World Record Holder Dede Griesbauer Shares Secrets to Longevity

“The little things that I could sort of blow off and not pay attention to when I was 35, I absolutely have to pay attention to now. So that’s I think the only thing for me that's changed in the last 15 years is I can't screw around with the small stuff anymore. It's all big stuff.” - Dede Griesbauer

Today's guest is Dede Griesbauer, one of the most remarkable triathletes competing today.

After speaking with Dede, it’s very clear that her longevity in the triathlon is fueled by her passion for the sport and the lifestyle that comes with it. It was so refreshing to speak about her many years of competing at such a high level and her recent world record in the Ultraman Florida event in 2020. 

This was a conversation where we got to explore the important role things like passion, curiosity and setting the right expectations play when it comes to optimizing athletic performance. The big takeaway, however, may be how those three things contribute significantly to the joy you experience on a daily basis throughout your journey to your own personal greatness. 

Without a doubt, there’s a lot of lessons to gain from this conversation and we can’t wait to have you listen and be inspired by the insights Dede is so open to sharing with others.

Timestamped Show Notes

(3:42) The similarities between Boulder and Stanford…

(6:36) The power of a team, a community, and a supportive environment…

(8:18) Goal-setting through the years…

(11:40) A bucket list of events and discovering new challenges…

(18:19) Thoughts on curiosity in the sport… “When I got home, I was told I'd never run again. And I had to literally  learn how to walk again without a limp. So when you talk about curiosity, I was like, “Well, first of all, I want to be able to walk again because that's kind of important.” But then I got curious, when the guy told me I'd never run again, I was like, “Mm. Uh uh. Nope. You're wrong.” And so then it became, “How far can I get with this?””

(20:10) Working through goals and the pressures on the newer generations of athletes…

(23:31) “I just truly loved the sport so much. And that makes me happy. Like I've had friends and training partners that find motivation from the fact that if they don't win this race, they can't pay their rent. And for me, that would kill me. That kind of motivation doesn't serve me at all.”

(25:33) Dede’s number one pet peeve…

(29:23) Focusing on ALL the little things…

(34:26) Staying power requires attention to the details… “You're not going to be 24 forever. And the sooner you learn these lessons, the better. If you're this good now, think about how good you could be if you paid attention to this other stuff.”

(36:48) An exhausting and unsustainable approach…

(38:28) Chasing happiness instead of results…

(40:13) Thoughts on coaching…

(44:24) “I think there's gotta be a partnership where you trust enough in your coach and their philosophy and what they're doing and why they're doing it the way they're doing it. And once you have established that trust, it's really easy to just be like, go ahead, write the workout. I'll do it.”

References

Ultraman Florida acceptance speech - Facebook

Guest

Dede Griesbauer - website | Instagram | Twitter

Dede's fav UCAN product: Cran Raz Energy Tub

Hosts:

Jon Rankin - gobemore.co | @chasejonrankin

Bryan Green - maketheleapbook.com | @maketheleapbook

Learn More:

UCAN - ucan.co | @genucan

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