by
Carrie Adams
I got the most amazing email today and had to share it with you. Sparta,
meet Gayla Allen.
Hello Carrie,
My name is Gayla and I’d love to share my story and personal goals for the
May Spartan Race event in Texas!
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Living in Austin – a city whose motto could be “nuttin’ but health nuts” –
I’m a
51-year-old entrepreneur, mother and grandmother, and I love my
chosen lifestyle, which is centered on living the good life, being healthy and
strong. You see, I subscribe to the “strong is the new skinny” theory, and with
so many health enthusiasts around me, I’m fortunate to be able to draw
inspiration from those who could show Rocky how running up the stairs is really
done. My husband, who shares my passion for his own, unique reasons, has helped
me to reach the even higher-hung branches on life’s little coconut tree.
Altogether, I have six children from a mixed marriage;
and I’d like to point out that I gave birth to five of them. Yup, you read
right: my body produced five whole separate humans! Still not impressed with my
commitment to strength? Well, I also broke my tail bone during each delivery. I
didn’t hold it against them, though: my kids are aged 22 to 28 now, and I raised
each while maintaining a healthy active lifestyle. I don’t think I need to tell
you what a challenge staying fit was – singlehandedly finding a cure for
Austin’s allergy crisis might actually be easier. An entrepreneur by spirit, I
ran a small business as an independent virtual executive assistant while working
as a real estate agent, raised my children, and have recently co-founded a new
company, My Texas Smile. In our spare time, my family and I love outdoor
activities, like swimming, kayaking, hiking and tennis (although, let’s just say
I’m no Venus or Serena).
The Spartan Challenge is our next adventure and we intend to make it
memorable. My husband, daughter and I will be joining the other Austin Hoplites
to compete in this May’s 2012 Texas Spartan Race. If I were a real Spartan, the
motto on my shield would say: “If you want to beat this old lady, I’m not going
to make it easy!” My challengers had better laugh me off at their own peril: I
have been strength training with my husband for several years now, and have
recently started to mix in some cross fit training. My daughter, a cross-fit
trainer who would make a truly Herculean Spartan chick, has been my biggest
champion and source of encouragement. When it comes to food and nutrition, my
diet follows the Paleo principles: this powers both my training and activity
fuel banks, and gives me enough protein to make you think 50 could be the new
25.
My goals are simple:
• Improve on my standards achieved in years past;
• Build muscle and bone density;
• Increase vitality and energy;
• Be a role model for women, especially my age, who want to use healthy
living to better their lives.
I definitely believe that humans by nature are designed to be fit and strong,
even into older age brackets: the only requirement here is just to ignore the
caution tape and refuse to stop. Don’t stop running, lifting, eating right,
playing and otherwise living life to its life-iest. When we hit the brakes, our
lives get stuck in traffic, too.
My names Ella Anne Kociuba, I am eighteen years old and currently attending a community college in Austin, Texas. I have big plans for the future (I hope to one day be the image of Spartan Racing and become a professional athlete/writer). I would like to explain my story to you so that those who are struggling can see the light in even the darkest of times. 
