Pam Giese

Why do you race?
I race for 2 reasons – first, it allows me to feel like I did as a kid playing sports and being able to play, even though I am just a recreational athlete, makes the quality of my life amazing. Second, I race because it makes me train harder and it makes me train even when I don’t want to. I am lazy – racing keeps me honest.

What kinds of races have you done throughout your life and now?
This is only my 3rd season in triathlon – my first triathlon ever was on my 40th birthday. Prior to that, I never swam, I rode a bike only for transportation and I ran as a member of a sports team (soccer or basketball). An ACL, medial meniscous and cartiledge tear in my knee forced me to rehab-run. My first running season was a year prior to my first triathlon season and my first marathon was a Christmas present to myself in my 40th year as well. Now I run several dozen races per year, to keep me training and to measure my progress – I only race against myself and my against my previous time.

Have you learned any life lessons while racing?
My words of wisdom about racing are limited but I have learned this – where you place is all about who shows up on the same day. Even if you are world class, you can have the best race of your life and someone still may do better than you, or you can have the worst race of your life and come out in the top of the standings. Placing can feel wonderful, but matters little – going out and trying, that is what matters most. Racing teaches you to be humble and respectful of the diversity and strength in all others. Racing teaches you to stop feeling sorry for yourself and to just get out there and try. Racing teaches you that fitness and thinness are 2 very different things. Racing teaches you that your can empower others and share the feeling – there is plenty to go around.

From an active lifestyle view, what do you see in your future?
No one knows what the “big plan” is – I will train and race for as long as I can. I figure, sooner or later, my age and my times will align and I may just qualify for Hawaii! My real (and realistic) goal though, is to bring a handful more people into the sport every year and empower them while watching their progress. Coaching and training others creates a whole new level of enjoyment in sport.

What would you tell someone new who is getting started with an active lifestyle?
It is HARD to be active and live a healthy lifestyle – if it were not hard, everyone would be active and we would not have the epidemic of illness and disease that we have in this country. The “HARD” is what makes it great and what makes it rewarding. The difference between those who live an active lifestyle and those who do not is the decision to move even when you don’t feel like moving. For everyday that you get up and do some activity, despite not wanting to, despite the obstacles that get in everyone’s path at times, despite having to reprioritize your entire family’s schedule….. when you find a way, that DOES MATTER. Every single thing you do MATTERS. Be consistent, be patient and enjoy every moment of every single day – appreciate your health, respect your body and look to people like Dick and Rick Hoyt and Sara Reinersten for inspiration. My name is Pam Giese and I am a 42 year old woman. I am married to my best friend, my biggest fan and my favorite person in the world. We both love animals and pizza, my favorite color is purple and my lucky number is 13. I am a Nutrition Manager, Personal Trainer, Coach and Group Fitness Instructor by trade, but my passion and education are in Human Development and Behavior. I love Florida because I can be outdoors 12 months a year and I love the outdoors, the earth, the ocean and fresh air. My hope is that every person who is racing now as a recreational athlete will empower another, particularly a child or an underdog, to be active, competitive, humble and strong in activity. I believe that sport is a great metaphor for how we live our lives; play it clean and strong, even when no one is looking, and participate – avoid the sidelines and be part of the fun.

Contact Pam