Each week we shine a light on people looking, finding, and living their purpose. People who are making shifts in their lives towards what they love and away from what society deems as the path. 

In the case of today’s guest, professional triathlete Ari Klau, the shift was radical. He quit his well-paid full-time job as a software engineer to pursue a calling to figure out how good he could be at endurance sports. 

Ari is no stranger to competition, having been an NCAA runner, but as a rookie pro triathlete, he still has much to experience as he trains and races himself up the ranks. 

Ari’s story comes with trauma and loss as his life intensely shifted overnight in January of this year. It was an event that catapulted him into a whole new reality and profession. 

He shares his journey on his YouTube channel, and he doesn’t do it bashfully. We know you guys appreciate the open and honest conversation, and this guy brings it fully! We hope you enjoy the show.

In this episode, we discuss:

- the mundane life of a pro triathlete
- first pro race
- falling into the trap of limitation
- commit and give it everything
- the fickleness of motivation
- expecting to win
- strong spros only
- the events that shifted everything
- strug pro
- training with Lionel Sanders
- money is not enough
- risks are not a big as you think
- lessons of pain and grief

Namaste-

Jess

YogiTriathlete

Ari Klau, Strug Pro Triathlete Expects To Win

Hello, SPIRITUAL WARRIOR! I love connecting with you! Follow me on social media, and check out my website for more information on how meditation can reduce your stress, help you make more conscious choices and improve your relationships. I have 300+ free guided meditations, educational and inspirational blog posts, my calendar of upcoming events, and much more at davidji.com. Don't hesitate to send me an email if you have questions or need guidance. Peace - davidji

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Transform FEAR into TRUST Guided Meditation

Imagine yourself on mile 5 of an Ironman marathon and you feel great. You are on goal pace.

"It's all coming together, this is THE race I've been waiting for".

Then you look at your heart rate and it's 10 beats higher than what it should be and all of a sudden you don't feel as good and you slow down and your dreams are left to fade away for another day.

Sadly, this is common series of events for athletes who rely too heavily, because they have never trained any other way, on that external piece of equipment called the watch. Data is good, heck yes, but detaching from data to get to know thyself proves far more valuable when it comes down to pivotal moments in training and racing.

By practicing letting go of the watch in training we create space to develop a skillful awareness of our bodies and minds that lifts the limits that numbers can impose. Again data is good, it helps us get a sense of where we are in our pace and exertion levels but it's not the end all and be all of training. Envision going out for a workout and knowing, without question, your heart rate within a beat, pace within seconds and sustained wattage based on your breath and perceived exertion through heightened body awareness. How might that benefit you in a race when your bike computer fails or your watch battery dies?

BJ was introduced to this first hand from our guest today and has relied on it many times when his bike computer has failed and his watch battery has died. In fact, BJ's regular practice is to race without a watch and his times continue to get faster and faster.

Lucho came into our lives a decade ago on a plane ride home from Ironman Arizona. He struck up a conversation with BJ and from that moment on he was a changed athlete. Lucho soon became BJ's coach and has remained his mentor for many years.

Lucho is an accomplished athlete, he was a very active kid. He ran in high school which led to a scholarship to college which led to a unique twist which led to travels which led to a hurricane which led to his introduction to triathlon. In 2000 Lucho was the top amateur at the Ironman World Championship in Kona, HI and 16th overall. It was after this incredible accomplishment that he turned pro. He's a multi-time course record breaker in the sport of triathlon and ultra running. He utilizes his athletic experiences, especially the crummy ones, to self-reflect and learn so that he can rise back up to the next challenge as a better-equipped athlete and human. He is constantly reinventing himself and most recently he's been hitting the track to see what kind of speed he is capable of at this point in his life.

Lucho is so transparent, he's really an open book and I love that about him. We've known him for ten years and even though this is the second time I've met him in person I feel like I've been right by his side through times of joy and otherwise as we've followed his journey through his blog and by listening to him on his Endurance Planet podcast.

This conversation is most definitely one to listen to a few times, there is so much gold in here for athletes from the traditional training standpoint but also in the development of self-awareness and mental strength.

Thank you so much for your support, we couldn't do it with you all. We have a goal of 100 reviews on Apple Podcast by the end of August so if you enjoy today's show please go and leave a few sentences in support of the YTP.

Sit back, unplug and get ready to really plug into an awesome conversation with an accomplished athlete, coach, podcaster, dad, husband, and cake artist.

Podcast 66: Tim "Lucho" Waggoner from All American to Two Packs a Day to Ironman to Leadman

YogiTriathlete and its co-founders, Jess and BJ, are waking up and shaking up the world of endurance sports. Their approach is anything but mainstream and they are known to go deep. Buckle up because jumping on this train has the power to change your life forever.

Ari Klau, Strug Pro Triathlete Expects To Win

YogiTriathlete Podcast

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