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@ilanafkearns

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As I close out the first quarter of the year, I’ve been reflecting on the nature of control. In both business and life, we often mistake stress for an internal state, but it is truly an external event. It is something that happens to us—it is the reaction, however, that happens within us.

For me, those external events have included navigating the complexities of career transitions and facing health situations I wouldn't wish on anyone. These moments are the "punches," but they don't have to dictate the internal narrative.

While I can't control the obstacles, I can always control my response.
My reaction is to keep moving. My reaction is to show up every morning for the work and the training. It is about the discipline of the daily journey and maintaining internal focus regardless of external pressures.

My Q1 Journey by the Numbers:
Swim: 162,569 yards
Bike: 2,274 miles (Hitting Level 100 on Zwift)
Run: 596 miles
Total Training: 294+ hours of showing what is possible.

I am currently preparing for my next 140.6-mile journey: a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run. Beyond the finish line, my goal is to drive diversity, inclusion, and women’s participation in endurance sports.

The Mission Beyond the Miles
To date, I have proudly raised over $6,000 for the IRONMAN Foundation, and my goal this year is to raise another $3,000.

I am currently seeking sponsorship and partners who want to show others that the odds don't define the outcome. Whether through a partnership or a donation to the Foundation, your support means the world to the communities where we race.

Join the Journey: Any donation, large or small, makes a real impact!

https://ironmanfoundation.donordrive.com/participants/4091 by @ilanafkearns

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3 months ago

by @ilanafkearns

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3 months ago

In 2019, I wrote a blog post about how women over 40 are the highest users of antidepressants — and among the least likely to exercise consistently. Fewer than 10% do.

Then life tested me in every way possible:

8 moves

Divorce

Job loss

Isolation

Time on food stamps

Hit by a car

Facial and physical trauma

No safety net

And I’ve been 100% alcohol-free for nearly six years

Since March 2020, despite it all, I’ve:

Cycled 33,000 miles

Swum 2,000,000 yards

Run 1,900 miles every year

Trained every single day for 5 years

I didn’t have perfect circumstances. I had discipline.

And along the way, accomplished goals I never imagined possible..did my first 70.3, eventually IRONMAN Florida (2.4 mile ocean swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run) qualified and ran 2025 Boston and most recently, Chattnooga 70.3 last month.

Interestingly, I feel more alive in last five years without what one would consider a real vacation than I off the five years prior.

While many struggled to find motivation, I learned how powerful it is to keep showing up — even when life feels heavy.

This isn’t about judgment. It’s about showing what’s possible.

And I have trained in less than circumstances .

Ever try running with a broken elbow?

I ran 252 miles with my arm in a cast.

We’re all capable of far more than we think — especially in hard times.

And I love and respect myself enough to show up every single day. And continue to do so.

It's been fun to challenge medical notions that are flat out wrong. For example we focus on recovery way too much. you need to train first before recovering.

I may take a day off of training one day. But that day isn't today.

While the challenges have been hard these last 5+ years, they have shaped who I am today and my lens of the world. So grateful for that. by @ilanafkearns

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a year ago

Swampy out w/ 95% humidity by @ilanafkearns

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a year ago

Five years ago, someone said, “Let’s see if you can keep going.”

Well, I did. I never stopped.

In that time, I moved eight times, faced divorce, isolation, job loss, and a car accident that left me with a broken elbow. I raced Ironman Florida just 48 hours after a tooth extraction and a swim full of jellyfish stings.

Still, I kept showing up.

Since then, I’ve qualified for and run the 2024 Boston Marathon, completed Ironman Augusta 70.3, and finished Ironman Florida — including a 2.4-mile ocean swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run.

And today, I hit another milestone: 11 miles at an 8:49 pace in 98% humidity with 827 feet of elevation, followed by a 3,000-meter swim in just over an hour — bringing my swim total to over 2 million yards in five years.

Did I mention I am 47 years old double masectomy with reconstruction, no ovaries and Hashimotos?

The biggest thing I’ve learned? When people say, “Let’s see if you can keep going,” they’re revealing their own limitations — not yours.

I’m grateful to show my kids what resilience looks like, and what it means to keep chasing your goals no matter what. #mindset #factsoverfeelings #ironman by @ilanafkearns

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a year ago

With 824 feet of elevation and 98% humidity was happy with this run... Finally mastering hydration with 2,800 mg of sodium to make this run happen!! #nodaysoff by @ilanafkearns

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a year ago

#heartratetraining is by far the most sustainable form of training to not burn out.... #garmin I will take at age 47, 93% humidity with 427 feet of elevation by @ilanafkearns

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a year ago

Run (felt like a swim with 97%) @altrarunning @podoks_usa by @ilanafkearns

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a year ago

2000 meter swim and a run while seeing this guy!! Happy Tuesday by @ilanafkearns

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a year ago

Most people are being taught backwards.
We’re told that hormones control metabolism.
We’re told to avoid heat, avoid cold, avoid stress, avoid sun.
The truth is this:
The Skin
The skin senses environmental inputs (light, temperature, UV, infrared, humidity).
These signals trigger hormonal, vascular, and mitochondrial adjustments system-wide.
Your skin constantly talks to your mitochondria in every tissue through redox signaling, circadian entrainment, and neuroimmune pathways.
Your skin is your first metabolic sensor.
It’s where your body interacts with light, heat, cold, humidity — every single day.
Every signal your skin receives triggers your mitochondria.
Light triggers energy production.
Heat triggers mitochondrial uncoupling and fat oxidation.
Cold triggers brown fat activation and metabolic flexibility.
Humidity triggers fluid balance and sweat gland conditioning.
Mitochondria control hormones — not the other way around.
Your thyroid, estrogen, testosterone, cortisol — they all respond to mitochondrial energy status.
When mitochondria are weak → hormones fail.
When mitochondria are trained → hormones stabilize.
This is why modern living is breaking people:
Indoor climate control.
Blue light dominance.
No environmental stress.
No real adaptation.
We’ve turned off the very system G-d designed to keep us healthy.
This isn’t about chasing another lab test.
It’s about retraining the system.
The skin is the first receptor.
The mitochondria are the control center.
Hormones follow the system you build.
This is what I coach.
Train the system.
Don’t chase the symptoms.
#MitochondriaFirst #TrainTheSystem #HormonesFollow #SkinIsTheSensor #EnvironmentalBiology #RealHealth #NotQuickFix

https://ilanafkearns.com/blog/f/the-skin-is-the-first-touchpoint-for-your-mitochondria by @ilanafkearns

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a year ago

95% humidity run or swim? by @ilanafkearns

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a year ago

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a year ago