Meet our March Athlete Spotlight, Emily White! Emily has been cycling and racing for over 15 years. She loves the fitness, competitiveness, unexpectedness, adventure, and supportive environment that comes with cycling and triathlon. Emily has been faced with a number of challenges in sport, including frequent work travel, injury, and asthma.
"On top of managing being asthmatic," she adds, "I had thyroid cancer when I was 19 and had my thyroid removed. Having to manage my thyroid levels through daily medication can be challenging, as I can swing from stable to hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism pretty quickly, and those changes can affect my energy and ability to build and maintain muscle."
Emily accepts the challenge and keeps coming back for more. "Everyone has challenges and struggles," she says, "but if you put in the work you can see results." Way to keep the wheels rolling, Emily, and thanks for showing what's possible!
Age: 38
Occupation: supplemental operations management for a private aviation company.
How long have you been swimming, cycling, running, and/or doing triathlons? I started cycling in 2006 and my first bike race was in 2007. I started doing triathlons in 2018.
What aspects of triathlon do you enjoy most? That it's a lifestyle. It allows you to be fit enough to partake in multiple disciplines. I love to trail run and race gravel. Triathlon provides me the ability to be a well rounded athlete that can be in shape to be competitive on multiple playing fields. I also love how it teaches you to plan for success and how to have a plan b, c, d, and e because something is always going to not go as expected and what is important is how you pivot to achieve a goal and not just give up. Also, the people. Everyone supports everyone and that isn't something you find in many other athletic environments.
What has been your favorite training or racing event, and why? Favorite training is anything with hills. Racing event Waco 70.3 has been my favorite run course so far, I'm a sucker for hills. Being a former bike racer, I really like the CapTex bike course, it has the right amount of technical and some hills.
What is your favorite post-workout or race meal? Post-workout, a bowl with a protein, carbs and veggies. Post-race, a burger and fries.
What is one recent accomplishment you are proud of? I transitioned into a leadership role at work recently.
What do you want to be when you grow up? A teacher.
What is something no one knows about you? I was a debutante. And, I pass out at the sight of needles and blood.
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