#59 | Jessica Jones Meyers | Veteran | World-Class Triathlete

Jessica chats about being a Veteran and tri-athlete. 

From Jessica: The thought, “Well, this is it, my triathlon days are over.” has crossed my mind more than once in my 20 years of being a triathlete. The first time was when I went to West Point, knowing that I would now be devoted to the rigorous schedule of balancing academics, military duties, and a member of the cross country and track team. Yet when I graduated and took my commission as an Engineer Officer and posted to Fort Hood, somehow I found myself on a bike again, riding through training sites, passing tanks at lunch time. Then the deployment orders came down: it was time to go to war in Baghdad and suddenly swim, bike, run didn’t seem all that important.

The irony is this monumental milestone in my life brought me even closer to triathlon. Post deployment I found comfort and peace returning back into training, giving my mind a break from all that a deployment to a combat zone for 14 months entails. However, having twins just 2 years after I returned presented the biggest challenge to my triathlon days. A difficult pregnancy, 6 weeks of bedrest, emergency c-section, and then 2 premature babies that required round the clock feeding to try to fatten up a bit. Yet there I was, a few months later, on my trainer while they napped knowing that deep down I believed I could do it. Sure I was 30 pounds over race weight, exhausted out of my mind, and knee deep in poopy diapers. I wasn’t ready to give up on myself just quite yet.

3 professional Ironman 70.3 victories later, multiple Ironman and 70.3 podiums, a guide for the Paralympics in Rio for triathlon–10 years after having Rowan and Gwyn I can say my proudest accomplishment is refusing to believe it can’t be done while raising kids that I’m so incredibly proud of.

While I have my share of podiums in the world of triathlon and sports, I don’t believe that raw talent alone will take you to Kona. This is why at its core, my coaching style is based on the foundation of building resilient athletes. Anyone who masters resilience can achieve their dreams. Because lets face it, if you don’t know how to pick yourself up during the hard times, you’ll never really taste the true satisfaction of success.

http://jessjonesmeyers.com/