While You Believe In Yourself, You Control Your Destiny
What would you think if you saw these words—”While you believe in yourself, you control your destiny”—every time you looked in the mirror?
The words have meaning for Kari Giles, who allowed me to ask a few questions. Kari entered the enlisted ranks of the Georgia Air National Guard and is now a First Lt. with the 116th Air Control Wing.
As you read the words above and review the questions below, you’ll understand how Kari excels at each challenge. Those nine words are the driving force that defines her life. I could provide a series of terms to define Kari’s personality, but I will leave that up to you. Kari will not know the overall impact she’s had and will have on the lives of those who meet her.
Kari has passion and perseverance that has helped her excel. When you first start with an exercise program you have multiple reasons why you will not succeed. Once the commitment is made, you begin to excel.
As you read, keep an open mind and consider what your motivator is to stay focused and to make a difference.
What is the passion that pushes you forward? What do you want the reader to know about Kari?
I painted this quote and I have it in my room so I see it every day when I wake up. “Remember why you started.” I started to compete competitively not only because I loved the multisport community but because it truly pushed me to be my best self.
I want people to know that I am just like them, a normal person. Age is only a number. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do whatever I put my mind to, that I controlled my own destiny. When you put your mind, heart, and soul into something, you can accomplish your dreams. What helps push me forward is knowing that I motivate others to pursue their dreams and passions by telling my story and showing them that they, too, can achieve when they believe in themselves.
What was your motivation to join the military?
My father had a huge influence on my military career. I still have this image in my head, and it makes me smile—remembering my dad putting on that uniform would give me this sparkle in my eye and the biggest smile. Seeing the sacrifices my father made for me, our family, and our country made me so proud, and I wanted to be just like him. I now look at myself in the mirror with my uniform on and what I see is him smiling back at me.
I was set on joining the Air Force Academy straight out of high school, but that’s when 9/11 happened, and with my dad being deployed, my family could no longer wholeheartedly support my decision. My dad told me to go to college to enjoy the college experience, and after that time, if I still wanted to join, they would support my decision.
I went to college, got my Bachelor’s in Science, and worked for a few years in the veterinary field. My job was rewarding, but there was still something missing. I wanted to do more—be more—and I truly wanted to make a difference. The military was still in the back of my mind. I enlisted in the Air Force as a traditional guardsman at the 133rd Air Lift Wing in Minnesota, at the age of 28, and I haven’t looked back since. I love every minute of it! You could say I was a late bloomer.
What changes has the military brought into your life?
The military has offered me so many amazing opportunities that have helped me pursue my dreams. I have been so grateful for my time in the military. It has presented my life with many changes, and most of them for the good. Starting as an enlisted member and transitioning to an officer—along with the people I’ve met and the jobs I’ve had—all played a huge role in making me the person I am today.
What challenges have you faced along your journey?
I feel I have had some of the normal challenges that many of us face from moving to new places, starting over, a time of unemployment, starting new jobs, getting divorced, and injuries. These have all presented physical, emotional, and mental challenges for me to overcome.
What are duathlons, and how did you get involved with them?
A duathlon is when you run, bike, and then run again. There are many distances, from sprint and Olympic, to half-ironman and ironman. My specialty is half-ironman distance (10k-run, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run). The reason I started doing duathlons was because it was a dare made by a coworker.
It was six years ago when I moved to Georgia and one of my new coworkers invited me to run a 10k with her and some friends. When we were done, she told me, “Wow! You’re a good runner! Have you ever done a triathlon before?” I was like, “What is a triathlon?” She gave me the details and asked, “You think you can do it?!” Well, I’m never one to back down from a challenge, so I said I could doggy-paddle since I really didn’t know how to swim, that I had a mountain bike, and I could run, so I was in! Little did I know, you really shouldn’t use a mountain bike for a road triathlon. After doggy-paddling my way through the swim and then riding my mountain bike, I still ended up in ninth place overall but loved every minute of it! The multisport community was so amazing and supportive, and I loved the physical and mental push of achieving something I never thought my body would ever do.
What do I need to do to prepare for a duathlon?
Start small (mini sprint or a sprint distance) and give yourself realistic expectations. Also, reaching out and finding your local multisport community and clubs will not only help give you the tools and knowledge you need to succeed but people to train with.
What is an average training week for Kari?
Working a full-time job that sometimes requires working on the weekends and considering what kind of race is ahead and its distance determine my weekly training schedule.
Typically, I get in three or four bike rides (150-200 miles per week), three or four runs (25-30 miles per week), two pool swims (cross-training 5000 yards per week), two or three strength mobility sessions, and one or two days of yoga. I typically wake up early to work out before work, sometimes spend my lunch break working out, and then, if I need to do a workout after work, I do that as well.
Looking back, what have been the two proudest moments of your athletic career?
One of the most memorable and proudest experiences for me was when I qualified for and raced my first World Championship race in Zofingen, Switzerland. This was for the Long Course Duathlon World Championships (10k-run, 93-mile bike, 18.6-mile run), known as the hardest duathlon race in the world. I ended up placing third for my age group. Standing up on that podium in my Team USA gear, representing the USA, was such an amazing experience for me.
Now, an even prouder moment for me is that I get to return to this race in May 2021, to again represent Team USA, but this time, as a pro, racing toe-to-toe with all those amazing athletes that I was amazed by just a few short years ago.
What are two events where you did all the wrong things right?
Well, this had to be my first triathlon that I ever did. One, I didn’t know how to swim—I doggie-paddled and had to the backstroke for half of it. I remember them yelling, “You are going the wrong way!” because I was doing the backstroke. I didn’t have tinted goggles, so I couldn’t see where I was going. Then it got to the bike, and well, I didn’t know there was a big difference in a mountain bike and a road bike. I used my old rusty aluminum mountain bike I’d had since high school, and even though I had all the heart and was pushing myself, you just don’t go that fast with that type of a bike.
In another event I didn’t eat or hydrate properly. In endurance sports, especially the longer races, nutrition is crucial. You may not be hungry, but you need to eat and drink, because once you start to feel it, it is too late. This has been one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned how to properly take in nutrition.
How do you process when the results fall short of the training expectations?
At first, of course I am bummed. I think that is a normal reaction for many of us. But after that, I remind myself that we all have bad days, we are human, and it’s how we respond to and come back from those days that show what type of athlete we are. I use these days as lessons to show me where I need improvement and where I need to focus, giving me the motivation to come back even stronger.
How has the United States Military Endurance Sports impacted you?
Being a part of USMES has allowed me to be a part of something great, something in which others share the same passion and vision as I do. From the outside, we are just regular people, but on the inside, we all hold this special drive. Not many people can understand the sacrifices one makes in both their personal and professional lives to achieve these goals they have set in front of them, and this community does. USMES has allowed me to take my love for duathlon to the next level, and I feel that surrounding myself with these other amazing athletes has given me that extra push to make it to the next level.
The USMES elite athletes are more than just amazing athletes—they have found that delicate balance between sport and daily life. It is not easy working full-time, traveling for the military, and being an active part of the community, all while training and racing. I feel being a part of the USMES supports my vision of striving to not only improve myself, but improve and inspire those around me. I also get to share my love and enthusiasm for the sport and prove that, with hard work and dedication, anyone can achieve what they believe.
In the multiple aspects of your life, is there a common thread to link them together?
My heart, drive, determination, and the acceptance of failure.
As a mentor to young women at the local high school, what do you share with the students?
I emphasize that you control your own destiny. Don’t wait for things to be given or handed to you. Be an active part in your community, get involved, pursue a higher education, show initiative, and try. It is okay to fail—use them as life lessons, and don’t let them get you down. You never know who is watching—you could end up being presented with an awesome opportunity or make an impact inspiring someone else.
What was the motivation for the tattoo on your collarbone?
I have the quote “The body achieves what the mind believes” along my collarbone to remind me that the mind is a powerful thing. “When you believe in yourself, you control your destiny,” and “the sky’s the limit to achieving your dreams.”
How do you handle injuries?
Not well. This is something I am still working on. Luckily, with the way my coach has me train, I don’t get injured very often. However, life happens, and last year I was in a bad car accident a month before the Air Force Marathon. I had to take 2.5 weeks off—no training—and then slowly get back to it. The first few days aren’t the hard part; it’s the days when you feel fine and want to get back out there when you risk doing more harm than good. I need to constantly remind myself to go slow. I can’t just pick up where I was. You have to believe that the fitness will come back quickly once you are healed. If you don’t, you end up prolonging your injury and possibly causing more damage than you initially had. After this accident, I did what my coach said, and I came back to take fourth overall military female in the Air Force Half Marathon, setting a PR.
How has the COVID-19 environment impacted your training?
My initial goals for 2020 were to be picked by Team USA as one of their pro duathletes to make the start line for the Viborg ITU Powerman Middle Distance Duathlon World Championships in Denmark and the ITU Powerman Long Course World Championships in Zofigen, Switzerland, where I wanted to place in the top 10 overall. I also wanted to go back to the Miamiman, which is the site for the Multisport Long Course National Championships, where last year, I placed second overall, and I wanted to try to take the National Championship. However, COVID-19 has put a huge damper on these goals and my training, so I have had to try to come up with new interesting training goals to keep myself motivated and push myself to new limits. This year, so far, I have done two centuries in one month, biked to the Alabama border and back totaling more than 700 miles for that month. I did my longest, farthest ride and with the most elevation gained, where I biked 114 miles with more than 25,000 feet of elevation in just over eight hours in the saddle. I am now trying to come up with interesting goals for my running.
How do you maintain balance in your life? How do you decompress?
Life is all about balance—you can’t just be going all the time. Life is about living and making the most of it. Thus, I try to incorporate me-time into my schedule, whether that is hiking in the quiet woods with my dog, yoga, or hanging with my friends and binge-watching Netflix. I try to take at least a few days a month.
What has a higher value: the results or the effort?
It’s 100% the effort, because at the end of the day, if you put in all the effort you could, then the results will sooner or later be what you want them to be. Not every race can go your way—sometimes people are just better than you no matter how hard you try, but if you know you did your best and you put in the effort, that’s what matters.
