By Pyc Fitness
©2004-2008
Don't tell Isabelle Fontaine that you're too busy to exercise. She's the mother of three, ages 2 to 8. She also works full time as a pediatric physical therapist. She has a jam-packed life, but that doesn't stop her from working out.
In fact, she competes in sprint triathlons, roughly a 400-yard swim, 10-mile bike ride and 5K run. She's now training for the Miami Half Ironman Nov. 11 in Miami. The distances: a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run.
"It's completely crazy," says Fontaine, who'll compete with husband Jean-Marc. "We've never done such a distance."
Have you always been active?
I've always been involved in sports — tennis, swimming, rock climbing. But once I started working and having kids, I thought I didn't have time anymore. After my second child, my weight hit 160 and stayed there. I typically weigh 140. I felt awful at 160 and didn't like how my body looked.
What did you do?
I started running on the treadmill. It was the easiest thing to do with the baby sleeping next to me. After three or four months I could run for an hour. Running really takes the weight off. I was also biking on weekends with my husband and kids.
How did you get started in sprint triathlons?
Bethesda Memorial Hospital, where I work, sponsored one in 2004. I was 6 weeks' pregnant with our third child but didn't know it. I hadn't trained for the swimming, but I've always been a good swimmer. I didn't do too badly.
How are you training for the half Ironman?
Every week I try to get in eight or nine hours of training. That includes about two hours of swimming, three to four hours of biking and two to three hours of running.
What happened during your pregnancy?
I continued exercising, but not as intently. I didn't bike. But I ran until I was 5 months' pregnant and swam laps the day before I delivered. The day my doctor cleared me to exercise, I was back in the gym with the baby. I've been competing in sprint triathlons ever since, along with my husband.
How do you make time for this?
We incorporate all this exercise into our family life. When we take the kids to the beach 10 miles away, one of us rides a bike and the other drives. Then we switch going home. When they play soccer, I run around the soccer field.
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