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GOING FOR IT: Olympian Regan Smith On Setting World Records In the Pool & Fueling For Gold · Hurdle with Emily Abbate

0:00
Speaker 1: I'd rather really shoot as high as I can and
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Speaker 1: if I'm miss then dang, I really want for it
0:05
Speaker 1: instead of being too afraid to set a goal in
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Speaker 1: the first place.
0:22
Speaker 2: What is going on Hurdler's Emily A Badi here. You
0:26
Speaker 2: are listening to a special limited series here on Hurdle
0:30
Speaker 2: called Going for It. It's a monumental time for women
0:34
Speaker 2: in sport, as more and more eyes are rightfully paying
0:37
Speaker 2: attention to her in pursuit of what lights her on fire.
0:41
Speaker 2: Leading up to Paris, I'm bringing conversations to the forefront
0:45
Speaker 2: from women who will be involved in this year's Games,
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Speaker 2: from athletes to journalists and even.
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Speaker 3: Your favorite peloton instructor.
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Speaker 2: Kicking things off with a quicker conversation I had the
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Speaker 2: honor of having with Reagan Smith, who may the headlines
1:00
Speaker 2: during the trials in June, which she set a new
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Speaker 2: world record for the one hundred meter backstrode, qualifying for her
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Speaker 2: second Olympic Games. If you love the series this week,
1:11
Speaker 2: including the five back to back episodes, then make sure
1:14
Speaker 2: to share them with a friend, tie the show over
1:17
Speaker 2: on social media, and don't forget to rate and review
1:20
Speaker 2: Hurdle in Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:25
Speaker 2: Of course, hurdles over on social at Hurdle Podcast. I
1:28
Speaker 2: am over at Emily a body and keeping it short
1:31
Speaker 2: and sweet with that, Let's get into it, let's get
1:34
Speaker 2: to hurdle it. Today, I am sitting down with Reagan Smith.
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Speaker 2: She is an Olympic swimmer. How we doing today, Reagan.
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Speaker 1: I'm doing great. I'm so excited to be here. Thank
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Speaker 1: you for having me, Emily.
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Speaker 3: I am geeked to have you here.
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Speaker 2: You're going to be helping me kick off a nice
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Speaker 2: amount of coverage leading up to the big moment in Paris.
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Speaker 2: So I have to start with the question, how are
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Speaker 2: you feeling really right now?
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Speaker 1: I'm feeling pretty good, which I know is a very
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Speaker 1: like vague answer. I feel like everyone gives something like that,
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Speaker 1: but truthfully, I just came off of our nine day
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Speaker 1: Olympic trial's meat and so I was very exhausted for
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Speaker 1: like three or four days. But now we're, gosh, we're
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Speaker 1: like four or five days removed from that now, so
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Speaker 1: I'm starting to like be back on the come up,
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Speaker 1: getting back into the swing of things with training, and
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Speaker 1: I'm just so excited to like get Olympics in full
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Speaker 1: swing and get into that sort of routine. So I
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Speaker 1: just feel like all the anticipation building and I'm really.
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Speaker 2: Excited anticipation building, and this isn't your first rodeo, but
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Speaker 2: it's kind of the first rodeo. I feel like everyone
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Speaker 2: says Tokyo fun times, glad we did it, but this
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Speaker 2: is going to be the real deal.
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Speaker 1: Yes, you're so right. So when I was in Tokyo,
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Speaker 1: all of the other swimming veterans who had been to
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Speaker 1: Rio or to London, they were all like, this is
3:02
Speaker 1: unlike anything I've ever seen in my life, Like, I
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Speaker 1: hope that you qualify for another Olympics, that you can
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Speaker 1: see what it's truly all about, because the Tokyo Games
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Speaker 1: like just isn't everything that the Olympics really actually has
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Speaker 1: to offer. And so you're right, I feel like it
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Speaker 1: kind of will be my first rodeo in a way,
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Speaker 1: because I think things are gonna be totally in full
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Speaker 1: force because it hasn't been a real Games, i'd say,
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Speaker 1: in eight years, so I think people are gonna pull
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Speaker 1: out all the stops and I can't wait to be
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Speaker 1: a part of it.
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Speaker 2: All the stops and there's just so much going on
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Speaker 2: right now for you, first and foremost, the most important
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Speaker 2: thing the new world record, not your first rodeo again.
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Speaker 3: But does it get any different? Does the excitement feel
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Speaker 3: the same.
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Speaker 1: It's very different this time around. Actually. So the first
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Speaker 1: time that I broke a world record, I was seventeen
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Speaker 1: years old and now I'm twenty two, so I'm five
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Speaker 1: years older. I have a lot more experience under my belt,
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Speaker 1: and I'm in a much different stage in my life.
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Speaker 1: And when I was seventeen, I didn't think that I
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Speaker 1: was at that level yet, and so I just felt
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Speaker 1: so much shock and disbelief and I was just like
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Speaker 1: over the moon, like could could not believe it. And
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Speaker 1: now I'm very proud to say that I'm in a
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Speaker 1: place in my life where I'm like, yeah, I am
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Speaker 1: capable of that. So I'm incredibly proud, but it's less
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Speaker 1: shock and like, oh my gosh, I just did that
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Speaker 1: to like, yes, I did that again, Like how amazing
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Speaker 1: is this? So it's a very cool thing to compare
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Speaker 1: the feelings five years apart. But regardless, like I'm still
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Speaker 1: very ecstatic, but handling it in a different way. For sure.
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Speaker 3: Did you feel this one coming?
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Speaker 1: I truthfully didn't. I thought that I could do something
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Speaker 1: pretty special, but I didn't know if it would be
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Speaker 1: in world record time, let alone a world record by
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Speaker 1: two tenths of a second, which is swimming is a
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Speaker 1: considerable margin. And yeah, doing it at Olympic trials as well.
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Speaker 1: So honestly, no, oh, I could not see it coming,
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Speaker 1: but I wanted it. So I'm really glad that the
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Speaker 1: stars aligned and it worked out for me.
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Speaker 3: Of course you wanted it. I love that for you.
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Speaker 2: And is there anything specific that you would attribute these
5:15
Speaker 2: times to or do you feel like it's a perfect
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Speaker 2: storm of training, of recovery, of support of so many things.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, I'd say everything that you mentioned. I think I've
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Speaker 1: just really been on top of my game with training
5:31
Speaker 1: and feeling confident mentally and having great support from my
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Speaker 1: family and my friends and my teammates. And I think
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Speaker 1: I'm under a different coach now than I was five
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Speaker 1: years ago when I broke the world records the last time.
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Speaker 1: Both of those coaches are so incredibly amazing and gifted
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Speaker 1: in their own right, and I think my current coach, Bob,
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Speaker 1: he has instilled so much confidence in me and mental
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Speaker 1: toughness and the training partners that I'm with every day.
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Speaker 1: They're primarily males. I think that has helped my confidence
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Speaker 1: skyrocket as well. It's just a different vibe when you're
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Speaker 1: training with men, and that was something that I didn't
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Speaker 1: have before when I was a kid growing up and
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Speaker 1: when I got those the first time. So for those
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Speaker 1: two factors, my coaches and my training group definitely contributed
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Speaker 1: to my success this time around.
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Speaker 2: Super interesting that note about male training partners. Why do
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Speaker 2: you think that is?
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Speaker 1: It's super interesting. I definitely think it's person dependent, right
6:23
Speaker 1: because I spent a year at Stanford on all women's team,
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Speaker 1: and I think it was a great experience and it
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Speaker 1: taught me a lot. And so many of the girls
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Speaker 1: on the team that was like their bread and butter.
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Speaker 1: That was what they needed, That was the environment that
6:36
Speaker 1: they needed to be surrounded in. But for me, I
6:39
Speaker 1: feel like I can kind of live in my head
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Speaker 1: a little bit, and as an athlete, we know that,
6:46
Speaker 1: you know, the mental side is just as important as
6:48
Speaker 1: the physical side, if not more important. And I think
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Speaker 1: I really needed as a woman to be surrounded by
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Speaker 1: people who kind of just like, I don't want to say,
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Speaker 1: don't care, but are so good at not living between
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Speaker 1: their ears. If you know what I mean. And I
7:07
Speaker 1: don't want to stereotype women because because you know, I'm
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Speaker 1: a woman myself and I have so much female pride
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Speaker 1: and power. But I think it can be easy for
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Speaker 1: us to really get in our heads and overthink things,
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Speaker 1: and I'm so guilty of that, and I've been so
7:21
Speaker 1: guilty of that, and so I think for me personally,
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Speaker 1: being with men and training with men who are just
7:27
Speaker 1: able to dumb the sport down and be like, I'm
7:30
Speaker 1: just gonna go out there and rip, I'm not afraid
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Speaker 1: of anyone. I'm going to see how I can do today,
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Speaker 1: and like, I'm just not going to overthink it. I
7:36
Speaker 1: thought that was like so eye opening. It was like
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Speaker 1: they were speaking a different language, and I was like, wow,
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Speaker 1: I never really realized that it doesn't have to be
7:44
Speaker 1: that deep, and I can simplify it. And I think
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Speaker 1: competing got a lot easier when I started to simplify
7:50
Speaker 1: things and look at them through a logical lens instead
7:52
Speaker 1: of through an emotional lens. So yeah, very interesting take,
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Speaker 1: i'd say, because I freaking love women, but I do
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Speaker 1: think I have learned a lot from my male counterparts
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Speaker 1: in that department, specifically.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, Well, I've listened to you speak before, and you
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Speaker 2: talked about the difficulties that came with the mental side
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Speaker 2: of things and the expectations after you broke that first
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Speaker 2: world record. So now do you feel as though, with
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Speaker 2: these new training partners and perhaps the work that you've
8:21
Speaker 2: done on yourself mentally, that you're able to manage that
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Speaker 2: pressure a little bit differently.
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Speaker 1: Absolutely, that's a great question. Yeah, because ye know when
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Speaker 1: I broke it the first time, I just immediately was like,
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Speaker 1: I'm a world record holder now, like I have an
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Speaker 1: image that I need to obtain. I need to perform
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Speaker 1: at this level all the time, one hundred percent. Like
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Speaker 1: what if I'm not capable of being at that level
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Speaker 1: one hundred percent of the time. Blah blah blah blah
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Speaker 1: blah x y Z. And now I'm like, okay, Like
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Speaker 1: I'm a world record holder. I am always going to
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Speaker 1: be capable of competing at that high of a level.
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Speaker 1: Because I did it once before. What's stopping me from
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Speaker 1: doing that again? Sort of an injury knock on wood,
8:58
Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying, Like that talent doesn't seep
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Speaker 1: out of your body overnight, like it's it's what you're
9:03
Speaker 1: born with, it's what you were given. Like that just
9:05
Speaker 1: doesn't go anywhere, And so I try to look at
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Speaker 1: it logically like that and remind myself like, Okay, just
9:10
Speaker 1: because I did it once doesn't mean it has to
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Speaker 1: follow me like some scary villain behind me. I'd rather
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Speaker 1: use it as ammo, you know, to keep working hard
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Speaker 1: and to give me confidence instead of, you know, kind
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Speaker 1: of making me want to, like, you know, shy away
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Speaker 1: from the pressure that comes with it.
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Speaker 2: To that effect, then knowing that you have this kind
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Speaker 2: of positive mentality in your toolbox, knowing what you're capable of,
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Speaker 2: what else would you say gives you an edge on
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Speaker 2: the competition.
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Speaker 1: I really just think it's it's how far I've come
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Speaker 1: in that department. I think I'm just really really grateful
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Speaker 1: that I truly feel like I have it all in
9:46
Speaker 1: terms of support. I don't mean like, oh, I have
9:48
Speaker 1: it all personally as an athlete. I just mean the
9:51
Speaker 1: people that I'm surrounded with all care about me so much,
9:54
Speaker 1: you know, trainers, coaches, massage therapists, my parents, my friends, family,
10:02
Speaker 1: the like the food for fuel that I'm exposed to.
10:05
Speaker 1: I just feel like Team USA is so incredible. At
10:08
Speaker 1: constantly giving their athletes the best of the best in
10:10
Speaker 1: all departments, and so going into the summer being a
10:13
Speaker 1: part of Team USA, I just feel like I have
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Speaker 1: the possibility and I have everything that I need to
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Speaker 1: perform even better than I did at Trials, just because of,
10:25
Speaker 1: you know, what I'm surrounded by and what I have
10:27
Speaker 1: access to. So I feel incredibly grateful for that.
10:30
Speaker 3: Better than you performed at trials.
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Speaker 2: We're talking about how you lowered your own American record
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Speaker 2: in one hundred meter backstroke to fifty seven forty seven
10:38
Speaker 2: and then set a world record again in fifty seven thirteen.
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Speaker 3: So that's pretty that's a pretty good act to follow up.
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Speaker 1: Absolutely it is. And it's a lofty goal as well, right,
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Speaker 1: But I don't want to shy away from dreaming big anymore.
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Speaker 1: And I used to be afraid of vocalizing my goals
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Speaker 1: and interviews or you know, on social media or things
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Speaker 1: like that because I was terrified to fail and have
11:05
Speaker 1: the public know what I was trying to attain. And
11:09
Speaker 1: now I feel like I am so proud to have
11:12
Speaker 1: these big goals and have these big dreams that I'm
11:15
Speaker 1: chasing after and I want, you know, people to kind
11:18
Speaker 1: of hold me accountable for that and view it as
11:20
Speaker 1: support and not view it as an expectation. And if
11:23
Speaker 1: I fall short, it's like, well, shit, I tried. I'm
11:27
Speaker 1: so proud that I tried, instead of not setting the
11:31
Speaker 1: bar high in the first place, so I'd rather really
11:34
Speaker 1: shoot as high as I can and if I miss,
11:36
Speaker 1: then dang, I really went for it instead of being
11:39
Speaker 1: too afraid to set a goal in the first place.
11:45
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13:24
Speaker 3: Shoot for the moon and then you land upon the stars.
13:27
Speaker 3: Isn't that the saying absolutely Yeah?
13:31
Speaker 2: Well, I also love what you said about the importance
13:33
Speaker 2: of your nutrition, which, especially in an endurance sport like yours,
13:38
Speaker 2: is absolutely critical. Talk to me a little bit about
13:41
Speaker 2: how you make sure that the nutrition that you're putting
13:44
Speaker 2: into your body ensure is that you can perform your best.
13:47
Speaker 1: I value nutrition so much, and it's something that I
13:51
Speaker 1: think I really recently fully began to understand just how
13:55
Speaker 1: important you know, carbohydrates are before training and for recovery
13:59
Speaker 1: after training, and protein consumption and getting enough calories to
14:03
Speaker 1: fuel yourself because we as athletes just go like crazy.
14:07
Speaker 1: And you also want quality ingredients in what you're consuming too,
14:10
Speaker 1: because I try to view my body as a machine, right,
14:13
Speaker 1: and a machine's not gonna run well when you serve
14:16
Speaker 1: it prop So I really really take it seriously, and
14:22
Speaker 1: I try to take it really seriously, not only for myself,
14:25
Speaker 1: but for the people that I take care of in
14:27
Speaker 1: my life too, and for the things that I take
14:28
Speaker 1: care of in my life. And honestly, that's part of
14:31
Speaker 1: why I started feeding my cat rou Nulo, just because
14:35
Speaker 1: it reminded me a lot of what I had started
14:37
Speaker 1: to become passionate about with fueling myself and my cat Roof.
14:41
Speaker 1: She was a sheltered cat and so God knows where
14:44
Speaker 1: she was at or what she was doing before she
14:46
Speaker 1: started living with me and being my friend. So Nullo
14:51
Speaker 1: has made her so unbelievably strong. She's just a little
14:54
Speaker 1: four pound, scrawny cat when I first got her, and
14:57
Speaker 1: I know and now she's like, she's so strong looking,
15:00
Speaker 1: and she's really grown into her body, and her coat's
15:03
Speaker 1: so silky, and she has so much energy, and so
15:06
Speaker 1: I've kind of loved watching her like beyond this come
15:09
Speaker 1: up because I got her in January when I was
15:11
Speaker 1: actually going through a pretty rough patch myself. I contracted
15:14
Speaker 1: MONO in December and so I spent like six weeks
15:17
Speaker 1: just down in the dumps, so unhealthy and sick. And
15:21
Speaker 1: I adopted her at the end of my bat with
15:23
Speaker 1: Mono because I really wanted her to kind of be
15:26
Speaker 1: my emotional support cat, and so it was wonderful for
15:30
Speaker 1: me to kind of be back on the come up,
15:31
Speaker 1: getting healthier, getting stronger again while she was doing the
15:34
Speaker 1: same thing. So it was kind of a special thing
15:36
Speaker 1: for both of us to go through together.
15:39
Speaker 2: But Ohrue, Yeah, what a cutie.
15:43
Speaker 3: That's so sweet.
15:44
Speaker 2: And you mentioned your sponsor at NULO, and I know
15:47
Speaker 2: that they also helped get your high school swim coach,
15:50
Speaker 2: Dan Schneider, the opportunity to watch you compete at the
15:54
Speaker 2: Olympic Trials.
15:54
Speaker 3: What did that mean to you?
15:56
Speaker 1: Yeah, thank you so much for asking about that. So,
15:59
Speaker 1: Dan Schneider, he was my high school swim coach in
16:02
Speaker 1: seventh grade because in Minnesota, you can compete for your
16:04
Speaker 1: high school seventh through twelfth grade instead of starting in
16:07
Speaker 1: ninth grade. I don't know, silly rule, but so yeah,
16:10
Speaker 1: he was my coach when I was twelve years old,
16:11
Speaker 1: so I was just a baby. And he is one
16:14
Speaker 1: of the nicest, most genuine men and coach I've ever
16:20
Speaker 1: had the privilege of being under. And he just loves
16:23
Speaker 1: what he does. And I don't want to butcher how
16:25
Speaker 1: many seasons he's been under Lake Full North, but it's
16:28
Speaker 1: well over thirty and I feel like it was thirty
16:32
Speaker 1: eight or something this year. But regardless, he's been doing
16:34
Speaker 1: this for almost twice as long as I've been alive,
16:37
Speaker 1: and so it's just his passion. He lives, breathes, eat,
16:39
Speaker 1: sleepsis And I knew that this was going to be
16:43
Speaker 1: such a special experience for him and he was just
16:46
Speaker 1: going to be over the moon excited about it because
16:48
Speaker 1: he just loves swimming from the bottom of his heart
16:50
Speaker 1: and so swimming in a football stadium was absolutely unreal.
16:54
Speaker 1: And I just knew that it was going to be
16:57
Speaker 1: such a spectacle for him to go see and he
16:59
Speaker 1: was able to bring his daughter and it was just
17:03
Speaker 1: so amazing because seeing him now, I'm twenty two, so
17:06
Speaker 1: I was coached by him ten years ago, but seeing him.
17:09
Speaker 1: It's like no time had gone by at all, and
17:11
Speaker 1: I kind of felt like a little twelve year old again,
17:13
Speaker 1: but like in the best way, and it was very,
17:16
Speaker 1: very special. It really was in.
17:18
Speaker 3: The best way.
17:19
Speaker 2: How do you get your mind right in a situation
17:22
Speaker 2: like this, I mean, you said, swimming in a football
17:25
Speaker 2: stadium absolutely wild, the lights, the cameras, the pressure, of course,
17:30
Speaker 2: what's on the line. What do you tell yourself before
17:33
Speaker 2: a difficult moment, before you know that all the eyes
17:36
Speaker 2: are on you.
17:38
Speaker 1: Yeah, great question again. And we had like twenty two
17:41
Speaker 1: thousand people in the stands who are watching, and that's
17:43
Speaker 1: not even including you know who is tuning in on
17:45
Speaker 1: NBC to get that coverage. And I'd say in the past,
17:49
Speaker 1: I would have just completely crumbled under that pressure, and
17:52
Speaker 1: I would have been terrified, and I would have had
17:54
Speaker 1: these voices in my head telling me that I'm not
17:56
Speaker 1: good enough, that I'm not gonna achieve. But I want achieve,
17:58
Speaker 1: so what's the point of trying. I was so proud
18:01
Speaker 1: of myself because this time I felt genuine excitement instead
18:05
Speaker 1: of anxiety. And I think those two emotions go very
18:08
Speaker 1: hand in hand in athletics especially, and I always leaned
18:13
Speaker 1: on the anxious side of things instead of excitement and
18:16
Speaker 1: adrenaline and like, let's go get it. I always I
18:19
Speaker 1: was a flight instead of a fight, And so for
18:21
Speaker 1: this time, I was just like, when is the next
18:24
Speaker 1: time that I'm going to be competing in front of
18:25
Speaker 1: twenty two thousand people who are cheering for me? Like
18:29
Speaker 1: I just remember walking out for my first finals race.
18:32
Speaker 1: They announced the names one by one, and so when
18:35
Speaker 1: they announced my name for me to walk out, the
18:37
Speaker 1: crowd got so loud, and that moved me like so much,
18:43
Speaker 1: just the fact that that many people were excited to
18:45
Speaker 1: see me and wanted to see me succeed. It was incredible.
18:50
Speaker 1: And so I said to myself like, okay, like no
18:53
Speaker 1: fear here, Like let's put on a show for these people.
18:55
Speaker 1: Like these people are here to be entertained. How can
18:58
Speaker 1: I entertain them? And I think that made it a
19:00
Speaker 1: lot less scary and a lot more fun. So I
19:02
Speaker 1: was like, these people cheered so loud for me, I
19:04
Speaker 1: want to hear that again. How can I do that?
19:07
Speaker 1: Let's perform to our best abilities. So it ended up
19:09
Speaker 1: being really really fun.
19:10
Speaker 3: Let's give it all we've got.
19:11
Speaker 2: What would you say has changed for you, if anything,
19:15
Speaker 2: since qualifying and setting that next world record, I'm.
19:18
Speaker 1: Very thankful for this. I feel like nothing's changed, which
19:20
Speaker 1: is wonderful because I think five years ago when I
19:23
Speaker 1: did it, it felt like my life changed overnight and
19:25
Speaker 1: I was viewing myself differently. I think people were treating
19:28
Speaker 1: me differently. I gained a lot of social media follovers,
19:31
Speaker 1: which then became really important to me, and I think
19:34
Speaker 1: that ended up being really bad long term. And so
19:37
Speaker 1: now I think I'm very glad to say that my
19:39
Speaker 1: life still feels the same, and I think that is
19:41
Speaker 1: the key to being consistent and continuing the path of
19:44
Speaker 1: success that I'm on.
19:46
Speaker 2: Can you talk a little bit more about that sentiment
19:48
Speaker 2: that social media became very important to you.
19:51
Speaker 1: I became really invested and I started to seek validation
19:57
Speaker 1: over social media. For sure. It was like I I
20:00
Speaker 1: posted something and it didn't get enough engagement or didn't
20:02
Speaker 1: get a lot of likes or comments or saves or whatever,
20:04
Speaker 1: or if I lost followers after posting something, it affected
20:08
Speaker 1: me so much, and as an eighteen year old, like
20:11
Speaker 1: that's I feel like when you're at your most vulnerable,
20:13
Speaker 1: when you're a teenager, like entering adulthood and so it
20:15
Speaker 1: would take my self esteem like crazy. And so i'd
20:19
Speaker 1: say during COVID, I learned, like dude, social media is
20:22
Speaker 1: a highlight reel. I know everyone says that, but it's true.
20:25
Speaker 1: It's a cliche that it's true, and it's important to
20:28
Speaker 1: like get your messages out there, share what's important to you,
20:31
Speaker 1: share things about your life, your story, share sponsored content,
20:34
Speaker 1: things like that. But I don't want it to be
20:36
Speaker 1: anything more than that. I just don't want to give
20:38
Speaker 1: it any more value than it deserves because I just
20:40
Speaker 1: think that really reflects negatively on my self esteem. So
20:43
Speaker 1: I love Instagram and TikTok. I'm not on Twitter because
20:47
Speaker 1: I think that's the most toxic gap in my opinion.
20:49
Speaker 1: But yeah, I love using those things to share my story,
20:52
Speaker 1: but I don't want to seek validation from it like
20:55
Speaker 1: I once did.
20:56
Speaker 3: You're smart.
20:56
Speaker 2: I mean, I am not twenty two, But I think
21:00
Speaker 2: about how I would have navigated having social media around
21:04
Speaker 2: at twenty two, and I can't even imagine what that
21:08
Speaker 2: would have done for my self esteem. So to have
21:10
Speaker 2: that know how to understand what works for you at
21:13
Speaker 2: this point, I think that's pretty pretty admirable. Now, A
21:17
Speaker 2: quick transition here to ask you about if you had
21:20
Speaker 2: to choose one other Olympian, whether it's in the pool
21:23
Speaker 2: or out of the pool, it can be in any
21:25
Speaker 2: other sport.
21:26
Speaker 3: Who would you say you've idolized the most?
21:29
Speaker 1: Simone Biles, I'd say absolutely ever since twenty sixteen. I
21:34
Speaker 1: was fourteen years old watching the Olympics that summer, and
21:36
Speaker 1: I was so enamored by her. So I was like
21:40
Speaker 1: glued to my TV every time that she was on.
21:42
Speaker 1: I had to watch. I had not what she was
21:44
Speaker 1: up to. I loved looking at her social medias all
21:46
Speaker 1: the time, you know, seeing her amazing life and what
21:49
Speaker 1: she was getting to do, the thinks that she was accomplishing.
21:51
Speaker 1: So I adored her and I still do. But that
21:55
Speaker 1: relationship has changed because I've grown up a lot, so
21:57
Speaker 1: I look at her in a different lens now than
21:59
Speaker 1: I used to. I think as fourteen year old, it
22:01
Speaker 1: was like idolizing, and now I'd say it's just a
22:03
Speaker 1: very healthy respect that I have for her, especially after
22:06
Speaker 1: seeing what she did for athletes and mental health at
22:09
Speaker 1: the Tokyo Games, after what she went through and being
22:11
Speaker 1: so vocal about it and not being afraid to speak
22:13
Speaker 1: about it. When she was facing so many negative things
22:17
Speaker 1: and backlash from the media and from her country, which
22:20
Speaker 1: I thought was terrible. So I'd say so on for sure.
22:23
Speaker 2: Okay, Simone Biles, do you have a favorite go to
22:26
Speaker 2: pump up song?
22:28
Speaker 3: Oh?
22:28
Speaker 1: I used to not be a very big music person
22:31
Speaker 1: before racing. I don't know why. I just wasn't really
22:35
Speaker 1: into it. But I really recently tried to use songs
22:39
Speaker 1: to like pump me up because it can really hype
22:41
Speaker 1: you up and spike your adrenaline and prepare you to
22:43
Speaker 1: race fast. So I made a playlist right before trials
22:47
Speaker 1: and I have like Cardi b Meghani, Stallion, Flo, Millie, Amine,
22:52
Speaker 1: The Baby, Lil Wayne, twenty one Savage. I have Hannah
22:55
Speaker 1: Montana on there too.
22:57
Speaker 2: I mean, I don't know a high playlist without Hannah
22:59
Speaker 2: Montana exactly.
23:01
Speaker 1: So I love that. I listened to it before almost
23:03
Speaker 1: all of my races and it got me ready.
23:05
Speaker 3: So it was I love that. I love that.
23:08
Speaker 2: And if you had to use one word to summarize
23:11
Speaker 2: this training block, where would you go with that?
23:14
Speaker 1: Oh? Gosh, difficult for sure, because we're in the home
23:18
Speaker 1: stretch now. We already we tapered, rested once for Olympic trials,
23:22
Speaker 1: and now it's like we're in this last like four
23:25
Speaker 1: week push before the Olympics begin, and I'm so antsy
23:29
Speaker 1: and excited for the games to start. I just want
23:31
Speaker 1: to get there. And so it kind of makes each
23:34
Speaker 1: and every practice just kind of a bear to get
23:36
Speaker 1: through because it's hard right now, like we're amping things
23:38
Speaker 1: way back up in intensity and volume, and so I
23:41
Speaker 1: got my butt kicked in the pool today at practice,
23:44
Speaker 1: and I'm sure I will tomorrow, and it's just it's
23:46
Speaker 1: mentally difficult. But I'm really just trying to remember what
23:49
Speaker 1: I'm doing it for and it's all going to be
23:50
Speaker 1: very worth it when we get to Paris.
23:52
Speaker 2: How does Reagan Smith give back to herself outside of
23:55
Speaker 2: the pool.
23:56
Speaker 1: I love reading for pleasure. I love binging Netflix series.
24:01
Speaker 1: I just I'm halfway through the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders docuseries
24:05
Speaker 1: and it's so good. But I love reading as well.
24:08
Speaker 1: I'm in a book club with my sister and my
24:10
Speaker 1: stepsister and the book this month is called I'm the
24:13
Speaker 1: Messenger by Marcus. I don't want to butcher his last name,
24:16
Speaker 1: but he wrote the book Thief, and my stepsister picked
24:18
Speaker 1: that book, so I've been relaxing outside, actually reading that
24:22
Speaker 1: book when I'm not swimming. I love being outside too,
24:24
Speaker 1: so I'll just hang out there. I'll listen to music too.
24:26
Speaker 1: I love napping. I love hanging out with Rue. I'm
24:31
Speaker 1: in a hotel room right now, so I'm not with
24:32
Speaker 1: her and I missed her so much. But my dad
24:34
Speaker 1: has been sending me lots of content of her, so
24:36
Speaker 1: I'm getting my fix when i can. But yeah, I
24:39
Speaker 1: keep things very simple.
24:40
Speaker 2: There is nothing like pet content to uplift your mood
24:43
Speaker 2: at the end of a hard dime.
24:44
Speaker 1: Absolutely, she gets me through anything.
24:47
Speaker 3: Yeah, difficult is understandable.
24:50
Speaker 2: But clearly difficult has been something that you're thriving in,
24:55
Speaker 2: even though that doesn't mean that it doesn't have its
24:57
Speaker 2: tough moments.
24:59
Speaker 1: Yes, and I think nothing worth doing is easy. I
25:04
Speaker 1: welcome this difficult time with open arms.
25:06
Speaker 2: Well, I'm so excited that we had the chance to
25:09
Speaker 2: chat today, even if it was just a little bit.
25:12
Speaker 3: I am amped to root you on in Paris.
25:15
Speaker 2: I will be there while you're competing, so I'm hoping
25:18
Speaker 2: to get in and check that out. But for those
25:20
Speaker 2: that don't follow along with you, just yet, give me
25:23
Speaker 2: your info. How do they keep up with you on Instagram,
25:26
Speaker 2: on the socials let us know.
25:28
Speaker 1: Yeah. So you can find me at Reagan Smith four
25:31
Speaker 1: on Instagram and Reagan Smith forty on.
25:34
Speaker 3: TikTok, Reagan Smith four and Reagan Smith forty.
25:37
Speaker 2: I'm over at Emily a Body and at Hurdle Podcast
25:39
Speaker 2: Another Hurdle Conquered.
25:41
Speaker 3: Catch you guys next time.