Motivation, Mental Strength & Life Lessons from Ultra Racing with Mel Urie

Kat's Podcast

Conversation with Mel Urie

This episode is PURE MOTIVATION! If you're in a lull or struggling to get your lovely butt off the couch: tune in. On today's show I'm talking to Melissa Urie: ultra endurance athlete, Ironman + Uberman woman and an embodiment of will power & mental strength. I was frankly mind-blown when I heard her talking about her 33 km (21 mile) swim in the open Pacific ocean. Sounds insane? Yes. Impossible? No. It's a good one, this episode! And it was so much fun recording! Thank you, Mel! You rock.

Race distances so you get a feel for what we’re talking about: Sprint/Beginner’s triathlon: 750 m swim - 20 km bike - 5 km run Long-distance/Ironman: 3.8 km swim - 180 km bike - 42.2 km run Uberman = the world's most challenging Ultra Triathlon: 33 km (21 mile) swim - 644 km (400 mile) bike - 217 km (135 mile) run Swim in Catalina Channel then ride from LA to Furnace Creek and run Furnace Creek to Death Valley (top of Mt. Whitney).

We talk about:

• Mel’s own story & how she got to ultra racing
• The Uberman Race: Doing the impossible.
• 15 years of training: Why commitment & pursuing things long-term is key
• How to navigate sharks
• Mental strentgh & motivation
• “Your mind’s a muscle that needs to be trained.”
• Mental strategies she used to get through intense training + events like Uberman
• Daily motivation tips for listeners
• Problem solving & positive thinking
• “In a race it’s all about constantly problem solving, things will turn around eventually.”
• What all of us can learn from ultra-distance races
• “I feel like I belong”: overcoming imposter syndrome + stepping into confidence & ease.
• Comparison: Why Mel doesn’t compare anymore + what we can learn from her
• Mel’s personal milestones: 3 main lessons for life she got out of her ultra races

Episode resources:

• Get in touch with Mel: blog | instagram | Athlete’s page on fb

• Related podcast episodes:

• ep. 9: Freediving as Mirror: Why Relaxing Completely is Key to Inner Freedom with Jesper Stechmann

• ep. 26: 400 m Sprint to Timeless Performance: Yoga for Athletes with Jonas Plass

• My email if you like to say Hi: hello @ kathrinhecht.com

• My newsletter – let's connect!

• My instagram if you wanna follow along

• music (Intro/Outro): Thanks to Analog By Nature. Credits: cdk - Sunday by Analog By Nature (c) copyright 2016 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.