Katie’s SeaWheeze Preparation
Katie Paterson is our smiling HR administrator, a single mother, and an all around great gal. Upon having her son four years ago, Katie found herself committing more time to parenting and nurturing her career than striving towards any personal fitness goals. Being determined to feel her best, she attempted various athletic activities and diets but found that she had some difficulty maintaining her ambition for any of her intended fitness or dietary changes.
“The only way I am able to stick to a running schedule or fit in a workout, is by joining a training group or signing up and paying for a class in advance. I always seem to find an excuse not to run or workout on my own.”
Katie soon realized that she was highly motivated by loftier fitness goals, and upon finding running to be a more time-efficient form of exercise, decided that she would attempt the 16KM long, 4100 foot climb that is Grouse Mountain’s Seek The Peak. Training for races has provided the tangible and slightly intimidating goal she needed to propel her forward towards her fitness goals. Katie is quickly seeing the results of her efforts, and as SeaWheeze approaches, she is finding herself to be increasingly motivated.
“I lost my first seven pounds training for this race. Having a goal such as an event or race is a great motivator and seems to be a good way to get my parents to agree to babysit more often.”
Cooking for her family each night is incentive enough to eat well, but Katie has made sure to drink plenty of water in addition to fitting in an afternoon snack and a vegan pre-workout energizer to power her through her evening workouts. When she finds herself getting sore, Katie swears by sticking to hydrating her tired muscles by drinking lots of water and mixing additional protein into her diet.
Though she’s finding her free time to be as limited as ever, she intends to increase the frequency of her training runs in the coming weeks. Having committed to SeaWheeze’s 21.1KM run has stepped-up her resolve to attend running clinics or group exercise – something she had formerly found challenging. Her newfound commitment can been seen in her current fitness schedule.
“I am running three days a week, once during the week, once with a training group and once on the weekend when my son is with his dad. I know that I need to fit one more run in a week, but I’m also cross-training via boxing each week with a personal trainer.”
Katie summarizes her goals simply; “I am running SeaWheeze to keep me focused on my personal fitness during the summer – and to complete my first half marathon.” We’re excited to hear about Katie’s triumphs and tribulations on her journey to achieving her personal fitness goals. Continue to check back weekly to follow along with Katie’s progress, and to read more Whistler Water employee profiles and training schedules in anticipation of SeaWheeze 2014.