RECREATION
Mom's hectic schedule no obstacle to fitness

By Casey McGuire-Turcotte
Special to The Advertiser

Michelle-Yen Li, left, and Lien Lindberg, who train together, are known as Team Mother/Daughter. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

As a full-time legal secretary and single mother of three, she didn't have the time, the energy, or as she says, the self-confidence to do anything for herself. Working out was the last thing on her mind.

One day, at the urging of her daughter, Michelle-Yen Li, Lien (pronounced Lynn) went for a jog around Kapi'olani Park while the kids were at soccer practice.

"I would always see people running down there, and I got inspired," she said. "I didn't really know what I was doing, but it felt good to get out there."

Lien continued to run, first only a couple of miles two or three times a week, and then slowly added more miles.

Slowly but surely, Lien was becoming an athlete.

She learned how to breaststroke, and although she ran into a few poles along the way, she learned to ride a bike.

It wasn't long before she started to notice the physical benefits — weight loss, muscle development, and increased energy levels. But the surprise was what it was doing for her mentally and emotionally.

"I used to stay at home and think I was a nobody, and I was pretty hard on myself," Lien said. "But now, I had finally had found a way to express myself, and it made me feel so alive."

Lien's confidence grew as her clouds of doubt evaporated. She and Michelle trained together as often as they could, and became known as Team Mother/Daughter to many people around town.

Lien caught the racing bug a few months later.

While looking through a race magazine, Lien came across an ad for the Honolulu Marathon. She wasn't running anywhere near the mileage of most marathoners, but the race — a daunting one for even the most seasoned runner — was a challenge she wanted to take on.

"I didn't know anything about the race, other than it was 26.2 miles and you could walk if you needed to," Lien said. "I was clueless about shoes, about stretching, about pretty much everything. But I wasn't going for time or place. I just wanted to see if I could do it."

She ran and walked and finished the race.

Team Mother/Daughter has been going full speed ever since.

A few weekends ago, both women finished their second Tinman Triathlon. Lien has run several road races in the past two years, including the Great Aloha Run and Straub/Kapi'olani Women's 10K, events she plans to do every year.

This December, she will compete in her third Honolulu Marathon.

Michelle, now 19 and a sophomore at the University of Hawai'i, trains with the UH cross country team and hopes to make the team this fall.

She said the athletic transformation she has seen in her mom has taught her a lot about how to approach life.

"My mom is so inspirational. Now I know that the best athletic goals are about more than winning," she said. "To finish — to even attempt — is to win."

Today, Lien tries to run, bike or swim at least five times a week. Of course, finding the time is usually a challenge in itself.

"I have to squeeze it in, and sometimes it's for only 15 or 20 minutes," Lien said. "If the kids (Brian, 9, and Erik, 17) are eating dinner or doing homework, I just go for it."

While life without these outdoor activities seems like another lifetime ago, Lien will never forget how hard it was to get started.

"At first, I didn't want to work out at all — I was embarrassed of my stretch marks; I didn't feel fit," Lien said. "But then I thought, 'Wait, I have three kids. Stretch marks are OK!'

"You shouldn't be ashamed of who you are. You have to start somewhere."

Lien hopes others will find the same physical and mental solace she has found in exercise.

"It's important people don't limit themselves," she said. "I never would have believed that I would become an athlete. But if I can do it, anyone can do it."