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We met Tom at our tri clinic in 2018. It’s been fun to
watch his race skills and enthusiasm grow!! Here’s his
tri story:
"There I
was sitting on my doctor’s table several years ago, at
the year-end annual physical, and he asked if I’m open
to taking cholesterol medication. After a couple years
of the blood work results going the wrong way, this was
probably inevitable. But it still felt like a punch to
my oversized gut. If medication was necessary, then by
all means. However, I didn’t want it to be yet, and it
was obvious I had to get up and moving to try keep him
from writing that ‘script’.
So I googled
for activities, couch-to-5k type stuff, and happened
across Tri It Now’s Mini Tri. I always loved the water
but never swam laps, had just bought a bike from Dick’s,
and always loathed running. But the distances of the
Mini Tri seemed doable. At least I could finish that I
thought, and I had 6 months! A tri for my
tri(glycerides) as it were.
The
‘training’ started and it was rough. Stopping in the
middle of the lap cursing bc couldn’t make it to the
wall, heart jumping out of chest halfway up a hill on
bike, needing to walk after half mile of jogging. Before
I knew it June arrived, and ready or not had to do it.
It was all a blur; rested on too many laps in swim, took
too long in transition, walked several times on run. But
I finished and was more tired than I could ever
remember. It was also awesome and I was hooked!
Kept up the
‘training’ as a weekend warrior because worked too hard
to overcome years of inertia and not going back now.
Most importantly, blood work all improved at that year’s
physical, and all normal year after that. All thanks to
Tri It Now, Ina, and the great group of fun and
supportive triathletes. Introduced some friends to join
and stepped up to the 14.06 last year. While I’m no
where near competitive, I’m the happiest near last
finisher you’ll find, because being able to participate
for fun and fitness is its own reward. Looking forward
to ‘racing’ at Tri It Now for many years to come!"
--Tom
5/31/21
We've loved having
Mary Schade race with us for many years. And she
brings relay teams of newbies women to the Ladies'
Choice races annually...her way of giving them a taste
of triathlon! Here's her tri story.
I did
my first Tri many moons ago and did all three legs! I
thought to myself this is nuts!
However, I continue to do the Sprint Tri [Tune up Tri]
at the beginning of each season. My only goal was not to
be last. I’m glad to admit I’ve managed to not be last.
The
Mother’s Day Tri [Ladies’ Choice] I thought would be a
good race to introduce my lady friends to Triathlons. I
would gather friends for a ‘Schadey Ladies’ triathlon
relay race. Each year I tried to gather a different
group of ladies to participate in the relay with me. The
ladies were so excited to be a part of a triathlon. I
always did the swim part of the race.
Going
into my 75th year I hope to do a Tri this year.
Keep on
keeping on!
--Mary
Schade
3/20/2021
Charlie has been one
of our regulars for the last couple of race seasons. His
enthusiasm is infectious!
Hello. My name is Charlie
Rossi. Several years ago, through a medical accident I
lost the feeling and use of my left leg from the knee
down. There was a time where it was uncertain if I would
get any function back or not. After additional back
surgery and extensive rehab, I was able to get partial
functionality back, but I had to wear an Ankle-Foot
Orthotic (AFO) to assist my ability to walk. As a result
of all of this decrease in mobility, I packed on the
pounds and became less active than I had been. Fed up
with my circumstance, in 2015, I started working out
regularly, and was happy to find out that I could
actually run while wearing the AFO. After about a year,
I decided to give it a shot without the AFO, and I was
pleased to know that with some gait-modification, I
could run without the AFO. My goal then became to lose
100 pounds, which I did in 2017.
With my new mindset and
increased mobility, I signed up for a Tri It Now sprint
triathlon, and I immediately became hooked. It was late
in the Tri season, so I had to wait until 2018 to give
it a real shot. In 2018 and 2019, I completed all of the
available Tri It Now triathlons...and loved every minute
of it. In all 10 races, I was fortunate to podium in all
of them for my age group (55-59), and in two of them I
reached the podium for Overall Male. Quite the surprise
to me. With 2020 a bust due to the pandemic, I have
focused my efforts on training for the 2021 Age Group
National Championships in August, and I am scheduled to
compete in my first Half Ironman and first Full Ironman
as well.
I have found Triathlon
the perfect match for me to challenge myself, and it has
given me the opportunity to meet so many wonderful
people. The beauty of Triathlon is that it doesn't
matter your level of fitness, your age, your weight,
your gender, or your competitiveness-level ... it
affords you the ability to be active, to challenge
yourself, to be outside, and to live your best life. Get
up. Get going. Get out. Give it a Tri.
 v 
We thank Charlie
for telling the story of his entry into multisport and
where it is taking him next. Best of luck in all your
races! We're always happy to see your smiling face
at our Tri It Now starting lines.
3/8/21
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