Ciara & Bella Stockland - Athletes in Motion Podcast

Narrator: 0:10

Welcome to the athletes in motion podcast from race to recovery. With your hosts, Tom regal and Kenny Bailey

Tom Regal: 0:29

Hey Kenny, how you doing?

Kenny Bailey<br>: 0:30

I'm fantastic Tom, how are you?

Tom Regal: 0:31

I am fantastic as well and we want to welcome Ciara and Bella to the studio today and welcome to the show. We have the mother daughter team that did Conan together so we have this is gonna be fun story because it's really interesting for us. Yes, as we dive into this whole thing, so this is I don't know, where do we want to start? I mean, like, so give us the background, right? Yep. Who qualified who got into triathlon? First? How do we how do we want to start?

Ciara Stockland: 0:59

Well, I got into triathlon first. But Bella swam before I ever did, so I don't know.

Tom Regal: 1:06

Why is it that?

Ciara Stockland: 1:08

So I suppose I could say I inspired you, however, dad. Okay, well,

Kenny Bailey<br>: 1:14

there's a curveball. I wasn't expecting that. It was all my dad. Okay. Well, thanks. So yeah, it's great having you here. We're gonna bring on Yeah.

Ciara Stockland: 1:24

No, I would say Bella really inspired me actually, because she started swimming when she was five. And my most favorite thing to do was to go to the swim meets her and her brother and just watch them. I love watching her in the butterfly. Oh, wow. Okay, yeah, and just watching her compete was pretty cool.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 1:39

So were you a natural swimmer. Then you just take took a tour right away?

Bella Stockland: 1:43

Yes. Yeah. I've always swam. I did gymnastics for a week. My height was not great. Too tall. Too tall. Yeah. And it just, I don't know. So I mean, it's always just been my thing. Yeah.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 1:56

Is it? Are you a speed swimmer? Are you a distance swimmer?

Bella Stockland: 1:59

I have done everything so I my shoulders have always been a disaster deltoids rotator cuffs the whole shebang and that's kind of why I didn't swim in college actually. And so I was distance for a long time like I did the 500 200 a mile were like am I saying don't recommend the horrible like like our coach. He was an interesting coach too. But he would have us do like can you're gonna do three miles for your main set today just are like we'd have like 12 500 like ridiculous amount of yardage. And then I kind of switched over and was backstroker for a while love that but my shoulders just the repetition just didn't work so then I did 200 I am and that's kind of what I started doing it state that's what I could rank the highest and so I've done it all but to enjoy it was my what's

Kenny Bailey<br>: 2:47

the one you like to do? It's a two and I love it. One is you have to the I am yeah. How do you just don't question we're trying to trick try it. Well, I'm gonna try it English now. You're gonna we're gonna talk triathlon. But as far as swimming goes, you know, obviously with the shorter one, you just just go like hell, to a certain extent right on the distance one is there a pacing that you try to do you try to be negative splits on the back half? How does that work? Like a run race? Or how do you Well, how do you strategize for a longer

Bella Stockland: 3:15

one good thing for swimming is I mean, you have no clock or anything to go off of. So like in practice, we native split stuff and you I mean, you can do it open turn instead of a flip turn to quick look at the clock and the native slip that mean a race you're not gonna stop and look, you know, I mean, so it's all based on feel. So you you try to get the feeling of okay, like, I'm like for a 200 for example, I sprinted do hundreds like that's how I did um, you sprint the first 100 And then you're like, Okay, I'm gonna go even faster on the second you know, you never do Yeah, but you feel like you do which makes you go fast. Like you feel like you're going harder when you really you just maybe even keeping the same.

Tom Regal: 3:50

Okay, so I've always wondered about and break down the four strokes of the I

Bella Stockland: 3:53

am Oh, okay, so it's butterfly backstroke breaststroke freestyle got it. Butterfly is it's so fun. I love it. Really? Yes.

Tom Regal: 4:02

Can I can't do it to save my life.

Ciara Stockland: 4:03

Oh, you guys have Bella someday? Oh my gosh, she's

Bella Stockland: 4:07

like gorgeous. So I do master swimming do in the morning with all the adults I think it's just like someone

Tom Regal: 4:12

adults shouldn't be allowed to match. You're way too young for delicate

Bella Stockland: 4:16

Yeah, like this morning like I was doing a cold plunge with two guys and they're both like 50

Kenny Bailey<br>: 4:23

year old man, those guys Yeah, dinosaurs. Did they have a cane? Or did they use a walker?

Bella Stockland: 4:28

It's great though. I love them because it's just it's fun to swim with people you know because triathlon is so isolated so anything because no one might just try like everyone might mean is swimming for a team but yeah so so butterfly I was I was talking to them because they'll hate it like they hate it they do not understand because we always get like choice of flippers at masters and I never do it I hate flippers always have just don't like them. And so they're like, Okay, show us like why do you like it so much? And I showed them I was like if you get the rhythm of butterfly and like understand how you're body's supposed to move. It's so easy.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 5:02

It's a once you once you kind of unlock that

Bella Stockland: 5:05

fast Yeah, like once you figure it out, and you can just move and I've always been flexible,

Tom Regal: 5:10

I think you got to have the flexibility and the shoulders, the hips, you know, if

Kenny Bailey<br>: 5:13

you started traveling that way, you're gonna scare the crap out of all your competitors

Tom Regal: 5:21

that's gonna mean you just get up here. Yeah, clear while you're doing an ocean swim, you're gonna do a dolphin dive anyway. As you're going in there, right? So that's, yeah,

Bella Stockland: 5:29

so PTO earlier this year. I did Olympic distance, obviously, there's PTO. And it was off the wall start actually really, really. It was like off Oh. And it was actually really fun because I had no idea my ranking going into it. But I was like, in the middle. And I was like, this is like super cool. And they call my name when we walked out. I was like, I didn't know it. I was like But yeah, so that was off the wall start so I pushed off and I just flew I did dolphin kick underwater, because that's from doing backstroke. That's my thing. That's awesome. Yeah. So to

Kenny Bailey<br>: 6:13

everyone is in front of Chico from so from that somehow you added a bike in a run? How did that nugget of a triathlon then go from that from her swimming? Just yeah. So

Tom Regal: 6:25

I got you into swimming. Just watching her got you to think about like, well, I should get in the water too. No,

Ciara Stockland: 6:31

I think Well, I grew up around a pool. So I was never afraid of the water. Like some people are really nervous around water. I'm not but but we would just sweat recreational Yeah. Yeah, I was. I mean, we would swim. My grandma had a pool, we'd swim like every day, from noon to five, we were just a little water pool rats, you know. So not afraid of the water. I didn't do any athletics in high school or college at all, nothing. And then when Harrison and Bella were little a friend of mine wanted me to start running with her. And I remember the first run, I could not make it down the block. I was like, this is horrible. I can't breathe. You know, and people would look at me and say you're so in shape. You should be able to do it. But no, but she just encouraged me. So we would do five K's together like the YMCA 5k And, and I have a really short attention span. So I thought well, triathlon, I could do different things. So then I started doing the youth. It was like Youth for Christ or something young life sprint triathlon in Detroit Lakes once a year. And yeah, and just saw Bella swim. And I was like, it just looks so cool to get to compete, because I never got to do that. Watching the kids. I was like, I want to be able to compete. So you just start increasing distances as you start. Actually no. So I short attention span. 5k spread, that's it. For training. I remember my like, Coach, when I'm supposed to be three years ago, I really wanted to get fast at the 5k and start like winning things and just push myself and I told him I don't want any workout longer than 45 minutes. I won't do them. So nothing longer than 45 minutes. And then Jim, thus dad, he did an Ironman. And I've watched him I'm like, You are nuts. I am never doing anything like

Bella Stockland: 8:09

going down to the basement for seven hours on seeing on a bike.

Ciara Stockland: 8:15

Yep. And so I was just training for 5k. And then he did his Ironman. We went and watched and Tulsa. And I was like, Oh man, I don't know, maybe I could. I don't know. That's crazy. And I'm a business coach. So I thought, well, if I did this, I could use it as a lesson. So maybe I would do that. And then he had this little joke. He's like when he got home. He said okay, every time I say Jim Stockland everyone in the house have to say you are an Iron Man.

Bella Stockland: 8:43

And he was horrible. And the steel peddling thing he'd be like, when we saw when we were still in Tulsa for the next couple days. We'd be like driving around and he'd be like, here. I was still

Kenny Bailey<br>: 8:55

love this man. I absolutely love this. So I

Ciara Stockland: 8:57

just got I was like, if everyone's gonna show you're an Iron Man. He's not going to be the only one. And I signed up. Yeah, so I went from

Tom Regal: 9:06

nothing longer than 45 minutes of training. Yeah, really.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 9:11

So wow, that's a hell of a leap. How long Okay, so when you made that decision, what When was your first Ironman? 16 weeks later? I'm sorry. If you gave yourself

Tom Regal: 9:22

16 weeks 16 whole weeks to do and which Ironman was which? Texas and Texas? Yeah.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 9:28

How did that ramp go for you?

Ciara Stockland: 9:31

It went good because I went all in. Okay, like so I fired my coach the next morning because what I texted to do I texted my coach and he I said I signed up for an Ironman and he's like He said what distance?

Tom Regal: 9:43

Okay, you're obviously not the guy for me. Exactly.

Ciara Stockland: 9:46

I mean, obviously he didn't believe I could do it. And I was like, I can't I have to have a full onboard. You're crazy, but let's make it happen. Yeah, so I fired him the next morning. Found I wanted a female coach because I thought I think that would help like I have no clue hired a diet tissue because I've no idea about nutrition at all. But a good bike, good shoes. And I just I did every workout like I didn't

Kenny Bailey<br>: 10:08

have a podcast for that, by the way. Yeah. Which part of the three disciplines which part was the hardest for you to kind of master with that distance?

Ciara Stockland: 10:16

Um, the time on the bike just the time it's a lot of mind games. I mean, that's a lot of time for your brain. Yeah, the swim is just the hardest for me like I can swim. I'm it just you guys know like it's so incremental. long to get one body

Tom Regal: 10:34

position. So

Kenny Bailey<br>: 10:35

hard to most well, you don't go anywhere, right? I mean that you look up and the the buoy still there. And then you

Ciara Stockland: 10:41

do a certain workout with Bella. And you guys I had flippers on for one of our workouts, our coach sometimes have a student workouts the same. And she'll have extra distance, but whatever I'd flippers on and I still couldn't care. That's fun. Yeah. So

Kenny Bailey<br>: 10:54

So you just were by yourself most of the time while your parents are out, just, you know, training for Ironman and everything else was that kind of away? Well, it's kind of interesting, because my kids were in cross country and track and after high school, they none of them do it anymore, right? And I'm trying to you know, I do Ironman, I do running, cycling. They don't do any of that. I mean, because my son was like a 440 mile pace, my oldest. And I'm like, you gotta run and he's almost 30 Now he's like, No, yeah, yeah. And I'm like, what happened? But you decided, I guess between the swimming, it's just that you decided what the heck, I'm just gonna go do triathlon? I mean, well, I

Bella Stockland: 11:31

wanted to swim in college. And the shoulders. Yeah. And are my doctor said No, or surgery? Yeah, essentially. I didn't want to go that route. Because I actually graduated high school at 16. Okay, so I did two years in one, like two. Yeah, because

Kenny Bailey<br>: 11:47

you're an overachiever and everything or just

Bella Stockland: 11:50

your family. I wanted to get accepted into nursing school at 17, which I did. So I started nursing school at 17. And, yeah, and I was just like, I that's one of those things. I feel like when kids don't usually think about but I thought about like, I don't really want to have to get my first shoulder surgery at 16. Yeah, like, let's maybe skip. So but triathlon, obviously, you can still swim, but you don't have to do it every day. Yeah. Which I My shoulders are great now. Yeah.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 12:18

So other disciplines? Which one is the one that I mean, we know swimming is good. Which one's the toughest one for you? Yes. It's running the run.

Tom Regal: 12:27

Because flexible ankles, which doesn't allow you to run very well.

Bella Stockland: 12:32

Heavy. It's used to I'm used to zero weight. No water. Yeah. So I mean, I feel like 500 pounds.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 12:38

Yeah. Okay. So you so back to the Iron Man, you went from zero to iron and how you did okay on that. Did you?

Ciara Stockland: 12:45

I did. Yeah. My time was 12. I hate you. I don't I'm not very good with time. It was like

Kenny Bailey<br>: 12:52

13 Yeah, our first and that's that's a fairly good course for that. That time too. Yeah. You know, it's an ocean swim, which is gonna be tough, but it's a flat. It's a flat bike ride.

Tom Regal: 13:03

On the channel. Wow. Yeah.

Ciara Stockland: 13:06

Did I say Arizona? In Arizona? No. Okay. My swim was good. My swim. I think I had a 128 Swim. Okay, so I was happy with that. And then the bike I'm, I'm best at the bike actually. So and we lived at North Dakota in North Dakota at the time. So while everyone is whining on the bike about the wind, that's what I trained. Yeah. And so I was like feeling like passing all the guys. So that was great. So my bike was great. I went in injured so I had a knee injury so I ended up having to walk run it, which was really discouraging. But the run I think I did for just under five grand Walker and then what year was that? That was three years ago. So 2021 Okay, 22 then,

Kenny Bailey<br>: 13:50

were you when did you start doing triathlon? Well,

Bella Stockland: 13:54

I turned 18 this year so I could I only could start this year. Oh, you did sprint? I did. Yeah, I did sprint Yeah, I guess before Ironman I did sprint we did a really when I was really young that sprint one and then I didn't do not clashes Yep, clashing. Question Daytona Yeah, so I did clash Daytona last December. Because 70.3 And then I did some weird middle distance thing in California last year too.

Tom Regal: 14:17

Yeah. Got an international long course or something weird

Bella Stockland: 14:21

it's like a 10 mile run. Remember the rest of the stuff

Tom Regal: 14:25

we got anywhere else that was a

Ciara Stockland: 14:28

Santa Barbara Yeah.

Tom Regal: 14:31

Barbara one yeah. Good in that that's the international distance Yeah, the International one course at Santa Barbara. Yeah,

Bella Stockland: 14:37

that's a long course. Yeah.

Tom Regal: 14:39

They call it yeah middle it's

Ciara Stockland: 14:40

funny story about that. So I'm not good at details at all. And nutritional I put together job plan. Yeah. And my job details but anyway, I didn't realize that it was I thought it was an Olympic so she didn't know that she was doing that distance until the day before the race. cuz.

Bella Stockland: 15:00

Yeah, and I had had,

Tom Regal: 15:02

how'd you feel about that? So the

Bella Stockland: 15:06

bike were fine, but the run was 10 miles instead of six. And at that time I had I was like not running at all. So my ramp has been really quick with my coach, like last year, at this time of the year. I don't, I'm trying to think of like, timeline wise. I don't even think I probably had ran 10 miles at this time last year. Okay. So when I heard out when I heard I was gonna have to run 10 miles and race, I never ran 10 miles straight. So I was not happy.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 15:33

It turned out right it did you get the

Bella Stockland: 15:36

first place my age group. Well, they

Kenny Bailey<br>: 15:38

go. Yeah, Ocean was the whole time doing it. Oh, it

Bella Stockland: 15:42

was miserable. Because I had injuries and I've stressed fractured both my feet and just running towards don't run about that. So.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 15:50

So that was two years ago. And then so you both qualify for Kona. Correct. And that was last year, right? This year. This year. You qualified this year? And

Bella Stockland: 16:01

we both did Hanu. The 70.3 and go on. With June. Yes. And we both qualified there. And then I did the full and quarterly and I qualified there to

Kenny Bailey<br>: 16:10

first of all, yeah. And I was quarterly. Great. I

Bella Stockland: 16:14

loved it. Gorgeous. I would move out

Tom Regal: 16:15

there It's beautiful up there.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 16:18

We're gonna open that up a little bit. Because we're on a podcast we got to talk. What part of a digital age do you love the idea that distance digitally? The idea that the elevation Lake swim. I prefer when it comes to water like ocean

Bella Stockland: 16:29

like really? Yep. Cold freezing cold lake.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 16:32

You are one of one

Bella Stockland: 16:37

really? High 60s

Kenny Bailey<br>: 16:40

Oh, that's not too bad. Yeah, you can. Oh, high 60s. You

Tom Regal: 16:42

can get away with that. That's fine. Was it high? 60s? Yeah, probably run really warm. Yeah,

Bella Stockland: 16:48

um, maybe it was low. I can't remember if they were no in California. I didn't want to wear it. And they were mandatory. And they like Yeah.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 16:56

Does you feel a lot more restricting? Because as a good swimmer, they assume that Yeah.

Bella Stockland: 17:01

We're used to our practice suits, all of that stuff. Like it's, we're just used to like, feeling like we have nothing on Yeah, like and so wetsuits, I can't. I will never even do a sleeved one. I can't

Tom Regal: 17:12

I just Oh, yeah, it's horrible. cramp your shoulders? Yeah. But no.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 17:17

So you qualified and then raced in the same year for World Championship

Bella Stockland: 17:20

and quarter Lane court. I lose love quarter link is first of all views. It was the most distracting outwest is like my you

Kenny Bailey<br>: 17:25

say distracting? Yes. Okay. Yeah, that's what I thought you said. That's fine. I don't have to think about look about distracting view. They should put that on there. They're

Bella Stockland: 17:37

the most distracting. You'll be distracted by the mountain. Yeah. But yeah, there's so it's a two loop bike. And that kind of sucks. Because so the first is like goes out and then out and then back and you do that twice. The first little part is great, super fun super fast. downhills. I'm you're booking it. The next way you go it is I think it was 9000 feet total elevation gain something like that. They're horrible. Like people are going like, and it's obviously all No Pass. Because it's like they're letting cars go steal. Okay, so it's out hard. Like, if you're gonna pass someone you better go, but then you might die because it's hills like three miles long. And then But then going down. I mean, you're going high. 40s Oh,

Tom Regal: 18:20

my gosh, back down there. And then you gotta go do it again. And then

Bella Stockland: 18:23

it was like

Kenny Bailey<br>: 18:28

yeah, there's this I'm just gonna say this. You you have a family of your your attitude is remarkable, because it just looks like when you guys decide to do something like that's it. I mean, you don't care. Like it's going to rain. It's going to hell, like you just you've set your mind to like, go from Sprint to Ironman. That's, that's once the decision is made. It's not going back on the decision, right? I mean, it's Yeah. Now how do I just finish

Tom Regal: 18:53

there? Whichever option to back out there is not don't

Ciara Stockland: 18:56

tell business owners like don't do anything with a parachute on. You know, like, don't say, Well, if this doesn't work, here's why. That's interesting. Yeah,

Tom Regal: 19:04

you're gonna use a parachute. Yeah, if you've got the option to bail out, you're gonna bail out well, interesting. So we just don't give yourself a parachute. Yeah, just

Kenny Bailey<br>: 19:13

a conversation that like that's where I was like, I made the decision. There wasn't I wasn't not not not going to do it. Yeah. Delegate. I'm not. I'm not I'm not. But so then you would you qualify for for Conan on in Hanu. And honey. Okay. So you were there. And then it was the big dog show was in October, right? Yes. Okay,

Tom Regal: 19:30

so let's talk about jumping from the 70.3 distance to the one 40.6 How did that how did that feel? Like you've done now? That was your second 70.3 You said you did the clash? I did the clash and then yeah, and then and then six months later you did or seven months later you did honno how and then jumping from that the quarter lane and distance wise. How did that feel for you? Well,

Ciara Stockland: 19:54

you were training for Yeah, so actually, I

Bella Stockland: 19:56

was supposed to do Tulsa. Okay, Yeah, that was gonna be my full I wasn't gonna do Hanu That was my A race because dad did Tulsa I was gonna race with his race wheels on my bike like I was so excited and I Yes, hilarious actually burst the bursa sac in my knee exploded. So I could not run very far. So I an AI training like I was just gonna wreck the rest of my year if I did. So that's why I did the half jumping from the half though to the full. It was. I liked it because I feel like I can sometimes go like right now my training is shifting this year, because I'm doing I'm going to Spain and different races like that. So I'm doing shorter train this year. But last year, I could go a lot faster, the longer I could race. But again, with like that desire to do something then doing it. Yeah. Before my full and coralayne I hadn't ran farther than 12 miles because of my knee. And my goal. I was like, I will not walk. I refuse to walk a single step. And I think an important thing with that is you tell people because my coach was at that race. She lives in California. She's a retired Pro, so we don't like ever see her but she was there. And she knew that was my goal. And so then I didn't walk because I was like no pictures. Yeah. It's a hard. It's an interesting jump. The train is worth the race state is super fun. Yeah, I mean, it's different. It's really long. I mean, it's just different. Yeah, you know, and then I feel like the training though. Saturday's the seven hour bike rides is what sucks? Yeah. Like it's

Kenny Bailey<br>: 21:35

not fun. Yeah, yeah. And I think you know, with races too, you're you're around a bunch of people there that are you get the once you get a number on you, right? That the whole the whole, you know, things change, right? You have a number on now. And you have a bunch of other people that have numbers on and everyone's just like super excited. So you just get that energy from the race itself can also just be a great pickup. So was the half the first time you guys competed with each other?

Ciara Stockland: 21:56

races? Yeah, so I did Texas, this year to everything simpler. Because I wanted, I knew it would be harder for me to qualify then for Bella and I, when she did I thought, you know, what if we could race Kona, like that was the first time I thought that would be really cool if we could get to Kona together in the all female race. So I signed up for Texas, I missed it by one spot, which was my fault because of some things that I did

Kenny Bailey<br>: 22:25

talk about. So you could tell there's just like a lot of pain. Nobody wants to take you to kind of feel that back.

Ciara Stockland: 22:36

Like when we went to the awards banquet. I told him I'm like, I'm gonna miss it by one spot. But it's my fault. Like I made decisions that put me there. So because I walked the aid stations. And I knew it and then I missed by a minute. I missed. Oh, wow. So it's

Kenny Bailey<br>: 22:52

better to lose it by like 2025 minutes.

Ciara Stockland: 22:56

Because the minute it's like that, that aid station where I was having a pity party that that place, you know, like I knew it when I finished I was like, Sierra, That's so stupid. So I missed that. So then we had Hanu. And I was hoping that we could both qualify there. So yeah, so we did good hunting together though, right? Yeah. And Jim did.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 23:13

Okay. All you did that. How fun is that?

Bella Stockland: 23:15

Yeah, my best friend from back home gave in T shirt for this. She'd never been to

Ciara Stockland: 23:20

a triathlon. Really. People ran around the course. Got it. I mean, she was phenomenal. That's awesome. Ellie, if you're listening, we love you. Yeah. Yeah.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 23:29

As a mother, I mean, because I find this interesting, right? Because especially with spouses do it and you got a whole family doing it. I mean, you've got your husband out there, your daughter out there, are you? You're trying to be in your zone as well. But are you constantly worried about what's going on with him too? Or you try to I don't worry about Jim.

Bella Stockland: 23:46

Oh, he's his own race. Okay, so I'd have to tell the story really quick. And then we'll come back. So Texas, he didn't tell you this, too. Okay. Let's see. I just love him. He's like, just the best. So he during races, sometimes he'll decide to race. Sometimes he decides, oh, it's just gonna be a fun day. And he'll decide on that day. He gets up. He's like, am I gonna make friends today? Or am I gonna race? So Texas? Was the friends making? Oh, that's okay. So he just took a nice, easy, I have so many videos of him. So his he decided that his nutrition that day was going to be uncrustables because he loved those. That just sounds good. There's so much he had been stuffed. I mean, every place all things. And he so he comes out of transition. He's standing up at this screen table, reading the labels talking. And then he comes up to me, I'm like standing there cheering for him. And he's like, I got do uncrustables down, three to go. And he comes out, you know, he finishes whatever. And every time we see him, he's walking with someone and he finishes and he tells us about all the friends

Ciara Stockland: 24:49

yeah, Teddy made a really good swimmer and a really good biker. So he gains all his time and then

Tom Regal: 24:55

he just hangs out on the run

Kenny Bailey<br>: 24:56

for fun. Yeah, I gotta put him on. They did on a century, right. We used to do bicycle Center. Right, like 100 miles in one day, right? And he would do that we would like leave and we go to go to pedal and he's back there like making friends and like, Are we riding a bike? Are we like, Can we can we go now? And he's like, No, this is Phil. I'm like, I don't care about Phil. Phil. Sure you do. He's gonna meet you. We're gonna we're gonna go bike now. So I can kind of feel like that's hilarious. Yeah, that is Yeah. So I wouldn't be at that point where I just, I'd see. So do you. Did you? Were you did you guys see each other was? Yeah,

Ciara Stockland: 25:28

but you know. So that's interesting as a mom because you do still like she gets really bad headaches and the heat and it's so hot and cold all day like she take her medicine. Does she have a headache? She taking your nutrition issue drinking enough water, you know, and thinking about all that all that stuff, which is really interesting, because you don't just set that mom like you can't put that mom thing? Yeah.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 25:52

Did you worry about your mom or you just kind of did your race.

Bella Stockland: 25:54

I thought about if she had a flat tire. And then I thought about how her brain was doing. Yeah, that's funny. I was like,

Kenny Bailey<br>: 26:03

Yeah, I'm curious if you saw a week of flat tire, would you stop and help her? Or would you be like, hey, sucks being your mom to the finish line.

Bella Stockland: 26:14

I was gonna say she's way faster at changing tires tonight. Because she's got a lot. I would probably just stand there and be like, you're doing great. Yeah.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 26:23

You wouldn't help. Yeah. And you were told her to go anyway.

Bella Stockland: 26:25

Thinking concerned about her. I thought about her being concerned about me. I was like, I hope she's not talking about me right now. You're concerned about

Tom Regal: 26:32

her you're worried about you're worried about me.

Bella Stockland: 26:36

Not thinking about my headaches. And actually, she was I dropped all my ibuprofen, everything on my bento box. If she sees that I was like, oh, geez, she's gonna spiral and be like, that's medicine. No, that's awesome.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 26:49

So when you both qualify for Kona, that was that was like, you know, Party Central. Yeah. Yeah. And your husband did he company. He was sagging and I would assume Yeah. Okay. Yeah.

Ciara Stockland: 26:59

And he was so proud of us and excited for us. Yeah.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 27:04

So when you get there, the spectacle of Kona, give us the kind of, I mean, how did how did that feel? Right? I mean, yeah, for those that don't know, Kona is like the pinnacle. Right? I mean, that's the World Championship race. So you're with a lot of people that earn their way in it was three people about there. Yeah.

Ciara Stockland: 27:29

Exactly. No, it was just so neat. Like, I can't explain how amazing it is to just be I mean, it was really neat that it was all women I actually really liked racing with men so I'd have been fine with men and women too. But like you just around all these people who have done and work so hard for the same thing. And even the practice swim you're like celebrating together like you know you're here. Yeah. It's just fun to look at everyone's bikes and look at all

Kenny Bailey<br>: 27:58

the bike corners just isn't it? Thank goodness you know in

Ciara Stockland: 28:01

their outfits Yeah, all these ladies have fancy outfit. It's like look at her kid look interesting.

Tom Regal: 28:06

Cuz so so for everyone, that's that's listening. This is the first year that they separated. The men and women the men were racing the World Championship in nice France, and the women were in Kona, they're gonna flip it next year the women go to nice and the middleby Akona. They had done this one other time before where it was on different days, where women were on one day and the men were on another but you were all on the island together. It was all kind of celebrating together. So this be interesting how it was man or just having the women by themselves

Kenny Bailey<br>: 28:36

do the energy field different.

Tom Regal: 28:37

I mean, did it well, I've

Ciara Stockland: 28:38

never been to I mean, I don't think the energy from another race. It did because it was wrong, but I don't think it was because it was all women. Oh, I

Bella Stockland: 28:45

think it was really good. I mean, in what way think about how girls are different than guys like high maintenance. Joe sure I can everyone is just all I don't get I don't get nervous about I don't get stressed about it. I never have Yeah, it's just it is what it's going to be like I've done as much as I can do people

Tom Regal: 29:04

get the right attitude. Like really? We're not a type A person.

Bella Stockland: 29:08

nervous if nothing else, you're gonna you do a two hour ride the day before is only going to hurt you know? Yeah, lady. Oh my goodness, Ironman village. Don't recommend all ladies. Holy crap. There was like just shopping. Like ladies coming out with it was just crazy. Like just I mean every I mean, even in transition in the morning, there's people sitting on the ground crying, like wow,

Tom Regal: 29:33

wow. The other people literally. So team magic. No magic sports did a women's try here. Their first first one was just just women in there. It was the most energetic, positive, like encouraging race event because it didn't have that nasty testosterone of like the guys kind of going up very encouraging and happy. I can imagine that there was a there was have a better kind of camaraderie. I'm assuming of it of support, as opposed to adding that male focus of like, I'm gonna kill you. Right. My Way type of thing.

Ciara Stockland: 30:12

There was more camaraderie camaraderie than I had anticipated. I thought it would be a little more snotty, cutthroat that but but did you hear the stats? No. 97% finished. It was 100% finished finished the swim

Tom Regal: 30:29

100% Outstanding. That's cool. And

Ciara Stockland: 30:31

it was the clean the volunteer said this The eats I'm just gonna go pick that

Tom Regal: 30:42

that was really interesting. I've seen some of the women pros throw those cups like all over the place I

Kenny Bailey<br>: 30:46

would have to say on TV was one of the most competitive races to watch. I looked on

Bella Stockland: 30:52

the top. That was really cool. Yeah, see? So Lucy Charles Barkley, I at the practice swim. I saw her so I want to talk to her. Like I like you. But yeah, so I talked to her there. And then on actual racing, I saw her twice on the bike and once on the run. Yeah. So I mean, that's just super cool. Let me see all these ladies in real life. Was that crazy?

Kenny Bailey<br>: 31:15

How like you're racing like, what other sports are you have the most elite? Well, the number one, you know, the World Championship or World Champion running past you like it's just

Bella Stockland: 31:24

one of those things? Where you're kind of like you think for a second though, because you're like, oh, like they are real people? Yeah. Me Me. Yeah. Yeah. Cuz you think about that. You're a real, they're no different. I mean, like seeing them day by day, just like I you know, I

Kenny Bailey<br>: 31:39

mean, yeah, I gotta, I gotta. In Oregon, I gotta wrack my bike next to Heather Jackson and Miranda Caffrey. Because they were boulders in Oregon. And, you know, I'm staring at her bike. And I'm just looking at like, what they're doing. And it's like, There's tape on it. And it's kind of dirty. Miranda forgot a cable to charge her, you know, to charge her bike laying. And I'm like, This is so cool. And then I never saw him again. Because there were done by a time I was like, you know, yeah, but, but it's just really cool to be in a sport to be able to do that. And to have that, that, especially you coming from a swimming background is just to be able to talk to you Lucy is one of the best well is by far the best swimmer out there. I mean, that must have been just a cool thing to see that and to see her form. And to see that, kind of to see how those pros. Yeah, it's pretty neat. It's because I'm a visual learner. So for me to watch that. It's just been incredible. So in the morning when you guys are getting there. Did you line up the same time? Or was it? How did that work?

Ciara Stockland: 32:30

I was the last age group. Okay. The cool thing about that is I knew everyone I passed all day, barely passing or passing? I thought that I might sweet. I'm ahead of you. And you know, it's kind of neat. So about that. And you were I think two or three agents last Atomy. Okay, so two ahead of me. Yeah. What

Kenny Bailey<br>: 32:50

was your strategy in the water as far as you just find a clean open space and so

Bella Stockland: 32:54

I was not super happy with my swim. Actually, I had an hour in one minute swim. I know. No one was gonna say anything, right? No, it is for me. I just

Kenny Bailey<br>: 33:08

so we're clear. That's faster than my downhill swim in California. The 12 mile an hour. River patrolman, our current just so you know. Still beat me. Go ahead. Go ahead.

Bella Stockland: 33:20

I was actually really looking forward to swim because I've done the Hawaii swim multiple times actually before just like when we've been out there before. Just for fun. Like on vacation during the train some I've actually seen dolphins Nice. Super cool, because we're like the only ones out there. Yeah, me. You're so far off shore. So I mean, I was expecting it to be really busy. Lots of people. I mean, there's 1000s of people in the water. It was horrible. Like, since we were the second to last age group. I was on top of

Tom Regal: 33:48

Yeah, you were giving a speech.

Bella Stockland: 33:51

I counted. Obviously, all the age groups have different color caps, like another color after another color. And they were like minutes in front of us. And it was just like it was so hard. I couldn't and then if I'm on the outside, I'm adding so much extra yardage I'm swimming and trying to decide is it worth it to add extra yards and have my own space or try to climb over? I

Kenny Bailey<br>: 34:10

have the opposite thing where I get over there to let the other people have space so they don't run over me but

Bella Stockland: 34:14

that's yeah, so it was just it was kind of disappointing. That was one thing I was like,

Kenny Bailey<br>: 34:19

did you guys talk about a strategy when you got there? Or like as a coach gave us each our own?

Bella Stockland: 34:23

Okay. Talk to each other about what we're just like good luck Have a good day. Usually you

Kenny Bailey<br>: 34:28

do your race she tried to give you coaching or tried to tell you stuff and then your other way around. We both knew or do you just know

Ciara Stockland: 34:36

like make sure you take it make sure you drink well because I was like

Tom Regal: 34:41

mom saying that's totally like yeah, okay, and hydrate

Bella Stockland: 34:44

is crazy. I mean, why you have to have so much like I mean even the half year like doubling stuff on the bike, like it's not so you have to calculate how you're going to add more water to stuff. Take it from eight stations add more like tail. It's so I'm

Kenny Bailey<br>: 34:59

sorry to back up on you guys have two different coaches, we have the same coach, but they approach it and obviously for two different ways, because reasons he's

Tom Regal: 35:06

really, I would hope so. Well, I

Kenny Bailey<br>: 35:08

mean, I guess what I'm trying to get out is it's fascinating because I can't help it not tell my kids what to do. Probably why they don't call me. So I'm just so you did you make that a conscious effort to try to make sure not to not to be the other coach? I guess? I don't

Ciara Stockland: 35:23

think so. I just trust her coach. And just Bella's just different like, I don't know I have my own stuff to do. Got it. Do you guys look at each

Bella Stockland: 35:31

other's I wouldn't even listen. Like I'm very much I do my whatever I want to do. So

Kenny Bailey<br>: 35:35

if you guys do like a different, like, you may do bike on the same day, but it may be a different one. Are you like, Well, what do you get to do that? And I don't why did why am I on?

Ciara Stockland: 35:46

That's more when

Bella Stockland: 35:48

I started getting into like three, mid three hundreds on stuff. Like the bike really buggy next to each other. I

Ciara Stockland: 35:57

try my hardest on the trace. I mean, we do our long rides together. And that I mean, we really, you know, she'll have a good hour, and I'll have a really tough hour, and then she'll have a tough hour and then I'm pulling, you know, so that's pretty cool. Like,

Kenny Bailey<br>: 36:10

that's the fun part about it. I mean, because cycling with a group of people when you have that when you're doing multiple hours like that, you know, you're gonna be you know, sometimes you can delete your back, right? You're with people you trust. So

Tom Regal: 36:21

how did you go about finding your coach after you fired your first one? Yeah. How long did it take you? You only had you only had a few weeks? Yeah, find a coach and get

Ciara Stockland: 36:32

fired. My coach, my coach that I had for my first and second Ironman because I did Texas than I did Alaska. And then she had her coach by then. So I found her on the Tulsa facebook group page. She had just a really cool picture. And she had raced it and I was just looking at people and I saw that she was coach. So I reached out to her and I just liked her personality. And she had raced a lot she'd been to Kona.

Bella Stockland: 36:56

Yeah, Dallas County. That's her first first coach. Okay, so I started with a different coach. And so we're

Ciara Stockland: 37:01

with Hillary Biscay now. So, yeah. So we found Hillary through TJ, the owner of diamond bikes. Yeah. Yep. So we Jim works, has an office in Des Moines, connected with TJ said, hey, my daughter's thinking of triathlon, what who would be a good coach, and he's good friends with Hillary. Yeah. So that's how we got. And so then once I had to smash fast, so once I had done to Ironman, and I really wanted to qualify, like, just ramp up my training and stuff. I decided to go with her coach. Yeah. So

Kenny Bailey<br>: 37:35

when you guys go on vacation? Do you ever have a normal vacation? Or is it always just No. Like, I'm trying to think of vacation were swimming in Hawaii, we're on vacation we're doing

Bella Stockland: 37:45

is we're going to Florida for Christmas. And literally today I was talking during the pool where I was like, so are we bringing the bikes or are we going to be happy?

Ciara Stockland: 37:53

And she was like, but we're not gonna find a pool. So excellent. Yes. Okay, so

Kenny Bailey<br>: 37:58

the backup to Kona, real quick. So yeah, so yours was just get the hell out of my way, was basically what you were trying to get done. And then yours was I just wanna get out of the water.

Ciara Stockland: 38:06

I really wanted a one to break 120 on the swim. I've been working really hard on my swim. I just wanted to go out there and just swim steady. I'm like, I'm not going to look at my splits. I'm just gonna go, you know, in like, basically sprint, which for me is not sprinting but like a sprint effort if I get tired, because I used to do this and running, but I don't anymore. Now I still do it in swimming. I'm always worried that I'm gonna give too much. And so I'm really trying to train my mind. Like, it's better for me right now to just go out than to not go out and be like, Oh, I had more. So I just wanted to go out and just swim hard. And if I have to slow down I slow down. So I did a 120 I didn't nice 120

Kenny Bailey<br>: 38:45

really happy with good. Nice. Yeah. So overall strategy for you for the day was what? And then what was your strategy for you?

Bella Stockland: 38:52

Yeah, so my I don't know. It was just hard because like quarterly was only race I had done obviously only fool going into that I I mean, my knee had been a disaster. I'd been barely biking, barely running. So I didn't really have that race. I couldn't really base anything off that race either. So I didn't really have any pace for the run the run was just run as fast as I could the whole time then just do that. This one was swimming fast. And then I know and then the bike was like hold as fast or as big of watts as I could and then don't really look at speed because your average speed and why is a disaster because climb up to Javi are so slow coming down you're flying but you get the wrong when you're going downhill. So it was just looking at my Watts and I was nervous for that but because like mom said had so I got I've a little tiny sidetrack but my headaches are I've gotten a bunch of concussions because I train horses and so I fall an awful lot. And that has caused that so like heat races it's just Hard to find the bike is when it gets the worst. So that's when it's hardest. So my coach knows that. And so the bike was kind of just like hold pace and try to like, keep out of my brain. Like if stuff starts getting worse, you know. And I had an amazing bike, and my bike was sub six, which I was super happy with. And yeah, it was kind of just hold whatever Watts I was doing at the beginning, like kind of average, you know, kind of hold that if I could, she said, if you can do that, keep that on mile 80. And if you can keep out of your head on my lady, because that's when everyone dies. And I was like, really, you know, like, you just don't know until you see it. My lady hit, like, nine miles an hour. Yeah. downhill,

Kenny Bailey<br>: 40:37

like, wow, everyone's so

Tom Regal: 40:40

hot. Yeah. So you're tired. And the wind is usually picking up at that point. And so your strategy was 120 in the water.

Ciara Stockland: 40:47

Yeah. And then I really wanted to get sub six bike, my bike was a tissue over six. So you got to just wander down on the on the run, then I didn't have to run her down on the run. I just really wanted to, like I might, my stretch goal was to do a central I wanted it to be the fastest Ironman time it wasn't. It was my second fastest, but I just wanted to really enjoy the day. You know, like when you get married. And they always say like, think about the day don't let it go by so fast. Like I kept thinking I want to remember the day I want to look around me. I am not going to complain about the wind. I'm not going to gripe and complain in my head. You know, because you work so hard to get there. And then everyone's whining about everything. I'm like, I'm not doing that. Yeah, so just on the bike, I'm like, I love it. Like this is amazing. Alright,

Kenny Bailey<br>: 41:31

so I'm curious because you can you can approach Kona, or the World Championship nice or whatever, in two different ways. Which is one way is like I made it. I'm with a bunch of really competitive people. I'm going to try to do the best I can. Or okay, I finally made it into your point. I'm just going to look up and cruiser dad, right? We're just going to enjoy it. I can say hi to people's right. You know, I'm gonna make friends. Because I'm here. It doesn't matter. As long as I get across the line before what

Ciara Stockland: 41:57

I'd say kind of combined those Did you?

Kenny Bailey<br>: 41:59

Yeah, it sounds like you did, right? Yeah, I went,

Bella Stockland: 42:02

I cannot do that. If I'm doing something. It's got to do it. Yeah,

Tom Regal: 42:05

focused in and on it. So yeah, you want to enjoy the experience. And when you're there, you're there for the pinnacle of what we in triathlon look at is the Kona experience. And

Bella Stockland: 42:16

I think that's the thing too, people look at enjoying it differently. Because for me, if I was doing it that way, I would enjoy it

Ciara Stockland: 42:22

faster. My splits and looking at my times, but also I'm not gonna just be miserable, like,

Kenny Bailey<br>: 42:30

Well, I think you're just a little bit more introspective on the whole thing. Right? I mean, you're you're trying to be fast. I think you're trying to make sure that I mean, that's that's how you pursue different things. Right? I do a really horrible job when it when I mean I am tunnel vision. I don't give a shit about excuse. I can say that. It's my own shirt. Excuse My French but I air right. I'm tunnel vision. I just, I guess I'm the testosterone part of that. But I just like I just want to get get moving get going. But yeah. And sometimes it's hard to just kind of look up and it's the irony is if when you look up and do that you actually do better to your point, if you just didn't worry about your bike you. You're like, Look, I'm just going to keep my watch and do whatever. You actually had a great bike because there wasn't some preconceived kind of thing that you did, which is a life lesson. I think everyone learns you do these things, especially that distance? Yeah. So are you guys competitive with each other? Or? Um,

Ciara Stockland: 43:17

I don't think it would work. It would be silly. Okay, because I can't catch her.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 43:22

So what was your try?

Ciara Stockland: 43:25

Was 1229

Tom Regal: 43:26

Nice night. Yeah.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 43:27

And yours was

Bella Stockland: 43:29

1126 I'm nice. I'm sweet. Right. Nice.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 43:34

So did you hang out? I mean, when you got across the line, did you see where she was at as far as what's it going and then kind of meta?

Bella Stockland: 43:40

Fin so I finished and then I went obviously they take you back to Hawaii. It's it's even way different than normal. Okay, do you back far they walk you back really? Around the beach? Like do you have your own? You can? Just waiting you just gonna sit here, I guess. So I got food and stuff and then took a shower,

Kenny Bailey<br>: 44:02

took a nap. literally took a shower, shower. Stretch. I'm like if I get then you get across the line. She's over there with it. You know,

Bella Stockland: 44:12

I was dressed. I was showered. No, he made it. Yeah. And I was far enough ahead of her. I went and found my dad and my brother and his fiancee. And then we kind of just hung out. And then once we knew she was coming, I couldn't like run out and go chase her in. Yeah, yeah. So I was like, Wow. Yes, yeah. So

Kenny Bailey<br>: 44:37

what was the feeling when you were hitting the shoot was that

Bella Stockland: 44:40

that's the one thing I was expecting it to be like, Absolutely. Just the most amazing thing in the world. And it was, I mean, it was super cool. There's lots of people I mean, there's enough people that there's bleach like they've set up bleachers and you know, you can see it on TV and see the finish line like the whole flower thing. You go under them. It's super cool. I, I just think that that whole day I was thinking about just so many things. It was I remember trying, I was running down, I was right next to me. And he was like, take this in like, this is giving me something you remember the rest of your life, I remember. And I was trying so hard to like focus, but you're also just so out of it at that. I was like, water. You know what I mean to take it in. But you're also like, it's hard to explain. It wasn't like quarterly. And I almost feel like I took Incorta. Lane, more. But I also kind of think it's because that was my first and you know, people always told me you'll never have first again, I was like, Yeah, whatever. I think that's what it was, though. Because Hawaii was so amazing. It was just different. Sounds

Kenny Bailey<br>: 45:40

like you were you were pretty focused on getting there. Right. And so when you get across the line you and that for you is it every bit as you were hoping,

Ciara Stockland: 45:46

you know, it's interesting, because Bella and I were talking about some different athletes that we've chatted with that didn't have very good days, and they just talked about it, talk about it and keep bringing it up. And I mean, we all know those people who I was gonna be the quarterback in high school, and then I could and it's like, that's their life. Yeah. And we don't have that. But then also with that we don't have the like, we're very even. So we don't have the super high. We don't have the crazy low lows. We don't live in that. Because it's like, okay, I didn't do well, but that's fine tomorrow. But then with that, we also don't get how some people can just get like, super excited, right? Because it's like, well, we checked a box, and we did it. And so we're trying to figure out how do you overcome that a bit and like, live in the wind a little bit more? Because I think we miss out on

Bella Stockland: 46:29

a lot. I think we do it too. That's what I was telling mom about. Yeah, like we don't, why I think we don't get the Lolos is, I mean, partially like she said, because like when we do good at something. It's like, oh, well, you know, someone else did better somewhere?

Kenny Bailey<br>: 46:43

Well, the reason why I would think it'd be slightly different is because you you grew up competitive that you're an adult onset competitive person, you know what I mean? Yeah, so you didn't have the high school or were you I mean, it's another meet. It's another race. It's another word for you. I can understand how it'd be slightly different in the fact that like, this is a new thing, right? I didn't Yeah, I didn't go through, you know, hell and then come back out. And then I you know, I

Ciara Stockland: 47:06

always wanted to go I was no athletics, but I wanted to go the Olympics. Like I always wanted to go. So when I qualified, Jim is so sweet. He's like, this is your Olympic trials, like it is why Olympics. Yeah. So I mean, crossing the finish line. I didn't raise my hands because I was trying to take it in. So I didn't right. So on the videos, I just looked like Jim was like, Why do you just walk across I was like, cuz I was just trying to like

Kenny Bailey<br>: 47:33

it's great, though. Yeah, cuz I remember my first one was because Mike Riley was doing that was doing that. And all I thought about the last six miles, which is Mike Riley's gonna say my Yeah, we're going through the shoot, and it was just bright lights on. And then, because I moved to Tennessee from California, and he said, from Franklin, Tennessee, I'm like, Who's that? Oh, that's me. He's like, Oh, me aren't doing that. And when I got across the line, I think I yelled at him, right? So because he's like, you're an Iron Man. I like your damn right. You know, because he was just kind of cool. But that's an interesting thing. So most people have to learn to temper though. So you guys gotta figure out how to get more excitable? Is that

Ciara Stockland: 48:08

just how to celebrate the wins? celebrate

Tom Regal: 48:10

the wins, I'm just gonna say. And that's, that's, that's a challenge a lot of people have I know, myself included. That was something going through business and everything else was that I never celebrated those little wins. Because it was always what have you done for me lately? Right? So in business, it's always What have you done for me lately? How are you going to do this? We would there would be excited that we hit our numbers for the year. And they would announce all of that at the end of January, right when they finished the books and did all that stuff. But we're already into the next year. And it was like, Oh, that's great. But you know, I'm under for the quarter. And that's all I care about right now. Because that's all you guys care about. So you know, my butt's on the line for the quarter. So I never really enjoyed some of that. So finding that way of having gratitude and being in the moment kind of and enjoying that. When is the challenge right? You get off you finish it, soak it in and not think about oh, my next race or I could have been faster or whatever. Just appreciate the fact that you did what you did. It's pretty incredible the time that you were able to do it that the benefit that you had the gratitude of being able to do this and then being able to let it soak in a little bit and then go off is a challenge. I mean, yes, it's tough.

Bella Stockland: 49:17

I think the gratitude to it. I kind of forgot about that. But like going into it, that was more of my way of thinking about it. Instead of like soaking it in. I remember telling you that too. Before I did it. I was like I just the whole day. I want to be like keep thinking about how thankful I am that my body can do this right now because of all the injuries all and just like this is nuts. Yeah, like as a mom, I was like we do this now before. Before we did when when I saw Dad doing it. I was like This is stupid. That's crazy. Horrible. No, yeah. Now that you do it, you're like, it's not that big of a deal. It is like that's like if you think about it for a second. Like when you see people's reaction when you like break it down for them. Yeah, like it's a big deal. You know what I mean? So I think that whole day being thankful like, oh my goodness, I'm biking up on that Have you right now? Yeah, that's pretty cool that I'm working on

Tom Regal: 50:02

the Big Island of Hawaii. Like it's, I think it's, I think we look at it is a big deal, but it's not impossible. It's not insurmountable. And that's where most people see it. They look at the distance and look at the race format, and they go, I can't do that. I was like, no, actually, you can if you really want to, you can do it. It's doable. Yeah, it's not easy. It's gonna be hell, you're gonna have to work for it and earn it. But it's not impossible. And

Kenny Bailey<br>: 50:29

this result of this podcast, because it's, if you're a couch to 5k, and that's an that's what you've done, because you've never done that before. You know, celebrate it just as he is finishing Kona. Yeah, that's, that's why we do this is we want people to understand that you're not an athlete. You don't have to be Kona to be an athlete. Yeah. Right. You can be an athlete, just if you try to compete in something that you didn't do yesterday. Right, right. That's the definition of an athlete. And that's why we do this podcast. And what's kind of interesting is just as you're talking about your time, I think it's funny because it happens with with triathletes, we compare our times even though you had a completely different city. Completely different. Right? Temperature, everything was different. But you're like, Oh, I just didn't do as well on this one. It's like, you're swimming on ocean, you know, versus a lake swim. Yeah, it's hot as hell, right? You're trying to figure out well, I didn't do really well in this one. But

Tom Regal: 51:18

and then even year over year is different, like the weather has changed. Or you might have shifted a couple a couple of weeks or something like that. All of a sudden, you can't really compare them that that closely. Right? You can just put your effort at saying I did my best. This is as good as I could do this day and this time in my life, and I was pretty impressed. Yeah.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 51:36

Okay, so for 2024 What's the what's on the shedule?

Ciara Stockland: 51:39

So Bella's race schedule is dictating my training, too. So I'm following her lead on 2024. So you have something

Bella Stockland: 51:46

Yeah. So I'm doing I'm doing I'm not doing any falls, turning pro pathways. I'm actually quitting. No. So I my biggest race is at PTO this year. I keep pointing to that last year. It's now we're at Nationals world nationals though this year this year was Yeah. at Nationals, I qualified to go to Spain next year with the USA team. Nice. So yeah, for championship there. And so I'm doing that. That's like my biggest race, obviously, because I try to do really good there. And so since that's an Olympic and I'm going to be training want to be training way shorter stuff. I'm doing all 70 Point threes. Right, and like sprints and Olympics, and she probably hasn't memorized better than I do, because I'm just like they're scattered about

Tom Regal: 52:34

where to show up this week. So we're

Kenny Bailey<br>: 52:36

all going yeah, you're not running six. You're running, you know? 13 Yeah. Okay. No wonder

Ciara Stockland: 52:41

which seems so nice. Now. It's like 30 miles. In relative

Kenny Bailey<br>: 52:45

terms. Yes. You were complaining about 10 miles an hour. It's like 13 That's all I gotta do. I really thought that was gonna be hard. That's hilarious.

Ciara Stockland: 52:52

Yeah. So we're gonna do January, February, March are half marathons. So really working on the run, she's going to try to really ramp up her coaches trying to ramp up her run speed, because that's where it will be. I mean, that's where it's at, for her age group. All of us competitively.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 53:06

Yeah, but you can only go so fast on the swim, right? I mean, there's there's this much room left, right? I mean, you're a fast swimmer. Anyway. Yeah. So the idea is that percentage of your percentage of doing better on a swim is much, much smaller than percentage doing better on a

Bella Stockland: 53:21

you can't gain as much. But my coach says she thinks I can do low 50s life if you want to on the swim. I just haven't. It's swimming. Open Water is so much different than swimming in the pool. And I just haven't got that yet. Like it's just so different. Like your pace, your stroke, your rhythm. Your everything's just so different. But yeah, and it's

Kenny Bailey<br>: 53:41

exciting. You don't get a black horse. Yeah.

Bella Stockland: 53:47

You don't get to streamline off the lovely walls.

Ciara Stockland: 53:50

Again, okay. Awesome to qualify for 70.3 worlds in New Zealand. So yeah. Nice.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 53:56

So are you doing a follow up to tabs? Nope, just half. Okay. Yeah, just half so I'll

Ciara Stockland: 54:01

just have to. I know a friend of ours said stop saying just Yes.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 54:04

That's one word. Yes. We have to stop.

Tom Regal: 54:06

We're trying to do that for everyone. And the sprint and Olympic distance as well. I'm just doing a sprint. Well, yeah. You're doing nice for me. Justice. Yes. It's a different race. Yes.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 54:15

Well, congratulations to you know, what's refreshing is the takeaway I'm getting from this is is to your point even though you say you're struggling with sort of the lows, you know, the low lows and a high highs. The idea is though that look, it is what it is like you can complain about it. You're here the weather, it's gonna be the weather, the course is gonna be the course. Yeah, you do want to do things about it, you can either, you know, complain about the whole time and or go, Hey, this is what it is. So let's accept it and kind of get on with it. And that's that's a great mindset to have. Yeah, just been able to, to accept this as what it is because to your point that parachute thing is a very, very easy thing. And I've used it a couple of times and I think that ruined me to be honest with you because I use that parachute and now

Ciara Stockland: 55:00

Athletes do it. This is fairly common people put it on before something crazy set themselves up if they don't do what they feel, right, oh, well, I saw I've had, I've had such a bad week this week or my training hasn't, you know, as I going into a race so that if they don't do well, they can say see, they kind of set themselves up to tell you why they like stop doing

Bella Stockland: 55:19

that are like complaining their head all day about the race, you can tell who they are on the race court. I mean, you guys know that, like you can see oh, yeah, first of all, fans are so expensive. To do that, you know, people have those signs where it's like, remember, you pay to do this.

Tom Regal: 55:34

I tell people that all the time. We're going out base and I just tell everybody to remember you paid to be here. And they just they immediately just closed right out the middle of the race. I'm like, Shut up when you paid to be here. I don't want to hear you complain. Let's go. Yeah.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 55:46

So the demon I have is the fact that I pan I had a panic attack and I got pulled out the water. And it's almost like cocaine. It's like, once you've tasted that once, it's like, now I have that parachute. Like, yeah. And so you know, and that's what happened in Oregon. I trained like crazy. I was in the best shape possible for Oregon had a panic attack on mineral water. And how do you pull from the water? Yeah, because I knew that there was a boat right there. And if I knew there wasn't a boat right there, you know, I would have to force it get through that panic attack. But I already tattoo that on my back from from the last race that I DNF because of that, right? I remind so and so it triggered and once it triggered, what does it do? I started swiping left, right. And so that's one of the most that was one of the toughest things to deal with is I had I went in completely positive. I was the hairdresser. I was ranking for it. I was like, you know, it's a fast River. My bike is fantastic. You know, I'm finally healthy this year. Last year, I had a cap issue. And I finished the Ironman in California, I finished the half and Oregon. I'm doing the same race again. And I get panic attack and get pulled out of the water in the exact same river. Yeah. Right, because they move the because they moved. This is what triggered it. And we swam on the left side. Really before and right before I got in, I wasn't paying attention. And they're like, oh, by the way, you're swimming on the right side of the buoy. And I'm like, what, what what do you mean the right side? What do you mean what and then boom, I'm gone. And then all of a sudden, it's like, you know, so that's that's, that's a great takeaway is that is the idea that parachute that how do you it's not, you know, how do you get rid of a parachute? Once you have it? That's probably the harder part that just don't rely on a parachute. But

Ciara Stockland: 57:12

my first coach told me something that has been really helpful for me. She said, you know, speaking specifically about the water, let your brain have the hissy fit. It's a little kid. Yep. So throw your hissy fit, whatever. Okay, Ciara, you threw your hissy fit. Yeah, but we're not doing that today. So here's what you have done. And here's what we do know. And here's what's true. Yeah. And I thought that was really good advice. So you kind of let your brain instead of trying to stop the brain from doing all the crazy talking. Yeah, fine. Whatever. But now we're now we're talking.

Tom Regal: 57:41

It's addressing the feelings kind of giving them a name. Yeah. And then you're able to, once you're thinking it through, like, once you address that, and give it a reality, then you can push it.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 57:52

Yeah, cuz it's a spiral, right? It's like, oh, shit, am I going into it? I started to panic, cuz we're gonna pin it down. And they're like, Okay, knock it off. And I'm yelling at myself. I'm literally yelling at myself in the water, my cup. Just like, you know, and I think it was making it worse other than people are saying, like, just blow bubbles, make it make it funny and happy and then calm down. And you know, unfortunately, it just didn't work. But yeah, but that's an I haven't been you know, I haven't swim since July. Because I don't have to swim. So I don't have to. I know how to get back into water. Yeah, you people, water people. So but yeah, it's it's a difficult thing to do. And because logic goes out the window, because you try to think logically, what do I need to do but?

Bella Stockland: 58:30

So especially, I mean, 1211 10 hour race, whatever. Yeah, that's a lot of time to argue with yourself. Yeah. That's why I think the long rides are so important. That's where you learn to like, get through that because we had some tough, long road. I mean, worse than quarter lane, like Hawaii was.

Ciara Stockland: 58:50

So we did, I think eight or 900 milers this summer, nice, and we were like our coaches crazy. She's so dumb. Why is she having us? We would talk to you to this. What would happen if we just stopped it? Like we went? Oh, yeah, absolutely. That when we were in Hawaii, both of us separately. I was writing the Hawaii course. I was like, This is why she hadn't I'm like, I can do this. I'm you know,

Kenny Bailey<br>: 59:14

so yeah, it's like confidence you have when you're able to do it. You're getting all

Bella Stockland: 59:18

the fights. You also like I mean, the people that are walking the first like foot of the marathon at the end, I mean, some people have to whatever that served, they're gonna they're gonna walk in this totally fine but like the people that you can tell they were gonna run and now they're walking it's because they let themselves do that during workouts. Yeah, it's not like a two day thing. They're just letting you know I mean so that's what that's a good reminder to for working out like when we have to in the winter when we're doing 12 mile run on the treadmill and you want to you know jump to the side and you want to keep going running you just gotta think won the race then I'm gonna want to do the same thing

Kenny Bailey<br>: 59:51

alright, just don't don't see me at Lifetime now. Just

Tom Regal: 59:56

you be like yeah, a lot, but that's

Ciara Stockland: 1:00:01

why I love triathlon and because it really these things transfer to life, right? So if we can learn to control our mind, in our own workout by herself or on the race course, we can control our mind in other areas when we need

Kenny Bailey<br>: 1:00:13

discipline, right? It's the idea of also deferred gratification, the fact that you're not gonna get something fun at the end of the saying it's going to be garbage going through it, but

Ciara Stockland: 1:00:21

pizza at the end of the line, if you're lucky.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 1:00:25

There's a certain bit of crazy we all have when it comes to this stuff, right? Because I mean, some people just like to suffer. Right? Because the suffering is like when you strip everything out, right? Yeah. Because then you discover your true self is when you know, Are you the kind of person that complains a lot, right? Yeah. And and that's what happens, right? I mean, I know in the middle of like a long swim, you know, I'm, you know, whining like a baby. He's like, are you? Are you done? No, you're an Ironman, right? That's right. I have an Ironman and then I go, right. It's my cat.

Tom Regal: 1:00:54

Just got What did you say something? Yeah.

Kenny Bailey<br>: 1:00:59

Anyway, well, we appreciate you guys coming. Congratulations, and good luck on 2024. Look at you.

Bella Stockland: 1:01:05

Yeah, it looks like it's gonna be fun. That'll be great. I'm so excited. I've always wanted to go there.

Tom Regal: 1:01:11

In a race in Spain, that'd be pretty incredible. Oh, yeah. Thank you so much for sharing your story. I appreciate it. Thanks, everybody, for listening and chiming in. Keep up the comments and questions and thumbs up five stars, all that good stuff, gets the algorithms out and gets gets us out to more and more people. So thanks, everybody. Thank you all and until the next one.