Why did we want to interview Terri Barry? The answer is simply that her story is inspiring and motivating. While Terri has been a life long athlete, she didn't start rock / ice climbing until age 50. That was 6 years ago and since then she has climbed anytime and anywhere she can. She is active in the Sierra Nevada Section of the American Alpine Club. She also enjoys snowboarding, sculling, marathon running, and backpacking. Terri is a 2013/2014 Stonewear Designs Ambassador .
http://livestonewear.com
http://livestonewear.com
Head to Toe: Where you always active growing up? What kinds of sports / exercises did you enjoy?
Terri: I was not always active. I didn’t start anything athletic until high school. My parents let me start horseback riding and I eventually got my own horse. But other than that I didn’t do any kind of sports. I didn’t start running until college when I wanted to get fit so I could backpack more easily.
Head to Toe: You've mentioned to other media outlets that at age 38 you felt "old." Tell us about that. How did that "feeling" motivate you to make changes?
Terri: After having three children, gaining a lot of weight with each, I was basically obese. I was very busy with my kids and graduate school at the time. So things related to my health and fitness got out of control. I realized that I had been active before having my kids and I didn’t want to resign the rest of my life to feeling slow and out of shape.
Head to Toe: Around that time you also had a bout with cancer. What was that experience like? Did that play a role in making changes in your life?
Terri: Yes, it definitely did. It was a very scary time. I was not sure I would see my kids grow up. So, when things went my way in treatment I committed to getting fit and keeping everything in my life positive.
Head to Toe: Did anything else contribute to your motivation?
Terri: That was really it at the time. Later I got back to backpacking and I started running competitively. The success I had with my running kept me wanting more.
Head to Toe: What type of exercises / workouts did you start with?
Terri: I started walking on my lunch break at work. I work near the California state capitol building and the loop around Capitol Park is just over a mile. I lost 40 lbs very quickly with portion control and walking. I starting running after the weight loss. I ran for fitness in college and I liked it so it was natural to go back to that. I started with walk/run (my version way before the Galloway plans) and build up from there.
Head to Toe: What were / are the biggest challenges?
Terri: Committing the time consistently was probably the biggest challenge. Devoting every lunch hour to walking or running takes some commitment. But then it became routine.
Head to Toe: You've been actively involved in numerous athletics. What sports do you currently play? What is your favorite?
Terri: My current list seems crazy but I seems to fit it all in anyway. I run regularly and have started racing and running marathons again recently after a 3 year break. I scull, snowboard, rock and ice climb.
Ice climbing is my favorite but the one I get to do the least. California doesn’t have a lot of ice climbing and the logistics are pretty complicated for me.
After that rock climbing for sure.
Terri: I was not always active. I didn’t start anything athletic until high school. My parents let me start horseback riding and I eventually got my own horse. But other than that I didn’t do any kind of sports. I didn’t start running until college when I wanted to get fit so I could backpack more easily.
Head to Toe: You've mentioned to other media outlets that at age 38 you felt "old." Tell us about that. How did that "feeling" motivate you to make changes?
Terri: After having three children, gaining a lot of weight with each, I was basically obese. I was very busy with my kids and graduate school at the time. So things related to my health and fitness got out of control. I realized that I had been active before having my kids and I didn’t want to resign the rest of my life to feeling slow and out of shape.
Head to Toe: Around that time you also had a bout with cancer. What was that experience like? Did that play a role in making changes in your life?
Terri: Yes, it definitely did. It was a very scary time. I was not sure I would see my kids grow up. So, when things went my way in treatment I committed to getting fit and keeping everything in my life positive.
Head to Toe: Did anything else contribute to your motivation?
Terri: That was really it at the time. Later I got back to backpacking and I started running competitively. The success I had with my running kept me wanting more.
Head to Toe: What type of exercises / workouts did you start with?
Terri: I started walking on my lunch break at work. I work near the California state capitol building and the loop around Capitol Park is just over a mile. I lost 40 lbs very quickly with portion control and walking. I starting running after the weight loss. I ran for fitness in college and I liked it so it was natural to go back to that. I started with walk/run (my version way before the Galloway plans) and build up from there.
Head to Toe: What were / are the biggest challenges?
Terri: Committing the time consistently was probably the biggest challenge. Devoting every lunch hour to walking or running takes some commitment. But then it became routine.
Head to Toe: You've been actively involved in numerous athletics. What sports do you currently play? What is your favorite?
Terri: My current list seems crazy but I seems to fit it all in anyway. I run regularly and have started racing and running marathons again recently after a 3 year break. I scull, snowboard, rock and ice climb.
Ice climbing is my favorite but the one I get to do the least. California doesn’t have a lot of ice climbing and the logistics are pretty complicated for me.
After that rock climbing for sure.
Head to Toe: How did you get interested in rock climbing?
Terri: It is kind of a roundabout route. I started crew (rowing) in the fall of 2004. I met a woman on my crew team who was a climber. She invited me to climb at our local climbing gym. I was hooked immediately. She also took my outdoor rock climbing. She is a great climber and she taught me to climb.
Head to Toe: What do you like most about rock climbing?
Terri: The focus. The requirement to be calm and committed. The people! The fact that outdoor climbing takes place in really beautiful places.
Head to Toe: What are the most impressive / interesting / beautiful sites you've climbed?
Terri: Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite Valley, Joshua Tree, any where on the East Side of the Sierras. Queenstown New Zealand.
Head to Toe: What is highest / hardest sites you've climbed?
Terri: Both the highest and hardest was Mt Whitney. It was a life changing climb for me. I’ll never forget it. And I would love to do it again! The trip report is posted here:
http://www.chickswithpicks.net/tag/mount-Whitney/
Head to Toe: What kind of physical shape do you need to be in in order to endure climbs? What workouts do you do to ensure that you are physically capable of a climb?
Terri: For climbing in the gym basic fitness is plenty. The great thing about climbing in the gym is that is it overall body strength building. And it’s more fun that just weight lifting or strength classes. I use gym climbing to gain fitness for outdoor climbing. I don’t do a lot of lead climbing outdoors (doing more of that is a goal of mine eventually) but I top rope or follow a leader on climbs. Good aerobic fitness is important because just to hike to climbs can be strenuous. And typically I’m carrying 20+ pounds of gear and rope. That keeps me in good shape too!
To build and keep aerobic fitness I run. For strength I do a stairs workout with a weight vest at work twice per week. I recently started some extra weight training for an extra boost.
Head to Toe: How do you stay motivated?
Terri: I don’t have too much trouble with motivation because I know I need to stay fit to do the things I love to do. So, I do my runs and I train at the climbing gym. I always have some goals in mind for each climbing season. I guess that is my main motivation.
Head to Toe: What has been your friends / family's reactions to your active lifestyle?
Terri: My family is very supportive. My husband goes on many of my climbing trips, he’s a fly fisherman and happily there is good fishing near many of the great climbing areas. My daughters are great. My oldest daughter and my grandson are snowboarders so we do that together. My middle daughter is the runner. When she was 17 we ran the 2003 Chicago Marathon, We recently ran the 2013 California International Marathon and she qualified for Boston! My youngest daughter is the climber. We learned to climb together and she has gone on several climbing trips with me. My sister, Tracey, also runs marathons and is now a climber too, thanks to me! My whole family has always been very supportive. I qualified for and ran the 2007 Boston Marathon. My husband, Sean, my Mom, brother, Tim, and sister, Tracey all came to Boston with me. They were an awesome curb crew!
Most of my friends are climbers and/or runners so we are all a little crazy active together. That works out very well!
Learn more about Terri on her blog http://rockmaven56.wordpress.com
Terri: It is kind of a roundabout route. I started crew (rowing) in the fall of 2004. I met a woman on my crew team who was a climber. She invited me to climb at our local climbing gym. I was hooked immediately. She also took my outdoor rock climbing. She is a great climber and she taught me to climb.
Head to Toe: What do you like most about rock climbing?
Terri: The focus. The requirement to be calm and committed. The people! The fact that outdoor climbing takes place in really beautiful places.
Head to Toe: What are the most impressive / interesting / beautiful sites you've climbed?
Terri: Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite Valley, Joshua Tree, any where on the East Side of the Sierras. Queenstown New Zealand.
Head to Toe: What is highest / hardest sites you've climbed?
Terri: Both the highest and hardest was Mt Whitney. It was a life changing climb for me. I’ll never forget it. And I would love to do it again! The trip report is posted here:
http://www.chickswithpicks.net/tag/mount-Whitney/
Head to Toe: What kind of physical shape do you need to be in in order to endure climbs? What workouts do you do to ensure that you are physically capable of a climb?
Terri: For climbing in the gym basic fitness is plenty. The great thing about climbing in the gym is that is it overall body strength building. And it’s more fun that just weight lifting or strength classes. I use gym climbing to gain fitness for outdoor climbing. I don’t do a lot of lead climbing outdoors (doing more of that is a goal of mine eventually) but I top rope or follow a leader on climbs. Good aerobic fitness is important because just to hike to climbs can be strenuous. And typically I’m carrying 20+ pounds of gear and rope. That keeps me in good shape too!
To build and keep aerobic fitness I run. For strength I do a stairs workout with a weight vest at work twice per week. I recently started some extra weight training for an extra boost.
Head to Toe: How do you stay motivated?
Terri: I don’t have too much trouble with motivation because I know I need to stay fit to do the things I love to do. So, I do my runs and I train at the climbing gym. I always have some goals in mind for each climbing season. I guess that is my main motivation.
Head to Toe: What has been your friends / family's reactions to your active lifestyle?
Terri: My family is very supportive. My husband goes on many of my climbing trips, he’s a fly fisherman and happily there is good fishing near many of the great climbing areas. My daughters are great. My oldest daughter and my grandson are snowboarders so we do that together. My middle daughter is the runner. When she was 17 we ran the 2003 Chicago Marathon, We recently ran the 2013 California International Marathon and she qualified for Boston! My youngest daughter is the climber. We learned to climb together and she has gone on several climbing trips with me. My sister, Tracey, also runs marathons and is now a climber too, thanks to me! My whole family has always been very supportive. I qualified for and ran the 2007 Boston Marathon. My husband, Sean, my Mom, brother, Tim, and sister, Tracey all came to Boston with me. They were an awesome curb crew!
Most of my friends are climbers and/or runners so we are all a little crazy active together. That works out very well!
Learn more about Terri on her blog http://rockmaven56.wordpress.com