Unstoppable With Shangrila Rendon

If you’ve been running for years, this thought may sound familiar: “I feel like there’s something more in me… I just haven’t really tried to find it yet." You want to see what you’re capable of but at the same time, you’re cautious. Because now, every push comes with a question mark. - Will this flare up my knee? - Why do my hamstrings tighten late in the run? - Am I actually training right… or ju...

A friend once told me, “You’re lifting your head, sinking your legs, and yikes… you’re zigzagging in open water. With your speed right now, you’re going to be in trouble meeting the cutoff time.” Then he added, “Just do drills.” That stuck with me. So I did. When I eventually decided to get a coach, more drills showed up in my plan. Side kicking, catch drills, breathing drills.. and more. I couldn...

70.3 Reality Check: Are You Really Ready for Race Day? Doing a 70.3 this year? Don’t get blindsided like I did. Finishing the distances ≠ being race-day ready. In this episode I'm walking you through the 70.3 Readiness Reality Check so you don’t make the same mistakes I did: - Why even fit athletes STILL fall apart on race day - What most training plans and coaches don’t teach you - How to score y...

From Runner To Triathlete: Why Swimming Feels So Hard & How To Fix It If swimming feels harder than running, it’s not you. It’s how you’re training. Most runners bring this into the water: push harder go longer / do more fight through it And that’s exactly why they end up here: “After 150 or 200 meters I feel like the CO₂ is building up…” They're out of breath, gasping and have no control. Eve...

3 Key Strategies from a Busy Single Mom Who Trained for Her 1st Olympic & Full Marathon, in Just 7 Weeks Most athletes know the feeling. Balancing training with real life, wondering if the big goal is just too far out of reach. Kristen, a single mom with two kids and a full-time job, had her eye on finishing her first full marathon this year and was already planning to race a 70.3 next year. W...

Why You're Not Getting Faster Even with More Pool Time | Swim Technique Mistakes “Why am I not getting faster even though I’m swimming more?” If you’ve been showing up, putting in the laps, but your swim pace hasn’t improved—this episode is for you. Coach Shangrila breaks down the 3 most common technique mistakes adult swimmers make that keep them slow no matter how much they train. ✅ Learn how t...

Finish Your 1st IM 70.3 from Zero in 5 Months with your Spouse, and Stay Injury Free. Ever wondered if it’s really possible to train for a Half Ironman while parenting, working full-time, and starting from zero? Christine couldn’t swim 50 meters without shoulder pain. Dre, her husband also had no triathlon background and had to travel a lot for his job. Neither had finished a single triathlon befo...

“My knee kept swelling even after resting it for weeks.” Hil is in his late 50s. After 3 years of limited activity from a spinal injury, he was excited to start running again. But every time he ramped up, his knee swelled. Rest didn’t help. Starting slow didn’t work either. Most runners in his shoes would’ve walked away for good but Hil didn’t. Instead, he used the Smart Training Method, a system...

“For 38 years this goal haunted Teddi.” Not the bike. Not the run. The SWIM. 😟 She wanted to complete a triathlon for decades, but one lap left her exhausted. During our first conversation, she admitted:  🗨 “I’ve been too afraid to swim and honestly didn’t think I could do this.” That’s where many adult athletes get stuck. They’re disciplined, active, and mentally tough in every other area of lif...

Are Your Drills Helping or Hurting Your Freestyle? Ever do a swim drill and think, “That felt worse”? You’re doing the work but your swim pace isn’t improving. It’s not because you’re not trying hard enough. You’re just not fixing your stroke the right way. What if the drill that’s supposed to help is actually locking in bad habits? What if you’ve been working hard on the wrong thing without knowi...

You’re confident on the bike. Crushing the run. You may even have already climbed the world’s highest peaks. Your lungs are strong. Your endurance is solid... 😣 BUT you can’t swim 50 yards without stopping. Legs sink. Confidence drops. Panic sets in and race day keeps getting closer. That was Aamar just 6 weeks before Ironman Lake Placid. Despite being a Boston Marathoner and mountaineer, he said...

"When should I actually start training for my 70.3?" If that question’s been circling in your head, it’s because you know winging it won’t cut it. Right now, a lot of athletes are: -- Trying to get momentum after the holidays -- Managing training on top of an already packed calendar -- Debating whether to wait for better weather... or freak out because it’s January. And they know time moves fast H...

Why do swimmers with “bad” technique still beat you? Because you’re focusing on the wrong things. Most athletes judge what they see above the water and completely miss what actually makes someone fast. If you’ve been doing drills, cleaning up your stroke… and still feel slow, this is why. In this episode: 🏊‍♂️ Why copying faster swimmers doesn’t work 🏊‍♂️ The hidden skills like breathing, balanc...

From swim panic & old injuries to Boston Marathon + 1st Triathlon... yes, even in your 50s You’re signed up for races but part of you is scared. “What if I panic again in open water?” “What if my knee pain comes back mid-run?” “What if I’m not ready?" Whether it’s your first triathlon or your 10th marathon training while dealing with fear, injuries, and a busy schedule isn’t easy. But it’s pos...

"How do I fix my swim technique?" 🤔🏊‍♂️ It’s a question many athletes ask themselves.  Thinking about working on your technique this off-season? Or maybe you’re stuck at the same pace, not sure why? Does it feel like hitting fast paces is just luck, not consistency? If something still isn’t clicking, you're not the only one. But what if you could fix it... in just ONE month? Join me for a FREE t...

Think your goals are too far away? Jeremy started in construction, became an Ironworker, then moved up to Foreman and jobsite leader. And one day, he looked in the mirror and said: “Wow, I’ve made it into the office, but physically, I have let myself go.” He was overweight, out of shape and unhealthy then. He made a detour and got into Spartan Ultras. When he reached out to me 2 years ago, he aske...

“I’m pretty fit. I’m confident on the run. I’ve got decent speed on the bike. I swim regularly and follow the plan to the T. I put in the work. So why do my legs drop the moment I turn to breathe?” I’ve heard some version of that question over and over again from experienced, disciplined athletes. Everything feels fine at first. The stroke feels smooth, the pacing steady, and there’s even a sense...

Stuck at 2:35 pace with sinking legs? Not confident in open water? Worried about your next triathlon race coming up? Carlos was too. He’s a single dad of 3. Once weighed 350 lbs. And swimming was his weakest sport. But that didn’t stop him. ✅ He finished his first full Ironman swim in 1 hour 34 minutes, even though 2.4 miles was the longest distance he’d ever swum at the time. Then, just 3 months...

You were ready. So why did it feel like you were drowning 300 meters in? You showed up to race day prepared. You did the work, followed the plan and hit your paces in the pool. You also finished the distance in open water. Training felt controlled, predictable and solid. And then the gun goes off, and suddenly your breathing spikes, your stroke shortens, your heart rate shoots up, and the swim fee...

“I’ve always wanted to do a 10K swim, but…” “I’m too old to start now.” “I don’t have the time to train for something that big.” “I’m not fast enough to go the distance.” “Maybe next year.” Sound familiar? If you’ve ever dreamed of finishing a marathon swim but life, doubt, or the voice in your head keeps stopping you, this episode is for you. Because what if… ➡️ You didn’t need to train for a ful...

“I can’t translate my swimming training into the race.” If that hits a little too close to home… keep reading 👇 We’re diving into why this keeps happening and what you can do to fix it, once and for all. Because for one athlete, Manuel none of this was enough: - Swam 4x a week with a squad in Australia - Hit threshold sets, open water sessions, and long workouts - Received regular swim tips from...

What if you could thrive in open water even when it gets rough? What if it wasn’t something to avoid, but your greatest teacher?  And what if your biggest breakthroughs didn’t happen in your 20s… but in your 50s? Pamela wasn’t trying to prove anything. She just wanted to see what she was capable of. At 55, she works full-time and doesn't have access to the ocean. Most days, she trained in a brown...

If you started swimming to stay healthy but now feel that quiet urge to see what you're really capable of... If you’ve been swimming for years and your pace hasn’t improved in forever... If your breathing still feels awkward or unbalanced… If you're unsure about coming back to racing triathlon because you zigzag all over the course and can't stay on track. This episode is for you. Because swimming...

What if your Ironman dream is the very thing that makes you a better mom, wife, and leader at home and work? This podcast episode is for the high-achieving woman who's constantly balancing everyone else's schedules and still dares to dream big for herself. We’ll show you how to:  - Train for your Ironman dream, marathons and triathlons while staying injury free - Build a time-efficient plan around...

Swimming is the only tri discipline where doing more can make you worse.   You trained consistently. Put in the hard work. You even swam open water. Then race day hit.   No buoy. No kayak. Bodies everywhere. Chop on the water. Suddenly you’re gasping, sinking and so is your confidence.   In this 8-min episode I explain to an athlete why training doesn’t prevent panic on race day and what most athl...