, so she is careful not to eat too many or too few calories. A half-hour before workouts, she’ll have a banana and maybe a sports drink. On long rides and runs she will carry energy gels, low-calorie Gatorade, and plenty of water. Post-workouts, she has a small snack with protein, like plain nonfat Greek yogurt with berries and walnuts, or a protein drink.
All this attention to detail is having a huge impact on her health and fitness. She’s going for five races in 2011 and her first Ironman. She’s not letting asthma or anything else keep her from reaching her goals.
“I am making myself UNSTOPPABLE,” she said. “Every day I am inspired to push my limits and to never give up. I refuse to let my medical problems keep me from being exactly the athlete and person I want to be.”
Here’s to your past accomplishments and upcoming Ironman, Jo. We’re sure you’ll continue to prove that anything’s possible.
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I'm super excited! It was really awesome of them, and they made me sound super important. haha. I wish I was still getting in two workouts a day...I've inspired myself to get back to that, haha. Today was a rest day except for the leg exercises Rach prescribed, so nothing else really to share about training. But this was so awesome! Yay!!
very cool! is that your pic from your photo session earlier?
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