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Speaker 1: A combination of the joy and hard work that allows

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Speaker 1: me to really be my best as an athlete and

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Speaker 1: to go beyond those limits and really go beyond what's

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Speaker 1: achievable by hard work alone. Because the person who's having

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Speaker 1: fun and who loves what they're doing, they will always

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Speaker 1: outperform the person who's suffering and struggling.

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Speaker 2: What's going on, Emily Abadi? Here? You are listening to

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Speaker 2: episode two hundred and thirty seven of Hurdle, a wellness

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Speaker 2: focus podcast where connect with everyone from your favorite athletes

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Speaker 2: to top experts and industry CEOs about their highest ties,

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Speaker 2: toughest moments, and everything in between. We all go through

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Speaker 2: hurdles in life, and my goal through these discussions is

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Speaker 2: to empower you to navigate yours and move with intention

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Speaker 2: so that you can stride towards your own big potential

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Speaker 2: and of course, have some fun along the way. For

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Speaker 2: today's episode, I am chatting with my girl, Kate Courtney.

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Speaker 2: She is a pro mountain bike raser that I had

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Speaker 2: the awesome opportunity to hang out with in person when

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Speaker 2: I moderated Strava's Year in Sport event this past December.

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Speaker 2: Known to many on Instagram as Kate plus fate. Kate

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Speaker 2: is a world champion, she's an Olympian, and her story

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Speaker 2: is one filled with resilience and of course, her fair

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Speaker 2: share of hurdles. In today's episode, Kate talks all about

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Speaker 2: how she came to fall in love with cycling and

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Speaker 2: ultimately heading to Stanford University in twenty thirteen, when she

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Speaker 2: signed her first professional contract with Specialized Bicycles. She talks

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Speaker 2: openly about her experience and navigating injury and what it

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Speaker 2: was like for her to really have to overcome this

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Speaker 2: massive hurdle of wondering if she was falling out of

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Speaker 2: love with her sport, rediscovering her why, which helped her

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Speaker 2: ultimately stand firm in her purpose. She talks about how

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Speaker 2: it was difficult to navigate the pandemic and her sport,

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Speaker 2: as well as the pushback of the Olympics, and offers

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Speaker 2: up some really really helpful advice for anyone who feels

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Speaker 2: as though there are just days that they are incapable

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Speaker 2: of showing up. At twenty seven, Kate is wise beyond

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Speaker 2: her years, and this is truly one of those conversations

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Speaker 2: that had me re listening really thinking about what are

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Speaker 2: the things that I want? What is my purpose and

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Speaker 2: what am I willing to do to go after my big, scary, hairy,

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Speaker 2: audacious goals. I also really love how Kate talks about

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Speaker 2: the intersection of enjoying what you do, having fun with

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Speaker 2: what you do, and pursuing your goals, knowing that that

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Speaker 2: could require hard work, but it is possible to both

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Speaker 2: work hard and have fun. Love love this conversation. Excited

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Speaker 2: to bring it to the feed today and also want

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Speaker 2: to make sure that I throw this out there. If

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Speaker 2: you haven't rated and reviewed Hurdle yet in Apple Podcasts

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Speaker 2: or wherever you get your podcasts, it would mean the

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Speaker 2: world to me. I'm always looking to help others discover

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Speaker 2: the show in a good way that they can do

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Speaker 2: that is by your positive or views, So thank you

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Speaker 2: for that in advance. If you have a listener question,

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Speaker 2: I would love to answer it in an upcoming episode

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Speaker 2: of Hurdle. Head on over to the show notes and

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Speaker 2: click leave me a voice message. Plus, also make sure

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Speaker 2: you're following along with the show over on social media.

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Speaker 2: It's over at Hurdle podcast. I myself am over at

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Speaker 2: Emily a Body and last little bit of housekeeping here

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Speaker 2: the Weekly Hurdle. It's a weekly newsletter that you can

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Speaker 2: get a lot of the same motivation, inspiration stuff you

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Speaker 2: love about the show in your inbox every single Friday.

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Speaker 2: Subscribe via the Land you guessed it in the show notes.

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Speaker 2: And with that, let's get to it. Let's get to hurdling.

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Speaker 1: Today.

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Speaker 2: I am sitting down with Kate Courtney, she's a professional

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Speaker 2: mountain bike rid How you.

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Speaker 3: Doing doing well? Thanks for having me.

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Speaker 2: Thank you so much for making the time. You're out

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Speaker 2: in Tahoe right now, which looks like a dream.

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Speaker 3: Winter wonderland for sure.

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Speaker 1: Up here started on Christmas, so we always spend the

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Speaker 1: holidays up here with my husband's family, and then built

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Speaker 1: in a couple weeks of training in winter wonderland, which

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Speaker 1: is great.

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Speaker 2: So what does training look like for you when you're

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Speaker 2: in a winter wonderland.

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Speaker 1: It's a good question, and it's something I've thought about

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Speaker 1: and worked on for a few years. Actually grew up

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Speaker 1: ski racing, but when I started doing it endurance sport

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Speaker 1: mountain biking, it kind of fell by the wayside because

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Speaker 1: it's hard to get out and run or ride up here.

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Speaker 1: So recently I've gotten really into backcountry skiing and that's

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Speaker 1: where you skin up the mountain, which is actually pretty

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Speaker 1: similar to riding a mountain bike, and you can kind

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Speaker 1: of keep your heart rate in that zone one two

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Speaker 1: range for hours and hours out in the mountains, and

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Speaker 1: that's kind of like reinvigorated my skiing. So I can

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Speaker 1: be up here, I can run, I go to the gym,

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Speaker 1: and do a lot of ski touring.

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Speaker 2: Going up the mountain is something that I didn't even

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Speaker 2: know was a thing until like a few years ago,

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Speaker 2: and when I learned about it, it truly blew my mind.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I call it the mountain biking of winter. It's

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Speaker 1: like very similar. You kind of you get out, you're

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Speaker 1: out of the resort, you're out in the woods. You

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Speaker 1: kind of have this like a little bit of a

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Speaker 1: kind of meditative activity of climbing these mountains and also

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Speaker 1: ski touring you never do alone, mostly because of avalanche rists,

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Speaker 1: so usually out there chatting it up and then and

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Speaker 1: skiing some great snow. So it's kind of the best

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Speaker 1: of both worlds.

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Speaker 2: It sounds great, It sounds great. Well, I'm so glad

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Speaker 2: that you've been able to get out there and at

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Speaker 2: least enjoy some extra time with your family. You right now,

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Speaker 2: though still in the height of training season. Talk to

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Speaker 2: us about how you're feeling these days, about where you're

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Speaker 2: at with your performance.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it's definitely a big year for me NEXTRAS and

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Speaker 1: Olympic years, So this is kind of where you start

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Speaker 1: to make progress towards those big goals. And for me,

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Speaker 1: I think I've learned in the last couple of years

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Speaker 1: that it's really about having periodization in my training and knowing, Okay,

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Speaker 1: I have this block, what's the goal, and did I

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Speaker 1: achieve that goal. So this year I've done a lot

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Speaker 1: more performance testing, so Black Day tests, strength testing on

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Speaker 1: force blades, blood testing. You might get a little technical there,

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Speaker 1: but for me, it's really helped me feel confident that

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Speaker 1: I'm doing what I want to do with my training

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Speaker 1: and to also have a lot of insight from my

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Speaker 1: coaches on that. So we start usually November first, and

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Speaker 1: then I have kind of my first block through Christmas,

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Speaker 1: so that's like the big Bay season, base season in

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Speaker 1: the gym, tons of hours on the bike, and then

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Speaker 1: I retest right before Christmas and Christmas through New Year's

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Speaker 1: is kind of my like rest period, and I think

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Speaker 1: critically the like mental reset where I feel like, you know,

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Speaker 1: I'm still training and still doing activity, but I'm mentally

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Speaker 1: not feeling like I'm at work every single second on

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Speaker 1: my bike. And so for me having that check in

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Speaker 1: before Christmas, seeing Okay, I'm on track, my training's going

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Speaker 1: really well, I feel healthy and strong, allows me to

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Speaker 1: be up here and take that mental rest, and I

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Speaker 1: think right now, I'm just kind of, you know, getting

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Speaker 1: to that point where I'm really excited to go home

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Speaker 1: and put in a ton of work in January.

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Speaker 2: Just like so many I mean, it's great to hear

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Speaker 2: that you do get that time to do a little

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Speaker 2: bit of a reset, because I think that that can

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Speaker 2: be a really big struggle, at least in so many

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Speaker 2: of the conversations I've had for the show, the amount

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Speaker 2: of sacrifice that comes hand in hand with going after

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Speaker 2: your dreams. I love to rewind a little bit and

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Speaker 2: get some understanding, some background from you on when you're

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Speaker 2: talking about getting ready for another Olympic year. When did

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Speaker 2: chasing these dreams on this level when it comes to

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Speaker 2: being on your bike become a thing for you.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I think, like so many things in the athletic world,

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Speaker 1: it happened very slowly and then kind of all at once.

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Speaker 1: I fell in love with cycling from a young age,

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Speaker 1: with my dad growing up in Moran, where mountain biking

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Speaker 1: was originally invented in the seventies, so there's definitely like

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Speaker 1: a culture of being out being out on the bike, exploring.

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Speaker 3: But it wasn't until a.

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Speaker 1: Lot later that I really figured out there was this

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Speaker 1: kind of whole competitive world that could be unlocked. And

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Speaker 1: I think honestly being a bit naive helped me in

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Speaker 1: that sense. I didn't know necessarily where I was going,

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Speaker 1: just kind of focus on the next step. Oh if

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Speaker 1: I if I can win a local race, what about

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Speaker 1: if it's a you know, statewide race, What if I

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Speaker 1: do a national level race? What if you know, where

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Speaker 1: do I stack up in the international field? And those

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Speaker 1: are kind of step by step, and I think it

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Speaker 1: was it was really when I was in college and

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Speaker 1: started racing technically. I was an under twenty three, so

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Speaker 1: nineteen to twenty two in the World Cups, but you

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Speaker 1: race professionally in the US, and I think that was

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Speaker 1: kind of the moment I started to think, Wow, Okay,

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Speaker 1: this could be a long term career opportunity for me,

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Speaker 1: and what would that look like? And I think, you know,

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Speaker 1: through college it was. It was definitely balancing those two priorities.

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Speaker 1: School was still a big part of my life, and

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Speaker 1: I wasn't necessarily at a place competitively where I could say, yeah,

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Speaker 1: I can for sure support myself with this. But at

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Speaker 1: the end of college, my kind of my last year

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Speaker 1: as a student, I had some really big international results,

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Speaker 1: and I think that's the moment where I started to think,

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Speaker 1: you know, why not me, Why why couldn't I win?

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Speaker 1: Why can't I set the goal of being on the

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Speaker 1: podium or the goal of going to the Olympics and

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Speaker 1: kind of, you know, set that next level of dreams

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Speaker 1: and aspirations that seemed, you know, like a big leap

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Speaker 1: at the time, But we're necessary to make it a

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Speaker 1: kind of full time career for me.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, And it's it's not it's no secret that the

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Speaker 2: pay for woman for so long has been so far

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Speaker 2: behind the pay of the men. So when you were

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Speaker 2: getting started to truly follow your gut and like pursue

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Speaker 2: a career in your sport, was that scary for you?

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: I think one of the big things that helped me

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Speaker 1: was being a student. I think I thought of those

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Speaker 1: two competing dreams or priorities as being really equally weighted

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Speaker 1: at that time in my life, and so it held

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Speaker 1: me back a little bit from the pressure, and I

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Speaker 1: think that was a huge advantage at the time. I

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Speaker 1: think if I had been nineteen and had the pressure to,

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Speaker 1: you know, have my livelihood depend on my results, I

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Speaker 1: probably would have overtrained, burned out, and had a really

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Speaker 1: tough time just having longevity in the sport. And I

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Speaker 1: think by the time I graduated school, I was a

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Speaker 1: little more confident, I knew myself better, I had a

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Speaker 1: little bit of a different perspective, and I was ready

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Speaker 1: physically also to meet the demands of that trainee schedule

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Speaker 1: and to kind of, you know, level up, both in

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Speaker 1: terms of the mental goals, the kind of pressure of

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Speaker 1: being a full time athlete and the physical demand that

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Speaker 1: that takes.

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Speaker 2: When you say the pressure of being a full time athlete,

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Speaker 2: expand on that a little bit for us, what is

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Speaker 2: the pressure that goes hand in hand with this level

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Speaker 2: of performance.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a.

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Speaker 1: Really good question because there's the obvious you know, your

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Speaker 1: paycheck depends partially on your results piece of it, and

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Speaker 1: that's definitely part of it. But I think for me

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Speaker 1: and for a lot of lead athletes. I know, it's

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Speaker 1: really this intrinsic pressure and drive that you know got

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Speaker 1: me into the sport. It encouraged me to kind of

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Speaker 1: work hard and pursue these dreams and push myself. But

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Speaker 1: that also has to be managed. I think that's probably

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Speaker 1: my biggest like double edged sword, is that desire to

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Speaker 1: push and to try to make these results happen by

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Speaker 1: sheer willpower. And often you know you're not going to

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Speaker 1: succeed without the hard work, without showing up to training

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Speaker 1: every day, without giving your best and pushing your limits.

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Speaker 3: But it's also not.

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Speaker 1: Necessarily enough, Like sometimes you need the stars to align

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Speaker 1: and the right circumstances to evolve for you to get

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Speaker 1: that result on the right day. And so I think

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Speaker 1: there's like this balance of pressure and desire to achieve

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Speaker 1: and the courage to commit to it that has to

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Speaker 1: be balanced with this humility of Okay, I'm a human

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Speaker 1: being and I'm trying to do something really hard and

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Speaker 1: it's completely uncertain. And I think for me that's been

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Speaker 1: a huge part of the learning curve is accepting that

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Speaker 1: there's days when I'm just not going to feel great,

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Speaker 1: or that there's days that I need rest or that

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Speaker 1: there's races that won't go well for things that are

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Speaker 1: outside my control. Things can be canceled, I can get sick,

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Speaker 1: I can have a flat tire, and to be you know,

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Speaker 1: dedicated to the process through all of that and kind

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Speaker 1: of accepting it as it comes. And I think as

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Speaker 1: a young athlete, you know, I was really rewarded for

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Speaker 1: working hard and for pushing my limits, and I think

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Speaker 1: that was an incredibly positive experience. But something I've learned

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Speaker 1: more recently is the ability to balance that with rest

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Speaker 1: and to not just you know, recover, but to rest

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Speaker 1: and to be able to pursue those long term over

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Speaker 1: a long period of time.

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Speaker 2: Two things had double click on. The first thing is

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Speaker 2: how did you get to a place where you felt

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Speaker 2: better navigating uncertainty.

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Speaker 1: I think I'm still in process on that one, but

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Speaker 1: I think we've all gotten a little bit of a

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Speaker 1: crash course in the last three years. For me, you know,

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Speaker 1: everyone was impacted differently by the pandemic, and for me

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Speaker 1: it was really a huge disruption to the Olympic year.

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Speaker 1: I think there are a lot of scenarios that I

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Speaker 1: planned for in my mind. You know, race is not

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Speaker 1: going while training, not lining up not making the team,

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Speaker 1: but having the Olympics moved or canceled was not something

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Speaker 1: that really made the short list of expectations, and I

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Speaker 1: think that really I struggled with that for a long time,

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Speaker 1: just to kind of get my feet back underneath me

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Speaker 1: in terms of, you know, opening your mind to that

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Speaker 1: uncertainty and still being willing to try and put yourself

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Speaker 1: out there again and again. And I think at the

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Speaker 1: end of the day, it comes back to that kind

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Speaker 1: of humility piece and to being dedicated to the process,

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Speaker 1: knowing that the results are never guaranteed and that they

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Speaker 1: never were.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, wow, that's really powerful. The other thing to

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Speaker 2: touch on is you speaking so candidly about the concept

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Speaker 2: of rest and that being something that over the years

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Speaker 2: you've become better with navigating. Let's say, was there a

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Speaker 2: point for you where you had to navigate maybe overtraining

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Speaker 2: because of your lack of a desire to rest.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely, yeah, I think.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, that is certainly why that topic is top of

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Speaker 1: mind for me. I struggled big time with the Olympic

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Speaker 1: year being moved, so we had the kind of twenty

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Speaker 1: twenty pandemic year where everyone was home and I basically

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Speaker 1: just trained and then the Olympic year, which just really

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Speaker 1: didn't go well for me, And I think, in hindsight

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Speaker 1: a huge part of that was the compounding effect of

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Speaker 1: just multiple years of dealing with challenges, dealing with uncertainty

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Speaker 1: and having the same response every time, which is, oh,

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Speaker 1: I must need to work harder, which I think is

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Speaker 1: a pretty typical response for a lot of endurance athletes

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Speaker 1: is oh, we've come up against a challenge, double down,

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Speaker 1: And eventually you can't double down anymore, and in fact

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Speaker 1: you come to a point of not just diminishing returns,

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Speaker 1: but where actually the overtraining over trying adding load.

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Speaker 3: Works against you.

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Speaker 1: And it's often so easy to see from the outside

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Speaker 1: or in hindsight, but as it's happening, I think it's

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Speaker 1: really hard. And for me at the time, at a

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Speaker 1: certain point, I think because of the stress and just

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Speaker 1: the compounding effect of the few years, my body just

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Speaker 1: did not respond on the same way to training, like

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Speaker 1: I was training the same amount and getting less out

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Speaker 1: of it. And when you have that, it's really hard

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Speaker 1: to say, oh, I actually need to do less and

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Speaker 1: then reset. I think you're kind of trying to like

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Speaker 1: pull it back from the edge and you're like, oh,

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Speaker 1: if it's if I'm getting less out of it, I'll

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Speaker 1: just do more, which has again the opposite effect. So

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Speaker 1: I kind of got into a really deep hole by

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Speaker 1: the end of the twenty twenty one season and physically

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Speaker 1: just was in a really bad place. Like I think

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Speaker 1: it's easy to say, oh, it's the stress, it's overtraining,

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Speaker 1: it's so mental, but you know, I took some blood

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Speaker 1: tests and my cortisol in that fall was fifty three,

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Speaker 1: which is like five times the normal amount. It's it

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Speaker 1: should be like ten to fourteen for me, and I

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Speaker 1: think that actually was the first thing that helped me

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Speaker 1: understand how physical stress and overtraining and even just life

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Speaker 1: circumstances can be. And I really I was forced to

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Speaker 1: rest in a big way for that So last season

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Speaker 1: that was kind of the focus of my fall.

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Speaker 2: You highlighted the way that you felt physically, but how

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Speaker 2: did you feel emotionally by the end of that season.

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Speaker 1: Oh awful, awful. Yeah, I think I just was really depleted,

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Speaker 1: I would say, and at times really discouraged. Like it

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Speaker 1: got to a point where you're thinking, you know, I

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Speaker 1: got into the sport because I love it, like I

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Speaker 1: love riding my bike.

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Speaker 3: I love racing my bike.

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Speaker 1: I love to compete, Like these are things that are

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Speaker 1: very or feel very central to like who I am.

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Speaker 1: And you get to this point where all of a sudden,

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Speaker 1: you know, for me, this thing that I love doing

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Speaker 1: started being kind of a negative experience. Like I would

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Speaker 1: show up to the races knowing physically I wasn't where

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Speaker 1: I wanted to be and having a bad experience it's

338
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Speaker 1: in the race, and then you know, having that kind

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Speaker 1: of compound on itself. You know, I got to this

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Speaker 1: point where I was thinking, you know, is cycling making

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Speaker 1: me a better version of myself? Or is it starting

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00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:13,960
Speaker 1: to have the opposite effect? Is it starting to kind

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Speaker 1: of tear me down instead of build me up? And

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Speaker 1: I felt like that's the point where that rest became

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00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:24,080
Speaker 1: an asset not just for restoring my body, but for

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Speaker 1: allowing me mentally to kind of sift through that feeling

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Speaker 1: and separate out what was fatigue from what was something

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Speaker 1: I needed to work on. And I think the biggest

349
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Speaker 1: piece was to kind of let all of the external

350
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Speaker 1: inputs and opinions fade away and connect with why I

351
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Speaker 1: was doing it. And I think allowing myself to contemplate.

352
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Speaker 1: That was challenging, absolutely, but in the end it kind

353
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Speaker 1: of gave me this ability to find that answer within

354
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Speaker 1: my myself and to say, no, I really want to

355
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Speaker 1: do this, I don't want to do it in this way.

356
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Speaker 1: So how do I do it differently? How do I

357
00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:10,800
Speaker 1: do it better? How do I do it in a

358
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Speaker 1: way that you know, of course worked towards my goals,

359
00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:17,560
Speaker 1: like I really really want to win bike races, but

360
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Speaker 1: that also has a positive impact on me as a person,

361
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Speaker 1: that allows me to learn about myself, that allows me

362
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Speaker 1: to show up not just as a better racer, but

363
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Speaker 1: as a better role model and leader and partner and

364
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Speaker 1: athlete overall. And so I think, you know, I'm obviously

365
00:20:33,840 --> 00:20:35,800
Speaker 1: still working on that. I would say last year was,

366
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Speaker 1: like I called it, the Year of foundations. We were

367
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Speaker 1: like rebuilding a foundation to stand on, and this year

368
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Speaker 1: is the year of building, so kind of adding little

369
00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:49,239
Speaker 1: pieces to that puzzle, and you know, trusting not just

370
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Speaker 1: what my body's doing, not just what the numbers say,

371
00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:55,480
Speaker 1: not just what the results say, but trusting that voice

372
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Speaker 1: of does this feel right? Does this feel like I'm

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Speaker 1: on the right track, Like my feels good, like I'm

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Speaker 1: happy and motivated and allowing that piece of feedback to

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Speaker 1: be just as important.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and it's understandable you're at this point of complete

377
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Speaker 2: depletion because you were just kind of running into the

378
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Speaker 2: wall again and again, working so hard, and so many

379
00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:24,760
Speaker 2: different external factors were changing what you were working on,

380
00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:29,480
Speaker 2: So to get to this point of depletion, it's super understandable.

381
00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:33,680
Speaker 2: And then for you to to really highlight you know,

382
00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:36,120
Speaker 2: you were talking about the different roles that you plant

383
00:21:36,119 --> 00:21:38,919
Speaker 2: in your life, being a partner, you know, being a

384
00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:40,840
Speaker 2: role model, and then kind of in the end of

385
00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:44,399
Speaker 2: your list saying and an athlete. It's so clear that

386
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Speaker 2: you've done so much work here to really look at

387
00:21:47,640 --> 00:21:51,879
Speaker 2: your life in a holistic way and really laying that foundation,

388
00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:56,000
Speaker 2: as you said, to think about what is it that

389
00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:59,960
Speaker 2: truly makes Kate happy? And that's a hard question to ask,

390
00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:03,159
Speaker 2: ask and a hard question to answer, no matter how

391
00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:05,800
Speaker 2: much work you've done in your on yourself right to

392
00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:09,280
Speaker 2: get to a point where you can be truly, wholeheartedly

393
00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:12,840
Speaker 2: honest with yourself and ask the hard questions exactly like

394
00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:15,200
Speaker 2: you did, That's it's really challenging.

395
00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:20,560
Speaker 1: Oh, absolutely, Yeah, And I think I've learned a lot

396
00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:23,760
Speaker 1: about resilience through that process, and it's you know what

397
00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:26,119
Speaker 1: you just said about this like honesty piece and what

398
00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:29,359
Speaker 1: makes you happy. I think in the endurance sports world

399
00:22:29,359 --> 00:22:32,000
Speaker 1: there's often been a little bit of resistance to that.

400
00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:36,040
Speaker 1: I think there's like this kind of push through suffer

401
00:22:36,160 --> 00:22:38,280
Speaker 1: you have to be willing to do whatever it takes mentality,

402
00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:41,520
Speaker 1: which I absolutely agree with, Like you have to have

403
00:22:41,560 --> 00:22:44,480
Speaker 1: that mentality, but it has to be applied in the

404
00:22:44,560 --> 00:22:49,440
Speaker 1: right way. And I think there's huge value in the

405
00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:53,320
Speaker 1: ability to be honest and to be present and to

406
00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:56,120
Speaker 1: be in the moment as well. And I think it's

407
00:22:56,160 --> 00:22:58,760
Speaker 1: actually like the combination of these two things. I say,

408
00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:01,359
Speaker 1: for me, it's like the combination of the joy and

409
00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:05,280
Speaker 1: hard work that allows me to really be my best

410
00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:09,359
Speaker 1: as an athlete and to go beyond those limits and

411
00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:13,320
Speaker 1: really go beyond what's achievable by hard work alone. Because

412
00:23:13,359 --> 00:23:16,879
Speaker 1: the person who's having fun and who loves what they're doing,

413
00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:21,520
Speaker 1: they will always outperform the person who's suffering and struggling.

414
00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:25,080
Speaker 1: They will be able to take on more capacity, to

415
00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:28,560
Speaker 1: push harder, and to achieve more just by virtue of

416
00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:31,400
Speaker 1: the fact that in a given moment, one person might

417
00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:33,480
Speaker 1: be saying this is really hard and I'm struggling, but

418
00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:36,320
Speaker 1: I will overcome. And that person is saying, man, it's

419
00:23:36,359 --> 00:23:38,280
Speaker 1: like amazing to be on my bike and I love

420
00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:42,320
Speaker 1: this and I'm succeeding. And I think that's part of

421
00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:46,399
Speaker 1: having a resilient and strong and tough mindset as much

422
00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:49,400
Speaker 1: as the ability to kind of suffer and push through,

423
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Speaker 1: which is of course also part.

424
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Speaker 3: Of the sport.

425
00:23:51,880 --> 00:23:55,119
Speaker 2: It's a fine line sometimes, right, because you want to

426
00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:58,240
Speaker 2: make sure that you're finding the joy. If you're not

427
00:23:58,320 --> 00:24:00,359
Speaker 2: having fun then truly, I am also so of the

428
00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:04,200
Speaker 2: mindset like what's the point, right, But there also does

429
00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:09,320
Speaker 2: become a point where that certain level of grit is

430
00:24:09,359 --> 00:24:12,520
Speaker 2: going to give you an added edge, and that's grit

431
00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:15,920
Speaker 2: that you found in your career, you know, in all

432
00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:20,640
Speaker 2: of your accomplishments. So kind of finding the balance there

433
00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:26,800
Speaker 2: certainly can be challenging. Absolutely, but this isn't going to

434
00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:30,560
Speaker 2: be your first Olympics that you're prepping for. Talk to

435
00:24:30,680 --> 00:24:34,800
Speaker 2: us about your first trip to the Olympics.

436
00:24:36,480 --> 00:24:37,399
Speaker 3: Yeah, I so.

437
00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:40,080
Speaker 1: I was on the team in twenty twenty, which came

438
00:24:40,119 --> 00:24:43,960
Speaker 1: twenty twenty one in Tokyo, and it kind of came

439
00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:47,480
Speaker 1: at the end of kind of my best two or

440
00:24:47,520 --> 00:24:50,840
Speaker 1: three years. I won the U twenty three World Cup

441
00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:56,879
Speaker 1: overall in twenty seventeen. Twenty eighteen, I won the World Championships.

442
00:24:56,920 --> 00:24:59,480
Speaker 1: In twenty nineteen, I won the Elite World Cup overall.

443
00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:03,800
Speaker 1: So it's kind of like huge progression over these three years.

444
00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:08,280
Speaker 1: And I automatically qualified for the team in twenty nineteen,

445
00:25:08,359 --> 00:25:11,080
Speaker 1: so I had punched my ticket by the time we

446
00:25:11,119 --> 00:25:14,080
Speaker 1: got to twenty twenty, and then of course things were

447
00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:16,320
Speaker 1: up in the air a little bit for a few years.

448
00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:18,560
Speaker 1: But yeah, for me, you know, the race did not

449
00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:23,600
Speaker 1: go necessarily to plan. I had a really tough experience

450
00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:27,960
Speaker 1: in the actual race. But I think it also has

451
00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:31,440
Speaker 1: helped me to kind of, as we've talked about, reassess

452
00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:34,600
Speaker 1: my process and change some critical things that I think

453
00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:36,879
Speaker 1: are going to give me the best chance of having

454
00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:39,360
Speaker 1: the results I want in the rest of my career.

455
00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:42,520
Speaker 1: And that's something that you know, is really hard to do,

456
00:25:42,640 --> 00:25:46,280
Speaker 1: especially in these Olympic cycles. But playing that long game,

457
00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:48,840
Speaker 1: not just the two year game or the four year game,

458
00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:51,919
Speaker 1: but the what do I want the trajectory of my

459
00:25:52,119 --> 00:25:55,080
Speaker 1: entire career to be? And I think for me, that

460
00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:58,879
Speaker 1: of course involves hopefully a few more Olympic cycles, but

461
00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:01,040
Speaker 1: also involves a lot of other races along the way,

462
00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:08,160
Speaker 1: and it's really about using that feedback to improve every

463
00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:08,960
Speaker 1: stage of the game.

464
00:26:10,359 --> 00:26:13,120
Speaker 2: I want to talk about mountain biking as a sport

465
00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:19,040
Speaker 2: because it is clearly a completely different let's call it

466
00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:23,359
Speaker 2: beasts than road cycling, and that there is a lot,

467
00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:27,119
Speaker 2: a lot, a lot of technicality involved. How did you

468
00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:31,440
Speaker 2: know that you wanted to lean into mountain biking versus

469
00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:32,440
Speaker 2: road cycling.

470
00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:36,240
Speaker 3: Yeah, I grew.

471
00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:38,800
Speaker 1: Up not really knowing that mountain biking was a sport

472
00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:39,679
Speaker 1: for me.

473
00:26:39,760 --> 00:26:40,240
Speaker 3: At the time.

474
00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:43,040
Speaker 1: I think, you know, cycling was the Tour de France,

475
00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:45,880
Speaker 1: which was not only all road bikes but also all

476
00:26:45,920 --> 00:26:50,879
Speaker 1: men until this past year. So I never really saw

477
00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:55,639
Speaker 1: myself in that sport growing up. But when I found

478
00:26:55,640 --> 00:26:58,640
Speaker 1: mountain biking, I think for me, it was this kind

479
00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:00,440
Speaker 1: of combination of all these things.

480
00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:00,879
Speaker 3: I loved.

481
00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:03,320
Speaker 1: It was kind of a home for my competitive spirit.

482
00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:08,439
Speaker 1: I loved, you know, the mass start, full effort. It's

483
00:27:08,520 --> 00:27:10,400
Speaker 1: kind of similar to a marathon. It's about an hour

484
00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:12,680
Speaker 1: and a half and it's the first person to cross

485
00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:15,959
Speaker 1: that finish line. So I love that competitive aspect of it.

486
00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:19,720
Speaker 1: But I also loved all those other elements. There's kind

487
00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:21,760
Speaker 1: of the mechanical side of things. You have to manage

488
00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:24,479
Speaker 1: a bike. There's the technical side of things. We have

489
00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:28,240
Speaker 1: rock gardens and drops and rocks and single track to

490
00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:29,560
Speaker 1: manage and navigate.

491
00:27:29,560 --> 00:27:30,160
Speaker 3: In the race.

492
00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:34,520
Speaker 1: It's incredibly physical. It's we call it like sprinting marathon.

493
00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:37,919
Speaker 1: It's a super anaerobic sport, but it's also long, so

494
00:27:38,119 --> 00:27:42,159
Speaker 1: it kind of walks that line of needing endurance but

495
00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:44,960
Speaker 1: also needing that sprint power to compete, and at the

496
00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:47,240
Speaker 1: end of the day it's really fun. Like I love

497
00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:50,240
Speaker 1: the training for it. I love going out being in

498
00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:53,400
Speaker 1: the woods, being on the trail and having that kind

499
00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:58,080
Speaker 1: of like solo experience on the mountain bike. But I

500
00:27:58,119 --> 00:28:00,800
Speaker 1: also love the races which have some element of that.

501
00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:03,879
Speaker 1: Of course, it's not quite as introspective out on a

502
00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:06,959
Speaker 1: World Cup circuit with tons of fans and the noise

503
00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:10,600
Speaker 1: and the competition, but I think it still does bring

504
00:28:10,720 --> 00:28:13,800
Speaker 1: out some of those elements of you know, you're out there,

505
00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:16,040
Speaker 1: you're on the bike, it's you and the trail and

506
00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:18,040
Speaker 1: you're just trying to go as fast as you possibly can.

507
00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:22,320
Speaker 2: It's interesting as well, you saying or making note of

508
00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:24,520
Speaker 2: the fact that we didn't see women in the Tour

509
00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:28,639
Speaker 2: de France until last year, and for you growing up

510
00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:31,199
Speaker 2: and then deciding that this is the direction that you

511
00:28:31,240 --> 00:28:34,280
Speaker 2: wanted to go in, it's what how did that feel

512
00:28:34,320 --> 00:28:38,320
Speaker 2: for you to not see a lot of examples of

513
00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:42,360
Speaker 2: strong women doing the thing that you felt so passionate about.

514
00:28:42,760 --> 00:28:46,200
Speaker 1: I think it's been an interesting thing to watch evolve

515
00:28:46,400 --> 00:28:52,160
Speaker 1: over time. Mountain biking actually has been a lot more equal.

516
00:28:52,880 --> 00:28:55,080
Speaker 1: We have we raise on the same courses as the men,

517
00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:58,120
Speaker 1: We've had the same prize money. Since I've been in

518
00:28:58,160 --> 00:29:00,640
Speaker 1: the sport. The kind of generation right ahead of me

519
00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:04,480
Speaker 1: advocated and worked really hard to make sure that we

520
00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:07,280
Speaker 1: had equal prize money. So a lot of these kind

521
00:29:07,320 --> 00:29:10,480
Speaker 1: of like bigger picture structural things are the same in

522
00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:14,040
Speaker 1: mountain biking, which I think probably attracted me to the sport.

523
00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:17,360
Speaker 1: You know, I saw that there was that kind of platform.

524
00:29:17,800 --> 00:29:20,520
Speaker 1: But there still are a lot of ways in which

525
00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:24,120
Speaker 1: that inequality kind of seeps in, whether it's in the attitudes,

526
00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:26,680
Speaker 1: the way that the women are talked about, the time

527
00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:30,000
Speaker 1: that they raise the size of the fields, the salaries,

528
00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:33,400
Speaker 1: like there's all these kind of subtle indicators of you know,

529
00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:36,000
Speaker 1: maybe we're not being valued in the same way, and

530
00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:39,880
Speaker 1: I think in a positive sense. That's what I've started

531
00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:43,160
Speaker 1: to see change throughout my kind of ten years on

532
00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:45,880
Speaker 1: the circuit is that, you know, I do think women

533
00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:50,600
Speaker 1: are being valued and supported in a much more equal way.

534
00:29:51,240 --> 00:29:52,840
Speaker 1: And there is a lot of work still to be

535
00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:56,320
Speaker 1: done in that sense, but it's definitely part of what

536
00:29:56,360 --> 00:29:59,680
Speaker 1: I think makes mountain biking really unique and a super

537
00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:03,520
Speaker 1: excited sport to watch. Like, we have an incredibly competitive

538
00:30:03,520 --> 00:30:06,840
Speaker 1: women's fields, and I think we had over one hundred

539
00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:09,680
Speaker 1: women in the World Cup in multiple races last year,

540
00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:13,640
Speaker 1: which is just huge growth. And I think that's not

541
00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:17,320
Speaker 1: just the result of women being interested and wanting to participate,

542
00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:20,280
Speaker 1: but it's the result of companies being willing to pay

543
00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:23,040
Speaker 1: women to focus on it, and to support women and

544
00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:27,239
Speaker 1: getting to the races and competing, and to value the

545
00:30:27,280 --> 00:30:31,240
Speaker 1: output of that effort, which is really competitive, exciting, dynamic racing.

546
00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:36,600
Speaker 2: When you say the way that women are talked about

547
00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:40,000
Speaker 2: paints an example of what that may look like.

548
00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:45,360
Speaker 1: Yeah, So the example that kind of comes to mind

549
00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:48,280
Speaker 1: is saying like, oh, she's fast for a girl, or

550
00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:51,280
Speaker 1: she's fast for a woman, or they're strong for the

551
00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:55,480
Speaker 1: women's field, you know, those kind of qualifiers, and I

552
00:30:55,480 --> 00:30:58,280
Speaker 1: think that's you know, sometimes that's said in a way

553
00:30:58,320 --> 00:31:01,280
Speaker 1: that's not malicious at all, but I do think there's

554
00:31:01,320 --> 00:31:05,840
Speaker 1: like subtle undercutting of the talent in the women's field

555
00:31:06,080 --> 00:31:09,880
Speaker 1: sometimes when those qualifiers are put on. And I would say,

556
00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:12,840
Speaker 1: you know, about three years ago, we had a national

557
00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:16,480
Speaker 1: championships and it's the first time that I remember this happening,

558
00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:21,800
Speaker 1: but a ton of like young US boys, like young

559
00:31:22,480 --> 00:31:25,959
Speaker 1: male mountain bikers came up and we're like, wow, we

560
00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:27,640
Speaker 1: just saw you do that rock card and like that

561
00:31:27,800 --> 00:31:31,040
Speaker 1: was you're so skilled or you're so fast, you're so strong,

562
00:31:31,080 --> 00:31:33,719
Speaker 1: and I want to be like you. And it totally

563
00:31:33,800 --> 00:31:37,840
Speaker 1: took me by surprise. I think I come to expect or, like,

564
00:31:38,880 --> 00:31:40,760
Speaker 1: you know, it seems more normal for like the young

565
00:31:40,960 --> 00:31:42,920
Speaker 1: female mount bike racers to come up and say, oh,

566
00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:45,560
Speaker 1: I want to be like you. And I think that's

567
00:31:45,600 --> 00:31:48,880
Speaker 1: an example of like where it's changing and where I think,

568
00:31:49,920 --> 00:31:53,560
Speaker 1: you know, they didn't say you're fast for the women's field,

569
00:31:53,800 --> 00:31:56,280
Speaker 1: they said you're a really good mounta biker, and I

570
00:31:56,720 --> 00:31:58,400
Speaker 1: want to be able to do some of the things

571
00:31:58,400 --> 00:32:03,080
Speaker 1: you can do. And it's a small example but I

572
00:32:03,120 --> 00:32:07,600
Speaker 1: think it's representative of bigger changes where young boys are

573
00:32:08,320 --> 00:32:11,640
Speaker 1: taught to potentially look up to women and to respect

574
00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:15,120
Speaker 1: the efforts of anyone who's competing at the top of

575
00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:15,600
Speaker 1: a sport.

576
00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:23,280
Speaker 2: Part of your multi hyphen it undeniable role model. How

577
00:32:23,320 --> 00:32:26,920
Speaker 2: does being a role model make you feel?

578
00:32:27,480 --> 00:32:27,880
Speaker 3: Thank you?

579
00:32:28,080 --> 00:32:30,600
Speaker 1: First of all, I think it's a privilege. I think

580
00:32:31,080 --> 00:32:33,960
Speaker 1: it's something that sometimes makes me feel nervous. It makes

581
00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:37,440
Speaker 1: me want to be a better version of myself, to

582
00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:42,520
Speaker 1: represent the values and ideas that I would want to

583
00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:44,760
Speaker 1: pass along to the next generation and that I would

584
00:32:44,760 --> 00:32:49,040
Speaker 1: want to see in the next generation of mount bikers.

585
00:32:49,080 --> 00:32:49,800
Speaker 3: And I think of.

586
00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:53,240
Speaker 1: It as kind of a responsibility making sure that I'm

587
00:32:53,280 --> 00:32:56,360
Speaker 1: aware that when I'm doing something publicly, when I'm racing,

588
00:32:56,400 --> 00:33:00,880
Speaker 1: when I'm talking about racing, it's something that young women

589
00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:03,400
Speaker 1: or men could be looking at and looking to as

590
00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:06,040
Speaker 1: an example. And I do think that's something that comes

591
00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:07,400
Speaker 1: with a lot of responsibility.

592
00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:11,120
Speaker 2: What do you think one of the qualities that you

593
00:33:11,720 --> 00:33:15,720
Speaker 2: possess makes you to be a role model outside of

594
00:33:15,720 --> 00:33:16,880
Speaker 2: your athletic performance.

595
00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:23,560
Speaker 1: Oh, that's a good question. That's a hard one. You know,

596
00:33:23,560 --> 00:33:26,320
Speaker 1: we're going to come full circle. I think this ability

597
00:33:26,360 --> 00:33:29,160
Speaker 1: to combine the joy and hard work. If I had

598
00:33:29,200 --> 00:33:33,640
Speaker 1: to pick one thing that I wanted to promote, it's

599
00:33:33,840 --> 00:33:38,360
Speaker 1: that combination because I think if I've learned anything in

600
00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:42,240
Speaker 1: my career so far, it's that it is so rare

601
00:33:42,360 --> 00:33:44,800
Speaker 1: that it all comes together. You know, I've had those

602
00:33:44,840 --> 00:33:48,800
Speaker 1: moments and I'm so lucky and grateful, and I've worked

603
00:33:48,840 --> 00:33:51,239
Speaker 1: incredibly hard to make those happen. So it's not like,

604
00:33:51,560 --> 00:33:55,480
Speaker 1: you know, it's plucked from the earth and just given

605
00:33:55,560 --> 00:33:58,680
Speaker 1: this title or given this opportunity. You know, you work

606
00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:01,360
Speaker 1: really hard, but there's a lot of people who work

607
00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:04,280
Speaker 1: really hard and it just doesn't come together. So I

608
00:34:04,320 --> 00:34:09,400
Speaker 1: think knowing that you have to really invest in making

609
00:34:09,440 --> 00:34:13,279
Speaker 1: that process additive to your life. And for me, that's

610
00:34:13,320 --> 00:34:16,359
Speaker 1: that intersection of joy and hard work. It's knowing that

611
00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:19,040
Speaker 1: I get to wake up and do something I love

612
00:34:19,160 --> 00:34:22,400
Speaker 1: to do and that makes me a better person. And

613
00:34:22,440 --> 00:34:25,560
Speaker 1: I think when it tips too far to one side

614
00:34:25,600 --> 00:34:27,319
Speaker 1: or the other, I mean, maybe it's not so bad

615
00:34:27,320 --> 00:34:30,040
Speaker 1: if it tips too far to the joy side, but

616
00:34:30,239 --> 00:34:33,279
Speaker 1: if it tips too far to one side of the other,

617
00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:37,359
Speaker 1: you either, I think, lose your competitive edge or you

618
00:34:37,480 --> 00:34:40,080
Speaker 1: lose the most important thing that kind of soul of

619
00:34:40,120 --> 00:34:43,640
Speaker 1: sport connection where it is additive to your life and

620
00:34:43,680 --> 00:34:47,080
Speaker 1: you're enjoying what you're doing. And for me, in the

621
00:34:47,120 --> 00:34:51,480
Speaker 1: next generation, many are called, few are chosen. Like, there's

622
00:34:51,520 --> 00:34:55,160
Speaker 1: many young athletes who want to be a professional or

623
00:34:55,200 --> 00:34:57,520
Speaker 1: want to make it on the World Cup circuit and

624
00:34:57,560 --> 00:35:00,200
Speaker 1: who may or may not. But if they walk away

625
00:35:00,200 --> 00:35:04,120
Speaker 1: from this sport knowing how to work hard, with respect

626
00:35:04,239 --> 00:35:07,600
Speaker 1: for discipline, with the ability to set big goals and

627
00:35:07,680 --> 00:35:10,959
Speaker 1: chip away at it, and with a love for being

628
00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:14,480
Speaker 1: outside and being on their bikes and moving their bodies like,

629
00:35:14,560 --> 00:35:17,120
Speaker 1: they will be better people. They will be more successful

630
00:35:17,120 --> 00:35:21,160
Speaker 1: at anything they do. And I think that's more important

631
00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:22,040
Speaker 1: than any title.

632
00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:22,360
Speaker 3: Really.

633
00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:28,640
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, when you refer to the building stage that

634
00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:32,319
Speaker 2: you're in right now, what would you say are kind

635
00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:35,279
Speaker 2: of the key components of that for you?

636
00:35:35,640 --> 00:35:36,320
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's definitely.

637
00:35:36,360 --> 00:35:38,319
Speaker 1: We're around new year, so you know, we're getting our

638
00:35:38,480 --> 00:35:41,719
Speaker 1: themes of the year, our mantras, our words dialed in.

639
00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:45,399
Speaker 1: And that's definitely one that I've been thinking about this

640
00:35:45,520 --> 00:35:49,080
Speaker 1: year is just building. And my other my kind of

641
00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:52,080
Speaker 1: mantra of the year so far is just keep going.

642
00:35:52,719 --> 00:35:55,160
Speaker 1: I think there was a period where I had to

643
00:35:55,160 --> 00:35:57,840
Speaker 1: really look really critically at a lot of things and

644
00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:01,520
Speaker 1: think deeply about, Okay, is do I have the right coach,

645
00:36:01,600 --> 00:36:04,480
Speaker 1: Do I have the right structure? Am I in the

646
00:36:04,560 --> 00:36:07,200
Speaker 1: right place? And do I have the right tools to

647
00:36:07,520 --> 00:36:08,000
Speaker 1: do what.

648
00:36:07,920 --> 00:36:08,520
Speaker 3: I want to do?

649
00:36:09,320 --> 00:36:12,359
Speaker 1: And now I think I've done that really hard work

650
00:36:12,360 --> 00:36:15,960
Speaker 1: of kind of putting that foundation back in and you

651
00:36:15,960 --> 00:36:19,120
Speaker 1: know whether or not it works. I trust the path

652
00:36:19,200 --> 00:36:23,239
Speaker 1: that I'm on and I think it's great to be

653
00:36:23,239 --> 00:36:26,120
Speaker 1: able to say that at this stage. And now it's

654
00:36:26,160 --> 00:36:29,600
Speaker 1: about continuing to follow that process and follow that path

655
00:36:29,800 --> 00:36:35,480
Speaker 1: and you know, trust it and that's in some ways

656
00:36:35,520 --> 00:36:36,200
Speaker 1: the hardest part.

657
00:36:37,800 --> 00:36:41,879
Speaker 2: So I know that many individuals that like to run,

658
00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:44,080
Speaker 2: because I like to run, they listen to this show.

659
00:36:44,280 --> 00:36:47,080
Speaker 2: And when you're training for something specific and running, you

660
00:36:47,120 --> 00:36:49,320
Speaker 2: have a training plan. Is it that your coach puts

661
00:36:49,320 --> 00:36:52,719
Speaker 2: together a specific training plan that you are following regularly,

662
00:36:52,800 --> 00:36:57,880
Speaker 2: whether you have a race in the more immediate future

663
00:36:58,160 --> 00:37:00,760
Speaker 2: versus the distant future. How does that work? Yeah?

664
00:37:00,800 --> 00:37:04,080
Speaker 1: So I have it's a big infrastructure, but I have

665
00:37:04,239 --> 00:37:07,680
Speaker 1: a coach who writes pretty much my on bike training.

666
00:37:08,360 --> 00:37:10,319
Speaker 1: I have a strength coach who writes all my in

667
00:37:10,360 --> 00:37:13,560
Speaker 1: the gym training and I I'll be in the gym

668
00:37:13,600 --> 00:37:15,440
Speaker 1: two to three days a week and a lot of

669
00:37:15,440 --> 00:37:19,120
Speaker 1: it in person. My strength coach is also my physical therapist,

670
00:37:19,800 --> 00:37:23,080
Speaker 1: and then I have a nutritionist that I work with.

671
00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:24,160
Speaker 3: So in any.

672
00:37:24,080 --> 00:37:28,040
Speaker 1: Given day, I think there's a lot more to the

673
00:37:28,080 --> 00:37:31,799
Speaker 1: training than one might think. It really is a full

674
00:37:31,800 --> 00:37:34,880
Speaker 1: time job. It's at least a nine to five in

675
00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:40,080
Speaker 1: terms of getting mobility, recovery, getting your training done, not

676
00:37:40,200 --> 00:37:42,160
Speaker 1: just getting through it, but getting it done in a

677
00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:45,920
Speaker 1: really high quality manner, and having the support around that

678
00:37:46,040 --> 00:37:48,600
Speaker 1: training that you need to make it the best you

679
00:37:48,600 --> 00:37:52,319
Speaker 1: can possibly be on that day, and then having the

680
00:37:52,360 --> 00:37:54,040
Speaker 1: systems in place to be able to do it again

681
00:37:54,080 --> 00:37:57,200
Speaker 1: the next day. So I have, yeah, a pretty robust

682
00:37:57,239 --> 00:38:02,359
Speaker 1: training calendar, and then we worked onne to you know,

683
00:38:02,480 --> 00:38:06,560
Speaker 1: integrate feedback how I'm feeling, how things are going, and

684
00:38:06,640 --> 00:38:08,000
Speaker 1: try to push the edge where we can.

685
00:38:09,440 --> 00:38:11,440
Speaker 2: How would you say that things are going now?

686
00:38:13,080 --> 00:38:15,480
Speaker 1: He's going, well, I think, yeah, it's a little it's

687
00:38:15,520 --> 00:38:21,560
Speaker 1: too simple. I think, Okay, it's early in the season,

688
00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:25,480
Speaker 1: so this time of year, just being healthy, being on

689
00:38:25,600 --> 00:38:29,919
Speaker 1: track in terms of hitting kind of my objectives, that's

690
00:38:29,960 --> 00:38:33,279
Speaker 1: all you can really ask for. And I do think

691
00:38:33,320 --> 00:38:35,920
Speaker 1: that's helpful, and this is something that I would recommend

692
00:38:35,920 --> 00:38:39,319
Speaker 1: to everyone, is if you're training for something, if you're

693
00:38:39,520 --> 00:38:43,400
Speaker 1: looking towards a big goal on the horizon, having KPIs,

694
00:38:43,480 --> 00:38:46,399
Speaker 1: as we call them, key performance indicators along the way

695
00:38:47,120 --> 00:38:50,160
Speaker 1: is critical. And this is something that at times I

696
00:38:50,200 --> 00:38:52,560
Speaker 1: haven't had in my career where I've just tried to

697
00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:56,839
Speaker 1: get better and better every week every year, which is,

698
00:38:57,400 --> 00:38:59,960
Speaker 1: you know, a good starting point, but at a certain

699
00:39:00,120 --> 00:39:04,120
Speaker 1: point you can't just add training load every year. You're

700
00:39:04,160 --> 00:39:07,040
Speaker 1: going to get to a point where you can take

701
00:39:07,080 --> 00:39:10,359
Speaker 1: on as much training as you need to, and there's

702
00:39:10,520 --> 00:39:13,959
Speaker 1: a law of diminishing returns. So for me, having these

703
00:39:14,080 --> 00:39:16,839
Speaker 1: indicators of Okay, when I'm at my best, I've hit

704
00:39:16,920 --> 00:39:20,319
Speaker 1: this benchmark in January, or I am able to like

705
00:39:20,360 --> 00:39:22,880
Speaker 1: put up this power number for this many minutes, or

706
00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:26,600
Speaker 1: I'm performing this way in the gym. Having those KPIs,

707
00:39:27,560 --> 00:39:30,120
Speaker 1: I think not only makes the process more fun. It's

708
00:39:30,239 --> 00:39:32,920
Speaker 1: really fun to like hit those little objectives, but it

709
00:39:33,040 --> 00:39:36,720
Speaker 1: also gives you this like small immediate thing to focus

710
00:39:36,760 --> 00:39:39,719
Speaker 1: on as you're breaking down this big goal. So when

711
00:39:39,760 --> 00:39:42,040
Speaker 1: you ask, like where am I in my training, It's like, well,

712
00:39:42,200 --> 00:39:44,759
Speaker 1: I'm hitting my KPIs. So I'm like on track where

713
00:39:44,760 --> 00:39:47,520
Speaker 1: I am, but there's still a long way to go

714
00:39:47,600 --> 00:39:50,240
Speaker 1: to being where I want to be in the World Cup.

715
00:39:50,120 --> 00:39:58,719
Speaker 2: Season Ah the mid Roll ad Reed taking a break

716
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731
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743
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746
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747
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748
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749
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764
00:43:10,360 --> 00:43:21,400
Speaker 2: get back to it for the person who isn't hitting

765
00:43:21,640 --> 00:43:27,279
Speaker 2: the KPIs and feels discouraged, what advice do you have

766
00:43:27,360 --> 00:43:30,400
Speaker 2: to offer about the practice of grace.

767
00:43:32,719 --> 00:43:35,839
Speaker 1: Grace is a big part of it, and that's something

768
00:43:35,840 --> 00:43:39,160
Speaker 1: that I work on a lot, so I have compassion

769
00:43:39,280 --> 00:43:44,520
Speaker 1: for anyone struggling with that. But I think some of

770
00:43:44,560 --> 00:43:47,400
Speaker 1: it is being able to kind of switch in and

771
00:43:47,440 --> 00:43:50,160
Speaker 1: out of this objective mode. So when you're just looking

772
00:43:50,200 --> 00:43:53,360
Speaker 1: at training, you're looking at numbers, you're looking at this output.

773
00:43:53,680 --> 00:43:55,880
Speaker 1: There's like this objective piece where you're like, is it

774
00:43:55,920 --> 00:43:56,520
Speaker 1: good or bad?

775
00:43:56,680 --> 00:43:57,719
Speaker 3: Is it going well or not?

776
00:43:58,600 --> 00:44:01,600
Speaker 1: And it's it's important to be able to take that

777
00:44:02,120 --> 00:44:06,120
Speaker 1: perspective and like objectively analyze how things are going. But

778
00:44:06,239 --> 00:44:09,480
Speaker 1: I think there's also this piece that's very subjective. How

779
00:44:09,520 --> 00:44:13,319
Speaker 1: you feel, like what's happening in your life, how kind

780
00:44:13,320 --> 00:44:17,080
Speaker 1: of the environment around you is impacting your performance in

781
00:44:17,160 --> 00:44:21,279
Speaker 1: any given moment or week or year, and those things

782
00:44:21,280 --> 00:44:24,239
Speaker 1: we can't always control and we can't always predict how

783
00:44:24,280 --> 00:44:28,319
Speaker 1: they will impact our performance. I think a lot of

784
00:44:28,360 --> 00:44:31,440
Speaker 1: times the athlete who gets injured mid season will like

785
00:44:31,560 --> 00:44:34,840
Speaker 1: win worlds, and everyone says when they get injured, oh bummer,

786
00:44:34,880 --> 00:44:38,319
Speaker 1: their season's over. But somehow the rest like allows them

787
00:44:38,360 --> 00:44:42,040
Speaker 1: to reach a new level that we never knew they could.

788
00:44:42,920 --> 00:44:46,239
Speaker 1: So I think it's important to be able to yes,

789
00:44:46,440 --> 00:44:50,239
Speaker 1: like keep that in mind, keep track of the objective output,

790
00:44:50,480 --> 00:44:53,400
Speaker 1: and make sure that you know if something really isn't working, like,

791
00:44:53,440 --> 00:44:55,880
Speaker 1: you can also make changes. It's never too late to

792
00:44:55,960 --> 00:44:59,440
Speaker 1: like adjust something to respond to the feedback you're getting

793
00:44:59,480 --> 00:45:01,919
Speaker 1: to say, my body doesn't feel right, Like I need

794
00:45:01,960 --> 00:45:05,239
Speaker 1: to see a new coach work with a nutritionist, get

795
00:45:05,239 --> 00:45:07,360
Speaker 1: some testing done like that. That's part of it to

796
00:45:07,440 --> 00:45:10,959
Speaker 1: that objective piece. But I think this other side of

797
00:45:11,440 --> 00:45:15,759
Speaker 1: having grace and accepting Okay, well this isn't going great

798
00:45:15,840 --> 00:45:18,680
Speaker 1: right now, but the tides can always turn.

799
00:45:19,239 --> 00:45:22,320
Speaker 2: Please, You're not the only person who is like constantly

800
00:45:22,360 --> 00:45:25,120
Speaker 2: a work in progress. When it comes to grace, it

801
00:45:25,120 --> 00:45:28,560
Speaker 2: can be hard, right because we don't work hard to

802
00:45:28,600 --> 00:45:32,200
Speaker 2: not get the thing that we are working toward. You know,

803
00:45:32,280 --> 00:45:36,800
Speaker 2: that is never the hope. But that grace and having

804
00:45:37,320 --> 00:45:41,120
Speaker 2: that exhale moment is the thing that empowers you to

805
00:45:41,320 --> 00:45:45,359
Speaker 2: keep showing up when those hurdles kind of come up.

806
00:45:45,440 --> 00:45:51,759
Speaker 2: Right for you now, as you gear up for another Olympics,

807
00:45:52,040 --> 00:45:54,840
Speaker 2: what would you say that you're most excited about right

808
00:45:54,960 --> 00:45:56,320
Speaker 2: now in your training?

809
00:45:57,120 --> 00:45:57,920
Speaker 3: I love that question.

810
00:45:58,960 --> 00:46:02,560
Speaker 1: I think people don't ask enough about that. The training

811
00:46:02,640 --> 00:46:05,319
Speaker 1: is ninety percent of what I do right It's so

812
00:46:05,480 --> 00:46:09,719
Speaker 1: much more time spent than the racing. I think for

813
00:46:09,800 --> 00:46:14,759
Speaker 1: me right now, it's really exciting to see that my

814
00:46:14,960 --> 00:46:17,040
Speaker 1: body is just taking on training load.

815
00:46:17,280 --> 00:46:17,759
Speaker 3: I think it.

816
00:46:18,200 --> 00:46:22,319
Speaker 1: Legitimately took probably six to eight months to dig out

817
00:46:22,360 --> 00:46:26,680
Speaker 1: of that hole after just not like kind of overtraining

818
00:46:26,760 --> 00:46:29,920
Speaker 1: getting to that low point I think for a long

819
00:46:30,040 --> 00:46:33,799
Speaker 1: time it just we had to be really conservative. And

820
00:46:33,880 --> 00:46:37,040
Speaker 1: the way I described it was, you know, the twenty

821
00:46:37,080 --> 00:46:39,080
Speaker 1: twenty one season, I was on a treadmill and it

822
00:46:39,160 --> 00:46:42,120
Speaker 1: was like one speed too high, right, You're just like

823
00:46:42,480 --> 00:46:45,920
Speaker 1: you're barely barely hanging on, and then eventually you like

824
00:46:46,040 --> 00:46:49,759
Speaker 1: truly cannot do it anymore. Last year it was like

825
00:46:49,800 --> 00:46:53,080
Speaker 1: we kept the treadmill like within my limits. Right.

826
00:46:53,160 --> 00:46:54,560
Speaker 3: It was never too high.

827
00:46:54,840 --> 00:46:56,880
Speaker 1: It was always if it like got a little challenging,

828
00:46:56,880 --> 00:46:58,760
Speaker 1: we'd like turn it down a little bit and stay

829
00:46:58,800 --> 00:47:02,359
Speaker 1: within that range of Okay, you know, I can handle this.

830
00:47:03,480 --> 00:47:06,080
Speaker 1: But when I'm at my best, and what excites me

831
00:47:06,280 --> 00:47:08,600
Speaker 1: in racing is when I'm on the treadmill and I'm like,

832
00:47:09,560 --> 00:47:11,200
Speaker 1: we interned this baby up, like we.

833
00:47:12,719 --> 00:47:13,680
Speaker 3: Turn it out, you know.

834
00:47:14,000 --> 00:47:17,600
Speaker 1: And I think I've finally gotten to that places fall where,

835
00:47:18,400 --> 00:47:20,319
Speaker 1: you know, when when my coaches have to hold me

836
00:47:20,400 --> 00:47:23,279
Speaker 1: back a little bit, that's when it gets fun and

837
00:47:23,320 --> 00:47:27,520
Speaker 1: where you start to think, you know, be positively surprised

838
00:47:27,520 --> 00:47:30,600
Speaker 1: by a workout. I think, you know, Alexi Papas has

839
00:47:30,640 --> 00:47:32,520
Speaker 1: the rule of thirds, like a third of the days

840
00:47:32,560 --> 00:47:34,160
Speaker 1: are bad, a third or kind of medium.

841
00:47:34,200 --> 00:47:35,799
Speaker 3: Our third are like.

842
00:47:36,080 --> 00:47:40,920
Speaker 1: Really amazing, and without that third of like you know,

843
00:47:40,960 --> 00:47:42,960
Speaker 1: for me, I call it the power meter broken days

844
00:47:42,960 --> 00:47:45,360
Speaker 1: where I'm like, man, we need to recalibrate this.

845
00:47:45,400 --> 00:47:46,319
Speaker 3: I don't know if it's right.

846
00:47:47,040 --> 00:47:50,000
Speaker 1: Like sometimes that happens and it's too low and you're like,

847
00:47:50,280 --> 00:47:52,480
Speaker 1: I'm having a really bad day. Maybe my power meter

848
00:47:52,560 --> 00:47:55,440
Speaker 1: is wrong. But occasionally that will happen when you're like,

849
00:47:55,760 --> 00:47:59,279
Speaker 1: it's impossible, I couldn't be this strong. Uh, And then

850
00:47:59,320 --> 00:48:01,600
Speaker 1: you check and it's right and you're like, wow, I

851
00:48:01,640 --> 00:48:05,440
Speaker 1: didn't think that that was going to happen today. And

852
00:48:05,480 --> 00:48:07,600
Speaker 1: without the kind of I don't think it's a third,

853
00:48:07,680 --> 00:48:11,879
Speaker 1: but without those days, occasionally it's just not as fun.

854
00:48:12,680 --> 00:48:14,880
Speaker 1: And so for me, I guess that's my biggest excitement

855
00:48:14,960 --> 00:48:18,719
Speaker 1: is that there's like some surprise days right now.

856
00:48:20,080 --> 00:48:22,640
Speaker 2: That it almost feels like a third of the time.

857
00:48:22,760 --> 00:48:25,400
Speaker 2: I love that. And you know, earlier you used the

858
00:48:25,440 --> 00:48:29,360
Speaker 2: word robust, and I would be remiss if I didn't

859
00:48:29,400 --> 00:48:33,920
Speaker 2: say that you also have a robust social media following

860
00:48:33,960 --> 00:48:37,160
Speaker 2: of something like almost five hundred and fifty thousand people.

861
00:48:37,719 --> 00:48:42,560
Speaker 2: When did that like start to tick up for you? Yeah?

862
00:48:42,600 --> 00:48:45,480
Speaker 3: For me, I think it was really like results driven.

863
00:48:45,520 --> 00:48:49,040
Speaker 1: Initially, I think it really had to do with, you know,

864
00:48:49,320 --> 00:48:52,279
Speaker 1: getting big race results and just having my name like

865
00:48:52,520 --> 00:48:54,200
Speaker 1: be out there, like you win a World Cup, it's

866
00:48:54,239 --> 00:48:58,200
Speaker 1: on TV, a bunch of people follow you, and it's

867
00:48:58,200 --> 00:49:00,719
Speaker 1: something I've struggled with, like how much to put into that.

868
00:49:01,239 --> 00:49:04,480
Speaker 1: There's been times where it's really positive and encouraging, and

869
00:49:04,560 --> 00:49:08,200
Speaker 1: also times of course, like I think for any athlete

870
00:49:08,200 --> 00:49:11,279
Speaker 1: who's been to the top and then maybe had some failures,

871
00:49:11,320 --> 00:49:15,040
Speaker 1: like people love to people love the downfall of a champion,

872
00:49:15,160 --> 00:49:18,960
Speaker 1: like that is a great you know, fuel for trolls

873
00:49:19,000 --> 00:49:24,360
Speaker 1: on Instagram. But I also think there's this like really

874
00:49:24,600 --> 00:49:28,239
Speaker 1: robust support for people that are working hard and just

875
00:49:28,280 --> 00:49:31,040
Speaker 1: like involved in the process. And so it's this double

876
00:49:31,160 --> 00:49:33,799
Speaker 1: edged sword where it can be really positive for me,

877
00:49:34,719 --> 00:49:36,760
Speaker 1: And I think it can be really positive in terms

878
00:49:36,880 --> 00:49:39,880
Speaker 1: of being a role model and showing what it takes

879
00:49:39,920 --> 00:49:42,719
Speaker 1: to try to achieve at this level and what it

880
00:49:42,760 --> 00:49:44,600
Speaker 1: looks like, at least for me to try to do

881
00:49:44,680 --> 00:49:49,880
Speaker 1: so in a healthy, balanced, thoughtful way. But it also

882
00:49:50,000 --> 00:49:53,200
Speaker 1: has certainly its drawbacks and its challenges. So it's something

883
00:49:53,239 --> 00:49:55,160
Speaker 1: that I've kind of gone back and forth on in

884
00:49:55,200 --> 00:49:56,120
Speaker 1: the last few years.

885
00:49:57,360 --> 00:50:01,120
Speaker 2: How did you navigate those low lows of twenty one

886
00:50:01,600 --> 00:50:04,440
Speaker 2: with feeling like you were kind of on display.

887
00:50:04,600 --> 00:50:11,359
Speaker 1: Then it was interesting because I think honestly, as I

888
00:50:11,400 --> 00:50:14,600
Speaker 1: was struggling and shared quite a bit of that as

889
00:50:14,600 --> 00:50:20,480
Speaker 1: it was happening, people were really supportive more so than critical.

890
00:50:20,640 --> 00:50:22,600
Speaker 1: And I think there are a lot of people who

891
00:50:24,320 --> 00:50:28,600
Speaker 1: appreciated seeing, you know, a role model or someone that

892
00:50:28,640 --> 00:50:30,960
Speaker 1: they want to be a role model for their kids

893
00:50:31,040 --> 00:50:34,320
Speaker 1: showing what it looks like to kind of stumble and struggle.

894
00:50:34,840 --> 00:50:37,240
Speaker 1: But I also think there's kind of this like self

895
00:50:37,280 --> 00:50:40,279
Speaker 1: protective side where sometimes you really do need to just

896
00:50:40,400 --> 00:50:43,279
Speaker 1: like be surrounded by the people that love you and

897
00:50:43,440 --> 00:50:46,600
Speaker 1: know you and not have a lot of external inputs

898
00:50:46,760 --> 00:50:50,279
Speaker 1: because even if the good far outweighs the bad, like

899
00:50:50,360 --> 00:50:54,719
Speaker 1: there are always questions and people with more negative opinions

900
00:50:54,800 --> 00:50:58,839
Speaker 1: or critical opinions, especially as a professional athlete, like I'm

901
00:50:58,840 --> 00:51:01,600
Speaker 1: in a sport, I get paid to do something that

902
00:51:01,840 --> 00:51:04,960
Speaker 1: people love to do, and well, you know, if you

903
00:51:05,200 --> 00:51:07,280
Speaker 1: really spend a lot of time with a professional athlete,

904
00:51:07,320 --> 00:51:09,600
Speaker 1: a lot of people want to do what I do

905
00:51:10,520 --> 00:51:13,640
Speaker 1: two to three days of the week. But it's really

906
00:51:14,160 --> 00:51:18,439
Speaker 1: it's a challenging job in other circumstances, But I think

907
00:51:18,480 --> 00:51:22,839
Speaker 1: it is important to be able to insulate yourself from

908
00:51:22,840 --> 00:51:26,280
Speaker 1: that when necessary, And for me that was like taking

909
00:51:26,280 --> 00:51:31,600
Speaker 1: a break and healing and really soliciting opinions from people

910
00:51:31,680 --> 00:51:34,880
Speaker 1: that I love and who love me and who I

911
00:51:34,920 --> 00:51:38,360
Speaker 1: could trust to not just give me super positive feedback,

912
00:51:38,400 --> 00:51:41,440
Speaker 1: but to give me appropriate feedback.

913
00:51:42,800 --> 00:51:47,920
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, that's such an important takeaway for sure. On

914
00:51:47,960 --> 00:51:50,960
Speaker 2: that note, someone goes to your Instagram and they see

915
00:51:51,200 --> 00:51:55,600
Speaker 2: the labels you throw up, top World Champ, Olympian Racer

916
00:51:55,800 --> 00:51:59,200
Speaker 2: of bikes. When you look in the mirror, Kate, what

917
00:51:59,320 --> 00:52:01,719
Speaker 2: is it that you see looking back at you?

918
00:52:02,520 --> 00:52:06,560
Speaker 1: None of those titles have changed who I am as

919
00:52:06,600 --> 00:52:10,160
Speaker 1: a person. They've been really fun, like I think in particular,

920
00:52:10,280 --> 00:52:14,479
Speaker 1: like winning world championships or you know, winning a World

921
00:52:14,520 --> 00:52:16,960
Speaker 1: Cup in front of my family, like things like that.

922
00:52:17,000 --> 00:52:21,400
Speaker 1: They're just they're unbelievable life experiences, Like they're such highs.

923
00:52:22,080 --> 00:52:27,319
Speaker 1: But I think for me, I just see someone who's

924
00:52:27,360 --> 00:52:32,400
Speaker 1: willing to try, and that is what I want to protect.

925
00:52:32,840 --> 00:52:36,319
Speaker 1: I want to protect that like fierce willingness, just to

926
00:52:36,400 --> 00:52:40,120
Speaker 1: like give it all I've got, try something new, push

927
00:52:40,160 --> 00:52:44,200
Speaker 1: myself in training, see what happens. It's something that's like

928
00:52:44,320 --> 00:52:46,480
Speaker 1: deeply a part of who I am, and that I

929
00:52:46,520 --> 00:52:50,880
Speaker 1: think shows up in bike racing, but that I also

930
00:52:51,120 --> 00:52:54,560
Speaker 1: know will show up in anything I do, and that

931
00:52:54,719 --> 00:52:58,600
Speaker 1: I get to take with me and to apply to

932
00:52:59,280 --> 00:53:01,799
Speaker 1: what I'm passionate about and what I'm curious about and

933
00:53:01,800 --> 00:53:06,160
Speaker 1: what I care about and what makes my life interesting

934
00:53:06,200 --> 00:53:08,800
Speaker 1: and fun not just for me but for the people

935
00:53:08,840 --> 00:53:09,640
Speaker 1: that I share it with.

936
00:53:11,280 --> 00:53:13,759
Speaker 2: What was it like to win a world championship?

937
00:53:15,400 --> 00:53:16,200
Speaker 3: It was pretty awesome.

938
00:53:17,680 --> 00:53:21,760
Speaker 1: No, you only get one of those moments if you're lucky.

939
00:53:22,200 --> 00:53:26,000
Speaker 1: And I went into that race, you know, trying to

940
00:53:26,040 --> 00:53:28,120
Speaker 1: be on the podium. That was certainly my goal, but

941
00:53:28,800 --> 00:53:33,399
Speaker 1: with no expectation of winning. And when I think about it,

942
00:53:33,440 --> 00:53:37,719
Speaker 1: I think, you know, there was the moment that I

943
00:53:38,360 --> 00:53:41,879
Speaker 1: in the race, took the lead and thought, Okay, if

944
00:53:41,920 --> 00:53:44,960
Speaker 1: I want this, I have to perform like I deserve it,

945
00:53:45,840 --> 00:53:49,640
Speaker 1: and kind of got this confidence in my ability to

946
00:53:49,719 --> 00:53:53,440
Speaker 1: deliver under pressure that I think will be with me forever.

947
00:53:53,640 --> 00:53:58,400
Speaker 1: Like to be in that moment with yourself and say, okay,

948
00:53:59,120 --> 00:54:01,640
Speaker 1: I'm here, like what do I have? And to be

949
00:54:01,719 --> 00:54:05,879
Speaker 1: able to give your best is I think a really

950
00:54:05,960 --> 00:54:10,560
Speaker 1: important experience. But the main thing I think of is

951
00:54:10,680 --> 00:54:12,719
Speaker 1: my parents standing at the finish line. There's like a

952
00:54:12,800 --> 00:54:17,160
Speaker 1: video of all of us crying and and just to

953
00:54:17,280 --> 00:54:21,600
Speaker 1: be able to share that with them, and to know

954
00:54:22,040 --> 00:54:25,960
Speaker 1: how much so many people put into the process of

955
00:54:26,000 --> 00:54:28,160
Speaker 1: getting me there, and to be able to like be

956
00:54:28,320 --> 00:54:31,480
Speaker 1: the vessel of all this work and all this passion

957
00:54:31,920 --> 00:54:34,160
Speaker 1: and all this commitment and to be able to pull

958
00:54:34,200 --> 00:54:36,600
Speaker 1: it off, Like it was just one of the most

959
00:54:36,640 --> 00:54:40,040
Speaker 1: exciting and emotional moments of my life. And I know,

960
00:54:40,760 --> 00:54:44,040
Speaker 1: you know, there's there's little moments like that in training

961
00:54:44,080 --> 00:54:47,280
Speaker 1: all the time. There's tiny little breakthroughs, there's tiny moments

962
00:54:47,320 --> 00:54:50,280
Speaker 1: of where you get to travel to race with your family.

963
00:54:50,360 --> 00:54:52,520
Speaker 1: Like there's a little hints of it. But I think

964
00:54:52,560 --> 00:54:55,239
Speaker 1: there's also this kind of like acknowledgment and respect that

965
00:54:55,320 --> 00:54:58,239
Speaker 1: those huge ones are. You know, a few times in

966
00:54:58,239 --> 00:54:59,240
Speaker 1: a lifetime.

967
00:54:59,680 --> 00:55:01,520
Speaker 2: What do you say your ultimate goal is?

968
00:55:04,600 --> 00:55:07,000
Speaker 3: You know, I'm tempted to like give a results goal.

969
00:55:07,080 --> 00:55:10,319
Speaker 1: There's of course like ones on the table, right, that's

970
00:55:10,360 --> 00:55:11,839
Speaker 1: the first thing you're like, oh, I want to do

971
00:55:11,880 --> 00:55:15,200
Speaker 1: that thing, But when you go beneath it, I think

972
00:55:16,360 --> 00:55:18,120
Speaker 1: I really thought a lot about this idea of like

973
00:55:18,320 --> 00:55:22,720
Speaker 1: infinite verse, finite games and like a world Championships and Olympics.

974
00:55:23,120 --> 00:55:25,680
Speaker 1: Any bike race is this finite game. It's like there's

975
00:55:25,680 --> 00:55:27,719
Speaker 1: a start line, there's a finish line. You show up,

976
00:55:28,040 --> 00:55:31,600
Speaker 1: it starts, it's over, there's a clear result. But the

977
00:55:31,680 --> 00:55:35,160
Speaker 1: infinite game of for me, like trying to be the

978
00:55:35,200 --> 00:55:38,759
Speaker 1: best mountain biker that I can possibly be. That's a

979
00:55:38,880 --> 00:55:43,160
Speaker 1: long term process, and it's one that has no clear

980
00:55:43,200 --> 00:55:48,120
Speaker 1: start or end, and that has no real clear input

981
00:55:48,200 --> 00:55:52,120
Speaker 1: or output. But that is a really long term process,

982
00:55:52,160 --> 00:55:54,600
Speaker 1: and that all those finite games play into. Like I

983
00:55:54,640 --> 00:55:58,960
Speaker 1: think every finite game is an opportunity to gain skills

984
00:55:59,040 --> 00:56:04,480
Speaker 1: and gain master that feeds into that bigger goal. And

985
00:56:04,520 --> 00:56:07,319
Speaker 1: then of course mountain biking is probably a finite game,

986
00:56:07,360 --> 00:56:10,680
Speaker 1: and like your overall desire to evolve and achieve as

987
00:56:10,719 --> 00:56:13,719
Speaker 1: a person, So we can get very deep with that,

988
00:56:13,880 --> 00:56:16,759
Speaker 1: but I would say, yeah, for me right now, it's

989
00:56:16,880 --> 00:56:21,080
Speaker 1: just to see it through and to see how far

990
00:56:21,160 --> 00:56:22,799
Speaker 1: and how fast and how long I can go.

991
00:56:24,640 --> 00:56:27,719
Speaker 2: You got married at the end of last year. Congratulations,

992
00:56:28,040 --> 00:56:32,200
Speaker 2: Thank you. How does married life feel.

993
00:56:32,719 --> 00:56:37,319
Speaker 3: Oh it's a blast. Yeah, it's been. It's so fun.

994
00:56:37,360 --> 00:56:39,960
Speaker 1: We're we're up here in Tahoe together skiing a bunch

995
00:56:40,040 --> 00:56:42,560
Speaker 1: and hopefully we'll go home and ride our bikes if

996
00:56:42,560 --> 00:56:44,160
Speaker 1: it's not too rainy.

997
00:56:44,320 --> 00:56:44,640
Speaker 2: Yeah.

998
00:56:44,719 --> 00:56:48,560
Speaker 1: I think for me it's really it's a privilege to

999
00:56:48,680 --> 00:56:51,799
Speaker 1: have that kind of partnership in my life. And I

1000
00:56:51,840 --> 00:56:55,400
Speaker 1: feel really grateful that, you know, we met when I

1001
00:56:55,440 --> 00:56:58,760
Speaker 1: was a freshman on the Mountain Bike team. So will

1002
00:56:59,000 --> 00:57:01,840
Speaker 1: my husband and someone that's really been a part of

1003
00:57:01,880 --> 00:57:04,600
Speaker 1: my life for a very long time and has supported

1004
00:57:04,600 --> 00:57:07,520
Speaker 1: me and achieving these dreams and pushing me. But that

1005
00:57:07,719 --> 00:57:11,600
Speaker 1: also I know loves and cares about me for who

1006
00:57:11,640 --> 00:57:14,120
Speaker 1: I am as a person, and I think that's a

1007
00:57:14,160 --> 00:57:17,440
Speaker 1: real gift as an athlete to have that presence in

1008
00:57:17,480 --> 00:57:20,640
Speaker 1: your life and to have that person to share that with.

1009
00:57:21,200 --> 00:57:23,480
Speaker 2: I'm curious, how do you show up for yourself on

1010
00:57:23,520 --> 00:57:27,040
Speaker 2: the days where it just feels like you cannot show

1011
00:57:27,160 --> 00:57:28,320
Speaker 2: up at all.

1012
00:57:28,920 --> 00:57:31,440
Speaker 1: There are certainly those days for me. I'm sure you

1013
00:57:31,520 --> 00:57:34,640
Speaker 1: have them running, especially it's wintertime right now, so we

1014
00:57:34,720 --> 00:57:38,000
Speaker 1: can all think about that a little bit. But for me,

1015
00:57:38,200 --> 00:57:40,640
Speaker 1: I think it comes down to structure. It's kind of

1016
00:57:40,680 --> 00:57:43,400
Speaker 1: like setting New Year's resolutions, where when you're like thinking

1017
00:57:43,400 --> 00:57:45,880
Speaker 1: about it, it's like really exciting and you're super motivated.

1018
00:57:45,960 --> 00:57:48,600
Speaker 1: You want to do it all right away, but anything

1019
00:57:48,720 --> 00:57:51,320
Speaker 1: great that you really want to do takes long term

1020
00:57:51,360 --> 00:57:54,760
Speaker 1: commitment and discipline over such a period of time that

1021
00:57:55,400 --> 00:57:57,560
Speaker 1: you will definitely have days you don't want to do it,

1022
00:57:57,640 --> 00:58:00,640
Speaker 1: Like there will definitely be days that you you don't

1023
00:58:00,640 --> 00:58:02,320
Speaker 1: want to get on in your bike or you don't

1024
00:58:02,360 --> 00:58:06,640
Speaker 1: want to run. And for me, that's about having training partners.

1025
00:58:06,680 --> 00:58:10,360
Speaker 1: It's about having that like nine o'clock appointment at the

1026
00:58:10,440 --> 00:58:13,000
Speaker 1: gym Monday and Friday, where like I have to be

1027
00:58:13,120 --> 00:58:17,200
Speaker 1: there and there's a person keeping me accountable. And when

1028
00:58:17,280 --> 00:58:19,440
Speaker 1: you don't have that person, like you need to be

1029
00:58:19,480 --> 00:58:22,920
Speaker 1: that person for yourself and have the structure, have the schedule,

1030
00:58:23,280 --> 00:58:26,960
Speaker 1: have the commitment so that you take out the choice

1031
00:58:27,080 --> 00:58:29,600
Speaker 1: every single day. You're not waking up and saying will

1032
00:58:29,640 --> 00:58:32,960
Speaker 1: I do this or not? It's how am I going

1033
00:58:33,040 --> 00:58:36,000
Speaker 1: to do this? And it's it's a structure that you've

1034
00:58:36,000 --> 00:58:37,160
Speaker 1: committed to ahead of time.

1035
00:58:37,560 --> 00:58:41,000
Speaker 2: This also goes back to your super important point from

1036
00:58:41,200 --> 00:58:44,320
Speaker 2: before when you were talking about the value of your

1037
00:58:44,360 --> 00:58:47,440
Speaker 2: why right, because knowing your why is going to be

1038
00:58:47,440 --> 00:58:49,760
Speaker 2: the thing that, like when your bed is super warm

1039
00:58:50,240 --> 00:58:53,479
Speaker 2: and you know that you had every intention to work

1040
00:58:53,480 --> 00:58:56,640
Speaker 2: out in forty five minutes from the moment you woke up,

1041
00:58:57,160 --> 00:58:59,640
Speaker 2: that you get up out of bed. That's going to

1042
00:58:59,680 --> 00:59:03,240
Speaker 2: be the reason that when it is a little gloomy outside,

1043
00:59:03,320 --> 00:59:06,040
Speaker 2: but it's totally fine to go out there and lace up,

1044
00:59:06,400 --> 00:59:09,280
Speaker 2: that you're gonna get your shoes out of a closet

1045
00:59:09,400 --> 00:59:11,640
Speaker 2: and go after it. Right That why is the thing

1046
00:59:11,640 --> 00:59:13,120
Speaker 2: that changes everything.

1047
00:59:14,320 --> 00:59:17,720
Speaker 1: Completely, and it's it's hard to find sometimes, and that's

1048
00:59:17,720 --> 00:59:20,360
Speaker 1: something you know, to bring it full circle to earlier

1049
00:59:20,400 --> 00:59:26,160
Speaker 1: in our conversation, I think sometimes contemplating quitting is the

1050
00:59:26,200 --> 00:59:28,800
Speaker 1: best way to actually find that why. Like I was

1051
00:59:28,800 --> 00:59:30,920
Speaker 1: taught from a young age, you never quit. You always

1052
00:59:30,920 --> 00:59:33,200
Speaker 1: finish what you start, and you just you push through

1053
00:59:33,240 --> 00:59:35,320
Speaker 1: and you do it, which is great, Like it's a

1054
00:59:35,360 --> 00:59:38,760
Speaker 1: really beautiful skill that my parents gave me and it

1055
00:59:38,760 --> 00:59:41,600
Speaker 1: pays off big time in the world of elite athletics.

1056
00:59:42,240 --> 00:59:43,880
Speaker 3: But the ability to say.

1057
00:59:43,720 --> 00:59:47,560
Speaker 1: No, I don't have to do this, I'm choosing to

1058
00:59:47,600 --> 00:59:50,640
Speaker 1: do this, I think is a really powerful one and

1059
00:59:50,680 --> 00:59:53,760
Speaker 1: it's a it's that why piece that kind of emerges

1060
00:59:53,800 --> 00:59:56,400
Speaker 1: when you ask yourself that question, like what if it

1061
00:59:56,440 --> 00:59:58,920
Speaker 1: all went away tomorrow? What if no one paid me

1062
00:59:58,960 --> 01:00:00,640
Speaker 1: to raise my bike and I didn't have to do

1063
01:00:00,680 --> 01:00:02,520
Speaker 1: it and I didn't have to go on this ride today,

1064
01:00:02,680 --> 01:00:06,880
Speaker 1: Like is that what I want? And usually, at least

1065
01:00:06,960 --> 01:00:09,160
Speaker 1: for me, when it's something I really care about, if

1066
01:00:09,200 --> 01:00:12,360
Speaker 1: I just like even entertain that question for a moment,

1067
01:00:12,400 --> 01:00:15,240
Speaker 1: you're you like have this soul voice that comes through

1068
01:00:15,280 --> 01:00:17,800
Speaker 1: and says like, no, you like, I have to do

1069
01:00:17,840 --> 01:00:21,200
Speaker 1: this and this is why. And I think that why

1070
01:00:21,320 --> 01:00:23,680
Speaker 1: can carry you through a lot of tough moments.

1071
01:00:24,440 --> 01:00:28,880
Speaker 2: I also believe that there can be both right, Like

1072
01:00:28,960 --> 01:00:32,720
Speaker 2: you can know your why and use it often right,

1073
01:00:32,920 --> 01:00:34,280
Speaker 2: use it to be the thing that gets you out

1074
01:00:34,320 --> 01:00:37,360
Speaker 2: of bed often, but also coming back to the note

1075
01:00:37,400 --> 01:00:41,560
Speaker 2: of grace, have to be okay with the idea that

1076
01:00:41,600 --> 01:00:44,360
Speaker 2: there are going to be days that it's just not

1077
01:00:44,520 --> 01:00:48,520
Speaker 2: going to happen and that is okay, right, like they

1078
01:00:48,640 --> 01:00:53,360
Speaker 2: happen to everyone from Olympians. I'm gesturing toward you to

1079
01:00:53,600 --> 01:00:57,800
Speaker 2: regular folks like me, and to know that like there

1080
01:00:58,560 --> 01:01:02,520
Speaker 2: is going to be another day, hopefully, and that you

1081
01:01:02,520 --> 01:01:06,080
Speaker 2: will have the opportunity to find that why after a

1082
01:01:06,120 --> 01:01:08,640
Speaker 2: little respite. That's important as well.

1083
01:01:10,200 --> 01:01:12,960
Speaker 1: I love that and it's that's so true and it's

1084
01:01:13,160 --> 01:01:16,800
Speaker 1: true for all of us, and I think it's challenging

1085
01:01:16,880 --> 01:01:20,960
Speaker 1: not to kind of double down on your own challenge,

1086
01:01:21,000 --> 01:01:24,040
Speaker 1: like when you face that to then say and because

1087
01:01:24,080 --> 01:01:25,920
Speaker 1: you didn't do this, now you're a bad runner or

1088
01:01:25,920 --> 01:01:28,960
Speaker 1: a bad athlete, or you know, kind of like making

1089
01:01:28,960 --> 01:01:32,240
Speaker 1: the situation worse. Something that's helped me a lot. Have

1090
01:01:32,280 --> 01:01:34,800
Speaker 1: you read Atomic Habits I have.

1091
01:01:35,960 --> 01:01:38,240
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a good one. It's a good one to

1092
01:01:38,280 --> 01:01:41,959
Speaker 3: bring around in New Year's time. I love they.

1093
01:01:42,240 --> 01:01:45,200
Speaker 1: He talks about not missing twice, where if you miss

1094
01:01:45,200 --> 01:01:48,120
Speaker 1: a habit, if you like skip a day, have a

1095
01:01:48,160 --> 01:01:49,960
Speaker 1: bad off day.

1096
01:01:50,840 --> 01:01:53,360
Speaker 3: Don't adjust your view of yourself.

1097
01:01:53,800 --> 01:01:56,360
Speaker 1: Right. So for me, like let's say I'm supposed to

1098
01:01:56,440 --> 01:01:58,720
Speaker 1: ride seventies a week and I miss a day. Instead

1099
01:01:58,760 --> 01:02:03,080
Speaker 1: of being someone who's you know, not consistent in my riding,

1100
01:02:03,680 --> 01:02:06,400
Speaker 1: I can just be I'm I am still someone who

1101
01:02:06,520 --> 01:02:09,160
Speaker 1: rides every day And that was just a fluke. You know,

1102
01:02:09,280 --> 01:02:12,000
Speaker 1: that was just a bad day. That was no problem,

1103
01:02:12,080 --> 01:02:12,800
Speaker 1: happens to everyone.

1104
01:02:12,880 --> 01:02:13,200
Speaker 3: Move on.

1105
01:02:13,240 --> 01:02:16,080
Speaker 1: I'll ride tomorrow. And I think the ability to kind

1106
01:02:16,120 --> 01:02:19,400
Speaker 1: of like keep that self image and that support of

1107
01:02:19,440 --> 01:02:24,560
Speaker 1: yourself when you do have those off moments, in the

1108
01:02:24,600 --> 01:02:27,680
Speaker 1: long run, you forget about them, like you completely forget that.

1109
01:02:27,680 --> 01:02:33,960
Speaker 1: Ever happened unless you allow it to dominate the pattern

1110
01:02:34,000 --> 01:02:34,680
Speaker 1: moving forward.

1111
01:02:35,080 --> 01:02:39,080
Speaker 2: Right now, you, Kate, have an opportunity to offer yourself

1112
01:02:39,120 --> 01:02:42,000
Speaker 2: a piece of advice at the end of the twenty

1113
01:02:42,280 --> 01:02:47,040
Speaker 2: one season, going through that hurdle moment, knowing what you know, now,

1114
01:02:47,600 --> 01:02:50,520
Speaker 2: what do you tell yourself getting him not?

1115
01:02:51,280 --> 01:02:54,320
Speaker 1: If I had to offer myself a piece of advice,

1116
01:02:54,400 --> 01:02:57,040
Speaker 1: it would be a piece of advice that I read

1117
01:02:57,520 --> 01:03:02,120
Speaker 1: this week from Jesse Diggins, who's just incredible cross country skiers.

1118
01:03:02,200 --> 01:03:05,919
Speaker 1: She's a superstar and she I guess it's been having

1119
01:03:05,960 --> 01:03:08,680
Speaker 1: some bad races in the last week, and she posted

1120
01:03:08,680 --> 01:03:10,840
Speaker 1: a quote if the seas were always calm, we would

1121
01:03:10,880 --> 01:03:15,640
Speaker 1: never build a better boat. And I loved that because

1122
01:03:16,760 --> 01:03:18,400
Speaker 1: I think that's really what I've been trying to do

1123
01:03:18,640 --> 01:03:20,520
Speaker 1: in the past few years, is build a better boat.

1124
01:03:20,520 --> 01:03:22,560
Speaker 1: And I think when those seas are stormy, when your

1125
01:03:22,560 --> 01:03:25,880
Speaker 1: boat's failing, it's really hard to look forward to that

1126
01:03:26,240 --> 01:03:29,800
Speaker 1: and see it as part of that process of getting better.

1127
01:03:29,920 --> 01:03:32,520
Speaker 1: It feels like a process of coming apart, or of

1128
01:03:33,200 --> 01:03:39,600
Speaker 1: moving backwards or disintegrating, and really that's the beginning of

1129
01:03:39,640 --> 01:03:42,520
Speaker 1: the process of building a better boat. So that would

1130
01:03:42,560 --> 01:03:43,480
Speaker 1: be my piece of advice.

1131
01:03:43,960 --> 01:03:45,960
Speaker 2: Love that. Kate. I'm so glad that we were able

1132
01:03:46,360 --> 01:03:48,960
Speaker 2: to make this happen. Thank you for your time. How

1133
01:03:49,000 --> 01:03:51,040
Speaker 2: do the hurdlers follow along with you? How do they

1134
01:03:51,120 --> 01:03:54,080
Speaker 2: keep up with you? Give me your details?

1135
01:03:54,520 --> 01:03:55,360
Speaker 3: Thank you so much.

1136
01:03:55,360 --> 01:03:57,760
Speaker 1: It was awesome to be able to chat with you

1137
01:03:57,800 --> 01:04:00,640
Speaker 1: today and big fan of your podcast. Of you and

1138
01:04:00,840 --> 01:04:04,960
Speaker 1: hopefully we can connect in the future. Following me Instagram's

1139
01:04:04,960 --> 01:04:06,600
Speaker 1: probably the easiest Kate plus fit.

1140
01:04:06,960 --> 01:04:09,240
Speaker 2: That's it, Kate plus Fate. I'm over at Emily a

1141
01:04:09,280 --> 01:04:13,320
Speaker 2: Body and at Hurdle Podcast. Another hurdle conquered. Catch you

1142
01:04:13,320 --> 01:04:14,000
Speaker 2: guys next time.