Ladies Without Limits: A soldier's wife signs up
Lisa Johnson said preparing her family for a third deployment was hectic.
"Sometimes you have to go through some very morbid things like the will. You have to make sure to get more insurance in case they don't come back," she said.
Everything changed the day her husband, Bryan Johnson, left to go to Baghdad. Bryan is with the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood.
"It's almost like the rug has been pulled out from under you. It's like, now what?" she said.
Lisa said the answer came in a list.
"I started listing all these things I needed to do before I die," she said.
Near the top was a triathlon. Deciding to commit to a 5k run, 12 mile bike ride, and a one half-mile swim was not easy.
"I almost didn't do it," she said.
To ensure she wouldn't back out, Lisa joined Tri Zones Training.
Each Wednesday and Saturday Lisa trains with a group of women for two hours.
The training regimen requires her to train on her own as well.
"Talking about a triathlon is completely different from doing it," she said.
Though exhausting, Lisa said she's already seen tremendous benefits and it has only been three weeks.
"My energy has increased," Johnson said.
The training is time consuming, but for Lisa, that's a good thing. She enjoys having something to do instead of spending everyday clocking the time until her husband returns from Iraq.
"I'm excited about something and I'm doing something and I'm not just pining away while he's gone," Johnson said.
She said her husband is her biggest fan. While he is miles away, he still cheers her on.
"He is so excited for me because now he doesn't have to worry about if I'm sad or lonely."
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She admits no amount of training can keep her from missing her husband.
"I mean those times come. That's the reality of it," she said.
But having a goal and a group of women around to help her reach it gets her through the tough days, she said.
Johnson said she is most nervous about the swimming portion of the triathlon and she's not alone. Tri Zones coaches said a one half mile open water swim can be nerve wrecking for first timers.
Next Sunday, News 8 Austin's Veronica Castelo explores ways to conquer the water.
And for tips on training for this triathlon or just getting started log on to our sports section of the Web site.