YogiTriathlete (00:01.461)
Welcome back to the Yogi Triathlete podcast. My name is Jess. I'm here with my co-host, BJ, and we've got a special episode today. This is episode 454,000. We started in 2016, and here we are in 2026 with this amazing team of athletes who just one week ago today were all out on the course at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside and being here in person to help us celebrate 10 years of Yogi Triathlete.
We're so happy to have everybody here. I want to welcome Valerie, Claire, Patrick, Laura, and also our head coach, BJ, who also was out there on the race course that day. And we're just thrilled to hear about your experience and do what we do best after a race, which is to smack it down. So I'm going to hand this over to BJ. He's going to come in with our first question. question. And I'm sure these are going to lead to more.
But I love these Smackdowns. I love that you guys are here. It's incredible that you are spending your time this next 60 minutes with us. So thank you so much. I want to wrap it into, before we get into details of the day and of your experience, like what moment from your day at Ironman 70.3 Oceanside are you still carrying with you right now? And why hasn't it let go? Let's start with Patrick.
Patrick (01:29.817)
yeah, I hadn't really thought about a specific moment. I think the highlight for me was definitely the swim. I remember it because the conditions were great and swimming is the weakest of the three disciplines for me. And had a really good swim. So I PR'd my swim, it was the best swim I've had. And so I remember that. So it was special for that. And just the...
Yeah, there's always this accomplishment. I remember finishing and just because I had missed last year because I had had my knee issue. So, but really the swim, that was it. It's a good swim, really enjoyed it. Start to finish.
YogiTriathlete (02:15.371)
So with this swim, it's in the harbor. And sometimes people have concerns about it being narrow or being tight. Did you experience that? Have you done this race before? And did you experience that it felt tight? Which line did you take inside outside?
Patrick (02:31.549)
I take outside lines all the time. take the file, always take the far right slot. And, you know, I remember you had mentioned that and I was like, no, it's going to be tight, but I've been in tighter races. So, yeah, it felt really good. And the Harbor wasn't as washy as I thought, you know, I swim in Santa Cruz. So we get some currents there and it's kind of similar where you have a protected area. And then when you get to the end, it becomes unprotected, right? You're more exposed. So.
It was familiar to me. And I took, yeah, I probably swim an extra 50 yards, but I'm willing to swim an extra 50 yards. What was nice too is I just felt like my gears were there. I've been doing a lot of work on the swim. And so all the gears were there. I felt more comfortable. So at the end, particularly, it gets tight at the end. Everybody's like frantic to get. can, you look around and people are frantically hard and I was able to hit a really fast gear for me.
That was cool because I just like shot ahead of them and I was in a faster group. Now I'm idea, I swim pretty slow, like, so it gave me some hope. So that's the memory I take because I'm always thinking about the moments and like the journey of triathlon, right? And each one's a little bit of a journey. There's other things I'll talk about later around, um, you know, just all the ramp up and the nutrition. But yeah, for me, it was, that was, that was just really cool. It was a pleasant surprise. I was expecting it to be harder and, uh, ended up being really easy.
Having wetsuit pillars is amazing. Just takes all the other part of what I get challenged by the swim with, which is getting the final pieces off. It's just like, it was great. And actually someone was there to zip me down too. Like there was that level of support on the dock, which was great.
YogiTriathlete (04:16.139)
yeah, wetsuit strippers are the best. Laura, how about you?
Laura DeGroot (04:21.016)
I have two that kind of started to pop up. One definitely was the swim as well. Just being a pretty, very new swimmer and having at one point in my journey being afraid of water and this was my first salt water experience. And I think about getting where the ocean, we re-weet the ocean and I remember feeling like a kid just being like, this is amazing, riding the waves.
taking the stroke, taking the breath and just feeling so much joy in that short moment before we hit back in and head in. And I just was really pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed that swim and how I handled myself, how calm I was that I probably could have gone a little faster. But I just really, got out with just feeling fresh and feeling good and
The water temps were perfect. Coming from our Arizona experience, it was a little colder. Just, it was just beautiful. It was nature for me too. Minnesota lakes versus ocean. And it was just a different type of nature that you're thinking about. And I really didn't have time to just be like, I just enjoyed it. Even leading up to the race, being out in the ocean, there was some really special moments for me.
of like, this is why I said yes to learning how to swim. This was what I wanted to have that experience of being such a big part of nature and to love it and not fear it. And like, I had that moment and knew I was supposed to go to Oceanside, knew I was supposed to get in the water and it came alive for me in the swim. And it was just, that was beautiful. The second like moment.
It's a long moment, but I met up with the asphalt on my bike ride. But the thing I remember is what keeps flashing back is the gentleman who ran into my tire and he was able to pull off and he stopped and I saw the concern in his face for me.
Laura DeGroot (06:36.351)
And it was just beautiful. Like it wasn't like, my gosh, this person hit me. was like, I saw his care and his love and he stopped and he wanted to make sure I was okay. He waited for me to get to the side of the road. He kept asking if I was okay. Was my bike okay? Like it was just, he didn't have to do that. And there was a lot that happens in races. And he just, to me, I saw compassion. I saw a true empathy and a care for me over the race. And
I just like, remember that and I appreciated that and I never saw him again. And I just like, I could have been upset, but instead I felt the love. And so that keeps coming back of like being able to get back on the bike and, and then think I made really good decisions throughout my day. Like, I'm just really happy with being able to move and continue on in a good place, even though it wasn't what I would like. don't expect those things to happen, but.
I just really still had a beautiful day and I just keep seeing his face of just love like he cared and that meant a lot.
YogiTriathlete (07:41.656)
Yeah, I think there's many people along the way, and this is one that you can acknowledge, but there's, there's so many along your day that just help out and you don't even know, you know, that they're there. I think about the volunteers a lot, handing out a cup here or chasing you down to give you a cup that you miss. Like there's so much that happens to allow your day to be successful. And I love the interactions that you get. Of course, we wish that you didn't.
It wasn't those circumstances, of course, but we can't control everything and those moments are magical. Claire.
Claire Bruce (08:22.254)
I think of a few things. Magical moments, I will add, that I had one of a very, very kind gentleman at the Naval base manning that speed bump when my bottle got ejected. And I stopped to go back and get it because my race was not going to be destroyed by losing my bottle. And he saw that I had pulled over, grabbed it and like ran towards me and met me halfway. So that was another like good, just good people moment.
For me, something that stands out, not to like continue to harp on the swim, but we're gonna talk a little bit about my morning because I think that it's a series of events that had to happen and happened for me in the right, in the way that they were meant to. And one of those is, I did this at Worlds last year. I was the second person they let into transition in the morning. They did not have transition open in the morning when I showed up.
today or today, today, last week at Oceanside. Being there early when no one is there, you get this extra like moment of calm that does not exist anywhere else on the course. you like, part of what draws me back to these events time and time again is just there's no atmosphere that replicates it. And like just being able to be there, be in the moment without the hubbub.
YogiTriathlete (09:25.048)
you
Claire Bruce (09:50.666)
and to like soak it in is huge for me. And I stand by that every single time. don't, I understand the like, I'd rather get more sleep and just slide right in, drop my stuff, get in to swim corral and like, let's go. But because I did that, I have the space to like settle into the morning and nothing is rushed. There's no one waiting in line for the Porta John if you need to go. You can walk through and scope out transition. You can go and look at the swim start. No one's going to bother you.
and being able to have time to go and run and do like a thorough warmup is something that I started doing at the midpoint of last year. Well, even at Oceanside last year with you, Beech, and I think getting the system primed like that and then getting into the swim corral and being able to do our breathing exercises and be fully like present in the moment, ready to go. I could go run if we had to run right now. Because I had done that prep,
I got about 10 strokes into the swim and felt a little ping on the back of my head and all the water comes flushing in. And you know exactly what happened, which is that something is either broken or that little piece of plastic that holds your goggles tight just isn't your friend today. I had worn the same goggles all week. We swam three times. I had no problems. They were nice and tight in the morning. They were good when I put them on my head, but...
Life wanted to throw a little something extra, a little extra spice in the swim for me. Did I have the moment of, gotta be kidding me? Of course. I'm not immune, but I pulled myself off to the side. I treaded water where everybody was swimming past me, maybe five yards from where we actually started. Had to get my goggles in a row.
But because I had had the warmup that I did and I like my system was already revved. There was nothing that like pushed me over the edge or pushed me where you get into the swim up totally cold and you start 10 strokes hard. Your body is like headed in that direction, but you haven't peaked yet. That can send you to peak and then recovering back down from that and like gathering yourself. That would have just destroyed my swim and
Claire Bruce (12:16.042)
I mean, it can easily destroy your race too, if you fixate on that one moment. But I was able to, yes, it took more time than I would care to admit, but I got it moving and we got going and it was smooth sailing from there for the rest of the swim. And I was able to bring it back, do the best that I could. Beej is always like, you know, stay to the outside, find your rhythm, then get into the mix. I don't brag about anything when it comes to the swim, but I can cite.
And my sighting does not allow me to stay on the outside lane. I'm like right in the middle. So it felt like I found my rhythm and I found my people in the swim very quickly because of that. And getting out, you obviously like I tap my watch. I don't know what I'm like, I'm tapping it, but I'm not looking. I'm not looking because I know what happened at the beginning and it doesn't matter. And like heading out on the bike now this time knowing where Jess and Clark and everybody was going to be positioned.
I think I remember, I think I shouted like Coach of Joy at you as soon as I saw you guys going on the field because I saw Clark and like one of my regrets from last time at Oceanside was just not, I was so focused and so tunnel vision on what was happening right in front of me that I didn't get like the fun of the crowd and the people that are there supporting you and didn't want to miss those moments. So being able to like start off in the right place.
YogiTriathlete (13:19.384)
You did.
Claire Bruce (13:42.348)
have something difficult happen right off the bat. Like let's just rip the bandaid off for the day. Then we get back on track and like heading out onto the bike course and seeing you all. was like, here we go. So that stands out to me from this race.
YogiTriathlete (13:53.592)
Yeah. I love being on the Hill and Clark in a t-shirt is, it's kind of a spectacle. I mean, it kind of is. It's really, really cute in the 10 years of showing up t-shirt. you going to say? I was going to say the, um, uh, in both, in both those instances, Laura and Claire shared, it's like the ability to prime the system ahead of time. So that when these, circumstances arise for most,
Claire Bruce (13:59.618)
best.
YogiTriathlete (14:19.65)
people, most athletes that can incite panic and anxiousness and despair. And when we can be already at the level where our system's already gone, we've done the breath work, we've done the move, it's already primed. When these things hit us, they're gonna have an impact, but it's gonna be so less than what it could potentially be, which could be debilitating for your race performance. So really important, we wanna celebrate getting the body moving, proper warmup, breath work.
You guys all know the breath work. And for those that are listening, go to our website, the preracepranayama. is so beneficial to take that extra few minutes to breathe and find that calm within because there is so much disturbance and so much chaotic energy around you that you can easily slide into it so quickly. want to add anything on that? Yeah. I I created that series of breath work 15 years ago.
and have never changed it because it works and each one serves a very different purpose. Relaxing, opening and stretching the lungs, you know, releasing any like stuck energy, getting the fire up and then calming, you know. I think that's my favorite one is the squeeze everything up. And so it works, right? Like it's don't, you don't need to reinvent, but however, it does nothing.
if you guys aren't practicing it, right? It like does nothing. like whatever it is that we, however, you know, we coach around mindset and offer these practices that we have found to be extremely effective and have really saved race day performance. We've heard that more than once. They mean nothing if you guys aren't putting them into action. So when you put them in, then you get to reap it. And man, having a system that's ready when you're getting into the water, it was a huge race. There's over 2,700
100 athletes that finished so who knows how many more were at you know that swim start and in that transition area and Claire you are so BJ's athlete with being the second person and Getting to transition before it opens. I'm always like what time do you want to leave? He's like, 245. I'm like, that'll be great No problem. Let's do it. All right, Valerie. We want to hear about your day. We want to hear about
YogiTriathlete (16:39.544)
This joy factor what stands out for you or magical moments somebody brought up magical moments, and I love that
Valerie Stakes (16:42.106)
Okay.
Valerie Stakes (16:46.578)
Staying calm even before I left my Airbnb, I think I shared with a few of you that I couldn't find my car key. And there was already decisions being made of how am I getting to the race start because there was no way that I was not showing up. And I thought, how far am I? And it was over a mile. And I immediately looked at Uber. It was staying calm, like, well.
What are my solutions? What are my options? So not letting that derail me. And even when I was doing this, my mind kind of went to the, I where I left that key? Like, no, it doesn't matter. Do you need your car right now? I don't think so. So being present and staying focused. Also, that corral does fill up quickly. So I found myself a little farther back than I had intended, which was fine.
And there were a whole series of people who were asking, how do I get to the front? How do I get to the front? And I just stepped off to the side and I stayed out of it and continued doing those breathing exercises until it was time to be there. And then seeing that, buoy to buoy and staying focused, seeing that turnaround and understanding that this is happening. I mean, I've been doing, I've been racing.
for 20 plus years. This was my eighth time participating in a 70.3. And there was a sense of recognition of I've been here before. And that in itself was incredibly comforting. Like, okay, I know what I'm doing. I'm here and the water, mean, everyone keeps going back to the swim. It was just so clean and clear and lovely.
and all the volunteers who were there for our success, seeing their joy, seeing us. And coming up that ramp, I knew about three fourths of the volunteers between Tri-Club and One with the Ocean, and they're all cheering. And it was like almost deafening, like, wow, you're here for us. So that's magical right there.
YogiTriathlete (19:07.936)
Yeah, you know, the volunteers are anyone who's listening to this who volunteered at Oceanside or has volunteered in the past. Like it matters so much. And it's a lot of work to volunteer. We jump into, you know, local races here, trail races and things to volunteer throughout the year, you know, mostly in our off season. But it is it's exhausting because you're just in there and you're just you're serving and you're supporting everyone. And so I just want to thank everyone who did.
go out and volunteer that in and of itself is, such makes them, makes the community so magical. These events don't happen. I mean, they have to get the permits and all the legal stuff, but if there's not people out there to support and most races like this need three to 5,000 people to help support, out there. if they're not there, you actually see that when you get on the run course and you're like, there's nobody at the aid station, you have to pick the, pick the water off of the table.
You can see that. So there's an extensive level or length that like Sabrina for Oceanside will go to, to get people out there to help support and be in service. But yeah, I mean, the race doesn't happen without them. All right. All right, moving on. Because we do so much around mindset and...
opportunities and growth and all of that. want to know, Laura, I'm going to jump in with you. Was there a moment that you had to choose comfort or growth? And what did you choose?
Laura DeGroot (20:40.654)
day long.
There was a lot of even just coming to the race that was choosing discomfort and giving myself the opportunity to succeed, the opportunity to race. Not even knowing if I'd be able to race was a choice. And flying my bike for the first time was, you know, discomfort too. But Claire spoke really well about giving yourself space, giving yourself time, giving yourself pauses.
And I did that throughout my schedule from arrival to getting to transition. I got to greet BJ at his bike and say, here you are. Like it was fun to be not in a rush to be able to have intentional movement, intentional moments. And that led into the race. I would say the discomfort for me, I had the opportunity to not.
continue or to hop on my bike and not be afraid. And I never even thought about being afraid. I just remember thinking I got to get my bike working and I'm going to go. And I know the volunteers really cared about me and they wanted to make sure I was safe. But I felt like BJ gave me good words of advice a few years ago when he said, you're going to have volunteers that want to help you when you don't need help. And they're doing everything they feel is best for me. And I still need to make that choice.
And I kindly declined and got on my bike without waiting for the mechanic. Cause I felt like that was the best option for me. And started riding. And I think the discomfort was just knowing that I couldn't shift. My bike wasn't working as well as I wanted it to. I believe that there wasn't anything really a mechanic would have been able to do on the course. I had a bent rim, so I wasn't wrong. And I had some stuff that probably would have taken some time to fix and.
Laura DeGroot (22:39.444)
I leaned into it. I embraced what I was given and stayed present, which is what you teach us all the time is to be in the moment and to grasp onto what you have, not thinking about the finish, not thinking about what I wish I would have had. I just hugged the opportunity I had and found the joy in where I was and kept just racing my race, knowing the next thing I needed to do is just get my bike to the transition so I could run.
And the only way I could do that was to be calm, to race what I could, to do what I could. And that, was discomfort in the fact that I wanted to go faster. I wanted to take those downhills, but I needed to make those uphills. So these were my gears. And I just chose to love it. I chose to embrace it. And I'm grateful for that. I really, I look at the end of finishing and looking back, I really.
was excited about how I chose to decide what to do throughout the day. no matter how fast I went or didn't go, it didn't matter. I was really proud of the person who showed up and how I embraced that. And it made the experience beautiful.
YogiTriathlete (23:59.138)
There's something Jess always has stuck with me that Jess shares is like how you do one thing is how you do all things. And when you created the space Laura, like long, well in advance, getting arriving early, not rushing. You also are creating that space when decisions need to be made pretty quickly. that,
Decision process it still may take a second, but that second is so long You can see like I have a choice here like I can indulge in the I don't know what my bike's gonna do or you can indulge in well Let's just go find out what this thing is all about and and in that that may be like two or three seconds but How you do one thing is how you do all things. So if you're slowing things down meaning Allowing yourself to see that you have choices you can then choose the one that's moving you
further along in the direction you want to go versus maybe what we've been practicing for so long that we've been like, why can't this, why can't I do this? So getting that space, it's so important. It's so important. can't share enough how beneficial it is from experience to get into a race sooner, like get there, to land, to feel the energy. And then on the backside, you can, you can head out quickly thereafter, but it's so important. That's an example of it right there.
All right, Claire, I want to know, was there a point where things got hard and what'd do in that moment?
Claire Bruce (25:24.672)
Is that even a question? Yes, of course. This is racing. If it doesn't ever get hard, well, you have unlocked something special. Yes, definitely. I think the hardest section for me was heading out on the run. I had hopes and dreams and ideas of what could be possible on the day. And I know myself well enough now that I never feel great.
YogiTriathlete (25:27.608)
Thank
Claire Bruce (25:51.631)
at the beginning, it takes time, you've got the energy for the first, you know, half mile maybe and then things kind of start to settle and you're like, oh, I feel that ride, I feel that swim. Is that what it is? Is that all it is? Is it going to get worse? That's the spiral that I always used to die by. And now I'm at a point where I know that things will change and just
keep going forward. doesn't don't look at the watch. The pace doesn't matter. Just find the zone and keep moving forward. And for me, unfortunately, for the run, it was not the day that I had hoped it would be. And the mind wanted to content. It wanted to doom spiral. It kept it kept haunting me. It's like, you can go faster than this. You've been running so much faster than this. Why is this happening? And every time it did,
I did not stop saying to myself the entire time, I am not my body, be here now. I am not my body, be here now. That is really, I sounded like a little pull string wind up toy the entire time because I know that it will work. And I know that no matter what, that's going to get more out of me than spending any time wallowing about what could be, what should be, what I think anything should be. Like that's just.
That is your ego firing on all cylinders. And I got no problem having a pity party for a minute when I finished. Had a pity party, sure did. But I didn't during the run. And if you look at it, I think we had looked at it, Beej, and it was like a barely a negative split on the run. So I'll take it. Is it what I thought I was capable of? No, but I didn't falter. I didn't fade.
I still stuck with it and I did everything in my power to keep going forward. My nutrition was excellent. I had no problems, took in everything that I brought with me and hoped to take in, which has been a challenge for me in the past. So there are wins to be had there, but it was not easy getting to that point. And yeah, it took me like...
Claire Bruce (28:06.071)
I was better by the time the award ceremony rolled around, but I didn't really get over it for like 24 hours and then, you know, turn a new cloth and it's why we keep coming back. Cause the perfect race is always out there, but I got a lot out of myself from it and I'm happy with that.
YogiTriathlete (28:23.16)
And I love that you shared that you had like a little pity party or, you know, there was that part that wanted to, you know, go down that, you know, dark road to the neighborhood you don't want to go into because perhaps there may be a misconception that when you train your mindset, like you're not going to have these things. You're going to have these things. And sometimes they actually get really, really loud because you're just uncovering so many wonderful patterns about yourself. But the difference is that you have the you're equipped.
with the tools to work through them. And then through that, as you employ those tools, you actually get stronger. You're get stronger in the face of that voice. But it doesn't mean that that voice doesn't go anywhere. And I think the other really important thing that you did was like, you let yourself have a pity party. I do that too. just sometimes the other day, there was like five explosions within like 45 minutes of my life. And you know, I said to BJ, I'm like, I just need the room right now. Like meaning don't try and make me nodding.
Like don't try, like don't tell me it's gonna, like I just need the room. I gotta blow off the fire, you know? Let me just blow it off, it's gonna pass. And it's important to do that because suppressing it and trying to pretend like that you didn't feel kind of like, well, that was a bummer. Have those emotions. I think it's the willingness, what the strength gives you is the willingness to experience all things and to feel all things. And then when you're done with it, move on, you know? But honor it because we all have that part of us.
Yeah, I surely can experience that those emotions and I can also feel the fire when it comes in really hot and to just let it cook. They cook for a while. Keep it safe so that, you know, Clark and I are okay. run for cover. But that fire is going to be flaming. It's like three minutes as opposed to three days, you know, where it used to be. All right. What do we got for Patrick? Patrick, I want to hear, I want to hear about, guess every time I feel like you're racing, at least recently, it's like a celebration.
To me, it's a celebration of how far you've come with some challenges where it was like bang, bang, bang, like not too long ago. And you've done, been diligent in the work to come back from them. So yeah, what did this race, what did this race symbolize for you out there?
Patrick (30:35.859)
Yeah, I was thinking a lot and I'm definitely influenced by what Laura and Claire brought up too. For me, I had felt my energy starting to lag a week before the race. And there was something going on. I had a little exhaustion sickness like eight days before. And I was worried because I ran a race last year and found out later I had pneumonia and ran it. So I was...
It's half stoked and a half kind of like, wow, like this endurance training can really push you beyond limits. I really have to check myself, right. To make sure I'm not, you know, that's all good. I mean, so what happened is I kind of knew I had gotten this blood test, that rhythm blood test, and I talked to you about it, BJ. And I knew I wasn't a hundred percent for the race. Basically it said, don't expect to have a hundred percent of race day. And so I still was pushing it and resting. So what happened is that kind of showed up during the race. The swim was great.
I came out of transition really well. got on the bike and the bike was challenging. can challenge the challenging part about the bike. Wasn't so much the Hills. Cause I race and run it, ride Hills. It was the navigation. We all talked about this, like the fact that, you know, like that, I did not expect the first five or six miles to be what it was as far as the tightness, the conditions, the different environments, the speed bumps, the bottles everywhere.
You know, I'm used to working through the crowds because I'm a slow swimmer and I'm a good biker and runner. I always joke my race is always about passing people. Right. So, but that was a nuance, like how to appropriately pass people and how to navigate that and the road conditions. So I think what happened during the bike for me was I remember looking down at my bike at the end, realizing that I didn't have the time I expected. Right.
And I started pushing that last, the last sprints night. was pushing pretty hard, but I also noticed that's when I noticed that I wasn't a hundred percent. And it is, and also little things like my last bottle was too sweet and I was having trouble taking it down. Right. So I hadn't dialed in my nutrition as well as I had in the past. It was still pretty well dialed. So it was combination of that. came out of the bike and onto the rhyme and I think it was part conditions, especially after hearing Claire talk.
Patrick (32:55.375)
is I came out of the run and I felt good. had had such a good run at La Quinta, right? It was my PR run. And I was like, let's rinse and repeat that one. Same shoes, let's do it. And I came out and the first mile was good. You know, it was like faster than I ran before. didn't feel too pressed, but around there's that section. There's a section where you head out the first time, maybe about a half mile to a mile before you make that last turn. And it was cooking, you know, I later knew it was kind of cooking right there. And that's when I felt a little cooked.
And so it became, it started switching from, a little bit of survival mode in the sense I really had to check in, am I pushing too hard? Am I not pushing enough? There's a limit there for me. Like I don't wanna push too hard and burn out.
And I don't want to push too little and not challenge myself. and then I started having some foot pain, these shoes, which I've now going to donate. I had one good race in them, but I've had a lot of painful instances in these shoes and I started having a lot of pain in my left foot. so, things started adding up, right? You start, you, you pay the interest rate on the run, right? So I realized it wasn't a percent. I realized like.
my nutrition was good, but could have been better. And maybe it was good enough and I was having some pain. So what I do, I nutritioned up, I took three more Advil and I just ran the race and I was able to enjoy it. I'm doing the math in my head, I'm an analyst, right? I'm like, all right, this isn't gonna be what I thought it was. I've already calculated this out. I know where I'm at. I know what time it is. I've already, I nailed my estimated time basically. So I'm like, all right, let's just keep pace.
And like, I had this happen in Arizona. I got sick in Arizona, a bad tempeh and tempeh, hilarious story. Another story for a different time. But like what it did, it flipped the switch for me to make me realize, Hey, when these things happen, like for me, number one is to finish. Number two is to have fun. Number three is to compete. Number four is to qualify. And I go, okay, this is going to be two, right? Cause we wanted to, I'm going to have fun. I'm going to like, you know, I'm going to compete a little bit too.
Patrick (35:09.139)
And I was able to make that shift and finish it off and realize this is all part of the learning experience when it all does come together. Because these challenges always happen. I was talking to someone about the other day, was like, I'd always be like, it's like a bad beat story in poker. It's like, now this is part of the game, right? We always think it's the fitness, it's the equipment, it's everything, right? These are all part of it. And that's what I realized too. So then at the day I was able to really have a good finish and enjoy it. Did my little airplane finish that I do now. And I like coming in like an airplane.
especially if I'm not competing and you know, made the most out of it. I enjoyed it, had a great experience and maybe want to come back next year because since you can't get onto that race, the bike, one year of knowledge is crucial, right? So, you know, it's definitely an advantage since it's so unavailable, right? So yeah, it good experience.
YogiTriathlete (35:57.628)
You guys are making me want to sign up and do it. Let's do it. But then we need Clark care. Yes. We'll find someone. Managing the moments. Colin. Colin, take all the photos like a professional and take care of Clark. And be bike maintenance. Clark and Colin can dress alike. Managing those moments, Patrick, that's so...
That's racing. it's, it's finding that limiter of like, when is, when do I push and when do I ease back? And then the mind will say like, okay, well, I'm just going to stay here. And the art of racing is like, no, like every, every step you take, every block of this run course is a moment to shift that. Like you can change. can either decide this time to ease a little bit back, but then you're going to surge again. And the art of racing is like finding that for you in this particular race.
So it's very unique to what's happening right now. And all this training that we do prepares us to be ready for these opportunities. But you're so right, Patrick. Like it comes down to like, how are we having joy? Like in this moment, can I start competing now? Okay, well now I gotta go back to joy a little bit and just ease off. And then I need to push because I feel good and there's no reason for me to be slowing down. And that's the managing of those moments. And you don't see those moments unless...
Again, we slow down and are able to see the moment and we're aware, awake and ready for those moments. So as you continue to do this, all of you, you're going to get better at it. You're going to get better at managing that decision-making process when things get hard, when things get easy, and everything in between. And, and that's why we keep, that's why we keep coming back. I believe. And you know, there was a little research study or many.
that we're done that shows that meditation increases gray matter in your executive decision making part of your brain. So, and also in the ability to take in the perspectives of others. So coworkers or neighbors or people who crawl up your spine backwards, right? Like, yeah, family, like it's, it's, allows us to realize that everybody matters, you know? and Patrick, I love your checklist. Can you run through it again? I really like this one. Like number one, have fun.
YogiTriathlete (38:21.174)
Number two, what is that? I think you're muted.
Patrick (38:28.425)
Good, because I thought it was something else. Number one is to finish. Number two is to have fun. Number three is to compete. Number four is to qualify.
YogiTriathlete (38:29.976)
Okay.
YogiTriathlete (38:37.666)
I like it. Cool.
Patrick (38:39.839)
Hey, it's my face frame. And I actually have can have more fun on those days. Like in Arizona, I ended up having a great day because I was like, I was in the tent. And I was like, Oh, yeah, this is where we're at one and striving for two now, which like took a little bit of weight off, right? Like I probably got to gone faster, but I was like, I'm just finishing having fun. And this one was two and three. Like I was, I was still competing, right? Really push the body.
YogiTriathlete (38:53.13)
You
Patrick (39:08.745)
through that and understand, because you can't really replicate that, right? I'm a runner. came in as a runner. But I was explained to someone else, like, it's different running in this environment because you're basically picking up the tab for everything else, right? Unlike a normal race. And so it's different in that way. And, you know, when I think about it, I think about nutrition, electrolytes, quad muscles and hamstrings and calves, right? Those things really start speaking to you later in the day, right?
And they don't in a normal race the way they do on this. So I learned a lot from this race. So I took it as a build, you for me, it's like this journey to qualify, right. And to reach higher percentages, my group, but always fundamentally it's a gift, right. I do this because it's something that keeps me alive and well, right. Instead of just like out there running for no purpose gives me something. and then you meet all these amazing people and amazing shapes of all types and fitness.
Valerie Stakes (40:05.01)
Mm.
Patrick (40:05.311)
And it's really like rarefied rare being around an Ironman environment, meeting all these people around the world who are just, you know, I, it was the funniest quote I saw. Someone said there was this young woman posted on Instagram. She goes to all my friends. I'm a crazy elite athlete and I just got passed by a 70 year old man. So it is that dichotomy, right? You know, like to all our friends were crazy and just out there and so dedicated and then you go out there and you get burned by someone twice your age.
YogiTriathlete (40:34.039)
Mm-hmm. Yep. That's what I love about triathlon. It does not discriminate. There's just, it's just, everything goes. Everything goes. And I watch that a lot and that's probably why I go to the finish lines of Ironmans all the time, just to see those people come across the finish line. It's just grit and determination, passion. Yeah. Valerie, what did you learn about your limits or your ability to move through them?
Valerie Stakes (40:56.518)
Yes? When you are out for that length of time in this type of race, everything comes up. So it's the, I can. I can't. Let's turn around. Let's say it would be so much easier to just tell BJ as I'm about to go in the water, turn around and say, I'm going to turn into a trail runner.
I don't want to do this anymore, to the joy that I experienced in what I was able to accomplish. So it was the, yes, I can, yes, I will, yes, I'll continue. So it's just the, it's the beginning of so much more. And what occurred to me in those many thoughts as I, know, going around all those buoys is where I was three years ago, which was just dealing with the, at that time.
a new cancer diagnosis and then here I am exactly where I want to be, where I'm supposed to be with no limitations.
YogiTriathlete (42:06.22)
Amazing. You've definitely lived a rich life over these last few years and just so wonderful to see you suited up and out there on race day. And I know there's more to come. What would you say is your biggest takeaway about what you learned about yourself? Because again, similar to what I said to Claire, you're going to have these thoughts. And I love how you're like, I'm just going to be a trail runner as you're in your wetsuit.
Valerie Stakes (42:32.911)
It'd so much easier to just go play in the mountains. I'm sorry, go ahead.
YogiTriathlete (42:34.828)
to do this. I'm just gonna do
Yeah, like a play in the mountains. Yeah, what did you learn about yourself through that experience? What's one takeaway?
Valerie Stakes (42:48.814)
It's okay to suffer. It's okay to be uncomfortable, I should say. And just the ability to, with that focus and of course, think I put the quote the other day, with consistency, this will be a whole lot easier. So that realization of, okay, it's taking a little longer than where I used to be. The past does not matter. But that was...
even kind of joking with one of the people on the kayaks. You know, more consistency. I won't be out here so long next time.
YogiTriathlete (43:29.976)
Yeah, truer words have ever been spoken. Consistency is everything with everything that we do, whatever it is. We want to be a better chef in the kitchen. We need to get in there and we need to cook. If Laura wants to be a personal consultant for anyone who needs to fly their bike for the first time, she's going to need to do this a few more times. Get that expertise, right? It's the 10,000 hours and...
Valerie Stakes (43:37.153)
Yes.
YogiTriathlete (43:58.316)
how we get to that is consistency. And I love just the no pressure of just a little bit, like a little bit every day over a long period of time. We know that is the recipe for success and everything that you guys have been sharing, it's like, I can just see that there's like, like nobody's finished, right? It's like it always, it's such a tricky little bugger because you leave a race and then you're just like, I could find two and this and that. And I wanna check off all four on the list and.
And so there's always something that brings us back and there's that common thread, I think of all of us to see like what is possible and, whatever that is, whether that's a time, whether it's like, can I actually do this and experience joy, you know, and not just the suffering. I love that. And I think that's one of the pieces that's kept me in the game is that, you you haven't, none of us have found our limits yet. Each time, each time you choose you in all these decisions, you're, you're going to grow. And if that can be.
That can be enough. you can just use that as your baseline. Every time I feel discomfort, I know that I'm going to grow from this. I need to move forward. Consistently doing that over and over and over again. You diffuse any story or belief that is keeping you in that box of safety and comfort.
Valerie Stakes (45:10.266)
Okay.
YogiTriathlete (45:19.992)
All right.
Laura DeGroot (45:20.137)
I that something you're saying, both of you are saying, I think curiosity is something I hear you guys say a lot too, is be curious. And consistency and curiosity. And I think about like, it's being your own science experiment even out on the course is, is this gonna move? Is this gonna change? Well, let's find out. Is this gonna shift? And that's practiced. We practice that when we do yoga, we practice that in meditation.
Valerie Stakes (45:28.209)
Mm-hmm.
Laura DeGroot (45:47.607)
practice that in our efforts as we're training, is this gonna shift? And most of time it does, and then you start to trust that process. But being curious about what's next, being curious of what's gonna happen if you allowing the consistency, keep allowing the challenge, stepping into the challenges of the unknowns, and you start to just have faith that there's something out there yet.
and then you're curious and you're hungry to discover what that might be. So curiosity and consistency, think are two things I've been focusing a lot on.
YogiTriathlete (46:29.236)
Anybody else have a similar thread to what Laura's talking about working on? Maybe this race brought up that you saw some evidence that you're further along than maybe you anticipated.
Valerie Stakes (46:43.08)
Definitely. I mean, I had concerns in terms of swim volume and where I was, even though again, the past being the past, like I've done this, but was, you know, pleasantly surprised that I did more and went a little faster than I actually anticipated.
YogiTriathlete (47:06.24)
I love this container of like, put yourself in a situation where you can surprise yourself. Why not surprise yourself? Why not take that step, right? This willingness to kind of experience all things or maybe even just experience one more thing that's outside of something you've been willing to do in the past. And that's just how we take those little steps into understanding more about
like how to race or who we are or how we wanna move through the world. And I think long distance racing like endurance sports is just, it's a fast track. It's such a fast track to refining our lives and getting clear on what we want because we're all in physical sensation out there. And it's like, when things are stripped away, you really get to see what starts to come up. And then,
being with that without needing it to be different without judging yourself for it, like the self acceptance that I think comes along just as a byproduct of, you know, getting quiet doing maybe some breath work or two minutes of breathing or, you know, whatever the modality is that allows you to feel that calmness. So much clarity comes from that. And I think a lot of people think that, okay, well, I'm to get clear and then I'll be calm. But that's the recipe is backwards. It's
calmness is the beginning of clarity and that clarity is without limits of how you can just deliberately step into each day and of course each discipline and each race and each pedal stroke and the consistency, knowing your stuff, know, like knowing your shit, like knowing it and then it shows up, you're like, there it is. Don't be surprised. And at the same time,
putting yourself in a situation where you can surprise yourself. yeah, really amazing workout there, Valerie, really beautiful. I think we lean into the negative most often or lack or like we can't do that. That's not me. I'm not going to be able to achieve that. in reality you can treat each moment with curiosity. Like this could be my day, this could be my day. And then it could be, well, the first half of the run was terrible, but I could still have.
Valerie Stakes (49:09.584)
Thank you.
Valerie Stakes (49:14.776)
Mm-hmm.
YogiTriathlete (49:29.036)
The fastest back half of my run ever, or just the fastest mile, and you can dissect it in so many ways where you're pulling out a wind from it. And that's the shift. that. That's that. Let's start. Let's stop talking about what could possibly go wrong and let's focus on all the things that can go potentially right. Yeah. So next year is ocean side. Go ahead. Go ahead.
Valerie Stakes (49:47.244)
VJ, you mentioned V.
Now I was just saying the daily mantra you're leading in to the event was the what can be and the nullified doubt. So each day there was that pep talk to myself. Well, why not? using it usually we go the negative way.
So it worked.
YogiTriathlete (50:11.768)
Mm-hmm.
YogiTriathlete (50:15.672)
Yeah, and just the way that our brains have evolved, they react much more strongly to something negative than something positive. So if we want to experience more joy and more willingness and to surprise ourselves, like we have to deliberately, you know, lean ourselves into what we want. And we have to get clear before we even know what we want and who we want to be. So.
Patrick (50:16.351)
Yeah, it's really important for
YogiTriathlete (50:42.538)
Next year is Oceanside's 25th anniversary, as we have heard. And I would love to hear from you guys, like people who are listening to this, who are curious about Oceanside, maybe intimidated by it, maybe like thinking like, know, Southern California, it's expensive, it's this, it's that, you know, or they're just on the edge and they are looking for something to help get them over the edge or just a little more insight. I would love to hear like just your take on
this specific 70.3. Claire, you wanna kick it off?
Claire Bruce (51:17.391)
I mean, if it's in your awareness, just say yes. There's nothing you can possibly do to talk yourself out of this one once you've done it. I feel like there's such a strong vibration that comes from Southern California as a whole and being in the atmosphere of like, yogi triathlete HQ during the week, like leading in and that that door is open to other people too, like.
Holy crap, the amount of people that showed up at yoga on Friday morning, even compared to last year, huge difference. And like, you can see it, you can feel it in the community the entire week. Everybody's jazzed about Oceanside. is the most, it is the closest 70.3 I think you can do on the circuit to a world championship. You got pros there a week in advance, age groupers that have been stuck in the...
snow and chaos of the Northeast and the Midwest that are just excited to feel some heat again until they go for that first run and go, blood's a little thick. Not quite ready for this. But you have so there's so much joy that comes with that. You get that like vitamin D hit. You get to see all of these people you haven't seen in how many months or you've just seen virtually during the winter. And like, who cares even what the result is? It's the best.
early season opportunity to just go have a day, have fun, put yourself in the environment of the best, and then let that set the tone for your whole season. So I better see people.
YogiTriathlete (52:54.424)
I love it. This was your third Oceanside too, right? Right, Yeah. And your best one so far.
Claire Bruce (52:58.967)
Yes. Yep.
YogiTriathlete (53:03.798)
Yeah. Anyone else want to share about the race?
Valerie Stakes (53:08.255)
I'm spoiled living in Southern California.
Laura DeGroot (53:10.817)
It was my
YogiTriathlete (53:14.818)
Go ahead, Valerie, and then Laura will jump over to you.
Valerie Stakes (53:16.255)
Yeah, again, I'm spoiled. Living here, mean, there's just the support of the community. It's unlike any other atmosphere, I think. And yes, do it.
YogiTriathlete (53:35.104)
Yes, do it. Laura.
Valerie Stakes (53:36.383)
Oof oof
Laura DeGroot (53:39.809)
Well, it was my first one and I definitely had a lot of resistance in my own mind that Beige helped me work through and, you know, we have, I had, I'm the Minnesota girl with the thick blood. So I felt that run, Claire. There was, like, give me the ice. But, but there was also the, like all of the, was my first ocean experience. It was beautiful for me as far as a bay swim.
or the harbor swim was such a good experience for me to feel good in the ocean. And I was already prepared for any cold starts and felt like I acclimated to that. I wasn't as acclimated to the heat or the hills, but I learned so much from that race. I think from flying my bike for the first time with me versus shipping out ahead of time, like I've had different
situations with getting the first time I did two flows before my first Ironman half. I've done a local half. And so that was a different experience of things speeding up. I've learned about myself that I think I actually like the full distance, but I need to probably throw another half in there before I really, but I really enjoy the full distances. And that gave me that learning opportunity to know myself and what I'm enjoying right now. It doesn't mean I'm going to grab onto that because that can change.
and I'm open to that happening. But there was this like, from learning to, I drove my bike out the first time because I was afraid to fly it to shipping my bike ahead of time to last year's Ironman to having a bike bag and learning what it felt like to fly with it. And it was actually much easier and here this fear of like, it made, it went well. I was prepared. I gave myself enough time.
to get there, to have all circumstances. just, again, I created space for myself. So if I had to make decisions, I could, it, and it gave me, I was just preparing to have extra time, but I didn't need it. If I needed it, it didn't matter. I was open to whatever happened. And so that was amazing. to be in, like Claire said it right, the vibe of SoCal is just, it's beautiful. I love the energy.
Laura DeGroot (56:07.154)
just it is like, I don't know, there's value and there's expense. And I believe for me, this was a very valuable race, a valuable experience to have of leaning into those unknowns and those discomforts really grew me in a very short period of time. And I am a competitive human being and I wasn't certain like where some of that fire has gone.
I'm getting prepared for Madison and BJ told me this race is gonna help you prepare for Madison. And no doubt it gave me a fire to want to improve. Like I learned a lot of where I have skills that just aren't quite where I want them to be. Not because I'm picking on myself, but I love to be coached and I love to see opportunity to improve. And this opened up for me things that I can see that I really have done well at and that I'm excited about, but also it gave me more.
Valerie Stakes (56:43.333)
you
Valerie Stakes (56:59.189)
Okay.
Okay.
Laura DeGroot (57:03.879)
fire for what I want to get better at for Madison and feel like I'm ready to race harder and have more racing experience versus performing. And that's exciting for me. This is only my third big race. So I just, I see so much more coming and I feel like I'm on that edge of like, just that, hey, that race is coming.
go get it is there. I'm on the edge of that just leaving it all out there. And so, yeah, this race was special. It opened up something in me and it's some fire I needed. Maybe it was the heat, the sun, but allowing some of that fire out was really beautiful for me.
YogiTriathlete (57:55.874)
Patrick, you got anything to add?
Patrick (57:58.911)
Yeah, I got lot of stuff to add. Thank you. First of all, it's been a beautiful experience. I mean, you should just come to Oceanside. It's the headquarters of, know, Kona is where the first race was, but really like that area, Oceanside, Carlsbad, it's like headquarters of Triathlon and you feel it in every bit. So why not come to the home site of where it is at? The race is beautiful. It's one of the beautiful runs. So I think.
Laura DeGroot (58:00.445)
you
Patrick (58:29.265)
everyone should do that race. It's an amazing race. I really enjoyed it. I'll come back and do it again. It's a little bit more convenient for me since it's a drive and I can, you know, but it's a beautiful place to stay too. It's like, and the conditions are going to be relatively consistent, right? Anything can happen. Of course, it'll probably storm next year. But I say that I double jinxed it there. That's why I did it. So.
YogiTriathlete (58:46.615)
Mm.
YogiTriathlete (58:51.828)
No!
Patrick (58:57.599)
Uh, yeah, I had a, I had a great time and it just gives me a little fire to do more because, uh, similar, like, uh, I was going to say earlier, one of the things that came out of this was like, I remember thinking, oh yeah, I want to swim faster. Cause I did a lot of work on swimming and I didn't get a ton faster, but I did, I still there's, I'm feeling like this opportunity now to dive into swimming, something I've kind of just like gone, okay, I'll just finish the swim decently and get to the other race. But now I set a goal to myself. I was like, I want to swim faster so that I can not be.
Valerie Stakes (59:19.452)
Okay.
Patrick (59:26.377)
passing people all the time, right? Because, you I'm in the back and what happened, and I want to share about this is I entered, I love getting to transition early and because I don't like the stress of not getting there early, but I came into the south entrance, which is interesting that they had that, right? So coming in the south entrance, you come in where all the 25 minute swimmers are. And then I started working my way back and it was such an amazing spectacle to look at the variety of
swimming athletes as you went from the very fast to like a lot of people in the 30. And it kind of inspired me. was like, I could see where the pack is. Right. And I was like, so this, this journey of my life set the goal. Like, I want to get a time down to here. So I'm in on the top of the swim and it opened up the idea of like, you know what I could, you know, I could become a better swimmer. that, you know what I mean? And really pushed that into something that I haven't considered.
Valerie Stakes (01:00:04.59)
Mm.
Patrick (01:00:22.239)
So I'm right there with Laura where like there's the curiosity and the nuance that happens with every race. And I think it's important some of the things we talked about, because this is the work I do, right? The mindset related work. It's like our brain doesn't process negative statements. So when we say I'm not stressed, all we hear is stress. So it's like, what am I? I'm calm and I'm relaxed, right? And so, so much of that happens comes handy out there in the experience because there's going to be
Valerie Stakes (01:00:27.445)
you
Patrick (01:00:51.815)
moments that create kind of visceral responses in our body where we can go to the old story, we can choose the new story. So for me, it's actually a, it's a practice, right? These moments put me in the practice of like basically walking the talk, right? And I find it really therapeutic that way. So I'm excited to do more races. For me, like what came out of it was like, know, this race for me was something where I was like very new to the sport. Now I'm kind of meeting the sport. I was in transition actually feeling comfortable.
Valerie Stakes (01:01:10.068)
So, we're to be a little short, but we're to be able a bit sense what doing. So, we're to to a bit what So, Thank you.
Patrick (01:01:21.385)
helping other people, right? Which is a far way from where I was three or four years ago. So for me, it's always important at that point to find new nuances, right? To find joy in a different way. Like where is that first time again? So the swim, right, is one of the places. And then for me, it's, you know, just like still searching for how can I make this more enjoyable? I'm gonna do a couple Olympics this summer. That'll be fun. And figure out where I'm doing. I've got to do, now I've got to do Redding. It's the only California one I haven't done. They just announced it.
got to complete the California circuit. And I recommend the whole California circuit. So anyway, I'll finish.
YogiTriathlete (01:01:56.864)
Not because you live in Santa Cruz, which is one of the best 70.3s as well.
Valerie Stakes (01:01:57.951)
So,
Patrick (01:02:02.907)
It's freaking amazing if you like to pass seals, you're not just passing swimmers, you pass the friendly seal or two on the way out. It's a very unique experience about Santa Cruz. You've got spectators at the end of the wharf that are non-human and really they show up every year for the race. It's quite an experience, right?
YogiTriathlete (01:02:18.072)
I love that. Yeah, that swim is so incredible. Talk about an amazing swim. And to me, it's a faster swim in Santa Cruz. For some reason, you swim around the pier and all of a sudden, there's like this swoosh that kind of brings you in. And I'm not talking like 10 minutes, it's faster swim, I feel. So easy to type.
Valerie Stakes (01:02:26.259)
Okay.
Patrick (01:02:41.715)
It's easy to sight too. It's one of the easiest ones to sight because you've got this huge wharf. You don't even have to look at the buoys. You just look at the wharf. The wharf's on your right the whole way.
YogiTriathlete (01:02:50.006)
The wharf is so tricky because you think you're at the end of the wharf, then the wharf. The dog, it's a dog leg, right? And then you're like,
Valerie Stakes (01:02:52.242)
You
Patrick (01:02:57.469)
Yeah, that's where home knowledge, home knowledge helps a lot. Yeah. It's an optical illusion for sure. Yeah.
YogiTriathlete (01:03:02.936)
Yeah, you're not even close to being done. we're talking about like calm, Claire had dropped it. think it was that morning when you said that the, the swim corral, no, you messaged me. I the swim corrals or the swim gates in the past, you had to go all the way to where those wetsuit peelers were and then come in to get into your block. But now they've, they've added little spots along the way where you can just jump in. And that wasn't
Patrick (01:03:06.544)
You
Valerie Stakes (01:03:12.593)
Mm-hmm.
YogiTriathlete (01:03:31.244)
That wasn't around before. People were hopping, hopping the, the gates, which is super dangerous. I mean, we're talking people in wetsuits, bare feet and metal fences. Like that is not a good combination. So I think part of the safety program or protocol that they've enacted, I think this is really, really helpful. I didn't see it abused, at all. There were some last minute people in, but it was very few. And so I think it's a really key.
Valerie Stakes (01:03:48.378)
Okay.
YogiTriathlete (01:03:59.188)
aspect of finding that calm race morning. You don't have to worry about getting all the way down and then work your way back up. You can just enter into the swim gate where you feel that you're best seated. Yeah.
Patrick (01:04:11.071)
Definitely helped because that was the fastest swim get I've ever been. Usually they're compressed and then they push and move. Because I stopped walking back. I stopped like at 35 and I said, why am I walking? I'll just wait for them to come to me, right? Because there was so much space. So it was really good. It was the fastest moving corrals. Whatever I did this year, that's all I knew. It was amazing. It made it easier.
YogiTriathlete (01:04:15.373)
Yeah.
YogiTriathlete (01:04:32.024)
It also helped that it was 10 degrees warmer air temperature than last year. Yeah. So weather gods were certainly shining on us. Okay. So as we wrap this up, I want to go around, Laura, we're going to start with you. I'd love to hear one word to describe your experience, right? Like one word to describe maybe your finish line feel or
Valerie Stakes (01:04:33.745)
Okay.
Patrick (01:04:35.935)
Yeah, totally. I can only imagine.
Valerie Stakes (01:04:42.703)
Okay.
YogiTriathlete (01:05:01.612)
you know, whatever it is that comes up. And then also what the next goal is. Yeah, if you're clear on that, that could be anything. So let's start with you.
Laura DeGroot (01:05:14.265)
I'm just gonna go with the first word that kind of tugged at my heart, which has been kind of my word of the year. I get a word that I kind of spoken over myself and put intention into and it's rejoice, be grateful, be glad. There was this rejoice of my health that my body was able to, that I stepped into things. There was just so much gratitude.
to all of you, to the team, to the volunteers. It was just rejoice and the ability to do these things and that I'm able and that I get to. So I think rejoice was a feeling, some burning, but there was a lot of rejoice. just, yeah, that's my word. I felt very joyful and can rejoice in the experience I had. Goal, I...
Valerie Stakes (01:06:11.181)
Okay.
Laura DeGroot (01:06:11.598)
A couple goals. have decided in my journey as an athlete, I've been an Olympic weightlifter most of my life. I coached, I have that opportunity. I've never said yes to a national meet and I chose to say yes and I'm competing next Friday at Nationals. Yeah, a week from today I'll be at Nationals. And that was what I wanted to experience was being able to do a triathlon and then turn around and do an Olympic weightlifting event to show that we can.
Valerie Stakes (01:06:41.132)
.
Laura DeGroot (01:06:41.423)
do strong things and we can do endurance things and that and do the best we can with where our bodies at and put ourselves into these experiences. And I shared that with my best friend today. She didn't know I was going to compete in weightlifting and she had tears in her eyes because she knew how much it made me happy years and years ago. So for me to say yes to doing lifting again, she knew something had changed in me.
Valerie Stakes (01:06:58.764)
All right.
Laura DeGroot (01:07:10.095)
And so endurance sport also woke up my Olympic weightlifting journey too. So that's my next goal is to have a, have an experience at nationals and then turn around and train really, really hard. I'm on fire to train, train to the best of my ability and learn new skills for Madison and, um, walk away from Madison knowing that I gave it my all to prepare for it.
YogiTriathlete (01:07:35.128)
Yeah. And we have a nice little Yogi Triathlete girl gang that is a gathering for Madison. We have two people who are doing the half and then two that are doing the full the next day. So we'll make sure that you guys get all connected. Valerie, one word and what's your goal?
Valerie Stakes (01:07:52.492)
Hey!
Okay, I just keep saying that it's not one word. It's like just kicking open the door to more. And goal, the race is to be determined, but definitely becoming a much more confident and joyful cyclist.
YogiTriathlete (01:07:58.232)
Thanks.
YogiTriathlete (01:08:22.988)
Beautiful. Love it. That's a good goal. Cause riding a bike is so freaking fun.
Valerie Stakes (01:08:28.615)
Yes.
YogiTriathlete (01:08:34.476)
Patrick?
Patrick (01:08:38.417)
Community I had time to think about it. So this kind of really represented community to me going to Oceanside coming to your home seeing the walls behind the videos and Getting to meet you all which I value and the goal really is you know The next race and swimming so swimming will be a big goal And I guess reading now. I feel like I just realized I got to do reading now. It's the new, California
YogiTriathlete (01:08:48.951)
Mm.
Patrick (01:09:05.427)
riding in Santa Cruz and then picking my eye, it's probably gonna be California, that's the default. So got races ahead and just looking forward to it. The goal is to qualify at some point, even if it's attrition. But.
YogiTriathlete (01:09:22.008)
I think you have to do Lakinta. If you're doing all the races this year, have to seal the deal at the end of the year.
Patrick (01:09:28.157)
well, that's the thing. Yeah. So it's associated. My brother got me into this biking and even triathlon thing. A lot of things I'm doing now. He's one big influence and he got injured. So he's finally going to race. He's doing Oregon, which is probably a really good swim since he had a shoulder injury. And our goal is to do, Lakinta together and he's 70 and I'm 57. So it'll be quite an awesome thing if we can pull this off.
YogiTriathlete (01:09:51.128)
yeah. So if you do all four 70.3s and then you do the Iron Man California, like that's a solid season. You've crushed the state of California. Yeah.
Valerie Stakes (01:09:52.999)
you.
Patrick (01:10:00.819)
the California circuit. Yeah. The long-term plan is though, it's so hard, but the goal is definitely, I want to do the one near Perth because I have a friend who lives out there. And I've been looking at some of the Europe ones too. That's the bucket list thing. Okay. Got to get the bike bag first. But I've been looking at the Buolton I think it is.
Valerie Stakes (01:10:05.575)
you
YogiTriathlete (01:10:16.63)
Yeah. Yeah. We've had our eyes. Yeah. We've had our eyes on international racing. I Claire has too. Yeah. Yeah. So we'll see. I got to my bike in Europe. I cannot believe I have not ridden my bike in Europe. It's insane. So that will happen. Claire, would love to hear from you.
Claire Bruce (01:10:38.019)
don't have a word, I have a very short phrase that is my two words combined, which is believe in opportunity. And that I think sums up Southern California to me right now. It sums up a lot of just things going on in my sphere as a whole, both.
Valerie Stakes (01:10:40.167)
you
Claire Bruce (01:10:55.831)
sport-related, home-related, work-related. There's lots of opportunity out there. And I think just staying curious about what those things are, believing that the right things will come when they're supposed to, and seeing what's showing up in my awareness and acting on it. So lots of good things to come, but I'm not ready to say what just yet.
YogiTriathlete (01:11:19.296)
Okay, I love that. And this Oceanside has...
become quite a thing for us. It's literally like a nine-day experience with you guys. Claire and her partner Colin are always the first ones to come in. We just start training and then we just start collecting the yogis along the week. We were connected with someone from Argentina, Diego, who we welcomed into the fold. We love doing that. We just welcome you in. You guys are so amazing at welcoming people into this.
crew as well and a mindset client of mine that I worked with for years who is from Mexico, doing a residency in Germany and being able to spend the week with her and just riding bikes with you guys and drinking coffee and getting jacked on cake the next day and having you in our home and having you guys just show up. It's really, really special. It's an absolute dream come true.
And I love the week of Oceanside. So we are going to continue that next year. And I just want to thank you all for being here. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for showing up. Thank you for being a part of this. Truly, yeah. My cheeks hurt because I've been like smiling the whole time. It's just, it really is like a pinch me experience to, you know, see you guys out there. Like the, feel like a mother. Like I wipe the sweat off my brow and everybody's off the bike safe and.
seeing just your grit and determination and it's just the full integration of all of it. It's, the ease and the effort and the surrender and the grit and the competitiveness and the acceptance that I love so much about Yogi triathlete and the athletes that are drawn to, to whatever this force is that has, yeah, asked BJ and I to blow everything up for it. And we're happy to do it. Yeah. And each and every one of you are shining examples of.
YogiTriathlete (01:13:18.016)
of Yogi Triathlete and what we've committed our lives to, this purpose of being awake and ready and doing hard things and seeing who we become on the end of that finish line, which is just really the start line for your next adventure. So we really do truly appreciate you all. I love having you in our hometown. I love cheering you guys on.
I wish I wasn't so passionate about this race because I would love to just spectate and cheer you guys on. But I'd love to partake in it too, because I love to show and lead from the front that all things are possible even when the perfect conditions don't show up leading into a race, which they quite rarely do. And it's how we navigate that that shows everything to our resolve and our dedication to ourselves. So I just want to say thank you. I love you guys. I can't wait to do it again next year.
We'll have some more fun. Yeah. Can we, can I just give a shout out to you, BJ, who realized on the run that didn't have a chip on and, and yeah, just kept going and kept racing and, you know, was like, whatever, like it's either going to be a DQ or, or we're going to figure out a way. And yeah, and ended up second in your age group at, I think arguably the most competitive.
half Ironman in this country, if not the world, it's really competitive. And so you do lead off the front. I get a front row seat to it. It's how many times he's down here in the pitch dark in the pre-dawn hours, you know, doing his mobility and just this unwavering belief that you're fastest and your best is still ahead of you. So great job, great job, everyone. Really, really, such a joy to watch you all.
Patrick (01:15:08.767)
That's right. Congrats, BJ. I was going to mention that. I'm glad you brought it up. That was excellent to see, encouraging, and exciting.
YogiTriathlete (01:15:18.156)
Yeah, thank you. I do believe and if I believe it for myself, obviously I believe it for each and every one of you. I'm not the norm. I'm not the statistic. I'm not a data point. just, I believe that there's so much ahead if we just lean into what's possible and we truly live that because all things will come to you. You just have to stick with it long enough. Yeah.
And as Valerie said, consistency will take care of All right, guys, we love you. Thank you for being here and until next year. Well, hopefully not until next year, maybe sooner. See you in Santa Cruz.
Laura DeGroot (01:15:47.971)
Thank
Valerie Stakes (01:15:48.32)
I'm
YogiTriathlete (01:16:03.032)
Thanks guys.
Valerie Stakes (01:16:05.056)
Thank
Laura DeGroot (01:16:05.443)
Thank you.
Patrick (01:16:10.911)
Thank you.
