Let’s celebrate your firsts! Share them to our Facebook page, Twitter, or on Instagram and tag ‘em #BiaFirst. We’ll give you a big, Bia shout out and add your picture to our growing collection. Bring it!

Kudos to Kelly, Helen, Bethany, Stacey, Elizabeth, Lydia, Wendy and Tracy for getting our #BiaFirst image collection off to such an awesome, inspiring start. Thank you, ladies!

Way to go Jo, Jennie, Rochelle, Jennifer, Kerrie, Steff, Sheryl, Melissa, Corrine & Nicole! Thank you for your additions to this fantastic colletion!

We LOVE how you all are out there crushing it! Awesome work, Julia, Lisa, Catherine, Stephanie, Tami, Sheryl, Stephanie, and Christine!

Keep bringing the awesome! Got a big first to share? Shoot us a photo on facebook, Instagram or Twitter and tag it #BiaFirst!

The more time you spend in the world of Swim Bike Mom, the more meaningful her long-time mantra becomes. Meredith Atwood is the unstoppable force behind the addictive and popular blog, Swim Bike Mom, where she’s chronicled her story of nearly 2.5 years of triathlon training while leading a busy life in Atlanta, Georgia as a person/mother/wife/attorney/author. Her adventures include a lively cast of characters (most notably The Expert and Coach Monster), challenging settings (open water, anyone?), and an array of themes from the painful to the victorious to the hilarious, all of which help her push forward in her pursuit of her latest goal (Ironman Coeur d’Alene), and ultimately, the best version of herself.

In her youth, Meredith dabbled in sports, trying many childhood staples including basketball and softball; but it wasn’t until she got into Olympic-style weightlifting that her athletic commitment intensified. She won the Junior National Championships and traveled to South Africa to compete in the Junior World Championships. Then, life and career and kids (and chaos) happened, and Meredith found herself out of shape and ready for change.

“I find that I am focused on what I have in my life because there is nothing like a 5 hour bike ride to remind you how much you want off that bike and into the arms of someone you love.”

Meredith came to triathlon in her effort to reclaim a bit of herself for herself, and in doing so, she now has completed several 5 and 10Ks, several half marathons, a number of sprint and Olympic distance races, and 2 Ironman 70.3 races. After all that, she feels she’s “sort of become an athlete for what really feels like the first time ever.” And she has done all this while continuing to live her busy life, maintain her popular, productive blog, AND do a little thing like write a book. Yes. A book. Meredith’s book Triathlon for the Every Woman recently came out in November. And now? Her eye is firmly on the prize and and all of her training is directed at completing her first full Ironman (Ironman CDA) on June 23rd of this year.

“Blessed. Insane. Busy. Blessed.”

The Swim Bike Mom and Bia connection is one of those that is such a natural, comfortable fit, no one is sure how the two found each other. Maybe Meredith found Bia; likely Bia found Meredith. Regardless of how the connection came about, Meredith was pulled fully into Bia’s big adventure by a love of our dedication to women and fitness as well as by her growing disdain for her Garmin. She’s looking forward to taking her Bia along on her long runs and bringing a little more of the love to her love/hate of the big mileage.

In Her Own Words:

How do you empower yourself & others?
I put myself out there, all of the stuff that is good about me and all the stuff that is embarrassing or horrible (okay, maybe not ALL things, but many things). In being honest and sharing my journey with the world, I think it helps other women say, “Wow, she’s a ridiculous mess, and if she can be positive, ‘just keep moving forward’ and finish big goals while facing some major challenges, maybe I can too.” I see no benefit in sugar-coating how hard it is to be a wife, mother, lawyer, working woman and triathlete; and I think others find comfort in my insanity. At least I hope so.

What personal transformation has most influenced your perspective/sport/work/life? Realizing that I can be whoever I want to be: If I work hard, I can finish races. If I want to change, I just need to change. If I set my mind and heart to something, I can finish it. For a long time, I felt victimized by the legal profession, by my place in life, by the insanity of parenthood. In coming to grips that I had one life and it was up to me to make it mine, I quit complaining and took action. Triathlon has helped me realize that the sky is the limit and it helped me realize that I have a lot to be grateful for. I’m going to keep shooting for the sky. Period.

In what ways do you fit, break, or defy the mold of the “Female Athlete”?
I think I pretty much King-Kong-style obliterate “the mold.”  I’m 200 pounds; and I can swim and bike faster than some of my 140 pound counterparts. Now, running is a little different story, ha ha.  But I’m working hard NOT to be 200 pounds. Still, I have finished several half marathons, dozens of triathlons, including 2 half Ironmans weighing more than that and I didn’t finish last. The proof in my pudding is that: anyone can get out there and become their own best version of an athlete.

“It’s not reserved for the uber-fit and skinny and beautiful; but it is reserved for the brave.”

What’s among your favorite or biggest athletic accomplishments? What are the top 3 things that made it/them possible?
Finishing my second half Ironman was my favorite and happiest and biggest accomplishment to date.  The first half Ironman was special, but the second was sweeter because my mom, dad, and one of my best friends were there to cheer me and the Expert (my husband) on, and it felt wonderful to see them on the course.

The top three things that made that possible?
1) Love (of the sport, love from my family)
2) Hate (for my profession, generally; for things ‘wrong in my life’ -makes me train harder!)
3) Enduring pain (physical and mental).

What’s your best piece of advice for a busy person contemplating a new athletic goal?
Make the Decision to do it. This is exactly what my book says: Decide to become a triathlete.  Decide to become who you want to be.  Want to try a half marathon, but you “aren’t a runner”?  Well, decide to become a runner. Make the Decision, and go after it.

Meredith’s book, Triathlon for Every Woman is available on Amazon.com in paperback and kindle. You can follow her blog at www.SwimBikeMom.com, on Facebook and on Twitter.

Bia field tester Kelly Delgado knows the drill. 2 months ago, this rock star mother of 5 completed her first full Ironman (Florida). Coming to our Kickstarter campaign by way of Bia-love shared by Swim Bike Mom, Kelly did her homework, decided we were about to revolutionize the GPS watch industry, and signed on to be one of our early field testers. Not shy about her opinions and beliefs, Kelly doesn’t hesitate to challenge others in a debate or shy away from calling words of encouragement to those she meets in a race. She’s goal-oriented (Kona some day), content (loves what she’s doing), busy (5 energetic kids), and blessed with a husband who works hard so she can stay home and take care of their children and who still supports all of her “sometimes crazy” athletic endeavors.

“At the end of the day, I am racing against myself.”

Following her memorable Ironman experience of 2012, Kelly plans to spend 2013 drawing her teenage daughters into triathlon, fine tuning her own athletic training and efficiency, and participating in a number of races at various distances, all with an eye toward another full Ironman, perhaps Couer d’Alene or Cozumel, in 2014. Of course, she’s eager to have Bia along for the ride. She looks forward to field testing our watch during training, specifically in the ocean and under foggy California coastal conditions, and she can’t wait to try it out in an actual race.

In Her Own Words

What’s your athletic history? What brought you to your sport?
I started running Cross Country and Track in high school at the age of 14, and have been addicted ever since. I was the number 2 runner at Antelope Valley College, and then I won a partial scholarship to Cal State San Bernardino and ran there for two years while pursuing my Criminal Justice degree. After college when ‘real life’ took over, my athletic endeavors were put to the wayside. I still exercised regularly and found my stress outlet in running, but I did not compete again until after I was married and my children started school.

My first return to racing was the American Martyrs School 5K in Manhattan Beach, CA.  I went into it thinking that I would just take it easy and have fun, which I did for about the first mile but then the competitive bug bit and in a big way.  I took off and ended up finishing first in my age group. From there, my good friend who is a triathlete, somehow talked me into doing my very first triathlon with her in 2011. I was not a good swimmer, and in fact, was terrified of water in my face and I had not been on a bicycle in many years. But, the athlete in me likes a challenge. Terrified and excited at the same time, I signed up for The Oschner Ironman 70.3 New Orleans with a mere 4 months to learn to swim and bike. It was quite the learning experience and despite the swim portion being cancelled that year (a disappointment after all of the work I put in), I finished and have been hooked on triathlon ever since.

In what ways do you fit, defy, or break the mold of the “Female Athlete”?
I think I am a combination of the “typical” female athlete as well as a bit of a mold-breaker in other areas. I am constantly trying to balance being a good wife and mother, with training as efficiently as I can.  Like many other female athletes, I am driven, determined, and sometimes very lonely during training sessions. I am a stay-at-home mom of 5 kids dealing with 3 different schools, so time is very precious.

I break the mold of the typical “female athlete” in a different way.  I am fanatical about food and its part in health and athletic performance. We follow the Paleo diet, so I make sure that we have a constant supply of fresh grass-fed beef and wild-caught fish and fresh fruits and veggies from our own urban garden. I make our own butter, chicken-foot broth, bone broth, sauerkraut, and some fun adult things like wine, beer, Limoncello, and Grand Marnier –not so great for you, but hey, a mom needs a break once in awhile! I’ve found that the better I eat, the better I feel and perform as an athlete.

What personal transformation has most influenced you?
I think the most transformative experiences come from pain. That is where learning and growth comes from; there is no growth without first feeling the pain.  Like any other person, I am not unfamiliar with that. My personal transformations are a collection of all of my experiences and growth so far. The key is to acknowledge the pain, test the limit, and eventually, push through it. That is where true transformation takes place. A quote that I meditate upon on occasion: “Change will come when the pain of staying the same is worse than the pain of change.”

What was your biggest athletic accomplishment of 2012?
By far, my biggest accomplishment of 2012 was finishing Ironman Florida, November 3, 2012.  Before that I had competed in (in order) Ironman 70.3 New Orleans, Ironman 70.3 San Juan, Barb’s Race 70.3, and the Nautica Malibu International Distance. It was a huge deal for me since it was my first full Ironman and my fifth race ever. My goal was simply to finish, which I did in 16 hours and 15 minutes. I wanted to quit so many times. I hurt. I was hungry for real food. I was mentally and physically exhausted. My brain kept trying to bargain with me to stop and just quit. I have never been a quitter, but I honestly considered it several times. I had pretty bad stomach cramping, but I just kept pushing through. I had to keep moving, and so I did. I was not the fastest in Florida, but I did it and I was so proud of myself that I bawled like a baby crossing that finish line.

There were a number of things that helped me to the finish. I am grateful for Island Boost, which was the only thing that was palatable and that I was able to digest near the end. I am grateful for LA Tri Club’s Ocean 101 class and the amazing coaches they have for helping me get over my fear of the surf and swimming en masse. I am grateful for Adrian Valdivieso from LA Tri Club, because he provided me with a fantastic training plan that I tried to follow as best I could, even if he had me cursing most of the time. But at the end of the day, I owe my successful completion of that race to three people:

1. My amazing husband, Jerry, and the unconditional love and support that he has given me throughout my journey.  I love you, baby!
2. My unbelievable swim coach, Mallory Mead, without whom I would still be terrified of the water.
3. My good friend, Leslie Jordan, who got me into triathlon in the first place and pushed me to continue the race when I was begging her to let me quit.

For each of them, I am eternally thankful and truly blessed.

What’s your best piece advice for a busy person contemplating a new athletic goal?
If you can, join a group of people.  It makes training that much easier and makes you keep an appointment.  Also, stick to a training plan as much as possible, with a lot of variety so that you don’t get burned out.  If you are going solo, fit in sessions (no matter if it is only 30-45 minutes!) whenever you can- early morning, lunch breaks, early evening before dinner. Make the time and stick to it, otherwise there will always be an excuse to skip it.

I had an awesome Top 10/Personal Best at Desert Tri to kick off the season.

At Oceanside 70.3 I raced naked – and had a blast!

And this weekend I was pumped for Wildflower Long Course. I knew I was coming into the weekend in trouble. I didn’t get more than 6 hours of sleep a night for the week before. Exhausted was an understatement. But it was Wildflower.  I fly up hills on the bike.  I love the trails. Plus there would be Cinco de Mayo tequila waiting for me at the finish. This was my race!

…I had that shot of that tequila 5 miles from the finish line.

Yeah, it was one of those days.

It started off great with lots of smiles and girl goofing.

And then it struck. My period.  WTF? After nearly 30 years I can’t figure this out? Truth be told my body usually serves me well and coordinates it’s schedule around my race calendar. Not this time.

Luckily the water was warm and it was a lake swim, so no sharks.

Cramping usually slows my bike down 1 – 1.5 mph. No exception today.

I spent 5 minutes in T2 shaking down relay teams for a tampon.

Nothing!

In all honesty I wanted to lay down on my back in T2 and OTR DNF.

I wish I had used my Garmin on to track my run course. It winds through campgrounds filled with local college student volunteers and I was running in circles far from the course looking for girls.

I struck gold at mile 3 (probably mile 4.5 for me).

Disaster avoided but I felt like crap.

The only thing worse than girl cramps is actual heat exhaustion. And I ran into my girlfriend Alison who was going through just that. My day and time was shot – and I needed something to keep my mind off  the pain – so I slowed my slow jog to a slow walk and we had a fabulous 10 miles together.

Yes there was a tequila shot at mile 7. A naked guy and mile 8.

I saw Harriet Anderson at mile 9, and I swear there was a giraffe at mile 10.

I didn’t want to write this post until we had the official race photos because I know the picture of Alison and I crossing the finish line hand in hand will be one of the best ever — if only because we had plenty of time to fix our hair and wash the salt and dirt off our faces.

DNF: 0 Girls: 7:46:46 (for both of us)

I seem to be drawn to women working through injury. (You know who you are – xmooch!)  I am lucky. My body is working. But being in the ugliest days of a start up is like being smacked down. Fear, disappointment, frustration, aloneness overshadow the reward.

The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That’s real glory.”

– Vince Lombardi

In her third guest post, @SwimBikeMom pulls a quote form Chrissie to power her up….

I have only two more weeks until my boot comes off. I broke my 5th metatarsal bone in my right foot back in February. Allegedly, I am free of the evil grey boot in a handful of days. I thought I would use the broken foot time to swim and lose weight, but really, the best I could do was avoid going complete insane. I can’t believe the time has come to get back into training.

I have been told that the recovery on this particular injury is unknown. The doctor could x-ray me and say: go forth and run like the wind. Or, she could look at me and say: back into the boot with you.

I am scared. I will admit it. I am scared that I will receive bad news about my foot, that it healed weird and I will walk with a limp forever, and never run again. Then I realize that is a stupid fear, because some people out there have real problems, and for me to whine about a foot is bordering on rude.

But then I fear that I will not have the strength, the gusto and the mental toughness to make it through training again. To get to my first 70.3 took so much training, dedication and work, and that race was hard. Very hard. I feel like I will be starting from the ground up, even though I have been assured by many that it will come back quickly.

Finally, I fear my own failures. I fear that I will disappoint myself. I want to do my second 70.3 in September. Can I do it? Will I be able to?

So with all these negative fears bumping around in my head, I re-read an article that Chrissie Wellington wrote for CNN, where she wrote

“If we let our head drop, our heart drops with it. Keep your head up, and your body is capable of amazing feats.”

Just what I needed to hear about now. Sure, I can admit that I am scared. But I will keep my head up, look the fear in the face, and keep moving forward towards my next finish line.

I have no doubt Meredith will come back. She’s an athlete. She knows how fierce she feels when she shows up at that start line. She is surrounded by a world of women cheering her on. What more do you need? 

Group co-founder Ashley talks about the origins of the GP Ms. Fits (GP is for their home town of Gregory-Portland): A while back, my friend Nicole and I were discussing getting a group of women together for a run club. The only other area running club was running 6-8 miles for their “short” runs which was well beyond our comfort level. We really wanted to create a group that was comfortable for all ages and running ability.

Through Facebook, we reconnected with our high school friends, Victoria and Kim. They both were athletes in high school and have run marathons previously. Nicole and I were not athletes at all and recently started running. We felt that this was a good combination to be starting out our group.”

A Facebook page and little blurb in the local paper later and a week later they had 14 women show up for their first run!

Check out the full story and all the photos on our Facebook Athlete of the Week album. And get your photo and stories ready of next week’s athlete of a week!

I have never had a season ending injury. I’ve had bad races, but nothing that has made me question myself. However, I’ve learned so much lately watching SwimBikeMom work through her injury and from a couple of local girlfriends working their ways back from season ending injuries. It’s those moments that develop us as athletes.

Wendy sent this in for Athlete of the Week: “Sometimes it don’t matter where you are in running order”.

The story of her race is much deeper than “slowest swimmer” though. Wendy attempted a VERY tough race – Leadman 125K in Nevada. Cold water, insane 50+ mile an hour winds that caused pros to drop out plagued the race, and Wendy, using her better judgement, decided to stop racing half-way through the bike.

It’s worth reading her post on the DNF .It might have been one of the most important moments in her training.

I can’t wait to race with Wendy at Vineman 70.3!

Mary Coffeilt was the Star Athlete of the Week this week. Here is our FB Cover Photo. You have to read her story to believe it....

And while you are at it check out all the other awesome photos and inspirational stories we received. What an awesome bunch of women. We are definitely going to make this a tradition.

We are thrilled to have Meredith of Swim Bike Mom with us!  Love it, favorite and share! 

Like it or not, things change. People change. Places change. Lives are altered in split seconds, by bad decisions, by non-decisions… by simple little twists of timing. Before my first half-Ironman, I went to see my parents …and their home for the first time since their house fire.

On the outside, the part of the house untouched by the fire looked the same. But the exterior burned portions were horrible. Still, because the scorched material was on the outside, maybe the destruction was surmountable, quarantined to the exterior. But once the door to the house was opened, an entire foreign mess opened up. The inside of the house was broken and bare, having been gutted, stripped and pieces of a family history removed. The house that my mom and dad “built” over the past two decades, had been reduced to wood, beams and a few scraps of random piles.

Of course, the fire was a huge (unwelcomed) change. But in the mess of it all, rebuilding plans began to reveal a new, beautiful house – a future glimpse of the beauty that would eventually be. The months during the rebuild were difficult for my parents. But six months after seemingly complete devastation, my parents moved into a gorgeous “new” home, completely renovated, utterly healed.

Change is inevitable. Slow or fast, welcomed or not. Purposeful, or blindsided. The how and the where of change does not matter. Somehow change will seek us out, point its finger and shout, “Your turn.”

Part of my experience during my journey to my first 70.3 was embracing all changes, good and bad, and learning to make these changes something beautiful. To remember that the “house” I was building might break and change, but the structure was sound, and the work would result in something beautiful.

Now, during my broken foot, I am learning to appreciate the body I have, broken foot and all. To treat my diet a little kinder, to go a little easier on myself. To embrace the change with a grace and sense of purpose that will serve my next triathlon adventure well – and make me stronger in the long run.

Just Keep Moving Forward.

Follow Meredith on her journey at Facebook and on Twitter at @SwimBikeMom.

 Bia Athlete of the Week

Yes, it’s a bit like Star of the Week from 1st Grade. Your pix will be featured on our FB page timeline – and in our blog for the week. Plus we’ll send you your choice of Bia gear (check it out here). Arm warmers and running shirts are way more useful than being line leader for the week.

Here’s all you need to do:

1. Send us your favorite race or workout picture from the week. As long as we get it by Monday morning it’s all good.
2. You can send your pictures to founders@bia-sport.com or you can Message them to us through Facebook.
3. Tell us about what you did  and a little about yourself (this is totally a great time to spread the word about your blog, your new business, or any other egregious plug you want to make. You know we love supporting that stuff).
4. And then we’ll pick our favorite. We’ll give you a shout out on the blog, feature your picture on our FB timeline for the week, and send you some sweet schwag.

Easy.

Criteria on this is totally arbitrary. We love FIRSTS. We love workouts with girlfriends. We love crazy outdoor adventures. We love dirt. We love a great post-work out meal. And we love anything that involves manipulating children in order to sneak in a workout.

Oh yea, and don’t worry about the format of your picture. We’ll make it work.

Super excited to see what everyone did this weekend!