So, somewhere through the internet and/or social media you have been brought here, to this blog post.
What is Givin' A Tri?
In 2017 I set out on a mission to change my habits for my physical and mental well-being. After getting married and having 2 children, the minutes in the day were just no longer there for the time that I used to have to work on myself as a person. It’s not a selfish thing to want to improve yourself mentally and physically it is more so a necessity, at least for me it is. At this point I wasn’t keeping up with it and I didn’t want to set that example for my children.
This is when I started the couch to 5k program and dedicated what time I could during the days and weeks after making this commitment to myself. I also never knew of the running community that was out there, I would start to see the same faces training on the roads, the same faces race after race, and the comradery that I saw between everyone was very appealing.
I set out to find my own comradery and people I could rely on to keep my motivation. As we keep pushing our limits things don’t get easier, we just start leveling up what we can make happen physically and mentally, and push harder. This can only go so far when you are by yourself doing it, and it is always better to have company along the way. I knew of some people that were runners through friends, and seen people posting on social media about their training adventures. I had an idea that maybe I should start a private group of like-minded people that could push and motivate each other. It was a success, about a dozen of us linked up and shared our stories, beginnings and where we were headed. We would meet up at local races, take a picture and get moving, this was a huge motivation and morale booster to see these friendly faces in an environment that I was all still new to!
The whole “Givin’ It a Tri” name came from the fact that at the time I had started this group I was in the process of dreaming to do my first Triathlon (albeit I couldn’t yet swim at the time.) So, the name stuck and it is now synonymous to “Giving It A Try” as in if you want to do something new, give it a try, that might mean your first Tri, first running race, trail run, swim meet, whatever it is! You will never know your capabilities until you “Give It a Tri”. So anytime I see or hear this phrase now I think back to this group of 20+ people that are the core of my existence now, who accepted me as someone new, and gave me a chance to prove myself without any negativity what so ever. I am still thankful to this day to have met this group of people and hope to one day reunite with them in maybe our very own Givin’ It a Tri fun run! I’m not so subtle at hinting to my future ideas, so if my ORIGINAL Givin’ It a Tri crew is out there, be prepared! We might be lacing those shoes up again as a group and hitting the pavement!
Photo - The Original Givin' It A Tri Crew 2017 - Forever Grateful!
So 2021, Why now take Givin' It A Tri public across all platforms?
I will never forget the humbling beginnings when there was so much to learn in 1 sport, running, than there is now in Triathlon! I am by no means to Go To resource in anything specifically but there sure is one thing I can guarantee, HARD ASS WORK AND DEDICATION and I will always give the time of day to help someone just starting out as everyone else did for me along the way. Reciprocity is a huge deal for me, taking one positive experience and passing that onto someone else.
So here we are 2021, Motivated more than ever and looking to share the experiences I have had, and will have going forward. There has been so much to learn and still so much more ahead. If through all this, 1 person can get the motivation they need, 1 person could learn something they didn't know, it will make it worth it in the end!!!
"You Are Who You Surround Yourself With"