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Name and age: Kathleen Taylor, 33

Occupation: 5th grade teacher, Spokane Public Schools

Tell us about your fitness journey.

I have been active as long as I can remember. In middle school I played volleyball, basketball, softball and was on a swim team year round. In high school I played organized sports all year round – volleyball in the fall, traveling competitive volleyball in the winter and track & field (javelin, shot put, discus) in the spring. In college I was recruited for the women’s crew team. That was HARD WORK and too time consuming for my social life with workouts 2x day so I only lasted my freshman year. Sophomore year I tried out for the women’s club volleyball team and made it so I was on that for two more years. My undergraduate degree is in Kinesiology and was introduced to exercise physiology which is where I got more into running. My parents were avid cyclists, too. I even saved up for six months and bought myself a new road bike. I was in love! Put all of that together and I was ready to do a triathlon. I finished Valley Girl and thought I was in the best shape of my life! Since then I have completed two marathons, ½ marathons, open water swim events, several sprint & Olympic triathlons and Ironman CDA in 2012.

If you could tell your Farmgirlfit story in 100 words or less, how would it read?

A neighbor “liked” FGF on Facebook and I drive by it every day on my way to work so that’s how I heard about it. I was intrigued but intimidated as I had been to my husband’s Crossfit gym and it was INTENSE! Still, I felt like I needed something more in my workout routine so I signed up in January during the BOGO promotion and was hooked!

What has been your greatest fitness (performance) accomplishment so far? Do you have a performance goal?

My greatest fitness accomplishment was definitely finishing Ironman CDA. The best feeling in the world was seeing how proud my family was of me. The sacrifices everyone made to allow me to check something off my bucket list was beyond fulfilling. My new performance goal is to finish Troika next summer and beat my PR time.

How has FGF helped you become more healthy / When it comes to your health, what goals do you have?

FGF has helped me become decrease my minute/mile time, YESSSS!!! Mostly though, it has increased my confidence in my body and forced me to take time for myself, and that’s ok!!

My favorite exercise at FGF is:

Either pull-ups & any type of cleans. I love these movements because I never thought I could do unassisted pull-ups and cleans just looked super hard!!

My least favorite exercises are:

Weighted split lunges and plate pushes. I don’t fancy these because they are really hard, but I’m sure they make me a better all-around athlete.

My favorite thing about FGF is:

The intensity of the grinds push me to my limits which has never really happened before. It has shown me that I am stronger than I give myself credit for and I love all the support I get from members and the phenomenal trainers.

How have you integrated the Farmgirlfit mission outside of the gym?

The sugar detox was an enlightening experience and I have continued limiting the amount of sugar I consume . . . I am a recovering chocoholic!!

When you’re not pumping iron at FGF, what does the rest of your life look like?

My life revolves around being a mom of two amazing boys and a wife/ adventure-seeking partner to my husband with a serious case of wanderlust! I am a part of a community garden in our terrific neighborhood and hostess several of the neighborhood kids throughout the year! I love to camp in our trailer, spend time at the lake and simply live life!! I’m a busy body for shizzle!

Any advice for new members, or your fellow Farmgirls?

My advice is to JUST DO IT! You will be sore . . . guarantee, but it hurts so good!! The first day is the hardest but make an effort to talk to members and ask questions – there’s no dumb questions, just dumb people.