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.

Highlights

We got our first press coverage yesterday. The guys at GizMag got it spot on. It was a great first article, and even though they don’t have an enormous audience we generate a handful of new backers from it.

“GPS watches already come in all shapes and sizes (at least if you consider “heavy, square brick” and “massive discus” all shapes and sizes). Now they have a gender. “

We have been getting insanely positive feedback on the product. Lots of excitement from lots of women (and men) we don’t even know. We do have the raw material for a blockbuster success here. 

Additionally, a long lost friend stepped up today and is able to make a personal introduction to the most important product blogger and reviewer in the GPS-watch-universe. And we got our first inbound inquiry from a European Distributor.

Rough spots

I think we have a big understanding gap. Lots of folks who LOVE and want the watch don’t understand that if they don’t back the project the product won’t happen.

We’ve tried to address that in the project write up, but right now I think we just need to refilm the tail end of the video this weekend to get real explicit about it.

We also haven’t popped strongly with bloggers and press yet. I need to keep reminding myself that it takes a few days for things to settle in. It’s tough to try to make a blockbuster hit overnight, from a cold start, with no budget and no professional help.

We have 35 days and lots of untapped resources.

The Elephant in the Room

I would be lying to say I am not in a cold sweat panic. We need epic project growth to hit our end goal. Yesterday was a decent but we needed it to be double what it was.

Typically projects have an initial spike, a long period of slow steady growth and then a monster spike at the end. We have 3 X-factors in our project though:

• Weak customer knowledge of how Kickstarter works
• Press that will hit at a delay from our launch vs. at the start
• The psychological barrier of such a big goal.

The last one is vexing. If we had set our project goal at $100K like most other “big” projects, backers would be doing a happy dance right now. We’d look like a garenteed success and we’d probably be generating more native momentum off of that. People flock to winners.

However, with such a big goal, we need to make more progress before benefiting from that effect.

I will blog about the risks/rewards we balanced to determine our project goal later, because a number of folks have asked.

Now it’s back to hustling.

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.

Just like I ceremoniously relinquished my throne as the queen of the 10-minute mile I am about to pass The Queen of the Bonk crown to anyone who wants it!

It’s taken me two full seasons of long course racing, but I think this fall I finally figured out. Two races in a row without bonking!!!

After a half-dozen grumbling stomachs at mile 65 on the bike this season, an absolutely dangerous bonk situation on a 95 degree day on Mt. Palomar,  and a super disappointing bonk-induced miss of my target time at Vineman 70.3, I nailed it.

I rocked the Long Beach Half Marathon in solidly under 2-hours. I ran like XX-Elvis for 26.2 miles in Vegas. Both without a moment of bonk. I finally taught myself how to fuel properly (for races and workouts under 6 hours) AND learned what fuel would work with my stomach in heat and in cold.

I am dying to put this learning to test in my first half-ironman of the season in March.

Right now, here are my go-to products.  You can see them in all their prettiness on my Sports Food Pin Board.

Pre-race fueling in my car as I rush to the start line:
Justin’s Almond Butter w/Chocolate; White Chocolate Macadamia Luna Bars.

Pre-race fuel to share with those around me as we stand in line for the Port-a-Potties:
Blueberries

On the bike:
Honey Stinger Waffles; more Justin’s

Ok while I love Justin’s on the bike, can I tell you how covered in chocolate after-ooze all my stuff is now? The iPhone in my bento box became such a gooey mess that I started putting the used packets in my jersey pocket. Not my best idea. And word of warning: putting the jersey with the empty Justin’s packet in the pocket into the wash does NOT make the situation any better.

On the run:
Island Boost (I can’t stop talking about this stuff! We have two big boxes being shipping to Bia Headquarters – aka my kitchen – to load into our schwag bags! I am never using Gu again!); Natural Hydration Tangerine Ginger; Trident Gum (Blue)

Recovery:
Chai seeds, Otter pops and….Chocolate Milk!!! Give me more bunny!

And so begins my shameless campaign to be selected as an ambassador for @chocmilkrefuel. I talk about chocolate milk so much, I already have a Klout score on it! I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

In the meanwhile, I am stuffing stockings for all my swim/bike/run girlfriends with these products AND we are throwing a few into the schwag bags we are sending out to folks that register for an early invite to Bia Sport.

Click here to learn more and sign up  and then invite your friends. A bag of Bia schwag (including some of our favorite fueling) could be yours.

SwimTrek‘s pre-season training trips are complete with qualified swim and triathlon coaches on hand to get you prepared for your season ahead.

The fully guided tours include a full safety escort for the 6 days, swim guiding, video stroke technique, baggage handling; accommodation; breakfast and lunches on the 2 days when athletes are on the main boat for the whole day. Dinners are not included allowing you to choose where, when and with whom you would like to dine.

The tour is based in the beautiful bay village of Xlendi on the island of Gozo in the Mediterranean Sea.