Legally blind woman training to compete in triathlon on January 1st

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn, (WDEF) – Annette Williams is legally blind. She brings her service dog Jenny in to help her train for her second triathlon. She did her first triathlon last summer.

Annette Williams, “Don Bowman here at the Sports Barn was the one that encouraged me to do this, I went to him and was like, ‘Oh, I’d kinda sorta like to do this but nobody’s gonna want to guide a – you know, a blind woman’, and within ten minutes and had somebody lined up that knew somebody to help me do this.

For the swim part, we’re tethered at the, on the thighs, for the swim part, and we stay together that way, for the running part, we’re tethered at our hands, and the cycling we’re just on a tandem bike together.

That was I think the most exciting thing I’ve ever done. I’ve run lots of 5K’s and I really didn’t leave them feeling really excited, this I left feeling so excited that I was like, ‘Oh, I want to do this again next year but do the longer distance.'”

With this being New Years day at the gym, News 12 Now asked what people thought about the concept of resolutions.

Jackson Bowman, Fitness Enthusiast, “The great thing about this time of year is that you have different kinds of people that just start working out for the first time, or you get people like me who’ve been doing it for awhile but you want to kind of redefine the way you do things, maybe get a little more flexible, maybe a little bit bigger, maybe work off that Christmas stuff that you built around your waist line a little bit.”

Director Don Bowman says their club actually isn’t swamped with new year’s resolution members in January anymore.

Don Bowman, Director, Sports Barn, “It’s really now more February. Because people are so worn out with Christmas, the shopping, all the stresses, they kind of put it off a little bit more, and they get motivated by – spring break is coming, vacations are coming, so they do the vacation combo, new year’s resolution, but it comes around about February.”

For Williams, it’s more about a lifestyle of fitness, and reaching small goals along the way.

Annette Williams, “With calling it a resolution, it’s like it’s something that you, that if you don’t achieve it, then you failed. With me just setting goals and having the triathlon in mind as my goal, I’m able to take little pieces of things to achieve that and so even if I don’t do everything perfectly, if I’m able to do the triathlon . . . ”

Bowman says it’s just a good time to reassess your fitness goals.

Jackson Bowman, “It’s just a great time of year for people to realize it’s time to change something about yourself. Not because you’re being superficial, but because you genuinely realize you need to do something healthier for your body not just for yourself, but for the benefit of those around you too.”

Director Bowman says sometimes keeping people motivated over the long term is all about having a variety of options.

Jackson Bowman: “There’s close to two hundred classes a week. They’re all free. so when people can come in and do something different every day it creates an advantage so that it keeps them bonded to what most people don’t like to do, nobody really likes to exercise, but they do like to see the results.”