What Competitive Ruckers Do Differently

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Have you ever wondered what separates someone

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who simply finishes a Ruck event or a race from

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someone who consistently climbs the leaderboard?

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Today, you're going behind the scenes with one

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of the top athletes in the Ruck Race League.

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Bailey Erdl shares how she transformed from a

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first -time competitor who struggled with pacing

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into one of the league's top performers. We'll

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talk about the training habits that actually

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move the needle, why strength training matters

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more than most Ruckers realize, how analyzing

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race data changed her approach, and the mindset

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shifts that helped her discover she was capable

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for far more than she imagined. You're listening

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to the Rutgers Edge podcast, a show all about

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rucking that is designed to help you improve

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your rucking routine, lose weight, and ultimately

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gain your strength and energy back. Each episode

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dives into the science, stories, and strategies

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behind rucking. You'll learn from top ruckers,

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coaches, health experts, and performance specialists

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who break down what it takes to train smarter,

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recover faster, and stay ready for the next challenge.

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So whether you're new to rucking or an experienced

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rucker that's already logged hundreds of miles,

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this is the show for you. I'm your host, Spencer.

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Thanks for listening in. Please enjoy my conversation

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with Bailey Erdl. Bailey, thanks so much for

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being here on the Rutgers Edge podcast. Really

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excited to talk to you. You have some really

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cool things happening in your life, particularly

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an event that you ran or you competed in with

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your daughter that I want to dive into because

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I think working out with kids is one of the most

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fun things and I really want to hear your take

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on it. But welcome to the show. Thanks for joining

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us. Awesome. Thanks for having me. So glad to

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be here. Yeah, absolutely. So this is obviously

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a rucking podcast, but I understand your fitness

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started well beyond you first started rucking.

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So I think in our prequel, you said you started

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out running. Can you kind of describe your fitness

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history before putting a rucksack on? Yeah, sure.

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So I... I mean, I'm like a lifelong athlete,

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so I've always been involved in sport of some

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capacity. Grew up playing multiple sports. And

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then, as you mentioned, I found distance running

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as a young adult right when I was out of college.

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And I kind of really enjoyed the marathon distance,

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which is probably weird, but I seem to really.

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Yeah. It's not for everybody, but yeah, long

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distance running definitely does something for

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people that enjoy it. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. And

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I think I really latched on to like this idea

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of qualifying for the Boston Marathon someday.

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So like I was really down with the running for

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a while. I did a little bit of like strength

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training off and on to support the running. But

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like I didn't really get into that until after

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my youngest daughter was born in 2018. And I

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guess the story there was that I won a raffle

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to have a free boot camp entry for a month. And

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so I was six months pregnant at the time when

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I won that raffle. And I didn't really feel like

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I should probably sign up then. I did sign myself

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up for basically eight weeks after my due date.

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and somehow managed to get out of bed and show

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up, and I absolutely loved it. And that kind

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of got me into, you know, going down more of

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a strength path. And then from there, like, I

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got into competing. My trainer at that boot camp

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really encouraged me to get into competing, and

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I loved that. I started with CG games, added

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DECA and Hyrox to the mix. Moved into a gym environment

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where I got like squat racks and barbells and

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all of that good stuff. And so then I really

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started focusing on more heavy lifting. And eventually

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through DECA, I became intrigued about rucking

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because I saw it happening there. And I was like.

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That looks really intense. I want to see what

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it's like to, you know, do a decafit with a ruck.

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And so I went out and got a ruck, and that led

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me to Ruck Race League this year for the first

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time, which has been absolutely wild. It's been

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such a cool journey. Yeah, I want to talk about

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Ruck Race League because you're crushing it right

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now. I took a look at the leaderboard. I think

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you're in fourth, if I remember correctly, through

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the first four events. Is that right? So I finished

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fourth in this most recent event last month in

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June. And then I think I'm actually second overall

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for like across the events right now, which is

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wild. I don't even understand. That's amazing.

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Okay. I had it backwards. It's fourth for the

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most recent event. That's crazy. But so what

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about those Decker Ruck events kind of drew you

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in, do you think? Was it just something new or

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was it just like a challenge? Like what was it

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that? made you decide to jump into that pool?

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You know, I think it was a mix of things. I think

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A, as you mentioned the challenge, obviously

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like Decafits are challenging on their own, but

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like I was kind of intrigued. to up the game

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and make it even more challenging. And so that

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was part of it. I think the other thing I recognize

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is that there's just like this super cool community

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surrounding those rec events. And so like everyone's

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very supportive and, you know, trading tips and

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it's just, it's... the community has been growing

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actually really quickly over the last year or

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two. And so like, I think the community also,

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some of the people who were doing it, I was really

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attracted to like what they were all about. So

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you're like the fifth or sixth person I've talked

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to about Decker Ruck events. Y 'all are all saying

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the same thing. The community is amazing and

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supportive and positive. That's really, really

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cool. I mean, sure, you're competing, but you're

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also, you know, you want to help your friend

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out. I think that's really amazing. Okay, so

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yeah, you started these competitions. Let's go

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back to when you first put the rucksack on for

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the first time. Yeah. Had you worn weighted vests

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during previous workouts or did you just was

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this like when you were training for these deck

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of ruck events? Was this like the first time

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that you put a rucksack on? So I had back when

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I was doing CG games, I had in order to like

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improve my performance there. I was training

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with a weighted vest, but it was like, I don't

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know, I don't even think it was 10 pounds. And

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so I think when I got my first ruck, I just.

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Like it came with a 20 pound weight plate. And

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so I just threw that in there and went. And I

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think I like took the dog for a walk and then

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I went to like clean up his poop and about like

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hit my face on the curb because he saw a squirrel.

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And I just toppled over. Oh, gosh. Yeah. But

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like, yeah, it was it was kind of a transition.

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Right. Like it was very different from like the

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lighter weighted vest days. Yeah. Oh, yeah, for

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sure. There's definitely those moments where

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you catch yourself off balance. You're like,

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oh, wait, yeah, I'm wearing like extra weight.

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I can't pivot like that anymore. It's kind of

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funny to hear that you just happen to have it

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with a dog on a leash pulling you in opposite

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direction. So when you put the rucksack on, obviously

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you were training, but did you have specific

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goals in mind when you started working out with

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the rucksack and obviously through the Decker

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Ruck events? I like I honestly was like so stupid

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about it. Like I just kind of put it on and I

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did continue despite that, you know, sort of

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horrifying first experience. I did continue walking

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the dog with with the rucksack on. And I think

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at some point I added a little extra weight because

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I started to notice, OK, it's getting a little

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bit easier. Like, you know, I think I'm getting

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used to the weight. But I did not have any type

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of, like, solid training plan. Like, I really

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should have done more research. I think I thought

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I could just show up. And actually, the first

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DECA ruck event I did was a DECA mile. And it,

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like, absolutely destroyed me. I have never been

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so humbled by a race. I literally was like, I

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might not finish this thing, you know, because

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I just went out way too hot and I didn't understand

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how to pace myself. And so I really had to practice

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that after that first kind of, you know, traumatic

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experience to make sure when I came back and

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did the next one, my pacing was on point and

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I was able to survive the whole thing. Cool.

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That's cool. Yeah. I mean, I also struggle with

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pacing. I mean, even even like before I had a

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rucksack on, I've struggled. And it's kind of

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funny you mention that because I had Sam Schakowsky

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on the podcast and she's like a coach, a running

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coach, a rucking coach, a strength and conditioning

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coach. And she is a pacer for these like ultra

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marathon events. Yeah. And so I am really interested

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to talk to her and see what kind of. tips she

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has to stay on pace, but what helps you figure

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that out? Like what, what, uh, I mean, I have

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a feeling maybe some of your spreadsheets did,

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which I definitely want to talk about in a minute,

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but like, how did you figure out what, how to

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adjust your body to a certain pace to complete

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these events and actually like feel good about

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the work that you put in? I mean, I'm still learning

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every day. Like I've only been at this for a

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little over a year now. And so, um, I think Ruck

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Race League has helped a lot because basically

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I've had to go out and do trial runs of these

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challenges. And a lot of times I do. I blow up

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and I fail and I don't finish the challenge the

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first time or even maybe two times that I attempt

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it. So I think it's really just, for me, a lot

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of trial and error. I don't know, trying to learn,

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like listen to my body's cues and pay really

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close attention to how I'm feeling as I progress

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with an event. Wow. I mean, I think that says

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a lot about the determination that you have.

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You said that you've potentially almost failed

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like a couple of times. And you're like, no,

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we need to go back. We need to fix this. That

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says a lot. And listening to your body at the

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same time, it's like some people are just like.

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Push their body, like get it done. And it's like,

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yeah, I can't walk for the next couple of weeks.

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But so let's talk about sort of like the training

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that you're doing now with the ruck sack. You're

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crushing in the ruck race league. What are you

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doing in between events? I mean, it's like you

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don't really know what the next event is going

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to be. So like, what are you doing? Like, is

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it all ruck sack work? Is it running in and strength

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conditioning? I'm just so curious. It's been.

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I'm trying to, I haven't been doing enough rucking

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to be honest. The last event we did, which I

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use my spreadsheets for, I know we'll talk about

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that, but I went for like a really heavy attempt

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at that event. So I was carrying like 160 pounds

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and I hadn't been practicing that. And it like,

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I did it, but it ate me alive and I fell short

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of what I expected for myself. I think that's

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what I'm still learning is like you do have to

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put in the training specifically for this. And

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for me, I struggle with because I want to do

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so many different things like. it's really hard

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to find that balance and make sure that I'm getting

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enough of all of the things in. So right now

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it's a combination of running. I'm trying to

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get my running mileage back up. I'm always strength

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training. I strength train like four to five

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days a week. I'm trying to throw in, I'm trying

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to like basically make some of my runs replace

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them with rucking. So that's sort of supplementing

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there. Um, and then I also, because like recovery

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is important, right? I'm also trying to fit in

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mobility and like yoga when I can to just make

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sure that I'm staying flexible and healthy. Very

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cool. Yeah. I need to, I need to do that a lot

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more. I need to stretch between all my off days.

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Yeah. It's like, as I age, you know, definitely

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not as limber as I used to be. I really need

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to stretch in between. Cause if not, like I've

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noticed the next. next run or the next truck

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I go on, there's like something that's a little

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off. I'm like, I probably, if I would have stretched,

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maybe this wouldn't have happened. But anyway,

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so you're saying you're lifting, I think you

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said four to five. You're working, you're essentially

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getting a workout every day. You also have a

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full -time job and you also have two kids. So

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you're working out in the morning, at night.

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How are you finding the time to do all this?

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That's what I'm trying to get at. Yeah. Well,

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I mean, I am really blessed in that my work schedule

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is pretty flexible. I mean, we have scheduled

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meetings that I have to be at, right? But like,

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you know, ultimately my supervisors, like, you

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know, they know I'm going to get my work done.

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And so they're cool if I'm like taking an extended

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lunch break to go do a workout or things like,

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or, you know, cutting out a little bit early

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to get a run in. And so like that, I fully appreciate

00:13:37.620 --> 00:13:40.360
that not everyone has that, but that is one advantage

00:13:40.360 --> 00:13:43.379
I have. And then the other thing is I signed

00:13:43.379 --> 00:13:47.100
my older daughter up for a soccer team that practices

00:13:47.100 --> 00:13:50.879
like a three minute drive from my gym. And so

00:13:50.879 --> 00:13:53.399
I've kind of made my rule when she trains, I

00:13:53.399 --> 00:13:55.820
train. Cool. So a lot of times it's like that

00:13:55.820 --> 00:13:58.240
morning, early morning workout. And then if she

00:13:58.240 --> 00:14:01.000
has soccer practice or, you know, I have time

00:14:01.000 --> 00:14:03.679
over my lunch break, I'll sort of squeeze a second

00:14:03.679 --> 00:14:06.779
workout in there. And that's yeah, that's key,

00:14:06.940 --> 00:14:10.759
especially like, yeah, having having kids wanting

00:14:10.759 --> 00:14:13.320
them to do what they want to do and also kind

00:14:13.320 --> 00:14:16.210
of fulfilling your. It's to do something that

00:14:16.210 --> 00:14:18.009
you want to do. Yeah. Knock it out at the same

00:14:18.009 --> 00:14:21.470
time. That's such a great idea. I think a previous

00:14:21.470 --> 00:14:23.669
guest on the show, Andrew Brandt, mentioned something

00:14:23.669 --> 00:14:26.370
very similar. Like if he's he wants to take his

00:14:26.370 --> 00:14:28.129
kid to the playground, he's throwing on his rucksack

00:14:28.129 --> 00:14:29.470
and they're walking. So he's going to get his

00:14:29.470 --> 00:14:31.950
work out and she's going to expend some energy

00:14:31.950 --> 00:14:35.389
on the playground. So we win for everybody. Really

00:14:35.389 --> 00:14:39.450
good tip there. All right. Spreadsheets. You

00:14:39.450 --> 00:14:42.409
do you live in Excel at work? Is that what is

00:14:42.409 --> 00:14:47.379
that like what you do? Not really. Yeah, I don't

00:14:47.379 --> 00:14:50.419
I wouldn't say I live in Excel, but like the

00:14:50.419 --> 00:14:53.019
spreadsheets are kind of just an extension of

00:14:53.019 --> 00:14:55.580
how my brain works, like because I'm a product

00:14:55.580 --> 00:14:58.519
manager. So like as a product manager, I'm always

00:14:58.519 --> 00:15:01.259
asking, you know, what problem are we trying

00:15:01.259 --> 00:15:04.320
to solve and what data can I use to kind of make

00:15:04.320 --> 00:15:07.539
a better decision about that? And so I kind of

00:15:07.539 --> 00:15:12.039
I mean. Unfortunately or fortunately, that creeps

00:15:12.039 --> 00:15:14.740
its way into my life and into my training. It's

00:15:14.740 --> 00:15:16.919
just kind of like how I think now. Right. Sure.

00:15:17.139 --> 00:15:20.899
And so like how it all got started was after

00:15:20.899 --> 00:15:25.700
my first DECA fit competition, I'd finished third

00:15:25.700 --> 00:15:28.980
in my age group. And instead of just sort of

00:15:28.980 --> 00:15:31.240
wondering like, well, gee, how could I have gone

00:15:31.240 --> 00:15:33.559
faster? How could I have been on the top of the

00:15:33.559 --> 00:15:36.679
podium? I realized that they have like really

00:15:36.679 --> 00:15:40.970
comprehensive. metrics available about your performance

00:15:40.970 --> 00:15:43.610
so like splits and how they compare to others

00:15:43.610 --> 00:15:47.240
okay And so I kind of pulled those into a spreadsheet.

00:15:47.360 --> 00:15:50.279
I pulled my splits out and then I pulled the

00:15:50.279 --> 00:15:53.600
girls who finished above me and a few elite athletes.

00:15:53.759 --> 00:15:56.179
And I just kind of started looking for patterns,

00:15:56.360 --> 00:16:00.440
you know, like, OK, so where am I already kind

00:16:00.440 --> 00:16:04.360
of banking time and doing well? Where am I slowing

00:16:04.360 --> 00:16:07.659
down and what do I need to specifically be training

00:16:07.659 --> 00:16:11.440
to? And just kind of. Trying to come up with

00:16:11.440 --> 00:16:14.940
that sort of race strategy and training strategy

00:16:14.940 --> 00:16:19.379
to support my next event. That's really cool.

00:16:19.480 --> 00:16:23.080
I didn't realize that they gave like data or

00:16:23.080 --> 00:16:26.340
metrics. Yeah. Are those available? Like, I guess.

00:16:26.759 --> 00:16:29.179
After the race online, they post them? Yes, exactly.

00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:33.059
And you can like pull them out. And I hope no

00:16:33.059 --> 00:16:35.080
one's creeped out that I was pulling their results

00:16:35.080 --> 00:16:38.139
out as well. But it was a learning opportunity.

00:16:38.379 --> 00:16:41.559
Public domain, right? Yeah. Maybe that's why

00:16:41.559 --> 00:16:45.000
they post them. I don't know. Who knows? OK,

00:16:45.139 --> 00:16:49.000
cool. So like I saw you, you're tracking your

00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:52.659
competitions. Are you are you pulling in data

00:16:52.659 --> 00:16:54.840
from like day to day workouts or anything like

00:16:54.840 --> 00:16:59.909
that as well? No, I don't do that as much. I

00:16:59.909 --> 00:17:03.269
do use it to kind of like tailor my training.

00:17:03.289 --> 00:17:06.210
Like right now, the skier is my nemesis. Like

00:17:06.210 --> 00:17:10.150
that is by far my Achilles heel, my worst zone.

00:17:10.470 --> 00:17:13.609
And so like I'm really training to that and I

00:17:13.609 --> 00:17:16.349
am paying attention to the splits. But like,

00:17:16.470 --> 00:17:18.970
yeah, I don't really bring it to that level.

00:17:18.990 --> 00:17:23.069
It's more about just like the progress as I continue

00:17:23.069 --> 00:17:26.780
on with, you know, multiple competitions. Yeah,

00:17:26.780 --> 00:17:30.000
that I totally get that. I mean, because I think

00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:32.539
you wear a garment, right? Yeah, I thought I

00:17:32.539 --> 00:17:35.009
saw that. And I was like, because I've. sort

00:17:35.009 --> 00:17:36.769
of played around with the idea of pulling some

00:17:36.769 --> 00:17:39.630
data off the watch and like maybe plugging it

00:17:39.630 --> 00:17:41.930
into AI and being like, hey, develop a plan or

00:17:41.930 --> 00:17:43.109
something like that. But I just, I don't have

00:17:43.109 --> 00:17:45.430
the time to do that. I'm just like, if I get

00:17:45.430 --> 00:17:47.369
a workout in that day, I'm like, that's a success.

00:17:48.210 --> 00:17:50.069
I'm just not at that stage of life. But I am

00:17:50.069 --> 00:17:51.630
curious to see what kind of metrics I can pull

00:17:51.630 --> 00:17:55.849
from these like smartwatches and kind of pull

00:17:55.849 --> 00:17:57.789
them into a database and see what my weaknesses

00:17:57.789 --> 00:18:01.089
are. But the data that DECA is providing is...

00:18:01.279 --> 00:18:04.859
perfect like that sounds amazing so you did that

00:18:04.859 --> 00:18:06.319
after your first event right that's when you

00:18:06.319 --> 00:18:10.660
started i did yeah yeah how did it how did it

00:18:10.660 --> 00:18:12.920
plan out after you adjusted your kind of like

00:18:12.920 --> 00:18:15.920
your workouts for your next one what was actually

00:18:15.920 --> 00:18:18.420
let's let's step back what deca events have you

00:18:18.420 --> 00:18:22.680
have you competed in um so i've done i've done

00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:28.220
strong i've done mile and i have done fit um

00:18:28.220 --> 00:18:31.210
and then i also Like I had historically just

00:18:31.210 --> 00:18:35.490
been doing individual events and I just added

00:18:35.490 --> 00:18:38.029
teams to the mix. Well, because of my daughter.

00:18:39.049 --> 00:18:42.569
And then I've also found a couple other teammates

00:18:42.569 --> 00:18:45.309
who I've been like, I mean, it's just it's a

00:18:45.309 --> 00:18:48.089
different pace. It's a different race. It's like

00:18:48.089 --> 00:18:51.150
a lot more fun than I expected because you just

00:18:51.150 --> 00:18:56.059
get to go hard and then like recover. I think

00:18:56.059 --> 00:18:58.200
the only thing I haven't done yet is Atlas, which

00:18:58.200 --> 00:19:02.059
I really, really want to get in soon. I think

00:19:02.059 --> 00:19:04.599
that just looks like a ton of fun and just a

00:19:04.599 --> 00:19:08.400
whole different beast. Very cool. So did the

00:19:08.400 --> 00:19:10.700
spreadsheet and adjusting your workout, did that

00:19:10.700 --> 00:19:12.980
help you transition from the first event to the

00:19:12.980 --> 00:19:17.009
second event? It did. But like. I don't know.

00:19:17.029 --> 00:19:21.250
I find it so interesting because it's like, you

00:19:21.250 --> 00:19:23.329
know, I came up with a strategy on where I wanted

00:19:23.329 --> 00:19:25.630
to push a little bit harder and where I wanted

00:19:25.630 --> 00:19:29.690
to pull back. And I think I took like three seconds

00:19:29.690 --> 00:19:34.930
off. Okay. Yeah. So what was just enlightening

00:19:34.930 --> 00:19:39.410
is like, you know, you. sort of go in a little

00:19:39.410 --> 00:19:41.690
myopically like, OK, I'm going to improve this

00:19:41.690 --> 00:19:44.170
here and I'm going to. But then like that throws

00:19:44.170 --> 00:19:47.049
other things off. Right. So it's like if I go

00:19:47.049 --> 00:19:50.450
in and I improve my air bike time by 30 seconds,

00:19:50.630 --> 00:19:53.150
like that seems like a good thing. But then if

00:19:53.150 --> 00:19:57.529
later on it is, you know, costing me time like

00:19:57.529 --> 00:20:00.289
that 30 seconds and then some, it's probably

00:20:00.289 --> 00:20:02.670
not worth it. So like that's what I really like

00:20:02.670 --> 00:20:05.730
about it is like the strategy is not static.

00:20:05.750 --> 00:20:08.769
Right. Like, yeah. As you go, you learn more

00:20:08.769 --> 00:20:11.289
and more about your body and your strengths and

00:20:11.289 --> 00:20:14.390
your weaknesses and you try things out and maybe

00:20:14.390 --> 00:20:17.750
they work, maybe they don't. But it's a lot of

00:20:17.750 --> 00:20:20.410
fun to then come back and try again and see if

00:20:20.410 --> 00:20:23.140
you can like find that magic formula. Sure. And

00:20:23.140 --> 00:20:25.119
you're trying something new and it's like the

00:20:25.119 --> 00:20:26.579
more things that you try something new, maybe

00:20:26.579 --> 00:20:28.839
something will actually move the needle significantly

00:20:28.839 --> 00:20:31.180
enough. Yeah. But so are you going to keep keep

00:20:31.180 --> 00:20:33.240
tracking the spreadsheets and seeing what's working,

00:20:33.240 --> 00:20:36.099
seeing what's working for you? Cool. Yeah. I

00:20:36.099 --> 00:20:38.240
mean, if it's fun. Yeah, absolutely. Go for it.

00:20:38.240 --> 00:20:40.930
30 seconds. I'll take 30 seconds. Yeah. More

00:20:40.930 --> 00:20:42.910
coming up in just a moment, including what it's

00:20:42.910 --> 00:20:44.789
been like for Bailey to compete with her daughter

00:20:44.789 --> 00:20:47.670
at multiple DECA races. But first, do you know

00:20:47.670 --> 00:20:49.509
a fellow Rucker that has talked about signing

00:20:49.509 --> 00:20:52.410
up for a Ruck event or race? If so, please text

00:20:52.410 --> 00:20:55.130
this episode to them. Sharing this episode would

00:20:55.130 --> 00:20:57.289
not only help them, it will also help this show

00:20:57.289 --> 00:20:59.569
grow, which will then help even more people improve

00:20:59.569 --> 00:21:03.569
their health and lives. Thanks. Okay, back to

00:21:03.569 --> 00:21:08.349
it. You just mentioned... The decade events that

00:21:08.349 --> 00:21:11.369
you do and how you're now doing team events with

00:21:11.369 --> 00:21:13.490
your daughter. First of all, that's really cool.

00:21:13.609 --> 00:21:16.329
I think working out with kids is great. Competing

00:21:16.329 --> 00:21:19.130
with your kid. That's like I. Yeah, that's amazing.

00:21:19.289 --> 00:21:23.730
Congrats to you. So what who had the idea first?

00:21:24.609 --> 00:21:26.549
Yeah. What were the thought processes behind

00:21:26.549 --> 00:21:28.569
it? Was it your daughter had the idea? Was it

00:21:28.569 --> 00:21:33.779
was it you? So curious. Yeah. Well. I will say

00:21:33.779 --> 00:21:37.720
that both of my girls have come along with me

00:21:37.720 --> 00:21:40.720
to so many workouts and training sessions just

00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:44.039
because life is busy and sometimes that's what

00:21:44.039 --> 00:21:47.559
I have to do to get it in. But I've never minded

00:21:47.559 --> 00:21:51.759
it because I want them to see that example set

00:21:51.759 --> 00:21:56.720
of prioritizing strength and really pushing my

00:21:56.720 --> 00:22:02.359
limits and just choosing hard. They'd been coming

00:22:02.359 --> 00:22:05.900
along with me to DECA sessions like maybe a year

00:22:05.900 --> 00:22:10.259
or two ago. And my older daughter started expressing

00:22:10.259 --> 00:22:13.460
some interest like, oh, you know, like, what's

00:22:13.460 --> 00:22:17.980
the skier do? Can I try the bike? Questions like

00:22:17.980 --> 00:22:22.359
that. And so. I was obviously game to like, you

00:22:22.359 --> 00:22:24.700
know, show her the ropes and introduce her to

00:22:24.700 --> 00:22:28.200
that. And then after she played around with it

00:22:28.200 --> 00:22:30.920
a little bit, eventually it was, well, can kids

00:22:30.920 --> 00:22:33.819
do DECA? And I was like, well, actually, yes,

00:22:33.880 --> 00:22:37.460
they can. Yeah, that's great. And so she was

00:22:37.460 --> 00:22:40.339
nine years old at the time and she decided, you

00:22:40.339 --> 00:22:43.420
know, like, since you had to be 10. Once she

00:22:43.420 --> 00:22:45.859
turned 10, she wanted to team up with me and

00:22:45.859 --> 00:22:49.380
try a deck of strong together. My gym is an affiliate,

00:22:49.579 --> 00:22:54.980
so we host events. And so we signed up and it

00:22:54.980 --> 00:22:59.160
was wild for me because like she was coming to

00:22:59.160 --> 00:23:01.819
the training sessions that like these training

00:23:01.819 --> 00:23:04.880
sessions make grown men cry. Right. And like

00:23:04.880 --> 00:23:07.140
this 10 year old is just showing up to these

00:23:07.140 --> 00:23:10.099
sessions and doing the work and not complaining.

00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:16.519
It was crazy. And like when we finally got to

00:23:16.519 --> 00:23:18.980
race together, like that was probably one of

00:23:18.980 --> 00:23:21.099
the hardest DECA events of my life because I

00:23:21.099 --> 00:23:24.279
was just like choked up the whole time. I was

00:23:24.279 --> 00:23:26.440
like fighting back tears just watching her be

00:23:26.440 --> 00:23:29.240
so courageous and watching her fight so hard

00:23:29.240 --> 00:23:32.319
for this goal that was like kind of outrageous

00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:34.759
for a 10 -year -old to even be considering in

00:23:34.759 --> 00:23:38.960
the first place. And and like hearing, you know,

00:23:38.960 --> 00:23:41.400
our gym has a great community, hearing everyone

00:23:41.400 --> 00:23:44.539
cheering for her, like and so impressed with

00:23:44.539 --> 00:23:47.779
her. It was it was just such a cool experience.

00:23:48.579 --> 00:23:51.779
And then, of course, like right after we finished,

00:23:52.140 --> 00:23:55.759
she like absolutely crushed it. And we had like

00:23:55.759 --> 00:23:58.980
one of the fastest teams times there that day.

00:23:59.909 --> 00:24:03.190
But she finished it and was like already talking

00:24:03.190 --> 00:24:05.490
about doing another one because we had to beat

00:24:05.490 --> 00:24:08.490
our time and we were so close to, you know, and

00:24:08.490 --> 00:24:12.029
I was just like, wow. That's amazing. Good for

00:24:12.029 --> 00:24:16.009
her. I mean, yeah, I can't imagine the, yeah,

00:24:16.109 --> 00:24:19.470
like how proud you must feel competing alongside

00:24:19.470 --> 00:24:23.549
with her and like, so you alternate time on the

00:24:23.549 --> 00:24:25.549
equipment, right? So I think there was a photo

00:24:25.549 --> 00:24:28.799
you posted of, was it, was she doing? on the

00:24:28.799 --> 00:24:30.579
bike or maybe she was a skier or something, but

00:24:30.579 --> 00:24:32.599
you're just like in the background, just like

00:24:32.599 --> 00:24:35.900
gleaming. It just showed how proud you were,

00:24:35.980 --> 00:24:38.000
like regardless of where y 'all were in the race,

00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:41.339
if y 'all were like, you know, winning or, you

00:24:41.339 --> 00:24:43.380
know, not, but you're just like, yeah, this is

00:24:43.380 --> 00:24:45.819
great. I mean, this is what life's all about.

00:24:46.599 --> 00:24:49.940
Yes, for sure. And clearly you're setting a good

00:24:49.940 --> 00:24:52.309
example because like it. It sounds like if she's

00:24:52.309 --> 00:24:54.150
willing to do all this, it's kind of ingrained

00:24:54.150 --> 00:24:57.529
in her. Yeah, this is what mom does. She tries

00:24:57.529 --> 00:24:59.250
hard, so I'm always going to try hard. So it

00:24:59.250 --> 00:25:00.609
sounds like you're definitely instilling some

00:25:00.609 --> 00:25:02.490
really good habits into your kids. It's amazing.

00:25:03.309 --> 00:25:07.609
I hope so. Yeah. So you had to travel for that

00:25:07.609 --> 00:25:10.339
too, right? That was in Denver, right? So we

00:25:10.339 --> 00:25:13.519
did the Strong first here in Austin. And then

00:25:13.519 --> 00:25:17.460
we did we signed up for Decafit Austin, which

00:25:17.460 --> 00:25:21.039
was shortly after that. And then she had so much

00:25:21.039 --> 00:25:24.960
fun there. I looked at the calendar and was like,

00:25:25.200 --> 00:25:27.859
oh, Denver is coming up like that would be a

00:25:27.859 --> 00:25:30.700
nice little trip. And flights were cheap. I was

00:25:30.700 --> 00:25:33.420
like, why not? So, yeah, the two of us traveled

00:25:33.420 --> 00:25:36.480
there together and did another Decafit in Denver

00:25:36.480 --> 00:25:42.720
in May. Yeah. Man, that's awesome. Is there a

00:25:42.720 --> 00:25:47.059
specific moment from any of the races that you'll

00:25:47.059 --> 00:25:50.180
like never forget or is just like stands out

00:25:50.180 --> 00:25:54.099
the most, perhaps? Yeah, I think. Well, actually,

00:25:54.380 --> 00:25:58.640
I think for me, I went into these. Like with

00:25:58.640 --> 00:26:01.059
the expectation that I was probably going to

00:26:01.059 --> 00:26:03.500
have to, you know, because it was like her first

00:26:03.500 --> 00:26:06.220
time, like she's still learning. She's only 10

00:26:06.220 --> 00:26:09.279
years old. I went into it, you know, expecting

00:26:09.279 --> 00:26:12.859
I might have to take over for some her in some

00:26:12.859 --> 00:26:16.200
places, you know, if she was struggling. And

00:26:16.200 --> 00:26:18.640
like what was mind boggling to me was that it

00:26:18.640 --> 00:26:21.799
was actually the opposite. Like there were multiple

00:26:21.799 --> 00:26:26.390
times that. And I had to be like, Lula, can you,

00:26:26.390 --> 00:26:28.970
you know, like, can you run this lap? Like, I'm

00:26:28.970 --> 00:26:31.190
struggling. I need to recover a little. And every

00:26:31.190 --> 00:26:34.109
time there were like probably three times in

00:26:34.109 --> 00:26:38.190
Decafit Austin where she answered the call and

00:26:38.190 --> 00:26:40.950
she was like, yeah, mom, I got it. And she like

00:26:40.950 --> 00:26:43.650
did amazing. And so like that was the thing to

00:26:43.650 --> 00:26:45.829
me. I was like, I shouldn't have underestimated

00:26:45.829 --> 00:26:49.849
her. Like she is a beast, you know? Oh, my gosh.

00:26:49.950 --> 00:26:53.369
That's that's phenomenal. Lula is her name. Lula.

00:26:53.490 --> 00:26:56.410
Yeah. Wow. Way to go, Lula. That's carrying the

00:26:56.410 --> 00:27:01.109
weight. That's amazing. Is there like a race

00:27:01.109 --> 00:27:02.589
that like you learned something like kind of

00:27:02.589 --> 00:27:05.329
profound that maybe changed how you operated

00:27:05.329 --> 00:27:09.950
or trained? That's a great question. I mean,

00:27:09.970 --> 00:27:13.470
I think all of them I learned so much. Right.

00:27:13.849 --> 00:27:18.789
But I think probably for me. Ruck Race League,

00:27:19.109 --> 00:27:24.509
we did an event where it was a 5K and like the

00:27:24.509 --> 00:27:29.349
heaviest load that you could carry. And like

00:27:29.349 --> 00:27:32.750
I went into it being like, oh, I don't know,

00:27:32.789 --> 00:27:36.910
maybe like what, maybe like 80 pounds. Like,

00:27:36.930 --> 00:27:40.529
I don't know. What should I try? And I went back

00:27:40.529 --> 00:27:42.349
and I was like looking at some of the scores

00:27:42.349 --> 00:27:46.750
from last year. And, like, my mind was just blown

00:27:46.750 --> 00:27:49.349
because I was like, how are people carrying these

00:27:49.349 --> 00:27:53.250
weights? Like, this is crazy. And so I realized

00:27:53.250 --> 00:27:56.730
I was going to have to up my game. And, like,

00:27:56.809 --> 00:28:01.390
I think the biggest thing for me, I knew I couldn't

00:28:01.390 --> 00:28:05.190
jump right up to, like, 180 pounds, right? Like,

00:28:05.230 --> 00:28:07.450
that was not going to be a smart way to approach

00:28:07.450 --> 00:28:11.470
it. And so I had to really, like, baby step my

00:28:11.470 --> 00:28:17.460
way there. And it just like it was such a cool

00:28:17.460 --> 00:28:21.900
experience because it completely changed my perception

00:28:21.900 --> 00:28:26.980
of what I was capable of. Like in my head, I

00:28:26.980 --> 00:28:28.480
was like, there's no way I'm going to be able

00:28:28.480 --> 00:28:31.500
to get through this carrying 180 pounds. But

00:28:31.500 --> 00:28:34.460
it was like, sure enough, like I worked my way

00:28:34.460 --> 00:28:38.059
up to that and I, you know, I managed to do it

00:28:38.059 --> 00:28:41.650
somehow. And so like I think. Throughout Ruck

00:28:41.650 --> 00:28:44.509
Race League, like that's been sort of what's

00:28:44.509 --> 00:28:48.369
stood out to me so much is that every event I

00:28:48.369 --> 00:28:51.049
go in with these like preconceived notions of

00:28:51.049 --> 00:28:53.549
like what is possible. And every single time

00:28:53.549 --> 00:28:56.470
you start to see the leaderboard score show up

00:28:56.470 --> 00:28:59.809
and you're just like, oh, well, that's not going

00:28:59.809 --> 00:29:03.269
to cut it. And so you have to go and up your

00:29:03.269 --> 00:29:06.130
game as a result. And it's just the coolest thing.

00:29:06.210 --> 00:29:10.230
So I think. you know, having that community aspect

00:29:10.230 --> 00:29:13.650
and having that environment of people who are

00:29:13.650 --> 00:29:19.869
competitive and, you know, elite athletes, but

00:29:19.869 --> 00:29:22.670
they're also very helpful. Like you're going

00:29:22.670 --> 00:29:26.549
to get way further in that type of situation

00:29:26.549 --> 00:29:29.190
than you are if you just approach training and

00:29:29.190 --> 00:29:32.309
competing on your own. So I think that's been

00:29:32.309 --> 00:29:35.029
one of the biggest ahas for me because I didn't

00:29:35.029 --> 00:29:37.819
expect that when I signed up. Yeah. That's, that's

00:29:37.819 --> 00:29:42.920
wild. Um, yeah. Seeing people post their, their

00:29:42.920 --> 00:29:46.839
results and, you know, it's like maybe like the

00:29:46.839 --> 00:29:48.160
first couple of people post, you're like, Whoa,

00:29:48.299 --> 00:29:50.660
that's like, wow, they did that. And then like

00:29:50.660 --> 00:29:52.440
more and more people are posting and like that.

00:29:53.230 --> 00:29:55.150
Former leader just keeps getting bumped down.

00:29:55.190 --> 00:29:56.549
You're like, oh, my God, these athletes are absolutely

00:29:56.549 --> 00:29:59.289
crushing it. So the fact that you're like at

00:29:59.289 --> 00:30:02.730
two right now is phenomenal. So going back to

00:30:02.730 --> 00:30:05.009
that event where you got up to 180 pounds, where

00:30:05.009 --> 00:30:07.009
did you start and how did you work your way up

00:30:07.009 --> 00:30:11.049
to 180? Yeah. Well, I mean, I think the interesting

00:30:11.049 --> 00:30:13.430
thing I also learned through that event is like.

00:30:14.970 --> 00:30:18.430
it can be very difficult to try and fit 180 pounds.

00:30:18.529 --> 00:30:21.349
Like the packing was like the hardest part, right?

00:30:21.369 --> 00:30:26.029
Yeah, you need like lead. Yes, exactly. And so

00:30:26.029 --> 00:30:31.349
I started, I think, because I'd only been carrying

00:30:31.349 --> 00:30:35.789
up to like maybe 50 pounds at that point. And

00:30:35.789 --> 00:30:41.009
so then I bumped it up to like maybe 75 to start.

00:30:41.309 --> 00:30:44.670
And then I just and I was only going I basically

00:30:44.670 --> 00:30:49.950
I would do a short distance with like a heavier

00:30:49.950 --> 00:30:54.329
weight and then a longer distance with a not

00:30:54.329 --> 00:30:56.529
so heavy weight. I was really trying to just

00:30:56.529 --> 00:31:00.549
like up my capacity to like hold. A lot of weight

00:31:00.549 --> 00:31:03.569
for longer and longer. And I kind of just kept

00:31:03.569 --> 00:31:06.269
progressing both of those until I got to the

00:31:06.269 --> 00:31:09.049
point that I felt like I could make an attempt.

00:31:09.289 --> 00:31:12.930
And I think my first attempt was it was like

00:31:12.930 --> 00:31:18.730
140 pounds, maybe. And then, as you mentioned,

00:31:18.809 --> 00:31:21.539
those leaderboard scores kept. popping up and

00:31:21.539 --> 00:31:23.599
getting higher and higher. And I was just like,

00:31:23.640 --> 00:31:27.299
I got to try this again. And so it was a bit

00:31:27.299 --> 00:31:29.119
of a leap because I didn't have a lot of time

00:31:29.119 --> 00:31:31.539
left. You have through the end of the month to

00:31:31.539 --> 00:31:34.440
post your scores. It was a bit of a leap to jump

00:31:34.440 --> 00:31:38.420
from like the 140 to 180 almost immediately.

00:31:38.619 --> 00:31:41.119
But I did it and I survived it and I didn't get

00:31:41.119 --> 00:31:43.450
injured. which is great. Good for you. Congrats.

00:31:43.650 --> 00:31:46.329
That's amazing. So that was, so you went from

00:31:46.329 --> 00:31:49.869
50 to 180 in like 28 days, essentially. Basically,

00:31:50.089 --> 00:31:53.430
yeah. That's wild. That's crazy. That's great.

00:31:54.069 --> 00:31:56.569
ChatGBT told me not to do it, but I did it anyway.

00:31:56.990 --> 00:31:59.950
Screw you, AI. Watch this. I'm more capable than

00:31:59.950 --> 00:32:01.609
I think, and definitely you think. So that's

00:32:01.609 --> 00:32:05.309
awesome. Wow, there you go. Thanks. Dang, yeah,

00:32:05.410 --> 00:32:07.710
180. So how did you fit it all in the, like,

00:32:07.710 --> 00:32:09.390
what were you using for your weight? How did

00:32:09.390 --> 00:32:11.490
you fit it all in there? Well, what I ended up

00:32:11.490 --> 00:32:15.750
doing, because I have like a, I have the Rucker,

00:32:15.930 --> 00:32:19.470
God, I forget what it is. I think it's like a

00:32:19.470 --> 00:32:25.250
20 liter. Okay. So I had to buy like add -on

00:32:25.250 --> 00:32:28.809
pouches that had like MOLLE attachments. So I

00:32:28.809 --> 00:32:32.170
had like, I think three or four pouches because

00:32:32.170 --> 00:32:36.329
those were allowed for the rolls. And I managed

00:32:36.329 --> 00:32:39.859
to like stuff. you know, a series of sand bells

00:32:39.859 --> 00:32:43.799
and weight plates and dumbbells and basically

00:32:43.799 --> 00:32:47.279
whatever I had in the garage. And to that, it

00:32:47.279 --> 00:32:51.440
was probably like not the most comfortable thing

00:32:51.440 --> 00:32:53.799
I've ever done. And there were probably better

00:32:53.799 --> 00:32:56.900
ways to have packed it. But that's definitely

00:32:56.900 --> 00:32:59.180
something I'm going to have to do some research

00:32:59.180 --> 00:33:02.740
on if I'm going to do this next year. Good deal.

00:33:02.859 --> 00:33:07.039
Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Bailey, this has been a

00:33:07.039 --> 00:33:09.819
fantastic conversation. I really enjoyed my time

00:33:09.819 --> 00:33:12.339
speaking with you and learning how you're achieving

00:33:12.339 --> 00:33:15.720
these amazing feats. I just have a few more questions

00:33:15.720 --> 00:33:18.059
for you, if you don't mind. These are more like

00:33:18.059 --> 00:33:19.880
takeaways for the listener if they want to start

00:33:19.880 --> 00:33:22.839
maybe transitioning to competition or up in their

00:33:22.839 --> 00:33:26.059
game and their workouts. If someone listening

00:33:26.059 --> 00:33:28.559
right now wants to move in from like being a

00:33:28.559 --> 00:33:30.480
recreational rocker, like solo by themselves

00:33:30.480 --> 00:33:32.940
into being a competitive athlete, like going,

00:33:33.059 --> 00:33:36.819
joining Rock Race League or these decade events,

00:33:36.900 --> 00:33:39.180
what's sort of like the first concrete step that

00:33:39.180 --> 00:33:41.859
they should take like this week outside of like

00:33:41.859 --> 00:33:44.480
signing up for like, what should they be doing

00:33:44.480 --> 00:33:46.740
like in terms of like prepping their bodies for

00:33:46.740 --> 00:33:49.789
competition and whatnot? Yeah, well, I mean,

00:33:49.809 --> 00:33:52.670
I definitely think, you know, like strength training

00:33:52.670 --> 00:33:55.630
has been such a key for me. So like if you're

00:33:55.630 --> 00:33:58.410
not strength training already, definitely do

00:33:58.410 --> 00:34:03.670
that. Definitely get out there and rock. You

00:34:03.670 --> 00:34:05.369
know, that's how you get better at something

00:34:05.369 --> 00:34:08.849
is by actually doing it. Yeah. And I think the

00:34:08.849 --> 00:34:11.289
other thing, you know, we live in this age where

00:34:11.289 --> 00:34:14.889
there is so much information available online.

00:34:14.989 --> 00:34:19.309
And so like for me, when I was. approaching DECA,

00:34:19.309 --> 00:34:23.030
like my first DECA fit, I went and I went on

00:34:23.030 --> 00:34:26.429
YouTube and I found, you know, videos of past

00:34:26.429 --> 00:34:30.389
races. And I sort of watched those to just, I

00:34:30.389 --> 00:34:32.150
don't know, like, I always feel like I have to

00:34:32.150 --> 00:34:35.300
understand what. it's about going into it. I

00:34:35.300 --> 00:34:37.539
can't just like show up to something and like,

00:34:37.739 --> 00:34:41.519
yeah. So for me, it was like just watching videos.

00:34:41.559 --> 00:34:44.420
There are also a lot of great resources available

00:34:44.420 --> 00:34:49.199
on like how to actually execute the zones in

00:34:49.199 --> 00:34:52.400
a way that like won't kill you. Right. So I recommend

00:34:52.400 --> 00:34:55.400
checking out some of that as well, just because

00:34:55.400 --> 00:34:58.840
I do think the more like prepared mentally you

00:34:58.840 --> 00:35:01.239
are going into these, the better the outcome.

00:35:02.429 --> 00:35:05.250
So I think those are probably my main tips and

00:35:05.250 --> 00:35:08.469
also mobility. Like we all need more mobility.

00:35:08.789 --> 00:35:11.289
So make sure that you're doing some of that to

00:35:11.289 --> 00:35:14.369
be able to like keep yourself flexible and able

00:35:14.369 --> 00:35:17.170
to move for the long run. Thanks for sharing

00:35:17.170 --> 00:35:21.329
that, Bailey. Appreciate that. You probably mentioned

00:35:21.329 --> 00:35:23.550
what I'm about to ask you, but like what's like

00:35:23.550 --> 00:35:26.329
the training habit that made the biggest difference

00:35:26.329 --> 00:35:28.730
for you that like moved the needle more than

00:35:28.730 --> 00:35:32.039
anything else that you were doing? If there is

00:35:32.039 --> 00:35:35.179
even one, I don't know. I think there are a few

00:35:35.179 --> 00:35:37.579
things. So we talked about the spreadsheets.

00:35:37.579 --> 00:35:40.559
So I think just being addicted to learning is

00:35:40.559 --> 00:35:43.360
something that has moved the needle a lot. I

00:35:43.360 --> 00:35:49.940
think the other thing is fueling. So I think

00:35:49.940 --> 00:35:52.260
that's been one of the biggest difference makers

00:35:52.260 --> 00:35:56.260
for me personally. And full disclosure, so I

00:35:56.260 --> 00:35:58.599
suffered from an eating disorder in my younger

00:35:58.599 --> 00:36:02.099
years when I was a teenager. And so, like, I

00:36:02.099 --> 00:36:06.460
think I just had a lot of these thoughts. Like

00:36:06.460 --> 00:36:09.679
buried deep inside, right? Like thought patterns

00:36:09.679 --> 00:36:13.840
that somehow eating less equals performing better,

00:36:14.079 --> 00:36:17.739
which like obviously is not the case. So like

00:36:17.739 --> 00:36:21.139
I've had to do some unlearning to sort of train

00:36:21.139 --> 00:36:23.840
myself that, you know, my body is not something

00:36:23.840 --> 00:36:26.500
to fight against. It's actually this vehicle

00:36:26.500 --> 00:36:29.119
that's allowing me to do all of these incredible

00:36:29.119 --> 00:36:32.980
things. And, you know, just like a car, it needs

00:36:32.980 --> 00:36:38.059
proper fuel. And so looking at food as fuel and

00:36:38.059 --> 00:36:42.059
sort of experimenting and just seeing what I

00:36:42.059 --> 00:36:45.139
can do to improve my performances through fueling

00:36:45.139 --> 00:36:49.519
has been really key for me. I think that's been

00:36:49.519 --> 00:36:53.599
just one of the biggest difference makers. Excellent.

00:36:53.639 --> 00:36:55.820
Thanks for sharing that. And congrats to you

00:36:55.820 --> 00:36:57.880
for overcoming that eating disorder and turning

00:36:57.880 --> 00:37:00.519
into this amazing athlete that you are now and

00:37:00.519 --> 00:37:04.860
inspiring the next generation who's arguably.

00:37:08.280 --> 00:37:10.639
outperforming you, carrying the weight of these

00:37:10.639 --> 00:37:12.659
decade events. I don't know how to say that,

00:37:12.739 --> 00:37:14.659
but I'm just like, way to go, Lula. That's phenomenal.

00:37:14.940 --> 00:37:17.280
And congrats to you, Bailey. You're doing something

00:37:17.280 --> 00:37:19.679
right over there in terms of your own physical

00:37:19.679 --> 00:37:22.820
fitness and raising your kids right. So thanks

00:37:22.820 --> 00:37:24.940
for spending your time with me today. Thanks

00:37:24.940 --> 00:37:26.820
for sharing your knowledge. I'm hopeful that

00:37:26.820 --> 00:37:28.960
the information that you provided to the listener

00:37:28.960 --> 00:37:33.300
today will help them either jumpstart or reevaluate

00:37:33.300 --> 00:37:36.130
how they're currently. working out and improving

00:37:36.130 --> 00:37:37.809
their fitness. So appreciate you coming on and

00:37:37.809 --> 00:37:40.250
sharing your knowledge. Yeah, of course. It's

00:37:40.250 --> 00:37:43.969
been so fun. All right, that was my conversation

00:37:43.969 --> 00:37:46.050
with Bailey Ertle. Check out her Instagram to

00:37:46.050 --> 00:37:48.250
see what she's been up to at Bailey Allison.

00:37:48.630 --> 00:37:50.809
I'll put a link in the show notes. If you found

00:37:50.809 --> 00:37:52.769
this episode entertaining or helpful, subscribe

00:37:52.769 --> 00:37:54.789
to the show so you're notified of new episodes.

00:37:55.030 --> 00:37:57.570
In the next episode, Sam Svetkovsky comes back

00:37:57.570 --> 00:37:59.510
on the show. Always great talking to her. We

00:37:59.510 --> 00:38:02.110
talk about pacing. She explains how to find your

00:38:02.110 --> 00:38:04.230
pace, when to scale back, and a whole bunch more.

00:38:04.409 --> 00:38:05.489
So you're not going to want to miss that one.

00:38:05.949 --> 00:38:08.349
Okay, that's it for today. Thanks again for listening

00:38:08.349 --> 00:38:10.150
to this episode of The Record's Edge.