She moves from France to the US for a job, gets involved with the charity group, Team in Training, as a runner, gives triathlon a try and in a short amount of time she is training for her first Ironman Distance race. We are proud to have had the chance to meet our next guest: Marie Schneider

KK: Marie, please tell us a little about yourself? Where did you grow up?

MS: I was born and raised in a town, not to say village, called Carspach located in Northeast France bordering Switzerland and Germany.  After graduating University in 2003, I received a job offer in the United States, which was only meant to last for about a year and a half. After accepting the offer and relocating to the United States, I encountered many ups and downs.  However, overall, things were working out well.  A few months before my departure back to France, I was offered a full-time continued stay with the company.  Having to already been accustomed to America, I decided to make my stay permanent.

KK: What types of interested did you have growing up?

MS: To be honest, my interests were very limited while growing up.  The town I grew up in was very conservative in nature.  The majority of the young girls growing up in my neck of the woods were primarily involved with families, doing choirs around the house, cooking, and cleaning.  There were not a whole lot of "exciting" opportunities for I to participate in. I liked to play Basketball, but there were no athletic clubs to be involved with, I just did basic activities like hiking and biking.

KK: How many ½ and full marathon have you done?

MS: I have completed 5 half marathons and 4 full marathons.

KK: Which ½ or full marathon is your favorite? Why?

MS: Chesebro Half-Marathon in Agoura Hills. It is considered to be among the most difficult half-marathons in the continental United States.  The course is mostly trail, very hilly, technical, and extremely challenging.  However, it is a gorgeous course with breathtaking sceneries.  Personally, I would much prefer a challenging course over an easy one. It gives me a greater sense of self-fulfillment.

KK: When did you get started doing triathlons?

MS: I started training for my first triathlon in February 2008.

KK: When did you do you first triathlon? How did it go?

MS: San Diego Triathlon, June 2008, it was a blast, I finished and said... that was it?  I signed up for Big Kahuna the very next day!

KK: What was the hardest part of getting started in triathlon for you?

MS: Swimming was the hardest part of my newly found journey to complete a triathlon.  It is quite difficult to do a triathlon when one doesn't know how to swim at all. I am not talking about being a "poor" swimmer; I did NOT know how to swim, period. If someone were to push me into a 3-foot deep pool, I would probably drown.  While I have come a long way from not being able to swim to swimming 2000 yards, non-stop, I am still working on getting rid of my fear of water.  It is such a technical sport that I feel like I learn something new each time I swim.  Whether I tweak my stroke slightly, or learn how to kick more efficiently, point being, I get better each day.  I certainly have a long way to go, but whatever it takes, I will not give up!

KK: How did you get involved with Team In Training?

MS: As I mentioned earlier, I never considered myself an athlete growing up.  Upon moving to the United States, I would go to the gym, lift weights and do some basic cardio.  However, I thought that I had the capability of completing an endurance event.  In 2006, among my New Years goals was one geared towards a healthier lifestyle.  Less partying, eating better, and exercising more.  One of the ways I thought I would accomplish this is by running. So, I started running on a regular basis. Not extensively, but consistently.  A friend of mine talked me into doing a 5K with her.  While this proved to be a challenge in itself, I somewhat became addicted to running.  Next, I did a 10K.  After several more 5 and 10Ks, I decided to kick it up a notch and do my first marathon.  Now, I had no idea where to start. Just thinking about running for 26 miles gave me the shivers.  Realizing that I would have a hard time training for a marathon by myself, I did some research and came across a program called Team In Training (TNT).  I immediately became fond of the cause.  TNT is the most well known part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  They train beginner and advanced athletes to complete a half or full marathon, long distance cycle ride, a triathlon of various distances or a hiking event.  While they train, participants raise life-saving funds that go towards research, patient services, education and outreach - all in an effort to find a cure for all blood cancers.  The funds participants raise also offset their own events costs, as TNT covers flight, hotel, race entry among other event related details.  Training for a marathon with many other like-minded individuals, while at the same time contributing to a cause greater than myself seemed like an amazing thing to do.  Consequently, I joined the 2006 marathon team and began my journey training for my first marathon and more importantly, fundraising to save lives.  I've been with TNT ever as this has truly been a life-changing experience on many levels!

KK: Last year you completed Big Kahuna, describe your race experience.

MS: Big Kahuna was my first half ironman and my second triathlon ever.  It took place 3 months after my first triathlon, San Diego.  Because I had so much fun training for San Diego, I really wanted to continue to challenge myself and kick up my training to the next level.  My Big Kahuna experience was definitely way harder than expected.  Even though I didn't have any time goals in mind, the distance was somewhat frightening, especially in the water. However, I did have a lot of fun doing the race. It was a great day for my first half ironman experience.  It was a BLAST.  One of the best things about the experience was that alongside me were many of the Team In Training friends I have made through my years on the Team.  It was great to have us all out there, supporting each other and making a great race day memory.

MS: I would strongly recommend this half ironman distance triathlon to anyone.  The race starts at the beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, CA.  The course was almost entirely coastal with breathtaking views of the rugged California coast, beautiful scenery, and historic lighthouses.  The race finished at the main stage of the Beach Boardwalk.

KK: Leading into this event you had a bit of an accident, how did this affect your race?

MS: That's correct. Unfortunately, I crashed on my bike about a month prior to Big Kahuna.  My crash happened while I was descending on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.  Because of the injuries I received, I was not able to complete some of the key workouts.  Nevertheless, I still completed the race.  While the crash did not affect the outcome of Big Kahuna, it did have an adverse effect on my confidence immediately after.  I became horridly nervous when I tried to get back on the bike and go for a casual ride.  As a matter of fact, my fear prevented me from touching my bike for two months.  When my next season started, It took me more than half a year to get my confidence back.  Even though I still get somewhat nervous descending, I feel much better and I ride much better.

KK: You are now training for your first Ironman with IronTeam?

MS: Yes. I am part of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of Team In Training, specifically the IronTeam.

MS: The IronTEAM is a part of Team In Training, specifically at the Los Angeles Chapter.  IronTEAM in Los Angeles includes participants doing either a full ironman or a half ironman.  The Full ironman consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run, all in one day, non-stop.  We're training for the Full Vineman Triathlon in beautiful Sonoma County on August 1, 2009.  Our half ironman this season is the Wildflower Long Course Triathlon.  The distances for Wildflower are exactly half of the full event (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and 13.1 mile run).  Wildflower triathlon is among the world's toughest half-ironman as the course is very hilly, both on the bike ride and more so on the run.  While participants can choose to fundraise for both events, many who choose to participate in Vineman do Wildflower on their own as a "practice" race.

MS: IronTEAM is filled with amazing people, who are all there to complete either a half or full ironman, and are all raising money to save LIVES.  We have some amazing athletes on the team; however, some of the participants have never done a triathlon prior to joining the team.  In fact, most participants haven't even done a 10K.  When the training started, there were some people who didn't know how to swim, which I can relate to.

MS: As a team, we meet on Saturdays to do our main training, which can consist of riding, running, swimming, or any combination of the 3. In addition, we meet once during the week for a swim practice.  Our wonderful coaching staff also provides us with a schedule of the remaining workouts that we should complete on our own.  However, many of the participants choose to do these workouts with others.  So, at all times, there are others for you to train with.  I think, this is where the true power or IronTEAM shines.  Knowing that you are NOT alone is worth more than gold.

KK: Which race are you training for and how is the training going?

MS: As part of the IronTEAM I am training for:

- Wildflower Long Course on May 2nd

- Vineman Full Ironman on August 1^st

MS: At this point I m not sure about my plans post-ironman, I would like to get back into running more and qualify for the Boston Marathon, but I would rather not think about this until after Vineman.

KK: What are some of your race goals for 2009?

MS: My biggest 2009 race goals are to safely finish both Wildflower Long Course and Vineman Full Ironman.  In the process, I would like to continue to have lots of fun, both during training and on race day. I would also like to finish strong and have my smiley picture taken at the finish lines.

KK: What else would you like our readers to know about you?

MS: I am a prime example of, "If I can do it, ANYONE can".  Looking back at where I was a few short years ago, I realize that a human body is very adaptable.  It adapts to different scenarios, workloads, and can adjust itself accordingly to accommodate pretty much everything.  If the willingness is there, anyone, and I mean ANYONE can do an Ironman.  It's just a matter of, "How bad do you want it?" I know I want it bad!  Therefore, with every swim and pedal stroke, every time my foot touches the ground as I pound the miles away, I get "that" much closer to being an Ironwoman.

Favorites:
Race: Chesebro Half Marathon
Movie: Cruel Intentions
Color: Pink!!!!!
Salt or Fresh Water Swim: fresh water without a doubt!!!!
Place to relax: the beach
Quote: As you grow older, you'll find the only things you regret are the things you didn't do
Person you would like to meet: Chrissie Wellington

Marie Schneider completed the 2009 Avia Wildflower Triathlon (long course), with a time of 6:58:45. Marie commented about her performance at Wildflower "I had the best race ever! I could not be happier and I had so much fun doing this race." Great job Marie, we will be watching you complete the Vinemnan full.

Follow your favorite professional athletes and races (ITU, 70.3 & Ironman) on http://www.twitter.com/triraceday If you do not use Twitter, you can still view our race day updates by clicking on the picture in our "Race Day Tweets".

 

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