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MY STORY:
Shannon started dancing earlier than she can remember and that became her passion, her sport, and her job until her mid 20’s. She also enjoyed all kinds of other activities: she hiked a lot growing up and owned and rode horses for years, but as Shannon got older dance consumed her free time, sometimes 6+ hours a day, 6-7 days a week. She started running some in high school, mainly to keep weight off and partly because everyone else in her family was running for various reasons.
Shannon went to college to study exercise science and was inspired by her dad to run a marathon. She completed two marathons, but at that time wasn’t respecting her body’s limitations and usually ran in pain. While Shannon was in college she did the run leg of an Olympic distance triathlon. She had the goal to someday do a whole triathlon by herself, but she was too scared, in part because she did not know how to swim and eating disorders had left her too self-conscious to put on a swimsuit. Years later Shannon’s best friend completed a sprint distance women’s race in Seattle, then her mom trained and completed one the following year. Shannon flew up to cheer on her mom and walk/run with her best friend who had recently been diagnosed with MS. Shannon was so inspired by both of them and the thousands of other women that she thought it was ridiculous for her not to “tri” for herself. Shannon trained for her first sprint race and has been racing steadily ever since.
Right now she loves Olympic distance races. International distance racing is prefect for her because it is challenging and she can still find enough free time to have a life outside of swimming, biking, and running. When Shannon’s not working or training for triathlon, she’ll explore a new activity such as kickboxing, kayaking, even ice skating. Shannon currently spends free time doing yoga, Pilates, reading, and walking her big ol’ Bernese Mountain Dog.
Shannons always worked in the fitness field; teaching, coaching and helping people reach their goals. 5 years ago she opened a training studio. Shannon personal trains, teaches classes and runs a Pilates certifications program. Her most recent passion is into the world of Z Heath, a neurology-based performance training system which creates amazing results for pain reduction, injury prevention, and performance enhancement. Through this system Shannon is helping her clients in faster and more effective ways than ever. She realizes how lucky she is to get up in the morning to go do something that’s helping people live better lives. |