 Melissa Pressler leads a very busy lifestyle. She is a wife, a mother to two boys, a working woman and has a passion for triathlons; however, this has not always been the case. For years she had felt lost in her middle age and realized that her children were growing up quickly and once they were out of the house she wouldn’t have a hobby or a passion of her own. She felt down a lot of the time and had a strong need to reach out to something that she could be involved in both physically and mentally. One day Melissa’s light bulb was turned on by one of her children. “My younger son was in the back seat of my car and I turned to wave to him and, although I am thin I was not fit or toned, he grabbed the meaty part of my arm and said ‘flappy flappy’. I was driven by so many different things and I didn’t take the time for me to even exercise. I had always wanted to do triathlons in college but never did and that was the moment I decided I wanted to do it and I never knew I would enjoy it so much!”
Melissa had not done anything athletic in 20 years. She had not been motivated to do anything and thought that she was way too busy to exercise. She was traveling for work and was eating at fast food places because they were convenient after a long day. She was trying to be a mother and a wife as well and did not even consider exercising too much. Her family had tried to join the Y a few times, made the usual New Years resolutions, but never became serious about being active. So when she decided to make the change she started slowly with some running and then added biking and swimming. Her diet changed and she cut out red meat, ate organic and watched what was on labels. “I eat to train, so I am mindful of what is going into my body.” The more she saw her body change the more she became hooked! “I was more toned, felt much better with more energy and was eating healthier. I had digestion issues from all the stress, traveling and bad eating and being healthier made it more manageable.” Not only did Melissa become healthier, but her family and friends did as well. Her husband stopped smoking and started running, her teenage son made better food choices and has participated in triathlons and her friends got on board with exercising.
 By training for triathlons, she began to experience her passion for life. As she continued to train she would wake up early and swim or run and would ride on an exercise bike until she got her own bike. She worked out 5 days a week for 30-60 minutes and started slow with her racing. She participated in a few small running races, 5k’s, 10k’s and a half marathon. As she became much more passionate about triathlons she invested more time, training up to 14 hours a week. Her triathlon career started with Sprint distances and her first Olympic distance was Chicago Accenture, a race fundraising for a cure for blood cancer. She joined a group named Team in Training (eventually becoming a Team Captain). Team in Training is an organization that trains to fundraise for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She found that it was a good opportunity to get coached training and to fundraise for a good cause. Her next race is a half Ironman where she has qualified for Nationals to compete among the top age group on the US. “Coming from a slow twitch pace to qualifying for that in 4 years makes me proud! Any my kids too! My 16 year old has motioned it to several people!”
Melissa has had others ask how she is able to find the time to train, mentor, race and be a mother and wife. She always responds that if you are passionate about something you make it work within your lifestyle. Her family always comes first, but she always finds “me” time. “It is as important as anything to maintain your peace of mind. Finding the time to get some quality alone time to meditate, train or just curl up and read a book. It's very important to our well-being as a woman with all of the jobs we really take on in life!
 Melissa continues to train for triathlons as well as work part-time teaching children and adults as a swim and triathlon coach. “I absolutely love watching the growth and excitement that an athlete goes through as they see the progress and development of their hard work and efforts! It is an amazing experience, and I wouldn't change it for the world. It is so important to me now to race for a cause and know that feeling when crossing the finish line. My father passed of cancer when I was younger so any chance I can I race for a cure, whether it is blood cancer, breast cancer or whatever! I have the mottos of "never give up" and "carpe diem"! I am not an elite athlete by any means but put one foot in front of the other... every day, every race.”
"It's important to finish what you start, no matter what it might be. I think it is important to find someone who inspires us always to be a better person and I have many strong role models that I look to daily to inspire me and always try to inspire my children to do the same!"
|
