Welcome to Sendoa Nutrition & Coaching! Thank you for visiting my website. Typically, these blog pages will be where I discuss specific nutrition topics, training methodology, tips on how to balance training and life, and much more. But for this inaugural blog, I wanted to let you know more about me and my dream behind Sendoa Nutrition.
Let’s start with who I am. My name is Jasmine Miller, I am a certified clinical nutritionist in the state of Washington, I have a Masters Degree in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine, I am a NASM certified sports nutritionist, and a USAT Level 1 Triathlon Coach. I am also an endurance athlete and a mom. I have been running marathons since 2009 and did my first IRONMAN in 2016 (just one year after my first triathlon, a sprint distance). I have qualified for, and ran, The Boston Marathon, qualified for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships twice (but only raced once, because the first time I qualified I was hopeful that by the time the race rolled around I would be pregnant or would have a brand new baby – which happened!), and have achieved multiple podium placements in races from all distances from 5k to half IRONMAN distance triathlons.
But, I was not always an athlete. In fact, until about age 17 the thought of running never crossed my mind. I was very overweight (clinically obese, to be honest) and rarely exercised beyond the occasional walk. And I did not even start considering myself to be an “athlete” until I started doing triathlons in 2015 and my coach helped me realize that I am in fact an athlete. Anyone who trains regularly is an athlete and should treat him/herself as such (we’ll talk about that more later).
My journey as an athlete all began in the fall of 2002. I had just begun my junior year of high school and, after losing some weight over the summer by starting a walking routine and cleaning up my eating habits (less junk food and sugary beverages), I started considering that maybe, just maybe, I could get in good enough shape to sign up for the elusive “Alaska Trip.” A three-week kayaking trip through southeast Alaska my high school went on every year. Over the course of those three weeks, you would kayak over 250 miles. However, that part did not make me nervous. What made me nervous was the fitness test you had to pass in order to go: running around Green Lake (a 2.8mile loop) in under 30-minutes. Luckily, it was only October and I had until April to get ready for the run. I took my walking routine and started making it into a walk/run routine. I also joined a kickboxing class at my local community center to add another level of fitness.
By the time the run rolled around I had still not run an entire 30-minutes without taking walk breaks and I had never timed myself to know how fast I was going on my walk/runs (this was before GPS watches were common amongst runners/athletes). But I surprised myself, and my teachers, by completing the run in just over 23 minutes and 30 seconds and was the third kid to reach the “finish line” that morning. I attended a small high school, so the news of accomplishment spread quickly and by the time I got to my third class the following Monday (the run had been Saturday morning), my history teacher, one of the assistant cross-country coaches, told me, “I hear you’re coming out for cross country in the fall.” I just stared at him, dumbfounded and stammered, “Wha… What? No!” He replied, “Oh. Well, I was told you totally smoked the Green Lake run and that you’d be great for the team.” Little did I know, he was right. I ended up going out for the team and by the time the season wrapped up, I was the third fastest girl on our team. Then, in our yearbook that spring, every senior was given a “Most likely to….” my peers gave me, “Most likely to complete an IRONMAN.” I had to look up what that was. I was flattered, knowing where I had been just 2 years earlier, and also laughed and said they were crazy because there was no way I would ever run farther than about 6 miles. But, obviously, I was wrong.
Two years later, in the spring of 2006, I ran my first half marathon with my college roommate. In the fall of 2007, I ran my first marathon. Several half and full marathons followed after that, and I soon had my sights set on qualifying for the Boston Marathon (once I learned what that was and what an endeavor it is to qualify). In 2011, I was gearing up to run a spring marathon, with the hopes of qualifying for Boston, when my running career came to a smashing halt. Literally. I was walking in a crosswalk and was hit by a car. I fractured my fibula and shattered my tibia on my left leg, requiring multiple surgeries and about a week in the hospital. Followed by nearly 6 months on crutches and 2 years of not being able to run. In fact, I was told by my surgeons that I would never be able to run again. But I was introduced to an amazing physical therapist who told me, “If we can get you to run one mile, you can run 100-miles.”
Fast forward to 2015, I was once again aiming to qualify for Boston, but instead ended up discovering triathlons. To be honest, I had attempted one once before, but didn’t finish it because I had done no open water swimming and got kicked and smacked so hard in the swim I turned around right then and there and gave up. But this time, I was signed up to do one with a friend and I found a coach to help me prepare. I completed my first Olympic Distance triathlon, coming in 2nd place overall out of the women and was told by the first-place woman, after she saw the commuter bike I had used and after I told her it was my first one, “You have amazing potential in this sport if this is only your first one, and you did it on that bike.” Remembering the “Most likely to…” from my senior yearbook, I asked my coach if she thought I could do an IRONMAN the following year. She said, “Yes, but you have to get a new bike.”
I bought the cheapest, most introductory, low end tri-bike I could find. I hated it. I was terrified of riding it. Even on the day of my race, after hundreds of miles of training, I still dreaded being on that bike. But I made it through. In 2016, I completed my first full IRONMAN in Whistler, Canada.
That spring, three months before Whistler, I had also finally achieved that Boston Qualifying marathon time, a 2nd place finish at the race, and a PR by over 12 minutes in the marathon (by the way, I did all this while working full time as a nanny and completing my masters degree in nutrition. I graduated one month before my IRONMAN).
My passion for triathlon, specifically longer distances, grew. I had some hard, yet extremely valuable, learning experiences (a DNF at IRONMAN Canada in 2018 when the temperatures were 108-F and I got heat stroke) and I had some successes (a 2nd place finish at Atlantic City 70.3 in 2019, qualifying for the 70.3 World Championships). As I continued to learn and grow in the world of endurance sports, I found a passion for sports nutrition. I learned the hard way what an impact under fueling can have on performance and health. And I learned how to overcome that and become stronger.
The year 2020 was a big year for me, as it was for many. Not just because of COVID but because it was the year my son was born. I knew that no matter what, I wanted to maintain my identity as an athlete. I returned to training slowly and humbly. Along with a return to training was my return to my work as a clinical nutritionist. It was not an easy transition for me, and my heart was often torn between my work and wanting to be at home with my son. I approached my manager and told him I needed more work from home days, or I would have to consider leaving. He immediately agreed to allow me to work from home more and that helped for a while. But as my son grew and became more verbal and would tell me, “Don’t want mommy to go to work” it became harder and harder for me. The idea of starting my own business was terrifying, but I knew, ultimately, it was the only way I would be able to have the flexibility to be at home when I wanted/needed and continue with a career. Sports nutrition had become my passion over the years, and I knew that was what I wanted to do.
I hope that my journey to becoming an athlete inspires people to dig deep and push themselves. My goal as a nutritionist and coach is to help you become the best athlete you can be.
Cheers! – Jasmine
