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Cheryl Jestis

We all have goals -- big ones, small ones and everything in-between. And there's no better feeling than when you cross the finish line in a race you've run with yourself. Sick and tired of struggling with knee troubles, hip pain and a weight problem -- Cheryl Jestis decided to change her life. This three-part series from GOTRIbal's Sara Cox Landolt chronicles Jestis's hard-won efforts every step of the way.

Part 2: First Steps -- I Am Able

Running was for crazy people that Cheryl Jestis knew. Since her heavy high school years, Jestis had always avoided running -- it hurt and wasn't fun, so why bother. Mentally, a 5k may well be a marathon; she didn't believe she had the capacity to run either distance.

As an adult, her doctor specifically told her not to run as part of her weight-loss efforts. Running would put too much pressure on her knees and with severe Chondromalacia in both knees, even walking for exercise could have lifelong impact. Instead, Jestis reshaped her body by swimming and cycling, gaining strength while losing significant weight over a period of several years.

Then, one day at the gym, she found herself playing around on the treadmill, and it just happened. She relaxed into her forward lean and allowed her body to go with the momentum and she was running. Her first thought: Was this wise? "I decided my knees were either going to wear out or rust out and I preferred the former," said Jestis. "That may not be the best thought process but it got me going."

She started with intervals of walking five minutes and running 30 seconds. "It seemed lame to me that I could only run for 30 seconds when I could ride a bike 100 miles!" she said. "But I learned something from the starts and stops with weight loss. I couldn't start, or start again, where I wished I was or where I wanted to be or even where I once was. I could only start where I really was, right here, and right now."

Jestis' sister Vicki, also a runner, helped her stay motivated, while Jestis gradually increased the duration of her intervals. They spoke on the phone often discussing Jestis' progress.

"She didn't dream I would bite when she suggested we sign up for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5k six weeks away," Jestis said. "But I surprised her and we both signed up."

The sisters stuck together on race day, and Jestis met her goal of running the whole thing. "I will never forget how incredible I felt after crossing that finish line," she said.

Confidence inspires others, and soon Jestis was helping her friend Suzi prepare for her first 5k. "We ran together in the Fisher Fair 5k that June, and we've been running side-by-side ever since," she said.

With several years of single-sport experience on the swim, bike and run, Jestis felt ready to combine it with a triathlon. She'd always been curious about triathlon. "It seems like an endurance sport for those of us with short attention spans!" she said.

Little did she know two days before her first triathlon she'd learn the bump on her shoulder blade was cancer -- now what?

Don't miss Part 3: Triathlon -- Living life out loud and check out Part 1: Swimsuits & centuries.

In this ongoing series you'll fall in love with endurance sports' best feature -- its people. Know someone we should feature? Please email Sara at sklandolt@yahoo.com with "athlete feature" in the subject line.