JUST A MID-WESTERN GIRL. I was born in Illinois, the second oldest of nine. I was valedictorian of an all-girls Catholic High School. COLLEGE LIFE. I graduated from Illinois State University in 1988 with a B.S. Degree in Finance. I married right after college. I just couldn't resist his Silver Ford Pinto...oh, and we have a great time together too.

WORK LIFE. I worked at a bank for a year and have worked as a programmer for an insurance company since 1990. (Pretty exciting stuff so far, huh?). DISCOVERED BIKE RIDING. After our second son was born, I took up bike riding. Not long after that, I was introduced to the fun and challenge of week-long bike rides across states--Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado, Iowa, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, and have I said Iowa? Iowa is the location for RAGBRAI.

DISCOVERED WEIGHT TRAINING. Not long after I started bike riding (and turned 30), I wanted to increase my strength for these endurance rides. I fell in love with weight training. I am always reading fitness/nutrition magazines and books. I've competed several times in bodybuilding contests, attended a couple Arnold Schwarzenegger Classics, and it continues to be one of my main passions.

RAGBRAI BIKE RIDE HISTORY. I've been riding RAGBRAI since 1995 (missed 1998). You may remember me from such things as metallic and mesh outfits, wet T-shirt contests, and numerous beer/water slides. Good fun! BODYBUILDING CONTESTS. 03/1998 - Prairie State Classic (Illinois) - 3rd 09/1998 - Central Illinois Championships (Illinois) - 2nd 05/2000 - Show-Me Naturals (Missouri) - 4th, Heavyweight 11/2000 - Rockford Championships (Illinois) - 3rd, Middleweight 05/2002 - Caveman Classic (Missouri) - 1st, Middleweight 06/2002 - Junior Nationals (Illinois) - 7th, Lightweight 04/2004 - Vancouver Natural Classic (Washington) - 1st, Middleweight 05/2004 - Rockford Grand Prix Natural (Illinois) - 2nd, Middleweight

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT. I thought it would be fun to learn about developing a website. I had a lot of pictures, plus a lot of fitness information that I wanted to share. So, I went to the bookstore, bought a few books, and FitnessLynn.com was born on January 14, 2002.

CERTIFIED FITNESS TRAINER. On February 28, 2003, I officially became a Certified Fitness Trainer through the International Sports Sciences Association. This involved completing course work, participating in a seminar, and passing the ISSA test. I will work on continuing education through this organization to keep current on research and trends related to specific areas of health and fitness.