11 | Do What You Love with Stacey Shand
Written By Harrison King
Season 1: Let’s Talk About Life with Harrison King
Let Your Passion Drive Your Life
With Guest Stacey Shand
powered by Sounder
How far can you push yourself?
You probably know your limits. We all do. At least we think we do. As a human, you are able to accomplish greater things than you could ever imagine. Physically, mentally, and spiritually you are capable of far more than you think. Pushing yourself past your boundaries (or what you think are your boundaries) is crucial to growing and learning about yourself. It is there, that you start to discover your inner wisdom, purpose, and alignment. In Episode 11 of the Let’s Talk About Life podcast, Harrison and Stacey Shand discussed pushing your limits and striving to do what you love.
About Stacey Shand
Stacey is an ultra-endurance athlete with a love for adventure. She has completed the Route of Fire volcano running event in Costa Rica, Rock & Ice Ultra in the Canadian Arctic, Sahara Desert, and Badwater 135 Ultra Marathon in Death Valley. Through her adventures, she has learned to control her body, and mind and is now also an endurance coach and motivational speaker.
“Spend lots of time with yourself in uncomfortable situations”
Topics discussed in this episode:
Got into running, swimming, biking; found a “rhythm” that inspired her to explore long and extreme events
Route of Fire volcano running event in Costa Rica, Rock & Ice Ultra in the Canadian Arctic, Sahara Desert, Badwater 135 Ultra Marathon in Death Valley
Finding a rhythm and state of flow
Setting a goal, keeping a journal of what works
Meditative state, practicing mindfulness
Mentally pushing yourself beyond what you think you can do
“Ultrarunning events are 90% mental, and the other 10% is in your head”
Training your brain to build confidence in your skills and your body
You get to know yourself so well
Constant problem solving
How to find your alignment
Acknowledge what makes you happy and at peace
Don’t put limits on yourself
Explore different streams and see what works
Try to explore the road less travelled
Prioritize your happy
Improves all areas of your life
Take opportunities
Spend time going deep with yourself
But don’t be afraid to ask for help
How to take care of your body
Do things that strengthen and make your body feel better, not injure
Recovery is key
Constantly find things to do, challenges to set
Transcript:
I think the more more time people can spend in their own head and just going to those uncomfortable places, the more they learn about themselves and and what is going to give the more alignment in life you're now listening to the let's talk about life, podcast brought to you by don't settle with your host Harson King. What's up everybody welcome back to the let's talk about life podcast my nameis Harrison King and got a special guest here today. Someone who I was just chatting with here, but we've never actually officially met. This is our first meeting, so we were getting it overcourted on camera, on with the Audio and I'll. Let her introduce herself stacy go ahead. Yes, so my name is Stacy Shand. I am Brom and live INESKATCUA, but I also spent some time in Briish Columbia for training purposes, and so in terms of training. How I like to spend my free time is completing sort of the extreme endurance events and challenges that I set up for myself. Sometimes the racis sometimes not and yeah, that's sort of it's a bit about me and why here yeah? So so I again haven't we haven't really shat it, but I've heard about these crazy things that you're have to, and I think it's I think it's phenomenal. Would you would you mind listing or getting into a couple of t e things you've done, because I heard something about something in a desert. Is this? Is this true, do you do some in the desert or you want to talk awit that for tin? Yes, so basically any of the extremes is is where you can. You could kind of guess is where I ended up so training into scat ton. I got into running and sort of from there lots morthas gone to mady like swimming and biking, and then I just got into doing long long events, inright of those sports and so then yeah. Basically, as I progress, I found that I just hit this like rhythm. When I was over an hour into anything I was doing so. If I went for a run, I was like running for, like Fivk, I usually be miserable hat entired really, but as soon as I got into like over an hour that I just found this rhythm that I felt like I could stay in forever and then that made me explore growing from there asig. Okay, if I can, how long can I actually stay in that rhythm for him? So then, my of course coming from SISCATTU, and I wanted to see how I could do in like extremely hot races. So I went to Costarica and I did a race called the rod of fire and every s an ulta marathon that was over it's like a stage ray so each day you do a race. How many days les that one was six days. I will lieave in every day included a volcano, so it was extreme and it was during Canadian winter. So it was like minus forty, an suscaduine, and it was like plus thirty seven in Costrigo when I went to Greci. So I was like these extremes and then I went the next race I did after that was in the Arctic. So I went out past the Arctic Circle and did a race up there. So once again I got those different extremes and then from there I was encouraged because running in snow is kind of like running through sand right and I heard about this race that takes place across the Sahara desert and you you have to run with all of your equipment to survive for seven days. So all of your food cooking equipment. Everything is on your back as you are running across this, so that must be like fifty pounds. Oh well, you really like honestly, comes down to like having a spreadsheet, where you wait. Every single thing, so youe gotta have nothing with you and your minimum. I think the cutoff is eighteen or fifteen or eighteen pounds, because they don't want people reting themselves in danger right, so wou have to have a minimum, but I think mine was like nineteen or twenty pounds. That's a lot of us lot of weight, though right yeah yeah. After that long and every day, you're just every time, you eat a meal, yeah you're, so happy to take SOS good, lighter because you're like yes, I'v used it I've USD something out of my pack. So I've done that and then sort of a Bab race that I was really aiming to get into. It's called the bad water ultomarathon and it is in death valley and it isolled, on the anniversary of the hottest day ever recorded on earth, which was in death valley, and so not only is it insanely hot temperatures. So when I raised it was like fifty six degrees Celsius. So Oh my Gosh inreal temperatures, but you start in the on the lowest part of the United States, which was like three hundred feet below sea level and the race ends at the highest point in the lower continental United States, which is mout witme. So you have this heat, but you also have this insane elevation gain and this race there's been so many documentaries on it, because there's people basically are running in, like almost like white suits, to protect their skin righ but they're running on the white line of the pavement, because your shoes melt on the Black Ashfalt Ohso, you actually have to run onlike the pin because your shoes will last longer and so that race was, I think I was the like tenth Canadian to ever take part in that race. It's really hard to get into, and you basically submit like a like a massive like resume of all the races and Events and challenges you've done to get into this race, but every single race there's something different about it. There's different challenges. It makes me test my limits in ways that I hadn't tested before for sure, and so there's so much learning. One of the hardest questions I ever get is like what you know: What's your favorite race, when Ab you just can't compare it, wel they're, also different yeah for sure all so different yeah yeah was really its really interesting. The first thing you said is a little while ago, but you were saying about you were kind of starting this. You were running, he said arrigt doing anything after Nike an hour you're talking like physical activity right, I wul assume, I'm wondering you know people talk about being in a like a flowstate or state of flow, whatever they call it was that. Would you say that that's what happens like once you're? You know you've reached that kind of hour point! Well. What do you think s the difference like what changes? At that point? I don't so what I'm? What I'm assuming from sort of a physiological aspect, is that my lungs and part and muscles have just found a nice like media that they're, like they're, not shocked from what just happened they get into this sort of like rhythm, where they're like okay. This is what's happening and we are going to keep doing this easier to keep going them. Stopin right, exactly don't push too much further than this Tay at this nice, like rhythm, an we can keep roing like. I have just found that where- and it was training for my first marathon- that I found that, like that piece and when I got to say about the three hour mark or so many people were hitting the wall, like you always hear people say you hit the wall. I was like. Oh I'm good like why I keep going like this. I good, and how do you I mean? How do you find that, because he's saying, like you were miserable doing, reght like even I mean obviously you're an exception, but when I hear from most people nobody likes running wheaever. He does it because it's good for you, but you know if you you'e like well, I'm going to run for forty FIV minutes and that's it I'm just saying like as another person or even myself. What caused you to start like going past that you went to like an hour and then you would start to realize like what would have happened. I guess if you never experienced that I know I wonder like I wouldn't have seen the world like, I hade seen it T. I didn't push past that that Nelimet right, you know, I think part of it- was that I had set a goal. I HADE SET AF goal or Giin like my first marathon, and it was like okay one signed up for this and I'm committed to doing this right. I'm going to see it, but then I quickly started to acknowledge how yeah, like anything up to Tenk. I, those were my least favorite runs, and I you know I think, keeping like keeping a journal like, as I was training I think, was really important because I was able to reflect on that. My surther runs were the ones that weren't feeling very good, and it was my longer runs that I was able to find that rhythm and just find a yeah nice like Yeah Nice brothem. I can stay in for a while right, someon ID like to talk about, because I the first thing that comes to mind when you talk about these extreme, you know things pushing yourself both mentally and physically, beyond what you think you can do. Obviously, you can because you've done it right, but but most people and I think anybody you know we get to a point where e're just like that's it right like I can't do anymore and even like I mean even me running, I'm not an avid runner, but when I go, I'm like Oh, I can't do anymore and then you go. However, many more kilometers right, especially what comes to mind, is the one in the heat like ridiculous. The Death Valley Right, like I just recently saw a video and the guys were just trying to like spend some time in there and it's just ridiculously hot, I'm like how are you doing exercise so the question is, after all of that you. How do you deal with that mentally, pushing yourself past that or or if you feel like you physically, are just done? How do you deal with that? Okay? Well, there is this really great quote. I don't know who said it, but it's like it's famous in the altera running community and it's that, like altera events are ninety percent mental yeah and the other ten percent is in your head. Wow. That's good, though yeah right, it's likeand, so so it's true like there of course, there's the physical aspect and training for something like that death Valle race was was a lot of specific training like I trained Insu Gadwen and throughout, like starting in February. I was training for that race from February to July, like rary focus training in the middle of suscattoin winter, and but if you really think about it, there is nothing. That's going to really prepare you very much for those conditions in a scattoing, but I believe you are training your brain, so much for just building confidence. Yeah in your skills, in your ability in your body that you just get to know yourself so well. I've tried to explain that to people like because I didn't before I was like I didn't start running ittil. I was nty five. I was not physically active at all until I was in twenty five. So I have this, like you know, line in the sand that I could basically Joi and say that before I aftered- and I like you, know it's kind of taboo to say during Covid, but if I was ever feeling a cold coming on like like, I knew things like so quickly because I just know myself inside and out, I'm like when I'm running an ultra, I'm constantly doing this mental check list yeah. So if it's very rare, where you talked about something physical happening that could, like you know, be drastic, you you're just so aware of it before it even becomes a thing right, because e care of I corons exactly, and it's actually something they say all the time with that race in particular, because you're so isolated from getting help Samg with Thesahara you're, so isolated from getting help is like you need to stay on top of anything physical and just constantly be like be checking in with everything in your body and coming up with like and that's another reason I love these challenges is like you're constantly problem solving. It's like okay. I feel this. What can I do to make sure this doesn't become something Ri to stop this and the whole mental thing you said t that quote is I think it's awesome, because it's a big thing that I I try to think about or focus on. Is You know you can what you can do whatever you want right, like with your mind, you can, you can quite literally do whatever you want and people say it all the time and you hear it and you'r like. Oh whatever you know you can do anything you but in mind to, but you know, go literally. You can- and I mean your proof of that, that you can, like you, know anybody and I'm sure I'll, let you say, but you probably just consider yourself just an average person that, like you're no different than anybody else right, except that you've now completed these things, and you can talk about it but yeah and how have a you like noticed that any of this stuff that you're you know working on when you're doing the RACIS, how it's affected your just day to day life yeah. I mean another good example of just something that a moment that really put things into perspective from me when I was coming back from that race in Costa, Riga, yeah and you like every leaf you stepped on. As you were running, you had to be so careful because there are so many poisonous snakes. Oh, that was like a huge concern right and then you were. You were camping like under these volcanoes. Like I remember, one night like the sky was so bright red because the with the lava was shining onto the clouds in the sky wow and it was spewing rocks like it was actually spewing rocks out of onkaas. You hear these rocks like rickchaing off of trees or n, the hillside that you were like camping on the side of yeah and everything was just like if, even if you get a scratch, your body after so many days is focusing so much on just recovering your major muscles and your lungs and your heart that, like your scratches, won't heal, you have to be really careful of infections, so it's intense in so many ways. I had this amazing like experience where it's like this is life altering. I can't see life the same way and honestly. I feel like that. Every time I do a race, I'm like or a challenge, that's been. That's! I push my limits. I'm like I can't see life the same way. It's going to be different yeah. I was flying home and I got a text for Ma coworker and her comment was something like. Oh, like you know, aren't you excited to come back to real life? You know all the emails, all the students, all the Bahblah Blah yeah, and it just made me step back. I remember the moment in the air in the airport. I was just like no O, no O. No. This was real life like what I just was real life like how I was focused on was staying alive like all I was focused on was like what is my heart rate. What's my breathing breaker like how are my muscles, like making sure I was recovering fully each night so that I could push it again the next day, and I thought like that, was the most real life I've ever felt at that at that time, in my life and this office, like going back to my computer and checking emails, and like all of these things, that was that's what I do to fill my time. You know yeah like and to keep ourselves busy as humans, but like that did not feel like. That does not feel like real life in comparison to actually trying to stay alive through the jungle. Wow. That's a yeah, that's one of the most. I have to be honest. One of the s credible things. I've heard from I've been trying to have these kind of conversations at people for for quite a while, because well two things. It really sounds like when you're saying you're, runngthrough, the desert and you'R, or you know, running and you're worried about what you're stepping on and what's happening with your body you're coming completely focused on mindfulness right. It's like it's a meditative state and ao saying the entire thing. It sounds like to me right, you're, so aware and you're just practicing, which most people wouldn't say. You know when you're meditating, it's you're sitting down it's quiet and whatever I mean you're. Obviously, it's hectic you're running youre, whatever everything's happening in the wilderness and but youryou're I would assume. Would you say that you're, like your mind, is at peace like you're calm, as probably as calm as you can be, and hoestly it's the it's the happiest to like people who have like that one raise in death valley. You have crew, you have a crew that basically, is your lifeline because they need to go Gan help if you need it, righ all the rest of them, you're very by yourself, right and and those people like saw me throughout those forty eight hours and they were like, like you are the happiest like I I am like there's moments that are obviously tough and can be stressful, yeah Bu, I'm just in this place of, like just being so in touch with everything that I am right, my right, its pretty cool. I was just talking with somebody about about this and finding alignment right is what you call that when Yoyou're I mean I like fully aline with your purpose right like that's, that's what you want to be said: real life like that's office, whatever doesn't really matter, and it's obviously different for a body right but yea, but for you, that's the thing and being fully able to be in that for such a long period of time. Because of the thing like you say, six days, obviously is not the entire six days, but for majority of that you're you're fully in it right how I mean, I don't think you had the answer, but I'm going to ask anyway. How do you think other people that that are finding that they don't have that sense of real life going to quote real life and what is is what they want and they're aligned? How can you start to find that? That's a really good question I mean I mean like part of it is just is acknowledging what is making you like happy? Where do you find some pieace? Where do you find that, like you're, getting close to something that is, that is aligning you right, and I know that's tough because it could be. It could be anything, but I think it's once again: it's not putting limits on yourself like I never like to be tagged, as you know, as an athlete even right because then usually means I have to do everything in races, but it's like I can create my own challenge and still get the same. I don't need a metal at the end or Ajity, I you know, and so I think for for people. I think it's so easy that we get caught up in in that sort of that rat race of like of emails, and this is exactly like these. You know you have a house by this age and you have this much an or sp a o have, like all of these things and people think they're going to find happiness in those things without really exploring outside of the off the trail right. And so it's like the road lass taken. I've always loved. You know, love that poem, and I always think about that, like you know, just being able to constantly kind of take different streams and see like see if they work, and so many of the things that I've I'm I'll pause for a second go back to one thing. So when I was in some type of professional development event at work, they did one of those tests wherethe. You did answered all these quessions and it came up with ior like colors, with linke to your personality, and so many people thought that, because of what I I like doing extreme events, that I was a risk taker and risktaker was like you had the red red color was a risktaper yeah and instead I was the strategic like strategic, like thinker. That was my those were my traits and I was like Yes for sure I yea. So I was constantly like looking at what I was doing in life and being like. Okay, if I do this, what really is the risk, because I'm not a big risktaker like if I, if I try this and I don't like it- I'm not stuck there- I could always come back and home is always going to be there and all of these other things are going to be there, and so you know like that's where I try and really think of like trying to always yeah take the Roadlus. You Know Lor or less traveled and give her ha try, because you're not going to be stuck on that road. That other road is always there. You can always come back to it, but you're never going to find what really makes you happy if you keep doing things that make you unhappy, yeah right, right, yeah, yeah and it's less of you're, saying being a risk taker the way you're describing it it's more of just like be more of an explorer to see the other things and, and it's not really a risk. It's not like you're, just stuck withthat that thing that you're, you know, yea quit on quote, taking a risk for right exactly, but so many people are. You know it's it's scary, to move right like thes, move to a different city or move to a different province. If that even that action holds a lot of people back right yeah, you know people love the idea of like traveling, but there's a lot of things that take priority for people over traveling and it's like well you. If these things make you happy, you have to start prioritizing happy right at some point. You have to start prioritizing that and- and I think I could see people like in my daily life when I was going on these races- they were like well, you know, but you could be building in your career right now and you could be doing this right now and you could be doing this right now, I'm like yes, I could, but that's not those things, aren't making me happy right now and I don't feel like I'm growing as much of a person in those things like they're, not allowing me that space to grow yeah and the thing that comes up with with stuff. Like that hand, people say you know, focus what your ha like, what makes your happy and as like? Well, it's not going to bring me money, or you know at that kind of stuff. Has that ever been the focus of what you're doing or it's been. I want to do this because I like it and the question is if you're comfortable t sharing, if it has happened, as as any of that monetary value actually come back to you through sponsors or whatever have you gotten that through it through just focusing on being happy and thethe? Rest comes right, yeah, so in reality, like I the best I mean, I've always been employed. I've always loved my job and leved my work, but I feel like I am a better employee and I've, a better family member and I'm a better everything in my life when I've had these these challenges and these events I come back being just a stronger person. Well, I feel, like I probably would have croubled more. If I wasn't, I didn't have those outlets yeah right, it's like they're, so therapeutic they're, so therapeutic, but in terms of it's really hard in extreme alterng events, because teyre so small, like it's a very limited amount of the population that does them. The races are small that they're not as high profile, so it's very hard to get sponsorship right. I basically used like that was my travel. Like I didn't take trips, where I didn't do a race Wer, I didn't do it: okay, every every every trip I did was to do a race. So it's basically how I traveled and how I spent my weekends was. You know like yeah. The summer is like every weekend, I'm going somewhere to to rase or to do any ment or to you know, hike them outain or whatever right. But then, because it's such a small circle, we all really get to know each other, and there are opportunities in that like, for example, I got China was putting on their very first alter marathon and there was a race director who I had done, one of his races and that he was helping China organize this first altarmarathon and they wanted a representative from each country to come and do their first race. So I got like selected for that and my entire trip was paid for and then they were like. Well, you tell us when you, when you want your plane to get dates and will make it work, sthen fun, I'm going all the way to China and it's being paid for by that one else and Li I'm not going to just stay for the racand go home. So I brought a backpack and I back backed around China for a month and just took advantage of the opportunity like so much of it is in my mind is like. Is that just taking advantage of the opportunity yeah I ever needed to go home? There's planes you know like, and it was awesome. It was an amazing experience. Yeah and it's just like you said putting the focus on on what you want to do. Things come out of it and it doesn't matter and- and I really like, like you're one of the people- that perfectly exemplifies like just doing what you want, because you really want to do it and not worrying about what happens or the WHATF or the butts or whatever. You know what I mean and obviously what other people think and, like you said, you're oing there fora month. If something happens in to come home, Ya come home and and it's something that I think a lot of people struggle with- and I can I can talk to this because I plan a lot where it's like. I want to figure out everything that's happening. So if I was going to China for a month less so now, but you know little while ago would have been like okay, here's what I'm doing his wron staing is what happened and and and it sounds like you're just like I'll, just go and well well figure out still like, I would still have a complete itenerary. I would do I'm such a researcher. I would do like massive research planning all of the country and okay, okay, do it and like where I'm going to see it, but I am like when I travel anyone that knows me says I travel like I'm like it's an altar race in itself. I'm like, I need to see everything and I'm going to go here for exactly like one point five days and then I'm going to take like this mode of transportation and then I'm going to bu o his place. Okay, this, like I totally take advantage of it, but it's I'm not someone who just shows up in like any city and goes with the flow and that planner when it comes to Thatgt Ogat in terms of opportunity, I won't like. I won't pass up opportunity. I guess that's more so what I was meaning right. Yeah like like you're Goinna, not worry about something or like just see what happens, give it a go at least give it a shot. Yeah and- and you can- I mean you're- not you're, not you're, not living with any regrets. To that extent less. So I guess I'm sure everybody has tsome, but what's the what's the most I mean you kind of talked about one but like incredible moment or something realization or whatever epiphany or something. That's happened on these races because you've done so many and been through so many things that that comes to mind. Yeah there has been there's been a lot like, like I said so many everyone I say like is going. No, it changes my perspective on life, but one that was very like timely was, as I mentioned, almost everything. One of these are very solo, they're very individual, and I think that's what forces forces me and maybe that partly answers the previous. The other question about how does someone find these moments of alignment? Is? It was epic amounts of alone time like I, I would run from Regina to Lumsdon Insuscatduin, like you know, yeah, on gravel roads by myself in the Middle Winter, and you have very far for anybody. That' doesn't know where that is. I mean there and back would be about like sixty seventy kilometers yeah, but it's it's you're very isolated and you have no choice but to go deep right, like you, just have no choice, and so that makes you reflect where I think we can very easily run on the surface in life. Where we don't go, we don't go deep, and so I had spent so much time alone. I got into that badwater race, and that was like huge for me was to get into the race, and then I knew that I needed to have a crew. It's just the rules that you needed to have a crew yep, none of the other races. Do you have anybody like it's just you and I have become so focused on like me, and my my power was going to get through this, and my my strengths were going to get me through this and I kept saying like my crew is going to be there because they have to be there, but I'm not actually going to need them. I can I could do this on my own and it was such a huge life lesson to. I think I've always been one of those people who was like. I don't need help. I can do this on my own. I got this yeah strong, I'm andefendent don't need help and it was a huge huge, like life turning event to actually have them be a part of this experience yeah, because it is so like it's so personal, it's so it's so deep and they witnessed all of it, even though they still say this day, they're like well, we saw you do it, but let's not lik. We knew what you were feeling and I'm like no, but you saw my highs, my lovs, my all of this like it just it feels like they got to peer into my soul. I found like connected to those people in a way that was just byemploying plus they were like one hundred percent like committed to help you get through this, and we had so many like ups and downs and scary moments and and like we got stuck in the sand storm on one point and and like you know, you had people basically like crying for you, because they were so concerned about what you were going through and and then, when we finished it felt like it was an independent thing, but it was in my I didn't question at all. It was a huge team effort and they were there to one hundred percent help me, and it was the first time in my life that I ever felt like that, like I got to a point where I could openly one hundred percent like accept help, and it wasn't a weakness where, in my mind, accepting help was like always a weakness to me so that just changed my relationship with people in changed. How I work with others, how I can ask for help on a in life in general. Now, where, before I was just so stubborn I was like I could do this on my own right. I don't need anyone like that was really how I function through life. You think you would have gotten to that point without reaching that you, like you, said, spent so much time alone and really getting deep and within. Do you think you would have reached that this feeling, in that kind of that sense of t that connection that you were able to create with these these other people yeah, I don't think so like it was. I don't think I would have ever got there without that experience like yeah, it was huge. It was huge yeah that turning within s is quite quite phenomenal, and especially I mean to talk to somebody that has so much forced time alone with yeah in such extreme conditions. To I mean this, it only it's only a matter of time before it does some positiven your mind, yeah well and that's. The thing is like that poll being alone, part like I and I'm not saying it's bad at all. It was so good and it's so good. For me that, honestly, like the moment now that I step out Lakd, I love trail running so the moment I step out on a trail like I can just I have so much control over my Thos, and I can I coan think about stuff. If I really want to, I have some of my breast best brainstorming for work and for projects and for everything like when I'm when I'm running so I can be brilliant, but if I also, if there's too much noise, and I want to turn it off, I can be like. I just want to think about nature. Take this all in and just stop thinking. I can do that like I can get to a point where I have so much mental control that it. I think that is very useful and so many parts of my life to is that mental control. So so I don't want to say that that being so low, but being like so inside, your brain was a negative thing. It that didn't play a part in me having in trouble and asking for help. It was more that I was just a very stubborn, individual yeah on birth kind of thing a I were like I didn't ever like asking for help. Even before I was a runner, but it was you know I was just it sort of instilld it even further. I could do this on my own. I could do this on my own ightbut. I think the more more time people can spend in their own head and just going to those uncomfortable places, the more they learn about themselves and and what is going to give the more alignment in in Life Yeah Wow, I'm wondering do you, do you practice or have ever practiced traditional meditation as a traditional, because what you're doing sounds very similar, but is that something, as part of your your routine, Your Life I'v? It's coming gone in my life and you know I try and use like different meditation like Apps, but honestly I find it most naturally comes like when I'm just when I'm in nature like whether it's I'm walking dogs or like running or hi, is quite fascinating to me, because I've never thought about it. In this sinse, because I mean I've never been in that position. To that extent where I feel like that, I mean I can personally get there through meditation from kind of what you're explaining, but never just like you're just doing an activity, and it's quite phenomenal and I think it I think it's pretty motivational inspirational, also like to make others whovers listening to this or O. Now, even myself go try to find those things. You really want to do that really make you happy because that will come. You know what I mean like at a certain point that will that alignment that whatever meditative state whateve you gwint to call it will will come yeah. I love the term alignment, it's so it's so true, like that's exactly so many things like not just like mental alignment, but like there's that physical alignment that's happening too, so it's like ultimate like poditaliment for sure, and how do you take care? Obviously we're talking about a lot of mental things? How do you take care of your body, though yeah, and that's the that's, the biggest thing that I think is also sort of a myth in it that, like you, were like abusing your body bight and the reason I got into running in the first place was actually like rehaving from a car accent, and that was the only reason I got into running, and it was because I knew if I can strengthen so many of my my muscles that it would help my my joint that was injured, heel and bake it stronger, and so that's whan. I really got into got into running and through that. My promise to myself was that, like anything, I'm doing is to to make myself stronger and better where, if I at any point feel like I'm causing more injury than like, that's it like I'm right, I'm not, and every time I went longer or further or anything with my running, I only came out of it feeling stronger and so recovery is a huge portion of it like, especially in those stage races. When you raise multiple days in a row. It's like the moment. You stop. You are just focused on like recovering and like elevating your legs getting into a cold river so that your legs had like cold water therapy, just just everything you can think of to recover. It is so key and and honestly, like you get to that point to with your body that you're just so thankful for allowing it to like be this vehicle to see these cool things in the world that you're seeing you're like okay. I need this like body to last as long as possible and honestly, I've never ever felt like I was doing any harm. I've never been injured from any of the sports that I've been doing or any of the training I've been doing so so it is. You know I I focus on recovering like a lot to just make sure I'm not causing any any injury right and you're so focused d and aware of what your body's doing that like there's some people, you know athletes, I would say others that, like they just would push themselves. You know aby more. It's like push yourself do, Moredo, one to more, but you're so aware of. What's going on that, you have an injured yourself, probably because you've know watwas going to happen and you prevented it before it even happen. Yeah and it's true and it. The other thing is that you know there's a big difference between sprinting, a Fivek and running five hundred miles yep, because you know, like you're, trying to find like that pace that your body can maintain for as long as possible. And so, if you push it too hard, then it will just come to a breaking point and so you're constantly just knowing and watching like the zones, your heart rade zones to just make sure you're, not you're, not going crazy. So it might be a turtle pace to someone. That's running a like a sprinting of Fivek, but but you can last a lot longer going at that slower pace, as I think that's important to so many people like don't get into running or don't get into physical activity, especially as adults, because they think like you're, only good if you're fast and it's I have never been interested about being fast, like yeah, I'm more interested in where I can give me in the world and what I can see, and you know then then, like an enjoying the experience exactly yeah like I really don't care about how long it takes me. Yeah Yeah, I think that's, I think that's awesome and I mean that's how we should approach it unless you're, like I mean you're Eyou're in the Olympics, you probably should focus on that, but yeah you would. You would mentioned the other challenges. You said it's not always just races that you're doing these extreme things. You create challenges in your life. You want to talk about that from it yeah, so most of them othere all physical as well. I was doing some work in like a research project that was taken place in Africa, so I was going to Africa for work anyways and I'm like well. I want to climb like Mout, kill Mageral, but I want to do it on the fastest route, so the fastest, meaning like it's just the most upheal its actually the rout that they use free emergencies because they can get it downfast right away and only like one company will actually like take people op that rote and you have to basically submit like a list of accomplishments and things like that. Well, trust taking you up there, and so I wanted to do that in three days and then come back down and then do Mount Kenyan, which is the second highest mountain thand. It's supposed to be more technical, so I did back to back like Mout, kill, Majaro Maut Kenya in this pan of five six days and then like last year just before. Well, I guess it was in October last year. So, almost a year ago I was going to Napal to actually do some work with a group of Nippales mountain bikers, and so I was like o I'm going to Nepall like I have to go to base camp so just set a goal of, like you know, climbing, to base camp and just doing some other climbing in and around that area. So yeah constantly just trying to find things that I want to do. OCHALLENGES I want to set, like I said, doesn't need to have a trophy at the end, like you know, just any sort of physical things that way. I think I've always been kind of like that, though, like when I was in university, I wanted to have like two degrees by twenty two and, like I just always set like these. You know hes Os, going to say like in your personal life, or do you do you notice yourself doing that, like even een at home, just with little things, yeah totally yeah, but I mean I probably all I mean Itall strengthens that you know that the things you're working on with your mind and everything anyway has. But what's interesting about that and with people, I've had a couple different, like coaches who worked with me and they think oh well, like that's your competitiveness and then they get to know me and and they're like Oh wow, like I am the least competitive person you will have ever met like I just I don't have a competitive like bone in my body and so they're like everything you're turning these into challenges, they're all very, like it's very INI'm, very intrinsically motivated like it. It amazes a lot of the coaches that I've worked with because they're like they're, like Oh, like they're, trying to look at these extrensic factors and be like Oh this, and it really doesn't even go on my radar like and actually, if there is competition, I'm not a lot less interested in things like I'm, like that's not really. My thing, you're Inin for the I said like the experience and the the growth or whatever that will come, yeah come from it. Yeah have so much to talk about. This is inged. No! No. This is this is great before we before we wrap it up. Is there anything based on all this experience? You've had that you would like to share or advice, or whatever that you'd like to like to say well, you're on while you're on here O it's so tough because I'd like to say, Oh, I have so much, but at the same time I'm just kind of like. I also feel like. I don't have a lot, because my personal journey might be so different than someone else's like someone else's journey. But I guess, like one thing that you know we touched on, is just like, like get to know yourself, spend lots of time with yourself in not necessarily comfortable situations like in some uncomfortable situations, right that you get to like explore some of your limits and some of your challenges, a big thing that I'm, like I firmly believe in, is that we're capable of so much more than we think we are, and if I ever like put limits on myself, I don't think I would have experienced even like you know, probably three quarters of what ihave experienced in my life. If I put those limits- and so don't get squared into this box, like just find some things that are different for you, where you get to spend time, it yourself get into it start paying attention to what you're liking, what you're not liking and push past some of those limits to and see yea challenge yeah. You say that, like you're, you don't think you'll apply to other people, but I actually think it's it's incredibly versatile because it doesn't matter what the situation is. If they're you running in this a Har desert or if you're, you know, I don't know doing doing something in an office somewhere, you can you can acquire or work on that mindset or or thinking that way, no matter what and it's great to hear it from o someone like you. Thank you, you're interested in more content like this go check out our website at don't, settle official, DOTCA or dedicated to providing resources, information and content designing to assist you on your journey of personal growth and, most of all, to help you live life to the fullest thanks. So much for tuning anwill chat, WII NEXT TIME
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S1 E10: Using The Past as a Teacher
With Guest Maria Aragon
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