Transcript
Rich: Welcome to episode 563 of the Grit to Greatness Endurance Podcast. I'm your host, Coach Lauren Brown, and along with my fellow G2G coaches, we are on a mission to help endurance athletes train smarter, race stronger, and build the grit it takes to achieve greatness.
Rich: Today, we welcome Kristen Keen back to share the next chapter of a story shaped by loss, hope, endurance, and transformation. So when Kristen last joined the podcast, which I think was almost a year ago now, so right, she was...
Kristen Keane: Yeah, a year ago, pretty much.
Rich: Yeah.
Kristen Keane: Almost to the day and when looking back at the release date.
Rich: crazy.
Rich: Oh, wow. Okay. So literally a year ago. So at that point, Kristen was rebuilding after a miscarriage and training for a 70 .3. Since then, she has carried her rainbow baby while continuing to train and successfully completing multiple endurance races, which we're going to definitely have to cover how many and what those were.
Rich: or Her story invites us to explore what resilience looks like when our bodies, our goals, and our sense of identity are all changing at once.
Kristen Keane: Yeah.
Rich: once. so Before we jump into all that, well, one, thank you, Kristen, for saying yes and coming back on the podcast.
Kristen Keane: Yeah, thank you so much for having me back. It really is an honor to to be able to share my story and I hope it helps at least one person because that makes everything all worth it. so
Rich: Yes, and I am. Very very confident that it will help more than one person. So I'm i'm really grateful that you're here
Rich: Before we... Jump into all of the things, a couple of shout outs for athletes that have races coming up. So we've got Anna Marie racing Ironman 70 .3 at North Carolina, as well as Lindsay Holmes racing North Carolina on October 17th. Joe Breen will be racing the Baltimore Marathon on the 17th as well. And then we have Chris Chodun racing Ironman California on the 18th.
Rich: as well as uh Debbie Vasquez racing Ironman California on the 18th as well. So we got quite a bit racing left in the season.
Kristen Keane: Yeah. And we've got some birthdays coming up as well. So Paul Hunsinker's birthday is birthdays on the 18th and we've got Elisa Monk on the 31st and Andrea Kidd on November 1st. So happy birthday.
Rich: yes Happy birthday team. And then. lastly before we jump into it is if you are new to grit to greatness or if you are curious about
Rich: being a part of our community. You do not need to be a fully coached athlete to be a part of Grit to Greatness. If you're looking for support, inspiration, a group of athletes who truly understand what it takes to balance life, work, and endurance sport, we would love to meet you. You can come and hear directly from our athletes and see what makes G2G different. you can find your grit and explore the community at grit to greatness, endurance .com. And, uh,
Rich: Come join us. so Now it is time. to oh did i
Kristen Keane: Are you there, Lauren?
Rich: Can you hear me?
Kristen Keane: think we're having some technical issues.
Rich: Rich might have to do some editing here because I think I froze
Kristen Keane: Uh...
Rich: So I'm going to keep the podcast going.
Kristen Keane: Not sure.
Rich: Rich, you might have to do some editing.
Kristen Keane: Oh, looks like we just lost Lauren, so hopefully She'll come back. In a moment.
Kristen Keane: Oh there you are. I can hear you.
Rich: What is going on here?
Kristen Keane: Click it. See you.
Rich: i back
Kristen Keane: Yes, you are back.
Rich: Okay. The timer's still going.
Kristen Keane: Heh.
Rich: So Rich, I'm going to just say here that you might have to do a little editing and I will let him know that at about minute four, my wifi cut out and hopefully that doesn't happen again.
Kristen Keane: Okay.
Rich: If you can have a smooth recording. All right.
Kristen Keane: That would be great.
Rich: Yes. Okay. All right, so. Jumping back into it again, Kristen. Thank you for for being here and for...
Rich: Our listeners who... have listened to the podcast already and maybe... heard your story. Can you just give us a little bit of a...
Rich: where you were at and where would you begin the story of this next chapter?
Kristen Keane: Yeah, so the last time we talked was right after I did the Marine Corps Marathon. So at the time, I was three weeks pregnant. I didn't know at the time that I was pregnant, had some suspicions, but was super hopeful. And so I...
Kristen Keane: spent a lot of time emotional during that race, which I normally am not particularly emotional during races that I'm not racing necessarily, but was doing for fun and to run with a friend. And so it was really. cool to find out just a couple days later after talking about my miscarriage and with my first pregnancy that I was actually already pregnant with my rainbow baby. So that was a really special time for me.
Rich: yeah that was i mean so for anyone who's listening i actually have the pleasure of coaching Kristen and was there through The heartache of going through the miscarriage and then.
Rich: Being able to watch you. Rebuild. After that, training for a 70 .3. When you think... back on the last. 12 to 16 months we'll call it What would you say? has changed the most in how you understand resilience.
Kristen Keane: Yeah, I think. That. Resilience to me is now... made up of all the small moments. So I think sometimes when we look at resilience, we look at how do you overcome like the really big tough life events and, in you know, losing my first pregnancy was a big tough life event. But a lot of that resilience was built over small choices every single day so it was you know choosing i'm going to
Kristen Keane: walk today because I can't run or I'm going to swim for 20 minutes even though I'm supposed to swim for an hour or whatever that may be and so choosing just to do a little bit and to keep moving forward a little bit at a time kind of builds up over time to that.
Kristen Keane: larger resilience that we. kind of that we strive for and we always want to have. And so I think not putting so much pressure on myself or really for anybody else, not put too much pressure on yourself that you have to do.
Kristen Keane: everything all at once that you have to get over things really quickly that you have to grieve a certain way or live a certain way or recover a certain way. It's just finding those little moments every day that like fill your cup or make you.
Kristen Keane: force you to take that half step forward because a half step forward is still forward.
Rich: I love that. I think it's important to... Remind for anyone who's going through something, whether it's miscarriage or any sort of loss where it's like, It's not everyone's on their own timeline.
Rich: Right. I think that people feel like pressure to have to return after a certain amount.
Kristen Keane: Right.
Rich: And when we think about resiliency. in the sense of the actual definition of... your ability to be able to bounce back. I think that. From watching you, it's like...
Rich: You bounce back you might have a set boce set setback and then you... bounce back a little bit faster and it's that ability to just say like I'm going to. bounce back.
Rich: When you look back at your journey, and again, I'm just thinking that. You and I have had this conversation where there's a lot of women that go through miscarriage and it's really not talked about as much as it should be and
Kristen Keane: Great.
Rich: i That's why I said at the start, like I know there will be more than one person that hears this and that wants to share this with a friend who's going through it, whether they're an endurance athlete or not. where It's.
Rich: It can feel lonely. It could feel like you've lost your identity. It can feel so many. so many different ways. And you're like, am I even like, what should I be feeling? And I don't think there's a right or wrong answer to that. But if somebody.
Rich: is going through this. What might be like advice that you would give them with? how to to like find that resilience like what's like an easy step that somebody could maybe take
Kristen Keane: Yeah, I mean, I don't know that any step necessarily is like easy, especially like in the initial aftermath of whatever significant life event that you're grieving at that time.
Rich: Right.
Kristen Keane: And so I think. uh to to your point it's it's knowing that you're going to get back up and so reminding yourself that that this may be a time where you've been kind of knocked down. You feel like you've had the wind knocked out of you. It feels.
Kristen Keane: and And for me personally, like with the miscarriage, it was initially like embarrassing and awkward. And I felt. you know, really ashamed, even though there was nothing I could have done and nothing that was my fault. And so I think it was really difficult to choose to move forward from that. And so I think just every day just choosing one little thing that
Kristen Keane: It... makes you feel better or, you know, if that's stepping, even if that's stepping outside for 20 minutes, like just to get some sunshine or whatever that may be. I think those are what I would call like the easier.
Kristen Keane: things to like force yourself to build up that kind of resilience pressure, if that makes sense of like.
Rich: Yeah.
Kristen Keane: It's kind of that momentum of. one thing leads to another, you spend 20 minutes outside in the sun and now you feel like, okay, I'm going to brush my teeth twice today instead of just once, you know, like those kinds of things.
Rich: Yeah.
Kristen Keane: and I think, you know, you can find your identity slowly in those little moments of every single day. things that you kind of you will let go when you're in that grieving process.
Rich: Yeah. And I've spoken to somebody else who had gone through a similar experience. And I think you and I may have actually discussed this. kind of thought process where It can happen where like. the second that you find out that you're pregnant.
Rich: you immediately can identify as. A mom. or a mom to be. and
Kristen Keane: Great.
Rich: that Like. it's like instantaneous your identity shifts and you maybe lose a little bit of your identity as an endurance athlete or who you were before you were now identifying as like the mom that you're going to become.
Kristen Keane: Right.
Rich: so when Fast forward now to where you are pregnant with Aurora and you are, you know. still training and and racing. so What did it mean for you? How was it maybe different?
Rich: to continue identifying as an athlete. Wow. carrying your baby.
Kristen Keane: Yeah, so I very distinctly remember actually during the Disneyland half marathon, just a moment where I was thinking. holy cow, I get to show my daughter that you can be a mom and, you can be an athlete and, you can do all of these things and, and that, you know, one aspect of your life doesn't necessarily identify who you are as a person. And so.
Kristen Keane: that excuse me, that you can kind of do all of these things and they're multipliers, they're not subtractions. And so whether you are a mom who chooses to stay at home as your full -time job and take care of your children, you're a mom and. Whether you choose to be a mom who goes back to work and spends you know some more time there, then you're a mom and. So it's not just, I think that really helped me. remind myself that I don't.
Kristen Keane: Just because I'm having a baby doesn't mean that who I am as a person is completely lost in that identity.
Rich: Yeah. And. I have to. Well... You have posted it on... uh instagram post a metal monday and so i i pulled this from there because so i I love the photo that you posted with this with all of your medals and your adorable baby bump and You had shared that.
Rich: During your pregnancy, you covered 69 ,000 yards of swimming, 440 miles of cycling, and 442 miles of running during that chapter of your life. so I want to know like a little bit about what those numbers represent, but also...
Rich: I'm curious about. how you navigated being comfortable training the volume that you trained, because I think we covered this on the last episode where it's like.
Rich: If you experience a miscarriage. i think it's like almost inevitable that you're going to rack your brain irrationally around what could I have done differently, even though. We all are. pretty aware that there's something else going on. It's not just like the one workout that went too hard that led to a miscarriage, right? There's other things. So One.
Rich: part of it How did you... navigate the idea of I'm gonna train I'm gonna do a lot of racing because I also want to hear about how many races you did while you were pregnant and like and amazing like i love all the photos and what do those numbers represent beyond just the totals themselves.
Kristen Keane: Yeah, so I think. what helped me decide to continue to train that volume were a couple of things. Number one, having you as a coach and being flexible and helping me kind of work around, you know, pregnancy and pregnancy after loss and all those things and your experience and training. other women in that space. And so that was really helpful. I also was in constant communication with my medical providers as well.
Kristen Keane: you know who we so who kind of talked to me about tweaking some of my training some of my racing so i for the first you know trimester. So really those first 10 weeks. So a little earlier than that. I...
Kristen Keane: kind of kept my heart rate a lot lower than i would have normally so that meant like a lot more walking than running and a lot less harder on cycling and all those things just to kind of Not that that caused a miscarriage or would cause another one, but just to kind of.
Kristen Keane: keep my body under less stress to try to give the pregnancy the best shot that it had. And so I think, you know, that, and then just the so like emotional support from, you know, my husband. and on those tough training days or those days where I just felt too sick to go do anything. I think.
Kristen Keane: having that really was kind of how I was able to navigate all of that training. And then, and really what it it kind of means to me overall and and why I was.
Kristen Keane: put all those numbers together is because I think a lot of times when we are training for endurance sport, we get really caught up in those individual. training sessions and sometimes even in those crappy weeks where every training session seems to go wrong. But when you put it together in the aggregate, it's actually quite a lot of time. It's quite a lot of effort. And so if you really look at an entire training season or an entire training throughout an entire pregnancy, like that's a lot of time and a lot of effort and a lot of miles. And so I think that was really special and and really made it feel like a lot.
Kristen Keane: bigger than than I had. given it credit for before. And so for how many races, I've been kind of like trying to remember mental math, but I did one full marathon again. i three weeks pregnant, so stalled.
Kristen Keane: Didn't quite know, but...
Rich: Yep.
Rich: but you're pregnant
Kristen Keane: and then, uh, I did one entire 70 .3 at 10 weeks. I did, uh, like a six mile beach run, uh, race, uh, at like a 12 weeks pregnant.
Kristen Keane: and then at 17 weeks, I did a 10 K and a half marathon at Disneyland where I placed a third in the military division in the 10 K. And then, uh, I did at 21 weeks or sorry.
Kristen Keane: that 18 weeks, I did a 15K. And then at 21 weeks, I did a another half marathon and 10K at Disney World, Princess Weekend, also placed third in the 10K and actually was a minute faster in the 10K at that race, which was even more special to be getting more pregnant. and getting a little bit faster since it's typically the opposite.
Kristen Keane: And I did slow down quite a bit towards the end of my pregnancy. And then doing the swim and then my 40th half marathon as part of the Gulf Coast Half Ironman, that's the shirt I'm wearing today, it was a really special.
Kristen Keane: And and huge shout out to my friend Greg, who rode the bike portion for me since I didn't feel quite comfortable at 31 weeks pregnant being outside on a bike. And he really crushed it.
Rich: is
Kristen Keane: So that was that was really special. in getting to kind of cross that finish line and my neighbor next door volunteers for Ironman. And she was actually the one that gave me my medal at the finish line. And so that was also a very special, surreal moment to have someone that I knew and and cared for kind of close that racing chapter for me while pregnant.
Kristen Keane: Not in this last pregnancy.
Rich: I think one of my favorite photos of you is coming out of the water. Like that was like the best, the one you're like.
Kristen Keane: i think
Rich: I think that's at Gulf Coast, right, coming out of this.
Kristen Keane: Yeah, it was Gold Coast, yeah.
Rich: where I'm like... This is like... Not only the best picture ever because you're like... Clearly like holding your belly and and also it was just like whoever gets that good of a picture coming out of the water Nobody ever looked that.
Kristen Keane: I have no idea.
Rich: I was like. how in the world like everyone always looks like
Kristen Keane: and
Rich: oh like you're like whipping her like it was perfect i love it So great.
Kristen Keane: Yeah, it's the only swim race photo where i like I come out of the water and actually looked. looked somewhat happy because most of the time i get out of the water and even though i love swimming it's still just trying to get my bearings after being in the water and and back out so
Rich: Yeah.
Kristen Keane: Oh yeah, I forgot I did a, yeah.
Rich: It's like a magazine cover.
Kristen Keane: Yeah, I totally forgot I did a 1 .2 -mile swim as well, like, a couple weeks before that as, like, a tune -up. so i Yeah, it was a lot of racing and a lot of fun. So yeah.
Rich: yeah And I just think it's like for anyone who's listening and. whether you're thinking about getting pregnant or if you're if you've experienced loss and wanting to try again it's like It's just it's such an amazing testament to what the human body is also capable of mentally and physically to be able to.
Rich: Bounce back. Train race the way you did and I do have to also point out when you were going over the numbers and saying how it's like you know, you could have one shitty week, you could have one bad session, but for anybody, like, I hope that resonates with anyone listening that.
Rich: like it's the consistency over time and what you've accomplished over the months that. really should be like standing out at everything that you're able to get done. so I just think So amazing. Bye.
Rich: Shifting gears a little bit. if we look back and we think about the the races that you did and with ways that we may have had to, you know, shift things and What kind of helped you decide what? what still still like served you so when you were thinking about like does should i be doing this race should i be doing that race should i be even like Strength training.
Rich: How does all like what helped you kind of decide what was?
Kristen Keane: yeah
Rich: still holding space for you and what you were letting go of.
Kristen Keane: Yeah, I think. I know that. uh Cardiovascular exercise has helped my mental health. more than anything else really over the last 15 years that I've been competing in in that.
Kristen Keane: space And so I knew. finding a way to safely maintain that capability was paramount not only for my mental health but also for my physical health and then the physical health of of my daughter so you know,
Kristen Keane: There's a lot of research out there now of women who exercise during pregnancy. Not only is it really good for your for you and the baby, but, you know, it it helps your your baby over over their lifetime have lower risk of type 1 diabetes, of having, you know, more muscle tone and lower risk of obesity, those kinds of things that that really help set your baby up for success and then also help you as as an athlete. and just a human being.
Kristen Keane: retain a little bit of who you are and feel better during the pregnancy and in the postpartum period, which can take quite a toll on on your body.
Rich: Yeah.
Rich: So this isn't really related to... Bye. training necessarily, but like Can you share a little bit about what it? like mentally, emotionally felt like.
Rich: Going through your second pregnancy after having the loss
Kristen Keane: Yeah. So it was really terrifying, honestly. I was, I was.
Kristen Keane: very excited to be pregnant again, but I was also really anxious about being pregnant again. And so like every appointment that we went to, I was like, oh my gosh, are we going to hear the heartbeat this time? You know, is there, and and really it wasn't until we had our anatomy scan at the 20 week mark where, you know, I kind of felt like I could breathe. We had all our genetic testing. Everything came back as like, this is a, you know, healthy, viable pregnancy. Your daughter has, you know, all the things that she's supposed to have and everything looks really good. And so it was at that point that I finally felt like I could
Kristen Keane: be a lot happier about their pregnancy and not so so so anxious about the potential loss again. And I think that also freed up some like space to to train a little bit harder and have a little bit more fun. So that's, I think, probably why I was a little bit faster in that 10K after that anatomy scan, because I was a lot more confident in the pregnancy.
Kristen Keane: and it's Ability to continue so
Rich: Okay, and then so what did... Like. Did you lean into support differently? What did that look like for you in terms of whether it was like family community? I know you'd mentioned before with like your medical professionals, but.
Rich: For anyone who is listening that. might be going through what you have gone through. Is there any advice you would give them on? where to look for for support, maybe what not to do if they're going through it in terms of support, for who to talk to.
Kristen Keane: Yeah.
Rich: Any any advice?
Kristen Keane: Yeah, I think what not to do, don't look at social media because social media is going to tell you you have to look and feel a certain way and grieve a certain way or celebrate a certain way or do. anything a certain way and what i have learned over the last you know throughout my pregnancy and even you know at least you know first almost three months of of my daughter's life is that everybody's experience is different everybody's baby is different everything is different and so you have to kind of
Kristen Keane: Dude. what works for you and so for me what was really helpful was leaning on you know my husband my friends and then also being open and honest with you and i think that's the biggest piece of advice i can give is you know be Find one person at least that you feel you can
Kristen Keane: wholly confide in and be completely honest about how you're feeling at all times because there's going to be sometimes where you have feelings and and some of that's hormone related but some feelings that are really tough and so having someone that you can confide in that can kind of help
Kristen Keane: bring you back to reality a little bit that like, hey, maybe that's not necessarily what's going to happen, I think was really helpful for me, especially in those really, really anxious times. And then also just talking to you, you know, it can be scary to be like, hey, coach, I... didn't do this workout at all today. Or like, I thought I was going to do it. And then I told you twice that I was going to get it done later today, both this morning and later today. And it didn't happen. But obviously, you never judged me for that. And you you are fully supportive. And so I think. Don't be afraid to like.
Kristen Keane: be open and honest with like if you have a coach, you know, with them, because I think that also helped. kind of shape the workouts a little bit better and that i wasn't as frustrated. I wouldn't be frustrated at the end of a workout if I didn't necessarily hit.
Kristen Keane: what the workout was supposed to be based on all the discussions we had and some of the adjustments that you made to my plan made it a lot easier to navigate. training as mine was growing a human.
Rich: Yes, I know. That was like one conversation where I was like, well, your your body's doing a lot right now. like
Kristen Keane: Yeah.
Rich: behind the scenes but not really and I think like that's like
Kristen Keane: Great.
Rich: even from a coach to an athlete standpoint, I think it's important for. coaches to understand too, is like. It. there has to be that constant communication, even about helping an athlete reevaluate their goals. Because I think.
Rich: the The reality is, is if you're a triathlete or an endurance athlete, like you're probably type A, you probably at least lean a little bit type A, right? And so, and and if you use the Tridot platform, this was another thing I think too, that it was like the second time, like kind of going through this where it's like.
Kristen Keane: Yeah. Yep.
Rich: You know, if so for anyone who doesn't use Trida, you get scores, but it's it's similar with like training peaks, right, where you're getting evaluated on how closely you execute a workout. And it's like. If you're not reeling it back ahead of time, you have to also be able to make like a game day decision and trust yourself and trust your body that going back to again, although.
Kristen Keane: Great.
Rich: the miles and the yards that you cover in training that it's like it's not that one workout that's going to make or break your training and you have to Honor where your body's at. reassess your goals and know that like your goals are going to have to shift a little bit.
Rich: at the end of the day
Kristen Keane: Yep. And that was that was a tough. a tough experience initially. And even later on in the pregnancy, it was still tough too, especially, you know, when I kind of had to decide, Hey, this is the end of running for this pregnancy. I think that was a a tough conversation, but I, you know, the right one at the time. And so to your point, having someone that could help me. kind of be a little bit more realistic about my goals. And not that you shouldn't shoot for the moon and do all things. I mean, there's women I've seen on Instagram that are like running 50 Ks. like
Kristen Keane: uh you know less than three months postpartum or four months postpartum, which is like incredible for them. but that's just not where I was at.
Rich: Yeah.
Kristen Keane: And so then that's okay.
Rich: Yeah. and something else that when we were talking a little bit about kind of like support and going through things and the different emotions that you feel another thought that comes to mind for anybody who's going through this is the idea of like Two things can simultaneously be true, right? Like you could be scared going through your second pregnancy after loss, but still be.
Rich: hopeful. you could be grieving the loss of your last pregnancy and still be really excited about your your current pregnancy. So did you ever experience that and any insight into the idea of...
Rich: two things can simultaneously be true and that is okay.
Kristen Keane: Yeah, and I think... I kind of talked a little bit about like the anxiety while I was pregnant, you know, of, you know, is this pregnancy also going to end in loss? And I think having my, my husband's an engineer. And so he's like a very like data driven person. And so it was really helpful to kind of lean on him and then, and be reminded that.
Kristen Keane: you know, I can. just because it happened one time doesn't necessarily mean it's going to happen again and that As we were. you know got as i got more and more excited about the pregnancy and about you know the viability and and now i'm going to have my daughter, you know, I think. it was really helpful.
Kristen Keane: uh to still have small reminders of the of the baby that we wanted and we lost. So, like, I still have, like, a little box with that first pregnancy test that I took with that. first baby and even though i never got the ultrasound picture because i wasn't in the place for that i still
Kristen Keane: you know try to remember like and and have like little reminders of of that baby. and you know, always talking about Aurora as like our rainbow baby is kind of like an homage to the baby that we wanted to have, but didn't get to have Earthside. And then the baby that we do get to have Earthside. So I think.
Kristen Keane: just kind of finding little ways to to honor whatever you lost and so that can be anything from you know experiencing a miscarriage to you know you trained for a race and and you didn't get that goal that you had for that race, you didn't finish the race that you trained for forever to get to, that it's okay to grieve that, but still enjoy. like anything that else that comes after or even happened during it so i think that
Kristen Keane: Really? help me kind of honor both the joy and the loss.
Rich: And. Like... outside of you but i'm your coach so i have had an inside view i'll say like it has been amazing too and an honor honestly to watch the transformation that kind of that took place from going from this point of Really, it was like, i mean because I remember the day you told me you were pregnant the first time around and I was like screaming on the street.
Kristen Keane: All right.
Rich: Because I remember I was on vacation.
Kristen Keane: Okay.
Rich: My family, I was like, oh my God.
Kristen Keane: and i Yes.
Rich: like running up and down by the beach, like talking about it. And then. on the same breath i remember you sharing the loss and it was like so
Kristen Keane: Yes.
Rich: devastating to hear that. and then again hearing about the pregnancy and it was like it was like yes it's like
Kristen Keane: Yeah.
Rich: this roller coaster that you go on and I wasn't really experiencing it Like. obviously i mean i was just an outsider but It's like. You've just, you've... you've handled things with such like with such grace and gratitude and Putting one foot in front of the other again. I mean
Rich: I know you just referenced that there's other like. Badass women that are doing 50k races, but like what you did during your pregnancy was pretty badass and on i mean even the person that commented on the post that i shared who was like i saw her running pregnant and it's like so
Kristen Keane: That was really cool.
Rich: Yeah, so...
Kristen Keane: That was really cool.
Rich: You are like. totally making a huge impact. And for anyone who's listening. What's something that you would want any other athlete navigating loss, pregnancy, or or a major identity shift?
Rich: Because that can be like an injury too, right? Where if you you no longer, running is taken away from you and you identify that's how you identify.
Kristen Keane: Yeah.
Rich: what's what's something that you think that they should hear or you know take away from the conversation.
Kristen Keane: Yeah, so I think a couple things. Number one, all of the things that you've done that loss can't take away from. So like when you're talking potentially like an injury that's keeping you out of sport or, you know, the the loss of a pregnancy, that's not taking away from.
Kristen Keane: from uh who you are now and who you can be, those are those can still be part of your identity as you move forward and shift into whatever this next chapter is. And I think...
Kristen Keane: It's... At the end of the day, it is continuing to... to put one foot in front of the other and reminder that you are whatever that identity was and so not they're you You never really lose that. It's just now you have a new identity to add on to that one. And so I think. Don't forget that everything is an and. It's you and.
Kristen Keane: So. So it's kind of. how I would take it.
Rich: I love that So before we get into the fun segment, I do have another. kind of post -pregnancy, postpartum question. So this can be for anybody, regardless if they're having a baby, if it's first baby, second baby. What did coming back to training look like for you? And what is...
Rich: next for you? I know, I know part of the answer, but that's okay.
Kristen Keane: Yeah. Yeah, so it looked a little tough initially.
Rich: Thanks.
Kristen Keane: So I had a a pretty long labor that ended in an emergency C -section under general anesthesia. So it was a pretty... uh extensive birthing process but uh so i think my return to exercise is a little bit slower But I started with like the little things that I could do.
Kristen Keane: So I can go for a 10 minute walk today while I carry the baby or I don't carry the baby. I can. you know do some deep breathing core exercises and so it was looking at what what can I do today and then building upon that. And so I'll get evaluated this week. for running so fingers crossed I can start running again this week but I wanted to make sure
Kristen Keane: follow the pelvic floor physical therapist recommendation as as the expert on that. But being able to to cycle and lift and we even just do walks, not just do walks, sorry, but do walks instead of running, I think.
Kristen Keane: has really helped me to do that slow build over time and so just reminding myself that Yeah, it took me 10 months. 10 and a half months to build and have a baby. It's okay if it takes me longer than six to 12 weeks to be ready to to train and race and do other things. So starting at the very beginning and and building that really strong foundation will set up my.
Kristen Keane: athletic. success for the rest of my life really, I think.
Rich: The time is going to pass anyway, so you might as well.
Kristen Keane: Yes.
Rich: Let it pass.
Kristen Keane: Yes.
Rich: and do the right things right, the right training right, the right recovery right.
Kristen Keane: Yep.
Rich: so
Kristen Keane: Well, and then so what that leads to you and what's up next is Ironman 70 .3 Chattanooga. So that's I'm really, really excited. I'm already signed up for it. We'll see kind of how that all goes and and where we move to next summer. but the the big lofty goal and I'll put it out there in the, in the universe is, is to do the lookout challenge and and do the full in Chattanooga next year as well.
Kristen Keane: And just kind of get my redemption from my first year where I had to do my swim in my hotel pool. So.
Rich: Yes, yes. Oh, my God. I love it. I'm so excited for this. next season. So, all right.
Kristen Keane: Me too. Me too.
Rich: We're gonna move on to the fun segment some of this We kind of we might we might know some of the answers to from the the questions we've already covered, but it's all good.
Kristen Keane: Yes.
Rich: So our fun segment is for... Two heartbeats, one finish line. Rapid fire. So.
Kristen Keane: Yep.
Rich: What is? one word for this chapter.
Kristen Keane: gratitude. And just grateful for for all of the experiences, even the difficult moments, because I think I don't remember who said it, but someone said, you know, thank goodness that I have the hard times because how would I know what the good times are?
Rich: That's it. Great reminder. What is a workout or race moment that made you smile?
Kristen Keane: Yeah, oh man, there were so many. I was thinking about this, trying to find a quick answer to it. So I think... Really cool was really any of the races that I did where I announced that i was I was pregnant somehow.
Kristen Keane: But I think the funniest one was I had a baby on board sign on my bike at the Haines City 70 .3. And some guy thought I was joking and like, oh, haha, baby on board.
Kristen Keane: And I was like, no, really, I am pregnant. He was like, oh, my gosh, no way. That's so cool. And so I thought that was pretty funny.
Rich: That's awesome. You're like, this is not a joke, sir.
Kristen Keane: Yeah. No.
Rich: All right. So what is a lesson this season taught you about patience?
Kristen Keane: Yeah, I think every day that I didn't have the workout that I wanted. taught me to be patient over. the the long haul and that it was the the aggregation of all of the workouts that really got me to to the end and not wishing away like every moment and being excited just because you're excited for the next thing doesn't mean you can be excited in the moment.
Rich: I love this next question because, again, it's like the things that you're saying I know should be resonating, obviously, with. women who might be listening to this, who have gone through what you're gone through or have concerns, but this is important for every athlete to hear.
Rich: Your answer, I think. So what's one thing you now celebrate that your earlier athlete self might have overlooked?
Kristen Keane: That I am happy with something is better than nothing. And that I was an all or nothing athlete before, but now it is something is better than nothing. whatever that something is.
Rich: I love that. amen all right finish this sentence greatness in this season means
Kristen Keane: Moving forward. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and finding what fills your cup so that you can keep doing that.
Rich: Amen. I love that. And I just. add I love you. I am so, so.
Kristen Keane: I love you too.
Rich: so
Kristen Keane: I'm so grateful Davi is my coach.
Rich: Yes, um'm I'm really like what an what an honor it's been.
Kristen Keane: Amen.
Rich: And I know I could. We'll, we'll chat more offline anyway. So, cause I could keep on going.
Kristen Keane: Yeah. course.
Rich: But. We will. Wrap it up there. So Kristen, again, thank you. And for our listeners, whether you're preparing for your first sprint triathlon, tackling a 70 .3 or chasing.
Rich: the Ironman dream, we can help you build a personalized roadmap. So if you have a coaching question, send us a message. You connect. You can connect with us through our website. You can engage with us on our G2G community. You can find us on Instagram at G2G Endurance. And we may also feature some of your questions on an episode. You can contact us also through our website at grit2greatnessendurance .com.
Rich: and then also Shout out for our sponsor. This episode is brought to you by Vespa Power Endurance Nutrition. Vespa helps you tap into steady, clean energy so you stay strong, focused, and in the zone longer.
Rich: Less sugar, higher performance, faster recovery. You can shop the link that will be in the show notes and use the discount code G2GVESPA15 to get 15 % off. so
Rich: Again, thank you to our listeners. Thank you, Kristen, for spending time on the Grit to Greatness Endurance podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, if it resonated with you, if you know someone who would benefit from hearing Kristen's story, please share, leave a rating, follow us. It helps us reach more athletes like you. So stay gritty.
Rich: Train smart. And keep... chasing greatness. We will see you all next week. week.
