Transcript
Rich: Welcome to episode 558 of the Grit to Greatness Endurance Podcast. We're your hosts, coaches Rich Soares and Lauren Brown. And we are on a mission. to help endurance athletes train smarter, race stronger.
Rich: and learn the grit it takes to achieve greatness.
Lauren Brown: Yes, today we are joined by James J. Logan, longtime triathlete and author of Just Keep Trying. the faith fueled formula to push through pain, face your fears and finish your race.
Lauren Brown: Jim's pursuit of an Ironman finish was disrupted by repeated setbacks and then transformed by a stage four colorectal cancer diagnosis. His book follows the shift from trying to force an outcome through willpower alone.
Lauren Brown: to drawing strength from discipline, faith, gratitude. family, and purpose.
Rich: And you're hitting our values, Jim. We're excited to have you here, my friend. Thank you for being with us.
Jim: Thank you so much, Rich and Lauren. I really appreciate your time. and You know. i've said when i go you go to a race there's 2500 competitors you don't know any of them but you really know all of them So even though we've just met, we share so many values. and and and so many like minded traits in our daily lifestyle that Even though we don't know each other, we do know each other.
Rich: Yeah, boy, a hundred percent. Yep. It, it, uh, it breaks through a lot of things, doesn't it?
Jim: Yeah.
Lauren Brown: yep
Rich: Yeah, well, we're excited to dive into your story. and you know, The book, yeah just keep trying.
Jim: Yeah.
Rich: and Share with our listeners that role of discipline, sacrifice, and perseverance without confusing resilience with denial or ignoring reality. so
Jim: There's so many complicated aspects to that question right there.
Rich: Oof.
Jim: Let me tell you, you know, for the longest time, people ask me, and I'm sure they ask you, why do you do Ironman? It's a tough question to answer. or even what is a triathlon it's like swim bike run is the easiest answer but we know it's way more complicated than that 24 7 lifestyle so I'm thankful to cancer for many things. When is the time?
Jim: that it's given me. and the time gives you opportunities and what you do with the opportunities up to you uh but i chose to ask myself serious questions like what is the meaning of life what makes a life purposeful and meaningful And have I done those things? And if I haven't, what could I do with the time I have left?
Jim: to do those things. and and that's when i came up with the idea to write the book that's what i came up with the you know When I first got diagnosed April of 24, I had a race in Texas two weeks later.
Jim: a diagnosed so -called terminal cancer Six months, maybe two years to live. And two weeks later, I had a race, already paid for, hotels, everything. So I told my wife, like I have three weeks to wait for chemo. I said, I'm not going to sit here and wait. Let's just go to Texas and see what happens. And of course, it was awful. I had hoped, you know, divine invention would kick in. Let me have one last great finish line. And then I'll ride off into the sunset. Well, it didn't go so well.
Jim: A week later, I signed up for another one, October 24. uh chattanooga After six months of chemo, I hadd lost 35 pounds, developed a level three skin infection, and I was looking like death was nearby. And that race went equally horrible. That's where I experienced the drive of shame, pulled off the course, sitting in the back of a truck waiting for a ride back to the paddock. I'd never experienced that before. Looking death death square in the face and really at the my lowest point.
Jim: uh when i surrendered everything to god at that point and said i'm not going to worry about tomorrow i'm not going to worry about dying I'm going to worry about the time I have left and what I'm going to do with it. That's when I decided to write the book. That's when I decided to sign up for Ironman Florida 25 and sign up for the Ironman Foundation, raise funds for them. So I converted my life to a life of service and charity.
Jim: Charity being the Ironman Foundation. That's how I met Audra. who's the executive director of the foundation that's how i got invited to kota Turns out Audra and I know each other from high school, 1982. 44 years later, we reconnect.
Lauren Brown: wow
Jim: yeah Miracles just happening all over the place. then i connected the profit from the book to my fundraising goal i have a goal of a hundred thousand dollars i'm at like fifty two or three thousand so we're moving in the right direction
Lauren Brown: yeah
Jim: And, you know. The title of the book is Just Keep Trying, and people ask me, why are you doing these? ironmans when clearly you're about to die and you have no reasonable expectation of doing well and i just kept saying i'm not sure why but i have to just keep trying And that's where the title came from.
Jim: I think the message is universal, regardless of what you're going through in life. If you get up in the morning and you just keep trying, you got to go through it, whatever the thing is that's happening to you. You have to go straight through it.
Jim: Can't go around it, over it, under it. You got to go right through the middle of it. Just keep trying and you'll be surprised.
Lauren Brown: mm -hmm
Jim: Sometimes you can't see the finish line. Sometimes you don't know why you're doing what you're doing. But if you know you're moving in the right direction, keep... going Keep trying.
Rich: you know There are a lot of books out there with a lot of clever titles, but none with as much depth. as you have just given yours. Jim, so Thank you for that. kind of background and how we got here today.
Rich: Appreciate that. we're gonna dive into a couple of uh athlete shout outs about some athletes that are racing this weekend
Jim: I love it.
Rich: And then we're going to.
Jim: You got some people in Wisconsin. That's a race I've always kind of looked at.
Rich: Yeah, that's right. we There we go.
Jim: Yeah, yeah, i saw I saw that.
Rich: Well, yeah.
Jim: I saw that. Yeah.
Rich: You can shout them out too if you've got subs. yeah I'm going to turn it over to you, Lorne, to get us started.
Lauren Brown: Yeah, yeah. So good luck to our G2G athletes we're racing this weekend. We got Michael Murphy doing the USAC Gravel Nationals, which is September 12th, Cycling Priority C.
Lauren Brown: And then we've got Coach KO, Kristen Overton and Lindsay Holmes are going to be, they're actually. probably getting ready to wake up in a little bit because they are currently, I know that the pros are already have waiting to start under their names.
Rich: I'm tracking them.
Jim: All right.
Lauren Brown: I'm like, Oh dang. Cause they're all the way in there in Nice. So yeah.
Jim: Oh, that's right.
Lauren Brown: So coach KO.
Jim: Yeah, tomorrow's tomorrow's the half, yeah.
Lauren Brown: Yeah, yeah. And Lindsay Holmes there. Gearing up, probably finishing their last dream of the night before they wake up to race 70 .3 World Champs. And then we've got Kevin Bauer. Tomorrow he is also racing, doing the Imogene Pass run our way.
Lauren Brown: uh that again is tomorrow. or September 12th.
Rich: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's a beautiful part of Colorado. so the weirdest pronunciation. It's your a
Lauren Brown: Okay, I knew I botched it.
Jim: yeah thousand
Rich: And.
Lauren Brown: I was like, Alan White.
Rich: No, yeah, it's it's weird.
Jim: Yeah.
Rich: but but But they call it the Switzerland of the West. It is like that green and...
Jim: Wow.
Lauren Brown: oh
Rich: and Flowers everywhere. It's beautiful.
Lauren Brown: mm -hmm
Jim: picturesque.
Rich: it' beautiful It's beautiful. Yeah, we've got Marcy and we've got Mackenzie. race in ironman wisconsin this weekend so go girls that's going to be awesome alyssa monk doing the Canmore Half Marathon and Keri Rose.
Rich: doing the can more Rocky mountain. I guess those are the same things. I guess it's the 10 K though. So. Alyssa, Carrie. Awesome. Good luck. Hey. Jim, you got anybody what you're shouting out this weekend?
Jim: I've got Greg Parker, my teammate on the Ironman Foundation, is competing in the half world championship over in Nice. And he's coming to Kona to do Kona. He's also doing this with early onset Parkinson's syndrome.
Lauren Brown: wow
Jim: so So a lot of my teammates on the Ironman Foundation have. similar issues and one of the things i love about the iron man race is they always make room for people like us to prove the Ironman motto that anything's possible. Every year they choose a certain group of athletes that are overcoming tremendous adversity And they led us into this race because I wouldn't get in otherwise.
Jim: Another thank you to cancer for that.
Rich: Yeah.
Jim: Thank you, cancer.
Rich: You know what? And speaking of, you know, the. The gift. the gift the you know the gift that might come along with something that others might call a curse.
Rich: you know Mike Murphy is a blind athlete.
Jim: Wow.
Rich: He...
Jim: yeah just
Rich: He is on his way to LA 2028 as a track. cyclist.
Jim: Wow.
Rich: And.
Lauren Brown: mm -hmm
Rich: He has. told me stories of the capabilities that he has today that he only has because of his blindness.
Jim: Absolutely, and it's an unfortunate thing in human nature that it it takes sometimes a tragedy or a catastrophe to take you from to be the catalyst from ordinary to extraordinary. And I've come to understand that I really believe most of us are born ordinary.
Jim: What's up? Ability to be extraordinary, but you have to choose to do so and once you choose to do so you have to do the work And you know that's the hard part. It's one thing to say, I want to do this. It's another thing to actually do it.
Lauren Brown: Right.
Jim: and the consistency over a long period of time, as we all know. uh There is a great reward to that, but it takes a long time to get to it and you have to go through it you know it's not what happens to you it's what you do with it uh that really makes the difference and that's what i've come to understand
Rich: And triathlon is a vehicle for transformation.
Jim: Absolutely. I've said this too.
Rich: Yeah.
Jim: I don't think you can have an Ironman in your house and not have the whole house benefit from that person's presence. lifts everyone up.
Lauren Brown: mm -hmm Even if they don't realize it at the time.
Jim: Yep. Yep. I know my wife eats better because what I put in the refrigerator, my son follows in my so footsteps. He's 21. He's a power lifter, but we do sprints together and it's always fun to cross finish lines with him.
Jim: He wouldn't do it other than for me, you know, so.
Lauren Brown: awesome
Jim: Yeah. And then you inspire and motivate people along the way. and and that's the greatest greatest feeling
Lauren Brown: Yep.
Rich: Guess who's doing her second Ironman? in a couple weeks.
Jim: All right, where are you going?
Lauren Brown: Yeah. This one is going to be Maryland. so
Jim: Okay.
Lauren Brown: Yeah, I'm in New Jersey, so I'm not too far from there.
Jim: I've heard good things about Maryland.
Lauren Brown: And then.
Jim: I'm a Jersey guy.
Jim: I was born and raised in Jersey City, you know. right across the river from manhattan then we lived in hazlitt then we lived in Mattis Glenn, Belmar, Stone Pody, Bruce Springsteen.
Lauren Brown: Oh nice!
Lauren Brown: Oh. I'm in Belmar right now. Yeah.
Jim: that's That's my stomping grounds right there.
Lauren Brown: Now we're not saying.
Jim: You know, I used to crack me up when people would say, you know, they watch the Jersey Shore and they're like.
Lauren Brown: Yep.
Jim: Are Jersey people really like that? It's like they're from Staten Island. They're not from New Jersey.
Lauren Brown: I know.
Jim: Okay.
Lauren Brown: They're just coming over the bridge for a little bit.
Jim: a They're Italians from New York.
Lauren Brown: Yeah.
Jim: they're You know, I'm Irish. I'm Irish Jersey. There's a big difference.
Lauren Brown: Oh. That's very Spring Lake, yes.
Jim: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So I've got a lot of, I've lived here longer than I've lived anywhere else. So I'm really more of an Atlanta guy now. uh but i do miss the food i gotta to say i miss the food there's no pizza down here no bagels
Lauren Brown: Yeah. Yeah.
Lauren Brown: Uh...
Jim: You would think they'd catch up after 30 years, but no.
Lauren Brown: That's a... A New Jersey thing. That's what we got.
Jim: Yeah.
Lauren Brown: Pizza and bagels.
Jim: Lots of other stuff too. The food is amazing.
Lauren Brown: Yeah. Well, before we get too sidetracked with New Jersey life, I'm going to just do one quick call out and then.
Jim: Sure.
Jim: Sure.
Lauren Brown: Let's like. I'd love to do the two truths and a lie. I want to jump into that.
Jim: All right.
Lauren Brown: So just real quick for anyone who is new to G2G.
Jim: Let's try it.
Lauren Brown: You do not need to be coached to be a part of this community. So if you're listening to things that we're talking about in the triathlon world with our athletes, if you're looking for support, inspiration, a group who truly understands what it takes to balance life, work and endurance sport, we would love to meet you. You can come here directly from our athletes and see what makes G2G different.
Lauren Brown: Check out the link that's in the show notes to be able to learn more a little bit more about our community.
Rich: And join us next Tuesday for our... webinar.
Lauren Brown: Oh! Correct.
Rich: On street, on... on supplements for strength and i have got to get hooked up because i'm doing hyrox i need to get these guns going so
Lauren Brown: supplements. Yes.
Lauren Brown: Yes. I got you, Coach Rich.
Jim: Yeah. That's great.
Lauren Brown: right
Rich: All right. Am I going to do the lead in here or what what we got going on here?
Lauren Brown: Are we going to do two truths and a lie? Are we going to do that one?
Rich: Let's do. Well, yeah, well, let's do this. Let me intro. do a full just a full intro here and i'm going to hand it over to you for the two truths and a lie all right
Lauren Brown: and All right. Got it.
Rich: Alright, so... Listen, this book really put together you know a growth frame framework around discipline, sacrifice, suffering, and pain. and it it it explored The sustaining power of your attitude.
Rich: Faith, family. friends, and just the spirit of gratitude. So. Jim, we're really glad to get started here with you. really help us.
Rich: take our Take our listeners. through your journey as we go through these. these questions here i'll actually just kind of since i've already got the first question lined up here Let me just go ahead and and hit you with the.
Rich: We have this little get to know you game called two truths and a lie. We want you to give us. three statements about yourself. two of which are true. One is a lie. And we will try to tell what the lie is of those three.
Rich: And... We're ready.
Jim: All right.
Lauren Brown: We're checking this kind of paper.
Jim: Hmm. I've been self -employed my entire life. There's one whenever times are difficult throughout my life i've always leaned on fitness as the keel of my boat and My diet is probably not what you would think as an Ironman triathlete. I like cheeseburgers and milkshakes.
Rich: Okay. All right. So. One of these is a lie.
Jim: Yeah.
Rich: Self -employed your entire life. Fitness is your keel. And your diet is not what people would think.
Lauren Brown: I know which one.
Rich: Got it.
Lauren Brown: I'm going to go with number two because I think faith is maybe the actual answer. So I think maybe you switched it with fitness, but it's really faith.
Rich: no
Lauren Brown: That's my guess.
Rich: I think. That's a good one. I love that.
Lauren Brown: I know.
Rich: Uh,
Lauren Brown: I was like, let me say it first. I'm going to say, I want to say my guess first.
Jim: Yeah.
Rich: I love it. i I would say... I'm going to actually say. The... diet that you know, maybe the diet didn't used to be as good, but now the diet is dialed in. So it's a, that's the why.
Rich: based on a change
Jim: Lauren, you made a very good guess because I left faith out inadvertently, but Rich, you're correct.
Jim: i don't see I don't see food as a pleasure center. My wife treats it like a party. I'm like a dog. I didn't tell her I wish they made people food like dog food, just called it people food. I could go get.
Jim: two scoops a day and be done with it you know So i eat I eat for purpose, not for pleasure.
Rich: All right. Well, that's good. Now, I do want to dial into, though. yeah the faith is your keel instead of fitness is your keel it obviously was a truth
Jim: Yeah.
Rich: But maybe talk about how those two be intersect.
Jim: Yeah. I would say faith and fitness has sustained me through the most difficult battle with life's most insidious enemy, stage four cancer. When I got hit with cancer and when you fight cancer, it's not one thing, it's everything. You need to bring.
Jim: everything to bear and that's good insurance good doctors family support you know fitness but coming in as a lifelong long -distance endurance athlete decades of training you know over 300 races i had built a certain amount of resilience i talk about invited pain and uninvited pain.
Jim: the invited pain that we bring on ourselves through training prepares you for the uninvited pain of things like cancer and and facing very difficult things. So Ironman builds that mental toughness, that physical toughness, that spiritual toughness as well, that will sustain you in a way that's hard to imagine. There's a reason I've exceeded.
Jim: Bye. expected life expectancy and it's simply because of the endurance sports. So faith was also a big part of it. If you really have if you're really full of faith, then you have no fear.
Jim: When I talk about... Journey and destination. I believe there's only the journey. The only destination I'm concerned with is the kingdom of heaven. And there's no destination on earth that is concerned for me. So I believe the journey is is life. and And the destination is.
Jim: you know heaven so uh don't pin your don't pin your hopes on a destination and that goes back to the finish line i've really come a long way with this for me forever it was about the finish line Once I got cancer it became about just getting to the start line.
Jim: just having another opportunity to start.
Lauren Brown: yeah
Jim: And whenever I did a race, even before cancer, I would.
Lauren Brown: him
Jim: Go near someone who's old like me, woman, male, doesn't matter. And I would say. What a glorious day this is. And you know, there's going to come a day. that we can't do this anymore, but today is not. that day when i signed up for the ironman world championship it was 14 months ago I didn't even know if I'd be alive. So my first objective was to arrive alive. And it still is. I got four weeks to go. Anything could happen.
Jim: but i'm just concerned with getting to the start line And then we'll see what happens from there. and i've said this before and you guys know this as coaches if you have 10 months of training. Four weeks in a month.
Jim: 10 sessions a week maybe 400 training sessions over 10 months Are you telling me that's less important than one day of racing? the money's already in the bank the benefits have already been received it's nice to get the coordination but don't let the finish line ruin the journey to the start line Appreciate every single step along the way and realize that once you get there, 99 % of the victory is already won.
Lauren Brown: Yeah.
Lauren Brown: I love that, Jim. it's Sorry, Rich. I know we were both probably having the exact same sentiment as soon as he was finishing that because... I... I think that I know that will resonate with people, whether they're going through any sort of illness, but the idea that like.
Lauren Brown: it's so important to enjoy that journey along the way because that takes up so much more time than just getting to the finish line.
Jim: Yeah.
Lauren Brown: Like it's a long day.
Jim: I know I was guilty. I was guilty of placing too much value on.
Lauren Brown: Yeah.
Jim: I want to swim this time. I want to bike that time. And then when you don't hit your metrics, you start getting upset and you forget that. One, I'm an age group where I'm not going to win this thing. and the timing you know it depends on the day it depends on a lot of different things so uh Just to be able to make it to the start line is a tremendous achievement.
Jim: patchy puff on the back for that
Lauren Brown: Mm -hmm.
Jim: Go have fun. Let the chips fall where they may. And if you get to the finish line, it's all the more better. But that's just the icing on the cake. Cake's are already baked.
Rich: the gratitude for every step and every pedal and every stroke you took
Jim: Yeah.
Rich: And every day you had to get up early and every day you may have. I just... you know, spent time with. Yeah. people we might want to spend time with.
Jim: Yeah.
Rich: Listen, you you you started. You started your book and you kind of started. us with the story of you not you know getting pulled off the course.
Jim: Yeah. That was the drive of shame. And i had I had experiences before and believe it or not. I have eight DNFs. in Iron Man. For various reasons so 2018 was my first race Chattanooga And they canceled the swim that year.
Jim: so i did the 116 mile bike i did the 26 .2 mile run Iron Man counts it as a... as a real iron man but no iron man i know does because you didn't do the swim so it doesn't count so as my wife nuts
Lauren Brown: Hmph.
Jim: I was like, it doesn't count if you don't do all three. So simple as that. Plus I forgot to put my timing chip on for the bike, right? So that never got. You know, it's not a stupid mistake.
Lauren Brown: oh my god
Jim: You know, I was under trained. I was overconfident and the Ironman kicked my ass. so i learned a lesson i came back stronger the next year but i dehydrated turned out 2019 was the hottest year in the history of the world 40 % DNFs, hospital ambulances flying everywhere.
Jim: They swore they wouldn't run out of ice. They were giving out hot Gatorade and hot water like 20 miles into the bike ride. So long, brutal day. I made it to a half marathon. Next year, COVID. knocked everything out next year i got covet and then the next year i got cancer so i had numerous dnfs after that leading up to florida which was my last attempt where i got a dns didn't even start because I just had my rectum removed a couple months previous, but I didn't care because I knew I was going to Kona.
Jim: so
Lauren Brown: oh
Jim: Yeah, you know. you just you just never know what you're going to run into what you're going to face but i feel like i'm more prepared now than i've ever been even with cancer 30 months in i'm no evidence of disease as we speak i just had a scan a couple of weeks ago I've had a long nine months of
Lauren Brown: and
Jim: Tumors came back in January. My ostomy prolapsed, which it just did again recently. I had skin infections, blood clots, hospitalizations, side effects, setbacks. you could everything that could go wrong went wrong.
Jim: and i still managed to get a lot of the training and there were times i couldn't but now it looks like i have a clear four weeks i i just jumped in the pool uh before i came here 80 minute swim it felt so good It felt so good to be back in the water.
Jim: But I'm feeling really good.
Lauren Brown: next
Jim: So just got my bike tuned up I think I have a pretty good shot. at finishing this race and one thing i know is There's nothing you can do to me in 17 hours, swimming, biking, and running.
Jim: that i have not endured in the last 30 months so i'm stronger now mentally physically spiritually than i've ever been and i'm prepared i'm prepared to start and we'll I'll accept the outcome whatever it is because I know I've done my best.
Jim: and And that's all you can ever do.
Lauren Brown: I can't wait to track you when you're when you're racing out there.
Jim: that a lot of people follow me i just started feeling that pressure recently and i met a lady
Lauren Brown: Yeah. Oh, in the best way. But you know, everyone's following you, but sending you all of like the the most like.
Jim: Yeah.
Lauren Brown: positive energy that we could send.
Jim: and I feel it
Lauren Brown: like from from far away. So I think, that you know.
Jim: And I feel it now.
Lauren Brown: It's going to be all.
Jim: I met a lady named Barbie Fagan just recently.
Lauren Brown: All support.
Jim: She's an accomplished long -distance athlete, been to Kona many times.
Lauren Brown: Mm hmm.
Jim: And she... she She could see that I had some anxiety about this. We'd just known this woman for an hour. She reached out, put her hand on my shoulder and said,
Lauren Brown: Yeah.
Jim: Relax and enjoy. Kona is a very special place. Don't worry about that. She's the one who really taught me. you know Don't let the finish line ruin the start line.
Lauren Brown: Yeah. Yeah I love that.
Jim: Basically, you know, and and I just relax. All I can do. is what's in front of me so people ask How are you going to do an Ironman with stage four cancer? I said, well, I don't have to do it today. Today, all I have to do is an 80 minute swim and a 40 minute run.
Jim: I could do that.
Lauren Brown: Right.
Jim: If I keep doing that. Each day, to- tomorrow will take care of itself. and I'll be prepared when I get there.
Lauren Brown: So you...
Jim: Just focus on the day ahead. That's it.
Lauren Brown: Yeah. yeah and so thinking about like your your mindset as you're going through all of this and just on a regular basis you lived by Just keep trying that that phrase long before your diagnosis.
Jim: Yeah.
Lauren Brown: So when you look at your journey now, how did that. phrase and like that mindset change. When you realize that. effort alone could not guarantee that the outcome was what you were actually hoping for.
Jim: I say I went from swim, bike, run to chemo radiation surgery. And a lot of the same principles apply. It's just a different kind of race with with with a really bad finish line. You don't want to you know you don't want to get to that.
Jim: cancer finish line. Uh,
Lauren Brown: yeah
Jim: but I never defined that until I wrote the book. I lived that lifestyle because i've always been self -employed and i've usually worked for myself by myself first as a carpenter renovator then as a home inspector i was a home inspector for 30 years in atlanta did like 15 000 inspections and you know, when you're self -employed and you're one man operation, you got to do everything.
Jim: So there's no one to blame.
Lauren Brown: a
Jim: You just you have to get up every day. and work hard because you never know you know where the next bit of money or business is coming from. And and I didn't have a definition for it. But as I look back on it, I defined it as discipline, sacrifice, suffering, and pain. If you have discipline.
Jim: That's the greatest form of self -love there is. And if you're willing to make some sacrifices and you don't mind enduring some suffering and pain because there's joy and pain and meaning and suffering if you go through it, then you can accomplish anything with those.
Lauren Brown: Yeah.
Jim: That simple set of philosophies right there. But the big deal is consistency over a long period of time. If you're not consistent, and a lot of people run into that, they have some success and then fall back into their habits.
Jim: So that's the that's the trickiest part is sticking with it.
Lauren Brown: Yeah.
Rich: Yeah. The habits. Yep.
Jim: Yeah, and then once you come to learn like when you get deep into it like us and I'm 30 40 years in I don't miss workouts.
Rich: 100%.
Jim: I literally. I'm wrenched with guilt. if i miss a workout and i quickly shift it off try it out to the next day or the next day because i don't want to get a I don't want it to hurt my score. And I keep just putting her.
Lauren Brown: Those dank scores, man.
Jim: Yeah, and that's...
Lauren Brown: They get us all every time.
Jim: Yeah, so i'm like I'm like, man, I just, you know, to miss a workout is like, that's not even.
Lauren Brown: Okay.
Jim: But, you know, some people have asked me, and I had a friend who said, I said the other day, I said, man, I just don't feel like doing this. this training session and and she snapped her head around she's like you mean you're not always motivated it's like no But I do it anyway.
Lauren Brown: Right. Yep.
Jim: That's where discipline comes in, when motivation is gone. What I've come to find out is, regardless of how bad I feel, Give me 10 minutes on the bike and it all goes away. Give me 10 minutes in the water and it all goes away. Running, not so much. That's not my favorite. but
Rich: but
Jim: swimming is is like i'm an amphibious swimming's a second home for me I'm so comfortable in the water. I love it so much. For me, it's trans it's transcendental meditation. Go out and swim. I just swam for 80 minutes straight. No phone, no music, just the whoosh of the water and checking my watch and going, okay, i'm I'm actually doing pretty good here.
Jim: uh which is you believe my spirit so uh you know I said, I'm just enjoying the ride.
Lauren Brown: mm -hmm
Rich: Yeah.
Jim: but But people have asked me that question. How do you train on chemo? I was like, well, I wouldn't suggest if you just got diagnosed. and you're not an athlete to do that. But I'm just doing what I've always done. And I told my wife early on, I said, you know, cancer is going to do what it wants to do. I'm going to do what I want to do.
Jim: Cancer might kill me, chemo might kill me, but I guarantee you this, swimming, biking, and running will not kill me. Matter of fact, they might save me, and that's exactly what happened.
Jim: Not a lot of research on stage four cancer are people doing long distance endurance. They have a lot of research on. walking for 30 minutes, three times a day. my oncologist was dead against this and i said tough luck i'm doing it anyway uh over the years i've been with her two and a half years now she's a fan She was really rooting hard for me to go off chemo in September so I could show up in the best shape I could. She's cheering for me. She thinks it's great. she's never worked with an athlete like myself previously.
Jim: and All my blood numbers are better than everyone in the infusion room. white blood cells, all the things that are normally down and bad. are good like even if they're off they're off just by a little teeny bit so my blood work is fantastic and there's only one explanation for it I'm the only one doing what I'm doing.
Jim: So.
Rich: It's the... It's the best medicine.
Jim: Yeah.
Rich: Hey. you You wrote about...
Jim: it's the i say it's the It's the prescription no doctor can write.
Rich: Yeah, exactly
Jim: fit fitness
Rich: And only you can prescribe and follow through on.
Jim: That's right. You prescribe it to yourself and then, yeah, you got to go fill that prescription.
Rich: Yeah.
Jim: That's the hard part.
Rich: So you so you write you write about accepting the facts while choosing your response to them. What did that look like? in kind of an ordinary day of treatment or training for you.
Jim: Well, I'll start from the beginning just so people understand when they see me now and they hear me now they think well This guy, I wasn't always like this. I mean, I was a pretty optimistic guy before, but when I got diagnosed, I went into shock.
Jim: bewilderment, disillusion, I went to depression, I went to anger. It took six months for me to have. to really come to terms. So the foundation that I stood on was shattered.
Jim: my life was crumbled i based my image on fitness and the ability to overcome anything i thought i could work my way through it i thought i could you know just handle it like i've handled everything else and it just It wasn't working at all. Then I surrendered to God a week later, I got a scan that showed almost all the tumors in my liver had disappeared miraculously. opened up surgical options that weren't there before. That's when the light switch kicked on.
Jim: You're not dead.
Lauren Brown: a
Jim: You may be dying, but you're not dead yet. And you still have time. So what do you want to do with the time? I'm not worried about dying. I'm worried about how I'm going to live between now and then. That's when I retired.
Lauren Brown: see
Jim: That's when I decided to write the book. that's what led to going to the world championship and then donating the funds from the book to the championship just became this neat little package that really made me feel like, okay, this is what I'm supposed to be doing now.
Lauren Brown: I want to talk a little bit. because earlier on coach richard said how you're speaking a little bit to our values that we have and gratitude is one of our core values and it's one of your book's major themes so
Jim: Yeah.
Lauren Brown: How? Do you practice? gratitude, honestly. when fear, anger, disappointment any of those other emotions that you... may have been going through when like those feel so real.
Jim: Yeah, I don't think you can do the two together. I wasn't grateful when I was going through my depression, my disillusion, my anger. It was hard to to be grateful. I was angry. I was depressed. Why me? Why now? you know Why is this happening to me? And I come to learn. Things don't happen to you. They happen for you. You have to find.
Jim: the value in these things it's not what happens to you it's what you do with it and once i had that light switch fli once i felt like god was with me and those tumors disappeared And I was like, doctors don't know what the heck they're talking about. They can't measure what I'm capable of.
Jim: i just went full force uh in that direction and then i was able to have the opportunity to have the realization that in my previous life before cancer diagnosis i had become complacent in many ways In my business, in my relationships, you know, at 60 years old, the business was doing well, didn't require much attention. Married 31 years. I like to say I was happily, I'm happily married 31 years and Kelly's.
Jim: been happily buried probably 25 of those years. Uh, But we were terribly happily married and and it just enriched everything because it gave me an opportunity to look back and realize that.
Jim: I wasn't treating my wife the way I did when I first met her. wasn't giving her the attention that she deserves. and maybe that was true of my all my friends and family knew i loved them but i didn't tell them So I asked people the question if you knew The last time you talked to someone you care about was the last time you talked to him. Would you have had a different conversation?
Jim: and if so go have that conversation because you never know when you may or may not see that person again and i know in my like my wife's case her father died of a heart attack suddenly And she talked to him every day. And if she had if she'd have known that. Yesterday was the last day she had more to say.
Jim: And so... I thank cancer for the time because I didn't die suddenly. And then the opportunity is up to you. But that gave me the opportunity to realize. how many people care about me and love me and i'm so grateful for that how many people are praying for me all the new people that i'm meeting every day i wake up every day and thank god for another shot i don't even care what happens to me physically i can manage any amount of physical pain i've come to learn that all pain is temporary it goes away eventually you know but there's always something to learn in it too I love the analogy of
Jim: God makes sure all the birds have worms that he doesn't drop them in your nest. So you can pray all you want, but you still got to fly out of that nest and look for the worms, look for the lessons. They're not just going to come to your doorstep like Amazon.
Jim: So, you know.
Lauren Brown: right
Jim: you have to You have to do the work, and it's true in everything in life. If you put the work in, you'll get the rewards. You'll get the results. I think too many people, when things get difficult, they Don't go through it. Goggins talks about it. Of course, he's a complete maniac, and I couldn't imagine running with broken feet. But if you go through something and you don't quit, you get to the other side, there's so much meaning there.
Jim: so much learning and growth and that's of course why we all do this long distance crazy stuff to get to the place where you can have those realizations and it takes pain and suffering it takes time and effort
Jim: And I'm grateful for the opportunity. However much time I have left, I've already straightened my life out in a way that I really think there's only two things that I would miss if I died in the near future would be. seeing my 21 year old son get married and having grandchildren.
Jim: And who knows? I mean, he's young, so that could change, who knows, tonight. I don't know. who He's a long -term relationship guy. He just broke up with a girl. so We really liked her and it's kind of sad, but he'll eventually find someone that's right for him. But those would be the two things that I think that I would really like to.
Jim: experience that I may not get to. other than that i've had a full life I love what I'm doing now, motivating, inspiring people. i never thought i'd be an author i wrote a pretty good book It's number one in Amazon and triathlon cancer. and and spiritual growth which covers a wide spectrum You don't have to have cancer. You don't have to be a triathlete. You don't have to be a person of faith to find some value in the book.
Jim: profit goes to the foundation. So if you purchase the book, it's a charitable effort as well. And it's also being considered for a 2027 Pulitzer Prize in the genre of Memboards.
Lauren Brown: That's amazing.
Jim: Yeah, it's been really proud of the effort. I took a long time 13 months to write the book And it was great because... If you want to take your mind off cancer, you fill it with some other stuff. So writing the book took 13 months and it was a daily.
Jim: grind a from page one paragraph one working with my editor back and forth back and forth until we finally got it straightened out
Lauren Brown: yeah
Jim: Publishing it was a whole nother mess on Amazon and everything else. I mean, so that challenge was outside of my comfort zone and it's different than a physical effort with Because there was a lot of times I couldn't train. But when I couldn't train, I could write the book.
Jim: And now I'm podcasting almost you know two, three podcasts a day. My plan was to do 100 before. iron man we'll see what happens and then i'll do a bunch after so This doesn't end on October 10th. I'll continue to.
Jim: try to motivate, inspire. uh you know influence people in a positive way if something i say something i do something i write
Lauren Brown: yeah
Jim: can help somebody else in a similar situation. then um'm that's the greatest joy in my life and the feedback that I'm getting. It's just encouraging me to keep doing what I'm doing and I'll keep doing it until I can't do it anymore.
Lauren Brown: right.
Rich: you know jim the one thing that has been striking me ever since we started our conversation was the clarity. The.
Rich: the I'm going to say the genuineness and the honesty and the sort of the heartfelt. but extremely clear message that you have.
Rich: And, you know, I imagine the reason that your book is doing so well is that you have a very clear message that people need to hear. And they are they they are probably sitting like I'm sitting here right now processing this.
Rich: all ready to tell my family about the conversation and the way that i feel like you've enriched me this evening that will inspire them and they've never even met you but
Jim: That's great.
Rich: They're going to tell somebody or somebody's going to listen to this podcast.
Jim: I just get the goosebumps with you saying that because that's why I wrote the book. That's why I'm doing what I'm doing. What I'm saying comes from the heart.
Lauren Brown: mm -hmm
Jim: And what I've come to learn is life doesn't have to be as complicated as we all make it. It's really pretty simple. What makes a life worth living? What makes a life meaningful? and I've come to the understanding that it's pretty simple.
Jim: is True love is first and foremost for me. If you find someone you truly love, they truly love you. It's the greatest gift on earth. then it's relationships and experiences, you know. sharing your time with the people you love, and that's all we got.
Jim: That's it. So everything else is like a little Monopoly game you play because you can't really take it with you when you go. uh cars houses jobs is just something to fill the space and pay the bills But, you know, I always tell my wife, is like she's a realtor, I was like, you're not going to be on your deathbed going, I got to send out one more email.
Jim: I got to close one more deal. Now you're going to want to be close to the people you love. and I'm so thankful to cancer for the opportunity to meet people like yourself because I'm inspired by you too as well. And I think it's the greatest thing when when people like us can have an honest conversation.
Jim: lift each other up and hopefully help some other people along the way i know you know that as coaches there's no greater feeling than say coaching a maybe not even a stellar athlete but someone who didn't think they could do a sprint getting through the swim and seeing the elation on their on their face the money doesn't buy that That's an experience.
Rich: We're a family. or a family member's pride in watching their wife or daughter or son or whatever.
Jim: Yeah. Yeah.
Rich: What? What? you're talking you're You've been giving this message to us. what If you were pointing your... microphone at the audience that's listening to this right now somebody's going through Something like...
Rich: A discovery of something of... of
Jim: Tragic, horrific consequence.
Rich: cancer, whatever it is, something tragic.
Jim: yeah death in the family, divorce, depression, accident, it could be anything.
Rich: Which?
Rich: They're at their lowest.
Jim: Yeah.
Rich: They're they're in the sag wagon right now and they are hearing your voice. What are they hearing from you?
Jim: The greatest pleasure, the relief for me was was just... putting everything in God's hands, not worrying about tomorrow. You know, when they told me I was terminal. I didn't realize until I left the office that I was terminal before I went in.
Jim: And I've got some really bad news for both of you and everyone listening. You're also terminal. I don't know if you knew that. You're going to die.
Lauren Brown: Yeah.
Jim: We're all terminal. So that's the big deal with terminal. It's not that big a deal. uh you know but what i would say to anyone that's facing a tragedy a difficult circumstance and we all do That's just the nature of life.
Jim: is it's not the end It's just the beginning of something new. My oncologist, little Chinese lady, Dr. Zhao, she's wonderful. when when things started changing and i kind of got a little angry i was like you know you didn't prepare me for this i didn't know that this was possible she said all she said was New information, new plan.
Jim: They don't care how it happened. but this is the information that's in front of us and that's how i've approached everything now I don't worry about scans.
Lauren Brown: yeah
Jim: I don't worry about what happens next when we get new information. I come up with a new plan. Just the other day, my ileostomy prolapse, which means the intestines that are hanging out of my stomach. flopped out like four inches. So I shove them back in now I wear a compression belt That's what I'm going to have to do for the next four weeks until I get finished with Conan. We can address it.
Jim: All right. So. New information, new plan. But I would tell people, you know take your time. absorb the you know it's okay to be depressed for a little while but you can't stay there
Lauren Brown: mm -hmm
Jim: You can't stay there. You got to make the best use of the time you have left. One of the things that drives and motivates me is my family. So when they see me thriving. When they see me competing, when they see me writing books and doing podcasts and spreading joy and love and faith, they don't worry about me.
Lauren Brown: mm -hmm
Jim: My son's 21. I spent 21 years teaching my only son how to be a man how to live and the last lesson I'll teach him is how to die i don't say it with words i do it with actions so he's watching me He's seeing how I handle.
Lauren Brown: mm -hmm
Jim: terminal disease. His friends, they all think I'm a Marvel hero. They don't they don't think I'm ever going to die. They think, you know, cancer's got too too too much on its hands. I laugh about it too, because I really believe. cancer is in my mind lazy.
Jim: i don't see cancer as a triathlete or an iron man so when i'm training and i'm suffering I picture your cancer suffering even more. And I smile. I'm like, I'm hurting it i'm hurt. I'm hurting cancer right now. and The worse I'm doing, the worse cancer's doing.
Rich: Go down swinging, man.
Jim: Yeah, cancer doesn't like swimming, biking, or running.
Rich: Go down.
Lauren Brown: but
Rich: yeah Hmm.
Jim: I promise you that. I'd rather sit on the couch and drink milkshakes, but we're not going to do that. so kick a cancer's ass right now. And I'm really thrilled about it. So like I said, I'm not worried about dying. The only concern I have is getting into heaven. And for me, that'll be a better day for my people I leave behind. It'll be a little rough, but there'll be nothing left unsaid.
Jim: and when i die i don't want to be remembered for how i died i won't be remembered for how i lived People say he died of cancer, but look what he did. while he had cancer. You know, I'm raising money for charity. I'm getting awards for my book. i'm i'm getting the feedback like do you know getting the feedback from you guys meeting you guys this just It makes my day.
Jim: my whole day not to mention the good swim i had but this is even better All right.
Lauren Brown: When we top the swim.
Jim: Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah, no, the human connection is something that, i again, I had become complacent with.
Lauren Brown: Oh, man.
Jim: I was a pretty good guy before. I wasn't a bad guy, but I could be a lot better. and now that's what i've devoted myself to service and charity it's been the greatest joy of my life Feedback is tremendous and you know I'm just really excited.
Lauren Brown: Yeah.
Jim: I almost want to hit fast forward to get through these four weeks, get Dakota. i'm just So excited. I can't imagine. as you all know and we know for me the worst time and i talk about it in the book is the hours leading up to the race i just want to go And once they hit that cannon,
Lauren Brown: Yeah.
Jim: Then you're into the race. Now I'm on the swim. But before that, you're like, oh, my God, I've got to go. I've got another hour.
Rich: right
Jim: It's like, oh. you know i just want to start
Lauren Brown: Mm -hmm.
Jim: So that... that that's kind of fun too almost like the anticipation of getting on a really scary roller coaster
Rich: That's right.
Lauren Brown: Yeah.
Rich: Yeah.
Jim: But I'm excited for the opportunity, and I say I thank God for every day I wake up. I also thank God for the opportunity to suffer for a purpose. And that's what that's what race day will be. I'll be suffering. but with a purpose in mind.
Jim: and and with joy and happiness with every step of the way. uh just the fact that i lived long enough to make it there Just the fact that I beat the odds on my on my expiration date. five months into overtime that's what i look at every day is another step in overtime so uh right now i think my health my fitness my faith everything i'm doing is is
Jim: overwhelming the cancer like cancer can't live in this positive fitness faith environment it's just too light likes the darkness but i feel every minute of every day with with light so there's no room for darkness.
Lauren Brown: yeah Jim, you're like you're such an amazing human. I'm so thankful that... we all connected through this and were able to
Jim: I love it too. Yeah.
Lauren Brown: Yeah, I mean, because it's... It's one of those things where There's a lot of stories out there and we know triathlon changes lives and I always say I always say this and but all the things that you're talking about, I'm like, see, this is it where like triathlon training, all of that mirrors life.
Lauren Brown: And it's like.
Jim: Yes.
Lauren Brown: they're just they're they're not mutually exclusive they're like like so parallel it's crazy and
Jim: It's a lifestyle. It's a lifestyle.
Lauren Brown: Yeah.
Jim: it's and It's not a workout. So when people say, what's your workout? I don't work out. I train.
Lauren Brown: Yeah. And your mindset's like.
Jim: Every session I have has a purpose. And it's part of my day, but it's not just a little part of my day.
Lauren Brown: Yep.
Jim: I have a lot of people say I go to the gym. and i'm still not getting any results is that because you're concerned with one hour a day What do you do with the other 23?
Lauren Brown: Yeah. Yeah.
Jim: How's your sleep? How's your diet? So so with the Ironman lifestyle, it's 24 -7 and it consumes you. For me, it started as a hobby, something to do on weekends to stay in shape.
Lauren Brown: Yeah.
Jim: turned into a bit of an addiction, which then became a lifestyle. So much so that you think my house is a bike shop?
Lauren Brown: Yeah.
Jim: if you walked in here. I mean, it looks like Triathlon Central, everything's everywhere.
Lauren Brown: Awesome.
Jim: And it just takes over your life.
Lauren Brown: yeah
Jim: My family does racecations. We don't go on vacations. We go to destinations where I race and they vacation.
Lauren Brown: Yep. I love it
Jim: that's how you keep the family involved you know so my wife's the greatest fan that i have
Lauren Brown: Yeah.
Jim: I've got a little entourage that follows me now. I've got a huge following. I'm up to like, I think 15 ,000 on. on Instagram and up to 750 ,000 views a month. What's funny is I just looked at my my most recent, like with the thing they're viewing most. of I have...
Jim: So many followers in Iran, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh.
Lauren Brown: oh
Jim: it's ridiculous it's like that's the beauty of the internet and the reach that you can have so
Lauren Brown: yeah They're worldwide.
Jim: uh and that's yeah
Lauren Brown: Yep.
Jim: I know it's crazy and it's just been unexpected.
Lauren Brown: okay
Rich: Well, they're
Jim: The unexpected. Beautiful consequences. of this effort i thought i was going in to write a book and help people it turns out it helped me more than anyone else The more I give, the more I get back. Meeting people like yourselves. and and spreading the joy and and and the and the and the beauty of what we do.
Lauren Brown: Yep.
Jim: and how it can be really helpful in in dark times. I mean i said earlier, faith faith and fitness, but fitness in particular. Whenever I had a difficult time in my life, whether it be economical or personal, uh grief or whatever i'm going through and i was uncertain I go swim, I go bike, I go run and everything feels better after I do that.
Jim: So regardless of the storms that have come into my life, that's been the keel of my boat.
Lauren Brown: Yep.
Jim: That's what kept me steady. That's what gets me through it. And that's why I keep doing it. That's why I share it as much as I can. Now, I tell people, you don't have to be an Ironman. to get the joy of fitness. You can go for a walk. You can do a 5K.
Lauren Brown: Mm -hmm.
Jim: You can walk the 5K and still get every finish line to me. i I did a... father's day beer mile so it was four quarter miles you had to drink one beer each quarter mile.
Jim: And I enjoyed crossing that finish line as much as any of the others that I've crossed. i got I got a medal over here to prove it, you know.
Lauren Brown: You're drunk.
Jim: Yeah. you know So it was kind of fun. But but finish lines are great, especially if you're looking to improve your self -esteem. I don't care who you are.
Lauren Brown: yeah
Jim: It feels good when they put that metal around your neck. And, you know, it used to be not the case. But nowadays you do a 5K and a lot of times you get a metal. A t -shirt, sometimes a cupcake. Maybe a beer, I don't know. uh but you also the unintended consequence of signing up is one you're usually helping a charity or a cause or a person. So it's a charitable thing. And then you'll be surprised the people you meet when you get there.
Jim: You might make a friend that lasts longer than a day. And that's always been the case with me. as you know I'm going to talk to people when I'm at a race, whether they like it or not. you know I'm going to get to know people.
Jim: so And I enjoy that.
Lauren Brown: yeah
Jim: I enjoy that part of it here in their story.
Lauren Brown: mm -hmm
Jim: I've said this before. If you go to an Ironman race and there's 2 ,500 bikes in the paddock, you could pull every number and have an interesting conversation with each of those people about their trials, their tribulations, how hard it was for them to get there.
Lauren Brown: Yep.
Jim: and I would find it interesting. even if it doesn't incorporate cancer and some of the other stuff, because everyone has their own journey.
Lauren Brown: has
Jim: Everyone has their own struggle. and and It's as real to them as it is to me. So i love I love that aspect of it.
Lauren Brown: Yeah. So... Rich, what are your thoughts if we do a little rapid fire?
Rich: Let's do it.
Jim: Boom boom boom.
Rich: I love it.
Lauren Brown: All right, so... so Jim, the way this is gonna work is that Rich and I will alternate. prompts and you're going to answer each sentence like with the first thing that comes to your mind and just like shoot it off
Jim: Okay.
Jim: Okay. all right
Lauren Brown: Sound good?
Jim: Okay.
Lauren Brown: all Alright.
Jim: All right, let's try it.
Lauren Brown: All right, I'll kick it off. so The first thing I do when the plan falls apart is...
Jim: Make a new plan, new information, new plan. I don't dwell on.
Lauren Brown: I love that line.
Rich: Good
Lauren Brown: I love that line.
Jim: I don't...
Rich: Pivot.
Jim: I don't dwell on problems I never have. You move immediately to solution.
Lauren Brown: Yeah.
Jim: Even if the first solution isn't the best solution, you're off the problem. You're onto the solution.
Lauren Brown: Yep.
Jim: I've even said it.
Rich: Bye.
Jim: If I'm in a car with you and and the tire goes flat, don't worry about it. I'll take care of it. I'll fix your problem so it's not my problem.
Lauren Brown: Mm -hmm.
Rich: Don't admire problems.
Jim: Yeah.
Rich: All right. Discipline is most valuable when...
Jim: Motivation disappears.
Rich: Woo!
Lauren Brown: There you go. There we go. Alright.
Lauren Brown: the person The person I want beside me at the hardest aid station is...
Jim: My wife.
Lauren Brown: I had a feeling that was the answer.
Rich: Yeah.
Lauren Brown: Good answer.
Jim: Oh, absolutely. There's no me without her. i don't I don't sit here today. I'm not the man I am. She's always made me want to be a better person.
Lauren Brown: Okay.
Jim: She's the one I want to be proud of me. the way she i said we were deeply in love before this but now it's like you know two became one and and and to see the way she cared for me the way she loves me through my darkest moments with her strength and her love and her passion for for me. I always thought I'd be the one to take care of her. And that's been extremely humbling and really just an absolutely beautiful thing for me. So I don't even have the words to describe.
Jim: how grateful i am for her and like i said without her by my side i would not i wouldn't be here today i just don't see how that comes to pass i spent half my life with her And I thought I knew what love was and then we you know, it's funny how True love is not tested during the good times. It's tested in the valleys and the difficult times in life. That's when you find out who's with you.
Jim: And one of the very humbling things is Finding out. i don't know what i did over the decades but i have a lot of really good friends and i have a lot of people that love me that care about me that are praying for me and that's been tremendously humbling as well
Rich: What's your wife's name?
Jim: Kelly. yeah kelly She loves listening back to these.
Rich: Kelly. God bless you.
Jim: It always puts her in tears. the
Rich: This one's for you, Kelly.
Jim: Yeah.
Rich: All right. Gratitude gets real when.
Jim: Life is short.
Lauren Brown: wolfof
Jim: When you when you
Lauren Brown: right
Jim: Yeah, when you when you realize that you may not have as much time as you thought, you become really grateful for the time that you have. And that's true for all of us. A lot of the lessons in the book, a lot of things I'm talking about, you don't have to have cancer. You don't have to be an Ironman.
Jim: <unk> It's true. universally.
Lauren Brown: Yep. Amen.
Rich: I'm trying not to cry.
Lauren Brown: Yeah.
Jim: Oh, man, I'm bringing out emotion. I like to say like I've been given motivational speeches at some, you know. Rotary clubs and whatnot. And it goes 15 or 20 minutes. And I like to be able to make people.
Jim: cry, laugh, and then leave feeling better about yourself.
Lauren Brown: Yeah.
Jim: So it's an emotional roller coaster. We go through all the emotions and I'm just sharing my story. And a lot of times I... I did one with. the average triathlete, Ashley Raines.
Jim: I don't know if you've seen her pocket.
Rich: Mm -hmm
Jim: She lost it. We talked about people dying suddenly and not having a chance to talk. And her father had died suddenly. that She broke down, like literally had an emotional breakdown. on the live podcast and they aired it because it was so raw and real.
Jim: But I've had that reaction many times.
Lauren Brown: yeah
Jim: i I draw that emotion out of people because these are really heavy thoughts these are really heavy things to think about so you know you don't have to wait for the tragedy to to to make. you know some very simple changes like going to the people you care about and letting them know How much do you care about them? That's simple.
Jim: you know again you become complacent you know you see my wife every day for 31 years
Lauren Brown: Yep.
Jim: i don't I don't treat her the way I did when we were when I was trying to convince her to marry me, that's for sure. So now you know that's been reinvigorated. My faith's been renewed.
Jim: my friendships are all are all great
Lauren Brown: Yeah.
Jim: And for me, you know pursuing the... Triathlon, that's a personal. That's a personal thing. I never want my last race to be my last race, but this is a great question you can ask your athletes or any athlete for that matter.
Jim: If you knew your last race was your last race, would you have approached it differently? Because I don't think any of us know. When your last race is you might think you have another one, but then something could happen where maybe you don't
Lauren Brown: It's a good prompt for the team call.
Jim: So I tell people to approach every race as if it might be your last. and be grateful for the opportunity to hit the start line.
Lauren Brown: Yeah.
Jim: Because not everybody gets that. You know what I mean?
Lauren Brown: Yeah.
Jim: and so you know, appreciate the journey because I really think that's all we get. you know
Lauren Brown: Yeah.
Jim: My wife had an aunt who was she worked her life to 65 was going to retire enjoy the grandkids move to florida she died in her sleep shortly after retirement. So don't wait if you have stuff you want to do ask yourself the question I got proposed You only have two years to live. Would that change the way you spend the next two years? If so, make the changes.
Lauren Brown: Yep.
Jim: Easier said than done because then you got to do the work.
Lauren Brown: yeah It comes back to that. but we're gonna we're gonna
Jim: Yeah, it's always back to the work of being consistent. Yeah.
Lauren Brown: Yeah. Yeah. we We got two more for you, Jim.
Jim: Okay.
Lauren Brown: So a finish line I appreciate more now is.
Jim: Oh man. the the the finish line probably 2018 when i crossed that that finish line without the swim That was a long grueling day. I really believed I had what it... took to finish the race, especially with Chattanooga being a down river.
Lauren Brown: yeah
Jim: swim, I i mean i would have had no problem with that. But I still appreciate that because it's the closest thing I have to a complete Ironman. even though it's not complete.
Lauren Brown: mm -hmm
Jim: You know, and in some way, I'm glad I didn't finish that race. And I'll tell you why. i may not have continued to pursue iron man i might have checked that box and said i'm done But each race I... didn't finish i don't call them failures i call them learning experiences I became more determined more determined, more determined to the point now where I get cancer. I'm like, I'm not done.
Jim: we're not done right and then i get to go to kona to possibly get my first finish. on the biggest stage. with the greatest athletes. in the most iconic location. It's been with mine for over 44 years.
Jim: So I don't know how you script any of this. This really feels like divine intervention. I feel like I've got God with me and and I'm willing to accept the outcome no matter what. And I'm going to enjoy every step of the way along the way. I'm going to share it with people. And when I come back, finish or not, I will figure out a way to extract some.
Jim: nuggets of wisdom and then share that with people as well. but I really believe I'm getting the finish line. You're gonna have to drag me off by my feet. they'll they'll I don't know what it would take for to get me to physically quit.
Jim: but they would have to medically pull me off. I'm not gonna walk off the course. That's not gonna happen.
Rich: It's not going to happen. And I've just got chills. I'm thinking of seeing you come down that. red carpet right now and it's
Jim: Yeah, it'll be somewhere around 17 hours. So you can go ahead and. you know don't don't Don't waste your whole day.
Rich: That's all right. You're going to hear, you're going to hear.
Jim: Waiting for you to get there, yeah.
Rich: You're going to hear the finish line up on the Queen.
Jim: Oh yeah.
Rich: heyy You're going to be three miles out.
Jim: That's one thing I love about the Iron Man, especially in Kona.
Rich: And you're going to hear the finish line.
Jim: They hang around till the end. And a lot of times the winners come back and medal the last finishers.
Rich: You bet. Oh.
Jim: My wife will be on the finish line. My son will be on the finish line. My Ironman Foundation teammates will be on the finish line. so It's going to be an emotional moment. I try not to think about it because in training, I've thought about it a million times. I go to tears thinking of my name being called out on the Kona.
Jim: and going on the finish line. what a great dream that would be. And I said, I've said this many, I said, you know, that'll probably be my last race. I'll retire, walk off into the sunset. And my wife's behind me going, yeah, right.
Jim: What about 70 .3 Chattanooga? What about that world championship? That's coming up. It's like, yeah, you're probably right. I can't imagine not continuing to sign up for races, even if they're smaller. So we'll see what happens.
Rich: Well, my friend. True grit. Boy, if there's anybody who has... symbolized our values of gratitude, resilience, impact and transformation.
Rich: of our acronym grit. It is you, my friend. So thank you for being with us. And for those folks who are listening, listen, if you want to. Be a part of this community. As Coach Lawrence said earlier, please come check us out.
Rich: We are. We are. offering a and if this is the end of a lot of people's season you know we're looking toward the you know the end of the season here a lot of people are trying to figure out what are they going to do next We have a strength.
Rich: Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threat. A SWOT. Athlete SWOT analysis. that we are offering. And it also comes with a 30.
Rich: minute coaching consult. So check out, you can learn more about it on our Grit to Greatness store. There's a link here in the show notes. All you have to do is complete. You'll check out. You'll get the form. You'll complete the form.
Rich: And you'll also be able to schedule your appointment with a coach. So check this out and check out our show sponsor. Vespa Endurance. Vespa helps you tap into so clean, steady ener energy so that you can stay focused.
Rich: and strong and in the zone longer. less sugar, more performance. faster recovery use the discount code g2gvespa15 or use the link in the show notes to get 15 off of anything in your cart anytime.
Rich: Thanks for... Listening. to our interview with... Jim, Jim, thank you for being with us again. If you've enjoyed this episode. Please follow us and leave us a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts and YouTube. This helps us reach.
Rich: More athletes like you. plus watch for the Instagram and Facebook posts to get pushed out. Jim, if you'll help us. Share it with your...
Jim: Absolutely.
Rich: followers, we would love that.
Jim: Absolutely. You can follow me, stage42025, on Instagram. STAG number 42025. There's a link in the bio for a fundraising link as well. Book's on on Amazon. You can pick it up right there. but What a tremendous pleasure to meet the two of you.
Jim: You know, I spend most of my days scouring the Internet looking for people like yourselves.
Lauren Brown: So great.
Jim: And then I send out, I try to figure out how to get in touch with you and and see if I can entice you to bring me on. So I really appreciate your time. I love meeting new people and now I can consider you amongst my my friends and your admiration and kind words are really well received and And you made my day, as simple as that. and i hope We made someone else's day.
Jim: Bottom line just keep trying. I don't care what you're going through just keep trying
Rich: That's right. And...
Jim: And triathlonic, too, because I have a tremendous affection for this sport.
Jim: out you know so but you may have something else could be pickleball it could be gardening for someone else but uh I love triathlon. It's just in my heart and soul.
Rich: Whatever it is, stay gritty, train smart and keep chasing greatness. We will catch you next week.
