Throwback Mixtape: Taking on Big Challenges w/Susie Moonan

Welcome to episode 351 of the Löw Tide Böyz - A Swimrun Podcast!

This week we pull another gem from the vault for our Throwback Mixtape series, rolling back to Ep 240, "Taking on Big Challenges w/Susie Moonan," recorded about a year ago on the eve of her One Water Race, one of the longest and toughest swimrun-style adventure races in the world. Coming off ÖTILLÖ this conversation felt like the right one to bring back, whether ÖTILLÖ is your someday goal or you are staring down your own big challenge right now.

Susie is a performance coach with Envol Coaching, a longtime swimrunner, and someone we have had on the show three times now. She recently finished ÖTILLÖ in fourth place in the mixed division and is currently prepping for an English Channel crossing, so she knows a thing or two about taking on huge goals. In this episode she walks us through what it was like getting the call to join Team Four for the One Water Race, the wave of doubt that followed saying yes, and how she worked through it using acceptance and by breaking the race and the preparation down into manageable pieces.

We dig into her crisis plan for the inevitable dark moments in a race like this, the emotions versus actions framework she leans on, and how she trains her mind for the kind of sleep deprivation that comes with racing for 50 plus hours straight. She also shares why leaning on thoughts of her family, something that used to give her energy, stopped working after 24 hours, and what she replaced it with instead. We talk through the team she raced with, Robert, Fredrik, and Marika Wagner, and how they built the kind of psychological safety that lets everyone speak up when they are struggling.

Whether you are training for your first swimrun or your tenth big challenge, Susie's approach to preparing your head as much as your body is worth coming back to.

Enjoy!

That's it for this week's show. If you are enjoying the **Löw Tide Böyz**, be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player and leave us a five-star rating and review since that's the best way for people to discover the show and the sport of Swimrun. You can find us on **Apple Podcasts**, **Spotify**, and on **YouTube**. Check out our **website** for Swimrun resources including gear guides, tips, how-to videos and so much more. Also make sure to check out our meme page **@thelowtideboyz** on Instagram. If you have any suggestions for the show or questions for us, send us a dm or an email at **lowtideboyz@gmail.com**. Finally, you can support our efforts on **Patreon**...if you feel so inclined.Thanks for listening and see you out there!Chip and Chris