Meet our member: sonia the badass
Meet Our Member: Sonia The Badass
“I had always been an active person. I was a three sport athlete in high school running cross country, playing basketball and running track. My college years were full of more partying than anything else but I always found a way to get to the rec center for some cardio despite smoking a pack of cigarettes a day while studying. My 30s brought a reginited passion for running and completed 2 marathons, a dozen half marathons and more 5k and 10k races than I can count. I even dipped my toe into the world of triathlon and completed a sprint tri race. That was a one and done for me - the swimming was too much. After moving to Colorado from Minnesota,I stumbled into crossfit mostly by accident and really loved it. Lifting heavy stuff was so empowering. Then I found myself joyously pregnant. And that didn’t stop me. I worked out almost every day until I was 36 weeks pregnant. But after becoming a mom my priorities changed which resulted in less focus on me. Add a global pandemic in the mix and I was struggling for a sense of normalcy. I was looking for a way to regain my sense of self and find a community.
I reached out to Kari in May 2022 and the last two years working with her have been life changing in so many ways.
I remember feeling so discouraged after my first couple of workouts back. Mostly because I was so frustrated with the fact that I let myself get to that point. But I kept with it. And each day got a little easier and I felt myself getting a little stronger. It was easy to stay consistent because I enjoyed the community aspect so much. The feeling of knowing that others wanted me to succeed just as much as I did pushed me to places I never thought I’d go.
Fast forward to February 2023. Two things happened around this time that were pretty pivotal for me. One, I submitted my application to be part of the GLP Leadership Committee. This was important to me because I wanted to give back to the community that supported me so much in a more deliberate way. Knowing that I could be the same support system to others was a no brainer. And two, the decision to sign up for my very first crossfit competition; a partner comp with my forever F-bomb mom, Coach Amanda. Talk about leaping outside your comfort zone. I was almost as nervous for that comp as I was to give birth. But we did it. We crushed it. And the most fun part of it all was the preparation. The practice. The work we put in to achieve a goal.
And now I have the itch. I’ve since done two other competitions and in two weeks I’ll be running my first half marathon since my 30s. Alongside my coach, my friend, Kari.
The GLP truly brought me back to me. Prior to finding this community I was Sonia the mom, the wife, the employee. After finding the GLP I have become Sonia the badass, once again.”
This blog was written by Sonia Bertek, member of The GLP Leadership Committee and The GLP Community.
