Dietitian Approved Crew - Sarah Leuenberger

Introducing Sarah!

Sarah came to see us in August 2017 with the primary goal to get off the couch and keep Hubby happy on the weekends after big training sessions. She’s gone from strength to strength and is gearing up for her Ironman debut at Port Macq in a few weeks time. We’re excited to share her story with you and can’t wait to see her become an IronWoman next month.

Name: Sarah Leuenberger

Current home location (where you live): Brisvegas

Profession background:  Assistant bean counter studying to be an official bean counter (accounting)

Sport of Choice: Triathlon

How many years have you been training and competing in your sport? 3 years since my first triathlon

What got you into it in the first place? 
I have always been interested in triathlon but was never brave enough to try one (plus I couldn’t run down the street even if a pack of wolves were chasing me :).  My work offered free entry to a friendly non-competitive corporate triathlon which was a nice enticer distance. Even though I thought I was going to have a heart attack during the 4km run, I finished it with a smile and was completely hooked.

What’s your favourite training session?  
I always enjoy my bike sessions. I love exploring and taking in my surroundings. Rides are always therapeutic especially as they generally end with a caffeine fix.

Main Competition/Event for 2018: Ironman Australia on the 6th May; it will be my first Ironman distance event!

Looking ahead to 2019 and beyond, what are your bigger goals for your Triathlon career: 
My main goal is to continually improve and always try new challenges. I love the feeling of doing something amazing and I also love getting out of my comfort zone. I haven’t thought too much about what my next event will be, I just want to keep having fun and keep inspiring my kids and friends to get active and involved in fitness.

What’s your biggest achievement in Triathlon so far:
Hmmm, that’s a tough one as if you asked 5 years ago Sarah if she could do half of the things 2018 Sarah has achieved then she would laugh in your face and tell you that “you cray-cray”. I think my stand out moment would be when I rode my bike from Brisbane to Sydney with some friends. We did the trip over 6 days and we had the best time. It was very challenging at times and backing up each day was hard work but we got to see some parts of Australia that you just can’t appreciate as much when you drive through in a car.

Do you have a saying or motto you live your life by? 
My very favourite quote is one said by Audrey Hepburn and it is, “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I’m possible”. I try and remind myself of this quote each and every day. The only thing stopping me from being great is the doubts I allow to enter my head. Get rid of those doubts and anything is achievable.

What are one or two things you do in your day to day training life that you feel are keys to your success?  

1. Like I said, I never doubt myself, as soon as I let the negative thoughts enter my head then it’s game over.
2. Always be open to push out of your comfort zone, no matter how scary it seems. Like they say, out of your comfort zone is where the magic happens.

Three things you can’t live without? My family, coffee and my bike.

Favourite food: Mexican for suuuure! Love it, the more spice the better…now I want some Mexican food immediately…damn it.

Favourite post-training meal or snack? Sarah’s Secret Smoothie, I would tell you what’s in it but then I’d have to kill you. Let’s just say it may or may not involve a banana, a shot of coffee, a hit of protein and milk.

What’s the number 1 (or 2) thing you’ve learnt about sports nutrition for performance in Triathlon?  

1. How to use food to fuel! My number one thing I asked Taryn to help me with when I first met her was, how to prevent myself from becoming a useless heap, asleep on the couch after any big sessions. We have nailed this perfectly!! Yay team!!!
2. The right foods to eat to keep me full and stop me heading for those binge sessions at the fridge. Healthy grazing options have been my saviour when it comes to getting down to race weight.
   
   

Talk about inspirational!

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Tags: bike, Brisbane Dietitian, Brisbane Sports Dietitian, Dietitian Approved, Dietitian Approved Crew, Dietitian Brisbane, endurance sports nutrition, ironman, road to ironman, run, Sports Dietitian Australia, Sports Dietitian Brisbane, sports nutrition, swim, triathlon