Latest / Clydesdale Media Podcast / Dana Paran | The Clydesdale Media Semifinalist Series

Transcript

Dana Paran | The Clydesdale Media Semifinalist Series · Clydesdale Media Podcast

• 0:09
  We'll see you next time.
• 0:34
  What is going on, everybody?
• 0:35
  Welcome to the Clydesdale Media Podcast,
• 0:37
  where we're featuring the
• 0:38
  athletes of the 2024
• 0:40
  CrossFit Games semifinals.
• 0:42
  I'm so excited to have with
• 0:43
  me Dana Perron.
• 0:44
  Dana, what's going on?
• 0:46
  Good.
• 0:46
  Thank you, Scott.
• 0:47
  Thank you for having me.
• 0:48
  Yeah, I think we timed this perfectly.
• 0:50
  The women just finished
• 0:51
  event two at West Coast.
• 0:54
  We have the first team to
• 0:55
  teams that are going up,
• 0:56
  but we have some time
• 0:57
  before the individuals hit
• 0:58
  the floor again and the top tier teams.
• 1:01
  So perfect timing.
• 1:04
  Perfect timing.
• 1:06
  So I'm excited to talk to you.
• 1:08
  I scoured your Instagram in
• 1:11
  researching you.
• 1:14
  And you talk about an
• 1:15
  incident you had in 2017
• 1:18
  that because of every time
• 1:20
  you take the floor,
• 1:21
  you could damage your left leg.
• 1:24
  Yeah.
• 1:24
  So can you for people who don't know,
• 1:27
  can you walk us through
• 1:28
  what happened then?
• 1:29
  Yeah.
• 1:30
  So long story short in 2017, I was, um,
• 1:33
  I was a weightlifter and I
• 1:35
  was a big weightlifter at that time.
• 1:37
  And I was, I was in a CrossFit gym though.
• 1:38
  I was messing around and I
• 1:40
  fell off a peg board,
• 1:42
  like one of the climbing peg boards, um,
• 1:44
  fell straight off the top.
• 1:45
  So it was like 15, 16 feet,
• 1:48
  broke my ankle in a very specific way.
• 1:50
  Um, I like dislocated my heel.
• 1:55
  I shattered my ankle bone.
• 1:57
  Like the basically allows
• 1:59
  you to like rotate any way direction.
• 2:01
  And they were like,
• 2:02
  you can't walk anymore.
• 2:03
  You will not be able to lift anymore.
• 2:06
  Like very basic, like daily, you know,
• 2:12
  daily living.
• 2:12
  And I was like, okay.
• 2:14
  I mean, I was only 21 at that point.
• 2:16
  So I thought I was like,
• 2:18
  I feel like I could heal.
• 2:20
  And I didn't like,
• 2:23
  I got like,
• 2:24
  obviously from being like an
• 2:26
  athlete at that point,
• 2:27
  cause I was on team USA for
• 2:30
  the Olympic training site,
• 2:31
  being such like a high
• 2:32
  level athlete to go from
• 2:34
  that to just straight up.
• 2:35
  I can't even take care of myself.
• 2:37
  Major depression straight
• 2:39
  into major depression.
• 2:40
  They like gain a ton of weight,
• 2:42
  super unhealthy.
• 2:43
  And then like, you know,
• 2:46
  like I think it was like 12 weeks later,
• 2:48
  14 weeks, someone, something ridiculous.
• 2:50
  Like I was still non-weight bearing.
• 2:53
  And I couldn't afford to do
• 2:55
  physical therapy.
• 2:56
  So I had to do it myself.
• 2:57
  And I like went back in the
• 2:58
  CrossFit gym and I was like,
• 3:00
  let me just like, just try to like move.
• 3:03
  Like I couldn't, I mean,
• 3:04
  at first I was doing like
• 3:06
  everything on my knees.
• 3:07
  Like I could only do snatches,
• 3:08
  a dumbbell snatch for my knees.
• 3:11
  And I was only doing
• 3:12
  CrossFit just to like
• 3:14
  mentally get better and
• 3:15
  like literally just like
• 3:17
  move more than what I
• 3:19
  couldn't around the house.
• 3:21
  Had you been an athlete your whole life?
• 3:23
  Like, pretty much.
• 3:24
  Like, you know, from, like, sports to,
• 3:26
  like, track.
• 3:27
  Like, yeah.
• 3:28
  And then I fell into weightlifting.
• 3:29
  So, like, not being able to move, like,
• 3:33
  killed me.
• 3:33
  I hated it.
• 3:34
  I'm, like, crazy.
• 3:36
  And then, but, yeah, it's, like,
• 3:41
  I think that Open came around.
• 3:43
  I think it was, like, 2018.
• 3:44
  I think it was 2018.
• 3:47
  And I wasn't going to do it.
• 3:47
  Like, I was, like, I don't know.
• 3:49
  like I still could barely
• 3:50
  walk I was just starting to
• 3:52
  walk again and they're like
• 3:53
  yeah just do it and I like
• 3:56
  remember that first workout
• 3:58
  I did like all the I could
• 3:59
  barely I couldn't kit
• 4:01
  because it hurt to lift my
• 4:03
  foot and like I did all the
• 4:04
  toes towards singles I
• 4:06
  think I still got like an
• 4:07
  okay score but then I was
• 4:08
  like maybe you know like
• 4:10
  maybe I could just like
• 4:11
  hang around crossfit you
• 4:12
  know like just do the
• 4:13
  things and then like
• 4:15
  progressed on into like 2019 I'm like
• 4:18
  on the floor at I qualified
• 4:23
  for like a sanctional I
• 4:24
  think back then it was like
• 4:25
  sanctionals when it got
• 4:27
  really weird and I went to
• 4:30
  the 2019 asia crossfit
• 4:32
  sanctional and I remember
• 4:34
  like the that was a weird
• 4:36
  year though because you
• 4:37
  could qualify through the
• 4:38
  open and qualify through
• 4:40
  sanctional and like I came in
• 4:43
  I think I was four spots
• 4:44
  away from a game spot that year.
• 4:47
  And I was like, holy shit.
• 4:48
  Like, I was like, maybe I could do this.
• 4:50
  So like,
• 4:51
  then it just took off from there 2019.
• 4:52
  It was like,
• 4:55
  well then I took 2020 and 21 off.
• 4:57
  Cause I was, that was just a weird COVID,
• 4:59
  uh, like competing here.
• 5:00
  I didn't really know what's going on.
• 5:02
  And then from then on, I was like, okay,
• 5:04
  I'll try 2022, 2023, 2034.
• 5:05
  So I've just been competing
• 5:06
  for real ever since now.
• 5:13
  So when you're on Team USA,
• 5:16
  were your chances of being
• 5:17
  an Olympian really good?
• 5:19
  Gosh, that was so long ago.
• 5:24
  Their qualification process
• 5:26
  for weightlifting is
• 5:27
  complicated because
• 5:29
  different weight classes
• 5:30
  are more competitive than others.
• 5:33
  So like I was in like one of
• 5:35
  the most competitive weight classes.
• 5:37
  I think it was like 64 or something that,
• 5:39
  it's changed now.
• 5:41
  But like that middle weight
• 5:42
  class where like women tend
• 5:43
  to be right on,
• 5:45
  like that 155 weight class,
• 5:48
  like it's so competitive.
• 5:49
  Like back then it was like
• 5:51
  Maddie Rogers and like now it's, you know,
• 5:55
  so they,
• 5:58
  what they want to do is like
• 5:59
  put to get a spot for like
• 6:01
  the Olympics is how they'll
• 6:04
  do in the world.
• 6:04
  So usually tend to be like,
• 6:06
  we'll be more competitive
• 6:07
  in the really higher weight classes.
• 6:08
  Cause like there are less women there.
• 6:10
  Yeah.
• 6:11
  So like, it's really hard.
• 6:14
  Like I would have had to
• 6:15
  gone to like the 90 kilo class.
• 6:17
  No.
• 6:17
  So like,
• 6:18
  I wouldn't say that year was a good,
• 6:21
  like a good,
• 6:21
  good quad year for me to qualify even.
• 6:25
  Yeah.
• 6:25
  I talked to Alex Lachance a
• 6:27
  long time ago and she like
• 6:28
  won the nationals,
• 6:30
  but her weight class isn't
• 6:32
  even Olympic weight class.
• 6:33
  Like, and so I was really like,
• 6:36
  she was trying to explain
• 6:36
  to me how complicated it is.
• 6:39
  It's so complicated.
• 6:42
  Yeah.
• 6:42
  Like you can be like, and they, it,
• 6:44
  it keeps moving.
• 6:45
  Like I stopped keeping track
• 6:46
  once I retired from that.
• 6:48
  But like, yeah, like I was a 64,
• 6:50
  I was a 69.
• 6:50
  There's no 69 anymore.
• 6:51
  Now it's like 72.
• 6:55
  And then I think now it's like 73.
• 6:56
  Yeah.
• 6:56
  And so like your weight and
• 6:58
  it's hard like to jump up and down,
• 7:00
  like the eating or the losing weight.
• 7:02
  Like it's, it,
• 7:03
  which is why another reason
• 7:05
  I'm really glad I'm in
• 7:05
  CrossFit because it's like,
• 7:06
  there's no weight class.
• 7:07
  I'm like, I don't care what I weigh.
• 7:09
  Yeah.
• 7:11
  Yeah.
• 7:11
  You,
• 7:11
  you just want to be as comfortable as
• 7:13
  you can be.
• 7:13
  Yeah.
• 7:14
  Do everything right.
• 7:15
  Right.
• 7:16
  Like you can run,
• 7:17
  you can do your gymnastics, can lift.
• 7:19
  Yeah.
• 7:20
  So when you have this injury,
• 7:23
  it definitely took you out
• 7:24
  of the weightlifting world.
• 7:25
  Right.
• 7:26
  Um, but now you're in CrossFit,
• 7:28
  does it affect your weightlifting today?
• 7:31
  Or is that still one of your strengths?
• 7:34
  Uh, it's, it's definitely still one.
• 7:37
  I'm like,
• 7:37
  glad that I have that background.
• 7:39
  It's definitely one of my strengths.
• 7:40
  Like I know, I don't want to like,
• 7:43
  but like,
• 7:44
  I know like if a weightlifting
• 7:45
  event comes up, I'm like, I could get top,
• 7:48
  you know,
• 7:48
  10 in the world etc um
• 7:53
  especially if it's a snatch
• 7:54
  one because it's like I
• 7:55
  love the technique behind
• 7:57
  that um obviously there are
• 8:00
  girls that are way stronger
• 8:01
  than me but like I think
• 8:03
  when fatigue hits me like
• 8:04
  hits all of us in crossfit
• 8:06
  my technique is takes over
• 8:08
  and I think that definitely
• 8:09
  helps a lot um play out in
• 8:13
  a snatch ladder
• 8:15
  I hope it'll play out really
• 8:16
  good this year.
• 8:19
  I mean, I hope so.
• 8:19
  I mean, it's, it's different though.
• 8:21
  Like,
• 8:22
  cause I think weightlift from
• 8:26
  transitioning from
• 8:26
  weightlifting to CrossFit
• 8:27
  was one of the hardest
• 8:28
  things was not going to
• 8:34
  I want to call it like when,
• 8:35
  when you do one lift and weightlifting,
• 8:37
  you kind of use like all your muscles,
• 8:39
  you use it all at once,
• 8:40
  like one time and you're done.
• 8:42
  If you do that in CrossFit,
• 8:43
  you you'll burn out.
• 8:45
  So you kind of have to like, it's,
• 8:46
  it was a really weird thing.
• 8:48
  Like I didn't understand
• 8:49
  like how girls that weren't,
• 8:51
  when I first started, I was like,
• 8:52
  I don't get it.
• 8:53
  Like, how are they not tired?
• 8:54
  And it's like,
• 8:55
  they weren't using all of
• 8:56
  their strength at one time.
• 8:58
  They would like, yeah.
• 9:00
  So like,
• 9:02
  I mean, I'm glad for the background,
• 9:03
  but I think just adding the
• 9:08
  running and like the
• 9:09
  gymnastics was definitely a challenge.
• 9:13
  So like when you watch
• 9:15
  Europe do the snatch letter
• 9:17
  and Elisa Fuliano, who is five, one,
• 9:22
  120 pounds crushes that
• 9:24
  workout just because she's smooth.
• 9:28
  Does that give you hope with
• 9:29
  your technique?
• 9:32
  Yeah, I think so.
• 9:36
  I did watch her, and that was awesome.
• 9:40
  She didn't even look tired, to be honest.
• 9:42
  I was watching the whole time.
• 9:44
  She just looked calm and collected.
• 9:45
  And it is one of those workouts where,
• 9:47
  yeah, smooth is slow and smooth,
• 9:49
  and smooth is fast.
• 9:51
  You don't want to miss.
• 9:53
  And I think going touch and
• 9:54
  go is just kind of like,
• 9:56
  that's not that smart in a
• 9:57
  workout like that.
• 9:58
  So I think...
• 10:01
  Also just like the weight changes,
• 10:03
  being smart in how you change the weight,
• 10:06
  prevent like your low back
• 10:07
  blowing up and stuff like that.
• 10:09
  Yeah,
• 10:10
  I did get here a lot of feedback
• 10:11
  about the back just wanting
• 10:15
  to seize up when you're
• 10:16
  changing the weights.
• 10:18
  Yeah.
• 10:18
  I think it's like you,
• 10:19
  I think when we're
• 10:20
  practicing these workouts, I have,
• 10:22
  I have practiced it like once or twice,
• 10:25
  like the weight changing is a skill.
• 10:29
  Like most people don't realize.
• 10:30
  Cause like most of the times
• 10:30
  when we do work out like that, or like,
• 10:32
  you don't, you don't change your weights,
• 10:34
  you know, a bar,
• 10:35
  a new bar rolls out and
• 10:36
  that's given to us.
• 10:37
  And like,
• 10:37
  we don't have to worry about
• 10:38
  blowing our backs up,
• 10:39
  but for sure it'll matter.
• 10:41
  Cause we have to change it
• 10:42
  at least three times.
• 10:43
  So.
• 10:44
  yeah I saw a guy sitting on
• 10:46
  the weights yeah wait I did
• 10:51
  not see the guys but that
• 10:52
  is that is funny yeah they
• 10:55
  they literally sitting
• 10:56
  there you know like when
• 10:56
  you're done with the lift
• 10:57
  and you sit on the end of
• 10:59
  the weights they were doing
• 11:00
  that to change I did think
• 11:02
  because like in the way
• 11:03
  that some of the I did see
• 11:05
  the weights versus the
• 11:06
  women versus the men like the
• 11:10
  weight I think the weight
• 11:11
  distribution is a little
• 11:13
  off though like the way
• 11:14
  they the way they lift some
• 11:16
  of the last bars versus us
• 11:18
  you know I think maybe we
• 11:20
  could have probably gone up
• 11:22
  to like 185 or something
• 11:23
  but yeah I almost think
• 11:27
  with that workout it's it's
• 11:29
  what is the easiest change
• 11:30
  plate to put on right like
• 11:32
  just to make it to make it
• 11:34
  more of a spectator
• 11:35
  friendly event yeah um
• 11:38
  Which, like,
• 11:39
  they'll do that for that event,
• 11:41
  but then they take out the
• 11:42
  berm run at West Coast,
• 11:44
  which is this iconic thing
• 11:46
  that every spectator wants to see,
• 11:48
  and they remove it.
• 11:49
  Like, I just don't get it.
• 11:54
  but yeah, it is what it is.
• 11:56
  So, so you come off that, that injury,
• 12:00
  do you still, like,
• 12:01
  I know that you're
• 12:02
  sponsored by like a PT group,
• 12:04
  like how important for you
• 12:06
  is PT to this day because
• 12:08
  of what happened?
• 12:10
  So it, I don't, I,
• 12:14
  I know I need to post more, but like,
• 12:17
  If you watch like some of my
• 12:18
  videos or watch like my,
• 12:20
  if I like put out my
• 12:21
  quarterfinals videos and stuff,
• 12:23
  and if you look really closely,
• 12:24
  I've actually done a pretty
• 12:25
  good job I think of hiding it.
• 12:27
  I've had to do CrossFit a
• 12:28
  little bit different than
• 12:29
  some other elite athletes.
• 12:31
  Like sometimes I can't use
• 12:32
  my left side or it's harder
• 12:33
  to use my left side.
• 12:37
  Double unders is like one of
• 12:38
  the things that was one of
• 12:41
  the hardest things to do
• 12:43
  because I can't jump
• 12:44
  entirely on my left foot still.
• 12:47
  So like this, for example,
• 12:48
  this five round workout is
• 12:49
  going to be kind of a
• 12:50
  challenge for me because
• 12:52
  that's 500 double unders, you know?
• 12:54
  Um, but like my PT, a lot of it is like,
• 13:00
  uh, cause I have a lot of imbalances,
• 13:02
  like probably more than is recommended.
• 13:05
  Like, I think if I,
• 13:07
  I think I did like a DEXA
• 13:08
  scan or something like that,
• 13:09
  you're not supposed to have
• 13:11
  more than like 1% or 2% of
• 13:13
  like deviation from like
• 13:15
  your left to right side.
• 13:17
  And I think my right side is
• 13:18
  like way bigger than my left leg,
• 13:23
  just because of like, you know,
• 13:25
  not being able to
• 13:26
  completely use my left side.
• 13:29
  And so you can actually see
• 13:30
  it in like a lot of my lifts,
• 13:33
  like my left foot will not,
• 13:36
  I am not able to like touch the ground,
• 13:39
  touch my heel to the ground
• 13:41
  on some squats and stuff like that.
• 13:44
  Um,
• 13:45
  and so like a lot of it is honestly
• 13:47
  just like making up for the
• 13:48
  fact that right side is bigger.
• 13:50
  So I'll do like left leg
• 13:53
  Bulgarian split squats only
• 13:55
  on my left leg or like left, uh, ankle,
• 13:59
  like just weighted calf
• 14:01
  raises only on my left leg.
• 14:03
  And so like a lot of that is
• 14:04
  really important to not get, um, you know,
• 14:07
  hip or knee injuries, which I ha I did.
• 14:10
  get one,
• 14:10
  I was supposed to go to Dubai last
• 14:13
  December and I got one just before,
• 14:15
  and that was really frustrating.
• 14:16
  So like,
• 14:18
  I have to be careful with volume
• 14:22
  of squatting.
• 14:24
  Cause that, um, you know,
• 14:26
  more imbalances than on my right leg.
• 14:28
  I'm using a lot more right
• 14:29
  leg and stuff like that.
• 14:31
  So yeah, just to,
• 14:35
  it's always just about
• 14:36
  rebalancing over and over
• 14:38
  and over again throughout
• 14:38
  the week and volume.
• 14:42
  So your injury was to your ankle,
• 14:47
  your knee and your hip as well.
• 14:50
  Yeah.
• 14:51
  Cause like I had to,
• 14:53
  when I went non weight bearing,
• 14:54
  I had to go.
• 14:56
  Um, I used,
• 14:57
  I don't know if you've seen one
• 14:58
  of those things,
• 14:59
  but where you put your knee on a,
• 15:00
  it looks like a pirate peg leg.
• 15:02
  That's what it looks like.
• 15:04
  And it changed the, I did it.
• 15:05
  I did it.
• 15:06
  I was on that thing for so
• 15:08
  long that it changed my gate.
• 15:10
  So I was like swinging my
• 15:11
  hip and that's not how
• 15:13
  you're supposed to walk.
• 15:15
  And so like the big issue
• 15:16
  was when I started to walk and run again,
• 15:18
  I kept swinging that hip
• 15:21
  over and over again,
• 15:21
  instead of picking my knee up,
• 15:24
  like you're supposed to when you walk.
• 15:25
  And so.
• 15:27
  yeah like that like running
• 15:31
  running is a big issue too
• 15:32
  so yeah like just foot
• 15:35
  strike gate all that like
• 15:36
  fancy biomechanics stuff so
• 15:39
  how do you mentally look at
• 15:41
  a semi-finals where you're
• 15:45
  gonna get a long run
• 15:46
  you're going to get 500 double unders.
• 15:50
  Like, do you,
• 15:51
  do you mentally prepare
• 15:52
  yourself ahead of time?
• 15:53
  Like, okay, this is where I just,
• 15:56
  I just have to do damage control.
• 16:01
  Um, yes and no.
• 16:05
  And not for that reason though.
• 16:07
  Um,
• 16:07
  only because like when I mean like
• 16:10
  cardio wise coming from a weightlifter,
• 16:12
  like running has always been odd.
• 16:14
  hard spot for me just
• 16:16
  aerobically and so for that
• 16:19
  reason yes but not because
• 16:20
  of my ankle like I think I
• 16:21
  haven't gotten injured in a
• 16:23
  while that my brain I don't
• 16:24
  really care about that side
• 16:25
  of it that it does come
• 16:29
  into more play on the five
• 16:30
  round one the hundred
• 16:31
  double unders but um
• 16:35
  no not really I think I've
• 16:37
  I've like this is my third
• 16:39
  qualify for semis that I'm
• 16:40
  kind of like it's kind of
• 16:42
  in the background now it's
• 16:44
  not really it's not really
• 16:45
  there did I read your
• 16:46
  anaerobic capacity coach
• 16:49
  yeah I am just just
• 16:53
  pointing out the ironic
• 16:55
  obvious thing there hey I
• 16:57
  took the courses I'm still bad at running
• 17:02
  You can teach it.
• 17:04
  Yeah.
• 17:07
  And then, I mean,
• 17:07
  I also graduated with an
• 17:09
  extra science degree.
• 17:10
  So like, that's why I was,
• 17:11
  I'm always so interested in
• 17:13
  all these extra courses too.
• 17:16
  Yeah.
• 17:17
  I, um,
• 17:18
  I'm sure you watched some of the
• 17:19
  stuff from West coast.
• 17:20
  You didn't get to see the
• 17:21
  run until this morning.
• 17:23
  Um, but Chris Hinshaw,
• 17:26
  the inventor of aerobic
• 17:27
  capacity was espousing his wisdom.
• 17:31
  Does any of that help you
• 17:32
  going into next week?
• 17:35
  When I took his course,
• 17:36
  it was actually recently like,
• 17:38
  like 10 months ago or
• 17:40
  something like that.
• 17:42
  Um,
• 17:43
  A lot of the stuff in his
• 17:44
  course I was doing naturally already.
• 17:47
  I just didn't have like his
• 17:49
  background in science to
• 17:51
  like put behind it.
• 17:52
  Yeah.
• 17:52
  Like he does teach a lot about breathing,
• 17:56
  which I think is really,
• 17:57
  I think if you haven't
• 17:58
  taken aerobic capacity course, you should,
• 18:00
  he's just such a cool guy.
• 18:01
  He's so chill.
• 18:03
  Like he's like, he's like,
• 18:04
  I'll give you my number.
• 18:05
  He's like,
• 18:06
  he's honestly one of the most
• 18:06
  humble coaches ever.
• 18:07
  Um,
• 18:10
  And I think that also helped
• 18:11
  me realize I was a shallow lung breather.
• 18:13
  A lot of people tend to hold
• 18:16
  their breath in running,
• 18:17
  which is why it's so hard for them.
• 18:19
  And I realized I needed to
• 18:21
  take a breath every four steps,
• 18:24
  which is pretty quick when
• 18:25
  you're running at a high cadence,
• 18:27
  versus holding my breath for 12 steps.
• 18:30
  So yeah, I think it does.
• 18:33
  And I think every athlete
• 18:34
  should honestly take this course.
• 18:38
  Yeah.
• 18:39
  I'm probably breathing so
• 18:40
  heavy that I'm breathing every step.
• 18:42
  Yeah.
• 18:42
  I mean, when you, yeah.
• 18:43
  So he,
• 18:44
  he mentioned that part and he was like,
• 18:46
  if you breathe every step,
• 18:46
  you're hyperventilating.
• 18:48
  Yeah.
• 18:48
  And I was like, Oh, I do that a lot.
• 18:52
  Yeah.
• 18:53
  That's this guy.
• 18:56
  Yeah.
• 18:57
  We get to a point in a mech
• 18:58
  on where you're going to do that.
• 19:00
  Like, you know, so.
• 19:02
  Yeah.
• 19:03
  Um,
• 19:05
  So anyway,
• 19:06
  so I actually had the privilege
• 19:09
  of standing on the, in the media pit.
• 19:12
  Chris was on one side of me
• 19:13
  and Nicole Carol was on the
• 19:14
  other side of me and they
• 19:15
  were talking and I just got to like,
• 19:18
  listen to them for like a whole event.
• 19:21
  And it was one of the most
• 19:23
  fun things that's ever happened to me.
• 19:25
  Yeah.
• 19:25
  I mean, two great lines.
• 19:26
  Yeah.
• 19:27
  Yeah.
• 19:29
  So I want to talk about some
• 19:31
  of some of your things you
• 19:33
  do outside the CrossFit
• 19:34
  world that I read about
• 19:36
  that I wanted to learn more about.
• 19:38
  And one is that you play piano and sing.
• 19:42
  Yeah, I grew up, my parents,
• 19:48
  and this is like for any
• 19:50
  Asian listeners out there,
• 19:52
  this is like an Asian thing.
• 19:53
  Like we get thrown into all sorts of,
• 19:57
  they try to get us like musical gifts.
• 19:59
  I was thrown into like violin, guitar,
• 20:02
  piano.
• 20:02
  Piano was one of the first ones.
• 20:03
  And I took lessons through
• 20:05
  classical piano all through
• 20:08
  until I graduated high school.
• 20:11
  I don't have a piano now
• 20:12
  because my apartment's so tiny,
• 20:13
  but it is one of those
• 20:15
  things where I could just
• 20:16
  like sit down and just like
• 20:17
  play again or like, and you know,
• 20:22
  read notes or hear a piece
• 20:24
  and I can play it on the piano.
• 20:26
  But yeah, so yeah,
• 20:26
  I am really glad I learned music.
• 20:33
  I was not glad learning music,
• 20:35
  but I am glad to have that skill.
• 20:39
  I've heard a lot of people,
• 20:42
  because Fisa Goff is a good friend,
• 20:45
  and she, same thing,
• 20:47
  was brought up through, I think, violin,
• 20:51
  like almost concert-level violin.
• 20:54
  And I've heard a comparison
• 20:56
  that the drive to be a
• 20:58
  musician and the drive to
• 20:59
  be an athlete are very similar.
• 21:01
  They're very similar.
• 21:02
  you practice,
• 21:03
  like I just remember
• 21:04
  practicing and practicing
• 21:05
  and practicing and like,
• 21:06
  you don't get a piece, you go back, you,
• 21:08
  you practice it again, like,
• 21:10
  and then you put it all together.
• 21:11
  And so like, I mean, it's, it,
• 21:16
  she's right.
• 21:16
  They are pretty, they are pretty similar.
• 21:18
  So if you want to get like really, really,
• 21:20
  really good.
• 21:20
  Yeah.
• 21:21
  You just put in more hours,
• 21:22
  you put in more practice.
• 21:25
  And so it developed,
• 21:26
  it developed a mindset for
• 21:27
  her when she went into CrossFit.
• 21:30
  Yeah, I agree.
• 21:31
  I totally agree.
• 21:33
  so you sing as well do you
• 21:36
  sing classically do you
• 21:37
  sing like pop songs do you
• 21:40
  hit the karaoke bar what's
• 21:41
  the like it's one of those
• 21:43
  things where I'm like I
• 21:45
  just like a lot of people
• 21:46
  don't know that at all so
• 21:48
  just like like oh you sing
• 21:49
  you know like I can sing so
• 21:50
  like I it's like a party
• 21:53
  trick it's my party trick but I guess
• 21:57
  Yeah, it's other than CrossFit,
• 22:01
  my other passion is music.
• 22:02
  And I'm not awesome at it.
• 22:06
  Like I took guitar lessons.
• 22:08
  I try to play guitar.
• 22:09
  I do sing and I was actually
• 22:12
  covering a master's athlete
• 22:15
  and we went to a karaoke
• 22:16
  night by accident and I
• 22:18
  pulled it out and like
• 22:20
  everybody was stunned that
• 22:21
  I could actually do it.
• 22:24
  So it's not a good party trick.
• 22:25
  It is.
• 22:25
  Um,
• 22:26
  I only pull it out like every couple of
• 22:28
  years and, but when I'm in the car,
• 22:32
  of course I'm doing it every day.
• 22:33
  Right.
• 22:35
  Nice.
• 22:36
  Um,
• 22:37
  so you also were recently named the
• 22:41
  president of out Chicago.
• 22:42
  Yeah.
• 22:44
  Last year.
• 22:45
  What, what an honor that is.
• 22:46
  I know it was, uh,
• 22:49
  cause I also recently only
• 22:51
  recently moved to Chicago in 2021.
• 22:52
  So like,
• 22:55
  it was dead for a bit
• 22:56
  because of COVID like COVID
• 22:58
  just kind of put all stop
• 23:01
  to like the events and stuff like that.
• 23:02
  And then I, I, I got asked and I was like,
• 23:08
  I was like, absolutely not.
• 23:11
  That's exactly what it says.
• 23:12
  And then it,
• 23:13
  it kind of came back and asked,
• 23:15
  he asked me again and,
• 23:17
  and I was just kind of like,
• 23:18
  maybe I'll just like ease into the role.
• 23:22
  I'll step into it somehow.
• 23:23
  I don't know.
• 23:25
  Um, but yeah,
• 23:27
  so like I threw on like a one,
• 23:30
  the first major event,
• 23:32
  which was like a burpee a thon, uh,
• 23:35
  10 minutes of straight burpees.
• 23:38
  And it was a, it was not, not my idea.
• 23:45
  I would not have chosen that,
• 23:46
  but it was a good, like turnout and, um,
• 23:50
  good, like almost like first,
• 23:52
  like reawakening of the ouch or the.
• 23:55
  the program here in Chicago.
• 23:58
  Um, and yeah, so like, that's, it's,
• 24:01
  I get a lot of help though.
• 24:02
  So it's like,
• 24:02
  I feel like I'm more of like
• 24:03
  a figurehead right now,
• 24:05
  if that makes sense.
• 24:07
  And it doesn't take away
• 24:08
  from training or anything like that.
• 24:10
  No, it's been, we've been,
• 24:11
  it's been pretty quiet lately.
• 24:13
  Um,
• 24:14
  but like may mostly just like trying to
• 24:16
  maybe like help, uh,
• 24:17
  like out Chicago athletes, um,
• 24:20
  around Chicago and stuff like that.
• 24:23
  That's awesome.
• 24:25
  Um, any,
• 24:26
  any big goals for that going forward?
• 24:31
  Um,
• 24:32
  mainly it's just to like raise money
• 24:33
  for like these athletes.
• 24:34
  Cause like a big, one of my,
• 24:37
  the thing that,
• 24:39
  one of the things that
• 24:39
  really caught my eye
• 24:40
  without Chicago is that we
• 24:42
  have like a scholarship program.
• 24:43
  So like there are people who like,
• 24:45
  you know,
• 24:46
  And people who don't know
• 24:48
  how much gym memberships cost,
• 24:50
  especially in major cities,
• 24:51
  they can cost up to $225, close to $300.
• 24:56
  And so just being able to
• 24:59
  raise money for a few
• 25:00
  athletes who can't afford
• 25:02
  that or just given that
• 25:03
  opportunity to be in a
• 25:04
  CrossFit gym or wherever
• 25:06
  gym they want to be,
• 25:07
  that's a huge financial
• 25:09
  burden that's taken away from them.
• 25:12
  And so like, you know, they,
• 25:14
  they get like gear,
• 25:15
  they get shoes and just like,
• 25:16
  it's a way to just kind of
• 25:17
  like give back to people
• 25:18
  who like deserve it.
• 25:21
  So I was going to ask,
• 25:23
  like if Chicago is a new thing,
• 25:24
  because you were in the
• 25:25
  west right last year.
• 25:28
  No.
• 25:28
  So I was, I've been in Chicago since 20,
• 25:32
  like the, like 2021.
• 25:33
  Okay.
• 25:36
  Yeah, I don't even know.
• 25:37
  See, COVID messed my years up.
• 25:39
  Like something around 2021.
• 25:41
  I was in Kansas before that.
• 25:42
  So I think that would have been West.
• 25:45
  You know what it is?
• 25:46
  I saw a picture of you at semis.
• 25:50
  And the video screen behind
• 25:51
  was so similar at both.
• 25:53
  Yeah.
• 25:53
  I think it just mixed it up.
• 25:55
  Yeah.
• 25:57
  No, I saw it in East last year.
• 25:59
  Yeah, okay.
• 26:00
  Okay.
• 26:01
  Wow.
• 26:03
  We better be in the West.
• 26:04
  Like the East is back.
• 26:05
  Yeah.
• 26:06
  Oh, yeah.
• 26:07
  I mean,
• 26:08
  it's great that we have 11 spots too,
• 26:10
  but like, it's also like,
• 26:12
  look at who's in our region.
• 26:14
  Yeah.
• 26:15
  Well, you know, Haley's back.
• 26:16
  Tia's back.
• 26:18
  They should have given you
• 26:19
  16 spots with all that.
• 26:21
  I know.
• 26:23
  Oh.
• 26:26
  What is interesting to me is
• 26:28
  it's this stacked thing, right?
• 26:31
  But you're coming in twice
• 26:34
  as good as you were last year.
• 26:35
  You came in,
• 26:35
  I think it was 50th last year.
• 26:39
  This year, you're 24th, 25th.
• 26:43
  So huge leap forward into
• 26:46
  this year's semis.
• 26:48
  Do you have more confidence this year?
• 26:49
  So...
• 26:54
  something that changed this year.
• 26:56
  Well, not this year, last year,
• 26:57
  just before I went to Dubai,
• 27:00
  or I think it was shortly
• 27:02
  after the road qualifiers last year,
• 27:04
  I was like, so I don't, I've been,
• 27:07
  I was by myself since starting 2019.
• 27:09
  Like I wrote some, my own programming,
• 27:12
  I would do random programming.
• 27:15
  And like up until last year, I was,
• 27:16
  I was like kind of doing HWPO.
• 27:18
  And I was like,
• 27:20
  I think I need a one-to-one coach.
• 27:23
  And so that was,
• 27:24
  so this is the first year
• 27:26
  that I have a one-to-one coach, thanks to,
• 27:29
  uh, uh,
• 27:30
  Crider training with Kristen Holta.
• 27:33
  Yeah.
• 27:35
  And yeah, so I made a huge, um, change.
• 27:39
  So my coach is Anders, um,
• 27:42
  and their coaching group.
• 27:43
  And obviously we know about, you know,
• 27:44
  they have,
• 27:45
  they have four out of eight
• 27:46
  teams in Europe that qualified, um,
• 27:49
  great athletes like Sahir
• 27:51
  and Andrea Solberg.
• 27:53
  And so they honestly welcomed,
• 27:58
  when I reached out to them,
• 28:00
  they really welcomed me.
• 28:02
  I approached them like they
• 28:03
  didn't know who I was,
• 28:04
  and apparently they did.
• 28:05
  And I was like, oh.
• 28:09
  But one of the first things they were like,
• 28:11
  we need to work on your endurance.
• 28:14
  And that weightlifting background,
• 28:16
  I was like, I know, I know, I know.
• 28:18
  And it's just different when
• 28:19
  like you're not writing it
• 28:20
  because you're not going to
• 28:21
  write things that suck for yourself.
• 28:23
  You're going to hold back a
• 28:25
  little bit and just having, you know,
• 28:28
  coaches need coaches, that type of deal.
• 28:30
  So like having them watch me
• 28:32
  even from afar,
• 28:33
  because obviously they're in Norway,
• 28:36
  has been a really big game
• 28:37
  changer for me.
• 28:38
  And you said they didn't
• 28:41
  know who you were?
• 28:43
  They did.
• 28:43
  They did.
• 28:44
  I think because from Dubai,
• 28:47
  because you've competed in
• 28:49
  Dubai a few times, right?
• 28:51
  Or?
• 28:51
  Yeah, I qualified twice.
• 28:55
  Yeah,
• 28:56
  that's where I first knew who you
• 28:58
  were is when you competed in Dubai.
• 29:00
  Yeah.
• 29:01
  Because you were one of the
• 29:03
  few Americans that were
• 29:04
  competing that year.
• 29:04
  I was the only American.
• 29:07
  Yeah.
• 29:09
  I was really nervous because I was like,
• 29:11
  oh my God.
• 29:11
  I was like, I'm the only American.
• 29:13
  I think a guy who was gonna,
• 29:16
  he failed to qualify.
• 29:17
  And I was like, I was like, damn.
• 29:18
  I was like, oh my gosh,
• 29:19
  this is a lot of pressure.
• 29:21
  Honestly, I went to just have fun.
• 29:24
  I didn't know what I could do.
• 29:26
  I didn't know if I belonged.
• 29:29
  I was like,
• 29:29
  I'm just going to have fun and
• 29:31
  make some damage.
• 29:32
  If I could just do some
• 29:34
  damage and get some money along the way,
• 29:38
  I guess I'll try doing it.
• 29:42
  Yeah,
• 29:43
  and I watched you that whole weekend
• 29:45
  because, you know, country pride.
• 29:47
  I want the U.S.
• 29:48
  to do well, right?
• 29:49
  Yeah.
• 29:50
  So I was watching you there,
• 29:51
  but one of my favorite
• 29:53
  Canadians has jumped in the chat.
• 29:55
  Yeah.
• 29:56
  Oh, Carolyn.
• 30:00
  Yeah.
• 30:02
  And so...
• 30:04
  Yeah.
• 30:05
  So I watched you the whole weekend,
• 30:06
  and that's how I knew about
• 30:07
  your background in weightlifting.
• 30:09
  And, you know,
• 30:11
  the announcers were touting
• 30:12
  that that was somewhere
• 30:13
  where you were going to
• 30:13
  make up some ground, things like that.
• 30:17
  What's it like competing in Dubai?
• 30:18
  Because it's a completely different world,
• 30:21
  right?
• 30:21
  Yeah.
• 30:22
  I mean, other than, like,
• 30:29
  I could feel there was still, like, a...
• 30:33
  like female to male,
• 30:34
  like the males were
• 30:36
  definitely getting a lot
• 30:37
  more of attention.
• 30:38
  I think it's just like the way it is,
• 30:39
  a little bit of that.
• 30:41
  But I honestly, I think it's great.
• 30:46
  Like I love Dubai.
• 30:50
  They just,
• 30:52
  it feels a lot more intimate
• 30:53
  because it was, well,
• 30:54
  that year it was only 20 women, 20 men.
• 30:58
  And so it feels like all the
• 30:59
  attention's on you.
• 31:01
  Like you, you've really got to, so like,
• 31:03
  I think that's what I love about Dubai.
• 31:05
  And of course, like the, the prize,
• 31:08
  the prizes are crazy.
• 31:10
  They pay you also per event.
• 31:12
  So I think that also forces
• 31:15
  like much better competition.
• 31:16
  Like we're trying to get first, second,
• 31:18
  third, you know, get an extra 3000,
• 31:21
  $5,000, whatever.
• 31:22
  Um, but yeah, no, I love Dubai.
• 31:25
  Like I would love to go back every year.
• 31:29
  Yeah,
• 31:29
  and then you had a setback this year.
• 31:31
  You qualified but couldn't
• 31:33
  make the trip because of a
• 31:35
  patella injury?
• 31:36
  Yeah, so that was my knee.
• 31:40
  That was my right knee.
• 31:42
  Again, just from being too unbalanced,
• 31:46
  yeah.
• 31:47
  Is that good now, going into semis?
• 31:49
  Yeah.
• 31:50
  Like, as soon as that injury happened,
• 31:52
  I was like, I was relying a lot,
• 31:55
  and I'm sure a lot of athletes do this,
• 31:56
  but we rely a lot on, like,
• 31:58
  um knee sleeves you know
• 32:02
  like too many knee sleeves
• 32:03
  too much we and I was like
• 32:05
  I want to get off on all I
• 32:06
  want to get off all this
• 32:07
  extra stuff like I want to
• 32:08
  strengthen my joints and so
• 32:10
  like I've been last quarter
• 32:13
  like this is the probably
• 32:14
  the healthiest season I've
• 32:15
  been like I didn't I wore
• 32:17
  almost not no gear for at
• 32:19
  all for um quarterfinals at
• 32:22
  all so it was just awesome
• 32:25
  It's funny,
• 32:25
  when I had back surgery and
• 32:28
  when I came back from that,
• 32:29
  I stopped wearing everything.
• 32:32
  I'm not trying to be competitive.
• 32:34
  I'm trying to be healthy.
• 32:36
  And do I need all this
• 32:38
  equipment that allows me to
• 32:39
  push beyond my body's limits?
• 32:42
  No, I'm just trying to be healthy.
• 32:44
  So I got rid of the knee sleeves.
• 32:46
  The only thing I do wear
• 32:47
  occasionally is a belt,
• 32:49
  but everything else I
• 32:51
  pretty much got rid of.
• 32:52
  Yeah, for sure.
• 32:53
  Like, if you're going for, like,
• 32:54
  a max deadlift, yeah, for sure,
• 32:56
  throw that belt on.
• 32:57
  You'll probably be able to
• 32:58
  keep the pressure in,
• 33:00
  get a couple extra pounds.
• 33:01
  But, like, I'll tell people, like,
• 33:02
  who have backs or injuries all the time,
• 33:04
  like, you need to strengthen your back.
• 33:06
  Like, stop wearing the belt on 50%, 60%,
• 33:08
  70%.
• 33:08
  Like, strengthen your back.
• 33:12
  yeah yeah I only wear it on
• 33:14
  the heavy stuff or or a
• 33:15
  deadlift um I but and I've
• 33:19
  never I've never liked all
• 33:20
  that stuff I just got like
• 33:22
  reeled into the CrossFit
• 33:23
  way right and yeah gotta
• 33:27
  have all the toys you gotta
• 33:28
  get the velcro but yeah
• 33:31
  yeah so after looking at
• 33:33
  the events um anything that
• 33:35
  you're look really looking
• 33:36
  forward to um honestly day three
• 33:42
  because the way they laid it out,
• 33:44
  I think this year was really interesting.
• 33:46
  Day one has one event,
• 33:47
  day two has two events,
• 33:48
  day three has three events.
• 33:49
  And like, I think a lot of people don't,
• 33:52
  they're like, oh,
• 33:53
  they count people out by day two.
• 33:54
  And I'm like,
• 33:54
  it's only been half the events.
• 33:56
  Like, it'd really shake up by day three.
• 33:59
  And things so like, just, you know, don't,
• 34:06
  if you think the person
• 34:07
  that you want to make it to
• 34:08
  the games won't make it, just wait.
• 34:09
  Like,
• 34:11
  They might shake it up really bad.
• 34:13
  And I think day three is
• 34:14
  also the shortest events,
• 34:18
  and so seconds will count so badly.
• 34:21
  Yeah,
• 34:23
  I think if you just watch this
• 34:26
  weekend with the men, right?
• 34:27
  Tudor finished down in the 30s on the run.
• 34:31
  Second event, he finished his seventh,
• 34:33
  and now he's just outside a
• 34:35
  qualifying spot.
• 34:36
  Yeah.
• 34:37
  four events to go it right
• 34:40
  you just can't lose it in
• 34:41
  the first couple events
• 34:42
  yeah like mentally I think
• 34:44
  for the athletes you can't
• 34:47
  you got if your bad event
• 34:48
  was on day one or day two
• 34:49
  let it go you literally
• 34:51
  have 400 300 points left up
• 34:53
  for grabs like um for the
• 34:56
  spectators that's like I
• 34:58
  said great it's a great
• 34:59
  spectating um event
• 35:03
  yeah I i actually love this
• 35:05
  format because it adds that
• 35:08
  one I love semi-finals more
• 35:10
  than I love the games oh
• 35:11
  wow because it's a more
• 35:14
  intimate setting the
• 35:15
  athletes are more
• 35:16
  accessible especially from
• 35:17
  a media perspective and the
• 35:20
  pressure is higher because
• 35:22
  everybody everybody's goal
• 35:23
  is to make the games yeah
• 35:25
  once you get to the games
• 35:26
  there's people that just
• 35:27
  are glad they're there right
• 35:29
  right so the tension on
• 35:31
  Sunday and now you're
• 35:32
  adding a third event to
• 35:34
  that last day yeah oh my
• 35:36
  goodness like that is if if
• 35:39
  you're not going to
• 35:40
  semifinals you are missing
• 35:41
  out yeah because it is that
• 35:43
  last day is going to be
• 35:44
  tense yeah that last day
• 35:47
  last event like I saw I was
• 35:50
  watching leaderboard in
• 35:51
  Europe and like seeing
• 35:51
  people that were like 22nd
• 35:54
  dropped to six like I think
• 35:56
  ikai dropped to like sixth
• 35:57
  place I was like
• 35:59
  That was wild.
• 36:00
  Yeah.
• 36:01
  I'm telling people like,
• 36:02
  like the seconds on like
• 36:05
  the difference between the
• 36:06
  seconds on that last event.
• 36:07
  Cause it, for the elites,
• 36:08
  it's a three minute workout.
• 36:10
  It's a three, four minute workout.
• 36:12
  It's not a six minute workout,
• 36:13
  whatever that cap was.
• 36:14
  So it's like, you can,
• 36:16
  you have the capacity to,
• 36:18
  if you're in that bubble
• 36:20
  outside of the bubble to
• 36:21
  make it to the games in that last event.
• 36:25
  So Carolyn's got a lot to say here.
• 36:28
  So she's going to smash the snack ladder.
• 36:33
  And then I think this has
• 36:35
  been talked about a lot.
• 36:36
  I just don't like the
• 36:37
  seeding during semis.
• 36:38
  I don't think the first
• 36:39
  event should seed for day two,
• 36:41
  and they should definitely
• 36:42
  reseed the final event.
• 36:44
  And I completely agree with that.
• 36:46
  I agree.
• 36:47
  By not receiving the final event,
• 36:49
  you are cheating the fans.
• 36:51
  Yeah.
• 36:51
  And you're cheating the
• 36:52
  athletes' chances of making the games.
• 36:55
  Yeah.
• 36:55
  Because if you can see who
• 36:56
  you need to beat,
• 36:58
  you're going to go that
• 36:59
  extra 3% you need to.
• 36:59
  Right.
• 36:59
  Right.
• 37:00
  I agree.
• 37:00
  Yeah.
• 37:10
  yeah like it was crazy today
• 37:12
  because of a running event
• 37:14
  very monostructural
• 37:15
  especially in california
• 37:16
  that was a running event
• 37:18
  yeah not a clean and jerk
• 37:19
  event and um and the way it
• 37:23
  seeded up this morning for
• 37:24
  tit for events two and
• 37:26
  three now because you're
• 37:27
  stuck in that seed there's
• 37:29
  people down in heats three
• 37:30
  that have no business being
• 37:32
  down there no no so yeah
• 37:37
  Um, but yeah,
• 37:39
  so like you would hope that
• 37:42
  the athletes would do their best,
• 37:46
  but it's like on like that,
• 37:49
  seeing who you have to beat
• 37:50
  or what you have to do can push you.
• 37:52
  Yeah.
• 37:54
  that's just natural.
• 37:55
  Yeah.
• 37:56
  I do a workout in my garage
• 37:57
  and I can push with everything I have.
• 37:59
  Right.
• 37:59
  If I go to the gym and do it, I, I'll,
• 38:02
  I'll be 10 seconds faster.
• 38:03
  Right.
• 38:04
  Yeah.
• 38:05
  I agree.
• 38:06
  Put your, put your favorite song on.
• 38:07
  There's another 5%.
• 38:08
  Right.
• 38:09
  Like, yeah, it is.
• 38:12
  Um, so it's well established.
• 38:15
  Now you're going to smash
• 38:16
  the snatch ladder,
• 38:18
  but you also like legless rope climbs,
• 38:19
  right?
• 38:20
  I do.
• 38:21
  Yeah.
• 38:22
  Yeah.
• 38:23
  And you have a legless
• 38:26
  intense workout as workout three.
• 38:31
  How does that play out for you?
• 38:32
  Because it does have box jumps.
• 38:35
  Well, if I'm not wrong,
• 38:39
  I think they have to step down, right?
• 38:41
  Correct.
• 38:42
  So that is another thing
• 38:44
  that gives me hope because
• 38:45
  I think I can't rebound.
• 38:48
  I wouldn't rebound anyways.
• 38:49
  Like I got one ankle.
• 38:50
  I'm not going to do that
• 38:52
  ever in my life again.
• 38:53
  But like, that keeps me in, I guess,
• 39:02
  in the running.
• 39:03
  Like it gives me hope.
• 39:04
  Because if we had to rebound, I'd be like,
• 39:06
  oh, well, I'm screwed.
• 39:07
  Because there'd be like
• 39:08
  bunnies jumping around.
• 39:09
  So that kind of levels the
• 39:13
  playing field for me.
• 39:16
  And then I love the echo bikes, so.
• 39:21
  So, so with that,
• 39:23
  there's two events we've
• 39:25
  talked about that, you know, if,
• 39:26
  if you're, if executed properly,
• 39:28
  you could do very well.
• 39:30
  Yeah.
• 39:31
  Um, what,
• 39:32
  what are your realistic goals for
• 39:34
  the weekend?
• 39:39
  If I'm being honest, um,
• 39:44
  stop that non nonsense.
• 39:46
  Um, I love the echo, Carolyn.
• 39:49
  I love it.
• 39:50
  Um,
• 39:51
  Obviously, I want to qualify for the games,
• 39:55
  whether it's podiuming or 11th,
• 39:59
  barely making it the last spot.
• 40:03
  That's the goal.
• 40:04
  And I'm sure a lot of people
• 40:07
  feel this way who also are in semis.
• 40:11
  We don't train this.
• 40:12
  I mean,
• 40:12
  I hope you wouldn't train this hard
• 40:13
  to not try and make it.
• 40:15
  So I always do my best.
• 40:19
  I'll try to do my best.
• 40:21
  um and I think just doing
• 40:27
  that knowing that I'm
• 40:28
  giving my best I'll
• 40:30
  hopefully also be happy
• 40:31
  with whatever placement
• 40:32
  that I get too so so I'm
• 40:36
  going to make a little
• 40:37
  correlation and you and you
• 40:38
  can tell me if I'm
• 40:39
  completely wrong with this
• 40:40
  I'm watching colton mertens
• 40:41
  this year who trained on
• 40:43
  his own finally got a coach
• 40:46
  in the proven camp
• 40:48
  And he has completely reset
• 40:52
  what we think of him as an
• 40:53
  athlete in the first two
• 40:54
  events already by taking
• 40:56
  fifth in a run event and
• 40:58
  winning the second event.
• 41:01
  And he said afterwards that I never bluff,
• 41:04
  but I sure as hell never
• 41:05
  fold and just watch the
• 41:10
  other tricks I have up my sleeve.
• 41:12
  Yeah.
• 41:13
  You similarly have gone from
• 41:15
  training yourself to having a coach.
• 41:19
  Are you optimistic that some
• 41:22
  of your weaknesses have
• 41:23
  gotten a lot better since then as well?
• 41:25
  Oh, a hundred percent.
• 41:26
  Yeah.
• 41:28
  Like running alone, I will say, um,
• 41:30
  I do not think eight hundreds are
• 41:37
  scary anymore yeah like I
• 41:41
  just coming from track like
• 41:43
  where I ran 100s and 250s
• 41:45
  100s and 200s like 800
• 41:47
  meters is not a joke if you
• 41:48
  had to make that transition
• 41:51
  and for sure like I am way
• 41:53
  more confident in running
• 41:55
  now so like just from my
• 41:57
  injury but also in training
• 41:59
  and just like my overall
• 42:00
  capacity aerobically like
• 42:03
  A lot of the workouts in
• 42:04
  quarterfinals was not,
• 42:06
  they were not weightlifting.
• 42:07
  Like there was one event and
• 42:09
  I wouldn't even really call
• 42:10
  that weightlifting because it was like,
• 42:12
  you had to do all that to
• 42:14
  get to a 165 pound bar,
• 42:16
  which isn't that crazy.
• 42:19
  There's no like heavy lift.
• 42:20
  There's nothing.
• 42:21
  And I knew that no
• 42:22
  weightlifting event could save me.
• 42:24
  And so like to get some,
• 42:27
  to get like a really good score on that,
• 42:28
  like fight gone bad type workout.
• 42:32
  Um,
• 42:33
  and hold my own in a very aerobic piece,
• 42:36
  I'm very confident that
• 42:39
  I've gotten better.
• 42:40
  I wouldn't say I'm like, woo, the best,
• 42:43
  but I know for sure I've gotten better.
• 42:47
  Oh, that's exciting.
• 42:48
  And I can't wait to see you there.
• 42:51
  I try to keep these to 30 minutes.
• 42:52
  We have blown way past that.
• 42:57
  But it was fun talking to
• 42:59
  you and getting to know you
• 43:00
  a little bit better.
• 43:01
  Thank you, you too.
• 43:02
  I think I'm going to be in Knoxville.
• 43:05
  I just got to make sure I
• 43:08
  can get a car for my wife when I'm gone.
• 43:10
  I can get that to set up this weekend.
• 43:13
  We're going to Knoxville and
• 43:16
  I'm hoping to do some
• 43:17
  behind the scenes stuff.
• 43:19
  So catch up with you there
• 43:22
  as you're going through the weekend.
• 43:23
  All right.
• 43:24
  Thank you so much.
• 43:25
  Oh, good luck next week.
• 43:26
  And everybody in the chat,
• 43:27
  thank you for being here.
• 43:29
  We'll see everybody next
• 43:30
  time on the Clydesdale Media Podcast.
• 43:33
  Bye, guys.