Brian Gowiski is one of the best obstacle course racers in the world.
Learn his mindset secret in the podcast episode.
Full Transcript
Rich Ryan: [00:00:00] Hi there. Hello and welcome. We have a great show for you today. If I say so myself and I will say so myself, it is a great show today. Brian go, whiskey is one of the best OCR athletes in the game. He stops on an episode to talk about training and mindset. Brian is kind of a Jack of all trades when it comes to obstacle course racing.
[00:00:24] So we really dig into the mechanics of that and how he uses that to set himself apart from the competition. And we touch touch on a couple of other topics, like how to systematically attack your weaknesses so that you do perform your best on race day. How do you use heart rate data to better understand your training and where your strengths and weaknesses lie and most important how to approach.
[00:00:46] The race from a mindset perspective so that you feel you’re ready to compete against the best of the best you will enjoy it. I enjoyed it. And if you do enjoy it, you should drop his five star reviews. Say something nice. If you have something nice to say, we would like that very much. All right, here we go.
[00:01:01] Brian, go whiskey.
[00:01:08] Brian go whiskey. What’s up,
[00:01:09] Brian Gowiski: [00:01:09] dude. What’s up, man. How you doing? Doing
[00:01:12] Rich Ryan: [00:01:12] great. Thanks for joining me today. It’s a Sunday. Is it a special weekend edition here? So I appreciate you taking the time we are going to dive in. We want to talk a lot about the training that you got going on. Some of the things, when it comes to your mindset, we talked a little bit before we came on about, just who you are as an athlete and, and really how you found success in this sport.
[00:01:31] But I have a couple of random questions first that. We need to figure out we need to hash this out. Okay. Well, let’s do it. What’s your favorite sport to watch
[00:01:40] Brian Gowiski: [00:01:40] easy. Football football. Definitely NFL though.
[00:01:44] Rich Ryan: [00:01:44] The old pixie, you don’t do college?
[00:01:46] Brian Gowiski: [00:01:46] No. Just to watch the prospects once in a while. Cause I’m a jets fan and they suck every year.
[00:01:51] So it’s just like, by the time October rolls around, we are looking forward to the draft. You’re a
[00:01:57] Rich Ryan: [00:01:57] jets fan. So you live in Charlotte. Are you from
[00:02:01] Brian Gowiski: [00:02:01] New York? Grew up in New York.
[00:02:03] Rich Ryan: [00:02:03] Oh, no way.
[00:02:05] Brian Gowiski: [00:02:05] Not the city.
[00:02:06] Rich Ryan: [00:02:06] Where did you grow up in New York?
[00:02:08]Brian Gowiski: [00:02:08] like actually over near Buffalo,
[00:02:11] Rich Ryan: [00:02:11] what’s been on the bills.
[00:02:13] Brian Gowiski: [00:02:13] I don’t know, my brother in law got me on the jet strain when I was about seven years old.
[00:02:17] So I don’t know, I don’t know which is worse, the jets or the bills, but
[00:02:22] Rich Ryan: [00:02:22] the bills fans at least are fun and crazy. Yeah. They are
[00:02:26] Brian Gowiski: [00:02:26] crazy.
[00:02:27] Rich Ryan: [00:02:27] I have a lot of family. My parents are from like a Syracuse area and a lot of them migrated West. So they’re in like Buffalo Rochester area and they are those crazy bills fans that, what is it called?
[00:02:37] Those models. Mafia. Yeah. Like jumping into people’s like my little cousin is that guy like jumping tables. I was like, Oh, there you are. So, yeah. So w so how the jets are. They’re not going to be good again, are they? I mean, well, the East is going to be kind of open.
[00:02:54] Brian Gowiski: [00:02:54] Yeah. Well, we’re hoping that, Jared Stidham is not the real deal for the Patriots.
[00:02:58] And as long as we already know Josh Allen sucks. So I dunno. That’s why I think it’s a little more open than in years past.
[00:03:05] Rich Ryan: [00:03:05] Do we think, do we know Josh Allen says he’s okay.
[00:03:09] Brian Gowiski: [00:03:09] I dunno. I just look back to last year against the, The cow or not, the cow is the Texans in the playoff game. And he just was running down the field just to know
[00:03:19] Rich Ryan: [00:03:19] he’s just a freak, a freak athlete.
[00:03:21] Like he’s so big and he’s so fat and his Canon, but he’ll just does just like ridiculous things sometimes. And you’re just like, man, if you to clean it up, but you’ve been in the league two years. I don’t know.
[00:03:32] Brian Gowiski: [00:03:32] He’s not like a hard guy to root for. Seems like a good kid. And he’s like best friends with Sam Darnold so it’s hard.
[00:03:37] So
[00:03:40] Rich Ryan: [00:03:40] good personality test there. the, the, the most jets thing ever was when you signed, crap, I forget your running backs. I knew it like when they, when you went to the dance, I was like, Oh, he went to the jets,
[00:03:52] Brian Gowiski: [00:03:52] but that’s an owner sitting right
[00:03:53] Rich Ryan: [00:03:53] there. Were you excited about that? Or were you like, Oh my God,
[00:03:57] Brian Gowiski: [00:03:57] not really.
[00:03:57] Cause I’ve. You know, I do study football or not study it, but I’m very involved or influenced. But so like, I, I listen to a lot of podcasts about football and every, they just, now they drive it home. That point that running backs are not. They’re overpaid and they, you can’t do a second contract. So when they gave him like 14 million a year, I said, this ain’t gonna work.
[00:04:22] Rich Ryan: [00:04:22] It’s not going to be great.
[00:04:23] Brian Gowiski: [00:04:23] And I don’t know, maybe
[00:04:26] Rich Ryan: [00:04:26] he’s going to come back
[00:04:28] Brian Gowiski: [00:04:28] before football. Yeah, I do. I definitely think we will.
[00:04:35] Rich Ryan: [00:04:35] I’m hoping. Cause Fanny’s football is the best I know like makes, makes my, makes my fall so much more fun.
[00:04:41] Brian Gowiski: [00:04:41] Oh, definitely. So I
[00:04:45] Rich Ryan: [00:04:45] am, I am, I was like a random fan of like teams growing up, but then I moved, I grew up like an hour and a half North of here.
[00:04:52] It was like, so we’re kind of between, so there’s some jets fans where I grew up and like some giants fans and Eagles and the Steelers and, but yeah, Eagles, I was, I lived here when they won the super bowl. That was awesome. That was hilarious time. So, yeah, and it actually like the city’s really. It was really cynical about sports, you know, like they felt like they really like gave the city an edge, like, and everyone’s like, kind of like ruin people’s moods.
[00:05:15] If like the team didn’t do well. But the past two years, like you could tell that they were just happy from the super bowl. So like, ah, whatever we went through a couple of years ago, whatever happens, happens now
[00:05:24] Brian Gowiski: [00:05:24] that was around like,
[00:05:28]Rich Ryan: [00:05:28] yeah, so we’re, we’re, we’re good for probably another year or two until we started getting all crabby again. so do you have like a pet peeve?
[00:05:37] Brian Gowiski: [00:05:37] A pet peeve. I don’t think so. I’m pretty relaxed on everything.
[00:05:42] Rich Ryan: [00:05:42] Like everything. Nothing is nothing bothers. You,
[00:05:44] Brian Gowiski: [00:05:44] you know what? This just happened today. And this would be a pet peeve.
[00:05:47] Some people even in their grocery carts in the parking lot. When I pull into a parking spot, drives me crazy.
[00:05:54] Rich Ryan: [00:05:54] That’s just disrespectful for the people who work at the grocery store. It’s like, yeah, if someone’s going to go and collect it, but like their job is not to go around the entire. Parking lot picking up your shit.
[00:06:06] Brian Gowiski: [00:06:06] I know, I know. That’s why I did the good thing. And I just pulled my truck up and a little bit, got out, move the cart, fold my truck and all the way. And then I use that
[00:06:14] Rich Ryan: [00:06:14] car. So
[00:06:16] Brian Gowiski: [00:06:16] I don’t need any kudos, but he’s a pretty good guy.
[00:06:21] Rich Ryan: [00:06:21] He’s a good guy. You would see that that’s like, when you were doing that, did you think that about yourself?
[00:06:26] You’re like, you know what? This is what a good guy would do. Yeah. Yeah. What’s your favorite OCR venue?
[00:06:38] Brian Gowiski: [00:06:38] It’s probably Temecula California. Yeah. So I spent some time in San Diego actually, when I got into OCR, I’m sure we’ll get into that a little bit, but I was living in California at the time and it was, they were still doing Vail Lake, California.
[00:06:53] You ever heard of that venue? What is it Val Lake. And they don’t go there anymore, but it was one of their, their more popular venues. It’s just like mountains around a Lake. So I dunno, it was just very pretty out there.
[00:07:08] Rich Ryan: [00:07:08] And that’s a Southern California wine country, right. I’ve actually been to Temecula.
[00:07:12] Brian Gowiski: [00:07:12] Yeah, I think, I think, well, I, nor isn’t nor Cal more wine country,
[00:07:16] Rich Ryan: [00:07:16] it is, but like, if I think there. Is a whole string of wineries, right. In Temecula. Like that’s Southern California.
[00:07:25] Brian Gowiski: [00:07:25] She’s been, I bad memory, but I guess you’re right. Cause I used to golf down that way. I remember seeing a lot of vineyards, so
[00:07:32] Rich Ryan: [00:07:32] he didn’t go there for the wine.
[00:07:33] You went there for obstacle course racing and that’s it. It would be nice to do a race, the, that, cause you could always count on the weather, being like fine if there’s not like fires and stuff, I first, I thought for sure, you were going to say Asheville, I was like, this is a layup.
[00:07:47] Brian Gowiski: [00:07:47] I’ve had pretty good luck at Asheville, but, and it is pretty like, I guess, Like now that I’m an East coaster.
[00:07:53] That’s probably my favorite venue. Actually, West Virginia is beautiful too. I do like West Virginia,
[00:07:58] Rich Ryan: [00:07:58] which is just fair. It’s just like a course that has a little bit of everything. So like knowing that an extreme advantage or disadvantage, like you just have to be ready to go there.
[00:08:08] Brian Gowiski: [00:08:08] Yeah. Yeah. I realized that we haven’t had a race there.
[00:08:12] That’s not a championship either. So like, you know, it’s not. Having podium, but that course yet just put it that way.
[00:08:20] Rich Ryan: [00:08:20] Right, right. The stakes are a little bit higher. The competition. That was great. Yeah. That’s a really good one. Yeah. if you go back and give your like 18 year old self advice, what would you tell yourself?
[00:08:33] Brian Gowiski: [00:08:33] Hmm, man. Well, I went into the military and at the time I thought I wasn’t making the right choice, but I am pretty happy with that choice. I kind of just wish I would’ve went in with some more, what can, what am I trying to think of here? maturity. Yeah, just, you know, I, I didn’t really, I was doing a lot of partying and drinking and, made a lot of stupid mistakes, so I kinda just wish I would’ve.
[00:09:01] What I had in my head on screwed on cider.
[00:09:04] Rich Ryan: [00:09:04] How do you think you could have done that? Like, cause I had like that same type of, of issue, right. Like going in and not, and not having focused properly, but like what do you think we could have told, like what made you, what did put your, like screw on your head properly then?
[00:09:19] Like what came around?
[00:09:21] Brian Gowiski: [00:09:21] Well, I guess just, you know, the Marine Corps does that for me. they help out a lot, a lot of, you know, you do the basic training and. Your whole time is spent becoming a man, basically, you know, you get, they, Joel instructors will knock you down to feel you like you’re nothing. And then, you know, you come out, you accomplish all these things while you’re in basic training.
[00:09:41] And you’re like, man, I’m capable of a lot. And you know, you come out stronger and wiser and.
[00:09:50] Rich Ryan: [00:09:50] And when you go, when you go into these, between now that you’re, you’re, you’re older now and you have time to like, kind of reflect on it. Like, I don’t know anything about it. I didn’t, I wasn’t in the military. I’ve never really actually thought about it until this point.
[00:09:59] Like, does it feel like systematic to that point? Does it feel like that they do things with the purpose to make, like help drive you toward becoming more of a man? Or does it feel then now just like, Oh, they just want to knock me down just to see if I get up.
[00:10:18] Brian Gowiski: [00:10:18] Well, no, I think the, the former is more correct because like, I, I went in, I mean, I say I didn’t have my head screwed on site, but I was out of the, some of the guys that were there, you know, I feel like I, I had a little bit more discipline going in.
[00:10:34] I grew up in a household and my dad were like, you know, I was. I wasn’t, I was a worker, you know, like I, I had a lot of chores, so like I w I had responsibilities. So going in to the military, like I was used to having that authoritative figure, telling me, you know, and following instructions, some guys go in and.
[00:10:55] They’re not used to that. It’s like, you know, they don’t listen to anybody. So, and when I see like guys like that kind of straightened out, I, and I just trust their process. And I’ve seen like my younger brother, my older brother was in and I’ve seen some of his friends go in and come out on the other side before I had went in.
[00:11:13] And it’s what the system that they have. It’s just, it’s, it’d be, it just makes you like, people become more of a man and it’s just, they just. Yeah, I guess they’re just wiser, like I said
[00:11:25] Rich Ryan: [00:11:25] before, and like, like you can actually see it happening during the process or do you see it like months or years later?
[00:11:32] Like, Oh, okay. Or can you see it? Like
[00:11:34] Brian Gowiski: [00:11:34] you see it in there. Like when you go in and they’re getting yelled at constantly and they got to do all of these, like, I don’t know. I can’t remember if it was burpees or pushups in the sandbox, but you know, they send you out there and you’re doing all that work. and you see, as you go on, they don’t talk back.
[00:11:51] You know, they talk back less and less so, and they’re doing less and less pushups and burpees. So, you know, they’re starting to figure it out and like, okay, I don’t need to be in a hole.
[00:12:05] Rich Ryan: [00:12:05] Yeah. I guess it is. Cause I always just assumed it was just like, okay, we need to prepare these people in case. We need to go into action, right?
[00:12:14] Like, and we need to have, but having that system of around building discipline and giving them the tools to be a functioning adult.
[00:12:23] Brian Gowiski: [00:12:23] Right. Well, I mean, that’s, that is the idea behind it. You know, they, they want you, your leaders want you to respect them. So when you go into combat and you are in these situations where you need to follow your.
[00:12:37] You’re seeing senior leadership. Like you need to make sure that these guys are gonna follow orders and, it’s just a discipline man, just,
[00:12:46] Rich Ryan: [00:12:46] yeah. And it can be two fold that way, right? Like a discipline for following the leaders. And also too, when they come out and be becoming, come out the other side better and more prepared.
[00:12:57]well, cool, man. so tell me a little bit more about yourself. Not people listening, who you are as an athlete, what you got going on OCR.
[00:13:06] Brian Gowiski: [00:13:06] Yeah, like I said, I, I grew up in, in New York, like in the country. And like I said before, my dad was a, you know, he. I was a worker for, you know, I did a lot of work for him, a lot of, a lot of hand tools and stuff like that.
[00:13:20] So I think, and then I went into the military with where you do all of those pull ups and stuff. So I think a lot of my grip strength for OCR comes from, from that like a construction background. And, and I didn’t start running actually until I was in 10th grade and I was convinced to do join cross country.
[00:13:38] Cause I was more of a ball sport guy. basketball and baseball, but I got into cross country. And then I, I almost went down. I didn’t have like serious offers for cross country. I mean, you’ve seen my times, I’m not the fastest guy, but there was a couple like local colleges that were going to bring me in, but I decided to go in the military because it was kind of a family deal.
[00:14:00] My dad was in my older brother was in and, my grades weren’t that good in school. So. I went into the, in the military did four years, a couple of deployments to Afghanistan. Then I, went back to college after I got out on the GI bill and such criminal justice. And, then I found OCR. Well, actually I found OCR well, right after the military.
[00:14:20] And, yeah, I think I just needed something to. Get me away from the bar scene. I was 21 now, so I can get into bars. And if you know anything about the military, you know, that a lot of it’s kind of a party when you’re not overseas. So, yeah, I found OCR and I was able to use some of my, the running, the physical training we did in the military kinda kind of kept me in shape.
[00:14:46]But I was doing more trips to the bars and I was training or running, making ends, just making sure I could pass the PT test, but then I found OCR in 2012. Yeah. It was 2012. It was Spartan was my first race. And, Yeah, kind of just took off from there. Well, I had a friend out there that wanted to do a race for a, like a running race, one race a month for a year.
[00:15:18] So like January, it was a Spartan race February. It was a tough Mudder. And then we like did a five K in March and so on. And I found, I loved OCR a lot more than I did the running the road and trail racing. So yeah, I just kind of fell in love with it and I was pretty good at it. And. You know, I didn’t run a Saturday heat, so I, I missed the Hopis and the Hunter competition cause that, that was big over there in valet or in Temecula.
[00:15:44] But, I did a Sunday race and I did pretty good in it. So
[00:15:47] Rich Ryan: [00:15:47] what’d you end up.
[00:15:50] Brian Gowiski: [00:15:50] The first, well, I think the first time I didn’t an open wave, I had to have been an open wave and I was just like passing everybody. I was like, why? I just like left my friends. I said, I can’t walk this. I was, I got to go. And I probably won the open heat.
[00:16:04] I’m assuming I don’t, you know, you, everybody gets mixed in. But then the following year I came back and I did the Sunday race, the elite wave. And I got second in that one. So yeah. And then I think I just kind of. Just went for it
[00:16:19] Rich Ryan: [00:16:19] when I kept going after it.
[00:16:20] Brian Gowiski: [00:16:20] Cause it was, it wasn’t super crowded at that time.
[00:16:23] You know, you still like Hoby and Cody were running things and Some other people, but those were the two big names.
[00:16:30] Rich Ryan: [00:16:30] And did you find when you first went into it that just like the background in general, that you had like some endurance training, you know, you worked with your hands, so your hands and your wrists and your grips are already strong.
[00:16:41] And, you have the mentality from the military and like just all that kind of blended together, they kind of are a lot of the principles of obstacle course racing. Did you find that that was just naturally. In kind of like your wheelhouse or like, did you have to modify things or did you have to kind of train specific like that second year?
[00:17:00] Brian Gowiski: [00:17:00] Well, I found that when I compared him to like road races, cause I was doing some marathons that, that year too. And I just hated that, like just looking at my watch and being like, alright, mile 12. Okay. Another mile, mile 13. Like I love just having something to break that up because I just. I get caught in LA LA land at a marathon and I’ll do it.
[00:17:21] And I still think I do that in OCR sometimes like an obese or something. I’ll just like, lose my pace. Like I’ll just kind of relax, go down to an aerobic rate or something. so I, and I, I do agree like the, the grip strength, I didn’t fail anything really when I first started maybe a spear throw, but like, you know, monkey bars, weren’t a problem for me ran like, It’s so long ago, the obstacles were a little bit different, but I don’t remember anything really giving me trouble.
[00:17:49] So it’s like, man, I’m pretty good at strength. If I can just get a little faster, I could be pretty good at this. So
[00:17:57] Rich Ryan: [00:17:57] yeah, that’s, that’s an interesting point. You bring up about like getting lost in like Lala land and, and, and for, I find it easier to kind of. Lose my way in an obstacle course, race than in like a road race.
[00:18:10] Just cause you can kind of set your pace and it’s like, here I am. Okay. Like
[00:18:14] Brian Gowiski: [00:18:14] I got to hit this place.
[00:18:16] Rich Ryan: [00:18:16] Like Indiana. I’m like, I’m here. And like, I can kind of go, I’m almost on autopilot, right? Like I’m here and I can just stay here where an OCR it’s like, Oh, there’s some fucking routes. And like, I’m, I’m like moving through this rock and then I get to aside and I’m like, Am I working hard still?
[00:18:30] Or what, where am I, what happened? Like, do you, do you constantly kind of put that through your head or are like, how do you stay engaged? How do you stop that from happening?
[00:18:40] Brian Gowiski: [00:18:40] Well, it’s an ongoing process. I mean, I still really haven’t figured it out. that’s why I think like, like looking at this year, we only had the one big race, but it was just so quick that I don’t think I ever.
[00:18:51] Had to go into that, that LA LA land. I keep calling it, but that space where I’m not engaged. Yeah. I just, I don’t know. I’m still trying to figure that out to be honest with you, because if I can figure it out, like I try to make it like, alright, I gotta get to this obstacle much quicker. Like if I can get to this obstacle quicker, then you know, I may pick up some spots or such and such.
[00:19:16]I do have problem though, like still. Hooking onto somebody that passes me, like, I think, all right, I’ll catch him at the next obstacle or something. Instead of being like, alright, I need to stay on him. Like that’s, that’s gotta be one of my biggest downfalls is that, Yeah. Just figuring out how to stay engaged in a race like that.
[00:19:37] Rich Ryan: [00:19:37] And, you know, you have those things that do pop up. I do the opposite. Like someone drops me on an obstacle. I’m like, I’ll catch them when I’m able to run on flats a little bit more, you know, like I’ll get them in. And like, that’s, I put that same type of game. And then you just like there, that might not happen.
[00:19:52] So like, do you. Is that kind of, how you think about approaching into obstacles? Like, alright, I need to be aggressive and say obstacles and move past people on these, or where do you find your strengths on the, on the course?
[00:20:05] Brian Gowiski: [00:20:05] Yeah. Well, I think, yeah, the obstacles are definitely where I think I find my strengths because I’m not the fastest guy in the field, so it’s hard for me to run people down.
[00:20:13]I do, I rely, I try to try to avoid it, but I rely on people, right. I sometimes think like, okay, maybe there’s a chance he won’t pass this obstacle. You know, maybe he’ll miss a sphere. And then that’s my opening. And I guess I just have like rod a confidence in my obstacle game. So I just kinda, I just hope that maybe, and I hate that.
[00:20:35] Cause a lot of these guys are our friends, but it’s like, that’s a chance for me to get. A spot, you know, if they fall off an obstacle or whatever,
[00:20:42] Rich Ryan: [00:20:42] I’m mad if somebody misses an obstacle.
[00:20:47] Brian Gowiski: [00:20:47] Yeah. So, and I don’t think, like, I don’t think I have a strength, like a strength that sets me apart from anybody. I just, some kind of average or somewhat good at everything. I mean, I’m not like a amazing. Carrie person. So I can’t be like, Oh, I’m going to pass this guy on a sandbagger bucket. Sometimes I used to think when we could carry the bucket in the front, I thought that was one of my stronger games, but now we can put it on our shoulders, just another sandbag here.
[00:21:15] So,
[00:21:17]Rich Ryan: [00:21:17] yeah. And that’s, what’s interesting. About you to me, is that like a lot of times these guys, they have, they do have like a clear strength. Like we were talking off air and like, you know, woods is like the fast guy and like Atkins is the endurance guy. Like the strong guy, like everybody has like these pieces.
[00:21:33] And like, we kind of know where their strengths or weaknesses are, but like, you are kind of a Jack of all trades. But it’s hard, but like from the outside, looking in, you would think everybody at that top level, like where you are, I mean, you were six at Jacksonville and then U S national series race.
[00:21:47] You have a us national series, race podium, like you’re amongst the elite of the elite without any like real outlier of. A physical gift, I would say. So like, when I see guys like you I’m like, hello, how’s he doing this? Like, like the mix, the way these other guys are aware, even like where someone might be stronger or faster than you like.
[00:22:11] So what do you think that boils down to? Like, how do you feel like you are able to compete with everybody when you, might not have like. The outlier ability that some of these other guys do.
[00:22:24] Brian Gowiski: [00:22:24] Yeah. I’m still trying to figure it out, I guess, like I’m I know for a fact, I’m not one of those person that, or one of those people that kill a workout, I’m not going to go out and.
[00:22:37] Beat the treadmill challenge workout. I’m not going to go set enough, Katie. I’m not going to do anything like that. So, I mean, I’ve this year, I think I had a five K like, so me and woods, he do these races to start off the year and about January timeframe. And I think I hit like. 1648 and a five K. And I was like, all right, I’m doing pretty good.
[00:23:00] And he, you know, he gets under like 16, I think you’re in 1545 or something in that race. So he’s still a minute and ahead of me. but anyway, yeah, so I’m not the fastest runner. I’m not the guy that kills it in the gym. I, I don’t know if it’s just a mentality thing. Like. I guess just looking, I think I rely on past performances in a way.
[00:23:21] So like I go in my head and I’m like, okay, I’ve beaten woodsy before I can beat him again. And I’ve podiums in Asheville, like a couple of years ago. So that’s in my head. I’m like, man, I’d beat Robert Killian in that race. Like, that’s crazy. I can run with this guy. And so like, I. When they go out in the lead, I just am like, I belong up here.
[00:23:43] I need to stay with them. And I, it must just be a mental thing that I just can’t tap into. It’s just like, I, I just feel like I belong and I’ll just work to get there. But then there’s also aspects or parts of a race where I’m like, I lose, like I just said, all right. Yup. I just tell myself, like, he went by me.
[00:24:02] He’s he’s getting further and further away. Okay. He is better than me.
[00:24:09] Rich Ryan: [00:24:09] It has to be that like, it has to, not that push and pull. And that’s another thing that I find interesting. Cause I’ll do that as well. Like if I’ll always like, if my fitness is not in a point that I believe that I would be up there with everybody, I have a hard time. Believing that I belong. Right? Like if I’m not going to be as fast or faster than them on all my strengths, then like, how can I tell myself, how can I believe that, like I have any business beating them, but like you do that, like you just see them.
[00:24:36] Do you just see the person for who they are in the race for what it is and take out all the other pieces of like training and the like actual. Like physical fitness part. I mean, cause you know, we’re, we’re talking, we’re talking like you’re like a 30 minute 5k guy. You’re not, you’re super fit. Like you’re fast.
[00:24:53] Like they ran well across grungy. You’ve done it. You’ve done a ton of stuff. Like, But like, you know what I mean? Like what do you can run under 15 sometimes, you know, like a lot of these guys can write and like put in masses of volume. So do you just kind of look at the people and like at, at the race as a whole, or like, do you know what I mean?
[00:25:10] Cause I, I would look at it as like, Oh my I’m not very fit right now. So I’m not even going to put myself in this position because I don’t wouldn’t even think I could do that. Or you just stick your nose in and see,
[00:25:21] Brian Gowiski: [00:25:21] I think that one, yeah, I think I just stick it in there, stick my nose in from the start and just see how I’m doing that day basically.
[00:25:29]I’m not, you know, a lot of people focus on their fitness, like they’ll look at their workouts and be like, okay, I hit these spaces in this interval session or this pace in my tempo session. Like. I can like I’m I’m fit right now. And me, like, unless the workout goes really bad, like the week or two or whatever leading into it.
[00:25:49] Yeah. Unless it goes really bad, like I’m not too worried about that. It’s more about feeling in the moment. Hmm. So, Yeah. It’s like, I feel like I’m in the, in the front pack and I feel like I’m not working too hard. Like I’m going to stay there, like, or maybe even going front, like sometimes, you know, like if I’m feeling really good, so.
[00:26:11] Yeah. It’s just more of like having that in the moment feel
[00:26:14] Rich Ryan: [00:26:14] right. And having like an intuitive feel to it because I am more of that person who will look at my, my
[00:26:19] Brian Gowiski: [00:26:19] social splits
[00:26:21] Rich Ryan: [00:26:21] and I’ll go off that, like, because I did this, this and this, I will put myself here because that’s where I’m at my fitness points to believe.
[00:26:29] So like, how do you overcome that? Do you just like, like, how do you, cause to me, I wouldn’t like would think that, like, why would I put myself there? If I w my fitness camp. Like play out. Is it just a matter of like having guts or just not hearing it? If
[00:26:46] Brian Gowiski: [00:26:46] it’s a gutsy feel because I’m not necessarily the person that is going to sound bad, probably like wants to go under a race to win.
[00:26:55] Like, I understand that there are people out there on that day. I mean, multiple people and most of these championships races that are going to beat me. so. If I can go into a race putting on a goal of like a top five, I’m going to be pretty like I’m going to do what I can to stay, to get that place.
[00:27:13]like going off of what you said, like you’re more of like the time person. So I think a lot of people in our sport, I mean, not everybody, but did you run in college or know. I did. Okay. Like a lot of people come a lot of my closer, like I know like Bracken and Kirk, like they came in from a college background.
[00:27:30] So I think a lot of that was based off of paces. So, you know, your workouts, you’ve been doing these workouts, your whole life, you know, about these intervals and stuff. So, you know, if you’re hitting this pace, same pace as I’ve been at, in college, when I was, you know, running sub 15 or whatnot, and a five K sub 16, like, you know, you’re good.
[00:27:50] Like, I. I don’t have to worry about that feeling. You know, it’s not like it’s not that for me. So,
[00:27:59] Rich Ryan: [00:27:59] and I’m like envious of that a little bit, because you did just kind of position it as almost an advantage to not have those numbers too. To go off of, and sometimes I feel like I am a slave to that. And not just to, not just for like where my performance is, like, because it’s not, I believe it’s not apples to apples the way your five K time is going to present itself on a race at Palmerton
[00:28:21] Brian Gowiski: [00:28:21] and itself results too.
[00:28:23] Right.
[00:28:25] Rich Ryan: [00:28:25] So yeah, exactly. Like you could be fast 5k guy and do terrible at these races and it doesn’t necessarily translate, but like, it still is an overall fitness thing. But from what I’ve found is like, In, in training, it’s hard. It’s hard to get away from, from that because there’s like, okay. If I ran my intervals in three minutes today, and last week I ran them in three Oh three, like I’m now more fit.
[00:28:49] So I’m like following these paces to like, have like an actual progression to show my fitness so that like, I can believe I’m getting better. So like when you train, do you train off of like an intuitive feeling or are you kind of. Or are you kind of going off the numbers? Is that, or do you kind of blend
[00:29:06] Brian Gowiski: [00:29:06] them?
[00:29:07] It’s yeah, it’s probably more of a blending thing because so this year I kind of mess around with everything. I switched it around quite a bit training wise. So like, This year, I’ve decided to kind of try to focus. I feel like I’m such a rookie for doing this, but I I’ve just started to finally really look at my heart rate.
[00:29:27] Like I I’ve done it before and I’ve messed around with it. And I finally like got a good heart rate strap, and I’ve been focusing on that because I got an incline treadmill this year. And I think that’s a really good, a good way to work on that because pace on that thing is all over the place. So if I can get like a heart rate dial, then I feel.
[00:29:47] That I’m just kind of playing around with that this year. So, I guess that’s kinda more of my, my strategy right now.
[00:29:54] Rich Ryan: [00:29:54] So that’s the metric and that’s, that’s, I feel like that’s a fair metric to follow and I. Admittedly have also not done that much heart rate stuff. I don’t love the technology of heart rate things and like it’s so I feel like it’s not that reliable yet.
[00:30:09] I don’t have necessarily a good strap and have gotten into it, but like from say somebody who’s just starting out. Like, and wants to get into this because I feel like it’s going to be more reliable than pace for obstacle course racing because the train is so wacky and because, yeah, there’s a lot of training on trails or you’re doing carries and you want to see how you do after you do some burpees or whatever.
[00:30:30] So like, what was the first step in learning now? Like what did you do?
[00:30:34] Brian Gowiski: [00:30:34] Well, you know, listen to a lot of podcasts about from people that know it well, you know, and a little bit of research on my own, but I’m definitely more of a. An audio learner or that era, you know, I learned better that way. So just hearing about other people’s experiences with it, and just going out for.
[00:30:53] I mean, I know there’s like a, there’s a way you can do it, like the two 20 minus your age or whatever. We’ll give you your heart rate. So, and I don’t think that’s very accurate. I think you’ve got to get a real VO, two max test done or something like that. I’ve never done anything like that, but I can just basing it, mixing it with my.
[00:31:14] Cross-referencing it with my pace and my heart rate. I can tell what, what works for me. So like, if I’m down around one 30, one 40 range, I know that’s a good, like aerobic pace for me. And then once I get into like the one 60 range. I’m probably getting up there in a race space, really one 60, one 70. So that’s how I kind of, I translate that to, to running now.
[00:31:37] So like on my, my end client trainer, if I just try to hover around that one, one 60 range, when I’m doing a Hill interval on that and just drop it down to one 40 or whatnot, when I’m recovering.
[00:31:51] Rich Ryan: [00:31:51] And I feel like this is a much more practical way to use it. And if I use heart rate training at all, this is kind of how I do it as well.
[00:31:57] Because again, you mentioned that the two 20 minus age that is just so arbitrary and that’s for like the general, the general public, like it’s not for runners, you know, it’s not for people who
[00:32:05] Brian Gowiski: [00:32:05] are you’re you’re you got a trainer and background, right? Personal training background. Yeah. So like what. I don’t want this to sound bad, but like when somebody like you and I, that are fit when our max heart rate be a lot lower than somebody that does, that’s not, it, that’s not the case.
[00:32:24] Rich Ryan: [00:32:24] That’s someone who’s not 20
[00:32:27] Brian Gowiski: [00:32:27] minus my age would put me at like a one 90 and I don’t think I ever, ever hit one 90.
[00:32:33] Rich Ryan: [00:32:33] And it’s, and it’s different from person to person. Cause there’s could be someone who produces almost identical race results, as you can get to like two 10 I’m on your end. You’re just from like those numbers that you spit out are relatively low.
[00:32:46] I know a lot of people will kind of hover one 50, one 45 for an easy aerobic pace where I’m like, mine’s really low. Mine is like one 20. And that’s like, so if I was trying to. Like push it higher because of this, the zones I’m supposed to be in, like physically, I wouldn’t be able to handle it. Like my musculoskeletal system would just kind of like break down and just get hurt, but like taking it the way that you’re doing it and be like, okay, Because I’m looking at this, this, these numbers so often and feeling my pace, feeling my effort and knowing how this is going to translate, like it’s going to give you some sort of data, but that you are able to kind of put together that’s personalized more or less.
[00:33:24] Right. You’re like, all right, my race pace, I should be around in one sixties, which is kind of mine too. And that’s where I know I’m cranking. Like I can’t hold that for too long. Yeah. So I think that’s a good way to do it.
[00:33:34] Brian Gowiski: [00:33:34] So I kind of like back to how I figured it out. I think so. Like this is my first year really going at the heart rate thing.
[00:33:41] So I would know that probably I’m just going to give you some paces now. Cause I think that’ll help people figure it out. So like if I’m around seven minute pace, that’s, that’s a good aerobic. Like that is when I feel comfortable. You know? So once I got the heart rate on, I saw if I’m running about seven minute pace, I’m right around one 40.
[00:34:02] So then once I would do an interval, you know, if I’m hitting sub five or something, or, you know, five, five 30 pace, I would look at my heart rate data afterwards and I’m around, you know, that one 61 65 range. So that’s kind of how I figured it out. And I think. Anybody, that’s just getting into running. You know, you kinda know when what’s a, what’s a hard effort and what is a hard effort.
[00:34:27] So I think that’s a good way to do it.
[00:34:29] Rich Ryan: [00:34:29] And that’s smart and that’s the way to take both of those things and blend them like we’ve said before and taking what you know from yourself and then taking hard data to back it up where going on either. Isn’t great. Cause I feel like if you just go on pace, you might be working too hard and say someone who wants to run at your level or our level or whatever believes that they need to run seven minute pace on their easy runs.
[00:34:54] But really they should be running eight minute pace. Cause they’re not quite a relatively developed yet. It needs to be seven. Like it’s not fast unless it’s seven, but it is fast for them. And that’s where heart rate comes in and I’ll be like, well, you’re easy pace. Is one 60. So like that’s not that easy for you.
[00:35:11] Yeah,
[00:35:11] Brian Gowiski: [00:35:11] yeah. Yeah. So like another, like a good way. This was, this morning was great for me, like using my heart rate strap. So I usually run first thing, like I’m up at. I’m I’m out the door at like five 30 for a run.
[00:35:25] Rich Ryan: [00:35:25] That’s nice.
[00:35:26] Brian Gowiski: [00:35:26] So it’s like, I have to it’s just with work and everything going on. So I gotta do that.
[00:35:30] And it’s dark out usually. Well, not, not really at this time of the year, but it’s dark. And so I don’t know what it is. Maybe I’m just still waking up. I’m not really like, I’m a lot slower than so like this morning I went out for a run about eight o’clock and my heart rate was about the same. But I was like 20, 30 seconds faster than I am in the morning.
[00:35:50] So it’s a good way to, like, when I realized like this morning I was looking at, at my, I had it on heart rate and I’m like right around one 40, but my miles were about like six 45. And I’m like, well, I don’t know. I guess I’m about my heart rate, so I’m good. It’s just. You know, cause now I feel like if I went out the door and I ran seven 30, like I usually am, I would be doing a disservice to myself.
[00:36:16] I was probably a lower heart rate.
[00:36:18] Rich Ryan: [00:36:18] Right. It’s like, it’s, it’s a good way to justify your effort and not needing to, and the other opposite happens. Cause I’ll do that in the mornings. Like sometimes I’ll wake up and run early like that, like not as early but early, it’d be the first thing I do and I’m out the door and I’m like, Eight tens.
[00:36:34] And I’m like, this is impossible. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And like, you know, yeah. Like I said, if I run it three in the afternoon, like I feel great and my heart rate’s probably going lower and my I’m probably a minute faster. So it’s good to have those references. Cause your body’s still working.
[00:36:49] Like your heart is still working at that same. And it doesn’t necessarily mean the pace has to be that different. You’re still getting the same stimulus that way. instead of just like pounding and pounding at the pace or just like really needing to pull yourself back. Yeah. what strapped do you have?
[00:37:02] Brian Gowiski: [00:37:02] Oh, it’s just a Garmin, some sort of garment strap
[00:37:06] Rich Ryan: [00:37:06] here.
[00:37:07] Brian Gowiski: [00:37:07] Yeah. I just have a garment in two 35 and I think I just, I mean, I bought the actual chip a long time ago, but my strap went bad, so I just got another Garmin strap. On Amazon, but I couldn’t tell you what, which one it is, but it seems super accurate.
[00:37:22] That’s only one thing it’s a lot more accurate than the rest. Like the one that’s built into the watch.
[00:37:26] Rich Ryan: [00:37:26] I was just going to ask that because hell like, how do you, how can you tell it’s that much better?
[00:37:30]Brian Gowiski: [00:37:30] the heart rate would jump all over the place with my risks. One like just the one that’s built into the watch, you know, be all over the place.
[00:37:38] It would give me some wacky numbers, you know, a lot more. I think like I’d probably was over 200. If I looked at my intervals, like my heart rate on intervals based off of my watch. And so I just really, it’s just a lot more consistent.
[00:37:53] Rich Ryan: [00:37:53] I’ve had them, like I’ve had times where I’ve done my warmup and my warmup pit, and then doing like some like threshold intervals and my warmup pace, heart rate is like 20 beats higher.
[00:38:03] Then my actual threshold intervals. I’m like this watch is just a disaster. Like this is not anywhere close to reasonable. and yeah, and then it makes it hard to go off of those. So do you go into a workout with ranges of your heart rate? like I’m going to do, I’m going to do seven minutes at, like.
[00:38:22] Sub or like just above like race pace or something like that. Like how would you
[00:38:28] Brian Gowiski: [00:38:28] ask for training you asked for training or did you ask
[00:38:32] Rich Ryan: [00:38:32] if you’re training in training?
[00:38:33] Brian Gowiski: [00:38:33] Yeah. no, I’m more of a PA that is when I do look at numbers, I’m more of a number, like a, a pace guy. They’re all numbers, but you have pay scale.
[00:38:42]and then I’ll look at the heart rate data afterwards and see. See what it, how it compares to like a previous workout, but I’ll go in and set, you know, an interval session. I’ll have a certain pace that that I’ll have, or my coach will give me and that I’ll try to hit,
[00:38:58] Rich Ryan: [00:38:58] Yeah. And, and when you’re like trying to develop a strategy with you and your coach and you know, like how we talked about, like, it seems like the mentality that you have is a really strong indicator and like thing that you could point to that has led to your success.
[00:39:15] Right? So like when you’re evaluating your strengths and weaknesses as an athlete, like, how do you go about doing that? Like, how do you, do you build. Do you try to build your weaknesses up or do you try to attack your strengths and kind of make those even higher to where they could be? Or how do you kind of approach that?
[00:39:34] Brian Gowiski: [00:39:34] Well, I think it depends on the time of the year as well. right now with everything going on, it seems like a good time to go after those weaknesses. and. I can’t say I’m necessarily doing that, but in a way I am, because I’m doing a lot more like incline, treadmill work and a lot more strength stuff just to, just to kind of stay smooth.
[00:39:56] And, but I’m not like I’m not doing a lot of miles. so like right now, like a high end for me right now would be about 50 miles. So, so I think it is. I’m just focusing on becoming a faster runner. It’s always been at battle with me in sport. so like, cause I think that is my biggest weakness. If I could just become a faster runner, I would become better at sport.
[00:40:25] Cause I’m usually a hundred percent obstacle completion. so if I, if I can just work on my speed, that’s. That’s going to be my big game changer. So
[00:40:37] Rich Ryan: [00:40:37] what do you think you would have to be to become satisfied? Like how fast would you have to get,
[00:40:43] Brian Gowiski: [00:40:43] like, are we talking time trial times or like yeah. Like,
[00:40:48] Rich Ryan: [00:40:48] yeah.
[00:40:48] How would you do that? Would you do it? Would you be like, okay, I need to run a 10 K at this pace or, or I need to become, be like
[00:40:54] Brian Gowiski: [00:40:54] 30
[00:40:55] Rich Ryan: [00:40:55] closer to woods, like, cause I know you, you know him, well, you kind of train with her around him. Like, Hmm. How would you know when you are fast enough?
[00:41:03] Brian Gowiski: [00:41:03] If I go sub 16. Yeah, that’s gotta be, I mean, and I don’t think I’m anywhere close to it.
[00:41:10] Know, in a way. So like I’ve done workouts before and this, this will be come more clear for you. Or you could probably make sense of this more since you have a running background, but like I’ve done interval sessions before where I’m like doing four by one mile with like a 62nd rest and I’ve ran. Close to five flat and sub five on those repeats.
[00:41:32] Really? It just doesn’t make sense to me
[00:41:34] Rich Ryan: [00:41:34] with 60 seconds
[00:41:35] Brian Gowiski: [00:41:35] or 62nd rest. Right. So you would think you could do a 5k
[00:41:40] Rich Ryan: [00:41:40] 16 at least 16. Yeah,
[00:41:44] Brian Gowiski: [00:41:44] but I don’t know if it’s just like that temp, like, you know, sustaining that pace over the time and staying engaged in it, like we talked about earlier, but yeah, I would say.
[00:41:55] If I could get under under 16 and a five K I would feel pretty, pretty confident I could run with anybody.
[00:42:02] Rich Ryan: [00:42:02] Yeah. Cause I think that’s something that happens a lot too. and I work with the athletes that I coach around this a lot, as well as trying to figure out where that is for them. And just like what is going to make you feel the most comfortable in, and, and I know like Brackens kind of spit out numbers or, we talked about it before, he was on the podcast months ago and it was like, if you run X time, you should be.
[00:42:22] Good and elite, if you’re on this time, it should be good at, but like, it’s, I it’s hard to say. Right? Like, because like, it just doesn’t really translate. It needs to be that on your own personal feeling on that.
[00:42:34] Brian Gowiski: [00:42:34] And like, it’s just like, people like me, you know, like, Like you said before, it’s not, I couldn’t, if you went off of my 5k time, I would be in the back end of the elite.
[00:42:44] I would imagine, I would say
[00:42:45] Rich Ryan: [00:42:45] in my opinion, probably you don’t think so? No, I bet you’d be, I dunno, top like backend elite, maybe top 20, but I think, I don’t know if there’s that many.
[00:42:58] Brian Gowiski: [00:42:58] Yeah, you’re right.
[00:42:59] Rich Ryan: [00:42:59] Yeah. But like, but yeah. And like, so when you’re working on this, are you working specifically at 5k, but because you mentioned you’re at incline a lot, you’re not doing a lot of miles, but if you’re doing more inclined, that’s still time spent on your feet.
[00:43:12] It’s going to take away from the miles that you’re doing anyway. Right. So like, are you always trying to work on your, your leg turnover or is it like a general fitness then?
[00:43:22] Brian Gowiski: [00:43:22] Yeah, it’s definitely a. The shorter intervals are where I’m trying to gain my, my speed more, more or less. it’s hard to really go off of like right now based off of, you know, no races coming up.
[00:43:34] So basically like once a week I’m doing a, a speed session. and that’s usually like four hundreds of 800 interval sessions. once in a while, I’ll do like a tempo effort as well. And then I just sieve, I’ve been doing more interval sessions on the end client trainer. And I did that for like a little bit, a couple months ago.
[00:43:55] I was just on the end client trainer for these, these hard day or these quality day workouts. And once I got back to doing flat intervals, I was still like fast. Like I realized, man, I could knock two birds out with one stone here, you know, like I can. Get some elevation, you know, get my climbing legs better and then I can get onto the road and still run fast.
[00:44:17] So,
[00:44:19] Rich Ryan: [00:44:19] yeah. Cause it does, it will translate, but it’s hard to think that because you’re running so much slower. Yeah. So, yeah, I don’t really have that. But did, were you worried about that and what, like what kind of things were you doing on a treadmill? Are you still doing like hard, you know, two-minute efforts or was it just doing like longer sustained efforts on the treadmill?
[00:44:40] Brian Gowiski: [00:44:40] A mix of everything. It was, it was a lot more intervals. So like a lot more like, yeah. I would spend five minutes or three minutes by not five minutes. It’d be pretty killer, but you know, at a high heart rate, I usually Jack that thing right up, cause I got the Nordic track. So I’ll be at like 30% for just a little too much for me.
[00:45:00] So I’ll put it at 30 and you know, I’m only at like, No three and a half, four miles an hour in my heart. That’s when the heart rate comes in handy, you know, so I’m still at like, I’m looking at my heart rate and it’s the same heart rate I’ll have when I’m doing sub five minute pace and in a flat session.
[00:45:19] So, yeah, I just submit, I just assume that. I don’t know. It’s very tricky. I mean, this is a quiet, that’s a good question for somebody that really knows Ronnie. I don’t know why, how it works. If I’m running so much slower. Why is it making me faster on the roads? I mean,
[00:45:39] Rich Ryan: [00:45:39] yeah, I think it just has a lot of flats.
[00:45:40] I
[00:45:40] Brian Gowiski: [00:45:40] mean,
[00:45:41] Rich Ryan: [00:45:41] yeah, it’s all to do with like the actual muscle activation, because you’re just working that much harder and it’s hard to. It’s hard to know that that’s gonna work, you know, like that, like, so do, when you do that, do you test the test, like test the flat race before and after uninclined. Period or like an inclined, mezzo cycle or are you just kind of going off of Oh, I still feel fast based off of my training when I’m going to flats after running on all these inclines, like how did you find out that, that, that did translate?
[00:46:14] Cause you hear it all the time and be like, Oh yeah. Incline trains to like, does, help your flats. But yeah. Like, how did you find that out?
[00:46:23] Brian Gowiski: [00:46:23] It wasn’t like a, you know, a month, it wasn’t like a four, six week process of just doing the Hill. So like, it’d probably be two weeks of being on the, on the Nordic track trainer or just doing Hills, you know?
[00:46:35] And then I would go back and check on the flats and make sure that I was as good, if not better than I was before that, you know, on the, on, on, on the similar. Workout.
[00:46:51] Rich Ryan: [00:46:51] Hmm. Yeah. So, I mean, that’s really good to know and to do that, do you like, and. Along those same lines. And I know this is something that I’ve resisted, especially when I first came into this sport as really kind of a, like a runner dude, like purist asshole runner guy.
[00:47:06] Like when people would talk about like weight vests and all of this other type of training that they would literally make you run slower. I’m like, I don’t understand how you could possibly think that you’re going to run faster when you train while running slower. It’s kind of like the same thing as a treadmill.
[00:47:19] Do you do anything like that? You load up the running at all, like or the carriers involved in your training?
[00:47:26] Brian Gowiski: [00:47:26] No, and I, and there should be more, I think like there should be more like double sandbag. I know that’s one of my weaknesses that I need to work on some more, but basically when I’m doing my quality day, workouts are what a runner would do.
[00:47:42] Like what a basic runner would do. And a lot of like a lot more strength and recovery mixed in, Probably only running for four days a week or so, you know, so, but I make those sessions count. It’s usually just like one, like right now I can tell it’s just an aerobic run, maybe two in the week, like a 70 minute run and then I’ll do a quality run, like a, like an interval session or tempo session.
[00:48:08] And then I’ll do. One more on the trainer, the North trainer, and then I’ll do like a long effort on Saturday,
[00:48:15] Rich Ryan: [00:48:15] so nice. And
[00:48:17] Brian Gowiski: [00:48:17] that there’s like a lot of strength mixed in there between, so it’s not like a lot of like compromised running. It’s just more, I set the strength to the site and do it by itself.
[00:48:25] Rich Ryan: [00:48:25] And do you think that the, the, the compromised running also, like the term of that is just, you know, doing like burpees and then doing a 400 and then doing burpees and doing an 800, would be essentially a compromised running.
[00:48:39] And do you feel like that kind of like, you don’t necessarily need to work on that and kind of goes back to like the mindset and like the toughness and the guts of things and that, that, that it doesn’t necessarily need to be trained as long as you. Are willing to put yourself in a place of discomfort or do you feel like there is, do you feel like that, that it does translate to fitness doing something like a compromised run?
[00:49:02] Brian Gowiski: [00:49:02] Oh, it definitely translate. Yeah. Translates. I think it’s definitely important for like a beginner. You know, somebody first coming into the sport. I think you need to do that because it’s going to be shocked to your body, but I’ve played around with my training modalities so much that. I think I have the luxury of being flexible with it.
[00:49:20]so okay. A couple of years ago I was doing a lot of that compromise running. Like a lot of my sessions were where those burpee, you know, burpees into tempo and stuff like that. now it’s more of maintaining that strength and okay. I, I still do a little bit of a compromise. Like I, I mix it in once in a while, but.
[00:49:43] I just, like I said, I just think I have the luxury of just being able to just kinda do a little bit of compromise running and do a little bit of, of separate strengths.
[00:49:53] Rich Ryan: [00:49:53] Is that just because of experience, because there is something to be said about experience with these races and you, and you’ve raised quite a bit.
[00:49:59] So like, do you think that you just are familiar with what it’s like when you’re out there and like the. Like a compromise running workout. Isn’t going to pay off physiologically as much as an interval session.
[00:50:13] Brian Gowiski: [00:50:13] That’s my mentality. Yeah, I, yeah, I don’t know. It’s just like, I feel that I know what I need to do to do better at do good in a race.
[00:50:25] If I can get to the ops, I just need to be like right now, my transitions, if I can get into their obstacle and out of the obstacle quick. Then I’m going to make up some time. It’s not like for me, it’s not, I don’t get off an obstacle, like a carry and be like, Oh man, it’s like, I got to start running hard again.
[00:50:42] Like it’s not, that’s not my problem. So that’s why I’m just more works on that, that turnover, like you say, you know,
[00:50:48] Rich Ryan: [00:50:48] Jenny’s that 800 meters in between the hours. That’s and yeah, cause it doesn’t have to be. One way or the other, and it doesn’t have to be all these things wrapped up at once. It has to be built out for like what you specifically need.
[00:51:02] And I feel like that is like the problem that ends up happening. Everyone tries to do everything all at once. It’s like, okay, well I need that. Then they’re doing like three or four quality workouts a week and that’s just too much. And like, you’re never really going to get better at anything that way. so with this all wacky, you know, like no races necessarily.
[00:51:20] Anytime coming. When did, when do you think we’ll get back out there? Do you have any, do you even try to speculate or are you just kinda like, yeah. Whatever,
[00:51:25] Brian Gowiski: [00:51:25] every time they come out with a schedule, it seems like they, the next day or a couple of days after they’re saying, Oh, we’re going to have to move it again.
[00:51:32] So, you know, I don’t know. I kind of have a little bit of faith that West Virginia is going to happen. I do like a little bit, but the good thing about that is that. It’s going to be a sprint if they even have it. So we’re not jumping right into a beast distance. That’s why I feel like, you know, like my, I don’t need to be ready.
[00:51:52] Like I don’t need to prep for these longer, longer, hard efforts right now. So I think that’s a really good thing for us as well. You know, it’s, it’s an actual, like progression almost. We’re not going to kill ourselves. You know, like usually we’re hitting beasts, hard beasts races by the time we hit June.
[00:52:10] So yeah. SEO is going to respond a lot better. I
[00:52:13] Rich Ryan: [00:52:13] think. And like, I’m not, I think West Virginia, they were having, like, they didn’t have a big problem. and it’s going to be state by state, like where they just had a race in Florida. So like, it’s going to be, depending on, who’s willing to host a race. So they might, I don’t know, I’m not dialed in with Western politics, but it could happen there.
[00:52:32]so, but like even during this time and that’s what August, so
[00:52:36] Brian Gowiski: [00:52:36] it’s
[00:52:36] Rich Ryan: [00:52:36] August. Yeah. So that’ll be your soon. It’s like mid June.
[00:52:41] Brian Gowiski: [00:52:41] Yeah. Yeah.
[00:52:43] Rich Ryan: [00:52:43] Right. So like, if that was a race that needed to happen, like now’s the time to really kind of start cranking things up. Like there’s no, like we can’t start in two weeks, you know, like, yeah, you’re ready.
[00:52:53] So like during this time, like how have you been able to harness your focus? Has it been hard to continue to train? Cause I’ve definitely had some ups and downs. Like I was. All about it. And when Jacksonville ended, and then even when those races started getting canceled, I was still like, whatever I’m crushing, I’m going to keep going.
[00:53:10] And then, then like a month ago I was like, I don’t know what to do anymore. how have you kind of handled this
[00:53:19] Brian Gowiski: [00:53:19] very similar situation? Yeah. So. Yeah. Like after it ended, I said, yeah, I can stay pretty sharp. You know, it’ll be all right. I’m having fun. I’m still motivated. You know, like just part of my day, you know, getting training, training in.
[00:53:31] And then I find myself like last weekend, I was like, man, I got a lot going on. I’m going to miss my, my long run on Saturday. And I’ll always do my long run Saturday, but I’m like, we ain’t got to race for like three months. What does it matter? You know? But I, I just think I’ve, be a more, I’m definitely a type of person that likes my routine and consistency.
[00:53:54] I don’t like to change it up. So that’s like a great thing or B great problem to have for me. So, you know, every day I just know I got to do some sort of a workout and, and, and I’ve been able to do like some other stuff that I wouldn’t be able to do if we had a race coming up, you know, like. I don’t feel as bad.
[00:54:13] Like, I, I I’ve always had this struggle of looking at like my miles per week and then having a battle with that. So like, if I look and I’m like, And I’m doing 30 miles this week. Who was, he got 70 in, man. I never going to catch him, whatever. So like right now I don’t even care though about my miles. I’m just like, all right, I get to lift some weights today.
[00:54:36] That’s cool. Just the variety. It’s kind of keeping me motivated the pride in
[00:54:41] Rich Ryan: [00:54:41] workouts. That’s nice to have too. So it’s not just as always constant, like looming, like got to get this in. This has to happen. Like being able to add a little bit of that variety in, have you felt so, so it was just kind of like, alright, this is just what I do.
[00:54:55] So I’m just gonna keep doing it.
[00:54:57] Brian Gowiski: [00:54:57] Yeah. Yeah. But it’s definitely not like more, it’s not. It’s nice that it was not like a race specific bill, you know? So it’s just, it’s kinda just like just jelling, you know, just doing your own, like still doing those nice Saturday long runs for me. They’re like, I enjoy them.
[00:55:14] So like, I’m not worried about putting in a lot of quality on Saturday. It’s more just enjoying myself on these. I’m like on these long run days, I can still do 16, like 14, 16 miles comfortably. Like I’m like, all right, once it’s time to race. I think I can just sharpen this and I’ll be good to go.
[00:55:33] Rich Ryan: [00:55:33] Nice.
[00:55:33] Brian Gowiski: [00:55:33] That’s the mentality I have at least.
[00:55:36] Rich Ryan: [00:55:36] And coming into this season, like what kind of the, what were some of the goals that you had coming in?
[00:55:41] Brian Gowiski: [00:55:41] Man? It seems like so long ago now. My training was, I was feeling pretty fit, you know, and over the winter, like I was starting to hit some. Paces again that I wasn’t like hitting the previous year, you know, like I was, I was getting quick and I was like, man, you know, I think Jacksonville is going to go pretty good for me.
[00:56:02] I’m going to shoot for a podium. I fell short to that goal, but you know, it was, I was still very pleased with how that race went. and I was excited after that, you know, I was like, all right, I am, I positioned myself in I’m six place right now in the series. I can really. I can maybe make my way up for a top five and with all the different series going on, you know, some people might drop out, they can’t do all the races.
[00:56:23] And I said, top five series goal. You know, that’d be an awesome goal to get. And obviously this all changed things, but, I did have a little bit of concern because Jacksonville was such a, a quick race that it was basically. And all that sprint, you know, so there wasn’t a lot of strategy. Well, there was strategy, but there wasn’t a lot of like, you know, pacing yourself.
[00:56:50] It was just kind of balls to the wall from the start. So I did have a little bit of a concern that maybe I didn’t have those longer. Hard efforts in. So I was going to start maybe progressing that way and getting in more of like a six mile tempo versus like a three mile tempo. Cause that’s where I struggle is when I get into the longer hard ones I’ll lose.
[00:57:10] Like we talked about earlier, like just losing focus and, and, losing, losing the race, like losing focus into the race.
[00:57:19] Rich Ryan: [00:57:19] Yeah.
[00:57:20] Brian Gowiski: [00:57:20] Yeah.
[00:57:21] Rich Ryan: [00:57:21] So, and I mean that, like you’ve mentioned, that’s helpful. I guess the next couple are gonna be sprints. Like they were saying everything was going to be a sprint. At least, I don’t know what races are going to be, are going to be what now.
[00:57:30] And I guess there was, they were going to do Utah. At the same time as a surgeon, but now that I can’t do Utah, that’s just West Virginia as part of the national series. And have they backed up on any other ones up
[00:57:41] Brian Gowiski: [00:57:41] the next, I feel like the next race on the schedule is West Virginia. Like they have this Florida race, but I know there was like I’m in North Carolina, there was a Fayetteville race and there was an Asheville race in both of those are done.
[00:57:51] Rich Ryan: [00:57:51] Like they’re not hurricanes. Yeah. They’re canceled until, so I think they pushed all the way back until seven.
[00:57:57] Brian Gowiski: [00:57:57] August would be August end of August would be West Virginia.
[00:58:00] Rich Ryan: [00:58:00] Oh yeah. Cause I think they canceled most races through August too. Except what’s your name? I guess, whatever. So how have you kind of adjusted your goals then?
[00:58:08] Cause like that’s a more, I’ve been all out of sorts now too. Cause I’m going to have a personal conflict, like an like nonnegotiable personal conflict on West Virginia. Like I can’t go. So like, like so necessarily it wasn’t really, My radar anyway, this year, and I was gonna do more like stadiums, like DECA fit or high rocks, like, but who knows what that now?
[00:58:26] So I’m kind of in this space where it’s like, do I just have to wait and see what’s going on with these races and like, or what, where are you at now? Are you just doing that? Or are you just hope like.
[00:58:37] Brian Gowiski: [00:58:37] Trying to figure out more and just like, wait and see mode and just doing like enjoying myself and training, you know, like I’m not worried about it too much.
[00:58:45] I decided, or me and my girlfriend decided to buy a house. and so we’re in that process right now. We’re in that process right now. And I’m the best man and my best friend’s wedding in the fall. So I got all that going on. Like, honestly, this is a good year for this hat for me. I got a lot going on. So racing has just kind of like.
[00:59:04] In the back of my head right now, like I got a lot going on, so I’m fine. I’m comfortable with it. You know, it’s not, I know there are those people out there that are really struggling to find the motivation and everything, but. I got a lot of other hobbies that are keeping me focused or keeping me going.
[00:59:23] Rich Ryan: [00:59:23] Yeah, man. And that’s, as long as you can be flexible with that and being able to adjust on the fly and just stay training, like, you know, like, and, like as routine something that you’ve always been has been part of, like your, just like your day to day when it comes to training or is that something you’ve developed?
[00:59:42]Brian Gowiski: [00:59:42] no, I think that’s something I’ve always had, especially like the military, you know, it was always deadlines in the military and time, you know? So like I always said that was for myself. Yes. I don’t know. It’s just since the military, I’ve just kind of been that way and I get a lot of crap for it, but cause like my girlfriend will be like, you never break away from your team.
[01:00:01] We got to stick to the routine all the time. I said,
[01:00:03] Rich Ryan: [01:00:03] yeah, we do. Correct. That is exactly right. Cause that’s another thing with this. There is now reason to break routine, because there’s just so much more uncertainty and if people aren’t working or if they were home or. Their kids are home. Like there’s so much different.
[01:00:20] Brian Gowiski: [01:00:20] I can’t imagine, like I don’t have any of that problem. Like every nothing’s really changed for me. I still work the same hours. I’m still working the same times. You know, my girlfriends still got the same thing going on with her work. So life hasn’t really changed much for us. That’s why I think I’m just still in my routine, you know, just, I just don’t have races to train for, and I’m not traveling as much for races.
[01:00:42] So. Everything’s pretty much status quo for me.
[01:00:45] Rich Ryan: [01:00:45] And that’s helpful that like that that routine can, can kind of stay in place. And that, I mean, it sounds like you would have made a routine around whatever changes happen, but it’s good to keep that because that is something that is a struggle and just making a routine around whatever, whatever you have available to you is, is gonna.
[01:01:06] Be helpful in these uncertain times. well, cool man. so I don’t wanna keep you all day, but I do appreciate popping on and giving us some insight into your training and who you are as an athlete and everything like that. so where can we find you on like social or are you, you, have anything you wanna plug and, Oh, I know you’re drinking a shock energy drinks.
[01:01:24] Brian Gowiski: [01:01:24] I am
[01:01:24] Rich Ryan: [01:01:24] just crushing their thing. What’s the best flavor I’ve had. I have not. Haven’t had it had any.
[01:01:29] Brian Gowiski: [01:01:29] Well, you never had one. Huh?
[01:01:31] Rich Ryan: [01:01:31] I was gonna, I assume they were going to be at the races right. Where they
[01:01:34] Brian Gowiski: [01:01:34] go into, they were
[01:01:35] Rich Ryan: [01:01:35] right. I just haven’t had a
[01:01:36] Brian Gowiski: [01:01:36] chance. Yeah. They were in Jacksonville. You didn’t get one there.
[01:01:39] They were.
[01:01:40] Rich Ryan: [01:01:40] I bolted. I did. I raised like, I raised like such a policy that I was just like, I’m leaving. I don’t want any, I don’t want any robe chips. I don’t want any,
[01:01:48] Brian Gowiski: [01:01:48] I don’t want anybody except
[01:01:50] Rich Ryan: [01:01:50] for Kirk. He’s got a ride road. I’m actually okay. With those. I was a cause. From a practical standpoint, they have like 20 grams of protein and almost no fat.
[01:02:01] So like as long as you don’t open them and think they’re going to taste like Pringles, like
[01:02:06] Brian Gowiski: [01:02:06] you can’t be like, Oh, these are chips. They’re not eating them before, after, or after a race.
[01:02:13] Rich Ryan: [01:02:13] They’re weird after a race because it’s like, I always picture like racing in the summer and just being so. Thirsty. And then I got these, these like dried chicken chips and there’s so dry.
[01:02:24] It just are the least satisfying thing ever. And like
[01:02:27] Brian Gowiski: [01:02:27] good treats for my dogs,
[01:02:30] Rich Ryan: [01:02:30] dude. Yeah, I could, I could see that, but I could see him being good in a pinch if you travel and like you would have a tough time getting a protein as these dried chips just they’re fine. Or if you like it, you feel like eating chips.
[01:02:40] I’ll go to bat for rogue
[01:02:44] Brian Gowiski: [01:02:44] shocks though. The adrenaline shock.
[01:02:47] Rich Ryan: [01:02:47] What is a, so they’re like
[01:02:49] Brian Gowiski: [01:02:49] flavor wise.
[01:02:50] Rich Ryan: [01:02:50] Yeah, what’s a good flavor.
[01:02:52] Brian Gowiski: [01:02:52] I got to go with either cotton candy. I say Berry or frozen ice. So the white is the frozen ice, the pink Scott candy, the purples SAE Berry
[01:03:03] Rich Ryan: [01:03:03] does frozen ice tastes like the Gatorade.
[01:03:05] Brian Gowiski: [01:03:05] Yeah, the lemon lime. Yeah. It’s like a lemon lime type type flavor. It’s good stuff.
[01:03:11] Rich Ryan: [01:03:11] And it’s like, what, is there a difference in like the energy drinks? And like, how do they differentiate themselves? Are they kind of like a net, like a, kinda like a bang or they have creatine in it or.
[01:03:21] Brian Gowiski: [01:03:21] I don’t think actually a general shock.
[01:03:23] I don’t think it has creatine in it. but it’s all their caffeine, natural and, from ocean minerals and stuff like that, zero sugar just it’s. If you look at their ingredients, there’s not really anything on there. That’s horrible for you. It’s a lot of caffeine and I’m sure that’s not good for you, but I’m not the guy you want to be asking for nutrition advice.
[01:03:43] I’ll say that right now.
[01:03:45] Rich Ryan: [01:03:45] There’s no problem with it. Oh, I mean, if you’re in caffeine, like late at night, like that’s not. Yeah. Yeah.
[01:03:50] Brian Gowiski: [01:03:50] Like you do not drink them at like, after three o’clock or you won’t sleep like no crash.
[01:03:57] Rich Ryan: [01:03:57] Do you drink them before you work out or do you get one in before or you’re five, five 30 or
[01:04:02] Brian Gowiski: [01:04:02] no, I it’s hard to run on them, like right away.
[01:04:06] You know, like the carbonation, I’m not
[01:04:08] Rich Ryan: [01:04:08] very good,
[01:04:09] Brian Gowiski: [01:04:09] but honestly, you know what the best, like. And I haven’t done this with a race yet, but for workout wise, if I have a quality day coming up, I definitely drink one the day before, because I think I got drink a lot of water. And I think sometimes I over hydrate, but these, this has, electrolytes in it and I think it’s think that’s helping.
[01:04:28] So I don’t know. I wake up fresh for the workouts ready to go, and I get a good night rest. Usually as long as I don’t drink them too late. So,
[01:04:35] Rich Ryan: [01:04:35] cause that can be a thing, especially this time of year, where it is so hot and you’re sweating so much, if you’re just drinking water and not taking in any other type of minerals, like you can be out of balance.
[01:04:43] So just slammed down a cotton candy shack and your
[01:04:48] Brian Gowiski: [01:04:48] editor on to
[01:04:49] Rich Ryan: [01:04:49] go. So check out the A’s shots and where can we find you on social?
[01:04:53] Brian Gowiski: [01:04:53] Oh yeah, probably Instagram’s the best. Facebook’s become kind of a weird place. Instagram, at beagle whiskey. Her last name is Gow. I ski there. Ain’t going to be another good whiskey or good whiskey.
[01:05:05] So don’t worry about it.
[01:05:06] Rich Ryan: [01:05:06] That’s all you
[01:05:07] Brian Gowiski: [01:05:07] so unique. Last name, got
[01:05:08] Rich Ryan: [01:05:08] the lockdown on that. yeah, when I Googled your name and, they. Instantly tried to correct. The Google was like, did you mean glow whiskey? I was like, no, like I typed in what I meant
[01:05:22] Brian Gowiski: [01:05:22] now on Google from these Spartan races,
[01:05:25] Rich Ryan: [01:05:25] you come up first, like, it’s all you, it’s all.
[01:05:29] It’s like Instagram, like that, a couple other profiles that you’ve had and a couple of race results and stuff like that. It’s all you on that. So go Brian. GoodSky on Google. B I G cool man. thanks again for stopping in and when I press stop, we’ll stay on this, but I appreciate you guys hanging in listening.
[01:05:46] Brian, appreciate you listening and dropping that knowledge, man.
[01:05:49] Brian Gowiski: [01:05:49] Yeah, appreciate it. Thanks.