Grit2Greatness Endurance Podcast
The Grit2Greatness Endurance Podcast is your gateway to unlocking the power of resilience, determination, and unshakable grit. Through captivating interviews with endurance athletes, we dive deep into how they conquer challenges and push beyond limits to achieve greatness. Tune in for practical strategies, mindset shifts, and motivational stories that will fuel your own journey of transformation. Whether you’re an athlete or someone striving to break through life’s barriers, this podcast will inspire you to rise above and unleash your true potential. The strength to thrive is already within you—now it's time to ignite it.
Grit2Greatness Endurance Podcast
Discovering Greatness: Rich Soares on Community, Coaching, and Endurance
Ready to discover the secret to mastering endurance sports both physically and mentally? Seasoned triathlete and coach Rich Soares joins us on the Grit2Greatness Endurance Podcast to share his transformation from an unhealthy lifestyle to becoming a USA Triathlon certified coach and Ironman competitor. Rich discusses the unparalleled power of consistent effort and the invaluable support from communities like the TriDot Coach Mastermind Group. Learn how mutual respect, continuous learning, and surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals can elevate your endurance sports journey.
Immerse yourself in the tight-knit camaraderie of the triathlon world as Rich paints a vivid picture of life within communities like TriDot and 303 Triathlon. He recounts heartfelt experiences of training and racing with his daughter, emphasizing the profound bonds formed through shared passions. The episode delves into the myriad ways these connections enrich personal and athletic growth, from the subculture of TriDot Pool School to the magic of TriDot Ambassador camps. Rich also highlights the significant impact of knowledgeable coaching and how guidance from experts like Mark Allen can refine race strategies and overall performance.
Facing setbacks is inevitable, but Rich provides a masterclass on resilience and adaptability. Through personal stories of overcoming injuries and challenging transitions, he underscores the importance of patience, positivity, and a growth mindset. The conversation extends to innovative virtual training methods that kept athletes motivated during the pandemic, fostering a sense of community even when physically apart. Wrapping up, Rich offers inspiring stories from the endurance sports community and practical advice for beginners, encouraging everyone to take that crucial first step towards greatness.
Coach Rich Soares: https://www.instagram.com/tridotcoachrich/
303 Endurance Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/303endurance-podcast/id1508563057
Zed Pitts: https://www.facebook.com/VeloFloProjekt
FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/316745510823638
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/april_spilde/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/april-spilde
Hey everyone, welcome to the Grit to Greatness Endurance Podcast. You might have noticed we've had a recent name change. That's because I have, as I have progressed in this podcast adventure, I've really started to home in on endurance athletes and their personal stories of grit, resilience and perseverance. As someone who has used training as a form of therapy and resilience building, I think it is one of the most powerful and rewarding ways to transform your life positively. So, without further ado, allow me to reintroduce to you the Grit to Greatness Endurance Podcast.
Speaker 2:Today's topic is focused on the power of community building within the endurance space. In the world of endurance sports, it's easy to think of success as a solo journey just you against the clock, the course and your own limits. But behind every great athlete is a network of support, from training partners to coaches, to entire communities, who lift us up when the going gets tough. Today, we'll be exploring how these relationships play a vital role in building resilience, helping athletes push through adversity and ultimately succeeding in ways they never thought possible. And we have a phenomenal triathlete and coach on the pod with us today to discuss this topic. His name is coach Rich Soares. Rich has been doing triathlon since 2007 and completed five full Ironman races between 2009 through 2014. In 2016, he became a US triathlon certified coach and started coaching triathletes. In 2021, he became a TriDot athlete ambassador and coach and a proud graduate of the TriDot coach certification program in 2023.
Speaker 2:Rich has coached athletes with goals of all distances and levels of competitiveness and believes that anyone of any age or ability should have access to this sport. Amen to that, he is expanding his knowledge and taking the paratriathlon coaching area of focus training certification through the end of September. Rich is very much a growth mindset person of September. Rich is very much a growth mindset person. He is curious and loves to learn from others, as evidenced by hosting guest coaches, experts and professional athletes on the 303 endurance podcast. Rich lives by the mantra of knowledge, is empowering and does the podcast to make those conversations and information available to his listeners and athletes who are also curious and want to grow. And I'll say I met Rich a few months ago and ever since coming together through TriDot he's just been an incredible asset to my life and I'm just very excited to have him on the podcast today. So thank you, rich, for being here on the Grit to Greatness Endurance Podcast.
Speaker 1:Well, april, the feeling is 100% mutual. I feel like I've gotten so much out of our relationship and I have been looking forward to doing this interview for a long time as well, and I found this topic incredibly fitting for both of us because we are both in that same TriDoc community, that amazing coach mastermind group, and I have to say I mean there's a lot of really inspiring. I don't know, inspiring doesn't encapsulate at all. I mean, these are just like really top coaches like that. You know we challenge each other, but I don't think anybody does it as well as you do. So this is a lot of fun to be here with you, so let's have some fun.
Speaker 2:Oh, thank you so much, and I look to you too, rich, as a mentor, and I think one of the great things about our mastermind group is that we just very quickly became not just a bunch of coaches talking about best practices but a bunch of friends that really want each other to succeed, and I just appreciate that, because that's not a typical type of response when you have a bunch of A-type personalities coming together thinking that they know what's the best right.
Speaker 1:But surprisingly, I think we are all very much growth mindset people, so I think we're all very open to hearing other. When you and I are talking, I'm not sitting here thinking boy. I hear all the things I think that she needs to know. I'm thinking man, what are all the things that April knows that I need to figure?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah the things that April knows that I need to figure. You know, yeah, that that, to me, is just such a great way of looking at life and partnering with people who do have different perspectives, and that that is the hallmark of a of a growth minded person. So I'm glad that we can bring that out of each other.
Speaker 1:Yeah right, Exactly.
Speaker 2:So are you ready to dive in rich?
Speaker 1:Let's do this.
Speaker 2:All right. So for my first question, I do want to hear a little bit more about your endurance journey. You've had a lot of great achievements, but what really got you started, not only as a triathlete, but as a coach?
Speaker 1:Yeah. So here's the. You know, read me in if you need to, but this is the story. So back in 2007, let's just say, I was really big on my career. I was on planes, I was traveling too much, I was eating too much, I was drinking too much, and I had a wellness check with my doctor and he told me listen, buddy, every number is going in the wrong direction. You are, you need a lifestyle change and you know that, that. You know I was becoming.
Speaker 1:I was not becoming who I wanted to become, and, um, and so I, I changed jobs, I found a way to not travel, um, and my big goal back then was like a one mile jog walk around the block, you know, and I just kept at it right every day. I'm like I have to do this every day and I have to be consistent about it every day. And one mile turned into two, two to three, three to four. And he got to this point where I was like, wow, you know, I should really sign up for a half marathon. Let's go. You know there's this, there's this Denver marathon, that's going to be this inaugural marathon, and they've got a half I'm going to register for, to get on the website and I'm like, oh, come on, let's just do that, let's just do the full. And so now I'm training for this marathon and I'm reading books about cross training and the benefits of swimming and biking and strength to help you run. I'm like, okay, well, I can do those things too. Well, fast forward. I come upon this advertisement for the sprint triathlon in a pool and I'm like I am going to do that and I fell in love. I was doing another sprint triathlon two weeks later with a brand new bike that I had just bought.
Speaker 1:So over the course of basically the next seven years, I found myself getting into longer and longer distance races, ended up doing five Ironman races, as you said in the intro, between 2009 and 2014. And after that I was kind of at this point where I'm like, all right, I want to still grow in this sport, but I'm not sure that I want to go longer. You know how many more Ironman races do I have in me? And so I really wanted to learn more. It was really kind of that curiosity about the sport was no longer about what can I do in terms of getting faster or going longer. It was more just learning more about the sport and I thought you know there's probably other people like me that are out there, like me, that you know love listening to these podcasts and at the time there was this podcast called the Tri Talk Podcast by Coach David Worden. He was a coach for Iron Cowboy. I don't know if you remember Iron Cowboy, but this is the guy who did the 50 Ironman distances in 50 consecutive days in 50 states. That was his coach At the time. He had this podcast but he was getting too busy with his coaching to continue the podcast. This community is so amazing.
Speaker 1:I reach out to David Worden, he gets back to me, he agrees to spend a little bit of time with me, coaching me on how to start my podcast. It's a learning curve, for sure, and we strategized, starting monthly and then, if I was able to move toward a more frequent podcast, to do that. And now we've been doing the weekly podcast. We just did episode 467, I think, this week. So we've been doing it for a while.
Speaker 1:So, anyway, podcasting now, and now I've got some listeners that are. I've got one listener in particular wants me to coach them and I'm not a coach. So I, you know, I I offered to introduce them to many of the coaches who I've had on the podcast, who I've really learned a lot from and thought would might be a good fit for him. Long story short, he really wanted to work with me, so I agreed to work with him on the condition that I got my USA triathlon coaching certificate, so went down to Colorado Springs, spent the weekend down there for the level one coaching certification, got that, and the next year I was coaching this young man to his first Ironman Ironman Boulder in 2018, I think is what it was Something like that 2018-ish and this is the first athlete that I've coached. This is his first Ironman. We both have an enormous amount at stake.
Speaker 1:I was incredibly invested in his success and he had a great day. He paced it beautifully, he did his nutrition beautifully, he finished strong, he was happy, he felt great, and I got to walk him from the finish line to the fence where his family was waiting for him his wife and his parents and I got to watch his dad cry, hugging his son with pride, and I was know and I was like this is going to be absolutely what I do the rest of my life. So anyway, uh, here we are. I don't know how many eight years later and, um, I'm hanging out with you, uh, recording another podcast, and, um, that's my. That's my journey in a nutshell, and how I became a coach.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, there's so much to unpack there, rich. Wow, that's a heck of a journey. One thing that really resonated with me and what you said is that you got to the point of what more can I do, and it seemed like it was an organic shift Like what more can I do to help others? With the podcasting and with getting your coaching certification, and I just love that. You had a revelation in a way that was not only for your own benefit but for the benefit of those who have the opportunity to lead and to help grow and help uncover their potential. I mean, that is huge. What a walk, what a journey you've had. That's just so cool. Thank you for sharing that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's been fun. It really has been fun. It just keeps getting better. I can't wait to see what's going to happen in another eight years.
Speaker 2:Yes, I love that. So I got into triathlon just a few years ago, so I'm still fairly new in my journey and I just see all these things that you've said have come to fruition in my life as well, and it's just so cool to think that one sport has the ability to do such a change and, yeah, and bring all these people together in such a powerful way. And that kind of actually is a great segue for my next question and kind of what we're talking about here today, which is the power of community. I know you can attest to the power of a strong community when training and competing in endurance sports, but, to kick it off, can you tell me about the communities you're currently involved with and why they are important to your success?
Speaker 1:with and why they are important to your success. Yeah Well, I'm going to start like, right where we're at right now this Tridot coaching community that we're a part of, that, you know, coaching mastermind group, the coaching community in general, whether it's these mastermind groups or those business accelerator groups that we were having, or the coaching certification program Every time we get to get or, by the way, the ad hoc weekly Sunday afternoon meeting that we all decided, we, you know, even on our weekends we have to be around each other which is coming up after this.
Speaker 1:I mean, what other community I mean just sets up? Hey, we need more time with each other, just to hang out with each other on a Sunday afternoon. I mean, our families must be like are?
Speaker 2:you guys okay. Really, are you guys okay?
Speaker 1:Um, is there something? Is my food bad, you know? Um, anyway it. There's all that with the coaching, um, the triathlon, the tri-dot pool schools. There's, like this whole nother layer of like instructors and like a group within the coaching community and a group within the ambassador community. That is the subculture of the tri-dot pool school. Like there's only so many of us that know the secret handshake. I love swimming.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Right. I say I love swimming and you get that Right, Whereas somebody who has not been in the pool school won't get that Right. They'd be like huh Right, what's?
Speaker 2:wrong with you?
Speaker 1:Yeah, paint the rail. What are you talking about? Paint the rail? And then there's the ambassadors, and if you've never been to like one of our ambassador camps, oh my gosh, this is I don't know. There is something that is absolutely magic about those ambassador camps. I've been to two of them and they were completely different vibes in a way, but they were also the same vibe and I don't know, it's some of my best friends from those ambassador groups. The culture is really contagious. I mean, like we have these core values and I and those values are my value. I share those values. I know you do too, and so, anyway. So I'm getting lost here.
Speaker 1:Something about my communities that I'm a part of Tridot, one of the communities yes, 303 Triathlon community. So this is a community that has been around for more than well, decades. I guess it started out as 303 cycling and one of my good friends, who was the owner of 303 triathlon years ago, basically created a branch of 303 cycling called 303 triathlon. When I joined that community back in 2017, we were going out to Kona. Every year. We would have this breakfast with all the Colorado athletes that were at the Ironman World Championship. When we had Ironman Boulder here we had for all of the Colorado athletes. They had a 303 sticker on their bib so that we could identify them when we were taking photos and we would have I mean, at the time we had six or seven people all over the course taking pictures had six or seven people all over the course taking pictures, um, and I got to do finish line interviews with the pros with that, with that group, and anyway, this, this is basically 303 triathlon. It's like an online, like it is triathlon lifestyle in colorado magazine. Basically um is what it's uh, what it's supposed to be, and there's a podcast with that and um, and I've got a lot of friends in just around town through that, through that community, the race directors and you know volunteers and coaches and you know um and our listeners. So it's been, uh, it's been a fun, fun, fun, fun group.
Speaker 1:And then, of course, I have my work community and my family and my friends and you know even and this sport extends into my work family I have I have some coworkers that I've coached, that have been on our TriDot platform and I coached through that platform, tridot platform, and I coach through that platform. I do an annual 5k run or I have. Up until COVID we used to do an annual full team. You know 5k run for a charity for the, you know the company's charity and of course, my family and my friends and they're very supportive of what I do. And my oldest daughter also does triathlon. She and I did Ironman Boulder 70.3 together a couple of years ago and, um, I think someday she, I think she's going to, I think she's got the bug to do a full someday too. So how about that? Should I take a breath?
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was amazing. That was amazing, Rich. I didn't know that you also had your daughter with you for Boulder 70.3. How cool is that.
Speaker 1:Oh, it was amazing. Both of my daughters were in cross country and my youngest daughter and I did a half marathon together and there's nothing like going out and training with your daughter and the conversations that you get to have with your daughter, you know when you're out there.
Speaker 1:I can't imagine it's not like you know, you're sitting in the car. You can't have these conversations just sitting in the car at the dinner table, right, these are, you know, the ones that you, just you know, find yourself in because you're in this sport together, lost on a trail, wow.
Speaker 2:What a gift.
Speaker 1:Yeah, really.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think about that. I don't have any kids, but I think about the times that I have had a training partner or someone that I feel like I've inspired to join me in some type of endurance event and it's just, it just brings up the level of fun, it brings up the level of encouragement and, hey, we're going through this together and it's just such a cool vibe. To have a partner and to have your own child is incredible.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, well, and and it's not just for the race, right, there's also even, like those race rehearsals, you know, like talk about family bonding moments.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:You know you're out there. You've been out there at Chatfield training, out at Chatfield probably, you know, out there after doing a three hour bike ride, doing your, you know your, off the bike, 40 minute run. And I'm out there with my you know myself, my daughter and her boyfriend who is also training and doing it, and I'm out there running and I'm watching them and watching. You know, like when she would walk, he would slow down and walk with her and you know so, like all of us out there together going through these moments. And then you get to race day and now you're out there on the course together.
Speaker 1:You know I mean, they're powerful powerful moments right that, uh, like you know, and sometimes you're like when you're out there on those race courses you're like, oh God, I'm hot, I'm like I'm, you know, I'm beat, um, you know I I feel heavy, I feel, you know, and um, and I've got I want to you know, and um, and I've got, I want to, you know. But then you're like, oh my God, there's so much awesome thing, there's so many awesome things happening right this moment that a note soak it in man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I think you're the first person I've met that has had something like that, where they've brought their family along in that way. And I just brought their family along in that way and I just I just think that is so, um magical. I didn't have a dad growing up and, um, very, very absent, and I can't imagine what that would have been like to have a father figure training alongside me. I mean, that is such a gift.
Speaker 1:My dad really wasn't in my life after maybe 12, a little bit, but not very much. So I know what that absence is like and I think I would never do that to my kids.
Speaker 2:So, anyway, we've got to lighten this up, I'm going to get you through this, I promise so. For my next question, regarding community and being a part of a team, I would love to know how that has impacted your performance as an athlete.
Speaker 1:Let me give you like eras of how community has helped me as an athlete. And I can't. I guess I don't know exactly how I found this, this club, but I found this bike source, this bike source multi-sport triathlon club and I, and there I got to go to some meetings, I got to learn, learn a little bit about training. I got to, you know, figure out the equipment that you need. I, you know, got a kit and I kid you not, I just went to breakfast this morning with two friends who I made in that club, you know, 17 years ago, I mean so, and there's still a part of my journey. Today We've, we were having breakfast to talk about our plans for Omaha at multi USA triathlon multi-sport festival next June and the house that we have rented and what races we're doing. And, yeah, what races we're doing and yeah, you know, um, but that community they got me. They got me to figure out the nutrition and pacing and get me exposure to coaches and other resources. So the reason I mention it is, you know, if you're looking for community and how community can impact you as an athlete, find a club, find. If it's not, you know, and if you're not, you know, I know there's other people that are listening to this that maybe not be a, might not be doing triathlon, that might be just a runner, or they might be a cyclist, or they might be a hiker, I don't know. But if you're not using TriDot, you're not a part of our that community. Find a local triathlon community or multi-sport community or whatever community you're a part of. Find a community to get involved with. They will help you find resources and be successful.
Speaker 1:Opened it. It exposed me to new, you know, corners of this industry that I had never been a part of. I got a chance to meet some CEOs of I mean we all know Jeff Boer of Tridot. I got a chance to interview the CEOs of TrainingPeaks, strava, today's Plan, you know, and got to know those guys and those platforms. So when I got to Tridot, I mean I had been, I had done a couple of laps on these programs Anyway.
Speaker 1:So that really changed my performance as an athlete in so much as I got to realize how big this space is around us as athletes and I got to realize how many resources that we have, how many people are investing in technology of and things that will help athletes in the future, whether it's with nutrition or it's with their training or it's you know what we have seen. You hear Mark Allen talk about. You know the tools that they had, you know, 20 years ago, compared to what we have today. Getting exposure to some of these resources over the last several years has really helped my my abilities as an athlete. Now let's come to the TriDot community itself and the platform. I have never been so engaged in my training as I have been the last, you know, three years or so um, since 2021. And then I got a coach and I not only did he get a coach, I got Mark Allen as my coach. Unreal, I mean, I'm like when Mark Allen joined, I'm like I would have to be an idiot to not.
Speaker 2:I mean yeah, so it's been awesome.
Speaker 1:Um, so, tridot has been amazing in terms of my, my growth as a, as a, as an athlete, because it has also given me access to experts and I you know I I'm raving about Mark, but let me tell you, I mean, mark has been in our mastermind groups, right In our conversations, and he participates just like all the rest of us, and I don't think a lot of people know the caliber of coaches that we have within the community and um and the the trickle down that that has caused as well for boosting uh, us as coaches and what we can deliver to our athletes.
Speaker 2:So I think that is a valuable piece of information regarding the TriDoc community and just the level of expertise, competence and professionalism it's unmatched. So I think you hit it on the head with one the different communities you've been a part of and it's how it's impacted your performance as an athlete. It's pretty dang cool to say that Mark Allen is your coach.
Speaker 1:You know, just so, I don't it doesn't just sound like it's just a talking point, I mean, let me give you an example. I mean so I had a slow start to the beginning of my season. I had a couple of things, just you know, throw me off, throw me off my training. So I kind of started blooming kind of late in the season and I really didn't have any other races on my calendar. And so I'm like hey, coach, what do you think? There's this harvest moon? They just announced an Olympic distance. I would love to. I can't make it to nationals because I just don't have the time to take off of work.
Speaker 1:So what do you think about me doing this race? So we agree, I'm going to do that race. And I was going to give him my race strategy. And so I had rehearsed my swim and was ready to give him my race, my swim start pacing and all of this, and they cancel the swim four days before the race due to a uh, a green algae bloom. That was happening, which is fine, okay.
Speaker 1:But now it's going to be a duathlon and running is not my strength. If you look at my my dots, my dot rankings, the run is the lowest of the three for me and but it's been improving, um with Mark and um, uh, coach, aaron Carson's help, um, but that aside, I'm like all right, so the swim is canceled. Coach, how do I pace this? I I've never. I I've never really done a duathlon, never done an Olympic distance duathlon. How do I pace this? So he gave me this pacing plan and I and I I gotta tell you I would not have paced the bike the way that he suggested it. I probably would have advised one of my athletes to pace it the way he told me to pace it. But if I went out there and if he didn't give me that pacing plan, I probably would have overcooked myself on the bike. But because I followed his plan, I felt awesome all day and I had an absolutely fantastic race.
Speaker 2:I mean you said that you probably would have paced your athletes but you wouldn't have done for yourself. It's kind of funny how we do that, where we, oh, we'll switch it for ourselves because we either think this or that, but to have a, a, um, a third party that you trust say no, we need to reel it back and trust me, I know what's best. Here's your plan. Um just really goes to show, yeah, Like you said, the value of a coach and um, kind of putting our ego to the wayside, Right.
Speaker 1:Well, and I'll, and I'll tell you, I was on, you know, that course, you know what it's like to be out there, You're heading up 36 and you're on the first third of that course and and I wanted to go much harder than I was going and there were a couple of times I was the impulse to go and I'm like, but you know what, Mark is going to be looking at this file. He's going to look at this file later. I dork this up.
Speaker 2:He's going to go you didn't follow the pacing plan that we agreed to. I'm like I'm not going to have that conversation with Mark Allen. What to hear it. But what role do coaches play in your endurance journey and how do they influence your mindset and motivation?
Speaker 1:and that sort of thing. Let's figure out the nutrition thing, and you know and he's been instrumental there too, right, you know, I would tell him what I would, what I was doing prior to working with him, and you know if you can imagine him. But he's just like, well, that sounds like a lot of stuff, you know, and you're like, and you're like, so you think I should simplify, you think I should simplify, you think I should simplify, I should simplify. So there's that kind of stuff, right, the knowledge that he brings and that sort of thing.
Speaker 1:But there's also the. I gotta tell you, I'm sure that my train X scores went up, I'm sure that the number of workouts I did each week went up, and and I knew when I hired him, when I made that financial commitment to make my coach and upgrade to premium, that that would probably be what would happen. And I felt like, honestly, if I did, I I won't get to my mission here in a bit, but I was living my mission, I was. I made a decision to do something that moved me toward my mission that day, cause I knew it would hold me accountable. I knew that if he was watching, it'd be a lot harder for me to skip workouts.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, yeah, so anyway.
Speaker 1:That's where the rubber meets the road.
Speaker 2:So that level of accountability is something that has helped keep you in the game if you will, or motivated to show up and perform, and I think that that's a huge part of one of the benefits of hiring a coach, for sure, and someone who, again, not to dog you or guilt you into training, but to help kind of uncover maybe the things that you have put on your plate that don't need to be there, or hey, let's make this a priority versus this now, because it will help you to be successful, uh, in the long run. And I love that, because coaches really are there to coach. They're not there to be your best friend, they're not there to be, um, tell you what you want to hear. They're there to tell you exactly what you need to hear to bring out the best version of yourself. And I, I think having Mark Allen in your corner uh is is just what an asset and what a uh, a great thing, that, um that you invested in yourself to give yourself that um, that next level.
Speaker 2:And I think not a lot of people also give themselves the ability to find the next level because they might talk themselves out of that commitment or they're afraid. We have a whole list of excuses that people can make to hold themselves back from hiring a coach or finding the person that can deliver that next level. So it's just really cool to hear that you said this is a would be a no brainer. Right To hire Mark. It would, it would. How could I not? And I think that's so great.
Speaker 1:Well, so let me give you another example. So there's another person in my life who kind of came along who, like I, might just listening to this person you know present in meetings and talk about you know their business plan and how thoughtful they were about you know executing their business plan. And this person offered, you know, to help me. I'm like no brainer, april.
Speaker 2:Rich, working with you has been an honor, honor, trust me. The fact that you are willing to accept, uh, what I have to offer is just awesome, so that gratitude is mutual. Good, okay, so we're going to switch gears a little bit um, still on the focus of community, but I want to hear about and this is one of the things I love about Great to Greatness is talking about how to overcome challenges and setbacks, not just when everything's going great or when everything is perfect or when you feel the best, but when you also are dealing with adversity or a limiting belief or some type of disability or something that is causing you to feel like you can't reach your possession, your potential. So my question is when facing a personal challenge or setback, how has your support system helped you stay focused and continue training?
Speaker 1:Well, let me first, before I answer this, I want to say I have, in, you know, the years I've been doing this sport. I have witnessed people who have had challenges and setbacks that defy comprehension. Right, how does somebody get past that? How does somebody overcome that? How does somebody do that without those you know, or whatever, right you know? And so I'm humbled by the World Championship in Draft Legal Triathlon. I love Draft Legal and I was so excited to try to get to the Multisport Festival in Omaha this year but alas, the Boulder 70.3 was the same weekend and we had the ambassador camp and so I was not going to get to multi-sport festival, boulder 70.3 and the draft legal national championship was we're on the same day.
Speaker 1:And then I got shin splints and then I got and I got sick. I got sick for like six weeks in April. Like the April May timeframe just like really rocked the beginning of my season and I was just bummed. I had a race I wanted to do that. I ended up having to do the aqua bike and I'm like, but you know, honestly, I'm sitting here at the end of my season and I'm like I'm better for it. You know, I I put out an article early this year.
Speaker 1:You know, when you get setbacks, when you get derailed, right, you really be patient. You know, don't get. The worst thing you can do is be impatient and make rash decisions about getting back into training too fast or training through something that you shouldn't. Maybe the setback isn't even physical, it could be emotional too. Right, you need to reset, you need to de-stress, you need to make a career change? I don't know, but you know you also need to be positive and start looking for those open doors. You know what is life trying to tell me what you know. You know there's some, there's an opportunity here and you won't see him unless you're looking for him. And fortunately I we got to go to Erin Carson. She's a strength coach. We got to go to her gym and talk to her during our ambassador camp. I started working with her and that was partly to help with those shin splints but also just to get become a better athlete. So I guess.
Speaker 1:And then get creative. You know is the other kind of part of that, right, sometimes you need to be creative about. You know, listen, you recreate the rest of your season. Recreate the rest of your, you know, recreate what you envisioned for next year. Never take it on, you know. Take one on the chin and go down. Man, take that adversity that comes at you and give it a judo move, right, you know. Throw it over your shoulder, you know, and keep standing. Anyway, got to roll with the punches.
Speaker 2:Yeah, magnificent points. I feel like there's a lot that I can relate to there with the let it roll. So when I finished my first Ironman, I was deployed a month later to Saudi Arabia and it was just a very difficult transition because I came off this really great high, being at my greatest fitness level, and then I went to a location where there's nowhere to swim and I didn't have my bike and it was very hot and just very different climate than I, what I was used to in Alaska. So it had. I had to grow through that. I had to figure out okay, I understand I'm only here, uh, for a season of time, and now that I understand that I can't control everything, what can I do to enhance myself as an athlete?
Speaker 2:While I'm here and I shift the gears, thinking about strength and also my running performance, I did a an 18 mile Norwegian ruck march with a 18 or sorry, it was a 24 pound pack, and I walked away from that with another really cool thing in my back, uh, in my cookie jar, if you will um, of achievements that I was like hey, if I didn't do this deployment, I wouldn't have done the Norwegian ruck march and I wouldn't have had this really cool experience. So it's just, it's when you look at things from that growth minded perspective of okay, I know I can't do this or that, but at this moment I can focus on my strength or I can focus on my endurance in this way, or I can focus on getting better right or healing an injury, like you did with uh signing on with Aaron Carson, like those are all really great indicators of one, being growth minded, but two, also being adaptable, and I think that is something that this sport especially helps people learn how to be.
Speaker 2:And that is such a great thing, yeah, to have in life, because there's always going to be something. There's always going to be some type of curve ball or setback or let down that um it. It's important to know how to be adaptable, to be resilient.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely Amen.
Speaker 2:Amen, I got it. That's two in one podcast. I love it. Okay, rich. So you mentioned the pandemic earlier and I'm glad that you brought that up, because even though we're in 2024 now and we're kind of out the other side of the pandemic, it doesn't mean that something like that can't happen again. Or you're traveling, or you're stuck in some type of pandemic or epidemic where you really don't have the ability to leave. Can you talk about how you are able to stay connected through those periods in life?
Speaker 1:Sure. Well, I mean, let's just use COVID I mean we're using that example.
Speaker 1:That was an interesting time, for sure. You know, I think everyone really realized pretty quickly that, you know, there wasn't going to be any racing happening in 2020. Um, but, but people, you know, still wanted to train even though they were pretty sure that their race wasn't going to happen. You know, people didn't know for sure in some cases, especially those late season races. You know, maybe this thing will all end, you know, and well, I had an athlete that was training for Boulder 70.3 that year end. You know, and well, I had an athlete that was training for Boulder 70.3 that year and you know, we were pretty sure that it wasn't going to happen, but I gave him the choice. Listen, you know, let's talk about your mission, why you're doing this, what's your purpose and why don't we do this. If it happens, great. If it doesn't happen, fine, we will have our own 70.3. And I, you know, obviously we're. You know, I think this time, you know, we weren't quarantining anymore, it was, you know, mask. You know that sort of thing. Let's have a 70.3 out there at Chatfield can use that gravel pond. It's a perfect half iron man distance swim. We can use the park as the bike course and we can use the park as the run course. We even I will, if you want this for your, for your publication, um. We even have an athlete guide for Chatfield 70.3. No way, we do, I'm not kidding you. The course is in there, the course maps, the swim course, the bike course, all mapped out in GPS. That's awesome we had.
Speaker 1:I mean, we really needed that inspiration back then. Right, we needed that way to connect. He needed this was going to be his first one. He really needed this and he needed it emotionally. His fan and this had ripple effects right With his family and you know, um, and I needed it. You know, I needed something to focus on that was positive and I needed to see a good outcome for an athlete. You know, um, and fast forward. Honestly, this is is uh, this is that same guy. This is matt matt emmett, and this is iron man des moines his first iron man. Isn't that awesome, yes, and this is a uh, this is a picture, uh, from the finish line he and I together. And it reads rich thanks for being my coach and friend. And hashtag even tougher, maddie. He even had uh stickers made. Uh, even tougher but.
Speaker 1:I have, uh, one of them on the back of my laptop. That's amazing. So you invest in people and you wait. You find a way to connect, even in the middle of a pandemic. Um, you know, today we don't have that. But, like, how do I connect with athletes that are not near me? Um, if we can't go down to chat field together, what do we do? Um, I, I use the full gas um app and so if a athlete is training for Ironman Arizona or Ironman Cozumel, I'm like let's, let's do a um race rehearsal co-pilots, We'll both jump on full gas and we'll do that course together. Cool, and we can chat. We can see each other's dots I can see their power to weight ratio compared to mine, exactly where we are in the course and we can talk. Oh, you know, this is a great place during sunrise because this, you know, you know, whatever.
Speaker 2:Wow, I didn't. Uh, I just think that that is so incredible that you actually get on with your clients and do the ride with them.
Speaker 1:Listen, I have, I have a ride, I have the same. I may not be the same distance yeah I've got a threshold and hold on my calendar and I, you know, I I do often comment to mark.
Speaker 2:I'm like I know this wasn't exactly mine, but you know um that's just really cool, though, that you take the time to not only help your athletes plan their their course, but also I'm gonna ride this with you and if even if we can't get together in person, I will be there with you on this app, watching and encouraging and feeling the same things you're feeling like that. It's just so. Yeah, I didn't. I've not had a coach do that.
Speaker 1:So all right. So, and so I actually did this for an athlete and again, this is I have the. It's not like. It's not like I'm putting in a workout that's not already on my calendar.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, I'm taking advantage of my own calendar but I had an athlete who was doing a 70.3 Florida last year and so I'm like, oh well, I'll just push that. I've pushed my workout to that course this morning, and so while and and so I like to do this with my athletes, they have family that's there with them, and if I can't be there with them, I have them introduce me to all of the family. That's going to be cheering.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 1:So we have a group chat going and so I get the pictures, I get the pictures and I can you know if anybody's got a question, I can answer it. And so that day I was writing that course, while she was writing that course, that day I was riding that course, while she was riding that course, and I was chatting with the family and I'm taking pictures of the full gas course.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:I'm like I think she's right here right now, so you got to bring them along.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's next level.
Speaker 1:Rich, but you know it's just getting creative. Yeah, and it is a little bit of. You know the empathy gene. You know it's just getting creative. You know and, and, and it is a little bit of you know the empathy gene, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, that's. I think that's just wonderful, wow, okay. Well, that was really inspiring about sharing that, that experience with your, with your athlete. I would love to hear the most surprising way your teammates or community have supported or inspired you throughout your endurance journey.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, obviously, I mentioned, you know that, um, that bike source club and my teammates on that club and one of the members of that club his name is Tim Hola, but if you don't know, he has been he's an age grouper but he has been like the number one USAT ranked, you know, in his age group for years. He's, uh, he's raced Kona like 17 times. He's, you know, he's, he's amazing and he was basically a pro back then and he was a part of this club and I. He just always inspired me and, um, and today we are friends. Like, I was in Kona at the last time he did Kona, oh, and his dad has done Kona with him too. I, these guys are amazing. Um, I don't know, I I'm probably all over it, going to be all over the place, but they really inspired me.
Speaker 1:Um, you know, um, lots of people who I've interviewed on the podcast have, of course, inspired me the Pease Brothers, so many people's stories, and this gets back to, I think, of the personal changes I've made.
Speaker 1:You know, personal changes I've made have been nothing, you know, compared to some of these, some of these, some of these people, whether it has to be, you know, a disability or a lifestyle change or you know, just whatever the ambassadors. I've been to two ambassador camps. Both ambassador camps all of the ambassadors volunteer for whatever race we are paired with. So last in 2023, it was Ironman Florida, and I mean, here's 20 people getting up at four o'clock in the morning, showing up in the lobby to go march down the street together in the dark. You know, and we're having a blast, um, because we're going to go cheer on our teammates. You know about a hundred tri-dot athletes that we're going to be out there and um, and we knew we weren't going back to bed until like one o'clock in the morning the next day. You know, um, I, I, yeah, how about that?
Speaker 1:Those are just some highlights and um, and I guess maybe this coaching team of course too, right, and we've we've already kind of talked a bit about that, so I think I'd just be repeating myself.
Speaker 2:No, I, I appreciate that I I do want to bring up recently You've had a connection with a cyclist that I would love to hear more about. That has inspired you to not only get more educated on para triathletes, para athletes, but also become a certified coach in that community, and I'd love to hear a little bit more about that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. So Lieutenant Zed Pitts in the Army. He works with Adaptive Sports Center, out of Telluride, I think. Anyway, I might have the city wrong, but he's actually very involved in the Invictus Games and the DoD Warrior Games and he has a company called VeloFlow Project and its mission is to help mostly veterans with either physical or non-physical injuries that can use cycling in particular. But now he's really kind of expanding it to other disciplines. Running is another part of his background but he now wants to expand that to swimming and triathlon in between the Invictus games and the DOD Warrior games.
Speaker 1:That keeps them on, gives them a focus almost like a monthly focus of the next thing that can keep them going and if they're getting positive healing out of cycling or running or triathlon and it gives them purpose, he tries to set those programs up. That's where this Colorado's ride, where I met him and some of those athletes, um, and some of the folks from the adaptive sports center, um, and I really think that this sport should be accessible to anybody. It doesn't matter how many limbs or you know you have, it should be accessible to anybody. And so, whether I end up using this certification for, you know, practical use or not I at least thought. You know, listen, this program's available. I'm going to go learn, to take a day and learn, and you know just better understand it at least. And if ever an athlete you know wants to find their you know their path on this journey and they have a disability that I can help with, then I'm there to help them.
Speaker 2:So yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:You can coach right alongside them. Yeah, that's so great. I think that what Zed is doing is huge and I also just find that extremely inspiring because there are lots of wounded warriors and both visible and invisible injuries that we carry, and I personally for me, triathlon has absolutely served in a as a therapeutic measure for those injuries and I think people that can get behind that and support veterans um finding their passion and finding their healing in that way. I want to fully endorse that and I think that connection is huge with you and and also that calling, if you will, for you to to learn more about it. I think that's going to open a ton of doors and opportunities and I just can't wait to see the way that you give back to that community, as well as that connection with Zed developing. So shout out to Zed, if you're listening. You're amazing, brother, and very much excited to see what you do with VeloFlow Project and all the great things you have in the works.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'll send you. We'll tag him in this post for sure.
Speaker 2:Hey, yes, I have two more questions for you, rich, um, and one thing I'd love to do with this podcast is I want to make triathlon, or any type of endurance sport, accessible to the beginner, to someone who feels like they have, uh, the mountain ahead of them, um, but wants to be encouraged and also given that motivation to get started.
Speaker 1:So what advice would you give someone who is just starting out and feels intimidated by joining a triathlon or endurance community? Yeah, I mean three things. First, find a friend or that you know that is on this journey already, maybe. Or you know and ask them you know, hey, can just go on this journey already, maybe. Um, or you know and ask them you know, hey, can I, can I join you? Can? Can you? Can you take me along with you? Can you? You know what races are you doing? Uh, what clubs are you a part of? Um, you know, reach out to somebody that you know is in the sport. If you don't, uh, look around, find a club nearby. I guarantee you, if you reach out to any club and you say, hey, I'm interested in learning more about your club whoever is the club manager is going to, you know, really be glad that you're reaching out.
Speaker 1:They're going to. You know they want to. They're there because they want. They're on a mission to grow their numbers and they're on a mission to help and do outreach. So reach out to somebody. You are going to learn so much if you join a club, uh, from your former club members, there's always coaches, um, that are usually a part of the club that are either there to give you some free advice or, you know, you know, offer their services professionally, um, if you want to take them up on that, I'm sure, um, volunteer at races. You know there's so much to learn, it's just going and volunteering at a race You're going to.
Speaker 1:you're going to learn a lot about what to do. You're also going to see some things that you're like, oh well, I don't want to do that. That doesn't look right. Why is the person you know, why is that person getting in trouble? You know?
Speaker 2:anyway, yeah. Or vomiting on the side of the road, yeah.
Speaker 1:Right, what way, what, what, what went wrong, friend, yeah, yeah. So, um, plus, you'll also get you know, you will, uh, you'll have some empathy for, kind of what they're going through and you know, um, you'll uh. And then, uh, you also have some empathy for being a volunteer. So when you become an athlete, um, you know those people are there, um, they're giving their time to make sure you're having a good day. Um, now it'd be your turn to show your appreciation back to them and thank them. So it's a good, it's a, it's good to be in the shoes of a volunteer, um, and you'll make some friends. You know you will make some friends.
Speaker 1:There are people that are volunteering that are also athletes. You know they might even be injured, right, and you're going to be in transition with them for a couple of hours. You're going to be able to pick their brain and you know and learn from them. You know there's going to be people that have knowledge in that transition area. And, heck, if you're part of the TriDot community, just go on. The TriDot community hub, that's a great place to go to. You know, get to know people, get some lots of resources, some great advice. Ask a question, get a million answers How's that?
Speaker 2:That's good stuff, rich, thank you. Um one more question for you, and it's something that I like to ask my guests um, because no two answers have been the same and it kind of speaks to the title of this podcast Grit to Greatness, right? How do you define greatness?
Speaker 1:Living your greatest life. So I define greatness as living your greatest life, understanding yourself and what you want to contribute to the world. Listen, we get one play in life, so we want to make every song on that record a greatest hit. So let's do it. Let's just do this with purpose. Write out what great life looks like for you, you know, start with your values, what is important to you.
Speaker 1:There's an exercise right, If your house is on fire, what are the? You know? And you can only grab three things. What are those three things you're going to take with you out the door? Those are the thing, the three things are the most important to you. Flip that around a little bit. Just say you know, like if you, if there are only three things are the most important to you. Flip that around a little bit. Just say you know, like if there are only three things in your life that you can keep, what are those three things? Right, this becomes a mission statement for me. My mission statement is to secure my family's future, to live an active and healthy lifestyle and help others to do the same. It's very simple. It's two, maybe three sentences. You know it's not very specific, it's not. It's a little broad, but it's directional. Yes, write those values out on the list. Mine were clearly my family being active being healthy and helping others.
Speaker 1:Service, yeah, and service to others, yeah, which, you know, as I go back and as I, and as I, and I'll tell you the exercise that I did was this you know, after that, that fifth Ironman, I'm trying to figure out where I want to take this. Yes, that was really a crossroads. I was like, and this is also, I'm like you know, uh, and I decided, you know, around this time I'm like drinking is like not for me anymore, right, I, you know, this is just, you know, this does not help me. And, um and I, there's a book by Mark Devine. He's a Navy SEAL, he's got a podcast, the Unbeatable Mind Podcast, but the original book that he wrote was the Way of the SEAL, before the Unbeatable Mind, yeah, mind, and in the way of the seal talks about, you know, basically takes you through this exercise of you know, identifying your values and writing out your mission statement.
Speaker 1:And it was that mission statement that led me on a path of decisions to what am I going to do today to move my? Move me toward that vision, toward my my, toward my mission, my purpose? Oh, I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to contact David Worden. Yes, what am I going to do? I'm going to set up a meeting with David Worden. I'm going to learn. I'm going to start this podcast. I have a podcast. I've got an athlete wants to be coached.
Speaker 1:Okay, what's going to move me toward my mission, toward my purpose? Yeah, I've got to make the decision to go get my USAT triathlon certification. Yes, of course I do. Right, you can see how that mission statement, those values, knowing that every day I'm looking at that mission and I'm maybe even rewriting that mission statement and checking in on those values and then asking myself daily, what am I going to do in the morning? What am I going to do today that moves me forward? And in the evening, reflecting on that again, what did I do today that either moved me forward or didn't, and without judgment, what are the decisions I made today, the actions or inactions that either moved me forward or didn't, and what am I going to do tomorrow differently, without judgment. And you know pretty soon, you know just that's the direction you're going, yeah, and you're living your greatest life.
Speaker 2:So much there, Coach Rich. That was fantastic, and I love it that you could apply that to anything, not just triathlon not just endurance, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's life, If your value is, if what you value is, you know music or if it's art or if it's you know whatever that is yeah, Live your yeah, live, your live, your values.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's good stuff, my friend. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1:This was a blast.
Speaker 2:I knew it would be.
Speaker 1:I knew this was going to be crazy. Awesome. Well, how can folks get a hold of you, Coach?
Speaker 2:Rich if they want to know more about you. I knew it would be. I knew this was going to be crazy, awesome. Well, how can folks get a hold of you, coach rich, if they want to know more about?
Speaker 1:you or um hire you as their coach. Oh wow, um, all right. Well, if you want, it's easy to get ahold of me. Uh, rich source. Coaching um at gmailcom is an easy way to get me um at trycoachrich on Instagram and Facebook. So that's good too. So how about?
Speaker 2:that Excellent, and they can listen to you on.
Speaker 1:The 303 endurance podcast, of course.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:Anywhere you listen to your podcast, we're there.
Speaker 2:Excellent, and we'll definitely link that in the show notes too. But thank you so much, Coach Rich. This has been amazing.
Speaker 1:Awesome April. Thank you, Thank you.