Carney Minasian
How did you start doing triathlons?
About 10 years ago I began running, per doctor’s orders to exercise, as I was 40 pounds overweight and had chest and arm pain. In 2009, I had some eye surgery and wasn’t allowed to exercise for 9 months, which made me a bit crazed from having to sit around. Once cleared to begin exercising again, I decided to train for a turkey trot. I went to the track at The Glen Park Center to train. At the track, I met Libby Hurley and Anne Caudill, both triathlon coaches for the Together We Tri triathlon club. They encouraged me to train for a triathlon. I told them I couldn’t even swim 1 lap, but they were persistent, “you stick with us and you will be able to do the Chicago triathlon at the end of the summer”. So at the age of 58 I began training with their team, Together We Tri. By the end of that summer I did the Glenview and the Chicago sprint triathlons.
Since then I have completed multiple 10ks, multiple sprint triathlons, a half marathon, and a half ironman and I lost all the excess weight, no longer have chest and arm pain and I am now 63.
Why did you come to PT at The Manual Touch?
In early 2014, I was struggling with heel pain and training for my first half ironman. My girlfriend, Lacey Whittington, who is a massage therapist, insisted I see Denise, stating that she is different from the other PTs I had seen. Denise’s approach is intuitive and holistic, always looking for why I had my issue. She gave me exercises and hands-on therapy to promote healing, as well as coached me on running safely to prevent further or future injury. After 2 months with Denise, I completed my first half ironman in Puerto Rico pain free. Recently I returned to see Denise with knee and shoulder pain. Her advice and recommendations, once again got me back to training safely.
What’s next?
This year I will do the Glenview, North Shore, and the World triathlons as well as a half marathon. Next year I plan to do another half ironman. I’ll continue to train with Together We Tri as I enjoy the camaraderie of group training, how we cheer each other on and are not competitive with each other.
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