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I'm going to piggy-back a little bit on Gerri's blog topic that she wrote last week. If you haven't read it yet, make sure you do so - it is a great post about what this sport has given to you. For the point of this post we'll simply refer to these as "gifts".

This entire last year has been a year of personal change and growth and reflection for me. I don't think it would have been possible for me to make it through the last 12 months withOUT considering what this sport has given to me. Let me put it to you this way: a year ago I was a very unhappy person, trapped in a marriage that was unhealthy on every level and I couldn't see any way out. I used competing as a mental escape. When I was gearing up for a competition, I was able to fully turn my attention away from my unhappy personal life and focus only on the stage.

After I did the Ironman in October of 2008 I was approached by a fellow gym member and bodybuilder, Jon Blodgett (gift #1). Jon is also a CPT, CSCS and he offered to help me out with my off season diet and was also looking for a training partner on occasion. Perfect! I wasn't sure how I was going to afford a trainer in my off season, so this was truly an amazing gift. Jon set up my nutrition and training programs. In December of 2008 he took me down to Tacoma to meet his coach, David Patterson (gift #2). Without even meeting Dave I had a high level of respect for him because Jon did and I greatly respected Jon and his expertise, so if he thought this guy was good, he must be good.

I remember vividly that first time I met Dave. A cold December day, wearing my shorty-shorts and sports bra in his cold gym. He circled me a few times, scratched his chin a little, then he poked at me a bit. "Did you lose these saddlebags last time?" WHAT??!! Did he just say SADDLEBAGS??!! Let's just say that first time he met me I could tell he wasn't all that impressed and I was still new, so I had a lot of growing (and yes, I mean that more than just from a physique standpoint) to do. Dave was brutally honest. He doesn't sugar-coat stuff and I instantly liked that. I'm not into the whole "beating around the bush" thing. There was something inside of me that wanted to please this man. Whatever he told me to do, I was gonna do it to the letter. I'm gonna show him that I AM made for this sport! I did everything he said. I never strayed from the diet, never missed a cardio session, never missed a lift. I was the perfect student. I spent several hours with Dave every Sunday last year and we became quite good friends and I became his sponge. Everything he told me, everything he emailed me, I soaked it all up. Even more of a gift than his competition coaching is the way he has mentored me and helped me become a great trainer myself.

One Saturday while we were in Renton working Elaine Craig (gift #3) popped in on us after visiting Tanji's group. Elaine and I workout at the same Gold's in Mill Creek, so she offered to hook up with me for a workout or to look at suits or whatever I needed. If you know Elaine, you know of her magnetic and inspiring personality. There is also something very safe and comforting about Elaine and for some reason without even knowing her very well I felt like I could let her in on the chaos that was my life. I don't remember exactly what or how I told her, but in same way I let her know that things at home were not good and so, after Emerald Cup when I filed for divorce, Elaine was very comforting and supportive. Elaine has been there for me whenever I needed support over this last year. I'm really good at putting on my "strong face" and Elaine has always been someone I could be very real with and let her see my tears. And when I couldn't compete at Ironman last fall due to everything that was going on in my life, she still put me on stage with a tiara as a trophy girl so I could be part of the action.

I'm no longer the same person I was when I started competing. In my personal blog I've written a lot of posts about how this sport has transformed me not only on the outside, but even more so on the inside. My self-esteem was in the toilet, I had very little self-confidence and all I could see in my future were more unhappy days. As a competitor, you know that getting to the stage requires a great deal of sacrifice and suffering. Dave told me over and over again last year..."Jules, you're gonna have to suffer. You haven't suffered before and you're going to have to suffer now." He was right, all around. And because of that suffering, I came out so much stronger last spring. I finished those competitions and I realized, if I can do THIS, I can do anything!

During the course of the last 6 months I've kept my diet on point and I've trained harder than I've ever trained in my life. Why? Because this sport is IN ME now. It's what I do, it's how I live. When I felt like I was emotionally weak I would go to the gym and lift weights and I would remember that I am STRONG. When I felt like quitting a cardio session or lift early I would hear Dave's voice in my head saying..."My Jules doesn't quit." This sport and the people of this sport have helped me grow in ways that I never imagined. I feel like a totally new, more powerful person. Because of this sport and these people I know that I really CAN do anything if I have the determination to do it.

I believe that it is our duty to give back. In that regard, I've chosen a path as a personal trainer and nutrition coach. I enjoy working especially with women who have similar feelings to what mine were. I enjoy teaching people that through physical strength one can achieve mental and emotional strength. Giving back has just added to the gifts of the sport - it has fulfilled me. So, think about it...if this sport has given to you, what can you do to give back? How can you "pay it forward?"

~Julie~

Fearless, with cape in hand.

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