Slow, fat and athletic Slow, fat and athletic (April 23, 2004)

Local writer shows slouches how to be fit

By Dan Stapleton

Mountain View couch potatoes searching for inspiration to get in shape don't need to look very far -- Jayne Williams lives right here.

In the summer of 1999, Williams was 35 years old. She weighed 269 pounds and suffered from tendonitis in her hands and had shoulder problems, the result of working long hours in front of a computer as a contract grant writer.

Then one day Williams made a decision to change her life. She started eating healthier, going for long walks, watching her weight and taking aerobics classes. By the summer of 2001, she had slimmed down to 195 pounds.

It was then that Williams found her athletic calling: the triathlon. A triathlon is a multi-sport event including swimming, bike riding and running. The distances vary from event to event. An intermediate triathlon is comprised of a 400-yard swim, a 12-mile bike ride and a 3.1-mile run. The longest is the Ironman triathlon, a 140.6-mile race including a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile marathon run.

Williams' experiences led her to write her first book, "Slow Fat Triathlete: Live Your Athletic Dreams In The Body You Have Now." In a lighthearted and humorous account, she details her journey from deskbound couch potato to a healthy and active swimmer, biker and runner. And she dispels myths about what kind of person it takes to be a triathlete.

"When people think of triathlon, people think of a super-skinny, super-fit person, and I just wanted to demonstrate through my own personal experience that it doesn't have to be like that. You can do some training and do some events and have some fun," said Williams.

The response to "Slow Fat Triathlete" has inspired Williams as much as her book has inspired its readers. "So far I've had great response. There was a column in the Chicago Tribune about it, and that was amazing and flattering to me. But what's even more amazing is the individual response, where people are e-mailing me or calling me up and saying that this book is changing their lives, and that is really pretty powerful," she said.

"I really hope that people will look at the book even if they aren't specifically interested in doing a triathlon. I tried to make it appeal to everyone. If you're just patient with yourself, take small steps, and have a sense of humor, and never give up, you can really accomplish amazing things."

Williams is planning to participate in the upcoming Lake Las Vegas Triathlon on April 24 and the Wildflower Triathlon on May 2, both 32-mile events. She currently spends between eight and 11 hours per week on her training routine, which includes swimming in the morning, bike riding in the afternoon, and training with the Silicon Valley Track Club at De Anza College.

The 172-page "Slow Fat Triathlete" paperback, published by Marlowe and Company, will be available in local bookstores in June, but you can order it online at Amazon.com now for $11.17.

E-mail Dan Stapleton at dstapleton@mv-voice.com

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