When she was little, Sheri Zimmerer Branum was a nonstop bundle of energy. She fell in love with sports shortly after she started walking, ran everywhere and became an avid soccer player. When I was 2, all I wanted for Christmas was a Green Bay Packers football helmet, she says.In high school she played soccer on the boys team, then went to Bowling Green where she was a central midfielder for four years. Now 46, shes still the same high-energy athlete and person. Every day she bounces from her jobs as an occupational therapist and high school soccer coach to training and competing as an elite age-group triathlete.I love being busy, says Branum, who lives in Milan, Ohio, with her husband and two teenagers. Every day I like to be busy and I look forward to being busy.Many of those busy hours are spent swimming, biking and running in triathlon, a sport she embraced in 2003 after a former college soccer teammate dared her to enter a sprint-distance triathlon in Cleveland. Her time wasnt memorable, but that didnt matter. She was hooked by the challenge of trying to succeed in three disciplines while being inspired by the athletes all around her.Thirteen years after her first tri, she finds it unbelievable that she continues to excel and improve. In September, she competed on behalf of the U.S. in the International Triathlon Union World Triathlon Grand Final championships in Cozumel, Mexico, winning the bronze medal in the Olympic-distance race and finishing fifth in sprint distance. I never thought I would be able to achieve that level of fitness and competitiveness, she says.Yet ever since those days as an energetic kid, her competitive streak has been part of her success story. A lean 5-foot-2, 100-pound dynamo under short, blond locks, she has always stood tall in sports. She says the support she received from her late father, Jerry Zimmerer, has been invaluable. I race by Sheri Zimmerer Branum in honor of my dad, who instilled in me from a young age that I could achieve anything I wanted to, and that dynamite comes in small packages, she says.Branum has been an occupational therapist for 21 years, treating patients who have suffered strokes and brain injuries, have heart ailments, and those with mobility-inhibiting diseases like Parkinsons.My goal is to rehabilitate people of all ages with various disabilities or disease processes to reach their maximum level of independence, she says.She works for Firelands Regional Medical Center in Sandusky, Ohio, traveling across the northern part of the state to aid people in their homes. Its exciting what you can do for them to keep them safe and independent, she says.The job also has given her insights into how to take care of herself as an athlete. As she has moved into her 40s, she listens more to her body when it sends signals that shes overtraining or might be close to an injury. She tries to heed those signals and back off. Plus, she has added more weight training to maintain strength.You might not tell by looking at me, she says, laughing.What she learned in earning her masters degree in occupational therapy and through experience and continued study has been invaluable. Its helped me with understanding the body holistically, she says. To know everything must work together in order to perform your best.That knowledge led Branum to change her eating habits about three years ago to fuel her long, active days. She now eats six to 10 small meals a day. The goal is to have a constant flow of nutrients and hydration.As the kids got older I was able to train more frequently, and then I noticed my nutritional demands changed, she says. I was feeling lightheaded frequently, so I started always having food with me and making sure I was always snacking and eating. Immediately, she felt better and her performance improved.If Im feeling sluggish, I usually eat 100 to 200 calories and I feel better, she says. Her menu is full of apples, bananas, peanut and almond butters, rice cakes, chicken, vegetables, salads and whey protein shakes.Branum gets in some type of training every day. Even on an off day, shell do a 30-minute bike ride. On most days shes up before sunrise, doing some laundry and house cleanup before heading off for a swim, bike or run workout. Then comes work, followed by two to three hours of soccer practice during the season. Sometimes, shell sneak in another workout late in the day.She has coached soccer for 15 years, since her daughter began playing. Now she coaches her daughters varsity girls team at Edison High in Milan. Soccer was Branums first love, and remains a big part of her life, but she no longer plays. Sometimes in practice her athletes will try to coax her into action, but she mostly declines.Recently she was invited to play an indoor match and accepted. But she quickly benched herself. I was like, This is a recipe for a serious injury and Ill be regretting my decision, she says. So I played three minutes and told my daughter she could take all my shifts, because I didnt want to get hurt. Thats the last thing I need.Perhaps most impressive of all -- and in spite of her busy schedule -- Branum says shes a better triathlete now than she was 10 years ago because of her improved cardiovascular fitness and technical skills in each sport. In 2015, she was third in the sprint-distance (750-meter swim, 20K bike, 5K run) national age-group (45-49) championships. This year, she has taken first overall among women in nine regional sprint- or Olympic-distance triathlons or road races. She also set a PR of 1:26:20 in the Columbus Half Marathon in October.Her highlight, though, was representing the U.S. with her performance at the triathlon worlds in Cozumel. To her it was a dream to enjoy the camaraderie of teammates while competing against athletes from across the world. I was excited when I got [the USA racing singlet] in the mail and excited to wear it, she says.Branum had never done an open-water swim in the Caribbean until her Olympic-distance (1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run) race in Mexico. The current and buoys were shifting, which made for a tightly packed swim, and she came out of the water in 33rd place. But she poured it on in the bike portion with the 11th-best time before posting the top 10K run (41:34) to clinch her spot on the podium.She has had one success after another the past two years. This year in Omaha, Nebraska, she again qualified for the U.S. team at the 2017 age-group world championships in the Netherlands. When you start to believe in yourself, then you start to see even better results, she says.The combination of belief and busyness has been a winning one for Branum, and triathlon has become her perfect passion.Its an amazing challenge to try to improve your swim and your bike and your run while being healthy and fulfilling all your other life goals, she says. Cheap Basketball Jerseys Store . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. Jerseys NBA China . Their experience showed Tuesday as the No. 10 Badgers blunted a Saint Louis surge to win 63-57 and advance to face West Virginia in Wednesdays finals of the Cancun Challenge. http://www.wholesalenbachinajerseys.com/ . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Wholesale NBA Jerseys . 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The top item on the agenda is the collective bargaining agreement, which expires Dec. 1.- CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Saints and Panthers look to put rough losses behind them when they meet in an NFC South game. Drew Brees pounded Carolina last month for 465 yards and four touchdowns. Game starts 8:25 p.m.- INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell joins Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke for the groundbreaking on the teams new stadium and entertainment district.- FRISCO, Texas -- Dez Bryant says he couldnt have played a day after his fathers death without his teammates support. Team chemistry is part of the reason this is becoming a special season for the Dallas Cowboys.- GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The ACC, SEC and Pac-12 are experimenting with collaborative instant replay in which officials at league headquarters assist stadium crews with reviews during games.- Its tempting for playoff contenders to run up lopsided victories to impress the College Football Playoff committee. But the committee insists it doesnt take margin of victory into consideration when compiling rankings.- HOUSTON -- No. 3 Louisville (9-1) and Heisman Trophy favorite Lamar Jackson try to improve their playoff chances with a victory over Houston. Game starts 8 p.m.- PULLMAN, Wash. -- Washington State coach Mike Leach geets called a lot of things: inquisitive, outspoken, ingenious, odd.dddddddddddd Leachs quirks often mask his ability to build a program that is now ranked No. 20.- STORRS, Conn. -- The third-ranked UConn put their 76-game winning streak on the line when they host No. 2 Baylor in an early showdown in womens college basketball. Game starts 7:30 p.m.- LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The No. 7 Xavier men open play in the Tire Pros Invitational against Missouri at Disney World. The Muskeeters won this tournament last year. Game starts 1:30 p.m.- HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Carl Edwards is no fan of social media, but hell jump aboard if he wins his first NASCAR championship Sunday. Edwards lost the 2011 title on a tiebreaker and has a shot in the season finale at redemption.- LONDON -- Novak Djokovic beats David Goffin at the ATP finals to finish group play undefeated. The Serb is eyeing a record-tying sixth title at this season-ending tournament and looking to regain the No. 1 ranking from Andy Murray.- BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Much like last spring, the Lightning will have to make do without Steven Stamkos. The Tampa Bay captain is sidelined indefinitely after tearing a ligament in his right knee.- ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- The final PGA Tour event of the year begins at Sea Island, with defending champion Kevin Kisner and tournament host Davis Love III in the field at the RSM Classic.- NAPLES, Fla. -- Top-ranked Lydia Ko needs to win the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship to secure player of the year honors. Otherwise, that prize goes to budding star Ariya Jutanugarn. They open play Thursday. 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