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Melanie Henderson about her intro to triathlon and finishing on podium, being a top age grouper, long distance triathlon, Ironman World Championships, Kona, Airline Pilot athlete balance, living away from home
125 Plays7 months ago
As we move through life, we go through many different phases and priorities certainly change. Over time we grow and our appreciation for what’s important in life takes on different forms. That goes for family, friendships, careers and certainly our athletic goals too.
On this episode of Just In Stride we get to know Elite distance triathlete and top age grouper, Melanie Henderson.
Melanie started out as a track and field kid in her youth, always having fun with a healthy dose of competitiveness. She then moved from South Africa to the U.S in order to pursue a career as a pilot and that’s where a triathlete was born.
She proved to be a natural in her very first Ironman 70.3, placing 3rd in her age group and earning a stop at the World Championships. From that moment on, she was hooked.
We unpack her early success in the sport, the lessons she’s learnt along the way, the sense of community she feels and the pilot athlete balance she’s trying to find, so she’ll be able to fly in all aspects of her life.
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Thanks for tuning in to the Just In Stride Podcast. I truly appreciate you taking the time to listen and I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I did. Please take a minute after this to rate and review our show on Apple Podcasts. With your feedback we’ll be able to make the show even better and it’ll help us reach new listeners too. You can also find us on Instagram @justinstridepod and YouTube @justinstridepod for all the latest episodes and updates. Glad you came along for the ride with Just In Stride!
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Transcript
Introduction to Endurance Sports Podcast
00:00:03
Speaker
Hello, and welcome to the Justin's Drive podcast. I'm your host, Justin Puyese. If you love endurance sports, you've definitely come to the right place. On this show, we'll talk to athletes, coaches, and professionals who can help us reach our true potential. Being a student of distance running for over 10 years and interviewing people in the sport for the last five, I've learned a ton, but there's always more to discover. Everyone has a story, and I know you'll resonate with each of our guests as we embark on this new journey together.
00:00:34
Speaker
Join us at home, on the road, or while you run. Together we'll have some fun. So follow along on Instagram at Just In Stride Pod and your favorite podcast platform and prepare to be inspired. Come along for the ride with Just In Stride.
Discount Offer and Justin's Experience
00:00:51
Speaker
This episode is presented by our friends at Exact Nutrition, a tasty and healthy way for you to fuel your body before, during, and after a solid training session. I can't leave the house without a few fruit bars in my pocket and they never make it back home. Exact is offering you 50% off your order when you use the code justinstride. So head to exactnutrition.com and fuel your goals today. As we move through life, we go through many different phases and priorities certainly change.
00:01:20
Speaker
Over time, we grow and our appreciation for what's important in life takes on different forms. That goes for family, friendships, careers, and certainly our athletic goals too.
Melanie Henderson's Triathlon Journey
00:01:31
Speaker
On this episode of Justin Stride, we get to know a leap distance triathlete and top age grouper, Melanie Henderson.
00:01:38
Speaker
Melanie started out as a track and field kid in her youth, always having fun with a healthy dose of competitiveness. She then moved from South Africa to the US in order to pursue a career as a pilot, and that's where a triathlete was born.
00:01:53
Speaker
She proved to be a natural in her very first Ironman 17.3, placing third in her age group and earning a spot at the World Championships. From that moment on, she was hooked. We unpack her early success in the sport, a lesson she learned along the way, the sense of community she feels, and the pilot athlete balance she's trying to find, so she'll be able to fly in all aspects of her life.
00:02:19
Speaker
Welcome to the Justin Stride Podcast, Melanie. Thanks for joining me. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it. Yeah, you came across my Instagram feed. I follow a lot of triathlon running stuff and your name popped up. Yeah, so I'm super pumped to speak to you about triathlon, especially since I'm getting back into the sport. That's great. Well, I hope I can motivate you to get back into it. Yeah.
00:02:45
Speaker
Well, I did. Yeah. I'm starting to do some, like some bricks. I have an event in like in a few weeks now and, um, just kind of trying to get back in the flow of things and multi-sport where I was just focused on running for a bit. So yeah, I'm looking forward to picking your brain too. Oh, good. Well, you got me on a good time. This is race week for me. So nice. So what do you have coming up? Yeah, I have Chattanooga 70.3 this weekend. Okay. And that's a, that's a very popular race, right?
00:03:13
Speaker
Yeah, so I've never done this specific one before. I was actually signed up for it two years ago to do it. But then like two weeks before the race, I found out that my bike had a crack in it. The frame was like completely cracked. So I was kind of bikeless for a little bit. And, you know, it was outside factors. And I just kind of decided not to do that race. So hopefully this year will be a better one. So how I'm always worried about this.
00:03:42
Speaker
this type of thing with bikes and tracks and you know, cause some of the, you know, we're going to high speeds, you know, when you're, when you're doing big climbs, you've got big descents and I'm always worried like, is my bike okay structurally to handle this?
Bike Safety and Equipment Challenges
00:03:57
Speaker
And like, did you, how did you discover that?
00:04:00
Speaker
Um, well, it happened during traveling, unfortunately. Uh, and my bike is black and I didn't actually notice it. So I was traveling with my bike, you know, did a couple of rides afterwards on it, but before every race I take my bike into the bike store to do like a pre-race checkup. And the guy called me and he's like, I need you to come in like as soon as possible because we have a little bit of a problem. I was like, what do you mean?
00:04:27
Speaker
And so he found a crack on my seat stay and I didn't see it because it was black and it was kind of hidden, but he's like, you're so lucky you didn't crash while training on this because it would have been catastrophic. So he's like, you cannot not have this, like, like, you cannot like race with this. And so, yeah, like I had to make a decision on the spot and I was bikeless for a little bit, but yeah.
00:04:56
Speaker
I mean, it happens. It's part of it. You know, it's just one of the risks that you take when you travel with your bike. And so investing in a really good bike box is probably worth it. So at that point, you didn't have any bike box. I did have a bike box and I did have it padded really well. I guess like just, you know, it was a soft bike box and maybe like the way that they threw another bag on it or something must have just cracked it.
00:05:25
Speaker
But yeah, that's crazy. And did you have, have you had any like accidents or close calls on your bike or like overall out of everything that has happened? Uh, yeah, I mean, so one of my friends told me one day when I first started in the sport, she's like, listen, it's not a matter of, uh,
00:05:45
Speaker
Like if you crash, it's a matter of waiting. So you just got to be prepared for it. At one point, you're probably going to wipe out and just, you know, hope for the based. But so for me, a car pulled in right in front of me one day while I was riding.
00:06:00
Speaker
And I teed him over his, you know, the hood or bonnet, and I flew right over it, over the car. And the weird thing is, I was perfectly fine. I stood back up, my bike was fine. And I was just like, you know, adrenaline was just, you know, rushing through me at that moment. But, you know, I had a little bit of a neck sore. But after that, it was, yeah, I don't know how I just got up and
00:06:28
Speaker
Road back home, but yeah that happened after you hit a car. That's crazy. Yeah, it was it was bizarre It was like a little 19 year old kid. He was on his way to school or you know university or something and Yeah, that's nuts
00:06:44
Speaker
Yeah, and I had this like accident in front of my house, like no speed on my bike and I flipped over the handlebars and I don't know if you could see it, but I had this scar on my forehead and I had like a little concussion and I was like, it was brutal, but at no speed. It was literally probably negative speed that I was going at.
00:07:02
Speaker
It makes you feel so stupid. I mean, I think when we all start out riding, we all have the the slow side fall when you can't unclip fast enough. I think we've all had that one before. And it's the most embarrassing fall, but you just you just have to get through it. Just own it, smile a wave and move on. Yeah, that's probably 95 percent of my falls is this type of fall. Yeah.
South African Roots and Athletic Ambitions
00:07:27
Speaker
So, Melanie, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where did you grow up? Were you active as a kid?
00:07:32
Speaker
Was it triathlon? Were you destined for triathlon, could you say, or was it something else? If I were to tell my 18-year-old self that I was going to do Ironman's, I would be laughing so hard. So I'm South African, grew up there, went to school there and everything. I only moved to the States when I was, I think, about 24. So I spent my whole life in South Africa.
00:08:00
Speaker
So while I was growing up, I was an athlete. I did hurdles. I was a crack athlete, so I did hurdles. And I was also, we have what they call netball. So I played netball and that was kind of like our primary sport or what I did in high school. So then after high school, I mean, obviously like sports, when you grow up, you know, kind of like as a mindset, you don't do it for a lifestyle. So it's always been a hobby.
00:08:30
Speaker
So I always wanted to become a pilot. And so I, you know, approached that. I started my private pilot when I was 17 years old. And after high school, I finished it. Then I came to the U.A. to do my dispatch certificate. And, you know, I finished that, went back to South Africa. I had met my husband. He's American while I was in school.
00:08:58
Speaker
And that's eventually how I ended up coming over. So then while I was in the US, my first two years, as you know, as an immigrant, like you're not allowed to work until you have your work authorization and your visa permits. And so I wasn't allowed to work for a long time. And so I decided after when I got my work authorization, I started my flight training to do my instruments and commercial
00:09:29
Speaker
So we moved to Pensacola, Florida, did that, but I was anxious, right? Because I'm used to being an athlete, I used to train, I'm used to being active. And for that two years, I was kind of just, you know, working out for, you know, just to be fit and didn't really take anything seriously, just kind of, you know, did what everybody else do, right?
00:09:52
Speaker
Um, but growing up the way I did, like there was a constant goal. There was a constant thing you're chasing your, every day you're dedicating towards training. And it started like, I had that little itch, right? You need to do something again. Um, so I, I started working at this CrossFit gym and I eventually did my CrossFit certification. So I became a CrossFit coach.
00:10:17
Speaker
And so that was fun. I enjoyed it. I really just did it for the community because the community was, especially if you're moving to a new town, meeting friends, that's the best way to get into a community. And one of my friends was like, hey, you want to sign up for a triathlon? So I go, you mean I have to swim and bike and then run? No, hard pass.
00:10:47
Speaker
you know, being an athlete from, you know, as a little kid and everything, you don't have to ask me twice to do something. And I was like, it sounds, it sounds okay. It sounds like I can do it. Like, what's the worst that could happen, you know, and so
00:11:01
Speaker
I borrowed gear, I borrowed a bike, you know, had to learn how to put a witsuit on for the first time and all of those kinds of things. And so my first triathlon was the Gulf Coast 70.3, the Ironman, half Ironman 70.3. So I did that. And by my surprise, I got third place.
00:11:26
Speaker
So I was like, well, okay, that's great. You know, so, um, yeah, it was great in terms of, you know, I had zero expectation and it was my first marathon ever. Um, so I qualified for the world championship. So then it just kind of snowballed. Then it all just, you know, I went head first into the sport. It went from zero to a hundred miles per hour within a couple months.
00:11:55
Speaker
And so, yeah, I mean, that's how I kind of, you know, the short story of how I got into triathlon is, you know, I had, I was within a community, a big triathlon community, and I had friends that helped me out with it. You know, I had friends that did it, and they're like, Come on, you can do it, like, just train with us, you can do this, you can do that. And, you know, so you just kind of fall in with friends. And yeah, that's how it started. So then when I did actually pretty well on my first one,
00:12:24
Speaker
You know, it's kind of like the rest is history. Um, but that's what started it all. Uh, so I was never a cyclist. I was never a swimmer. The only thing I knew how to do was run. And I didn't even know how to run long distance. I mean, you know, being in high school, I did, you know, 400 meter hurdles. So that's basically the furthest I've ever run. I've never done a 5K or a 10K before I, when I warmed up, I would just run around the track a couple of times and that's it.
00:12:53
Speaker
So yeah, that's how I got in it. And that's a little bit of history for me. Like you were mentioning that you always had goals growing up, you know, through sport and stuff like that. Where did that come from? Was that like an internal thing or was that through school programs or family? Yeah, so my school was
00:13:15
Speaker
uh, you know, my school is pretty competitive in sport. So, and I've always been a good athlete in terms of, it came naturally to me, the running part, my dad was a big runner. So, um, he used to be a long distance runner
Balancing Triathlon with Career and Family
00:13:30
Speaker
and he did like ultra marathons and stuff. So I kind of grew up with him training, you know, running as well. So it was like, since a little kid, that lifestyle was like ingrained in my brain. And, um,
00:13:43
Speaker
Yeah, you know, so you're in, you're in school, and there's a track coming up, and then there's this coming up. And then when you win this meet, then you qualify for the next one. So it's not really like, you know, it's just like, there's always this thing that you're chasing, you know, and then you have you want to go to nationals. So then it's like, okay, this is possible, then you train for that. And then in netball, it's a team sport. So we had like all these tournaments, and all these tournaments build up to like the big one, you know, the
00:14:12
Speaker
National championships and stuff like that. So it's always been there's always been a goal that you're chasing So and your approach to sport has it always been like you seem very at ease with it You know just like set a goal and try and and do well or have you been like really competitive? Um, it started off as you know, let me just go and have fun. I've never done this before let me just you know, I'm just gonna go and have fun and I
00:14:42
Speaker
After that, I did the world championship and I loved it. It was, you know, just the vibe, you know, that, you know, it's an Iron Man in vain. So, you know yourself, like, it's just, you can't resist it. You're on such a high. And so, it turned out to be pretty good at it. And then after my first world championship, that's when I only got connected with a coach.
00:15:08
Speaker
And so it was just a game changer. And when I started working with my coach, that's only when we started setting like more specific goals. You know, we started looking at the races more in depth. We started looking at, you know, my weaknesses and strengths. And then we started like putting goals together in terms of swim, bike and run. And, you know, so at first it was very relaxed, just like go with it.
00:15:34
Speaker
But then as I got more serious about the sport, I went into more specific, you know, smaller goals into each discipline and also eventually like the big goal that is like, you know, what do I want out of this? Right. So yeah. Well, what do you want out of it? Right. It's a, it's such a hard question. Right. So, um,
00:16:00
Speaker
Because they look at triathlon as a lifestyle. And so triathlons, you know, as an age grouper, I feel like, you know, pro triathletes, that is like part of their business, their brand, you know, so they have different goals. But as an age grouper triathlete, you have to look at it as your lifestyle that you're trying to incorporate into your real life, you know, your work, family life balance. And so
00:16:29
Speaker
Your goal for triathlons changes as your life phases, you're going through different lives, you know, life changes, that changes with it, right? So, you know, where my goal at first was just to have fun and do it with friends and community, it changed into
00:16:47
Speaker
you know, I want to qualify for the World Championships again, I want to do this, I want to have, you know, be on the podium again. And then it changed from that into, okay, I want to go to Kona, I want to go, you know, I want to go to the Big Island. And so it changed to that, to now, my life had, you know, kind of, I'm now moving into a different phase of my life, you know, with work and family and all of that. And so now it kind of changed into
00:17:17
Speaker
I just want to keep it to stay healthy and stay in the game and to do it the best of my ability to see that if I can actually balance being an airline pilot and a triathlete. So now I'm moving into this work triathlete, like pilot triathlete phase where I'm trying to balance it all. So I honestly don't know what to expect this year from my triathlon races because it's a completely different approach.
00:17:45
Speaker
So yeah, that's how I feel like, you know, our goals change as our life change. So our expectations have to shift with that too, right? Exactly. Exactly. You can't like, if you have a big life change in your, in, you know, in your personal life, you can expect for triathlons to just maintain the same goal and the same path. Like it's obviously going to affect, you know,
00:18:11
Speaker
what lifestyle you're leading. How's that going for you? I
Training Adaptations and Challenges
00:18:17
Speaker
know you were on call even right now for a flight. It makes training tricky, I can imagine. It does. Because I don't live in my Dharma style, my base that I'm in, it does make it hard because I don't have all my gear with me. I don't have my bike with me.
00:18:38
Speaker
You know, it's you're in the New York area. So you you can't really go on a bike ride, even if I feel like, you know, they're not going to call me out today, but you don't want to gamble with it because I have to be at the airport within two and a half hours. So I can go out on a bike ride and they call me out and I'm two hours away from home.
00:19:00
Speaker
So you have to kind of just be creative. I have, you know, friends with a pallet on, you know, so that's kind of like how I've been, you know, staying in a cycling game. Swimming is great because you can go to any YMCA, like there's a YMCA in every single town. So you can find a pool anywhere. That's the good thing about that. You can run anywhere, you can find a pool anywhere. So it's just about, you know, the cycling is hard. And then, of course, I
00:19:30
Speaker
The running is fine. But it becomes challenging if you have like a track workout or if you have like intervals because sometimes you're in an area that is extremely healy and you're like, well, I can't do my track workout right now because there are tons of hills. So then you have to shift it and maybe do some heel workouts. So it's just it's
00:19:51
Speaker
It's been a challenge, but I just, you know, have to keep on be creative and see like, what can I do today? And, you know, in the beginning I was kind of like too stretched out about it. And I was like hard, too hard on myself about it because I'm not hitting my green training peak workouts. You know, usually when I looked at like last year, when I would look at my week, it was like all green blocks. And now if you look at my week, it looks like a Christmas tree. So,
00:20:19
Speaker
It's just I had to make that mind shift change about what's important here and let's just try and stay creative. It's hard to keep momentum going too, right? Oh, for sure. I mean, I sometimes hit a very mental low that I'm like, screw that, I am not going to work out right now.
00:20:43
Speaker
So, yeah. Well, are you still excited to race, even if you feel like you might not be at the peak? Because you know probably what peak training feels like in comparison to where you are right now. Are you still excited to go out and see what you got? Because I'm not a top age group, but I still have that, where even if I have a race coming up, an accident happens. Right.
00:21:09
Speaker
things aren't going according to plan, but I'm still game to kind of see where I'm at, you know? Yeah, I mean, I am excited. I am excited to see like, what? What is this race going to look like for me, because I haven't put nearly as much effort into it as what I usually do. So I am kind of excited to see like, you know, we all like go with this mindset of you got to put in the work and
00:21:38
Speaker
I am putting the work, but not nearly as much as I've been doing over the past years. So I'm excited to see like what that actually means for me. Where do I have to change things up? Where do I have to tweak things? So yeah, it is, you know, on the other side, I'm also kind of like scared of it, right? Because what am I going to be like 30 minutes slower than I usually am? Am I going to bonk on the run? I don't know. Like, you know, I don't know what my body is going to do.
00:22:09
Speaker
And so I talked to my coach about it a little bit and he was also telling me that, listen, you got to trust the work that you've put in over the years that that will carry you over. And so that's what I'm mentally telling myself to keep on going is that my previous years and months I've worked really, really hard and that will carry me through.
00:22:33
Speaker
Yeah, I find that's interesting to actually like re-entering because I'm five years removed from my last like triathlon and then getting back into it.
00:22:44
Speaker
You know, it takes a while to get back up to speed, let's say, but in terms of just an endurance base that you have, somehow it's, it stays there. Like I've been running for, for years after triathlon, but not really swimming, not really biking. And then you kind of get back on the bike. You get back in the pool and you, I don't know. I've been surprised just to, you know, that I'm not winded, you know? Yeah. Like muscle memory. It's a real thing.
00:23:10
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, I don't know about you, but if I haven't been on the bike for a long time and I get it back out there and it just feels so great. It feels exhilarating. I'm just like, man, this is why I love it. Every single time I get on the bike outside to ride, I'm just like, this is great. This is why I'm doing it.
00:23:29
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. Super fun. And you get to see things differently than you would. It's fun to run trails on the roads around here where I am, but you get further on a bike than you can with the exception of a car. But you can get further on wheels than you can on your feet, and it's nice to see something new as well.
00:23:50
Speaker
Um, when you got into, you know, that your friend asked you to, to sign up for this, this half iron year, you had some sports that were brand new to you. What was the most intimidating for you? What did that, I remember what my process looked like when I was getting into it also. Um,
Overcoming Swimming Challenges
00:24:09
Speaker
it sounds like he had some, some good teammates or mentors to kind of guide you for like whatever the struggles.
00:24:16
Speaker
Right. I had friends that helped me with it. But ultimately, like, number one, the swimming. Before I started triathlons, I've never been in a pool in that way, right? Like, yeah, we all can swim. But I've never had to actually do freestyle in a pool. So that was number one, my biggest challenge. And I think I speak for a lot of triathletes out there where they feel like the swim is their biggest challenge.
00:24:41
Speaker
And this on that part real quick, so just keep on swimming goes a long ways. And I had some mentors I did open water swimming with like I am extremely fortunate to live in a place where we can do open water swimming and it's absolutely beautiful. And so the one day
00:25:01
Speaker
This is such a funny story. The one day I was out riding my well, riding my bike. And well, I parked at this parking lot and right next to the beach and these four old guys, like kind of stared at me. And so they go, Hey, are you gonna go out for a bike ride? I go, Yeah. And
00:25:21
Speaker
I'm like, are you guys gonna go for a swim? Because they had their goggles on, their cocks and everything. And they're like, yeah, and the one guy goes, you want to join us? I said, no, I don't have my swim gear with me. And the old guy who's now one of my really dear friends, he looked at me and goes, well, we don't care.
00:25:40
Speaker
And so long story short, they told me about the local triathlon group. And so I joined them to start open water swimming. And the one day, like two weeks after that, I joined them in one of their open waters. And so they started off and they're like, yeah, we're going to swim 4000 yards.
00:26:02
Speaker
I go, Huh, yeah, I rock up there with like my one piece swimsuit that has like bows and like tassels on the side. It goes on necklace, you know, I have no idea what I'm getting myself into. And so we start swimming. And the one guy who's kind of like, you know, the the leader of the group,
00:26:23
Speaker
He just told everybody else is like, listen, Melanie is going to swim and she is not going to give up. I don't care how long it takes her to finish these 4,000 yards. And I don't care if we have to stop 10 times. She's going to finish it because this is going to set the pace for her. Mainly, you know, to do open water swim. And I, I'll tell you, like it had carried over so far for me.
00:26:50
Speaker
you know, just that one thing that he's like, she's not quitting. We're not going to let her quit. And we're going to stick next to her the whole time until she finishes. Like before that day, I've never swam like a mile. And then they put me in the friggin ocean and I have to swim 4000 yards. But it was it was great, right? Like so I overcame that fear pretty quick. And so that was the beginning of the open water story.
00:27:18
Speaker
Isn't that funny? Yeah. But you need that, right? Like, especially, like, it's intimidating. You look down, it's dark. Yeah. So we're lucky in Pensacola, where I live, our waters are crystal clear. It's like the Emerald Coast, so we can see the bottom, which is great. So when I go to California and I have to swim there, it's scary still for me because I can't see my arm.
00:27:47
Speaker
But so other challenges I had with the sport, I think like the biggest one for most people in terms of, you know, not to shift focus from a specific discipline, but the biggest challenge is managing training with your life and like with your lifestyle, your job, you know, like family life, all of those kind of things.
Sacrifices and Training for Kona
00:28:11
Speaker
So that was a big challenge just to
00:28:14
Speaker
especially when things had started picking up for me when I was getting more serious, more into the game. It was a big challenge to just keep going at it, keep grinding at it. A lot of sacrifices that you have to make. You can't go out every night with your friends, or you can't go on vacation so much as you want to. Or if you do go on a vacation, it's for a triathlon.
00:28:43
Speaker
So there's definitely the biggest challenge out there is when you do Iron Man, it's managing, doing that family life triathlon balance. And that's for sure, because you have to do all the sports. It's not just like, oh, I'm going to go for a run today, and then it's done. Right.
00:29:05
Speaker
do multiple sports in a day. Was there a schedule that seemed to work well for you or one that you would say is good for a beginner? So my schedule last year, if I think of 2023, it's kind of a haze because my number one priority was I was a flight instructor at the time.
00:29:30
Speaker
And meaning that is I had to build up a certain amount of hours before I can go to the airlines. And so that was my number one priority. But then also, that was a big goal. But also going to Kona was also a big goal. So I was like, how the hell am I going to do this? And I'm just going to have to do it all. And a lot of my friends and family were telling me you can't burn the candle on both ends. I kind of did at the end, but I pushed through.
00:29:59
Speaker
Being a flight instructor, you kind of go day by day. You can schedule your days out as much as you want, but you're relying on weather and maintenance and all of that. So I had like had to schedule my days to start flying early due to flights in the morning early.
00:30:18
Speaker
And then I know it's getting super hot, you know, it's Florida. So then I would go for a swim at like noon and then finish swim, go back flying, get done with flying and then do my second workout in the evening. So I like kind of did all of that that way. Um, I would, they know, I was fortunately enough that I could create my own flight schedule that I could like tell my students, Hey, can we fly in the morning earlier? Can we fly in the evening? Because I have this or that going on.
00:30:47
Speaker
So I was in a very fortunate position that I could manage both of those schedules, but it was definitely a challenge time management to just do it all. So now I have to look at the weather, right? So the weather looks great on Sunday. Now, do I really want to give that up? Do I want to tell my students I can't fly because I have to go on a bike ride?
00:31:14
Speaker
So I had to sometimes, you know, be creative with that and do my bike ride on a rainy day, instead of and then use a sunny day to fly with my students. And so it was it was just like a little bit of it was a big challenge, trying to manage all of that. But somehow I made it work.
00:31:36
Speaker
I remember when I was training for Kona last year, um, I would do my two flights in the morning and I was heat training. So they know it in the middle of August in Florida, go like at noon, go for my long run just to get that done, you know, jump in a cold plunge and then go back flying. And I'm like, well, thank goodness. I didn't like drop down data next to the road or something, but
00:32:03
Speaker
It was a challenge, but I just knew there was no other option.
00:32:12
Speaker
Like giving up wasn't an option, stop training wasn't an option, and stop flying wasn't an option. So I had to figure out how to do all of it. And juggle everything, right? And so that's probably a good place, geographically. We can't always choose where we're going to be able to train, but getting that heat training certainly is probably such a pretty good place to race anywhere, right? Oh, yes. Yes. It was definitely, I feel like,
00:32:38
Speaker
The fact that I trained in the humidity carried over to my raise in Kona extremely well, like it helped me so well, you know, the fact that I was used to that kind of humidity, and I kind of just forced myself to push through it, you know, and it's, you know, then you can kind of see how your body reacts to it, what do you need more like nutrition wise, you know, so it definitely, I benefited a lot out of it.
00:33:05
Speaker
That's a, and that's the dream race for most triathlon, uh, triathletes, right? Like, I mean, that's the Mecca of triathlon. What was your, what was your experience like, you know, you know, getting there, you know, late in the game, I guess too, right? Like you, you, you definitely earned it. You're, you're, you're very competitive in your age and, and that's kind of how you get to Kona with, with the golden ticket. Yeah, it was, um,
00:33:33
Speaker
Man, Kona is I definitely want to go back. I mean, it was so it was so amazing that I was like, I want to do this again. I want to work hard again and I want to come back for a second time. So maybe not this this year. I'm not going to go to Nice, but maybe I'll work hard and see if I can get that slot next year. Once I figured out how this airline pilot business works out.
00:34:01
Speaker
Um, so Kona was just being there, the vibe leading up to the race, you know, the couple of days before the race, it's, you know, it's just like every day it's this buildup, you know, you're amongst athletes that has worked their asses off to get there. You know, everybody is just, you can feel how everybody's excited. You can feel how everyone around you is just extremely grateful to be there.
00:34:31
Speaker
and that they know what a big honor it is to be amongst all of these athletes because now you're you're around you're surrounded by the base stuff, the base right like it's it's such a big, you know, heartfelt feeling.
The Kona Experience
00:34:46
Speaker
Um, and it's very emotional for a lot of people. And, um, my coach was telling me is like, get ready. You're going to cry when you run through the finish line. You just know it. So, um, Kona is definitely worth it because just knowing you're there, you know, you've made it. Um, just being able to cross that start line is just an amazing feeling. And my favorite part of any race.
00:35:17
Speaker
is like every race you go to. And maybe for you too, like maybe think about this the next time you race. When you start at the swim start, like when you stand there at the swim start and there's like hundreds or thousands of athletes around you, just take a moment and look at them. Look at every single person there and just look at their faces. Like it's focused, some people
00:35:41
Speaker
laugh, some people is like extremely quiet, introverted, you know, everybody, every single person there has a way of dealing with that pre-race jitters and every single person there had to cross some obstacles in their life to be there, had to work hard for something, had to like go through something in their life, right? Everybody is going through something and they're all there for the same reason and that's to do that race and to finish it strong
00:36:11
Speaker
and to do their base. And, you know, if you stand there and you watch these, like, especially at Kona, I stood there and I watched these thousands of athletes just around me. And which was great because we were all just females, right? It was all just women. And we're all standing there and it like hit my heart that we all had to work so hard to get here. And we all had to go through something to be able to stand there and just start.
00:36:39
Speaker
And that's why I love this sport so much, right? Because it's not easy, you know, you have to give up a lot, but it's just, we're all doing this together. It's a bit addictive to that, that feeling, you know, like I had done, I did a couple of halves first and then I did, you know, Ironman after, but like it's this feeling of,
00:37:05
Speaker
we're going to go. It's going to be a long day for everybody. Everyone sacrifices. Not everybody has the ability to have flexible schedules. Certainly some people work night shifts. Some people have families with kids and they're all giving up something. So yeah, that's certainly
00:37:28
Speaker
there's there's a lot of it's a really emotionally charged event and there's so many things that could go right and there's so many things that could go wrong too especially by the time you get on the run portion it's like
00:37:43
Speaker
is, that's where you see the last bit of grime coming out, you know, that's where you see the fight. And every person has this internal fight in their faces, you know, some people are smiling and cheering, other people are just like, why the hell am I here? You know, but it's on the run portion, that's where you really see the character comes out. And doesn't matter if you're running 11 minute miles or 630 minute miles, it's, it's still
00:38:11
Speaker
Every single person is out there and is fighting. So that's what I love about the sport. What, where do you feel like you, you struggle the most, let's say in the sport or where, what do you think? You know, when times get tough in a race, is it, is it a predictable spot for you? Is it usually something different or where are your challenges? So I would say probably, I mean, for everyone, it's the last few miles of the run.
00:38:41
Speaker
Cause that's when you're tired, that you're 100% going to be tired. You're going to want to be done. And that's when you have to dig deep to get through and to push through. Um, especially it depends on what your goal is for a race, like depends on what your goals for that specific race. If you're just racing to finish and to enjoy it, you know, then that last few miles, it's going to be hard, but you can cruise it. But for the longest time, whenever I was racing,
00:39:11
Speaker
It was, I was raising for a spot and I was raising for, you know, maybe to get on the podium or, you know, to get a slot for the worlds or something. So it was that last four miles is when, it's when the crunch time comes in and that's where you really have to dig deep and, you know, fight for it. And so, yeah, that's the hardest part for me is when you're like, okay, I know I'm tired. I know my legs are tired, but you just got to keep on moving.
00:39:41
Speaker
Um, that part is really hard to push through because that's mental. Um, the other mental part is like, if you have like 10 miles left on the bike, it's like 10 miles for me is like, it's, you're basically done on your bike ride, but you're not. So you have to, you're, you're so close to be done, but you're so far still. And then, you know, it's just kind of to push through that little mental barrier of
00:40:10
Speaker
I'm almost done, but then you're like, that number is just not going down fast enough. But yeah, it's something you have to train for. You got to mentally train for those moments. And like you say, it's an expected moment. So when I talk to my athletes about pre-race strategies, I always tell them about, expect this is going to happen.
00:40:37
Speaker
Like at this point, expect yourself, you know, this is what, mentally what's going to happen, number one. And number two, like your body's going to react this way or that way, especially like in the swim. Um, I always tell them, I was like, listen, you're going to start off, you're going to start off fast. Like just because you're adrenaline rush, right? And you're going to feel so winded, but you're not even 500 yards in and you're going to feel winded. Your heart rate's going to be spiked. You're going to, you're going to feel,
00:41:06
Speaker
you know, like how am I still gonna have to swim, you know, another mile or something? So expect that feeling, expect feeling like you're out of breath, but it's too expected. So then just settle in and your stroke, like settle into your race base, like just get over that hump, and you'll feel like the race will just come naturally. So it is good to just have that expectation of when you're gonna hit that hard moment, because then you're prepared to overcome it.
00:41:37
Speaker
Yeah, it's so well said, for sure. I mean, yeah, the half of it's expecting it, right? Because if you don't know what's going to hit you, then you can hit you like a ton of bricks, you know, and then panic can set in because you don't know how to troubleshoot too, because that's the other part of it. Okay, when you feel that, this is how you need to deal with it. I think that's like...
00:41:58
Speaker
super valuable and something you can bring as a coach because you've been through it and that's what a lot of this is too. It's learning from people who have done it to hopefully not to make the mistakes yourself. Where did you see the biggest
00:42:16
Speaker
improvement in, in each aspect of, of this sport, you know, in the swim, bike and run. Cause you were saying, you know, you signed up for the half iron, the first, like I go back to the first one, cause I feel like it's so fascinating. You know, he finished third, um, like where do you go from third place? Basically, you know, how do you not expect yourself to always be on the podium if you finish on the podium, right?
00:42:42
Speaker
I know, like, it's such a big pressure, right? Because I think part of it is why I'm this weekend, I have no idea what's going to happen, because it's like, I'm used to being top 10. And now I have no idea what this week it's gonna look like. But so to answer your question, um, biggest shift in the sport for me is when I got a coach. And it's just, you know, when you train, if you don't
00:43:11
Speaker
You know, if you're just like somebody run every other day, you know, it's fine, but then not to sell it, but really getting a coach, it helps you like just tweak your weaknesses.
00:43:23
Speaker
and just have more like specialized training in terms of, you know, on the bike, I don't just go out and ride every other day and just, you know, get my legs spinning or, you know, a lot of it is saddle time. You know, you'll hear people say, you know, just go and ride and get some saddle time in. That's important to do some zone two saddle time training, but then how do you improve your FTP? You know, like those kinds of stuff, working with a coach. And, you know, that's why also at the end of the day I became a coach is just
00:43:53
Speaker
it really just is so much more beneficial to, you know, tweak your training to, you know, get you out of that plateau. And
Coaching and Mental Strategies
00:44:05
Speaker
for swim specifically, I remember my mind shift changed. You know, I was swimming one day in the pool, I did my workouts, and I was already working with my coach. And I already did my workouts. And, you know, with swimming, in order to get better, you have to swim a lot more.
00:44:22
Speaker
So I did and I did like, you know, I started getting better. But then one day it was like right before, I think, I think it was right before my first world championship event in St. George. And I went swimming in a pool and I remember there was a guy next to me that doesn't look fit, that doesn't really look like an athlete or anything like that. And he's kicking my butt.
00:44:51
Speaker
I am tired of being slow in the pool. I was like, that's it. I did not want to be slow in the pool anymore. I don't want to be that person. I want to be faster. And so I got an on deck swim coach. And so she was helping me extremely well. Like she was great. She was literally swimming next to me. She was a swimmer herself. So she would swim next to me underneath me, you know, like she would on my 50 sprints, she would like chase me.
00:45:17
Speaker
So just getting that on deck swim coach to tell you what your stroke looks like, what this or that, because I could think of something that I'm doing right, but it might not look like it. So assuming specifically, I would say that's my change over point is when I got an on deck coach to help me with that. And then the biking and the running is just working with my coach. It was a game changer.
00:45:48
Speaker
Yeah, because the swimming is, you know, certainly it's the most technical for sure.
00:45:54
Speaker
You run, generally you run how you run. Right. You sit down, you get fitted for your bike, and so your position is good or whatever. But the swimming is so difficult, I feel, especially if you didn't grow up like a great swimmer. My wife's an amazing swimmer, so she helps me now. But when I was just me, I was going to the pool with some friends who were swim coaches to help me with my technique. Because otherwise, you're just going in there and repeating the same horrible. Mistake. Yeah.
00:46:24
Speaker
horrible technique over and over again. Just swimming more of the bad stuff is not necessarily going to help you. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, so some of my workouts, you know, I would swim maybe three times a week. One would be, you know, um, one workout would be like VO two workouts, or then the other workout would be endurance workout. And then one workout is, you know, we don't put a lot of distance in, but it was just, you know, with my swim coach technique.
00:46:52
Speaker
and drills. And so it, it really like went a long ways for me is to just get that extra pair of eyes. And what are your favorite types of workouts? Would you say, let's say what one, what's your favorite bike and what's your favorite run workout? I love a track workout, but it's just because that's what I grew up with. And it's just, oh my gosh, if I get on the track, it's, I feel like a kid. I feel like,
00:47:20
Speaker
You know, I'm just like opening up my world again, you know. So I really love a track workout and then bike rides. I love riding outside, especially where I live in Pensacola. It's just, you know, we ride along the beach. So it's it never gets old. It's every single time it's windy. It's like sometimes super hard because you just keep on grinding against the headwind that will never stop. But then when you turn around as a tailwind is the best feeling in the world.
00:47:49
Speaker
So I do love just going out and ride my bike. You know, I have I developed a certain kind of love for short bike rides on the trainer with like spiked intervals. That's just it puts your mind mentally in a different place. So those kind of workouts where your heart rate is extremely elevated and spiked
00:48:17
Speaker
I kind of love that because it forces you to switch off from the outside world. Like you can't think of work. You can't think of anything else besides that workout in that moment because you're fighting for survival. So those hard, hard, hard workouts, sometimes I need it because it forces my brain to switch off from all the troubles that I'm dealing with outside of triathlons.
00:48:44
Speaker
Yeah. And it's mindless too. Like you just, you know, you gotta get into this flow and that, you know, the next one's coming in terms of reps and stuff like that too. Right. Yeah. I totally agree with that. Where the mind shuts off and you just like, go, go, go. But I'm, I've recently just got back into track training too. And, uh, like there's one right by my house and you just, you know, go do 200s, 400s just to start, just to kind of get the legs. But there's something about them. Like I like to run on feel a lot, like tempos and stuff, but.
00:49:12
Speaker
like when you're training for marathons. But something about this, um, intervals and having specific like numbers, like see if I can hit the same one over and over again. It's like a good feeling too. So just get the legs turning. Um, I remember you said like you had some friends that were triathlon. They got you into the first one. They also lent you some gear.
00:49:34
Speaker
Triathlon is a great sport, and it's something that can really keep you fit. It's multi-sport, so it's nice as a variation, but it's expensive. It can be expensive, and accessibility is also challenging too. What would you say to that? Is there any ways that you can think of maybe that you can access the sport without breaking the bank?
00:49:57
Speaker
Oh, 100%. You know, getting into a triathlon community like in your local club is probably where you can start first. And because then you'll meet other people that will sell stuff, secondhand bikes, secondhand helmets, you know, you'll definitely like expand your triathlon community where you live, because that that way, like, you can also talk to people about gear. Now, if you start like for me also,
00:50:26
Speaker
I would like, I'm on Mount Hondurans team and the Mount Hondurans team have amazing sponsors and the team works extremely hard to get all these sponsors in line. And so it just helps everybody on the team, you know, like to get like the top brands in the industry and we get like discount codes. Um, so every time, like if you wanted to buy a new Sarah cycling shoes or a helmet, we have those discounts that, you know, we have access to.
00:50:56
Speaker
And so, um, for, for us, it works very well because it's definitely worth the money. You know, you, um, you're on the team. The team is like, great. You're part of a larger community than just your local community. And there's always people off the team that's on, you know, that's racing with you. Um, but you know, like the sponsors, like because it's expensive sport,
00:51:22
Speaker
it definitely carries over, you know, especially if you run a lot, right? Like how many times you have to buy a new pair of shoes. So yeah, it's, it does get expensive. Um, so yeah, definitely like get into your local community, make friends, you know, solid trade, but that's, I mean, I still have my bike, but I bought from a friend and I bought his tri bike and his road bike. So,
00:51:49
Speaker
You know, I still ride with secondhand bikes, too. Maybe this year will be my new bike here, but, you know, fingers crossed. It's expensive, right? Get the get the good bike box first, I think. I know I want to buy them together, so.
00:52:05
Speaker
Yeah. And same with me, I did buy a secondhand bike and I'm still riding on the bike I bought in 2010, like a road bike. It's not like a tri bike because those can be a bit more expensive. But hey, if you buy a good one, like they last you quite a long time. So yeah, maybe it's a testament to how much I've actually been riding over the last 14 years.
00:52:26
Speaker
still kicking and that's the one I'll be, I'll be riding to. Uh, I'm going to do the half fireman in Switzerland here. So that's coming up in a few weeks, but that's great. Well, you're going to do great in it. You know, it's your first race back into the game, right? Yeah. Yeah. First race back into the game. What's the, what's the best advice you've, you've received either from a coach or friend?
00:52:53
Speaker
Oh, that is a hard one. Um, based advice, I would say, you know, um, cliche, stay positive, you know, self-talk whenever you're racing, just stay positive. Doesn't matter what, what's going through your mind, like really fight that mental positivity.
00:53:22
Speaker
That's a cliche one, but it goes a long ways.
00:53:27
Speaker
And I saw it also in your, in your coaching profile, like positive reinforcement and, and to be the best version of yourself too. So like definitely in line with kind of your own thoughts around the sport and advice that you've been given. So that's, that's awesome. Now, what do you do for like nutrition? Cause that's, you know, the training is the obvious part, right? But like, then there's all the other things like the recovery and there's what do you eat and what do you, what do you drink to stay fuel, to be able to handle.
00:53:57
Speaker
these lengthy journeys. So are you talking about racing specifically?
00:54:06
Speaker
Yeah. Like, how do you prepare to be able to consume on race day kind of thing? And, you know, is there a strategy around that? I'm sure your coaches have some tips and tricks. Right. Well, I mean, rule number one, and every single coach will tell this to the whole world, is train with what you're going to race with.
Nutrition and Hydration in Racing
00:54:26
Speaker
Like, train the nutrition you want to race with and test it all out, right?
00:54:31
Speaker
I mean, that's really what it comes down to is you got to try it out. Like you have to train with the amount of nutrition you want to raise because on race day you don't want to show up and, you know, use it for the first time and then you're bloated or you're nausea or something like that. Every person is different. I have an athlete that uses like three different companies on one race because she's like, I don't want to use this gel with that drink mix or this or that. I was like, listen,
00:55:01
Speaker
If you have trained with it this way, and this is what works for you, okay, you know, you're getting the right amount of carbs in you're getting the right amount of fuel and electrolytes and all of those things. So, you know, but it's definitely for me personally, I use the more than more than drink makes and the more than solids. I train with it. I see how it works. Sometimes like my body doesn't go well with the gels.
00:55:27
Speaker
You know, if it's too many gels, I, you know, I'm not, I don't like that too much, but the more than solids that they came out with. Oh my goodness. Game changer for me. I love it because it tastes good. It's something crunchy between your teeth, you know, especially on a full Ironman. I really like that. Um, and so yeah, for me, it's just like Pralinator.
00:55:51
Speaker
Yeah. So like the difference in textures too can help also flavors, textures. Like I find that this is something that's interesting to test also because you might get sick of something or stale. Yup. Yup. And then, um, I mean, I switched in the beginning. I kind of switched a lot. I, uh, use one product. I don't want to name any names, but I use one product. And then the flavor was just.
00:56:16
Speaker
horrible, they tried so hard to get all these different flavors into the gels. And after a while, I'm like, these gels all taste the same, and I can't even keep it in. And so with the Morton gel, it doesn't taste like anything. And I know mentally I have to take it because I need it. So that's how I approach it. I was like, I need this, so I'm just going to take it. Just squeeze it in and take it.
00:56:46
Speaker
And so like on the bike, is it more liquid and then run? It's more like gel based or do you switch that to? On a half, it's all liquid and gels. I don't really stop and take a solid on a half because it's such a short amount of time. On the full, I do take a bar. At least like maybe halfway through the bike ride, I would take a bar and maybe like just eat half of the bar and then see how I feel.
00:57:14
Speaker
Because while you're racing, for me, what I always tell my athletes as well is you're constantly thinking about how you feel. Like, you need to constantly be in tune with what your body feels like, what is it that you need and what is it telling you, right? Because, you know, maybe sometimes
00:57:34
Speaker
You've trained with this amount of fuel that you're using on the bike, but now all of a sudden you feel your blood sugar is dropping and they just listen to yourself like, what do I need? What is my body telling me? What do I need? Do I need sugar? Do I need something to eat right now? I need to eat right now. They need a bar.
00:57:56
Speaker
You can do so much training with nutrition. But then at the end of the day, race day, something might happen. You might swallow a bunch of water and you feel like you're going to puke it all out. But listen to your body, especially while you're racing. Just the whole time. Ask yourself, what is it that I need? Have you ever had any kind of GI issues when racing? Oh, yes, I did.
00:58:27
Speaker
I think everybody has. I think Coeur d'Alene, yeah, Coeur d'Alene, full Iron Man. Man, I don't know. I got eighth place in my age group and that I don't know how I did get eighth place because like I should have gotten a worse position because I was on the port of body probably four times during the run. Wow. And it was it was crazy. I don't want to do that ever again. But yeah, it was
00:58:56
Speaker
you know, it just hits you. So then you can't do anything about it. Um, but yeah, it's, uh, I think we all have experienced that, you know, moment in the course, you're like, yeah, this is it. I got to find a porta party right now. Yeah. And any, like any, uh, stomach issues in terms of like, maybe not like, just like pain or inability to take a nutrition. Have you ever faced something like that?
00:59:22
Speaker
Yeah, in the beginning, I would say, before I started taking nutrition seriously, my first rice embarrassingly, I would say I did use an ungrustable sandwich. Get on you. I would probably say to never ever do that ever again, because you're so bloated, right?
00:59:49
Speaker
I can't believe I did that, but yeah, it was my first one, so it's to be forgiven. So, definitely, it made me so bloated and you get pain issues and you just feel like you can't hold anything in anymore, or you can't eat anything in. So, especially at a point where you start feeling like you just want to drink water, you're like, just give me plain water.
01:00:14
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Cause that's like, and even then sometimes it's difficult. Like I remember like last Ironman that I did, it was my stomach completely shut down on the run completely. I couldn't take anything in to throw up or, and you just feel so helpless and you're like, I just want to do this thing. That's very, very difficult. And I know I need to get something in me, but you don't know what it is. Like, what is it that I need? Yeah.
01:00:42
Speaker
And like felt like I was well-trained and everything, but yeah, you got to train the gut too. Cause, uh, it's all these things that you can't see that can really affect you. You know, so. Right. It is hard. Um, but that's why you just got to train with it, but you know, sometimes you can train with it as much as you can. Um, but then something might happen that you're not prepared for. So, and then you just gotta be able to overcome that. You know, like I said, listen to your body.
01:01:11
Speaker
feel like, what is it that I need? A big thing with me, I know I'm a big cramper. Come that crunch time in the run, I know I'll start cramping somewhere. I start carrying pickle juice with me. I'll have pickle juice in transition and I'll have pickle juice that I'll just put in my back pocket. It's like a safety blanket because I know I have it.
01:01:34
Speaker
And so I know I start cramping and I was like, okay, but I have my pickle juice. So I was just going to keep running until I feel like, okay, now's the time I need it. So, um, yeah, it's just, you, you can train with it, but sometimes you never know what happens on the course. That's super crazy. So what do you carry it in?
01:01:52
Speaker
So pickle juice, you can buy it in shots. Like, yeah. Of Amazon is that you buy a case of pickle juice shots and you just carry with you. Whoa, that's crazy. And just to get the salt in, right? Yeah. Yeah. And that vinegary, yeah. Something in the pickle juice, it works like a bomb. It just, you know, instant cramp reliever.
01:02:18
Speaker
That's crazy. I've never heard that. I've heard like take salt tabs or whatever, but I guess that's a much easier way to ingest it. That's not like a sports drink, you know? Right, right. I take salt tabs as well. You know, during the race, you know, you keep up with it. You have a nutrition plan. That's like the good thing of working with a coach is you and your coach will work through your nutrition plan on like per hour what you're going to do.
01:02:48
Speaker
And that keeps your mind busy too, you know, okay, I need to make sure my whole bottle is finished by the end of this hour. But then I also take the salt tablets, you know, so you have your drink, make sure you have your salt tablets. Some people like to choose, I just like the solid, normal pill, because again, I know I need it, I don't want to taste anything, I just want to shove it down my throat and get on with it.
01:03:11
Speaker
Do you find that sometimes you forget? Because I find sometimes I get in this such a flow state, especially on the bike for some reason, that I even forget to take and then it's been an hour and I haven't taken anything, which isn't great.
01:03:25
Speaker
Yeah, I do. I do sometimes forget. But with Kona, I was that was like my main goal is because I knew it was a hot race. I knew I had to stay on top of it, right? Like that was so you're physically fit, you're able to do everything you've trained for it. So now what it's going to come down to is staying on top of your nutrition, because especially with that heat, and the humidity, like, you know, that's what's going to make or break your race.
01:03:53
Speaker
So I was very disciplined during that race on my nutrition and what I needed to do. But any other small race or any other time I train, you know, yeah, you get zoned out. You just keep going on the bike and next thing you know, an hour and a half has passed and you haven't even taken a single gel or your bottle is not even finished. And then you go tugging real quick.
01:04:19
Speaker
One race, I totally abandoned my nutrition plan on the bike. I was sick of my mixed drink. It was horrible. I was just sick of the bike drink. I was going on my second loop. I didn't even pick up my other bottle. I was like, I'm just going to take my time. Yeah, it was horrible.
01:04:36
Speaker
Now, you hear so many times, you're talking about the heat in Kona, I think that's one of the most extreme heat conditions you can have, but how do you manage heat in a race? Other than training for it, like you do in Florida, if you don't have that luxury, how do you manage it? Most of the time, obviously with your nutrition, make sure you get enough electrolytes and the salt tablets and those, just to put back into your body what you're losing.
01:05:05
Speaker
But then besides the nutrition on the run, make sure your core and your suit is at all times weight. Don't be dry any moment of the day. You have to make sure your suit, that's why it's really helpful to have a good quality suit because it depends on the material, it holds in that cool
01:05:28
Speaker
coolness. So your core, your chest, your neck, your head, everything needs to like be wet and cool. So what I did, they handed out these tiny towels in nutrition. So I took one and I kept it with me. And when I went through an aid station, I dug it in the ice bucket and put it around my neck. So I had this wet towel, cool wet towel around my neck the whole time. And every aid station you go and you
01:05:57
Speaker
dump water over you. You just got to make sure that you stay on top of your nutrition and that you keep your body temperature cold, or cool at least. That was the biggest thing that I did. Obviously, training with that heat helped because my body was used to being able to work with it.
01:06:18
Speaker
That was one thing. And then also race strategy, right? Like on the run, when you get off the bike, you're so like on a hike, the crowd is pumping, everything is like, you know, extremely great. And you want to go and you're running a minute faster per mile than you usually do. And come two miles in, you are depleted, exhausted, and you don't want to go any further. So.
01:06:44
Speaker
I would say having a good race strategy and you know running clan um on the run for sure that would help you manage your paces and your heart rate so that you can you know keep going at it a little bit longer before you start bonking very good yeah that's awesome yeah there's so many things to think of like
01:07:06
Speaker
You know, just, just running a marathon is challenging too, but you know, traveling is just next level. So is there anybody, is there anybody in the sport that you look up to?
01:07:17
Speaker
I mean, there are obviously a lot of pros, you know, that you look up to. So, you know, we all like love Lucy Charles Barkley, you know, with her background. And then, you know, like the ones in the U.A. is like Jeannie Matesler. She's the South African as well. So I really like following her story. But yeah, and then just kind of like our top athletes in our team, like
01:07:47
Speaker
I really look up to them because they all have, you know, we all lead the same kind of lifestyle in terms of we juggle with our work life. And then being that top tier athlete, you know, still in the sport, it takes, you know, I have a huge amount of respect for that type of athlete that still has to juggle work life balance and still manage to do extremely well in the sport.
01:08:13
Speaker
So yeah, that's amazing. And what would you say the sport has taught you or sport in general? Um, you can never go through it alone.
Community Support and Personal Reflections
01:08:25
Speaker
You can't do anything. You can't excel in anything in life alone. You have to have your support system. It doesn't matter how much you're trying to
01:08:38
Speaker
you know, just deal with your hardships in life and the sport or anything. Like it doesn't matter how you want to deal with it. If you're going to try and do it by yourself, it's not going to work out. You'll probably do it, but you can do so much better if you rely on the people around you.
01:08:57
Speaker
Yeah, it's true. The sense of community, right? Like to know that you're not alone and that you can bounce ideas off one another, too, to kind of work through certain things. Yeah. And it makes it that much more fun, too. You know, it can be quite competitive. But it's nice to have that just like pure enjoyment for the sport. Right. Right. Remember what that first race was like? Yes, I love the sport. And, you know, sports in general,
01:09:27
Speaker
it just brings people together. So it's it's really like, it's so heartfelt and eye opening. I feel like a lot of people in their lives approach the sport or any type of sport like when, you know, you're coming out of high school, you're going through university, you're on your high, you're like on this career path, but then you hit your career. And then they go,
01:09:52
Speaker
okay, I'm not in a good place in my life, but something is missing, right? Like I need that extra thing I need to work for. I need, I need that other drive, right? Like you're working hard in your career and you got your family or you got what you wanted, but then there's something nagging on you. And that's how they start working at other goals. And then they come into triathlons and it's just, you know, it's becomes like your hobby becomes your second job.
01:10:20
Speaker
And it's really great just to see how the sport kind of molds every person's life. It's really cool. And how would you say that you're liking living in the US and being away from home? It's hard to be away from home. I'm not going to lie, especially since my family is all still in South Africa. I haven't seen them since over a year now.
01:10:49
Speaker
But I am in good contact with everybody. So it is hard to be away from family and friends. But I also created a new family in the US. I have some amazing friends I can be extremely grateful for. I love the United States. I don't have any intention of moving back. So the US is so rich, full of different kind of landscapes.
01:11:17
Speaker
each state you go into is different and has its own beauty. So that's what I love about the United States. And then people always ask me about the US, they go, Oh, how do you like the United States? And some people don't agree with this. But I'm like, people are friendly. They're kind, you know, um,
01:11:40
Speaker
maybe partly because I also live in the South, it has something to do with it. But even, you know, we used to live up in Connecticut for a long time. And even there, people were friendly, you know, so it's like, um, they're like, Oh, I don't think that's true. Some Americans might see it in a different way. But having seen other parts of the world already, like,
01:12:03
Speaker
if you go to the airport, or strangers are more likely to talk to you, whereas somewhere in a different country, people are very closed off, they're, you know, keep to themselves. But here in the United States, people are more kind towards a stranger. And so that's what I really like about it. You know, it's just, I really like the culture here. It's, you know, something I feel like, you know, I can, you know,
01:12:30
Speaker
live here for the rest of my life. Yeah. And I agree with you there. I mean, that's adapting to those changes in society is definitely an interesting one. And I'm a Canadian, you know, in Switzerland and that's, you know,
01:12:45
Speaker
I'm super outgoing and talkative. And people at work are like, what are you doing? Do you know that person? No, I just met them. Exactly. It's like, you know, we want to talk to a stranger and have conversation. And sometimes if you go to different cultures in different countries, they don't do that. You know, they're not used to it. And you're like, well, you could just be nice, you know, just be friendly.
01:13:10
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. Just treat somebody else with respect. It's a better way to be anyways, but it's something they grow up with and something we grow up with that's way different. Do you have any challenges being in Switzerland?
01:13:24
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, same as you, you know, I miss home, I miss my friends that I grew up with, like my friends are my high school buddies, even friends that I met through endurance sport later in life, you know, moving here, you know, late in my 30s, it's, you kind of established where you are. So it's, it's definitely
01:13:46
Speaker
You know, like you said, connecting with community through common passions and common ground, in my case is running and hopefully soon triathlon. But, you know, my wife has a great family too, so they're very welcoming and and and Karen also. So, you know, but nothing there's no place like the home, they say. Right. So yeah.
01:14:07
Speaker
Yeah, that's true. I'll have to get back. I think I'll get back sooner rather than later. But yeah, I mean, those are the challenges. You can't replace the people necessarily, but you can definitely find some new ones. Yeah, I agree with that. So where can people find out
Finding Motivation and Passion Again
01:14:26
Speaker
more about you? You do coaching and your athlete aspirations and
01:14:32
Speaker
I mean, Instagram is the best place to look for me. Nothing is private. It's all out there for the world to see. I'm pretty responsive, so they can reach out to me anyway. Instagram, I have Facebook as well. That one, I don't keep up as much, but mostly Instagram. And then I'm on the Mauna Endurans website, as my coach profile is on there, so they can go and check that out as well.
01:15:02
Speaker
But yeah, it's not hard to track me down. Well, yeah, I appreciate you. At least when you're not in the air, that is flying a plane. When my mother takes me, she always asks me, are you on the water, on ground or in the air?
01:15:20
Speaker
That's amazing. Well, yeah, I really appreciate you taking the time. I thought it was, you know, it's fascinating to hear your story and, you know, I wish you best of luck in your upcoming race and hopefully you find the podium again and keep enjoying the sport. Thank you so much. Yeah, it's definitely like the triathlon journey is just, it's crazy, right? Because the
01:15:47
Speaker
it changes with whatever phase you're in in your life. So I'm excited to see this year what it holds in store for me. I talked to a friend about this earlier or just yesterday about, you know, my goals have changed so much over the last four years. It went from, you know, have fun, do this and that, and then this year it's probably gonna go back to having fun. And so, but you never know, maybe,
01:16:16
Speaker
I was on a mental low, like for a couple of months, you know, in the beginning of the year while I was going through airline training, because that was like my number one priority. And, you know, I was scared of hitting that, that training wall where I just don't want to train anymore. And I feel like every athlete hits that wall at some point and I was aware of it and I saw it happening and I saw it like started getting to me.
01:16:46
Speaker
And it's funny because it was just for that, it was for like a brief second where I feel like, should I continue this? Should I not? Like, what am I doing here? You know, but then I went and did a track workout and then I went riding my bike again, you know, and it just, I was like, screw it. I'm not going to stop. I'm not going to quit. This is who I am. This is what I'm doing. I need to figure out a way to just push forward through everything.
01:17:16
Speaker
and keep going at the sport. It was like I hit a training wall for probably like two months and now I'm like, nope, I gotta get back into it.
01:17:26
Speaker
And I think to that point, like it's important to just maybe just keep touching it, even if it's not at the same level, but just to keep seeing if it's there. And oftentimes like sport can help us get through those blocks also, right? Right. Right. Cause I went through some pretty big life changes over the last eight to 10 months. And so my last race I did was Kona and it's been a long time ago now, you know,
01:17:52
Speaker
So I'm kind of excited to see like, you know, getting back into racing and getting back into, you know, just doing it again. So yeah, we'll see what happens. But I just I was aware of, you know, hitting that mental wall. I was like, nope, it's happening. And I was, you know, afraid that if I just stop doing it, I will get completely out of the game and it'll be too hard for me to get back in.
01:18:20
Speaker
So now I'm just going to try and just push through it. Cool. Track brought you back. My track brought me back. And it's nice to know that sports always there for us to fall back on, you know, whenever we need it. I appreciate you sharing that last part with us and thanks so much. And I hope you enjoy the rest of your day, Melanie. Of course. Thank you so much, Justin. It was a pleasure to chat with you. Thanks so much. Take care. Bye-bye. Bye.
01:18:48
Speaker
Thanks for tuning in to the Justin Stride Podcast. I truly appreciate you taking the time to listen and I hope you enjoyed that conversation as much as I did. Please take a minute after this to rate and review our show on Apple Podcasts. With your feedback, we'll be able to make the show even better and it'll help us reach new listeners too. You can also find us on Instagram at JustinStridePod for all the latest episodes and updates.
01:19:13
Speaker
Of course, this show wouldn't be possible without a solid team behind me. With logo and design by Vanessa Pugliese, as well as audio, music, and editing by Forest McKay, a huge thank you goes out to both of them. Guest outreach, social media, writing, and advertising are handled by me, your host, Justin Pugliese. Finally, we'd like to thank you, our listeners, for coming along for the ride with Justin Strad.