Latest / The People Run Podcast / #60 She Qualified For Hyrox Worlds In Under A Year | Courtney Hayre

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#60 She Qualified For Hyrox Worlds In Under A Year | Courtney Hayre · The People Run Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Courtney less than a year ago you signed up for your first HIROX.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: Did HIROX World representing Canada, representing home.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Most recently I did a self-40 minute.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: Holy crap, 10K.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: You're doing this while working a full-time job, balancing family life, kids.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: When I say all that and you hear that back, does that even feel real?
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: No.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_02: No, it doesn't.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's definitely um it's not something I would have seen for myself uh a year ago, um, but very proud and um yeah, just super excited to be here and see what's next in my journey, to be honest.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Were you always into fitness and like running or lifting?
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_02: I think I've always been into healthy living.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um I've always been good at running.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I would always like as a teenager just randomly go out for a run.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_02: I played soccer a lot and always played up in soccer.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_02: My sister's a year older than me, so my mom did the tag team thing where it's like easier to get uh kids to one practice in one game than running all over to different fields.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_02: So I'd always play up on my sister's team.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_02: Um and uh yeah, I danced a lot as a kid.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but yeah, always into fitness in some form.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_02: I always leaned to it when I was feeling like I needed something for myself.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_02: It it was a place that made me feel good.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so wouldn't say that I had like an overly strict routine in my young 20s, but I definitely um worked out and ate relatively healthy.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: When was the moment you felt like, okay, I need a like big challenge here in the world of running and high rocks, and that shift just happened?
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_02: I was fairly young when I had kids.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_02: So for me, like I was busy with being a mom.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_02: I have two kids um who are now seven and nine.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_02: And I think like it just kind of like I've always had a fire in my belly to want to do something.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_02: And I just never knew where that energy would take me.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I loved being in fitness classes and just pushing myself and watching the people next to me.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_02: And like I I met some uh some women that uh that our kids do the same activity and activities, and we would sit and watch our kids, and they were talking about how they uh are doing marathons and half ironmans and local races, just running races, and so that kind of intrigued me and uh pushed me into signing up for a half marathon for myself, which I'd never run that distance before.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so I would say probably two years ago, two and a half years ago, I um I ran my first half marathon and and did very well in that.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I trained for it, but was doing it myself, uh the training.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_02: So that was a bit uh um, but I think that kind of pushed me down this path of wanting to do something for me.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and so when high rocks came, I've always loved hit um classes.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_02: I've always loved, you know, finding the goal post and finishing things um like from start to finish and just having that little bit of a race.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_02: So um I I'd watched it for probably like I don't know, maybe six months to a year before I actually was like, okay, I'm gonna do this.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_02: And then Toronto, I just I signed up.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_02: Uh I wasn't even sure if I was going to going to go.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_02: I had the ticket.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_02: I hadn't really trained too too much.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_02: Um, like I had been doing half marathons, um, but no high rock specific stuff.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and so I ended up going to my the gym that I'm with now um and and training with them a bit before Toronto.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um and then once I raced in Toronto, I that was all it took for me to be hooked.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_02: Um I I loved it and I did very well in in that race.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_02: And so um yeah, that was kind of how it all started.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_02: And uh now there's no looking back.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: Did you know right away when you hit Toronto and hit that first high rocks, and you finished like, hey, I'm on to something, I might be good at this.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, when I when I crossed the finish line in Toronto, I I my first race was women open uh race.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_02: Um I just I wanted to see what it was like, and I really didn't have a full grasp understanding of what pro open all of it was, and I was happy to step into that entry level first.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um when I crossed the finish line and I was first, I was like that the self-proud that I felt and just the accomplishment that I felt was something I've never felt in my whole life, and I think for me that was the moment where I was like, I'm this is this could be my thing.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_02: And and I like I was just so proud and genuinely happy that um I just wanted to keep doing it.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: It kind of gives me chills.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not even kidding.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like when you find endurance and you're like, this might be the thing.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I can't quite describe that.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_02: And the fact that you really didn't like not that I underestimate myself by any means, but I went in with no intention.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_02: Like I was like, I'm I'm gonna go, I'm gonna race, I'm gonna see how I do, right?
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_02: Like there's a lot of awesome athletes out on that floor, and you never know, it's my first race.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but I have I have some grit and I I am competitive.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_02: And so when I went out there, I I definitely surprised myself with how well I did.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but yeah, it was it was awesome.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, let's take that back a bit.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: So you sign up for the for the first one.
• 5:52
  unknown: Yeah.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: You're like, hey, I'm going all in.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: I have the grit.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: And you train a little bit at at BPM at the gym you're at right now.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what were you expecting?
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: Did you go, you know what, I'm gonna try to go first?
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how was trading during those first few?
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_02: I would say that um like I like the biggest things for me that I learned from doing the first race, like we we kind of talked a little bit about um racing for your first time, and I think like you learn a lot.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it and I think you can train so much to prepare yourself, but until you do it and kind of understand the course, like at least and and the techniques and where to pick up speed and where to slow things down and how to start, like you start to finesse those as you do those things more, whether you're running a road race or whether you're doing high rocks.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think like going into that race, I I really didn't have too much of a plan.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_02: Like I didn't know where I would land in terms of placement.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_02: I didn't have like a I need to be first throughout the entire race.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_02: I just saw moments and windows where I was like, okay, I'm feeling good.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_02: Like, let's keep going, let's keep pushing, right?
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_02: And and is like if I have people that are right beside me also pushing, that honestly just like lights my fire more because I'm like, okay, like let's go together, let's do this, right?
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_02: Like so it's yeah, I just I feed off the energy and I just I really had no specific goal or time in mind.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_02: I just wanted to see how well I could do and where I could push myself.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: Do you have any fear going into it, like knowing later closer to the race, where it's like, oh wait a minute, I signed off for open.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, um, like I I think like nerves are always a factor and like going into a race.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I think everyone has those self-doubt moments.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but I think like over the last, like just this in starting high rocks, like I've truly learned that um your mind is the most powerful thing that you have, and just leading up to any race, like if I can get myself really centered and just grateful and um just be really positive and say, like, this is what your body can do, and think about how amazing that is.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_02: I know I'm in a good place to race.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_02: Um, no matter what I'm feeling physically, if I'm feeling something, but that mental state.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: Is that something you work on, the mental state, or is just continuous practice?
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_02: It's continuous practice.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_02: I think we'll always have those up and downs, what's going on in life, what's you know happening around you, things you can't control.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_02: But um, but yeah, I think positive, like I'm I'm usually always positive, happy, um, encouraging, and you just yeah, myself.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm never really down, but that's great.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_02: I do have to remind myself too, right?
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_02: Like I capture those moments when I'm going out for my runs and in training blocks and just like really think like how grateful are you that you can do this.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 8:53
  unknown: Yeah.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: That's important for sure.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: How important was that running those those couple years they're doing half two-year first higher ox?
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, it was honestly, I'm really happy that I did it in that order.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_02: And that I I took the time to understand like proper training for running.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_02: And I have like I work with a run coach who is one of uh my children's uh friends, uh, moms.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, she's a fantastic woman.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but she uh she really helped to teach me kind of the importance around like the proper training, uh having a good program, building up that aerobic base, but also working on your speed and then too, like nutrition that goes along with that, warming up.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_02: Like I used to kind of go in the half marathon process of training myself.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I remember going into races feeling like I was injured, and I'm like, well, this isn't great, right?
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_02: Like every time I'd get so close to the race and then I'd get injured.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm it's just that's not a way you want to be.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_02: You put all this effort in and then you uh fall apart right before your race.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so having her now has been like a game changer over the last, I would say, year and a half.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_02: I've worked with her.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and yeah, just a wealth of knowledge, learned so much, and yeah, my running has just greatly improved.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_02: But very, very happy to have started the running before coming into high rocks.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_00: Did you feel like, hey, I had got this down after, you know, having come from a running background?
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what's 78k?
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, 8K felt like that was a good distance.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, you are pushing between like for every kilometer in between the stations.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_02: So you just have to find that what's that pace that I can sustain um for each kilometer while not being too compromised in those stations, right?
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_02: But still pushing it.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I would say like I'm still working out where that is, right?
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_02: Especially as you get stronger and you're running, um, and also getting through those mental blocks to say, it's okay, push, right?
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so still working through that.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_02: I think anyone is that's training, you're always trying to evolve and be better.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: What do you do to try to work on that yourself?
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_02: Um, like I do a lot of different, so um, different run techniques.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_02: Like um, I'll do we're right now I'm just into another training block.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_02: So we're doing a 12-re 12-week training block leading up to um Higher Ops Toronto.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_02: Um and uh like I'll be running, I don't know, anywhere from 60 to 80 kilometers in a week.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um and just working on speed.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_02: So working two times a week, we'll have a threshold or a tempo run, and then we'll have a speed um focused run.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_02: And then working on a lot of the other runs are just aerobic base.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_02: Like it's easy kilometers, um, or it's bike, depending on how my body's feeling.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but yeah, just really consistency and say that's what I'm doing to work on it.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_02: I'm being consistent, I'm sticking with it, I'm pushing myself in those sessions where I need to, and I'm dialing back in the sessions that are meant to be easy.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_00: On the easy, yeah.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: Corny, you did your first high rocks.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: You got with the coach, learn how to run, not train yourself.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: In this journey, when did high rocks worlds become real?
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_02: Ooh, um, when I qualified for high rocks worlds, I was like so taken back.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_02: I I actually almost missed the deadline.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_02: I was away with my family because we received it.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_02: I competed in uh Vancouver High Rocks in December, and uh that's where I qualified.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_02: And I had went away with my family on vacation right after I get back and I see this email, and I had like less than 12 hours to respond because I had missed it.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_02: And I phoned my husband right away and I'm at work, and I'm like, I qualified for worlds.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_02: He's like, Okay, we're going.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_02: I'm like, just like that, like we're going.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_02: And I was like, any piece of doubt that I had, it was like, nope we're going.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_02: I was like, oh yeah.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_02: And and there it was.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_02: But I think like that moment for sure was like a moment I'll never forget.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_02: Like, just that sunk in.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then I think another moment for me that sticks with me was um, I was at High Rocks Worlds, and I ran into Meg Jacob, who was the former world champion.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_02: She um was competing that weekend uh with her husband, and she just came back from an injury.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_02: And I was I follow her on Instagram, and uh I I went up and said hi and was like a total fangirl.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but but my kids were there, and I was like, Oh, sorry, my kids, and she's like, No, this is great.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_02: She and she looked at me and she said, Congratulations for making it here, and so genuinely just said that.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_02: And I was like, You're right, like yeah, this is that moment.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_02: Like, it doesn't, sure, I'd love to place, I'd love to do well, like I'd I'd love to get a PB, all those things, right?
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_02: But I made it here, and it was just such an aha moment for me that I was like, you're right, like thank you.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_02: I made it to worlds.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, worlds in uh Sweden, an amazing country.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_02: Amazing, yeah, so beautiful.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: I saw a lot of posts that looked uh amazing out there.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_02: It really was, honestly.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_02: And I I probably Stockholm was never on my list to see, but very grateful that I got to see it.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_02: It was absolutely beautiful.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_01: Uh yeah.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: That no, that's what I love about these races.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: They're all over the place.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: Countries you probably never even thought of going.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_02: 100%.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_02: Make a trip out of it, go check out some new places, explore.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_02: It's awesome.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_00: When you're over there, you know, you know you're a high rocks world, you made it.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um what were the nerves like?
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_00: Were you calm, locked in?
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm happy to be here.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: Let's just uh enjoy the moment, or you're like, holy crap, I'm around all these uh pros.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, I tried not to think about it like like I qualified to go to this event, so I'm I'm I've every um potential to be here and to show up just as well as any other athlete does, and so I really tried to like drowned out anything that could sway my mindset.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_02: Um, because obviously I know that people that qualified there, they could have qualified with a better time, they could have, you know, all of these things.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna come be competing against the best.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_02: But you know, I I want to do that and I want to be there, and so I just tried to keep reminding me myself of that, and then like obviously you're nervous.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_02: Like you in the warm-up area, I think, like that's where you know, when you're waiting to kind of go in and you're waiting behind the curtain and they're explaining to you what's going on, you're like, you're looking around and you can tell everyone's nervous, and so I think that makes it feel a bit better.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but the second that I hit that floor, like once that countdown goes on and you hit that floor, it's like it's go time.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_02: Like you're not I'm not thinking, um, uh, not on nerves.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I am focused on what I need to do, and I'm just going, and I'm sticking to my plan.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: So that's how you stick to your plan in the heat of that moment, like you know, yeah, world.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think for me, like when those like when you're standing waiting to go into any race, it's just like bringing that heart rate down, calming down, right?
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_02: Don't let the adrenaline get the best of you, really focus on you.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I'm not someone that needs to jump around or you know, move my body and like fidget around.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_02: I just I just need to breathe and focus and remember like why I'm here, how I got here, um, and just stick to what my intent was of going and racing.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_00: Talking about that, you had a PB there.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_02: I did.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_00: 26 in age group.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: How'd you feel about that?
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_00: What did that tell you?
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, it told me I have 25 more spots to go until I hit first, and I'm not stopping until I get it.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_02: No, I uh it it told me that, you know, like to get a PB at Worlds, I was so excited.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_02: Like it was another one of those moments where I'm just like, I am so proud of myself for doing that.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_02: And like it was a it was a good size PB for me too.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_02: I was pretty stoked about it.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_02: Like um, there's areas too that I walked away after and I analyzed and I was like, okay, you could have pushed here, you could have pushed there.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_02: Like there's there's room, there's movement for future uh times, and so that excited me too.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but I felt really good about it.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_02: I was super happy with my placement.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_02: Um, yeah, and how I how I performed.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_02: It was good.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, body feel good.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_00: You're going through the stations.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_00: At what point did it feel like, damn, I'm at Worlds, this is getting hard.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, did you have a station that I felt that way?
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_02: I I don't think so, to be honest.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_00: Like I love that.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, like I didn't leave, like it was kind of like like I remember thinking after the sled push, like I was like, okay, you know this one's gonna get you, like it's gonna get your legs, um, and you're gonna feel it.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_02: But you're gonna run out 150, 200 meters, and then your legs are gonna be back, and you can just pick up pace again and keep going.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but when I left there, I felt pretty good.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I've always had a struggle with sled pull, um, just how long it takes me, being tired.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but I really worked hard to just get out of the mindset of frustration with the station.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_02: And I was like, no, you're gonna just pull and keep going.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and that was like I ended up, I think, saving a significant amount of time than I did on my last race, which I think was like not long before worlds.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_02: It's like four weeks from my last race race to this race.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so I think it was just keeping that mindset, keeping focus that it was like, you know, I didn't feel awful um at any station where I was like, oh, this is gonna, you know, throw me off.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_02: I just went in and was like, just stay focused.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_02: The runs, I think that's where I'm like, okay, we you can pick up maybe I use those a little bit as recovery, if anything.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so that's where I'd like to see a bit more of a pickup for me.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_00: On the runs, okay.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_02: On the runs, yeah, which is interesting.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_02: Because it's been my strong two.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_02: They're still strong.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_00: 15, 30 seconds here.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_00: What were we talking?
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I would say so.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, okay.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_02: Per per um kilometer.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: What's it like when you cross that finish line?
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_00: You're like wall ball number 99, and you're about to throw the last one up there and walk through that road.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_02: That feels good.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_02: It feels good.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_02: Like I knew my family was behind me.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_02: Um, some people from my gym were behind me.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I could just hear them.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_02: I was like counting down, and I'm like, once we hit 100, I was like out of there.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_02: And uh yeah, I felt so good to cross.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_02: And when I saw the number up on the screen, my finish time, I actually had thought in my head, because I was trying to do, I don't set my watch to the full workout.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so I I had a bit of a concept of where I might land, but I didn't think it was gonna be there.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_02: And uh, and so I when I crossed and I saw the number, I was super, super happy.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_02: Very, very happy.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_00: I felt like there was a secret there.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_00: Wait, so you don't set your watch to the full event.
• 20:58
  unknown: No.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_00: How do you set your watch?
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_02: Um I track the runs.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_02: Um I will only track the runs, um, and I'll just lap my watch.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so I then you don't have to count the number of laps that you're running.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_02: I still end up kind of counting how many laps I'm running.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_02: But um, if I know I'm like under four minutes when I'm getting to that in arch, I'm going in versus keeping going.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_02: So I can just look at the time versus trying to memorize each of the laps.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_02: Um still perfecting what technique works for me, but that's seeming to be a solid one.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_00: No, I like that.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: I asked you that.
• 21:41
  SPEAKER_00: Well, one, because I'm sure people will be interested, but also like I myself find myself usually not setting my watch to like events.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_00: Same thing with running.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_00: I will never like set a pace for half or marathon.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_00: I I don't want to know, I just want to work.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, well, like mentality.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, because like that's something that I've worked on like.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: Throughout my running training as well, like my run coach has been big on like, I want you to know what your paces feel like, exactly.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and just get so comfortable in like okay, what's your threshold pace feel like?
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, what's tempo, what's this, right?
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_02: And it's just you're able to now just understand and still I'm still perfecting what that feels like, and depending on the day, how you're feeling, like all of those things, right?
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_02: And and I'll definitely glance at the pace, but we we all do.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_02: But it is like that is for me, like what's helped me in high rocks is like really being able to feel like okay, what are you what what pace are you dialing in at?
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah and how does it feel?
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_02: Um, because I think too, like when you're in high rocks, like New York was probably different because you might get a better GPS signal, but like most of the time you're not able to kind of track your paces accurately, I find, um, to a T.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_02: And so yeah, it's a bit tricky.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's also true for the outdoor versus indoor.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_00: So what did you learn most at Worlds that you're still probably reflecting on right now?
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um what did I learn most at Worlds?
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_02: I think that just like I it's not gonna be so much the physical, but just to really embrace those moments and like try not to like just be grateful for them, like enjoy every aspect of it.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and you can learn from those around you.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_02: Like that's something I've always known, but like watching the elites race or watching um, you know, the doubles race, or just learning about how people do their splits or whatever it is, just just watching people race was super cool.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then just the experience uh itself, uh just being super grateful, being present.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I think too, like with adrenaline and all the other things around you as you're racing, just to really truly try to be present, realize where you are, and and uh yeah.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: Corny, we talked about running before talking about high rocks, halves and all that stuff.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I kind of said it at the intro.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_00: You recently ran a 39-minute 10K, so you're no slow by any means, granted it's relative, but like, where does running fit into all this?
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, um, running is definitely a passion of mine.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_02: I wouldn't be doing all this, I don't think, if it if it wasn't.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but I spend a lot of time, like I said, it's probably anywhere between, I don't know, 70 to 80, 90 kilometers a week, depending on the week.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um and uh yeah, I love road races too.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_02: I love to just push the limits, see where that uh what next, you know, personal best you can get.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um the 10k was definitely one where I I wanted the sub 40.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_02: Like I wanted it.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_02: I had done another race just prior that was much more hilly and missed it by eight seconds.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_02: And I was like, oh no, no, we've got to find another one.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_02: And so I'll cover another one that was like three weeks later and and got the 3926.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and so I just think like running is such a cool sport.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_02: It's um, you know, you can have like mums out there, you can have you know older uh people, you can have younger people, you can have kids running races, and it's like it's it can be a humbling sport for sure, but um but it is so cool because at any age you can go out there and and uh just give it everything you have.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_02: And I just I find a bit of freedom in running.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_02: I like it.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you do both.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_00: I'm curious to I have to ask you this.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_00: What do you think runners underestimate about high rocks and high rocks people underestimate about running?
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_02: Um I think high rocks people underestimate the endurance aspect of running, like what it takes to sustain paces for a longer distance.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_02: Like a 10k um like a sub 40, like that was like that was mentally physically hard.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_02: Um and I almost find that harder than doing a high rocks.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_02: Um but I think like just underestimating how much running will impact your ability to maybe hit the time you want in high rocks or um and then I think runners, it's the strength side, right?
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_02: Like it's you're doing things you've never done, or there's technique to certain stations.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_02: It's like you haven't worked on them the muscles that you maybe need to to um be able to sustain.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_02: Although you probably you maybe you are, maybe you're strength training and running, which hopefully should be.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_02: Should be to prevent all injuries, most injuries.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_00: Courtney, as an elite uh high rox competitor, how do you keep so you're running?
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, you're running threshold very fast.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: How do you keep the muscle endurance between stations and be able to continuously go at threshold and faster at the same time while keeping muscle endurance throughout the whole race in HIROX?
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_02: That's a tricky, right?
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_02: Like, um, I think strength training and running and um like high rox is is always like it's a hard balance, right?
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_02: To lift heavy and to run fast.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but it's finding the proper ways to train for your body.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I think like if I'm prepping for a race, nutrition is super important, what you're taking before races.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um if you're doing gels, whatever you're doing to keep your energy up, um, hydration, um, that'll always be the one of the biggest factors prior like prior to a race, obviously training for a race.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but um, so I think yeah, like all of it kind of goes hand in hand.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_02: It's uh nutrition would be the biggest thing before a race for me for sure.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_00: High rocks, I gotta ask this one.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_00: I um it feels like strong runners have the advantage right now and probably gonna head that direction in high rocks.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_00: Just an observation, not saying it will.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_02: I I wouldn't disagree with your observations.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_00: Well, my question was do you feel the same?
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_00: And what are you seeing out there?
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_00: Because obviously you're seeing it at the elite level.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, um, I definitely think that uh that runners, if they decide to flip over to high rocks, that if if you're having some really fast times and you're a really strong runner, um you have some strong potential in high rocks.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_02: Like if you can hit your 1Ks at a really decent time, you you'd be doing okay.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, you'd have to work on your technique in the station.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_02: I don't think it's an easy like come out there and just do it.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it does take grit and it takes um training and practice and technique.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so I think all of those things are important, but majority of your hierarchs race is spent running.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_02: So if you have that foundation already, you can you can learn the rest and you'll do well.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_00: What workouts help you the most?
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_00: Uh you share a lot.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I'll I'll admittedly here say I've snipped some recently.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_02: Um I spend a lot of time, like my week is usually like I I strength train every part of my body uh once per week, if not twice.
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then obviously run a lot of kilometers in a week.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but I also do two to three high rock specific um sessions.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um and so like I have I I work out with um one of my friends at uh at BPM, the gym I go to, and um we have like a dedicated session that we kind of focus on all the things that we really that we need to and and push each other.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_02: And I think like that's one of the biggest things that helps me kind of improve is when you have um people that motivate you to push yourself in sessions when you need to go hard in sessions.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um and I think too, like just being in the atmosphere of of good community that helps me.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_02: Like I can go to a class if I want and and just have someone instruct me on on high rocks, which is always fun to do.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and just seeing all the people working hard, like those push me.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um but uh but yeah, I would say some high rock specific, like running with uh the stations, some of those compromise runs and uh and station work, where it's like we're really dialing in on some of the focus areas that that I feel like I need to.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_00: I'm curious now how many sessions are you doing a week?
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_00: I got I I tried to do the math in my head.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_00: There was three uh stream, uh uh one muscle each, like a muscle each day of the week.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_00: Like what's your weekly structure look like to fit all those sessions in?
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_00: Because it's on the more than seven.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_02: It is, yeah.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_02: So we a lot of days are double days, but not every single day.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_02: Um I do try to take a dedicated rest day a week.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I'm not like 20 years old, not sick, nothing against the 20 year olds, but I'm not, I'm not like I need time to recover.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_02: And if you're going so hard in certain sessions, you just need that.
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I don't always take a rest day.
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um, just tell my run coach to plug her ears.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but we'll bleep that part out.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, but I do, I do try to um once a week and just taking that day super easy.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_02: Um but uh but yeah, I'm usually hitting like I would say about maybe 15, 16 hours a week, maybe more.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um I'm a very early riser, so I'm usually up just before five.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I'm in the gym from five till about 7:45.
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so that's either um doing my run or strength training or both.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then um or a high rap session depending on the day.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then at lunch, if I I tend to end up doing speed work um on a track, which I like, um, so I'll do that during the day.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_02: Um usually find like an hour to get that in there.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um and then yeah, I just anywhere I can use my morning, a lunch break, or if I have to go into the evening when the kids are at an activity, I'll drop and and go.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but we're always finding a way to make sure that I can kind of get those sessions in.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, well, I'm curious on two things you said there.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_00: So when you're doing 5 to 745 or you know, on the non-higrox day, because sounded like you're doing a full high rock session that day, are you essentially doing your run and then going right to strength right after?
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_00: And then you go to work?
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_00: And then you go to lunch and you run some more.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_02: If I ran that morning, I will not run at lunch, but I could go and do like an erg session.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_00: Got it.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_02: But it like it would depend on how hard was that run, what was the run.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but usually if it's like an easy run and um strength training, I will have something that's for that day later.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna I'm making a mental note, I'm gonna borrow that.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_00: My schedule is very similar to what you described, and like I know a lot of people are.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, damn, I should be working out.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_00: I have a gym right up the block from work, which is where I go.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_00: I could just go again on lunch.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_00: So I love that.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, wow, 14-15 hours for sure, elite and pro-level training for sure.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um Do you ever feel like the calendar's the real race?
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_00: The real endurance event?
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_02: Honestly, I live by my calendar and it's like a puzzle between like my training, the kids' activities, my husband's stuff, like our personal life and work.
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_02: Like the schedule is like, okay, how do we fit this all in?
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_02: But like I'm a I I'm I like to say I'm a type A person, but I'm I'm relatively like chill with some things.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but I definitely am like a type A when it comes to like making sure we can get everything in.
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_02: And like I very much prioritize my training um over anything like other than if it's gonna interrupt with my kids, that's the only thing that won't like allow me to not.
• 34:56
  unknown: Yeah.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_00: Well, in that case, I won't ask the kids, is for sure not on this list, but we'll get sacrificed.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, I definitely like the personal life kind of got sacrificed a bit, but you know, we find ways to make up for it and other things.
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_02: And honestly, like I have like my personal life is my workout life.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_02: Like a lot of friends that I work out with or go for runs with, or um, you know, just those are the things that we kind of sacrifice for sure, but it's okay.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_00: Things we love, so we're doing what we want anyway.
• 35:29
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 35:29
  SPEAKER_02: I I love training, yeah, for sure.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, okay.
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_00: How are you fueling all this?
• 35:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um you know, we know fueling is important.
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just curious because you're training a lot, obviously.
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_00: And for sure.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_00: Coach Bleep again.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_00: Someday she doesn't take a day off.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_00: How are you feeling all this?
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_00: And recovering.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um I I think it took me a long time to understand the different importance of different foods and how they fuel you.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_02: Um, just because we, I think as women um grow up in a society where, you know, carbs, you shouldn't have breads, pastas, all these things.
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_02: And it's like, well, hold on, you actually really need those.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um and like proteins are gonna help you recover and fuel you and make you stronger.
• 36:15
  SPEAKER_02: And and just like, so I think for me, it it took me a long time to really understand that oh, maybe the reasons you're getting injured, or maybe the reasons that you know you're feeling so fatigued is because you're probably not fueling properly.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_02: And so I like I live by um whole foods are important, like is important to me.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_02: So um I'd like to steer away from a lot of um like just anything that processed or yeah.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but I definitely am making sure that I'm fueling properly before my sessions and I've learned what works for me and what doesn't.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then making sure I have fuel to recover from my session um right after, because that's going to help my recovery.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so I think for me it's just understanding that I'm one, getting enough food, uh especially on those double days, um, because you're gonna need to fuel for the next one and make sure you're prepared.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_02: And then also for the recovery after that, because your load was heavier.
• 37:17
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but it's two, just making sure that uh that you're all get also getting the right things, right?
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_02: Like I I know that I've learned like I can't have certain foods before I go and do an endurance.
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_02: I need to digest properly.
• 37:31
  SPEAKER_02: It's certain types of foods, it's certain things.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so it's just figuring out what works best for you.
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but yeah, I I definitely um enjoy how much I get to eat, and I and I don't think I could ever go back now because I eat a lot.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_02: But um, I also think too, like hydration plays a big factor and um just what you're doing to recover, like sleep, what are you taking uh for supplements or anything else to help you recover?
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_02: All of it factors in.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_00: What mistakes do you think or do you find, you know, I'm sure you have friends that are in the same position, like busy athletes make with fueling, you know, the full-time job that I'm training 14, 15 hours.
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_00: Like what mistakes you probably made some yourself.
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what what mistakes are we making out there for those busy people?
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_02: Um I I think like some of the biggest takeaways for me was like meal prep is like if you're not prepping, you're not prepared.
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_02: Like you're yeah, you're setting yourself up to not have fuel before your session.
• 38:37
  SPEAKER_02: You're setting yourself up to not like just eat well.
• 38:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so for me, that's like I live by it.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_02: I've always meal prepped though, um, like even when I wasn't in training blocks, like I just that's the way I live.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_02: Um and I think like taking time to actually get your body ready for what you're about to do.
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so warming up, mobility, um, those are all things that have been super influential in how I perform and how my body feels throughout training blocks.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_00: Gotta love the meal prep, and I've been back on that, and it's like it's a game changer.
• 39:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's not even the food.
• 39:15
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I I think one thing people they see the meal prep, and it's like, oh, it's hard work, but it's just a like, I'm hungry right now, I can just go in the fridge.
• 39:25
  unknown: Yeah.
• 39:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 39:27
  SPEAKER_00: You know?
• 39:28
  SPEAKER_00: So it just decision fatigue and all that for lack of better word assigned stuff is just a lot easier when you can just go like, well, I can still eat healthy because I got like three pounds of chicken in the fridge or whatever.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_00: Totally and veggies ready and rice ready, you know?
• 39:41
  SPEAKER_01: Oh yeah.
• 39:42
  SPEAKER_00: Otherwise, I'm going to not knock it in.
• 39:44
  SPEAKER_00: We eat fun sometimes, but like I'm gonna go eat some crap that I probably shouldn't eat when I'm trying to like have my diet on point or a race coming up, etc.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_02: Totally.
• 39:54
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and like I'm not perfect 24-7.
• 39:58
  SPEAKER_02: Like I I treat myself, I'll eat, you know, things here and there, like you have to.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_01: You're yeah.
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_02: But uh if I'm getting closer to a race, am I going to?
• 40:08
  SPEAKER_02: Probably not.
• 40:08
  SPEAKER_02: But um, but uh, but yeah, meal prep definitely helps me.
• 40:14
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 40:16
  SPEAKER_00: Corny, we've talked about this a little bit, but full-time job.
• 40:20
  SPEAKER_00: 14-15 hours a week.
• 40:23
  SPEAKER_00: Shout out husband who said yes to Stockholm right away.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, seriously.
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_00: How do you make this all work?
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_02: It's honestly like uh you know, I I thought I was busy after having one kid, then we had two that was just even more busy, then they get older, and then activities come into play, and that's busy.
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_02: So it's just like you just find ways to make it work.
• 40:50
  SPEAKER_02: Um, whether it's the early, early mornings or it's like, hey, tag husband, I need your help.
• 40:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um, like you, you're on the kids because I gotta go train, right?
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_02: And luckily he's very understanding.
• 41:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then too, it's like, you know, I'm I'm very fortunate to have a good career that I am supported and you know, get vacation time, I get, you know, these things, so I can use that where I need, but it is just putting those pieces of the puzzle together about like, okay, how can we make this work?
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_02: Or if I need to lean on some some friends or some family to be like, hey, can you take you know my daughter to this?
• 41:28
  SPEAKER_02: I try not to, but um, but yeah, we all help each other out where we can, and it's it's a priority for me.
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_02: So I just find the more I keep adding, yeah, it stretches me thinner, but it's uh it doesn't feel like I'm worn down by it.
• 41:44
  SPEAKER_02: Uh if anything, it just gets me excited for the more I can do.
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 41:49
  SPEAKER_00: Well you mentioned the family at Worlds.
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what's that like for them?
• 41:53
  SPEAKER_00: They're watching you day in and day out train and train and train, and they get to even see you the outcome, you know, the race.
• 42:00
  SPEAKER_00: Like you you feel us all support, I'm sure, but what is it like them being there for you and what are they thinking seeing you train all the time?
• 42:06
  SPEAKER_00: I I think I saw a video kids were already training for high rocks jokingly.
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_02: Well, funny enough, my daughter, she's like, Yeah, I want to do I want to do the kids high rocks now.
• 42:17
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, um, it's so cool.
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_02: Like, and I hope that when like I can hear their voices when I'm racing and just hear them cheering me on, and and they're cheering on other racers too.
• 42:30
  SPEAKER_02: Like it's just like it's so awesome just to hear their spirit and just how excited they are, and then when I cross to see like just like genuinely how proud they are is so cool.
• 42:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and like I hope they see it that way of like, you know, you you see mom doing all this training and per like preparing and you know, eating healthy and doing all these things, and then this is what it's all for, right?
• 42:55
  SPEAKER_02: These big moments.
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I hope they take that away and have those building blocks for themselves.
• 43:00
  SPEAKER_02: And and I can see for the most part that that they do because I see them in their activities or excelling in their you know, the stuff that they're doing, or being really passionate about it.
• 43:09
  SPEAKER_02: And so that's super awesome, but it's it's very rewarding for sure to be able to have them there and uh just have them cheering for me is is super cool.
• 43:18
  SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.
• 43:19
  SPEAKER_02: Very grateful.
• 43:21
  SPEAKER_00: Do you feel being so organized because you have to?
• 43:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, you do.
• 43:25
  SPEAKER_00: You really do to be that much more present with them, yes, yeah, for sure.
• 43:31
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I think just staying on top of like all the things that are happening um and trying to plan like my workouts and my things outside of the times when they're either awake or when they're at school or um when they're kind of busy doing their thing, it really helps us to have time together.
• 43:51
  SPEAKER_02: And it's nice when we actually get to go and do these trips for HIROX because although there's the focus on the event, and I'm probably a little more.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_02: Stressed leading up to it.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um, they we get to spend some time together.
• 44:05
  SPEAKER_02: We get to go adventure together.
• 44:06
  SPEAKER_02: And so it's just, it's super cool.
• 44:10
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it makes me think when HIROX became serious for you, what conversations had to happen at home?
• 44:15
  SPEAKER_00: You know, because training's going up, trips are going up, planning is going up.
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, we've talked about that.
• 44:23
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we uh, you know, like the training is for sure going up, and I think after worlds it only intensified for me to be like, okay, I really want to start to like dial in more.
• 44:34
  SPEAKER_02: Like, where else can we improve?
• 44:35
  SPEAKER_02: Like, what else do we need to start adding or changing or doing?
• 44:39
  SPEAKER_02: And so, yeah, it has increased for sure.
• 44:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and uh, and and I mean the cost of traveling keeps going, so it's it's all of these factors to go to all the events, but you know, I think like my husband and I have talked about it, and I think after Worlds 2, like he he's expressed, like he's you know, I'm excited for you, and I think, you know, it's I don't I don't see us backing away from it.
• 45:02
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I think he just sees the passion and just being there, like watching the events and just being so proud.
• 45:08
  SPEAKER_02: Like for him, like he's one of my biggest supporters.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and so I think us together, like we'll figure it out, we'll find a way to make it work.
• 45:16
  SPEAKER_02: It's not always gonna make sense where the whole family can come, of course, but uh but where we can make it work, um, we will for sure.
• 45:25
  SPEAKER_02: And like I just want to keep going out and competing.
• 45:28
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, but it is conversations for sure.
• 45:33
  SPEAKER_02: We're having those chats.
• 45:36
  SPEAKER_00: If if you can't tell, and I'm sure someone out there is thinking the same thing.
• 45:39
  SPEAKER_00: I'm asking also for me.
• 45:43
  SPEAKER_02: Well, anything on the West Coast, any events on the West Coast, like I'm I'll be looking at those for uh for sure.
• 45:49
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I'm excited to be.
• 45:51
  SPEAKER_00: When they go east or like inside the country, it's like, okay, wait a minute.
• 45:57
  SPEAKER_00: Corny, one of the things I like about what you post, you reflect a lot.
• 46:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, there's a couple things that one of the things I to quote here, it scares me more not giving my potential uh a chance.
• 46:07
  SPEAKER_00: That's a big line.
• 46:10
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_02: Um I think like for a lot of my life, I've always felt like, you know, you get your corporate job, you get your salary, you get your benefits, you get your pension, you stick with that.
• 46:24
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and you don't go outside the box.
• 46:26
  SPEAKER_02: And so once I once I got that fire of like, like I always knew that I wanted something more, but I was always too afraid to step outside the box.
• 46:35
  SPEAKER_02: And I think once I did it, there was just there's no, there's no going back.
• 46:39
  SPEAKER_02: And so for me, like I just I don't want to leave anything on the table.
• 46:43
  SPEAKER_02: And I think I want to, if I can in any way inspire someone to just step outside their comfort zone, like everyone has potential.
• 46:52
  SPEAKER_02: And I would be so sad if I just had stayed where I was.
• 46:57
  SPEAKER_02: And so for me, it's like it's the scariest thought to know that that I could have just done that and I could have just not said yes and and taken the chance um and bet on myself.
• 47:07
  SPEAKER_02: And so I just very much like it does scare me to think that I maybe wouldn't have known.
• 47:15
  SPEAKER_02: And and I'm not gonna stop now because the potential is endless.
• 47:19
  SPEAKER_02: And it is for anyone that puts effort in on themselves.
• 47:24
  SPEAKER_00: For someone out there like waiting for the perfect moment for that first step, what would you say to that?
• 47:29
  SPEAKER_02: Don't wait.
• 47:31
  SPEAKER_02: Don't wait for the perfect moment.
• 47:33
  SPEAKER_02: I'm like, uh I know exactly what you're feeling and what you're thinking, and I've been there.
• 47:38
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, we want everything to be picture perfect before we do it or plan it out or figure it out, and and a plan's always good for sure.
• 47:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um but if it's if you're always planning, you're never doing.
• 47:50
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I think you just gotta take the chance sometimes.
• 47:55
  SPEAKER_00: For sure.
• 47:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh agree wholeheartedly.
• 47:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, this podcast would not be out without it.
• 48:00
  SPEAKER_00: I wouldn't train the way I do myself, so I could totally relate to that.
• 48:03
  SPEAKER_00: Just go ahead and do it, like fail, win, whatever.
• 48:07
  SPEAKER_00: Keep going.
• 48:07
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 48:08
  unknown: Exactly.
• 48:09
  SPEAKER_02: I think though too, you have to like until you take that chance and like do something that maybe is outside your comfort zone, you're gonna care what people think, you're gonna care what perception is, you're gonna care about all these things.
• 48:22
  SPEAKER_02: And once I went out and did something outside my comfort zone, I I stopped caring what anyone else thought.
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_02: And it became about what I wanted and how I was gonna get it.
• 48:31
  SPEAKER_02: Um, or how I was gonna continue to build and be consistent and put all my energy into what I want.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_02: And that's what's most important to me and my goals.
• 48:42
  SPEAKER_00: It's funny you say that.
• 48:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, there's this like fasto quote I've made in my head that I kind of share often with people.
• 48:48
  SPEAKER_00: It's kind of like the moment you uh get to the point where you don't care is when like confidence like goes through the roof.
• 48:56
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's just it's so liberating and free, you become who you are and like you just don't care.
• 49:01
  SPEAKER_00: Like I'm here better or worse.
• 49:03
  SPEAKER_00: This is me.
• 49:04
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, this is me.
• 49:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for sure.
• 49:07
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 49:09
  SPEAKER_02: It's a pretty cool thing.
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_00: Uh oh yeah, very liberating and very peaceful.
• 49:14
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, very liberating and peaceful.
• 49:16
  SPEAKER_02: For sure.
• 49:17
  SPEAKER_02: I could agree, I couldn't agree more.
• 49:19
  SPEAKER_00: Let's talk BPM.
• 49:20
  SPEAKER_00: What's it like to have such an amazing gym and community to help you train and whatnot?
• 49:26
  SPEAKER_02: I love BPM.
• 49:27
  SPEAKER_02: I love um the gym itself, uh, is just like top notch.
• 49:33
  SPEAKER_02: Um, they're always like getting you new equipment and they've got all the high rock stuff, and it's but the people are are phenomenal and everyone's working so hard there.
• 49:43
  SPEAKER_02: Like everyone just like goes there to push and it's um it's pretty awesome.
• 49:49
  SPEAKER_02: We have um we I was joined by two other people at Worlds from VPM, um, and they are uh they're phenomenal athletes along with anyone else that's at that gym, but um, but they got to come to High Rocks Worlds, they qualified.
• 50:04
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so it was pretty an amazing experience and bonding experience to go with them and and represent the gym, represent Canada.
• 50:11
  SPEAKER_02: Um, just super awesome place.
• 50:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um very grateful that uh I decided to go to the gym and try it out because uh they've given me a lot of opportunity through it.
• 50:22
  SPEAKER_00: So what's that competition like?
• 50:25
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you're training, but you have a few others to your left and your right that are also going to world and just as good past.
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_02: Um I don't think there is competition from from my point of view.
• 50:37
  SPEAKER_02: Like we're all we're different age groups, we're different um people, we all have we have different strong um suits, and uh, but I mean, if anything, it'll push you harder in a workout, which is good.
• 50:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, for sure.
• 50:50
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but um, yeah, I don't I don't really look at it as competition, I just look at it as like that those are my teammates going out there to compete.
• 50:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 51:00
  SPEAKER_00: Corny, after your recent PB high rocks world, where does your mind go next?
• 51:06
  SPEAKER_02: Uh it's we're going to Toronto.
• 51:07
  SPEAKER_02: So it's going to Toronto.
• 51:09
  SPEAKER_02: Uh but I'm really just looking to like fill up my what what does my fall look like?
• 51:14
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, how many races am I ging?
• 51:16
  SPEAKER_02: Um, just especially with the new changes in qualifications.
• 51:20
  SPEAKER_02: How do I qualify for Hong Kong?
• 51:21
  SPEAKER_02: How do I get there?
• 51:23
  SPEAKER_02: Um, that that would be the ultimate goal for me.
• 51:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I have some other ambitious goals that I'd like to see in from a time perspective um in racing and just like where I'd like to see some you know improvements.
• 51:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but I think like I just I want to line up what the fall looks like and then once they put out the spring, kind of see what that looks like as well.
• 51:43
  SPEAKER_02: Because I also don't want to um over race too much either.
• 51:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 51:49
  SPEAKER_00: Does sub 39, 10k seem important?
• 51:53
  SPEAKER_02: Well, it does.
• 51:55
  SPEAKER_02: I do have some road races that I I do want to hit um and I have lined up so for the fall, just more local, um local races, but uh but still very much interested in improving that time.
• 52:07
  SPEAKER_02: You know, when I finished that 10k in in the 39 minutes, I was like, oh, I was pretty close to 38.
• 52:14
  SPEAKER_02: So there's always more.
• 52:16
  SPEAKER_02: Like, yeah, you know, you I I like I said, like, you know, I I there's potential on the table and I'm I want to see it.
• 52:25
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah.
• 52:30
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 52:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 52:34
  SPEAKER_00: What are you still curious about finding out about yourself in this whole journey?
• 52:38
  SPEAKER_02: Um I guess where this all takes me.
• 52:41
  SPEAKER_02: I'm just curious to see um where this all where this all goes, what what comes um what comes next.
• 52:50
  SPEAKER_02: Um and then uh yeah, just just curious.
• 52:54
  SPEAKER_02: But you know, I'm I'm I'm just really excited about where I am right now and and uh and the upcoming races I know I have in the books.
• 53:02
  SPEAKER_02: And so looking forward to those.
• 53:04
  SPEAKER_02: But uh, but yeah, just curious about the future for sure.
• 53:08
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, yeah.
• 53:10
  SPEAKER_00: Hong Kong comes to mind.
• 53:11
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, Hong Kong comes to mind.
• 53:13
  SPEAKER_02: I definitely want to go there.
• 53:14
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 53:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 53:16
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 53:16
  SPEAKER_00: That should be a cool trip for sure.
• 53:18
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, it was just such a cool experience going to Stockholm.
• 53:22
  SPEAKER_02: Like it was they they really high works does a really good job of honoring their athletes that are there to compete and really made you feel special.
• 53:30
  SPEAKER_02: And and so I just it was a cool environment to be in to watch the elites race, to watch everyone else race.
• 53:36
  SPEAKER_02: And I don't know, it's just it was very cool.
• 53:39
  SPEAKER_02: So I would love to go back.
• 53:41
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 53:42
  SPEAKER_00: Courtney, I appreciate you.
• 53:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's been amazing.
• 53:46
  SPEAKER_00: Keep doing what you're doing.
• 53:47
  SPEAKER_00: I I love everything about it, keep training hard.
• 53:49
  SPEAKER_00: As I'm sure you will without me saying it.
• 53:54
  SPEAKER_00: But thank you for coming on the podcast.
• 53:56
  SPEAKER_00: I appreciate you.
• 53:56
  SPEAKER_00: This has been hella fun.
• 53:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, thank you.
• 53:59
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much.
• 54:00
  SPEAKER_02: This was lovely, guys.
• 54:02
  SPEAKER_00: This has been the People Rowan podcast.
• 54:04
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time.