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#534 - Get to Know Coach KO | Training Smart, Staying Durable, Getting Gritty
109 Plays21 days ago
Get to Know Coach KO as we welcome Kristin “KO” Overton to the Grit2Greatness Endurance Podcast. In this feature interview, KO shares her journey as a TriDot‑certified coach and orthopedic Physician Assistant, breaking down how durability, smart data use, and athlete‑centered coaching help endurance athletes stay healthy and perform at their best. We also cover Grit2Greatness announcements, race‑day shoutouts, a Get Gritty mindset takeaway, and a fun knockout‑style segment that digs into the mental battles athletes face. Show Sponsor: Vespa Power. Ask A Coach Sponsor: Vespa Power.
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Transcript
Intro
Introduction of Coach Kristin K.O. Overton
00:00:20
Rich
All right, and welcome to episode 534 of the Grit to Greatness Endurance Podcast. We're your hosts, coaches, Rich Source, Source, April Spilde, Lauren Brown, and we are excited to have Coach K.O.
00:00:31
Rich
joining us, and we are all on a mission to help endurance athletes train smarter, race stronger, and build the grit it takes to achieve greatness. Today, we're excited to introduce the newest member of the Grit to Greatness coaching team, Coach Kristin K.O.
00:00:46
Rich
Overton. K.O., as she's known, brings a powerful combination of endurance athletic experience, TriDOT certified coaching expertise, and a deep clinical background as a physical assistant in orthopedics.
00:00:59
Rich
She's known for energy, empathy, athletic-centered coaching, and a fierce commitment to helping athletes achieve big goals while staying strong, healthy, and durable. Coach K.O., welcome.
00:01:10
Rich
We're glad you're here.
00:01:12
Kristin Overton
Thank you. It's so awesome to hang out with you guys and and get gritty.
00:01:17
Rich
Kick ready. You got it. Look at you're already you're already using the lingo.
00:01:21
April
She's got great, gritty green on.
00:01:21
Rich
that's it
00:01:22
April
And I got to say, we got an additional coach here.
00:01:22
Lauren Brown
I love it.
00:01:25
April
His name's Coach Rico Suave. i don't know if you can tell.
00:01:29
Rich
hi
00:01:30
April
Rich is dealing with a little bit of a a voice manipulation, not of his own accord. This poor man has been going through it. But we're glad you're here too, Coach Rico.
00:01:41
Rich
You like that. The the Rico Suave deep voice thing.
00:01:42
Lauren Brown
it
00:01:45
Rich
Yeah, I wish I could shake this though. It's good to be with you guys. I wouldn't miss this for the world. i will probably not talk as much today as I usually do. which maybe Some people are probably wiping their brow.
00:01:55
Rich
oh good I get to hear the ladies.
00:01:57
Lauren Brown
Oh, stop.
00:01:57
Rich
so I get to hear the ladies again. you guys held out the show last night that or last week. That was awesome.
00:02:03
Lauren Brown
Oh my God.
00:02:03
April
It was ladies night and we felt all right.
00:02:03
Rich
Great job.
00:02:07
Rich
Oh, love it. Awesome.
00:02:09
Lauren Brown
It was so much fun. And we we got we got your back, Rico. Don't worry. So we'll save your voice.
00:02:16
Kristin Overton
Yes,
00:02:17
Lauren Brown
i amm I'm...
00:02:18
Rich
Hey, I'm excited. My daughter's going to UNLV for her residency.
00:02:22
Kristin Overton
yes yes, she is.
00:02:22
Lauren Brown
Yes.
00:02:23
Rich
So that's why I was out last week.
00:02:24
Lauren Brown
Yes, that's so awesome.
00:02:26
Rich
So I was busy. I was at a reception catching this thing is what I was doing.
00:02:32
Lauren Brown
Yeah. It was worth it, I bet.
00:02:36
Rich
very much
00:02:36
Lauren Brown
Yeah. So.
Introducing the Velocity Program
00:02:38
Lauren Brown
All right. Well, let's jump into some announcements you If you've listened to us, you probably have heard us talk about velocity. So this is your reminder. If you have not gone into the show notes or follow us on Instagram at G2G Endurance and see our posts about velocity,
00:02:59
Lauren Brown
Grab a two-week trial, check it out The platform allows you to dial in your skills on the bike that will translate to your outdoor training as well as your racing. And you get to experience three live coached classes each week.
00:03:18
Lauren Brown
Tuesday, Thursday at 6 a.m. m Mountain Time and Saturday at 8 a.m. m Mountain Time. Saturday's ride is a 90-minute ride with Coach Rich. So definitely check it out, grab a friend, dial in your training so that you are a stronger, more confident athlete on the roads and in races.
00:03:39
April
I got to say when I did my velocity ride on Thursday, i was having a great time making some bad decisions up front.
00:03:47
Lauren Brown
I don't know what it is.
00:03:48
Rich
That was a great, what a great title.
00:03:50
April
yeah
00:03:51
Rich
Love that.
00:03:51
April
but Thank you. Yeah. And it was in reference to the lovely, uh, what it's like to be on a mountain bike start line with a fast start. Right. So everybody's just punching from the gate. So you're going full throttle. You're trying to get your position and then people settle in. So it was six surges, of bad decisions. And then you had to manage that fatigue through the rest of the workout. So,
00:04:16
April
Yeah. Lots of fun on these velocity
Athlete Shout-outs
00:04:19
Lauren Brown
Thank you.
00:04:19
April
rides.
00:04:19
April
Also, if you didn't know, we have an event calendar on our website at grit to greatness, endurance.com. So all these amazing things that are happening are velocity rides.
00:04:31
April
Rich is amazing webinar that he did last week on race day nutrition, hydration that is on the, the event calendar as well as on our website as a replay, all those things that we have coming up, we want you to head over there. to check it out so that you're fully informed.
00:04:48
April
And we got some special race day shout outs that we want to give. If you can, if you're watching us on YouTube, you see that we're all wearing some type of Ironman swag.
00:04:58
April
I'm actually wearing, Ironman Texas 70.3 in honor of my athlete, Sasha Goldsberry, who is racing Galveston this weekend. And I just want to send out all the love and positive vibes and all the fierceness.
00:05:11
Lauren Brown
here, Susan.
00:05:12
April
to bring it home in Galveston. And I'm also sending good vibes that the swim is not canceled. So let's go Sasha.
00:05:21
Rich
And let's hope that it doesn't, it's not so windy that anybody falls off their bike out there, right? So be safe in Galveston, folks.
00:05:27
April
kidding.
00:05:29
Rich
And speaking of Galveston, Chris Shothan, you are going to crush it tomorrow, buddy. This is the day you've been training for. Big day, you and Sasha crushing it it out there at Galveston. You've got the the cows on one side in fields. You've got the you know the seagulls on the other side.
00:05:46
Rich
it's It's the greatest experience ever down there in Galveston. And if that's not enough, we've got Greg Castro. He's going to be racing Oceanside on Sunday. and this is this is kind of his home turf.
00:05:55
Lauren Brown
Thank you.
00:05:58
Rich
This is kind of where he's from. So he's going to do great out there. He sent me a picture. i think the nutrition, about you know the the the carb loading two days before really hit home for him because I got a nice picture of a big stack of pancakes. i It didn't have all the chocolate chips on it that I was looking for, but it looked pretty carbolicious.
00:06:22
April
That's carb tastic.
00:06:25
April
How about you coach KO?
00:06:25
Rich
I love it.
00:06:26
April
I know we were talking beforehand. What you got?
00:06:29
Kristin Overton
Yeah, I have, I have an athlete doing a half marathon on Sunday, the Love Run in Philly. Lauren, you probably know that well.
00:06:38
Lauren Brown
i was I was gonna do that, but pool school is going on. So am doing pool school instead of doing the love run.
00:06:43
Kristin Overton
Near pool school in
00:06:45
Lauren Brown
So I actually was like, so close to it.
00:06:45
Kristin Overton
Yeah. So shout out to Emily Hanson. She's, she's had some struggles through her training, but she's, she's all set the role and had a good conversation with her this afternoon. And Wishing all the luck starting at the at the steps of the rocky statue.
00:06:59
Kristin Overton
So what's better than that?
00:07:00
Lauren Brown
Yeah. That's awesome.
00:07:01
Rich
Why is it called the love run? Cause of the brotherly love thing.
00:07:03
Lauren Brown
It's Philly.
00:07:03
April
Philadelphia is for lovers, right?
00:07:05
Kristin Overton
Yeah.
00:07:05
Lauren Brown
Yeah.
00:07:05
April
Yeah. Yeah.
00:07:06
Rich
yeah Yeah.
00:07:06
Kristin Overton
any Love.
00:07:06
Rich
Okay. Gotcha. Okay.
00:07:07
April
That's what it is.
00:07:07
Lauren Brown
Mm-hmm.
00:07:07
April
Brotherly love. Yep.
00:07:08
Lauren Brown
Yep.
00:07:09
April
Yep.
00:07:09
Rich
Yeah. Cool.
00:07:09
Kristin Overton
Yeah.
Coach K.O.'s Coaching Approach
00:07:11
April
K.O. We are so happy to have you on the show with us tonight. We cannot wait to share you with the world. So I'm going to bring you us into this interview. Coach Christian, Christian, coach, Kristen, K.O. I'm so used to calling you K.O. Overton is a tri-dot certified triathlon coach with a background in orthopedic sports medicine as a physician assistant with a passion for human performance, injury prevention, and helping athletes balance life with endurance training, KO blends science structure, and a, you can do this mindset. Perfect for our get gritty crowd.
00:07:50
April
She has coached athletes across all distances from new triathletes taking on their first sprint to see seasoned competitors, chasing podium finishes as an endurance athlete herself. K.O. understands the physical and mental demands of multi-sport and brings that lived experience into every training plan she builds. Welcome to the show. Coach K.O.
00:08:13
Kristin Overton
Thank you. Awesome introduction. Appreciate that.
00:08:16
Rich
I just am so excited about doing this. So the first thing we've got to do, Coach K.O., before we get into all of these great questions that we've got prepared for you, is we like to do something really fun. just a little icebreaker where we kind of just, you know, get away from serious questions and we just have a little bit of fun. So we're gonna play two truths and a lie. I'm going to ask you to give April, Lauren, and myself three statements about yourself.
00:08:42
Rich
Two of those you know to be true. One of those is a very deceitful lie. You are going to sell the lie. So we have no idea what it is. We are going to pick and then you're going to tell us what the score is when we're done here. Okay?
00:08:54
Rich
Anything is game. We want to get to know you. So three statements about yourself whenever you're ready. I've got my three numbers here. I'm ready to take some notes.
00:09:03
Kristin Overton
Sounds good. Wow, you're writing it down. I love this. This is great.
00:09:06
Rich
I take this very seriously.
00:09:07
Kristin Overton
Yeah, like so many things to choose from and, you know, the brain just like kind of works its magic. Uh, so let's start off that, uh, I have a twin sister.
00:09:21
Kristin Overton
i
00:09:24
Kristin Overton
participated in the 2010 long course world championships, IT world championships and realized the actual length of the course one week prior to the race, thinking it was 70.3 when it was really a lot longer. And third thing is i was a college professor.
00:09:45
Lauren Brown
These are tough.
00:09:47
Rich
Number two very specific.
00:09:49
April
Very, hmm.
00:09:49
Rich
had a lot of explanation. i
00:09:51
Lauren Brown
That makes me think it's the
Icebreaker with Coach K.O.
00:09:52
Lauren Brown
lie.
00:09:52
Rich
Right? I know, right? Like, you know, oh, I'm just going to like lay out a little bit of yarn there and just, you know, see if they bite.
00:09:54
April
Yeah, there's a little detail that's. Yeah.
00:09:59
Lauren Brown
Yeah.
00:10:01
Rich
we've We've done this before, Kayo.
00:10:03
Kristin Overton
I know, you're you're well seasoned at this.
00:10:07
Lauren Brown
Yeah.
00:10:08
Rich
Lauren, want to take a guess?
00:10:09
Lauren Brown
I'm going with with number two. it's That's my guess.
00:10:13
Rich
The lie is number two. Okay.
00:10:14
Lauren Brown
Yeah.
00:10:18
April
That's
00:10:20
Rich
Well,
00:10:21
Lauren Brown
Little nuance.
00:10:21
April
what saying. little nuance there, yeah.
00:10:22
Kristin Overton
Mmm.
00:10:23
Lauren Brown
Yeah.
00:10:24
April
I don't know this, by the way, I'm just guessing.
00:10:25
Rich
I'll tell you what.
00:10:27
Lauren Brown
Stalking Facebook real quick.
00:10:29
April
Yeah.
00:10:29
Lauren Brown
We take this seriously.
00:10:30
April
yeah
00:10:33
Rich
See, i want I want the long course thing to to be true just because I want to hear the story.
00:10:37
April
Me too.
00:10:39
Rich
Right? I just want to hear like, so I'm just going to avoid that because i I'm hoping that's true that and then we hear the story. And I'm just going to be a, I'm going be an outlier here and round us out with the college professor is the lie. How about that?
00:10:51
Lauren Brown
Somebody's gonna get it right.
00:10:51
April
but
00:10:52
Kristin Overton
I love that.
00:10:53
Rich
J.O., open the kimono.
00:10:53
Kristin Overton
I love that all of you picked one of them. That that makes me happy. That means, i you know, i it was a true stump, right?
00:10:59
Lauren Brown
You did a good job.
00:10:59
April
It was a true stump.
00:11:02
Kristin Overton
So we'll start with number one. i do have a twin sister. I also have an older brother and an older sister, but yes. So she's the best.
00:11:13
Rich
True.
00:11:13
April
What's her twin sister's name?
00:11:14
Kristin Overton
Susan.
00:11:16
April
Susan, Susan and Kristen.
00:11:16
Kristin Overton
She goes by Susie. Yeah.
00:11:18
Rich
Identical?
00:11:19
Kristin Overton
We are fraternal.
00:11:21
Rich
Fraternal, okay.
00:11:21
Kristin Overton
Yeah. Yeah. And she lives in, uh, on the West coast in Seattle and I'm all the way over here in the East coast in Connecticut, which is horrible, but, uh, we're still super close and try to spend as much time together as we can.
00:11:28
April
Oh, wow
00:11:30
Lauren Brown
That's hard. Yeah.
00:11:36
Kristin Overton
So that's awesome. okay. So number two, so I did race the 2010 ITU long course world championship. I,
00:11:46
Kristin Overton
Did not realize how long it was. However, I did realize it at about six weeks out as opposed to one week out.
00:11:56
Lauren Brown
The little details.
00:11:56
Rich
Oh, so yeah, little technicality there.
00:11:57
April
I thought, yeah, yeah.
00:11:58
Kristin Overton
Little details.
00:11:58
Lauren Brown
I'm two for two, guys.
00:11:59
Kristin Overton
Yeah.
00:12:00
April
Yeah.
00:12:01
Kristin Overton
Yeah.
00:12:01
Lauren Brown
I'm two for two.
00:12:01
April
Yes.
00:12:01
Kristin Overton
Yeah. So, I mean, it was almost a full Ironman distance.
00:12:03
Rich
Human lie detector right there.
00:12:07
Kristin Overton
So, you know, qualified for 70.3, but the, the, the,
00:12:07
Rich
Wow.
00:12:08
April
Wow.
00:12:12
Kristin Overton
so it was in Germany. So it was in kilometers and I didn't really like pay attention to that initially. And then also sudden I'm looking at the website and I'm like, wait a minute, these numbers sound a little off.
00:12:27
Rich
Yeah.
00:12:28
Kristin Overton
So yeah, so I did a 4k swim, which is basically full Ironman swim. I did a 130k bike, which is about 80 miles and then a 30k run.
00:12:39
Kristin Overton
So it's just over 18.
00:12:40
April
Wow.
00:12:40
Rich
Yeah. Wow. It's big run.
00:12:42
Kristin Overton
Uh, so this is what catapulted me into saying, I'm there.
00:12:42
Rich
It's like
00:12:48
Kristin Overton
I'm just going to do a full Ironman now.
00:12:50
Lauren Brown
Mm-hmm.
00:12:51
April
Oh, wow.
00:12:51
Kristin Overton
So two years later i did, uh, Lake Placid 2012. The,
00:12:57
Rich
Sounds like that course really suits you because of your swim strength.
00:13:01
Kristin Overton
the yeah, it was great. It was, it was awesome.
00:13:03
Rich
Yeah. Yeah, that's cool.
00:13:04
Kristin Overton
Yeah.
00:13:04
Rich
plus
00:13:05
Kristin Overton
Yeah. Great experience.
00:13:06
Rich
So no no college prof, huh?
00:13:08
Kristin Overton
So I was a college professor.
00:13:11
Rich
Oh, okay.
00:13:12
Rich
Okay. Oh,
00:13:13
Kristin Overton
So for about 25 years, I taught gross anatomy at the Quinnipiac PA program over the summers.
00:13:22
April
Wow.
00:13:22
Rich
sure.
00:13:24
Kristin Overton
So, yeah, so had my hand in a little little of other things.
00:13:24
Rich
That's awesome.
00:13:26
Lauren Brown
Yeah.
00:13:28
Rich
No, I couldn't handle that. Ooh, no, no, no details there.
00:13:31
Kristin Overton
So great.
00:13:31
April
wow
00:13:35
Kristin Overton
You don't do cadaver dissection well.
00:13:35
Rich
Yeah. You know, it's funny. Oh no, I know. I like, I have no idea where my daughter comes from.
00:13:56
Kristin Overton
Yeah.
00:14:01
April
Oh, wow. Wow.
00:14:02
Kristin Overton
Yeah, we always do, did some sort of ceremony for the for the individuals that donated their bodies, yeah.
00:14:11
Rich
Yeah, yeah.
00:14:11
April
Wow.
00:14:12
Kristin Overton
Yeah, yeah.
00:14:12
Rich
Fascinating. Cool. Well, man, that's just the starter? What?
00:14:17
Kristin Overton
Boom.
00:14:17
Rich
We haven't even asked a serious question yet. I'm going get to know you so well. April, I'm
00:14:21
April
i'm I'm in shock right now. I'm like, first off, Professor K.O., and then biology cadavers.
00:14:33
April
i okay. Frankenstein let's do this. Yeah.
00:14:37
Lauren Brown
Yeah.
00:14:37
April
I love it. Oh, KO. So let's, let's peel this back a little bit more. first off, how did this name, this KO name come about? I want to hear that. And and then what brought you into the endurance world?
00:14:53
Kristin Overton
You know, it's kind of funny. Like it was nothing was, it was never like a, a thing So it's it's really just my initials, right?
00:15:05
Kristin Overton
Kristen Overton, KO. And so all of a sudden it was like, I can't remember.
00:15:11
Lauren Brown
Thank you.
00:15:12
Kristin Overton
I think it was more when I started when i started working after school. She's lurking around. you Sorry. We have to edit this out.
00:15:23
Kristin Overton
Can I just do this?
00:15:23
Rich
did he Just pull up pump a chair. There you go Pull up.
00:15:25
April
Yeah.
00:15:25
Kristin Overton
You're right, yeah. Thank you.
00:15:28
April
oh
00:15:28
Rich
There we go. Love that.
00:15:31
Kristin Overton
Uh, so, you know, I think, you know, it's when I started working, it just sort of came out, you know, people just started calling me KO. so it started at work. and, don't know, it's just easy for people to say whatever. And it came out and I was like, okay oh, KO knockout, you know, it fun.
00:15:49
Kristin Overton
and then it just kind of translated over, in, in tri dot. And I think it was even just. you know through the Facebook page and, you know, your initials always come up, right?
00:16:00
Kristin Overton
So it's just, oh so, and it's just kind of an easy flow as coach KO, which is awesome.
00:16:01
Lauren Brown
Mm-hmm.
00:16:06
Kristin Overton
So it's just kind of stuck and it's catchy and it's fun.
00:16:11
April
that
00:16:13
Kristin Overton
So yeah, it's, it's a good fun little nickname for sure.
00:16:19
April
And what kind of brought you into that, into the endurance space moving from the academics? Or has it always been something that's there?
Coach K.O.'s Endurance Journey
00:16:27
Kristin Overton
You know, it's always, I've always been an athlete. So, you know, i grew up playing soccer and basketball and volleyball and whatever I could get my hands on playing football with the boys in the park, you know, that kind of stuff. And I really, I really hated running, honestly, when I was a kid, you know, I had to have a ball in my hand if I was going to run.
00:16:51
Kristin Overton
And then when I went to PA school, i had very limited time to stay in shape and just have that outlet.
00:17:00
Kristin Overton
And so it's easy to throw on a pair of running shoes and go out for a run. So I just started running and and started enjoying it. And so then it just kind of catapulted from there.
00:17:12
Kristin Overton
i That being said, you know I actually did my first triathlon when I was in college. There was a school newspaper. was actual newspaper back then. And I think it was somebody's school project that they said, I'm going to, we're going to put this training plan in the school newspaper and it's going to lead up to this sprint triathlon on campus.
00:17:34
Kristin Overton
And I saw it and I'm like, I can do that. So I have a mountain bike. I know how to swim
00:17:39
Lauren Brown
Thank you.
00:17:41
Kristin Overton
and I can run. so that was my first one. And, and I really, really loved it and, but didn't really, kind of come back to it until after PA school, I met a friend of mine that was doing triathlons and I'm like, oh yeah, I really want to do this again.
00:17:57
Kristin Overton
and so just started doing them with her and kind of did some sprints, did some Olympics, decided to do a half and, you know, just kind of kept building up to the higher endurance levels.
00:18:12
Lauren Brown
Love that. So your background, one, I love learning as much as I possibly can around about like our bodies and learning about why injuries are happening and what people can do.
00:18:14
Kristin Overton
Yeah.
00:18:26
Lauren Brown
So your background is, is super intriguing to me, Kayo. And so for me, I i appreciate and
Orthopedic Insights in Coaching
00:18:35
Lauren Brown
respect the the unique lens that you're full-time career gives for your other full-time work, your your two full-time jobs basically.
00:18:46
Kristin Overton
Great.
00:18:46
Lauren Brown
And can you just share a little bit about how your background as a PA working in an orthopedic setting has helped shape your approach to coaching and working with your athletes?
00:18:58
Kristin Overton
Yeah, absolutely. You know, it's certainly enhanced what I can offer and just the the knowledge and and, you know, most of the time these, you know, injuries are not serious.
00:19:11
Lauren Brown
Mm-hmm.
00:19:13
Kristin Overton
Sometimes they are, but most of the time, know, they're little niggles, they're, you know, little things here and there and nobody really knows what's going on, you know, and having having that knowledge and knowing,
00:19:27
Kristin Overton
you know, what, what is really just a little niggle and what is something that you should really get checked out, super powerful. and you know, it's just, it's, I think it's reassuring, to some of my athletes for sure. know, knowing like, okay, they're hearing this from somebody who has a little medical knowledge and, and background and worked with athletes, et cetera.
00:19:51
Kristin Overton
to know, okay, I can, I can work through this or, okay she's telling me I need to go see an orthopedist I need to go to a physical therapist, then that probably means something I should probably do it.
00:20:02
Kristin Overton
so it's, it's nice to have that background and have, have that, you know, information for my athletes for sure.
00:20:12
Lauren Brown
dare I say this guys that This might be something that has legs for a topic for a webinar. Just thinking.
00:20:20
Rich
Oh,
00:20:20
Lauren Brown
Something to think about. Throwing it out there.
00:20:24
Rich
let let let the it's got it's got all the bones of a good of a good webinar. Right.
00:20:29
Rich
Let the puns keep on coming.
00:20:29
Kristin Overton
Yeah, absolutely.
00:20:29
Lauren Brown
Yeah.
00:20:29
Kristin Overton
Yeah.
00:20:31
Rich
Yeah. Yeah. Your expertise.
00:20:32
Lauren Brown
I caught that weight.
00:20:34
Rich
your Your expertise and and and knowledge around the human anatomy is a massive like superpower for you as a coach. What was it like on this trajectory of I'm an athlete, I'm enjoying being an athlete.
00:20:49
Rich
Obviously, at some point, there was an intersection and you're like, oh, I'm going to take the off ramp here and be a coach. What was the attraction? what What was that experience? how did you How did that process go for you?
00:21:01
Kristin Overton
Yeah, that's, that's a great question. So, you know, as an athlete, and just kind of going through the motions and building up my endeavors, you know, and and learning from other people and having coaches, and just learning so much from them. And then as I'm going through my experiences, just and You sort of you just meet people and other athletes. And then you know you start as you're a little bit more seasoned, you start giving them advice.
00:21:30
Kristin Overton
And you know all a sudden, I'm thinking, you know this this this would be a really fun thing to do to actually share my knowledge and you know encourage these athletes to love the sport as much as I do.
00:21:43
Lauren Brown
Thank you.
00:21:47
Kristin Overton
and so it just kind of came into that and, you know, with encouragement from, from my previous coach, Mayfield, really helped encourage me to, yeah you really should pursue this and, and, uh, and go for it.
00:22:03
Kristin Overton
So I started the process and found many more mentors and, and colleagues to help me along the way. And it's, uh, and, catapulting me into into a great niche and uh allowing me to meet the three of you and join your team and collaborate and you know share each other's knowledge is going to be amazing
00:22:22
Lauren Brown
you
00:22:27
April
I feel like we're the lucky ones KO. So thank you for
Coaching Philosophy of Passion and Positivity
00:22:29
April
that. would you describe your coaching style in a sentence or in a way that's unique to you?
00:22:39
Kristin Overton
I think, I guess three words that that really spoke to me as an athlete, and because it spoke to me as an athlete, this is how I want to approach and have my athletes approach their training.
00:23:02
Lauren Brown
Thank you.
00:23:07
Kristin Overton
I even created kits and have the three P's on the kids, remind you when you're racing that, that this is, and really the, the core of grit, right.
00:23:19
Kristin Overton
Which back then really grit didn't really come into my brain.
00:23:20
April
Yes.
00:23:25
Kristin Overton
And then as I'm coming on with you guys. It's just like, it was serendipitous, right?
00:23:35
April
one hundred percent I mean, the, I don't know if you've read the book grit by Angela Duckworth, but that is her definition of, of grit is passion plus perseverance over over the longterm.
00:23:36
Kristin Overton
Yeah.
00:23:43
Rich
Yep.
00:23:44
April
So, I mean, I think that is serendipity.
00:23:45
Kristin Overton
Yeah.
00:23:48
Kristin Overton
It's like crazy, crazy, but amazing.
00:23:50
April
Amazing.
00:23:52
Kristin Overton
Yeah.
00:23:54
Lauren Brown
And that book came up two weeks in a row, grit. It was like we brought up last week too. Let's do a little myth debunking.
00:24:04
Lauren Brown
for anyone who, especially for anyone who's like listening that is, i would say like, try curious. you're You're interested in coming into our world, right? So what's, in your opinion, a myth in triathlon that you love debunking?
00:24:21
Kristin Overton
I think,
00:24:23
Kristin Overton
It's just the the sheer fact that I can't do it. You know, that it's like, they're like, oh my gosh, you're going to swim and you're going to bike in your run. that That's that's right ridiculous.
00:24:37
Kristin Overton
I can't do that. Anybody that puts their mind to it can do it.
00:24:39
Lauren Brown
Thank you.
00:24:42
Kristin Overton
And because there's so many different levels of of triathlon, you know, you could do super sprints. a sprint Olympic all the way up to Ironman, up to, you know, ultras.
00:24:54
Kristin Overton
everybody's doing Ironman, you know, you can do a nice little short sprint. You can, you can do the breaststroke through it, through it. You can, you know, ride your tricycle and you can walk the run. Right. And you can complete it. And then you do that. And then you're like, oh I can do that. Well, I can do better.
00:25:12
Kristin Overton
You know, i could swim, you know, regular freestyle. I can ride a regular bicycle. I can, I can actually run and complete these things. And it's, it's an amazing experience because you think you can't do those things when really you can and showing people that you can do these hard things is huge.
00:25:31
Lauren Brown
Thank
00:25:33
Kristin Overton
So I think that that's, that's like the biggest thing in triathlons.
00:25:33
Rich
Yeah.
00:25:39
Rich
I love that you picked that because that's just, it is so funny that so many people don't believe in themselves.
Encouraging New Athletes and Debunking Myths
00:25:45
Rich
And it's, you know, it's kind of another way that, you know, we kind of all get stuck, you know. What are some what are some ways that you help unstick athletes other than, what once you get them to the point where, okay, maybe I can do this.
00:26:01
Rich
What are some other places that athletes get stuck from your experience?
00:26:06
Kristin Overton
you know, I think they get, they get, they get stuck in the,
00:26:14
Kristin Overton
like the, the intensity of things. So I think, you know, they, they feel like, oh i you know, I have, I have to go this fast, or, you know, I have to do it this way. i think you have to, you know, meet them at their level and then teach them,
00:26:32
Kristin Overton
how to improve. So whether it's a swim is simply, you know, putting your head in in a better position or on the bike, you know, learning how to drink, drink water out of a water bottle while you're riding, you know, these little simple things that, that just help kind of keep you moving forward.
00:26:57
Kristin Overton
That kind of thing.
00:26:58
April
Thinking through the athletes that you've worked with and the ones who you have seen just blossom from their beginner state to i that belief, right?
00:26:59
Lauren Brown
There's a
00:27:09
April
I am a triathlete. I can do these hard things. What is one thing that if you could get every athlete to do what is one thing that you would do to help them with their long-term, uh, durability and, and staying in the sport, right? Making this a lifestyle.
00:27:27
Kristin Overton
Yeah. I think keeping it fun.
00:27:33
Lauren Brown
Thank you.
00:27:33
Kristin Overton
So, you know, as you kind of get into the sport and you kind of head down and you're like, i gotta do, I gotta to do every workout. I gotta do it exactly right. You know, and it, and it ends up being stressful and more of a job.
00:27:47
Kristin Overton
So, think if, if you learn to dial it back and remind your athletes that this is fun, this should be really fun.
00:27:57
Kristin Overton
And so, you know, if you're down in the dumps and you're by yourself, like, come ride with me.
00:28:02
April
Mm-hmm.
00:28:02
Kristin Overton
Come for a run with me. Let's just go have some fun. We're not going think about, you know, zone four, zone two, what's my heart rate? Let's just go have some fun. And then, you know, just give give yourself some grace. You know, you don't have to complete every workout.
00:28:18
Kristin Overton
If your job is killing you, your family's tugging at you, take the day off. Go be with your family for the day, get the stuff done that you need to get done at work, then regroup and get back into it.
00:28:31
Kristin Overton
if you let all those things just pile up, then you're going to give up on the sport where that's probably the one thing that's, you know, and I know that's what it is for me. It keeps me mentally gives me that decompression time, everything else.
00:28:49
Kristin Overton
certainly not, and never anything that I want to let go of. so, you know, making sure that you keep it, keep it light. You can't, you can't be too serious about it.
00:28:59
April
That's some good medicine there, Doc.
00:29:02
Kristin Overton
Yep.
00:29:05
Lauren Brown
I know was going to kind of go off of, because you're so, you're busy, right? You're working full time as a PA, a you're coaching athletes, you have relationships, you have a social life, you have all these things. and I mean, you did pretty much touch upon this with your approach, but when you're coaching with athletes or even just like looking at somebody's week at a glance or your own week at a glance, what what does balance look like for you?
00:29:38
Lauren Brown
Like how do you coach athletes to... And I say balance is kind of a funny term because it's nothing's ever going to be completely balanced. Everything's integrated rather, I guess I should say.
00:29:46
Kristin Overton
Yeah, and yeah, yeah.
00:29:51
Lauren Brown
Is there anything to to add to that beyond the, of course, have fun with it but anything, any other tips that you would give people?
00:30:00
Kristin Overton
Yeah, I think, you know, I've i have recently had conversations with a couple of different athletes who have crazy schedules. know, one, one's a college student, where the schedule's a little wonky and it changes every, you know, couple of weeks and that kind of thing to a, busy physical therapist that owns her own business.
00:30:20
Kristin Overton
And it has to deal with those things and her schedule is always different every day.
00:30:21
Lauren Brown
Yeah.
00:30:25
Kristin Overton
So I think, you you know, you have to kind of break your days down. You have to find, okay, what is on any given day? what is that timeframe that you can, you can get that workout in and you can put that on your calendar that that's the most important thing at that time.
00:30:44
Kristin Overton
and, and make it a habit. so, you know, and look at your schedule weekly, monthly, whatever it is, whenever it changes and then sit down and work with it.
00:30:57
Kristin Overton
And, you know, if you have to change some things around, it's never going to be a perfect, you have to be a little bit flexible. but, but really trying to, to get those, those timeframes down where you can say, okay, this, this is, can be my training time. Let's make it my training time and nothing else can take that away from me.
00:31:18
Rich
That is great advice. And I hope that I can follow your advice.
00:31:24
Kristin Overton
It's not easy, Rich.
00:31:26
Rich
No, i know.
00:31:26
Kristin Overton
I struggle with it too.
00:31:29
April
Rich, who's this rich person? We're talking to Rico.
00:31:31
Kristin Overton
Rico.
00:31:32
Rich
Rico, Rico here. All right.
00:31:34
April
oh
00:31:34
Rich
Let me but see if I can put on that Rico voice here. All right. So here's what I want to know. If you could design, we've actually talked about this a few times on the podcast. We need to get your vote on this. If you were going to design your dream triathlon course, and it it does not have to be, i mean, it doesn't have to be swim, bike, run.
00:31:54
Rich
you pick that You pick the sports. What is your dream triathlon?
00:32:00
Kristin Overton
This such a great question. You know,
Describing the Ideal Triathlon Course
00:32:04
Lauren Brown
Thank you.
00:32:04
Kristin Overton
got to be honest, i don't think i would I don't think I would change the sports because I just love swim, bike, run.
00:32:13
Kristin Overton
I think the swim i would have at that lake in Immenstadt, Germany, where I did the 2010 World Championships. It was chilly. it was cold.
00:32:28
Kristin Overton
But it was like pristine, like just water that you could just stay in and swim in forever. It was great.
00:32:37
Lauren Brown
Thank you.
00:32:39
Kristin Overton
I think as as as much as I i like a super fat flat, fast course, I also love climbing hills on the bike.
00:32:51
Kristin Overton
So i'd pick some crazy scenic fun bike course. I'm not sure I could say exactly what course I would pick. I don't know.
00:33:02
Kristin Overton
Somewhere we could do that again.
00:33:02
Rich
We used to ride Castle Pines again.
00:33:14
Lauren Brown
Thank you.
00:33:21
Kristin Overton
so I like, you know, getting off the bike and just having a nice flat course that you can just cruise it on home. Uh, preferably, you know, I like, you know, kind of running along the beach, having the ocean on one side, you know, some, the crowd on the other side cheering you Uh, I really loved Marbella, that run course.
00:33:45
Lauren Brown
Mm-hmm.
00:33:46
Kristin Overton
That was fun.
00:33:46
Lauren Brown
Yeah.
00:33:47
Kristin Overton
So, uh, I guess I'd go there.
00:33:50
April
Bravo. Well, if you, if we ever figure out a way to like travel us transport, if we get some star Trek technology, that sounds like the perfect triathlon experience.
00:34:03
April
All right.
00:34:04
Kristin Overton
Nice.
00:34:04
April
We are now at the point of the podcast. We're going to put you through some paces, Coach K.O. All of us are going to go through some rounds. So you've shared the wisdom, the science, the strategy, but now we're going to test something far more
'Knockout' Moments in Endurance Sports
00:34:18
April
important. important Your ability to survive chaos. You've made it to our fun segment, and tonight's game is called kao But not that KO. So that's right. We're diving into the moments that mentally, physically, emotionally knock endurance athletes flat. We're talking about knockouts. So you're going to get five questions and you need to tell me what knocks the wind out of your sails the quickest, no prep, no data, no wrong answers, just pure instinct. Rich and Lauren, you're not off the hook.
00:34:57
April
We're all playing. So here's round one.
00:35:00
Kristin Overton
I love this.
00:35:01
April
yeah This is the mental knockout. Which thought is the most dangerous mid-race? a I'll just back off a little.
00:35:15
April
B, everyone else looks so strong. C, why did I sign up for this?
00:35:20
Lauren Brown
Thank you.
00:35:23
April
Or D, I could totally quit and no one would know.
00:35:29
Kristin Overton
Oh, that's a tough one. What was the first one again?
00:35:34
April
I'll just back off a little.
00:35:38
Kristin Overton
You know, I think that the biggest, the the biggest one for me when I'm in a race and all sudden I start thinking, why does everybody look so strong?
00:35:47
April
hmm.
00:35:48
Kristin Overton
that That starts playing games with my mind and I have to get that out of my mind very quickly. So that's the one thing that that'll kick me to the ground.
00:35:57
April
That's good. That's good. Coach Lauren.
00:35:59
Lauren Brown
I'm with you, KO. Same one. I was like, that for me is like, if I start looking outward instead of just focusing on me, that's that's a problem. So,
00:36:07
April
Yeah, yeah.
00:36:08
Kristin Overton
Yeah.
00:36:10
April
Rico.
00:36:11
Lauren Brown
sorry.
00:36:11
Rich
Yeah, i don't think i don't think I've got D in me. I've done some pretty i've gone stupid lengths to finish a race.
00:36:15
Lauren Brown
Thank you.
00:36:18
Rich
But definitely B gets into my head. I'm like, you know, as soon as I'm like, why do I feel like this? And why does everybody look stronger? Like, ugh. I'm like, ugh.
00:36:30
April
Yeah, I think that that rung everybody's bell. Okay.
00:36:33
Kristin Overton
and
00:36:33
Rich
Yeah.
00:36:34
April
Round two, emotional damage knockout. but Which of these hits harder than a physical knockout? A, missing a workout.
00:36:47
April
B, getting dropped on a group ride. C, seeing your coach adjust your plan. Or D, is someone passing you in Crocs.
00:37:00
Rich
Crocs with socks. Oh, no. no
00:37:04
Kristin Overton
I think if somebody passed me in Crocs, i that would that would kill me emotionally.
00:37:07
April
Emotional damage.
00:37:09
Kristin Overton
That would give me damage, for sure.
00:37:13
April
i don't know if I could come back from that either. that yeah
00:37:15
Lauren Brown
Yeah.
00:37:18
Lauren Brown
I'm feeling that one too. I don't remember what B was, but until I heard D, I think I was going with B, but now I can't even remember what B was.
00:37:24
April
oh getting dropped on a group ride.
00:37:25
Lauren Brown
So, oh yeah, like that kind of sucks if you're like, oh my God, now I have to catch up with everyone again. But the Crocs, the Crocs actually win, so.
00:37:34
April
The Crocs would hurt. That would hurt. Rico.
00:37:37
Rich
it it depends on if It depends on if I have my Garmin on me or not. Getting dropped on the group ride, I don't have the course. I'm going to be really worried about that.
00:37:44
April
Oh.
00:37:45
Lauren Brown
yeah
00:37:46
April
hu
00:37:47
Rich
But yeah, I'm actually going to go with B just for the sake of like, oh, now what?
00:37:53
April
Now what?
00:37:53
Lauren Brown
Yeah.
00:37:53
April
What do I do?
00:37:54
Lauren Brown
Mm-hmm.
00:37:54
Kristin Overton
Yeah. That was the second choice, Rich.
00:37:58
April
Yeah, I think so too.
00:37:58
Rich
Yeah, okay, good, good.
00:38:00
April
Okay. You have survived to round three. Right. Uh, triathlon reality knockout. What's the most common knockout moment in a race? A swim, start chaos.
00:38:13
April
Be the big first big hill on the bike. See mile 10 of the run of an iron man or D realizing your nutrition plan was dot, dot, dot vibes.
00:38:28
Kristin Overton
Oh,
00:38:31
Kristin Overton
I think it's gotta be nutrition. Uh, cause I've had, had the nutrition dot, dot, dot,
00:38:38
April
it The grumbles.
00:38:41
Kristin Overton
the grumbles, you know, usually in the Ironman mile, mile 10 is not great. yeah, I gotta go with the, the nutrition.
00:38:50
Lauren Brown
Same. I'm feeling the same way, Kayo. I mean, nutrition is like, f yeah.
00:38:53
April
You are, you all are vibing.
00:38:55
Kristin Overton
You and I are right at vibing big time.
00:38:57
Lauren Brown
Yeah.
00:38:57
April
Yeah.
00:38:57
Lauren Brown
But if your nutrition is off and you're like struggling because of that, that is like like game over.
00:39:01
Kristin Overton
It's brutal.
00:39:03
Lauren Brown
It's hard to come back once that happens.
00:39:03
April
Mm-hmm.
00:39:05
Kristin Overton
Yeah.
00:39:05
April
Mm-hmm. Uh,
00:39:08
Rich
Personally, i have to agree.
00:39:10
Lauren Brown
Yeah.
00:39:11
Rich
but on a, you know, because that is, you know, as soon as I start to feel the the grumbles, I know, you know, we're heading for trouble, right? Now now I'm in damage control.
00:39:20
Lauren Brown
Yeah.
00:39:21
Rich
But honestly, if I like just were to think about like objectively, you know, like not me personally, and just like looking at the sport as a whole, i think probably the big KO moment for a lot of people is the swim start chaos.
00:39:36
Rich
And you know you go to an Ironman and you go to the race tent or you know the you know the timing tent in the in the transition area.
00:39:37
April
Mm.
00:39:37
Kristin Overton
For sure.
00:39:44
April
Mm.
00:39:46
Rich
And you can see at the end of the swim, they call it the chain of broken dreams. And it's the it's the trackers of the people that you know DNF the swim.
00:39:52
April
Mm.
00:39:57
Rich
you know so
00:39:58
Lauren Brown
uh-uh
00:39:59
Kristin Overton
Yep.
00:40:01
Lauren Brown
sad reality
00:40:02
April
coming in with those hard truths that was a hard hit rico
00:40:03
Kristin Overton
It is. right Rico bringing us down. and
00:40:10
April
No, good, good though. okay. We got round four here. Ding, ding, ding. Coaching KO, which coaching phrase secretly feels like a knockout.
00:40:22
April
Trust the process. Let's stay in zone two today. We're building durability. This is a recovery week.
00:40:34
Kristin Overton
Oh, that's such a tough one.
00:40:36
Kristin Overton
What was what was number one?
00:40:39
April
Trust the process.
00:40:40
Kristin Overton
trust the process.
00:40:43
April
I've said every single one of these.
00:40:44
Lauren Brown
Bye.
00:40:46
Kristin Overton
Yeah, it's like, it's so hard. This is so hard. This is this is this a tough one. You're knocking me out.
00:40:51
April
Yeah.
00:40:52
April
Round four. You might not make it.
00:40:53
Kristin Overton
I think let's stick the zone to zone two today.
00:40:58
April
Yeah. That's a good one.
00:41:01
Kristin Overton
So yeah, you know, usually that means like, A, you're just having a bad week, you're fatigued, you're like, you know, you you just can't handle the high intensity. And so, you know, like, oh, this really means that I just got to dial it back.
00:41:17
April
who Love that.
00:41:20
Lauren Brown
All right, I'll contrast this one. So I'll say, trust the process. I say it to myself, I say it to athletes, but I think like sometimes but when you're saying that, it's because the athlete's not trusting the process.
00:41:25
April
and
00:41:32
Lauren Brown
So it's like for them, they're like, oh, so I'll roll with that one for this.
00:41:33
April
Yeah. Lots of doubt.
00:41:39
Lauren Brown
They were all good though.
00:41:39
April
Love it.
00:41:40
Kristin Overton
Good one.
00:41:41
Rich
I love these. These are like the coaching version of accidental diminishers from multipliers, which I know we've all read.
00:41:47
April
hu
00:41:48
Rich
Right. You know, right.
00:41:49
April
oh
00:41:49
Kristin Overton
Yeah.
00:41:50
Rich
You know, the the I think the other one that's pretty good is. I think there's something positive in here, you know. Yeah,
00:41:59
April
Let's find the silver lining.
00:42:00
Lauren Brown
Thank you.
00:42:01
Kristin Overton
Yeah.
00:42:01
Rich
yeah exactly. Right.
00:42:03
Kristin Overton
The good news is...
00:42:03
Rich
I.
00:42:04
April
The good news is, yes, oh my gosh.
00:42:04
Rich
Yeah. Right.
00:42:08
April
Oh.
00:42:09
Rich
I think let's stay in zone two today.
00:42:09
Kristin Overton
Mm-hmm.
00:42:10
Rich
You overcooked yourself. is you know you know For the person who's like really hungry and wants to train hard, they're like, oh, coaches hold me back.
00:42:21
April
Hmm. Great point. Guess what? We are still on our feet here. We've got round five final round. This is a life knockout.
00:42:31
April
What is the ultimate adult life knockout? a waking up sore for no reason.
00:42:41
April
B getting excited about a new sponge. C canceled plans feeling like a win. Or D, going to bed before 9 p.m. voluntarily.
00:42:55
Kristin Overton
is so good.
00:42:59
Kristin Overton
Well, I've gone to bed before 9pm for years now. So I say I'm okay with that. I'm okay with that.
00:43:05
Lauren Brown
same
00:43:07
Kristin Overton
I think probably the biggest thing for me these days is waking up in the morning and feeling sore for absolutely no reason at all.
00:43:16
Lauren Brown
Yeah.
00:43:17
April
That neck, oh, shoulder.
00:43:21
Kristin Overton
really didn't even do anything was a light day yesterday yeah
00:43:21
Lauren Brown
Yeah.
00:43:22
April
Yeah.
00:43:25
April
he Yeah.
00:43:27
Lauren Brown
Yeah.
00:43:27
Rich
I'm going with sore throat. We get up with a sore throat. yeah Life knockout right there.
00:43:30
Kristin Overton
yeah
00:43:33
April
Oh.
00:43:34
Lauren Brown
yeah im I'm going with the A as well. the other ones I'm kind of like, I'm cool with without that. i'm I'm cool with being okay with plans canceled and going to bed at night.
00:43:40
Rich
didn't
00:43:42
Lauren Brown
That does not bother me at all that that's part of who I am.
00:43:43
Rich
even get excited about a sponge.
00:43:45
April
Yeah.
00:43:47
Lauren Brown
And
00:43:49
April
ha
00:43:50
Lauren Brown
I mean, the sponge thing, I'm just like, yeah.
00:43:51
April
Oh,
00:43:51
Rich
Rico Suave and SpongeBob SquarePants, we're pals.
00:43:54
April
yeah.
00:43:55
Kristin Overton
yeah right
00:43:55
April
Yeah. I love it. i do
00:43:59
Kristin Overton
i reveled the cancel plans like yes i'll get more sleep tonight
00:43:59
April
Oh my word.
00:44:02
Lauren Brown
I was, yes.
00:44:02
April
Yes. That's a win. that is a win in my book. I have no shame in my game.
00:44:08
Lauren Brown
Thank
00:44:08
Kristin Overton
hu
00:44:09
April
All right. Ding, ding, ding. That is the bell on KO, but not that KO. Coach KO, Rich, Lauren, you made it through. If there's one thing we learned today, it's this, the real knockouts and endurance sports don't come from the course. They come from what's happening between your ears. So next time you're out there racing training, or just trying to hold it together on a random Tuesday, pay attention to the moment that tries to knock you out and decide that you're still in the fight. That's what we call getting gritty.
00:44:41
Rich
Love it.
00:44:43
Kristin Overton
Amazing.
Conclusion and Sponsor Mentions
00:44:44
Rich
Speaking of getting gritty, we want to give a shout out to our show sponsor, Vespa Power Endurance, helping our athletes tap into steady clean energy so they can stay strong, focused, and in the zone longer. Vespa is not fuel, but a metabolic catalyst that shifts your body to use more fat than sugar. Vespa comes in a number of products.
00:45:04
Rich
Check it out. Less sugar, higher performance, faster recovery, The home of Vespa, the home of these products is Vespa Endurance. We've got a link here in the show notes and you get 20% off of your first time order And you can get recurring orders for 15% off with the code G2GVESPA15. The link is here in the short show notes. Check it out.
00:45:30
Rich
All of our athletes are using the using this product and having great success with it. And Coach K.O., thank you for joining us today. We're so glad to have you on board with us as a coach here at Grit to Greatness Endurance.
00:45:45
Rich
and And team, what a great show, huh?
00:45:48
Kristin Overton
Thank you.
00:45:49
April
Loved it.
00:45:49
Kristin Overton
This is super fun.
00:45:50
Rich
Yeah. Thanks for spending time with us today on the Grits Greatness Endurance Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow us and leave a rating on Apple Podcasts and YouTube. It helps us reach more athletes like you. Stay gritty, train smart, and keep chasing greatness.
00:46:04
Rich
We will see you next week.