Every professional athlete knows that they are in a race with Father Time. They know that at some point, their ability to perform at the highest level will begin to diminish. Their goal is to get everything they can out of their talents and hard work before that happens. As every athlete knows, Father Time is undefeated.
Worse than the effects of time however can be the unfairness of injury. It can derail even the most talented far sooner than anyone ever suspected. When you’re a professional motorcycle racer and your nickname is “The Crashing Girl”, you still don’t necessarily expect things to end sooner than they should. Heather Wilson saw her amazing racing career cut short when the injuries she received simply wouldn’t allow her to continue. As disappointing as this was, she did not let that stop her. There was still life to live and she set out to make that be nothing less than amazing. Along the way, she realized that taking care of herself via fitness was still a great priority, albeit for different reasons than before.
As a 9-Time National Racing Champion, Heather’s proven that hard work and dedication are a part of her make-up. She simply needed to find a new purpose and focus. Her recent fitness transformation proves that she’s done just that and now she continues to attack all areas of her life and career with passion and purpose. For Heather, the adventure is far from over!
Fit Club: When and where were you born?
Heather: July 20th 1971 Bakersfield, CA
Fit Club: How did you first get involved in fitness and working out?
Heather: It’s how my family rolls! I had a drowning incident when I was about 3 or 4 years old. My mom had turned her back momentarily as I decided to jump in the deep end of a pool! When she turned around I was very blue. Obviously I survived but after that, she decided to put me on the swim team at 5 years old and get me swimming. In the ’70s for single moms trying to make ends meet they put their kids in every sport they can as a sort of free babysitter. I then played soccer, softball, and swim team. Then I jumped into dance in high school which eventually led to racing motorcycles. All of these sports require keeping your body in top performance level if you want to compete successfully.
Fit Club: How did you become involved in racing, who is “The Crashing Girl”?
Heather: The CrashingGirl is unfortunately me! This is a nickname I received while racing as an amateur. Eventually, I went pro and stopped the majority of the crashing. However, the career ended in 2005 with one final big crash leaving my right shoulder with enough nerve damage riding competitively was no longer possible. I started in the racing scene due to some guy I was dating who drag raced. He encouraged me to join him in the Wednesday night amateur drags up at Sonoma Raceway (Sears Point). I took to it like a fish to water! I ended up being the only female and somehow in my first year took the championship. That was it for me. I left the relationship and bought a ninja 250 to take to the full track. I spend 3 years road racing up there until I landed myself in a wheelchair with two broken legs. You would think I’d stop there but all I could think of was how quickly can I return. When I did 5 months later all I had left bike wise was a dirt bike I trained on. That became the new mode of racing which quickly I was picked up by Kawasaki taking me eventually to the pro women’s level and traveling the country.
Fit Club: You had an amazing racing career. What was your fitness like back then and what did you do to stay in shape and to maximize your success as an athlete?
Heather: I wish I could redo that time as far as training and fitness! My knowledge of all that is so much more complete at this point. We have so much information available that was not then. So back then I tracked by hand in a booklet everything I ate. I organized it into 5 meals a day counting calories, fat, carbs, fiber, etc. My workouts consisted of riding the race bike a lot for skill training but for endurance conditioning, I was cycling a lot. The gym was helpful for training specific groups of muscles. Then, of course, I hired Kevin Myles towards the end of the career to help me through a career-ending injury, focusing on the right foods and when to eat helped get me to my leanest in 2004 which was my prime year until the injury in 2005 where we tried to push through. Cross-training became a big part of the work I did. Joining Dave Dixon’s kickboxing gym gave me a form of meditation and focus along with a great cardio workout that I really enjoyed. Adding a mental focus into your workouts trains not only your body by our mind to pull full attention to the project at hand. It’s hard to have full mental focus at any time so when you find a workout that can tie the two together, I feel you get so much more out of it towards your goal if you’re competing or just trying to live your best life. I started to pick up several books on other athletes to learn how they trained and what struggles they had to be successful. I read all of Tiger Woods books written on him and learned mental focus, other books on Olympic gymnasts, ice skaters, Mohammed Ali, Olympic Volleyball, Olympic Crew, Roger Banister breaking the four-minute mile, unheard of! And several more. All of these evening readings gave me focus and encouragement to push past obstacles and earn the 9 national titles I won during my career.
Fit Club: Injuries took you away when you were still at the top of your sport. What types of things did you have to deal with?
Heather: The main career-ending injury came in 2005. I tried several surgeries to save the shoulder but ultimately ended up with nerve damage that was not going to be healed back to 100%. My focus during that time was to build all the muscles around the damaged limb to see if I could make up for that and continue. I did race for 2 more years with some success but it just wasn’t the same anymore. Eventually, I gave up on surgeries and retired heading back to college to finish a degree and start the next phase of my life.
Fit Club: Once your racing career ended, did it take time to transition back into a “normal” fitness life, especially when you were still dealing with injuries, rehab, and recovery?
Heather: Like most pro athletes I let it ALL go! I started enjoying being social and moved to San Francisco. I stopped all the intense training and food recording however after a few years of that I ended up gaining 35 lbs! Wow, I’ve never seen myself like that before. I finally got to a point that I looked in the mirror and didn’t feel comfortable with that person anymore. Unable to run, bike, hike or do anything that use to make me so happy. I said no more! Time for a change and to return to the old athlete in me and shed this body.
Fit Club: You recently sent me pictures of you currently and you’ve made some amazing fitness progress. What inspired you to get into such great shape, what motivates you now to be fit?
Heather: I remember looking you back up. I dug through my library and pulled out the first edition fitness book you had written and I reread through it. Then I contacted a friend I knew had lost 100 lbs and insisted she tell me how! It was based on one of Beachbody’s fitness programs so I jumped aboard. In 21 days I lost roughly 12 lbs and kept going from there. I ended up dropping 20 lbs with that program and thought I was happy with that. Well, we know Heather and she’s never quite settled! During these past few years, I picked up off-road running, backpacking and road bike cycling. I love the long-distance ultralight pack off-road running now so leaning out was necessary. Power to weight is important if you want to run and camp 3 days in the mountains covering 45 plus miles! I decided to dig into Intermittent fasting and Keto. I started using that method of fasting 4-5 days a week at 16-20 hours per day and when I did eat I focused more on high healthy fats, moderate protein, and low carb. Within a year I lost another 17 lbs and now I am slightly below my weight in my prime of 2004 and I’m almost 49 now! I’m running up to 20 miles with a 12lb pack on and pushing for 30 soon! My recovery time has shortened by a lot and there is a leanness in my body I’ve never had before. I have dropped some of the bulky muscle I developed from the motorcycle racing in my shoulders and I’m really liking the conditioning and endurance I’ve developed. I start my days with burning calories on a fasted stomach of about 9 plus hours and I can knock out a two-hour ride with no problem. I then fast through until mid-afternoon and rarely do I feel hungry. I’m focusing on healthy fats instead of fearing any fat and not overdoing the protein like in the good old days. My skin and nails are healthy looking and I feel amazing. I wish I had known this method back in 2001 when I got started racing pro!
Fit Club: What are some differences you’ve noticed as far as getting and staying fit that apply to you now versus say 10-15 years ago?
Heather: I gain weight easily. I also have times where I’ve overdone it a bit and I just need a full crash out day! This happens from time to time where it didn’t before. I’m pushing myself just as hard as I use to in my early 30’s but now at almost 49, it seems my body forces me to take a day here and there. However, it’s only one day of no workouts, more food, and early to bed but when I wake it’s go time! My recovery is very quick and rarely do I have sore muscles. The secret to that…..one gallon of pickle brine from Amazon in my fridge at all times! Takes muscle soreness away quickly. Daily shots of that especially prior and post hard workouts, along with a cleansing mixture on an empty stomach of 1tbs of Apple Cider Vinegar from the Mother, ¼ teaspoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of organic ginger juice all mixed together and down the hatch! My gut health is much better and far less bloating and gas.
Fit Club: As you prepare for the future where do you plan for fitness to fit into your life? How if at all do you view it or yourself differently as related to your fitness goals and pursuits?
Heather: Fitness is my lifestyle. Now I like to travel the world and I go find tough off-road trails to run or backpack. I completed 140 miles through South Africa’s Drakensberg Grand Traverse a few years ago along with some runs through the Black Forest in Germany, The Bavarian Alps, Parks in Helsinki and this year I head back to Ireland to run the 60 miles of the Sheep’s Head trail in 3 days or less. Here at home, I’m doing weekends in the Sierra’s with my pack training to build that mileage for Ireland. I cross-train with the road-bike and pump out 22 miles at sunrise just to get the day started right! This means going to bed a bit early and getting up at 5 AM to get a 5-minute plank core workout in and off on the bike or a 5 plus mile run before work. I love the commitment and focus required to keep this schedule going. It’s just like the old racer me but now I do it for fun and a great adventure.
Fit Club: What’s in the future for Heather? You’ve done so much, where do you see yourself going? What motivates you and excites you about the future?
Heather: I’m starting a 2-year plan today actually! I’m working my way out of the rat race corporate world and becoming my own boss over the next two years. I hope what that does for me is free me up to travel more and take on several more adventures in my life. I’ve met several people that have build this level of freedom and I want a piece of it! I just completed some state exams that came through with the results today that will help me start my own small business to build on. Freedom and wild adventures are in my future! I listened to Brene Brown recently and she nailed it! “Strong Back, Soft Front, and Wild Heart!” That’s what I want for myself.
Fit Club: Thank you, Heather!
Great story of recovery and goal setting. Probably should give that woman a new nickname, doesn’t seem like she is “crashing” anymore.
Yes, Heather is awesome. She stopped crashing long enough to win 9 National Championships but by then the name had already stuck as nicknames are want to do. She still has that adventurous, go-for-it spirit that led to her first getting the nickname. Cool lady!