Her face is beaming as she enters the caf茅 a few minutes late, already full of energy even though we haven鈥檛 yet ordered coffee. Jen Segger acknowledges coffee fuels her life; she鈥檚 always excited to drink her first cup and start a day full of activity.
Segger, 34, is an endurance athlete, gym owner, trainer and Internet coach for clients across North America. And now she鈥檚 a mother as well, but she seems to have no problem balancing a packed life. Segger smiles broadly as she describes a chaotic yet seemingly perfect life in Squamish, where she feels at home among the fellow 鈥渞ock star women鈥� who help her train for ultra racing events.
She endures expedition races of 750 kilometres that include trail running, mountain biking, climbing and paddling. 鈥淥ver five days, you sleep about four hours total,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t is a true test of endurance, mental and physical.鈥�
Segger, a sponsored athlete, also participates in ultra marathons, long-distance mountain runs and multi-day triathlons. Her top-place finishes include Ultraman Canada 鈥� a three-day event with a 10-kilometre swim, 150-kilometre bike, then another 250-kilometre bike and 84-kilometre run.
She鈥檚 good at long races and knows how to endure pain.
鈥淭hat has taken me all over the world,鈥� she explains, sipping an Americano with me at the Two Birds Eatery. 鈥淎rgentina, Brazil, New Zealand, Europe, all over the U.S.鈥�
Does it hurt to race those distances?
鈥淥f course it does,鈥� Segger acknowledges. 鈥淚 have trashed my body over and over again. I have a gift to handle pain really well.鈥�
She puts her pain in an imaginary 鈥渓ittle black box鈥� and keeps moving. 鈥淚 can push through pain for days and days鈥� but it鈥檚 not always the best as it leads to injuries,鈥� says Segger, who is waiting for achilles surgery, but hopes it doesn鈥檛 interfere for long with her training schedule, which she resumed soon after giving birth 15 months ago.
Her partner, Norm Hann, is a competitive paddleboarder. Segger had skate-skied that morning, and then picked up Hann at the beach after his paddleboard that afternoon. It鈥檚 a weekday, and they have tag-teamed taking care of baby Kiel, but Segger believes it鈥檚 important for her to live the goal-driven, athletic life she teaches her clients at the Challenge by Choice performance training business in Squamish. She has a wide range of clients, from new mothers to Olympians to 鈥減eople just trying to get fit.鈥�
Through the newly formed Run Squamish, Segger is also now working with a partner to create a series of trail running events.
Segger has no plans to slow down and is already involving little Kiel in their active lifestyle in Squamish.
She says she鈥檚 lucky to have strong coaches working for her at Challenge by Choice, allowing her to continue to train.
听鈥淚 love going to work every day. I love what I do.鈥�
Despite her youthful energy and bright eyes, Segger has a mature outlook on life, which surprises me in a 34-year-old. I ask her what life advice she would give to others.
Segger has lost friends to cancer and mountain accidents, and knows the importance of time, which she feels is already flying by with her baby son.
听鈥淒on鈥檛 spend time doing the things you don鈥檛 want to be doing,鈥� she says. 鈥淒on鈥檛 be in a job for your life that you don鈥檛 want to be in. Life is short鈥� even if you get less pay, you have to make your days and weeks and years count.鈥�
She also coaches people to set high goals.
鈥淵ou just have to be mentally tough. So many people limit themselves based on what they can or cannot do. Give it a try. Go for it. Our only limitations are the ones we set on ourselves.鈥�
听
Coffee with Christine is a regular column by Editor Christine Endicott about Squamish鈥檚 most interesting people.
