This year I will cross something off my bucket list – completing a Sprint Triathlon! It is the Reston Sprint Triathlon, and it will take place on Sunday, June 3rd! I am about to turn 55 years old, and this will be my first sprint triathlon. I am up for the challenge! Plus, as you’ll see below, it benefits our community!
About 10 – 15 years ago I became fascinated with triathlons. I had only seen them on TV, and it was probably an Ironman! That seemed like an unobtainable goal to me, but then I found out about sprint triathlons! That seemed like a goal that I could work towards. You have to understand that 10 – 15 years ago I was overweight, and I barely exercised. How would I ever fit in exercising? Or eating nutritiously?
It seemed that my time was spent raising my children, taking care of my elderly parents, and running my two businesses. I realize that these are excuses, but that’s where I was for the past many years. Fast forward to five years ago and a life changing divorce. I started to feel more motivated to exercise. I had a personal trainer that helped me get to the point where I started jogging and then running 5Ks. I participated in a 5K for five months in a row. Winter hit, and I stopped running the 5Ks. Motivation waned in the last few years. I practiced yoga (and meditation) and walking and hiking. But that sprint triathlon was always in the back of my mind.
In 2017, I lost 20 pounds on my own. I did not use any particular diet plan. I reached deep inside of me for self-discipline in my nutrition. As the pounds started coming off, I again found a personal trainer in a friend of mine, Pilar Lorca who has her own personal training company called Fitness4Everybody. I started to feel stronger, even as I continued to lose weight.
Many years ago I had signed-up to receive emails from the Reston Sprint Triathlon organization. When I saw an email reminder to register come in early January, I was inspired to register! I have five months to train, and I am very excited! It just goes to show that anything is possible!
When I saw that there was a fundraising opportunity attached to the registration that will benefit the non-profit Cornerstones, I decided to join in and enhance my experience beyond my personal achievement. Thanks to my friends and family, I have already raised over $200 toward my $1000 goal. I’m a true believer in giving back to the community. There are incentives tied to the fundraiser, but even if there weren’t, I would still want to help raise funds for Cornerstones.
Wish me luck and steady training! See you on 6/3/18!
Brigitta S. Toruño
which also mirror Taralyn’s personal passion for sports. Ironically, Taralyn was introduced to CORE Foundation when she participated as an athlete in the 2016 Reston Sprint Triathlon (RST) which was also her first triathlon. RST is the largest triathlon in Northern Virginia, bringing together over 1000 athletes, and has a unique community feel. A portion of each athlete’s race fee is seeded back into the underserved community in Northern Virginia.
