A couple days ago the Crushing Iron Podcast had the opportunity to interview professional triathlete, Andrew Starkywicz, and he did not disappoint. Andrew’s not only one of the best cyclists in triathlon, but an interesting and charismatic guy with a deep passion for the sport and life.
I’ve raced head-to-head with “Starky” four times, and somehow, each time he has beaten me. I like to blame it on his better starting position as a pro, but he says it comes down to being blessed with long femurs for cycling.
The first time I ever saw him, he was blowing by me in the other direction at Muncie 70.3. It was actually the first time I’d seen a pro triathlete on the course and it was a bit intimidating.
He just seemed so solid and fluid compared to me, my neck pain, and constant saddle shifting. The other thing I remember was . . . the sound.
I could hear him coming at me. Legs pumping like pistons while he snacked on something I imagined as a higher level of fuel than I was privy to on his way to a 28 mph bike split.
I told my buddies about it later and they said, “Oh, that’s Starky, he won today.” Then they added, he doesn’t hold back, including what he says.
Here’s an interview about his “brash” personality.
Since that day in Muncie I’ve been on the course with Andrew another time at Muncie, once at Rev3 Knoxville, and this year at Ironman Louisville, where he rode 27+ mph for a full and led the race wire to wire.
We’ve never officially “met” but the other day we had the privilege of interviewing him for the Crushing Iron Podcast. He talks about his riding philosophy, goes in-depth about the little things he does to win, and tells us how he thinks we can all improve the sport.
The interview is below. You can follow Andrew @starykowicz on Twitter, @tri_starky on Instagram, or AndrewStarykowicz.com
Over 100 more Crushing Iron Podcasts can be found here. Thanks for listening!
When you have your own business and work at home, motivation can go south in a hurry. So, Sunday night I made a commitment to do something productive outside of the house every day this week. It took one night to ignite inspiration.
Nashville is absolutely loaded with options these days and Monday night I decided to hit the once-a-month gathering hosted by Nashville Creative Group. They were having a “show and tell” event where creators get three minutes to share what they’re working on. About 15 people signed up to share and I sat comfortably in my isolated chair near the back.
The third person on stage was a guy in a black suit with a handle bar mustache wearing a top hat. The look was captivating, but the story was even better.
He started by saying he had a stroke 7 years ago. He was a chef at the time but the stroke stole his memory of how to cook.
One of the therapies was to sit down and write in an effort to restore his ability to think. It was a painful process that took years. But eventually his cognition started coming back and over time he wrote a book which he proudly displayed in front of the audience. I spoke with him at the end of the night and he said it was difficult to write the book because he always forgot what he wrote the day before. But he pressed on with action and because of this book he landed a 7 book deal with his publisher.
In my heart I know this is the kind of inspiration that is waiting around every corner when I step out of my comfort zone. But inspiration isn’t action and that has been a difficult concept for me to tackle. That night I came home and pulled out a few books to really zone in on my “dreams.” But sometimes I feel like I’ve read enough, or watched enough videos on YouTube and it’s time to “make something happen.”
I think this is a very common problem, actually. Someone once described it to me as “premature optimization.” We want to “learn” everything before we do anything.
But more times than not the best way to learn is to just do it. Dive in, make mistakes, push your body to the limits. That’s how we learn and grow. That’s what triathlon is all about.
On Tuesday night a friend brought me to his professional group to see a speaker, and it turned out to be the Iron Cowboy, James Lawrence.
If you’re not familiar with James, he’s the guy who completed 50 Iron distance triathlons in 50 days in 50 different states. He talked about a few of the toughest moments, but I have to imagine there were hundreds or thousands of “I’m just going to quit” thoughts he had to overcome on his journey. As it turned out, his 12-year-old daughter may have saved the entire quest. She came to his side at a pivotal moment early in the streak. He was out of it, wobbly and trying to find a reason, any reason to quit. But she made a commitment with him, saying she would run by his side for part of every day. It was her own “50 5K’s in 50 Days,” and she wasn’t a runner.
So, this brings me back to how does inspiration intersect with action? I kinda think that inspiration germinates inside and someone (or something) else turns those desires into action. It’s really the genesis of Crushing Iron. I started writing about this journey as a novice Ironman in training and it went on periodically for years, but it took a collision of that passion with Coach Robbie to turn it into what it’s becoming. We committed to releasing podcasts on Monday and Thursday and haven’t missed one in a year. We have hosted 3 camps and coach a growing group of amazing athletes who have become the motivational force to keep creating action.
This is the topic of our latest podcast. Thank you for listening and we hope on some level we have helped you do what you’ve done for us.
Speaking of Inspiration . . . if you’re looking for a great way to prepare for an Ironman or other big race in 2018, check out the C26 Triathlon Camps. We have a few spots left in each and they are sure to make you better and more confident in your racing. Four days of excellent instruction, beautiful venues, and great people. Here’s a video from one of last year’s camps. Dates are below.
I don’t know about you, but I have had a tendency to get ahead of myself in triathlon. I like to think about races and even “races after races” . . . which is exactly when I know trouble is brewing.
For example, I have Ironman Louisville coming up in about 50 days, but more than once I’ve thought about signing up for Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga and even a possible return to Louisville, Wisconsin, or Chattanooga for a 2018 Full Ironman.
It’s hard enough to stay in the moment with training for one race, let alone 2 more next year. Not only that, it makes me wonder about my motives.
Races can tend to be quite a buzz. It’s so tempting to sign up and feel the rush, talk about the rush, fly with the rush. But eventually that buzz subsides and reality sets in. That’s when I ask myself a question: Am I loving the training process?
If that answer is no, I know signing up for another race is a bad idea. It’s like being in a band and starting another band just for the thrill of “the possibilities.”
The other thing that happens is, I totally neglect a major opportunity to get better. Many triathletes I know do the same thing by virtually ignoring training from October through February. “Ah, there’s plenty of time to get ready for my May race!”
But those months are the perfect time to work on my weaknesses. I know this, and own this, but I rarely do this.
I’m not saying I have to hammer the off season like I do my main training, but it’s a great time to experiment with “relaxing training.” Things like mountain biking, hiking, etc.
What this all comes down to is living day to day. Doing things I enjoy and not always setting up future fantasies that can give me another rush of dopamine. It’s about being in the moment with training and life.
I often think of Ironman as a microcosm of life. Beginning, middle, and end. It’s a slow burn that dives deep into every fiber of your being. It makes you shout and doubt. It makes struggle and persevere. It makes you who you are in each and every moment.
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This is sort of the topic of today’s podcast. Thanks for listening. As always, if you enjoy listening to Crushing Iron, you can support us with a small donation at www.patreon.com/crushingiron
