Unstoppable With Shangrila Rendon

Your swim workout says “technique.” Your Masters swim or triathlon coach gives you drills and corrections. You may be swimming three or four times per week and working on your catch, breathing, kick, balance, or body position. ❓ So why can the stroke still look the same, the pace remain stuck, and swimming continue to take more effort than expected? Many athletes listen carefully and genuinely try to make the correction. Their coach may tell them they are crossing over, have sinking legs, lifting their head, losing their catch, holding their breath, or allowing their legs to separate. They focus on the cue during the next length, but the workout moves on before they know whether anything actually changed. The next time they swim, there may be a different drill, a different set, or a different focus. Several weeks later, the same problem may still be there. 😩 The athlete may feel better during the drill, only to lose the movement as soon as the pace increases, the distance gets longer, or they enter open water. Their swim fitness may improve, but their pace does not change much. Swimming still feels harder than it should, and they remain unsure whether their stroke will be there when they need it on race day. This does not automatically mean the coach is bad, and it does not mean the athlete is not working hard enough. Masters swimming also can be excellent for building fitness, consistency, pacing, accountability, and confidence swimming with other people. A triathlon coach may also be giving the athlete useful drills and the right direction. 👉 Yet there can still be a gap between completing technique workouts and seeing a lasting change that improves pace, lowers effort, and remains available when the swim becomes harder or on race day. That gap is exactly what I’m breaking down during this episode. 📍 Your Masters or Triathlon Coach Gives you Technique Workouts... So Why Isn’t Your Stroke Changing? During this episode, I’ll show you: ✔ Why receiving good drills and corrections may still not produce a lasting change ✔ What may be missing when technique is included in the workouts but the stroke, pace, and effort stay the same ✔ Why a correction may feel better during a drill but disappear during faster or longer swimming ✔ Why adding more yards can sometimes make the problem harder to change ✔ How breathing, balance, catch, kick, and body position can affect one another ✔ What needs to happen before a correction can remain during faster, longer, and open-water swimming ✔ How athletes can identify where their current technique process may be breaking down This is not about criticizing Masters swimming or telling athletes to leave their coach. You may have a knowledgeable coach, useful workouts, and the right drills. Yet there can still be a gap between being told what to change and seeing that change appear consistently in your stroke. That is the gap I’ll help you identify during this episode.

Is it possible to keep improving in your 60s while overcoming knee pain?  In this episode, we share how Bob proved to himself that "I still got it!" making a powerful comeback to triathlon racing, improving speed, and finishing top in his AG pain-free! Bob’s Triathlon Comeback Highlights: - IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga: 5:27:17 (12th in AG, 60-64) - Olympic Triathlon: 2:34:02 – 1st in AG (60-64) - Critical Swim Speed (CSS): 1:48 min/100 yards → 1:38 min/100 yards - FTP: 171W (with knee pain) → 200W (pain-free!) - Run Speed: From missing a half marathon due to knee pain to now running 7:04 min/mile without pain! What you’ll learn in this episode: ✔️ Proven strategies for safe & swift knee pain recovery: How Bob returned to running stronger ✔️ How to revive your inner champion: Overcoming age-based doubts & unlocking your full potential ✔️ Improving speed in your 60s injury-free: The right way to train for performance & longevity ✔️ Making indoor training work for you: How to maximize efficiency & race preparation ✔️ The power of integrating swim, bike, and run training: Achieve high performance with a balanced approach Watch Bob’s inspiring journey and learn how YOU can keep improving, no matter your age!

Most marathoners know the moment when the race really begins. Around mile 18. Up until then, everything feels controlled. The pace is steady and confidence is high. Then the race changes. Legs get heavy, the pace starts slipping, and the final miles turn into “just get it done” miles instead of strong execution. What makes this frustrating is that this happens even after months of hard training. Long runs were done, weekly mileage was consistent, and the work was put in.  But many runners eventually discover the same thing: More miles alone don’t prepare the body for the hardest part of the marathon. In this episode, we’ll break down why so many runners struggle after mile 18 and what actually helps runners stay strong in the final miles. Using Bryce's story as an example: We'll cover what allowed a 3:27 FIRST marathon followed by a 3:37 finish on the hot and hilly (1000 ft climb) LA Marathon just one month later. And here’s the surprising part. Bryce was over 250 lbs just a year ago and had only started running last year, dealing with foot, knee, hip, hamstring, groin, and IT band pain along the way. But this episode is not just about Bryce. It’s about understanding what allows some runners to stay strong late in the race while others fade. In this episode we’ll break down: - Why many runners fall apart after mile 18 - The marathon training mistake that causes late-race fatigue - How smart runners build durability for the final miles - Why adding mileage often fails to solve the real problem - What allows some runners to recover quickly and race again without breaking down (hint: it's also what has allowed me to finish 23 Ironman 34 days. My 2nd Guinness World Record) For runners balancing careers, family, and limited training time, training smarter matters more than training more. Because strong marathons are not decided in the first half of the race. They’re decided in the final miles.

Struggling with swimming in your triathlon training? Feeling out of breath after just 50 yards?  In this episode, we share how Ron, a competitive athlete in his 50s, went from struggling with breathing & pacing to winning a Sprint Triathlon, improving his swim efficiency, and finishing his first Olympic triathlon under 3 hours! 💬 “Every now and then, I would get into a good rhythm, but I didn’t know what the correct form felt like. I’d watch my swim videos but didn’t know how to fix my technique.” — Ron Ron wanted to do well in triathlons, feel strong, and have plenty of energy for the bike & run, but swimming was holding him back. After focusing on the right strategies, he gained endurance, improved technique, and unlocked race-day confidence! Ron’s Triathlon & Swim Breakthroughs: - Took 3rd in AG at the Wolf Triathlon - Swim Time Trials: Huge Improvements  ⏱ 200-yard TT: Improved by 14 seconds per 100 yards  ⏱ 400-yard TT: Improved by 15 seconds per 100 yards  ⏱ CSS: Improved by 29 seconds per 100 yards - Gained Endurance: From struggling after 50 yards → swimming 1,550 yards nonstop - Finished His First Olympic Triathlon: Under 3 hours! (1.0-mile swim / 20-mile bike / 6.2-mile run) What you’ll learn in this episode: - How to get faster at swimming when are competitive and want to do well - What to do to finish your 1st Olympic if you are currently struggling with breathing and feel out of breath after 50 yards - What to do if you are experiencing this: “Every now and then I would get into a good rhythm. I didn’t know what the correct form feels like. I would study my swim videos but don’t know what to do about them…” - What to do to get more efficient in swimming so you can get onto the bike not feeling hammered If swimming is your weak link, this episode will give you the breakthrough you need.

Think you're too busy to train for a 70.3?  Struggling with knee pain, Achilles issues, or open water swim nerves?  In this episode, we break down how Madison, a business owner working long hours and dealing with injuries, trained smart and finished his first Half Ironman strong in just 4 months! 💬 “I was traveling, working crazy hours, and dealing with knee & Achilles pain… but I made it happen!” — Madison Madison’s 70.3 Race Breakthroughs: - Completed His First 70.3 in Just 4 Months of Training! 🎉 - Trained Smart Despite: - Knee pain, Achilles & ankle challenges - Limited training time due to work & travel - Open water swim fears (no OWS practice before race weekend!) What you’ll learn in this episode: - Why having a very busy schedule that includes traveling doesn’t mean you can’t get in enough training for your 70.3 goal - What to do when knee pain, achilles and ankle challenges make running and cycling difficult - What to do when you are feeling overwhelmed about OWS all the way up to 1 day before the race because you didn’t have access to open water before race weekend - How to train injury free when you have previous injuries, are competitive and want to do well - What to do to dial in your nutrition so you feel good during the race If you're aiming for your first 70.3 but feeling overwhelmed, this episode is for you.