Athlete Spotlight: Danielle Schaeffer
Welcome to the all new Athlete Spotlight! Each month we will be highlighting a Mission Multisport team member who is training, living well and enjoying every aspect of the sport.
This month we are talking to Danielle Schaeffer. Danielle races just about every weekend in the summer, often driving Coach Jon insane, and truly living her best life through the sport of triathlon. Danielle has overcome enormous challenges in her life in order to get to where she is today. She’s as tough as they come, a true example of perseverance and relentlessness . We are proud to have her as a teammate and friend!
How did you get involved in triathlons?: It's actually a pretty long and dark story. I was very athletic growing up, played all the sports, was good at a few. Then came high school and college where I was introduced to binge drinking and the party lifestyle. In college, I lost interest in sports, became inactive and started my weight gain. I had always had a food addiction but it was able to be hidden by the fact that I was always so active.
Fast forward to 35, I had 2 small kids at home, was 265lbs, a smoker who was just diagnosed with diabetes. I am a nurse and know the horrors of diabetes so I really got scared and started the first day of my life. I made an appointment with a surgeon and had weight loss surgery very soon after. I didn't ever want to fall back into that sedentary lifestyle so I started running and I fell in love with it. I joined a local gym and signed up for 5k's all the way to the NYC marathon. Unfortunately losing weight and cutting out 3/4 of my stomach didn't deal with the underlying food addiction. For a while I became addicted to exercise and you would think that would be great but I ended up getting hurt. A lot. In that time span I had skin removal surgery from my dramatic weight loss and I was prescribed narcotics. The doctor was a plastic surgeon and they want to keep their patients happy so he prescribed me a lot. And I took them, a lot. Because of all of my running injuries and skiing injuries I took more and more so I could continue to exercise. Finally, the narcotics got harder to get so I got desperate because at this point, I was in the throes of addiction. I just couldn't believe it though because I was using prescription drugs and I was a nurse. How could I be an addict?
I started struggling as I was drinking very heavily, using drugs and trying to get up early every day to run, plus work full time, manage a household and have 2 smaller kids. This is about the time the prescriptions began getting harder to get so I started to doctor shop and as a nurse I had an endless supply of drugs at work, but they are under lock and key so not as easy to get. So, it wasn't always easy to maintain my ever-growing need to not be sick. Because at this point it's about not wanting to be sick and go through withdrawal. I knew a girl who was a recovering heroin addict and one day while sitting at my favorite bar in the middle of the day getting hammered I thought I'd call her to see if she could help me score. Well, she did and I started using heroin. I became a full-fledged junkie with a drug dealer and everything. Things got really really bad. My friend who helped me score my drugs, od'd and died on the same batch of drugs I was using. This scared me enough to stop using heroin but I never stopped using other drugs. I got more and more desperate at work. I lied to my husband and family and told them I got busted for a med error and had to go to rehab because I had marajuana in my system. They bought it. I went to rehab in total denial. I lied to all of the counselors, the other addicts in rehab and the doctors. Then one day my husband found my letter of termination from my former employer and in that letter had their suspicions of me and how I was going to be reported to the state. My husband called my counselor who then called me into her office and they both confronted me. I lied for a good 10 min until I finally admitted to the truth. All of it. I was also finally admitting it for the first time to myself. I started working a program and really delved into rehab at that point. I signed up for a nursing program that helps nurse addicts maintain their licensure with daily drug test check ins, meeting attendances, etc. It was really really hard but worth every second. I look back now and realize how grateful I am actually for that program. It kept me honest in the beginning stages of recovery when most addicts relapse. It also made me realize that anyone can be an addict. It's not just the homeless guy laying on the streets in Kensington. It's a mom, it's a brother, it's a sister, a teacher, a nurse, a doctor, maybe even your spouse. It can happen to anyone. I really did not wake up one day and say, "hey, today is the day I am going to be a heroin addict". No one wants that life. No one.
A friend of mine who I had worked with was also in recovery and knew I was finally working on helping myself recover mind, body and spirit. She was introduced to triathlon herself by one of the doctors we worked with and she said how much it helped her recovery. This was probably 6 months after I was discharged from rehab. I had just started running again and was getting back in shape but didn't think I'd ever get over the OWS part. I grew up on the Delaware River and I know what's in the water! I did one of those practice OWS clinics, couldn't sleep, almost threw up, had a panic attack, and this was all the day before. LOL. I went and was able to do it with a lot of coach support. I stayed until I was somewhat comfortable.
I said well screw it and signed up for Steelman Sprint that year. I have never looked back.
I am now 3 and a half years sober. I still struggle with my demons. I still have really bad days. In fact, today is a really bad day. But I have overcome so much and to throw it all away for just one more drink? It's just not worth it. So instead, I am going to be an Ironman.
“I have overcome so much and to throw it all away for just one more drink? It’s just not worth it. So instead, I am going to be an Ironman.”
That bike though!
What’s your favorite part of the sport?: Swimming
Welcome to the Gun Show
How has triathlon changed your life for the better? Triathlon has saved my life, not just changed it. It fills the day. It fills the void that alcohol and drugs once did. It gives me time to reflect on what matters. I'm taking care of myself instead of putting everyone else first all of the time. As a nurse all I do is take care of other people. Plus, I have a 10 and a 13 year old who were home schooled all last year thanks to Covid. I need time for myself and triathlon gives me that. I like being competitive again. I was very competitive at a young age, but now instead of competing against others, I am only trying to compete with and improve myself.
I do have to be mindful and listen to my body when I am hurting which is very hard for me to do, but that's what got in trouble before. When people think of addiction, they think the usual, drugs, alcohol even gambling, but what they need to do is take away those enhancers and just use the word addiction because my running and exercising turned into a process addiction. The running wasn't bad, the skiing wasn't bad, the 2 classes a day at the gym weren't necessarily bad, what was bad was the addictive nature of them. My body still got that extra dopamine rush from just the processes instead of the substance. I must stay grounded daily. Sometimes hourly. This has also helped me stay in the moment which helps every aspect of my life, especially an addict's life. We have a tendency to overdramatize everything.
What is one non-triathlon fact about you?: I was a competitive swimmer growing up. My mom missed the Olympics by one one hundredth of a second for butterfly so she put us in swimming at a very young age. You said non triathlon though so does that even count? I'm also a pretty avid skier when I'm not breaking bones and tearing ligaments pushing my limits too far. Lol. I still think I can fly down double black diamonds at 45. LOL.
How has being a member of Mission Multisport benefitted you?: I can tend to be very antisocial and keep my circle small. MM has helped me branch out and connect with people that share the same passion. Once people know me though...forget it, I'm the most social, loud, obnoxious (in a good way I hope) person you will be around. Annnnnnnd my husband and friends can only stand enough tri talk. I'd like to participate in more group training activities but my schedule at work is hectic.
“Panama”- Van Halen
What is something you learned from your coach?: The one piece of advice that he gave me a long time ago that has always always stuck with me is when I don't feel like doing a wo. He told me that it's only a small part of my day and how I will suffer on race day if I keep skipping a wo. That advice gets me through my early ass morning workouts or late after work workouts when all I want to do is go home and go to bed. I have learned so much more from him but that's something that has always stuck with me.
Danielle is coached by the one and only…The Man, The Myth, The Legend…Jon Zsigovits
If you could go back to your first training session and give yourself advice what would it be?: Don't fall off your bike!!! I was never in aero before and was cocky and thought hey, it's just like riding a bike. Until it wasn't. I flew off hard. Ended up in the ED with huge hip contusion among lots of road rash. Took me about 3 months to fully recover from that mentally and physically. That wasn't the first training session but the first memorable one. The other one would be dear god don't do this sport it will cost you an arm and a leg. LMAO.
What’s your mantra?: Honestly, when I want to give up I remind myself that I overcame addiction and can do really hard shit. But when I'm out there, what I find myself repeating over and over is, don't give up.
What is your go to post race meal? Cheeseburger and fries soaked in vinegar
Best race experience?: This would definitely be my first half IM this past May. I did IM70.3 Gulf Coast. It was amazing. I knew I could do it but just didn't know how bad it was going to hurt. It didn't actually hurt at all. Don't get me wrong, when it was over, I was glad but I felt great, just tired!
One piece of advice you would give to someone who is just getting into the sport?: Don't ever give up. I never thought I could ride a tri bike after my accident but I kept on getting back on and now I love riding in aero. I overcame addiction and even though every day is a new challenge I am able to make it happen one way or another. And also get a second job, bike parts are expensive
Anything you want us to know?: I may have told too much already...
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Ben Rotherham
Coach/Co-owner
Mission Multisport