Athlete Spotlight- Cathi Stevens

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

What does life look like outside of training, and what drew you to endurance sports?

I am the Director of Field Accounting for a private equity home services group, overseeing the financial health of five companies in the Southwest. It's a challenging and demanding job, but I love it.

Growing up, I was anything but an athlete. I was always picked last in PE, if I was picked at all. I hated sports and was never encouraged to participate. I was the stoner kid in high school smoking weed across the street, not the kid running laps around the track!

What I love about endurance sports is that they allow me to define who I am, rather than letting my past define me. There is something incredibly freeing about that.

2. Where did your journey begin?

Think back to when you started. What were you hoping for, and what felt challenging or unfamiliar?

My journey started in the '90s when I was working at Canyon Ranch. I had been dabbling in exercise when someone mentioned they were doing a sprint triathlon at the University of Arizona. It had never even occurred to me that I could do something like that.

So, I bought a shitty $300 bike and signed up.

The morning of the race, I decided I wasn't going to do it. I was scared shitless! But I went to cheer on my friends and brought my stuff, just in case.

At the last minute, I thought, "Well, I'll just do the swim. I can stop whenever I want." After surviving the swim, I figured I liked biking, so I might as well mosey around the bike course. Once I finished that, I thought, "What the hell, I'll just walk the run."

Next thing I knew, I was running across the finish line.

I had never been so proud of myself in my entire life. That day changed something in me.

3. What have you had to overcome along the way?

Share a setback, obstacle, or life circumstance that has shaped your experience.

I struggle with major health anxiety. I have probably seen more doctors and cardiologists than anyone can imagine! At times, the anxiety has led to debilitating panic attacks, and it can be absolutely exhausting.

There are moments when fear gets dangerously close to running my life. But I refuse to let it win.

I believe in putting one foot in front of the other, even when things feel overwhelming. I prefer to manage my anxiety without medication, so I work hard to find tools and strategies that keep me from going to those dark places we can all find ourselves in.

It's not always easy, and I certainly don't have it all figured out. But I keep showing up.

4. What helped you move forward?

Were there changes in your approach, habits, mindset, or support that made a difference?

I love who I am, and I genuinely love my life.

I have an amazing husband who is my biggest fan. He believes in me more than I believe in myself sometimes, and he doesn't put up with my whiny bullshit! We all need someone who loves us enough to be honest with us.

I'm also surrounded by people who enjoy being active, whether it's cycling, running, swimming, or something else. When that's the environment you live in, exercise just becomes part of your life.

I also think some people are born with that little something inside them that simply won't let them give up. I can't really explain it, but if you have it, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

5. How have we worked together as coach and athlete throughout your journey?

Share a conversation, adjustment, or challenge we worked through together and what you learned.

I've always been a decent cyclist. I hold some records on Mount Graham and Mount Lemmon and have done pretty well in races over the years. But despite all that, I never really saw myself as an athlete.

Marilyn has helped change that.

She has helped me see myself as an actual athlete, and that shift in mindset has been huge. I now take nutrition, sleep, and recovery much more seriously. I've also learned that it's okay to take care of myself and that not every workout needs to be a PR.

That last part was really hard for me to understand!

I've gone from running an average 10-minute mile in my 30s to running a 9-minute mile at 55.

Now THAT is baller!

6. What are you most proud of?

This could be a race, a personal breakthrough, greater consistency, or something that no result sheet could capture.

I'm most proud of the fact that I wake up every day and still love working out.

It's not something I force myself to do. I genuinely enjoy it. And because I'm having fun, I'm actually doing pretty well in the races I compete in. Granted, at my age, the field isn't always very big, but I'll take it!

I also love that my workouts have a purpose now. Before working with Marilyn, I would just gooooooo! Ride hard, run hard, swim, whatever. There wasn't always a plan.

Now there's a reason behind what I'm doing, and I love seeing what happens when all that work comes together.

7. What have you learned about yourself through this process?

Has anything surprised you or changed how you see yourself?

Every once in a while, Marilyn will put a workout on my schedule, and I'll look at it and think, "Seriously, dude? Do you know how old I am? Do you know how busy I am? Do you freaking hate me?"

But then I do the workout.

And BAM! I pull it off.

The funny thing is, Marilyn knew I could do it all along. I'm the one who didn't believe it.

That's probably been one of the biggest lessons for me. I'm capable of more than I give myself credit for. And now, at 55, I'm setting new goals because I'm finally starting to believe in myself.

8. What is one lesson you'd like to pass along?

What would you want someone starting out—or facing a similar challenge—to know?

In my 30s, I had one of those races where I absolutely killed it. I didn't know any better, didn't put pressure on myself, and was just thrilled to be there. Not only did I win, I set a record!

But the more I raced, the more pressure I put on myself. Eventually, it became miserable. I was so focused on results that I forgot why I loved the sport in the first place. Sometimes I actually went backward instead of improving.

I got so frustrated that I stopped riding my bike for years.

Now I'm back to racing, and you know what? I don't give a shit where I place.

I'm just grateful to be out there, doing something I love, and sharing the experience with my husband. And wouldn't you know it, I'm actually racing pretty darn well!

The moral of the story? Have fun. Be happy. Enjoy the ride. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself, and everything else has a funny way of falling into place.

9. What does this journey mean to you beyond sport?

How has it influenced your everyday life, relationships, or perspective?

Endurance sports have shaped just about every part of my life.

I literally met my husband on the Shootout, a local cycling ride. Some of my closest friendships were made on a bike, and our wedding was filled with cycling friends.

It's not just something I do. It's part of who I am.

I also bring so much of what I've learned through sports into my professional life. Discipline, consistency, resilience, knowing when to push and when to back off, and understanding that success doesn't happen overnight.

I use those lessons at work all the time, and people get it.

Being an athlete has made me better in so many areas of my life, not just on a racecourse.

10. What's next for you?

What goal or experience are you looking forward to, and why?

I would absolutely love to do another Half Ironman.

Physically, I know I can do it. The challenge right now is the swim. I've gotten myself into a pretty dark mental space about open-water swimming, and my brain just seems to lock up.

It's frustrating because I know I'm capable. My body isn't the problem. It's getting my mind to believe what my body already knows.

I'm hoping that with time, patience, and some work on the mental side, I can get myself to a place where I can do one more.

I'm not ready to close that chapter just yet.