Unstoppable With Shangrila Rendon

Shangrila Rendon

What if you could train smarter, race stronger, and still have energy for your family, career, and dreams while staying injury free? This show is for working parents, busy triathletes, marathoners, and endurance athletes who are chasing big goals and want to push past their limits and inspire others by how they show up in sport and life. Whether you're a first-timer, a comeback athlete, or someone who’s been stuck in burnout or injury, you belong here.  No matter your age, past injuries, time off, or current limitations, this podcast will help you go farther than you thought possible. Inside every episode, you’ll get: - Proven strategies from the Smart Training Method™  covering training, nutrition, injury prevention/body maintenance, mindset, and race prep - Inspiring interviews with everyday athletes and elite performers - High-impact lessons from experts in endurance, mental fitness, and performance - Raw stories of struggle, resilience, and transformation in the world of triathlon and running I’m Shangrila Rendon, 2x Guinness World Record holder, 48-time Ironman distance finisher, Ultraman and IM Kona finisher, keynote speaker, author, creator of Smart Training Method and Founder of Feisty Fox Coaching. But I didn’t start this way. At 24, I couldn’t swim, didn’t own a bike, and could barely run for 15 minutes. I battled depression, PTSD, addiction, eating disorder and the lasting scars of childhood abuse, sexual assault.  Endurance sport became the path I used to rebuild myself. I trained hard, failed often, and never gave up. And now I help others do the same. I created this podcast to help you go farther, inspire others, and become unstoppable. Subscribe now and join our community of athletes who are learning to be Unstoppable

  1. 1 day ago

    Finish Your 1st Olympic Tri Sub-3 Hours

    Ambitious athletes rarely back off training, stop chasing big goals or hard things because life gets busy.  If anything, that’s usually the hardest thing for them to do. It’s simply not in their DNA. The problem is this:  Many keep pushing long after the body has started waving red flags.  Their mind still believes & ambition is still there. But the body starts saying “no.” - “I used to be a strong runner. Even an ultra runner.” - “Now I can’t even run consistently.” - “I love swimming but my shoulder hurts.” - “My hamstring keeps tightening up.” - “I’m exhausted all the time.” This is where many go-getter parents get stuck. Trying to fit triathlon into an already overloaded life by stacking more intensity onto an already stressed body. More mileage & workouts.  More "catch-up" training. And honestly, getting the work done isn’t the problem.  The real challenge is learning how to keep progressing without constantly breaking the body down in the process. Because the goal isn’t to train less. The goal is to train intentionally. - To recover & move better.  - To swim faster. - Run stronger - Bike w/ confidence.  - And make training fit real life without ending up constantly injured or exhausted. Inside this episode, we’ll break down: - How busy parents train for a sub-3 Olympic triathlon without constantly getting injured - Why many adults plateau in swimming, running, and endurance despite training hard - How to maximize limited training time without burning out - The biggest mistakes ambitious athletes make balancing work, family, and triathlon Using Christine's story as an example: Christine is a mom of 2 from Australia, who wanted to break 3 hours in her FIRST Olympic triathlon while juggling being a mom of 2, work, a body that kept flaring up, camping, Japan travel, soccer ... all in less than 3 months. Back in January, running was painful. Heel pain. Hamstring tightness. Knee pain. Fatigue. The kind of stop-start training block that makes athletes question everything. Christine even said: “My brain can't keep up with everything that's going on, I'm juggling too many balls right now.” Instead of forcing harder training, we simplified and became more strategic. - CSS swim pace: 2:03 → 1:43/100yd - Open-water endurance: 1000m → 2550m nonstop  - Running rebuilt gradually instead of constantly breaking down Then race day came. - 2:53:37 - Sub-3 in a FIRST Olympic triathlon And she achieved this while balancing motherhood, work, travel, soccer, camping, and still learning triathlon - all within 3 months through remote coaching. This episode isn’t just about Christine.  It’s about learning how to pursue big goals without destroying the body in the process.

    Finish Your 1st Olympic Tri Sub-3 Hours
  2. 23 Jul

    I Can Run & Bike... But I Can't Swim

    “I can run. I can bike. But I can’t swim.” If that sounds like you, you’re not alone, especially if you’re in your 40s or 50s and dreaming of your first triathlon. In this episode, you’ll see how runners and cyclists in their 40s and 50s learned to swim in just one month, even after years of fear, delay, or past drowning experiences and finally swam in open water with confidence. Many athletes say: 💬 "I want to be a triathlete but I can't swim." 💬 “I’ll start swimming when I have more time." 💬 "I had drowning experience in the past. I'm not sure." 💬 “I’m too old to learn now.” 💬 “I don’t want to embarrass myself in the pool.” 💬 “I’m already busy with work, kids, and running. I can’t add more.” This episode shows why those beliefs don’t have to stop you. You’ll hear real stories from athletes like: - Ofel, who went from barely swimming 10 yards to swimming 1,000+ yards nonstop and completing her first open water swim - Badette, who had a past drowning experience and now swims confidently in open water and actually enjoys it They didn’t quit running. They didn’t need in-person coaching. They didn’t wait until life slowed down. What they had: ✔️ Clear guidance ✔️ Personalized technique corrections ✔️ Ongoing support that fit busy lives Whether you’re in your 40s, 50s, or beyond, you can learn to swim. You don’t need to be ready. You just need to be willing. As Badette said: “Try not because you’re ready, but because you’re willing.” And from Ofel: “Five weeks ago, I couldn’t swim more than 10 yards. Now I just swam 1,000.”

    I Can Run & Bike... But I Can't Swim
  3. 16 Jul

    Finish Your Next IM 70.3 Strong In Late 50s

    Sometimes your 50s become less about slowing down and more about finally chasing the goals you kept putting off. More adventure and challenge. New experiences. More desire to find out what you can still do. But life also gets busier. Work expands, kids grow up. The body starts talking more. You still want the goal. You just don’t want to break yourself getting there. A lot athletes in this period of life can already be swimming, cycling and running. But they still wonder: - How do I actually train for triathlon? - How do I improve without getting hurt? - How do I fit this around work and life? - How do I know if I’m doing enough… or too much? Matt is a business owner in his late 50s and had been thinking about Ironman for decades. When he started, he faced challenges many athletes know well: - Couldn’t really swim properly - Didn’t know how to train for triathlon - Shoulder, back, and foot issues -Questions about whether his body could keep up His words: “I’ve let all the excuses keep me from doing it. Time to Take Action!” What helped wasn’t simply doing more training. It’s learning how to train in a way your body can recover, adapt, and keep improving. In this episode we’ll talk about: - What actually helped Matt finish his 2nd 70.3 strong despite setbacks - How busy athletes train for a 70.3 without training taking over life - Why pacing, recovery, and execution matter more than doing more Using Matt’s story as an example: - Went from putting Ironman off for decades to finally starting - From random training to structured training with purpose - From recurring setbacks to finishing his 2nd 70.3 in 5:31 and running strong off the bike This isn’t just about Matt. It’s for the athlete wondering: - “What’s next for me?” - “Can I still do something big?” - “How do I do it without breaking myself?”

    Finish Your Next IM 70.3 Strong In Late 50s
  4. 5 Jul

    Why Swimming Still Feels Hard Even With Technique Drills

    A friend once told me, “You’re lifting your head, sinking your legs, and yikes… you’re zigzagging in open water. With your speed right now, you’re going to be in trouble meeting the cutoff time.” Then he added, “Just do drills.” That stuck with me. So I did. When I eventually decided to get a coach, more drills showed up in my plan. Side kicking, catch drills, breathing drills.. and more. I couldn’t really avoid the drills, so I did them. Determined. I’ll do whatever it takes to become a better swimmer. The truth is, at that time I had no idea why those drills were there, what problem they were supposed to solve, or even if I was doing them correctly. I just followed the plan because I was committed and willing to work hard. But despite all that effort, my pace didn’t really change. Swimming still felt hard. I was still slow. And I definitely didn’t feel confident in the water, especially on race day.  Fast forward, after coaching thousand of swimmers and triathletes remotely and in-person, I realized how common that experience is. I hear the same thing over and over again: Athletes doing the drills. Putting in the time. But feeling like nothing is really changing. They’re still stuck. And eventually they ask the same question I once asked: “Are these drills even helping me… or are they making me more stuck?” Not because they aren’t working hard. But because something important is missing from how most athletes approach drills. And when that piece is missing, it can feel like you’re doing everything you’re supposed to do in the pool… yet progress stays frustratingly slow. In today's episode, I’m breaking down: ☑️  why drills sometimes stop working ☑️  why triathletes repeat the same problems for months ☑️  how to recognize when it’s time to change focus If you’ve ever felt like you’re putting in the effort but still not seeing the progress you expected in the water, this will make a lot of things click.

    Why Swimming Still Feels Hard Even With Technique Drills
  5. 19 Jun

    From Runner To Triathlete: Why Swimming Feels So Hard & How To Fix It

    From Runner To Triathlete: Why Swimming Feels So Hard & How To Fix It If swimming feels harder than running, it’s not you. It’s how you’re training. Most runners bring this into the water: push harder go longer / do more fight through it And that’s exactly why they end up here: “After 150 or 200 meters I feel like the CO₂ is building up…” They're out of breath, gasping and have no control. Even if they can swim 1000 meters or more in the pool… on race day, everything falls apart. And they're left wondering: “I thought I was ready. Where did all that training go?” What most athletes don’t realize is this: 📍 Swimming doesn’t reward effort or just show up the way running does. It backfires. Together with Coach Vineta and Valerie, in this epsiode, I’ll break down: Why swimming feels so hard, especially coming from a running background Why doing more yards isn’t fixing it What’s causing that “out of breath” feeling and how to fix it so you can finally feel in control in the water Using Valerie’s story as an example: After a year of swimming and being able to do ~1000 meters nonstop… she still felt like she was “gasping” after 150–200 meters. As soon as she took action and dialed in the way she trains, she was able to swim non-stop 1500 meters continuously feeling “relaxed and strong.” Her confidence went up. Swimming started to feel easier and she got faster. But this episode is not just about Valerie. It’s about understanding why you can do the distance but still feel out of control. If that’s you, this episode is for you.

    From Runner To Triathlete: Why Swimming Feels So Hard & How To Fix It

About

What if you could train smarter, race stronger, and still have energy for your family, career, and dreams while staying injury free? This show is for working parents, busy triathletes, marathoners, and endurance athletes who are chasing big goals and want to push past their limits and inspire others by how they show up in sport and life. Whether you're a first-timer, a comeback athlete, or someone who’s been stuck in burnout or injury, you belong here.  No matter your age, past injuries, time off, or current limitations, this podcast will help you go farther than you thought possible. Inside every episode, you’ll get: - Proven strategies from the Smart Training Method™  covering training, nutrition, injury prevention/body maintenance, mindset, and race prep - Inspiring interviews with everyday athletes and elite performers - High-impact lessons from experts in endurance, mental fitness, and performance - Raw stories of struggle, resilience, and transformation in the world of triathlon and running I’m Shangrila Rendon, 2x Guinness World Record holder, 48-time Ironman distance finisher, Ultraman and IM Kona finisher, keynote speaker, author, creator of Smart Training Method and Founder of Feisty Fox Coaching. But I didn’t start this way. At 24, I couldn’t swim, didn’t own a bike, and could barely run for 15 minutes. I battled depression, PTSD, addiction, eating disorder and the lasting scars of childhood abuse, sexual assault.  Endurance sport became the path I used to rebuild myself. I trained hard, failed often, and never gave up. And now I help others do the same. I created this podcast to help you go farther, inspire others, and become unstoppable. Subscribe now and join our community of athletes who are learning to be Unstoppable

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