1) Who is Kirsten Therrien? (where are you from, what do you do, a bit about yourself, hobbies, etc) I was born and raised in Connecticut, moved to Massachusetts for college, and now I have made a home here with my boyfriend, our three dogs, and 15 chickens. I am a career firefighter, I’ve been in the fire service for nearly 10 years, and was promoted to Lieutenant earlier this year. I stay very busy outside the firehouse – I work part-time at the Fire Academy, I coach, and enjoy competitive CrossFit. Beginning last summer, I also travel down to Florida to compete in the Florida Grid League, which is so much fun!
2) How many years have you been training? (Including how you got started, etc)
I have been involved in a variety of sports my whole life. My “main” sport during high school became rowing, as I was recruited to Division 1 and Division 3 schools as a coxswain on the rowing team, and ultimately chose to attend Mount Holyoke College for the strong academic and athletic balance. After college, I got into running (I have run over two dozen half marathons, and three full marathons).
Around this time, I was getting involved with the fire department and not only wanted to have good cardio, but good strength as well. I knew of a couple people who did CrossFit, and it looked like so much fun, and honestly I was a little intimidated by it from the outside! I dabbled in it starting 6 years ago, and started being much more consistent and dedicated to my CrossFit training starting 4 years ago. I did my first competition in 2018, and fell in love with the sport since!
3) Whats been the most challenging/hardest part of your journey so far? and how have you overcome them (set backs, rejections, injuries, basically anything difficult that you have had to overcome)
One of the biggest challenges I have overcome is my relationship with food.
Being a coxswain on the rowing team helped build my confidence in my ability to connect, lead and assertively make decisions. However, being a coxswain who was not naturally at the “ideal” coxswain weight put a very heavy (no pun intended) toll on my body image and relationship with food. I would engage in very dangerous cuts to drop my weight, not able to see that so many other things had a larger impact on our success than any pounds I was able to drop.
When I was primarily running, I was not nearly as restrictive with my food, but my diet was certainly less than healthy.
I wasn’t until I became focused in on my CrossFit training that I learned the overdue lesson that food is fuel. I tracked macros on-and-off for years, and I finally started working 1-on-1 with a nutrition coach (Shout out to Casey from M2 Performance Nutrition!) to align my nutrition, sleep, and habits with my goals.
4) What does your typical workout/diet routine look like? (With any particular protocols you rate).
Being a firefighter with two part-time jobs, my schedule looks very different week-to-week. Google calendar is my best friend! I have the programming I am looking to complete for the week, and then plan my training around my work schedule, taking into account when I may need a little extra sleep. I have a couple two-a-days during the week, which would typically be in the morning before and in the evening after a shift working at the Fire Academy. I try to stick to three days on, one day off, and that has been working well for me.
I often use time before coaching to do some of my own training, or hop in on the class beforehand.
Since physical fitness is a big part of the job, I am fortunate to get some time at the station for a lift session, I just try to avoid doing anything excessively long or grueling at work. You never know when a call is going to come in, and our city is very busy.
As far as diet goes, I track my macros most of the time. I do have to make sure I get those veggies in! However, I think balance is important, and I don’t hesitate to have a special meal my boyfriend cooks (he is an amazing chef!) or dine out with him or friends once every week or two.
5) What new knowledge have you learned over this past year regarding training, lifestyle and nutrition? (And How has it changed your focus for the future)
Consistency is key! I used to get SO derailed so easily. I have gotten much better over the years of saying to myself “Oh, you had an off day? Well, get right back on track tomorrow.” One “bad” day followed by six “good” days is far better than letting that one “bad” day derail me for the whole week. I am learning to accept that I am human, and humans are not perfect. The day-to-day decisions that we make are going to add up and make a difference in the long run.
6) Whats your favourite cheat/Treat meal?
I LOVE ice cream (I happily tolerate the bloating and general discomfort that follows).
7) Whats one supplement that you could not live without?
I have seen a HUGE impact in my recovery from CBD products. Being a firefighter and an athlete, I have multiple reasons why I want my supplements THC-free, so I go with Vigilant CBD’s Sport Collection. Their tinctures are extra tasty (helps me get awesome sleep), and their muscle freeze rub works miracles on sore muscles.
8) If you had to start your Journey from scratch with both your health & physique what would you do differently and why?
I would have loved to have done gymnastics as a kid, just to be able to learn the body awareness and get the foundation of strength and athleticism. I also would have started CrossFit earlier, instead of making excuses why I *wasn’t* doing it. Finally, I would love to have learned that lesson that “food is fuel” earlier on as well, but struggles make you stronger.
9) Who do you look upto in the fitness industry and why?
Sara Sigmundsdottir - she is such a badass and puts in an incredible amount of work as an athlete, but she is still goofy and doesn’t take herself too seriously.
10) If you had to give one bit of advice to people starting out what would that be?
Keep trying to learn something new – keep trying to push yourself. Also, track your progress. You won’t see the progress overnight, but with CONSISTENCY, you will amaze yourself in a few years.
11) What new goals do you have on the horizon?
I qualified to compete as an individual at Wodapalooza, and it is my first time going. I am doing what I can to prepare, and I am going to give it my all - would I ever do anything less?
This summer, I am hungry for a championship with my Florida Grid League team, the Palm Beach Breakers.
Honestly, it is just within the last year that I have started branching out a little, in terms of competing. I am going to keep putting the hard work in, with the mindset of “luck is when preparation meets opportunity”.
12) Where can people find you? (website, social media accounts)
Instagram - @ktdogmom
