Donna Johnson was living a sedentary life and contending with its consequences.
At the crosswords of a personal health crisis, the out-of-shape 38-year-old Auburn woman decided to do something about it. One day, she got up and began to jog around the spacious back yard of her West Hill home.
“I overdid it,” she recalled of her wobbly reacquaintance with aerobic exercise eight years ago. “It killed me.”
But it eventually would put her back in the game, preventing her from taking doctor’s-prescribed cholesterol medication and other potential remedies.
In the ensuing months and years, Johnson would rediscover the running trail, learn how to swim the length of a pool and hop on a bicycle to go the extra mile. She would shed 25 pounds, replacing fat with muscle by following a healthier diet and regimented exercise plan.
In essence, she would train and become a late-blooming triathlete, a good-natured competitor determined to finish strong and share the camaraderie with supportive family and warmhearted friends.
“My doctor triggered (the turnaround),” said Johnson, a wife, mother of two and a self-employed accountant. “I said, ‘I’ve done this to myself. I can do something about it.’
“It’s about the fitness,” she added. “I now feel so much better physically, mentally, emotionally. I think this is what I was meant to do. God made me an athlete. I just took 20 years off of it.”
Johnson, 47, returns to her home course on Sunday to compete in the SheROX Federal Way Triathlon at Steel Lake Park. It will be Johnson’s fifth appearance in the sprint-distance race and her 15th career triathlon since she first took up the sport at age 40 with a trying debut in Lake Washington.
“It was cool … but overwhelming,” she said of her first dip into triathlon waters seven years ago. “It took 27 minutes for me to finish the half-mile swim.”
But Johnson would finish the 2004 Seafair Triathlon in one hour, 49 minutes.
Her second triathlon was the inaugural Federal Way event.
More races followed, and Johnson improved with repetition to become a consistent finisher in the top-third of her field.
Good stuff from someone who takes it all in stride.
“I’m a data freak,” admitted Johnson, who has chronicled her many races and experiences, replete with split times. “Competitive? Yes, I didn’t realize it, but (I am) in a good natured way.
“For me, it’s about people.”
Which includes two daughters and a husband who support her drive.
Johnson grew up in the area, graduated from Renton High School, where she had competed in cross country and track and field. She was a sub-six-minute miler on the oval.
After college, Johnson’s career path took her to a routine of sedate office work as a word processor and supervisor.
But 20 years removed from her high school running days, the athlete in Johnson slowly resurfaced after her visit with her doctor.
She took up running, then took swimming lessons before finding the bike to her liking. She even returned to high school and became a cross country coach at Seattle Christian, where she enjoys inspiring runners to greater heights.
Johnson stays fit and active with her family. On a whim, she isn’t afraid to try the local Five Mile Lake Sprint or enter the Seattle Rock & Roll Half Marathon.
“She has a competitive drive inside her,” said Cheri Loden, a fitness trainer at the Auburn Valley YMCA, a triathlete and a friend. Loden will compete in Federal Way this weekend. “Donna really wants to win, and she works hard. She’s a natural athlete, too.”
Loden and Johnson are part of the Y Tri Club, which holds community workouts. They join many others in the area in putting in the important training.
For Johnson, the triathlon at Federal Way is a special one for her. It is one of the few all-women’s sprint distance events in the area, and one she feels confident in doing her best. She posted a personal-best 1:43 in the 2005 race.
“I’m shooting for a top-third finish,” she said with a smile. “I love it. It’s demanding in the fact the run is incredibly rolling (on the streets around the lake).”
A regular performer in local and regional events, Johnson will compete as long as she can, with a strong fan base behind her.
“I have the bug,” she said.
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Race weekend
• Event: SheROX Federal Way Triathlon: USA Triathlon-sanctioned race, formerly part of the U.S. Women’s Triathlon Series.
• Time: 7 a.m. Sunday; 8:30-11 a.m. post-race celebration, finish area
• Location: Steel Lake Park, 2410 S. 312th St. Federal Way
• Distances: .75K (.5 mile) swim, 20K (12.4 mile) bike, 6.6K (4.1 mile) run
• Expo, packet pickup: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Steel Lake Park. Free and open to the public, with many gear bargains, free workshops, etc. Women also can sign up as late as Saturday for the triathlon if they register in person at the expo.
• Information: Registration and other details, visit www.sheroxtri.com.
