S3E5: MEP RACETEAM 2025 Recap

0:05Welcome to the MEP podcast, where I'll be exploring the intersection of sport and spirituality through a variety of practices that ultimately invite us to learn, grow, and connect. I believe that through movement and mindfulness, we can create an awareness within that will allow us to integrate as individuals and connect more deeply to our mind, body, and spirit, together navigating a way to the way. This is a bit of a special podcast episode because I sit down with the 2025 MEP race team to go over the program, highlights, challenges, talk about the training camp, the race experience, hear from all the guys on the team, what they found valuable, some of our favorite products, and lots more.

0:48So we'll dive straight into this conversation and hope you enjoy it and feel inspired to potentially check out one of the MEP experiences or programs in the year ahead. Enjoy. All right. Welcome, guys. um i'm here with the 2025 mvp race team we're doing a little catch-up uh reflection on on the season to finish off last year uh it was a four-month journey all together uh starting in august and we finished racing ironman 70.3 la quinta december 7th so about a month ago um yeah great to see you guys and i haven't had a chance to catch up in person yet so So excited to ask you some questions and hear how you're feeling about the race a month later.

1:37Maybe you can just go around quickly and sort of introduce yourself, where you live, maybe how many 70.3 races you've done for some context, something like that. Connor, why don't you start us off? Yeah, sure. My name is Connor McPhee and I live in Alhambra. and I was just trying to remember I think I've done about six 70.3s and one one full Ironman nice uh how about you Elliot uh yeah my name is Elliot Lowe I uh live in Santa Barbara California I grew up in Australia uh this was like my second official Ironman 70.3 but the one before it was about five years prior so it really felt all brand new I definitely forgot how hard they were so yeah got some cool reflections to share yeah um Elliot or I think you sent the video of the race recap from Ironman like just a few minutes before this call and I was like of two minds watching that I was like yeah this is dope and I was like do I really want to do this again just looking seeing people suffering on the run course and remember what that felt like yeah um all right luke how are you uh my name is luke falcone i live in culver city california this was my first 70.3 distance um yeah it was a blast yeah and uh i guess for those listening This is Ryan, the host of the podcast, and this was my fourth 70.3.

3:24I think I did my first one in 2022. So one pre-child and three post-child. Very interesting difference each race, I think. You know, like any sort of journey or ceremony, I think they're always going to be very different depending on where you're at and just what's going on in life. um you know four months is such a like long stretch of time that so much can come up and um I guess I'm curious to to start off asking you guys each like coming into this you know what about it kind of made you excited or interested to you know embark on a uh ambitious endurance journey and also you know in this group setting and and like with the MEP team which you know I I guess from my perspective, I would say is as a unique approach and angle to, you know, endurance sport.

4:25Elliot, we want to jump in. Yeah. Well, I think we went back and forth for like three or four weeks about me even committing just because my job, it's so hard to know where I'm going to be. And when I commit to things, I don't really control my own schedule when it comes to work. but I'd been and done the MEP cycling retreat and really enjoyed that weekend it was kind of my first step back into like endurance sports I hadn't been back on the bike for very long I wasn't running a whole lot at the time but I I knew that I really wanted to do something for myself and I wanted to set an ambitious goal and work towards it and like follow a process and having done a 70.3 before I remember how I felt when I got into that mindset I don't know when I set ambitious goals I like to push really hard to achieve them and looking at from the cycling retreat and putting in the mindful element into it it was something that I was really it was good to be connected with again because I've been on a few like spiritual paths let's say and they haven't always stuck long term but I've always been able to look back at them in a really positive way so yeah I guess that kind of summarizes what I was looking for and doing it in the team environment just helps because there's accountability there and I really connected with the guys which was which was awesome yeah cool and Luke how about yourself yeah this is um this was my I think fourth round doing an MEP retreat or experience if you will um I've done a few of the cycling retreats and uh and and did the half marathon team earlier last year um and for me you know my son just turned two right after the race this year.

6:30Um, and so this last year, my wife and I kind of really felt like we had our feet underneath us a little bit and I got to focus on getting back into endurance sport. Um, I always grew up playing team sports. And so when I started to try to like dip my feet back into the endurance side of things, I think I had a really hard time as, as Elliot mentioned, like keeping myself accountable and um you know there's a lot of running groups and things around la that you can can lean on but the intimacy of this group and the idea that you know if i missed if i missed a few workouts or something like that like these these guys knew um and you guys were paying attention to that and and um having that level of of you know of proximity with someone else and understanding and being able to talk through why that might have happened or why why I felt fast one day versus why I had a hard day the next um was a really important part of this experience for me so yeah yeah cool and Connor how about yourself yeah so I did the the race team last year and uh since since finishing the race team in 2024 my wife and I I had a baby.

7:48And so coming into this year, I knew that I would want to do the race team again and that it would be a very different experience having a kid. And, um, you know, earlier in the year I had done, uh, Oceanside and that was kind of actually my first race back, uh, with a, with a three month old. And that was, you know, an interesting experience in itself. It was a big challenge. It was, the race was a lot harder than I expected it to be. And so this race would have been then my second race back with a kid. And, you know, I knew I wanted to, to come in and face the challenge and just approach the training and approach the preparation in a totally different way.

8:41And the other side of it was, you know, really thinking about not just the training and the racing, but just the kind of personal development and the community that the team provides. And, um, so I knew that coming into it, it would be an opportunity to explore some of these, um, personal development goals as well. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. It's funny as well that you say it was your second race with a baby, even though we raced like five times leading up to the 70.3 race. You know, I think like one of the special things about the program and the team is like our biweekly calls and having the video check-ins on WhatsApp.

9:29And, you know, because we did get to race together a decent amount, but we didn't get to actually train together a ton in this program, but it still felt like we were very connected and having those calls where there was almost like not much talk about training. There wasn't that much like focus on it. You know, we could really open up personally and what's going on with our lives and maybe how is that working with our training or creating challenges. I'm just curious, like for me, I always was really excited about those calls to like hear where you guys were up to and what was going on. and yeah I'm just curious like how that was for you and if it was you know a drag and something you had to do at nighttime or was it something that you guys felt was like a good part of the experience whoever wants to jump in yeah for me um I'm in a I'm in a men's group we've moved weekly as well so it kind of felt that same cadence but um oftentimes that group is you know it's guys from all over the world and so the issues that guys are bringing up are pretty far few you know there's there's a lot of a lot of disparity there but um so having a group that was focused on a lot of the same issues and we were pushing each other in a lot of the same ways and asking similar questions, I think was really, really awesome.

10:58And I do think allowed us to push our relationships a little further and ask questions that we wouldn't have normally, I think, had the time or attention to really give some focus to. Yeah. Yeah, Connor, it seemed like especially for you, having known you now for a few years and being in the program last year, this year it felt like you opened up a different like layer of yourself within the group and especially on those calls and you know sharing about your career and the challenges there and in your vision um you know I'm curious like does it feel connected like in the same group where you're talking about fueling and training and intensity and you know gear to also be sharing like these kind of more intimate personal challenges um you know how did you feel like that all kind of came together or was challenging or yeah your experience with that yeah I mean it was definitely something I had to be intentional about you know coming into the it's funny because actually coming into the last year's program they they were there were some thoughts that were on my mind that were just kind of under the surface.

12:17And, you know, I had considered like kind of diving into, but it just, for some reason, I wasn't able to quite access. And coming into this year, it was, it was something that I intentionally knew like, okay, this is, it's time. And I want to kind of face these things head on. And I knew that having these weekly calls and talking to people that I cared about and I trusted would create this sort of circle of, of a space that, you know, I could bring, bring these things to and kind of feel like there's somebody who, you know, is going to be wondering like, well, what's going on? Like a place to keep you accountable.

12:55And yeah, it was really a rewarding experience. It was challenging to, you know, face them, but it was also rewarding at the same time to um yeah just open up that door and and start to walk through it and um you know it's something that has carried through you know past um after the race and something that i continue i'm working on now which is has been really really great yeah yeah i think you know after christmas when everyone kind of came back on to into the thread and dropped the check-ins and stuff it really was like oh man I like miss these guys you know like Luke similar to you you know being in a men's group and having a similar cadence but you know this journey was so specific because we were on such a physical unified trajectory and this shared experience you know over four months and the training camp and it was just like hearing from all you guys I could just feel this like sense of like ah yeah like you know I'm they're still here I'm still with them and like also everyone's kind of having unique challenges navigating the holidays and recovering from the race and travel and all that stuff too um but yeah Elliot how about yourself you know being a little bit more removed from LA and Santa Barbara and your schedule being very hectic with travel um you know I still felt like very connected to you myself um throughout the process and yeah I'm curious how your experience was with that with the calls and opening up on them yeah I loved it you know I loved coming down to LA and racing when we had other things teed up we didn't do too much training together but the racing was really special and having those connections and yeah I mean my job is busy with travel but your guys lives are really busy too you know everyone here travels for work you guys have all got young kids which I don't and I like drew a lot of strength from you three I don't know that I was constantly saying like seeing Connor get up at like 4 30 start running at 5 to get his sessions in before work and then he can be back for Celine and Luke I know you were doing the same Ryan as well like fitting in sessions where you can it's like it wasn't ideal for anyone and I guess for people who were tuning in like none of us were doing this race just to finish like everyone was very competitive and I just felt like I kind of had a bit of extra push every day and the times when I got home late from a flight or whatever and I could have just gone to bed and had a shower like I wanted to but I laced up my shoes and there was definitely always the thought of you guys in the back there knowing that you guys were going through challenging ways to get your training into.

15:50So it was awesome. And yeah, I definitely feel the connection there. We just recently went for a run on the weekend together and it was probably like the best five miles that I've done. It went so fast. We were just talking and, and yeah, I don't know. I just draw a lot of strength because it's really cool having team camaraderie and stuff in what is essentially an individual sport so and I felt that in the race when Connor came past me on the bike and looking out for you guys on the golf course it it's a cool way to to draw inspiration so yeah I feel very connected and I really enjoy it and it really gave me momentum yeah yeah it's awesome I felt similarly and you know I think it's uh the team dynamic like you said in the individual sport you know part of the reason that for me, I wanted to start doing this was having done a couple races and getting to triathlon just kind of solo.

16:47It's, it felt like a little bit unfulfilling, you know, in a way, like waking up early, showing up at a race in the dark, you know, just like, what am I doing out here? And, you know, it still was fun and it still was an exciting thing. And there's a lot of positives to it, but, you know, since having a kid, a lot of it was like, okay, I love training. I want to have some social life and, you know, also creating the program and sort of creating a deeper sort of purpose to it. It's like, for me anyway, that's really become this all encompassing, you know, medium for me to get a lot of fulfillment out of it.

17:26And even thinking about doing a race to spring by myself, I'm like, you know, what's the real point of that when it just feels so much more rich and dynamic you know exploring this journey and pass it to you guys and you know I think it was it was an interesting balance too of like inspiration and like competition you know like you said Elliot like it's a strong group of athletes you know kind of across the board we all set out with goals under five hours and you know even significantly like well below that and so you know it was an interesting process for me um you know my mind would like have all these things like comparing myself to luke where we're pretty similar across like the three disciplines and we had been close on some half marathons and you know I feel like there was that Connor you know I think I didn't feel like we were exactly in the same realm um you know and then Elliot you're super strong on the swim so it was like I knew I wasn't going to see you and then like how much time could you make up and just like this interesting dynamic for me as well being like the leader of the program but then being like the slowest, you know, but also hitting my own goals, you know, and this funny balance of like, objectively, this is going great, but then relatively, this is not going great.

19:01And finding like this sort of truth and like centeredness between all that. And yeah, I'm just curious how that side was it was for you guys, you know, feeling like your place in the team, you know, I think everyone brought really unique gifts, whether it was like training insights or Elliot helping us with some swimming stuff, you know, Connor, I think just like also inspiring us as, as you were just like blasting past, you know, a lot of the time and especially on the bike. But just like, yeah, I felt like everyone brought something unique to the table. And at the same time, there's like a healthy competition.

19:40I know for me, I was going to do the best I could and I wanted you guys all to have a great experience in the race and ultimately all finishing ahead of me and I feel just like stoked for all of you you know that it just like came together as much as it did because I don't know if races are ever perfect when you get to this kind of distance but you know overall felt like a huge success so I mean I'm just curious like how you guys navigated the sort of individual versus team and the competition with you know yourself with the other guys and if there's other people out in the world you're like looking at and comparing yourself to as well along the journey

20:31i i think um having the team aspect of that and and pushing each other just internally I think was huge um and not just on race day but in the whole build up and you know one of the things we get to do is these awesome retreats and workouts together and and um so having having someone to push you even all the way through the process you know when you're two months out and you're like do I really need to push that hard on this run and then you know you see one of you guys was already out did basically the same workout and just killed it you're like all right i gotta go right it's good um and so having that fuel is incredible um and and i think does you know it makes it relevant for you because you can be checking other folks stravas or like someone you know who did the race last year like you can look like what did they do last it's not what's the point right um having having someone you can square up to and and then at the end of a hard workout and run hug and and enjoy their company i think is pretty incredible

21:44yeah i feel like you guys have spent enough time with me now that you know like i like to try and keep things pretty light-hearted i like to have a good time while i'm doing stuff and uh yeah especially going out and doing the training camp. I mean, that really got a fire in my belly going because I was so excited to be there. And we did that one run workout together where I'm behind you guys on the run and I feel myself trying to keep up. And I just completely blew up and had to walk whatever it was, two miles back to the car, just completely defeated. And then still just seeing all of you there, like stoked for me and, you know, put your arms around me.

22:22Like, don't worry you know it's just a workout there's more to come I had this crazy travel day the day before it was so hot we'd already done a swim and a bike so it's just good to have that shared experience of everyone knowing how you feel everyone was going to have at least one session where they blew up and in terms of like the competitiveness you know I knew that uh Luke and Ryan were going to be like breathing down my neck on the run like I knew that I knew they were coming and And when Connor came past me at mile 20 on the bike, there is a part of me that goes, why can't I go with him?

23:00Like we're doing the same thing. We're pedaling at the same rate. You know, we're on a flat road and he's just pedaling away from me like it's nothing. And that fires me up because Connor's an amazing athlete, but I also feel somewhat within myself like I want to bridge that gap. so it's like this future goals and things and he's going to keep getting better and better so i don't know i think it's just awesome i think the whole environment that we created it it's it's competitive but in the most fun way you know and you can call people up and be like hey i'm thinking about this i'm thinking about that what do you guys think of this kit what do you think of these shoes and whatever and um yeah it's just it's just really neat it's a it's a no ego environment while all still being competitive yeah that's that's what i love about endurance sport and triathlon it's like it's you versus yourself like you are you're racing your own self out there on the course whether you've done the course before and you can you know look at your past times and but then when you do it with a team it's like it adds this whole other dimension of you have something to kind of reflect off of, or it's something to kind of gauge off of.

24:19But then at the end of the day, it's really, it really doesn't matter what anybody else finishes in. And that's what was like, so special at the finish line. It was like, just that feeling of pure joy of like, being so proud of what you accomplished for yourself, but then also so proud of what these guys accomplished and how it felt like you know it was all a kind of group effort and everyone coming together we we got a lot of really cool photos throughout but when i think about this experience the image that i think of is the finish line and we're all hugging each other yeah yeah especially like when ryan came through under five under five hours and i knew like it was such a big goal and you talked about some of your previous races before and the fear you had about that run and what could be and just to see everyone finish so strong I obviously didn't see Connor finish but like that made the whole thing amazing and none of us could really walk afterwards and some of us were slightly non-verbal uh but it was just a really really really cool feeling and um you know we still would have been there for each other if one of us had a flat or one of us rolled an ankle and had to like hobble across like the the pride for everyone and the happiness for everyone would have been the exact same but because everyone achieved their goals it just put that like it was such a small part of the four-month journey you know just that finish line moment but it was like a really nice cherry on top yeah definitely was like a sweet sweet cherry for sure because you know the previous year the race didn't go so well for everyone and there was still like a beautiful you know gathering at the end but yeah from you know crossing the finish line and you guys all being right there you know like it felt like 10 feet on the other side of the finish line and and all the hugs and then seeing the photos as well of you guys before I got there you know it was like really cool um to see as well and yeah that was a really special moment and I think the fact of everyone like hitting their goals and finishing strong certainly like amplified the joy and made some of the pain a little bit more bearable um but yeah you know it's like Ellie you mentioning like blowing up on that run in in the training camp and that I think we all kind of died a little bit but it did make me think like if if I would have had that experience personally because my that I blew up on that run too like it was pretty rough um like if that was alone you know like I can imagine the rest of the night would have been pretty depressed you know my mind would have been like I'm effed for the race like I can't even do this workout and you know the whole who knows like what the next week of training would have been like it could have been really like almost dull you know and just like the belief kind of or the wind knocked out of me I can imagine but having that experience and then having the group to hold each other you know accountable but also just to like build each other up I feel like the recovery from the challenging races or the tough workouts whether they were together or just like individually but being able to share week over week it almost like helped just like reset and like recenter you know whenever that doubt of the mind would start to creep in you know after a bad or a challenging or slow whatever it was i can't remember how many weeks out the training camp was was it like six weeks maybe I want to say it was like around then about that yeah and I think it was just like a really good underline for where I felt I was at that time and it's like hey you've still got plenty of time left the you know it was only positive thoughts coming coming out of that that period and I felt like that was like such a great weekend for for all of us so yeah it is a nice feeling because yeah I would there's definitely other times where I've not hit the goals I've wanted to and it's just like sent you know set myself in like a little spiral but I didn't feel that at all after that run which is which is pretty interesting I hadn't really thought of it like that yeah yeah well I guess on the topic of you know training camp which I feel like is a pretty I mean for me it was almost like the the thing I look forward to the most because four days three nights, just us.

29:13And of course, Cam, who we probably have to shout out a little bit on this video, uh, bringing his unique energy to the, to the time there as well. But, you know, just like a focus on training, not the stress of any racing or like the race prep or all that stuff. Um, and just the four of us to kind of like connect super deep, have the breath work journeys. Um, Yeah, I really cherish that and was almost immediately sad it was over so soon as well. But yeah, I'm curious to hear your guys' reflections on training camp. It could be from our performance side, getting to ride some of the course as well and that aspect, but more so just the experience and the time together and what it meant for the journey.

30:08yeah i think after that weekend where my energy level probably should have been at its lowest i think i was probably at my highest i was just you know flying way above the clouds after that um for i think all the reasons you guys just noted but you know this the the the thing about these races is it's really you know it's so cliche to say but it It is the process. It is the training rides that are really the experience, right? Like the race is so short in the whole grand scheme of things. And having opportunities to do some of those deeper workouts together and make that a whole experience in and of itself, I think, is really unique and something most people don't get to do in the build-ups to these.

31:05you know when I was deep in it on race day too and I was able to kind of look around on the bike course and be like oh I've been here I rode this with these guys I was I was hurting when I was I've hurt here before there's definitely some familiarity to that that felt great and I think you know pulling back into the bike into t2 that was right where we all blew up on that run and I I was able to kind of look over and chuckle about that and, and, you know, say, well, I feel a little better than I did then. So, yeah. I remember being out in the training camp and I think it was maybe just the, the very first ride and us riding through the desert and being like, man, there's nothing I'd rather be doing than riding bikes with some friends right now in the desert.

31:53Like this is just the best, just the best experience. and you have, you know, countless workouts to look forward to day after day. So I think, you know, it's that kind of sequencing of like just getting to do a bike workout, look forward to the run, you're going to swim in the morning, that repeated, you know, pushing the limits, and then you come back to the house and it's like this great decompression. You know, know we've all kind of experienced the same workout we're gonna cook some good food sit down chat it's like all those times in between the workouts too are like just equally as special as the workout themselves yeah ryan is like the airbnb king like he finds great spots and then you you turn up and it's like christmas for adults with all the gear there so you like you didn't even need to pack anything really and i think everyone has a similar view on health and how they want to eat and how they want to nourish their body and stuff and you learn like cool neat little tricks like connor trying out your electrolytes i was like oh this is perfect and i use that for race day too um yeah it's just one of those things that you don't really get to do.

33:19You have it like when you're in high school, maybe you go on like a school camp. I used to go on these swim camps, which are like three or four days and you stay in like dorms kind of thing. And, you know, you get like this camaraderie and you make something, I made some of my best mates while swimming. And then when you're trying to navigate coming out of school or out of university or even like your first few jobs, you're kind of like looking for people who you have shared interests with. And sometimes like those shared interests become like, oh yeah, we go drinking together or maybe we play golf like once every six months.

33:55Whereas with this, like we're all doing the same stuff. And even if we weren't doing in person, we can look at each other's like little data and, you know, we can go, oh, you're looking really fit. This is good. Hey, why don't you try this? What recovery stuff people's doing? And like, I love that. and um it's really um like four months is a great amount of time but it's also a really short period of your life so you can really dive in in that without it feeling like it takes over your entire world yeah yeah it's cool to hear everyone's reflections and yeah four months does feel like because the first year it was six months and it felt like you know it was the first time doing it and this did feel more I don't know like together or complete or just the the cadence and the impactfulness and you know making the training camp an extra night longer as well and just yeah that is such a special time for us you know and we're doing these big workouts and even just getting to swim bike and run in a single day is pretty rare outside of a race you know and then getting to ride in like Joshua Tree Park and you know do some pretty deep breath work journeys at the end of these long days like in some ways like for me that's like the epitome of MEP you know is like you have this long intimate shared experience uh shared adversity through the sport you know you're sweating you're laughing you're like I need some water do you have any you know and somebody else is hooking you up or you know Luke you run into the store before and come and bring water over after that bike ride and you know and then it's like you're so bonded and then you come home yeah sharing dinner and then you know being able to go into a hour hour and a half breathwork journey and just the the sort of intimacy and the openness uh just feels so special which then I feel like feeds the next day of training because that bond and that connection is even deeper and so yeah I just I really cherish that and you know Connor you're saying like it's just the best you know and I was like coming out of a meditation a few days ago and I don't know why I started thinking about it but some for some reason I just thought of Dak Prescott the Cowboys quarterback back and I was like, man, he makes$55 million in a year.

36:27And I'm like, if I made that, I would do this. I would just do more of this. It's so fun and fulfilling. It's just, I would just find a maybe more expensive Airbnb. But this is what I would want to be doing and that shared experience you know it's just been so fun to to have with you guys and the training camp is like the sort of most intense awesome version piece of it in a way um you know elliot you mentioned it was like christmas for adults with the gear and not as like necessarily a selling point to get other people hyped about potentially joining for future programs you know because there's going to be one coming up but for me it's like I've always been excited about gear and I can remember on my high school basketball team being like oh here's like all these shoes like we can all get them and like you know the team's like feeling good you know like Deion Sanders is like look good feel good play good you know and it was like it's always fun for me to be able to like have these brand partners come in and share the you know abundance and i'm just curious like i used to approach this as like oh people get their value through the gear and then the experience is like the bonus and now i've really started to like start to shift and be like the experience is the thing and the gear is the bonus but i imagine i mean at least for me it's a pretty fun bonus and if you guys have any standout things that you're especially stoked on I'd love to hear it too I mean I love the two times you try suit like the branded one that we've got it's like really special to me I love putting it on for the first time and like seeing it uh it looks super pro it felt super pro but it was only cool because it was part of the team and like the little um like all the the graphics and the wordings on it it's just like super powerful and I still look at it now which is awesome I think when we all first got the orca wetsuits we were all freaking out because before I was swimming in a wetsuit that was actively trying to drown me, whereas that really supported me.

39:04And I think the text threads on those days when we all started trying out the wetsuit was probably like one of my favorite days. And yeah, I guess like the on-carbon plate shoes also. I hadn't really had an experience with them in great detail before. and I didn't it's not that I didn't buy into it because I saw what people have like achieved in them but just the support and the spring and everything you get and yeah all wearing the same kit running together was was pretty neat it was awesome so yeah those were some of my favorites yeah for me the switching to the the on the on shoes the carbon blade shoes were pretty sweet i those are just my favorite shoes to race in now and i like the the feel of them the way that the foam interacts with the the plate it's um it's definitely the the race shoe of choice so i'm i'm pretty pumped to to have that and have a couple of them to to cycle through beyond the program

40:14yeah it's funny you mentioned high school i feel like um my you know gear experience was like in college getting shitty adidas sweatsuits and like two pairs of cleats and like needing to make that last season but that day was so good everybody rolling around campus and it you know it felt like that that first day on a training camp where we all rolled out and we had our kids on um it's just it's yeah i think it's just a fun i you're right for me it's certainly not the driver of this experience but i think it adds to that team corrupt camaraderie doing the group photo shoots fun that just is a whole part of the experience and um yeah i was um very pleasantly surprised with the on shoes um i reach for them probably a little more than i should now and for training runs um but they're just kind of a pleasure to be in um and yeah i i um i swam in the web suit the week the orca wetsuit the week before the race i think it's part of the reason that i lined up to race on race morning was because i was pretty jazzed to to really put that thing uh through its paces and see how much faster it could make slow little old me so yeah yeah no it's cool to hear i mean i think the standouts are probably similar for me as well like the two times you suit the orcoette suit and the on race shoes um yeah you know i was i didn't know how good they were going to be either you know and to get get them on and be like oh yeah these are these are dope and just be excited to I'm like oh yeah I got a threshold run this week can't wait to like pull those shoes out you know and really go for it and yeah the orca web I mean the the text thread that day there that week when everyone was trying to know it was was hilarious and also just like so exciting you know because for me as well like I don't want to like bring in product and be like hey here you guys go and like and not be you know feel good or help you like feel like you can perform better.

42:29And yeah, those wetsuits, because we didn't start the season with Orca on board. And so I just felt grateful for them coming in. But yeah, for me too, like not, I'm not the strongest swimmer, even though made a lot of improvements over the program. It was like, oh, this, it really gave me like confidence. You know, I just felt like, oh, this is gonna help me, you know, maybe either swim faster or swim the same pace easier. And either way, that's a big win. But yeah, I find like, you know, product is an interesting one because like I've always been into it and I've been involved in selling it and marketing it and talking about it.

43:15And there's way too much of it out there, you know, and there's way too much like unhelpful marketing and energy spent in it but i do think like a good product can inspire somebody to you know start running and change their lifestyle and then meet new friends and then join a program and then make maybe a wetsuit makes you feel comfortable enough to get in the ocean and swim around you know and it's just like at its best it does it can inspire like it could be a catalyst for you know future relationships and and new experiences and so it is cool that that can be a part of it but ultimately it's you know the human going on that journey that's like the most rewarding thing um and maybe most importantly we're a non-jammer swim group now sometimes and we can all run we can all run in tights too and we can all run in tights yeah definitely uh that's the important evolution of note for sure um you know i think like somebody was mentioning earlier just like oh i'm doing this or i'm trying this like maybe recovery product or i'm feeling like this or like using chat gbt to help you know i'm curious like do you guys feel like you learned a lot of like practical performance training race information from the group from one another from people's experiences and having that space to like even just bounce ideas around oh yeah i gotta give connor a shout out for showing me how to set up my t2 bag with everything down laid out in it it was completely covered and protected for the evening but it when I ran up to it the next day and I could see everyone's bags like their shoes were just shoved in there and then I had it tied at knots I like just said like a little prayer for Connor just like thank you he's probably already finished so I just about to start my run but yeah there was little tips like that and little nutrition things like I'd never cycled with ice cubes in my bottles before which sounds so dumb but it wasn't until i saw you guys doing it that i was like that makes perfect sense and um yeah little little things like that went went a really long way especially on race day

45:51i think um i think elliot you helped transform my swim stroke and probably all of our swim strokes to some degree uh i remember being in the palm springs pool and you saying oh you you got to reach out further. You're not, you're not quite reaching, like fully extending. And I remember it was like this light bulb where I was like, ah, the whole time I've just been not reaching out far enough. And so that, that totally has changed the way that I swim now. And I think it definitely had a big impact on my swimming in the race. You killed it, man. You killed it. it's such a nuanced sport in that way that you know when you think about it you're like how much faster can you get at slapping some water and mashing some bike pedals and trying to run yourself into the pavement but um each of those little tips and tricks um which you know there's encyclopedias online but trying to find the right version of that is really hard um and so having a group that is trusted and you know we're all on similar kits and on similar bikes and like we can kind of be testing different things um we can all still drop bottles and probably still not have a good solution for that but um you know it's it's just one more one more way to kind of build trust amongst each other and and have some fun yeah it is i do laugh sometimes just thinking about the sport triathlon and because it's like yeah there's swimming cycling and running but there's so much other stuff when you get to 70.3 distance about fueling it's like how do you attach your bottles to your bike and what's in those bottles and then the calculations of carbs and all that stuff is uh there really is like a crazy amount of things to consider.

47:56And I remember just being so stressed, like nights before races a couple years ago, you know, going over my fueling plan. And yeah, just hearing kind of what everyone's doing, definitely just felt reassuring. But I also really remember just, you know, getting up race morning at 330 or whatever. And Connor, it was just you and I in the kitchen at the house that morning and you know you're pretty meticulous I would say about you know the coffee machine is like loaded the night before and everything is like so dialed and I've definitely learned like stuff from you but also just your energy around like all right like just getting into like this and now this and now we're ready and it was just so calm and so focused and you know I could feel that I think and it just made a difference for me staying staying calm as well and just feeling like we got this you know like that kind of energy and so I really appreciate like yeah your experience and just like the energy that that you brought in that regard in that morning especially.

49:05I think race morning is the day that those little tips and tricks like really make the difference and in all of those build-up races I think Connor like progressively showed up closer and closer to start time and was and you know especially for me like i hadn't raced in a while and getting back into it i i still had a lot of those early nervous jitters and i think the difference of of me you know in that first sprint that we did where i think like i lost my chip right before the race like to to race morning on uh out in lakinto was i think a huge testament to just like being around to you guys pre-race and and seeing as you pointed out ryan that like calm energy that um a seasoned vet like connor brings to the table so yeah morning we're going to battle you got your brothers in arm yeah i feel like i triple checked my stuff against luke's bag like at least three or four times before we left the house and i still wasn't convinced but he was really calm and it definitely rubbed off on me for sure um yeah I think he was more concerned that Phoebe like had all the car that she needed needs to know where she wanted to go like he had a million other things to think about and I was just there like spying like what have I forgot what have I got and yet definitely being around other people helps a lot yeah yeah I think like it's so much easier to like spiral and get stuck in that like what am I missing when you're all alone like doing something like this versus like are you bringing this what like what are you doing with that you know just having that the group of people that you can trust and have some experience or you know at least you know are like intentional and considerate as they're putting together their stuff definitely is helpful as well um i think too elliot you've raised a good point that you know one of the things i was worried about was phoebe but i kind of knew that she had this whole you know we had a pretty significant support crew that whole week um in terms of our families and i felt so much more comfortable knowing that she was going to be out on course with your guys's families and and um you know ironman's a tough spectator sport and being able to offer as much assistance in that sense as you can I think is huge so yeah yeah I would have been so stuck because Gabby had gone to Australia and I was just I would have just been there by myself which is crazy to think of because it would just be so difficult even getting to the start line would have been double the race in itself so yeah it's wild shout out Ryan's parents for really taking care of us resident chefs oh my gosh still dreaming about some of those pastors yeah that did work out well um yeah thank you mom and dad um i'm curious you know about some of your guys's like maybe you know looking back at the four months like big takeaways or wins you know i think for me one of the biggest challenges was like I kind of mentioned earlier is like kind of hitting some of my objective goals, but then also being, having a challenge of like comparing myself to you guys, you know, and this, what that brought up for me was like, you know, comparison and shame and being good enough, you know?

52:40And it's like, if I'm just looking at my data for my goal, I am good enough, you know? And then also then finishing like last amongst the four of us in some of the races, or maybe falling behind in a workout or something like that. And being like, oh, I'm falling behind, you know, and learning to like come back to myself, you know, in that place of like being stoked for people, but also trusting the process. You know, trusting the process was a big thing. Connor, you kind of told us about the program designer that you've been following. And maybe you can touch on that at some point, but I really liked the program And a big part of my process, this, this, um, buildup was just like, trust it.

53:27Don't think I know better that I should be doing more speed workouts or less of this and just trust the plan, you know? And that was, I think a big win for me, but I think, you know, the swim part for me was, was the thing that stands out the most. And it was the thing I had the least ambition for. it was more like just be consistent start getting a feel for the water and it was like starting to just enjoy going to the pool once or twice a week and starting to almost be excited for the swim part of the race you know it was like such a huge shift by halfway through and you know still challenges came up but it was like that piece for me was like just trusting the process and And just showing up like this session, let's see, you know, then the next one, for some reason, there was just so much less pressure in the swim for me.

54:29And the improvement in the swim for me was like quite drastic, like two or three years earlier during the same course, I swam, you know, I wasn't in good swim shape regardless, but I swam in 44 minutes and then swimming this in 36 minutes is just like a pretty crazy improvement that I almost feel like if I would have set that goal from the beginning I feel like it would have been very hard to like feel like that was realistic and and and if I was falling behind that it would have been more stressful versus just like let's just trust the process and see what happens and it just like progressively got more improvement And, you know, even a few weeks before the program started, you know, Connor and I did the Long Beach Olympic distance and I hadn't swam for eight months or something before that.

55:23But my swim time was slower in that race than it was in La Quinta, which is pretty funny, you know. And so just like, it was a good lesson in terms of like not being attached to an outcome, but really just letting myself be in the process and doing my best, you know, on each of those sessions, but just like seeing where it took me, you know, versus getting too attached to like a certain time on the run and then being like, oh no, like that workout during training camp, I'm nowhere near that and then that causing the sort of tension or doubt or something like that but yeah I'm curious for you guys either like on a perspective performance aspect or maybe on a personal you know some of the takeaways that you you know take beyond the four months