Q&A with Coach Rosina Garcia

Oh, and you know what? And now I just got the notification that we're recording.

Right on. Here we are. Rosina Garcia, welcome to Endurance Mastery.

Thanks for having me, Matt. Happy to be here.

Right on. How do you and I know each other?

Great question. So I am the current Coaches of Color Initiative apprentice. So I went through an application process to get coaching mentorship and networking access and resources. And, um, I was lucky enough to be selected to work with Matt and other, um, really inspirational, really inspirational coaches in the— or, and, and other folks in the coaching and running community. So, um, yeah, really happy to have been working with Matt for the past few months.

Right on. And, uh, yeah, so you, I believe you started in April. It's a, it's a year-long deal. Um, and, but so we've been interacting since then, but we got to meet in person very recently for the first time when you came out to Flagstaff for the first time. Tell me about that.

Yes, that was so much fun. So just last week I flew out to Flagstaff. I'm, I'm located in Santa Barbara, California, so flew out to Arizona. Uh, that was my first time in Flagstaff, so got to enjoy the trails out there, the altitude, some vert, and I got to meet some really, really cool people out there who work with runners, um, you know, through strength classes and strength training. And, um, yeah, it was a great experience.

Right on. Yeah, hope to have you back, uh, before too terribly long. So you are in another beautiful part of the world, Santa Barbara, and you, you coach there at the high school level.

I do, yes. So I am the head track and field coach at Dos Pueblos High School. And, I'm also an assistant coach with the cross-country team. And, I've coached high school athletes before. I lived in San Diego for several years. I was a teacher down there, helped out as an assistant with track and cross-country, but this is my first season as a head coach. So, that was a really fun experience and I feel lucky to get to work with those athletes.

And, it's a big program. Yeah, 200. Is that right, 200 athletes?

Yes, so there are over 200 kids on the, on the track team. We have a— yeah, so about over 10% of the school participates in track and field, which is, which is great. There's a place for everyone there.

Yeah, that's, uh, I'm impressed. Like, I'm just telling you, I, I could not, I could not keep track of 200 kids.

And I mean, I think I was most proud that I, you know, remembered all their names. That's sometimes the hardest part.

Yeah, I think there's like some rule, like, like anything over like 125 is basically you can't know everyone. But, uh, if you're you, you can, I guess.

Yeah, I guess I've kind of defied that rule a bit. Yeah.

Yeah. I think that's maybe like an average and you're one standard deviation, uh, above, above the mean. So let's rewind a bit. Um, so, you know, like most running coaches, you are a runner yourself. I should say not all. And so tell me, I mean, so you mentioned you are from San Diego, or no, you're from the LA area.

From Los Angeles, actually. I went to school in San Diego, stuck around, yeah, taught for a bit, then made my way up the coast a couple of years ago. But yeah, I am a runner. I am one of those coaches who also runs. I've been running since high school and I joined the track team so that I wouldn't have to do PE, and I knew track was a no-cut sport, which is why I chose track. And I ended up loving it. I loved the team and the community. I still talk to a lot of the people that I ran with in high school, which I think is really special and really just speaks to the kind of community that runners create. I was recruited to run at D3 schools, but didn't, didn't really want to go to a small school. So I chose not to run in college and just still kept running for fun. And over the years, I've increased the distances I've run. So, you know, obviously in high school you do the shorter distance, you know, mile, 2-mile, cross-country is usually like a 5K. But I have worked my way up over the past 15, 16 years to doing ultramarathons. So that's kind of the phase I'm in now in my running journey.

Mm-hmm. So prior to joining the track team to get out of doing PE, what sort of athletic— what role did sports play in your life earlier?

So I was always outside. I loved being outside anywhere away from home. So I kind of did a little bit of everything. I did gymnastics for several years. I did soccer, basketball, volleyball, although if you know know me personally, you'll know that I'm very short. So it'll be funny to hear me say that I played basketball. But I was scrappy. I was scrappy and I was quick. So I wasn't, I wasn't terrible. Yes, I did basketball, volleyball. Yeah, so did a little bit of everything. I just, I loved being active. And I think sports are just a great way to build skills and make friends. And I think they're just a really critical part of youth development. And so I'm— Really grateful for those experiences and even more grateful that I found running when I did.

What was it about running that hooked you? Because like, you know, I think most people have some experience with sports, like team sports with, you know, with a ball and it's fun.

It's cool.

And then running is, you know, hard and, you know, simple to a fault. But, you know, it has like, it does get its hooks into some people. So what was it for you?

So running is very, very freeing for me. And as I've gotten older and, you know, even as I was— when I was a teenager in high school, I think as I was learning about myself, I realized I am not meant for team sports. I am very much an individual. I have issues with delegating and relying on other people. So running was the perfect sport for me because the only person I could get mad at was myself. And the only person responsible for the outcome of a meet or a race was me. And that, that appealed to me very much. And not that there wasn't a team aspect to running, you know, you run with, you run with the team during practice, you accumulate points as a team, you can qualify for, you know, the playoff equivalent as a team. But the outcome, that was mine. It was, it was just my time next to my name. And yeah, I found that very freeing to be able to just race against myself and be the best version of myself when I was out on the course. And it was just nice to always, yeah, make individual goals independent of other people and other teammates and just to see those improvements over time.

You know, whenever I interview or grill a running coach who you know, came up as a runner, I asked them if, you know, those kind of leadership or teaching or coaching qualities manifested earlier so that like even when you're, you know, it's only you and your peers, you maybe are like team captain or, you know, like a mentor to the underclassmen when you're an upperclassman, that type of thing. Was that you?

Yes, and for those people who have known me most of my life, I think they would say, you know, I really have not changed much. I've always been someone who's taken charge, who's been pretty, pretty extroverted, not afraid to talk to other people, make conversation. And, you know, that was definitely the case when I was in high school. I, I wanted the team to be an inclusive community. I wanted more people to join and Yeah, I just really loved being with the team, running with my friends. And yeah, so I think the qualities that I exhibit as a coach now, you know, those have been, you know, characteristics that I've had since, you know, since I was a kid and a teenager.

When did the idea of like perhaps coaching professionally first enter your mind?

Yeah, good question. I think I never sought out to be a coach, but When I was teaching high school, I taught high school biology for several years. And when I was teaching, there was an assistant coach opening for cross-country, and the athletic director, you run, you can teach, you could probably be a coach. I was like, sure, yeah, that sounds fun. And I, I loved it. From day one, I loved it because I was able to— all of the things I loved about teaching, I got out of coaching, you know, working with kids, seeing them grow and develop. But without a lot of the bureaucracy and the grading that comes with teaching. So, I loved coaching from day one, and it really felt like something I was, I was meant to do. And it was just really cool to get to know kids outside, outside of the classroom. And, you know, they were on the team because they wanted to be on the team. They wanted to be there. So, it was, it was really fun to cultivate that love for the sport and love for competition and love for community through running. Yeah.

So, you know, coaching that age group, that's something, uh, that I don't do. Uh, it's very different. Like, I coach almost exclusively adult athletes, and whenever I do find myself, you know, trying to help out an athlete who's, you know, high school age, I'm really conscious of just— I mean, they're not different. They're still human beings and they're still runners, so there's a lot of commonalities, but It is different. You know, from your perspective, like, what does it take to be an effective and successful— and by effective, I mean, yeah, sure, your athletes improve. But like, really, if you ask them, thumbs up, thumbs down on Coach Garcia, like, you know, like, what does it take to get a thumbs up from those kids?

Yeah, good question. I think kids are really good at spotting BS. And they'll know if you're not being authentic. They can tell if you don't actually care. So it's really just showing that you care, being curious, being yourself. And I think it, you know, it does help that I've been in their shoes. I've experienced a lot of the same things they go through, and it just helps to make those connections. But yeah, being curious, being myself, also being funny. I think I'm funny. I think, I think they think I'm funny. So that definitely helps.

Yes. Yeah. And I think that actually applies to all ages. Yeah. Just, you know, it's a sport. It should be fun. And also, you know, yeah, I think Steve Kerr, the basketball coach, said coaching is like 10% technical and 90% creating an environment. And I think we could quibble about the percentages, but would you agree that's more or less what you're talking about?

I, yeah, I concur with Steve Kerr and clearly knows what he's talking about.

Yeah. Um, I know, uh, we talked about this when, when you were here in Flagstaff, that, uh, a lot of times when, you know, before, there's like this disparity between, you know, what, what athletes are looking for in a coach. Uh, yeah, they have a sense of what a good coach is or does, and then there's the reality, which is very often like, you know, it's like it's not the same bullet points.

Right.

And, and you are often asked by, by the, the high school kids you work with, did you run in college? What, what are your times? As if that matters. Um, but like, you are a pretty good runner, right?

Yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm not too, not too shabby. And yeah, you're right. Um, when I meet new athletes for the first time, and even, even their parents, the one of the first questions they ask is Did you run in college? How fast were you or are you? You know, they want to know that if, you know, maybe if you can run fast, then you can also make me run fast or my kid run fast. So I get, I get where they're coming from. They want to, they want to see that there's some qualification to, to me coaching, coaching them.

Yeah. Yeah, I probably would not be able to help myself when I got that question. And I would, I would list like, 3 legendary coaches who never played the sport.

Yeah.

And there's plenty of examples. And then I would list 3 legendary athletes who tried to coach and sucked at it and say, like, I'm not cherry-picking here. Like, there's also a body of scientific literature showing that the most effective coaches— it's not the question you just asked. You're asking the wrong question. So let me tell you what matters. You know, caring, commitment, you know, things like that. The ability, people skills, communication, you know, the ability to create like a healthy environment that's inclusive and where people feel seen and challenged and all that stuff. But yeah, but that's really not the answer people want. You just have to kind of—

It's not.

Don't you?

Right, exactly. And Because I, because I do know I'm a good coach, I have been able to show that fairly quickly, which is good. And because I'm also a fairly decent runner, you know, I build that kind of credibility as well. You know, I'm not running world record setting times. I didn't run in college, but I look— I am just as fast as many, many of the girls on the team. I would make varsity.

Right on. Yes. Uh, and you're twice their age.

Yeah, still young.

Yeah, you know, when, when I got, uh, sick with long COVID in like 2020, um, one of the things that really sucked about it, you know, I didn't appreciate just how important like being an active athlete myself was for my coaching, you know, just like being— it wasn't like you know, like building my resume so I could show my resume to athletes. It was just like having the experiences, you know, like encountering problems and challenges and setbacks.

Yes.

Like setting, you know, big scary goals and pursuing them. And, and like all, just all of that, like experiential learning was this wellspring that fed into my writing and into my coaching. And then when I got sick, it was just cut off. And, uh, and I'm like, this sucks. I mean, you can do it, right? But for me, it was very important. Like, um, you know, my coaching sort of like depended on my also being an athlete. Um, do you find that that's kind of the case for you as well?

Yeah, I do feel similarly. I think, you know, during the track season, all of my Saturdays were taken up by track meets. So I wasn't racing during that time, but I was still running. I was still staying in shape. And I think Having those experiences informed my coaching because, you know, something that I experienced during a run or during a workout could easily apply to what the kids were experiencing. And then I do still race, you know, during other parts of the year and, you know, when it's not track season. And so I think it's good for me to set those goals. Like I said, the kids are experiencing, you know, really, really similar things and Um, you know, if I'm going out on a run or whatever and I need to troubleshoot something, it's like, oh, I should think about telling this. I just learned something. How can I teach the kids I coach that as well? So it keeps me, yeah, training, being an active runner. And, um, it keeps me sharp. Um, and kind of keeps me, keeps me on top of things as well.

Yeah. You wrote a blog post for the 80 and 20 Endurance website not long ago about, um, How you struggle to apply the same wisdom to yourself, like as a self-coached runner that you, you almost by instinct apply with.

Yes.

So, you know, it's like, like not like, like remembering to contextualize bad workouts or disappointing races or that type of thing. Um, you know, just like, it's kind of like slam dunk common sense coaching 101 for like when you're working with other people, but like really hard to apply the same lesson for your— to yourself.

It is. It is. And I, I am very, very hard on myself. I sometimes hold myself to impossible standards. And, you know, thinking about the context that I exist in, you know, I've only been doing these ultramarathons For not even a year. I ran my first one last September. So yeah, hasn't even been a year. I only ran my first marathon 2 years ago. So doing these distances, it's still very new to me and I'm still learning a lot. And so when I've gone out on some of these longer runs and doing these longer efforts, and I get frustrated with myself for, you know, feeling a certain way or maybe not feeling as strong on a, on a long ascent. But then I have to stop and tell myself, like, this is very new. I have not been doing this for a very long time, and I could be a little more gracious to myself.

Mm-hmm.

And I am with the kids. You know, they are, they are kids, these kids that I coach, and they have also not been doing this for very long. And so when they get frustrated with themselves, when a workout doesn't go the way they want it to, it's like, actually, that's okay. And everything is a learning experience. There's always something we can glean from, from these workouts and from these runs. Yeah.

Yeah. For me, it's more like a matter of, uh, like I will take, uh, reckless risks with my own training and racing that I would never endorse, right? You know, with an athlete I work with.

Oh yeah.

You know, it's just like, it's so weird, right? It's like you just like, there's only one person on earth where it's suddenly a completely different standard.

Yeah. Yeah. It's you.

Yep.

Yep, exactly. Yeah.

Yeah. That's why, you know, like being, being an athlete and a coach and a self-coached athlete, like they're all growth opportunities. Like you're, you're forced to confront the areas where you have like some, some baggage, you know, that, that you need to work on. And, and it's great, you know, like, because I mean, if you, if you're up for the challenge, you will grow as a human being and it will help you as an athlete.

Yeah, yeah, I'm always learning something on a run, whether that's fueling related or even like a mindset thing or learning how to make process goals rather than outcome or numbers-based goals. Yeah, there's just always, always a takeaway from a run or a workout.

What are your, your I mean, do you have particular like dreams or ambitions for yourself, uh, as an athlete still?

Oh yeah, I think because I'm still new to this ultra running and trail running scene, I would like to just see how far I can take it. And of course I do have, you know, metrics and numbers that I'd like to hit. I'm doing a 100K in October, just a couple of months. It'll be the longest distance I've ever raced before. And, um, this particular race, it's a qualifier for the UTMB races. Um, so, you know, those are like the pinnacle of ultra running and trail running. Um, and so I do, I do think I have a good chance at qualifying for the 100K distance, um, in Europe next year. So that, that's my goal, you know, to So I do have like a place goal I would like to hit. So there is that outcome goal. But yeah, I would just like to see how far I— how far can I— how fast can I go? How far can I run? So still testing that out and also just trying to figure out what distances do I even like running? You know, I've—

Right.

I've done a 50K, I've done a 50-miler. I will be doing a 100K. And then do I want to keep going? Do I want to run 100 miles? Do I want to do a 200-mile race? Um, do I want to kind of settle in with the 50-mile or 100K? So yeah, still figuring out which distances I like to. Yeah.

Yeah. That's, it's an exciting time. I mean, you're, you're in your early 30s, right?

Yep.

So I remember being at that age, that point in my career, and it just, it feels like, you know, you, you're in your prime, but there's like quite a bit ahead of you, you know? And yeah, and you can just be Ambitious, but also like open and curious and explorative all at the same time. It's— I'm excited for you.

Thanks. Yeah, I'm just saying yes to opportunities.

Right on. I want to talk a little bit more about the Coaches of Color Initiative. So that was the brainchild of myself and Bertrand Newsome, who's one of our directors. And this is, you know, we, we were developed— we developed it in 2020, and that was like the year of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, and it was like this explosion of DEI initiatives, like a lot of like bandwagon type of stuff. I remember being very conscious at the time, like, we look like we're bandwagoning.

Right.

Yeah. And, and, you know, I would tell, I would tell people like, I don't know what other people are gonna be doing in 10 years, but we're still gonna be doing this in, in 10 years. And it's just amazing how quickly all, a lot of those other initiatives just like, and like if actually, if you, if you poked a lot of those other initiatives, there was nothing behind it. It was like, right, it was a press release and—

Right, right. They were just empty words that kind of fizzled out.

Yeah. And you know, we, we know some of the, the, the reasons for that, but you know, for me, I mean, you took the trouble to apply. And so, and you are a person of color. So from your perspective, why are initiatives like this, you know, particularly in the endurance space, like still valuable?

Yeah, they are super, super important and valuable. And I'm very grateful for this experience. And we need these kinds of initiatives and programs because we're out there, people who look like me, We're out there, but there are a lot of barriers that we have to overcome to get to a starting line or to get to a position where we have some clout or some power. And, you know, most of the start lines I've towed, there aren't a lot of people who look like me. And that, you know, always makes me wonder why and how did I get here? How did I get so lucky to be here? And how can I make sure other people get here too, to know so that they know that this sport is for them. These trails are for them. The outdoors are for them. And so, yeah, we need, we need programs like the Coaches of Color Initiative to provide that representation to athletes so that they can have people that they can connect with and learn from that look like them and have similar experiences and values.

Yes, well said. And, you know, from, from my side of the table, you know, I started running Uh, in the mid-1980s, sort of like the tail end of the first big running boom. And, you know, the sport was very monochromatic at that time, which was completely invisible to me because, like, I was, I was that color as well.

Right.

And then, but I stayed in the sport and I saw, and I saw it grow and, you know, it was becoming more and more diverse, more and more representative of humanity as a whole. And to me, it was just obviously a good thing, you know, um, you know, from 2 sides. Like, one is like, as an ambassador for running, like, I want to bring running to—

Right.

All people. But then also, it's almost like, you know, like a, like a diverse party is just a more exciting party than—

Right.

Like a very homogeneous party. So I think, like, even if, like, You know, like, I, I've never felt unsafe anywhere I've ever run in my entire life, you know.

Yeah.

And yeah, and so it's like this kind of like this, you know, kind of invisible cloak of privilege that you're wearing. You don't even realize you have it. And so this is why, like, I don't think it's incumbent just on persons of color to say Hey, we're out here. There should be a space for us. I think, you know, white folks also have kind of responsibility and should also just like want to from the inside. Yeah, just like, it just gets better.

And I would say it is white people's responsibility to make these spaces more accessible because it's, you know, it's white people who have, who carry most of the power. And so it kind of, kind of is your responsibility to, yeah, to make these spaces more accessible. So, yeah, thank you.

Yeah, so I mean, we're not going anywhere. Not too worried about what other folks are doing. Yeah, yeah. So, so you— we've mentioned that you coach professionally at the high school level. You also have designs on doing more and more of what I do, which is like, you know, mostly remote coaching of adult— it could be, you know, all ages, but like adult runners. Um, you know, if, if there's an adult runner listening to this conversation who thinks, wow, Racina seems cool, she seems like a, like a good coach, and I don't care that she didn't run in college. Um, you know, could you, could you like Give those listeners, viewers a flavor of your coaching style and what the experience would be like for them?

Yeah. My coaching philosophy is I'll meet you where you at and you belong here, whether it's the road or the trails. And I think a lot of the time people maybe are intimidated by the thought of having a coach because they maybe think, well, I don't know, like, I'm not fast enough. I don't— why would I need a coach? But as I kind of said earlier, running is such an individual sport, and coaches are a way to help you meet your maximum potential. And that doesn't mean you need to be like a Boston qualifier marathoner. It doesn't mean, you know, you need to be making the podium in your age group. I like— because I don't care about that. And it's what I tell the athletes I coach, like, Most of the time, I don't really care about your time. I want you to go out and enjoy competing, enjoy the process. And that's the energy I would bring to anyone, to anyone I coach.

Right on. Yes, I would hire you. You know, one of the things we talked about when you were out here, that's like a kind of a big mission of mine is, and you just touched on it there, this, this self-disqualification phenomenon where You know, it's deeply ironic because, you know, people will, will say literally what you just said, like, I'm too slow to deserve a coach. It's like having a coach is how you get faster.

Right.

You know what I mean? So like, yeah, for me, and I get it, I get it why people do think this way, but you know, from my perspective, like, either you want to improve or you don't. Like, I mean, and you don't even have to want to improve, but for those who like treat it as a sport and, you know, they want to go farther, they want to go faster, like, to me, like, that is the ticket to the ride. It like, it doesn't matter if you're a 5-hour marathoner or a 2.5-hour marathoner.

Mm-hmm.

If you're like, dedicated to reaching your full potential, like you're in the same category of runners. And like, it's really a false partition to think that it's like it's the buckets are determined by your speed. It's the mindset.

Right. And I should also mention, I, I am not self-coached anymore. I think I've been— I'm working with a coach. Her name is Steph, Steph Flippin. She's great. And she coaches me remotely. And that's been maybe less than a year. I think I only started working with her like a couple of weeks before I did that 50K in the last fall. But yeah, like you just said, it's a mindset thing. Like, I, you know, when I started working with her, I didn't know what my potential was, but I really liked the idea of just being able to talk to someone and bounce ideas off of and maybe to get some affirmation and encouragement, you know, from a professional coach. And I think there's really value in having that human that human connection. Because I've had friends who've, you know, gotten training plans off of, you know, from AI, which I, you know, I don't love. Um, and, you know, they're not personalized. Whereas, you know, working with Steph, she knows me, she knows where she can push me, and I know that I can go to her with questions or if I'm like, you know, seeking affirmation or something like that. And she's just really great about that. And so I really appreciate the Yeah. The human aspect and the human connection that comes from coaching.

Mm-hmm. Yeah. Well, that, that gets back to like, you know, the Steve Kerr quote that like 10% of effective coaching is technical. That's why I've never watched Ted Lasso, but I love the whole concept of that show.

Right.

Because it, it's really based in reality. Like most of what you need to coach effectively is outside the realm of actual technical knowledge.

Right. 'Cause I have the technical knowledge, I could coach myself, but I do think I am a better runner. Now than I was a year ago because I work with a coach, and she you know and I don't. I didn't know my potential a year ago. I still don't really know my potential, but my coach Steph is helping me get there. Yeah.

Yes. So could you coach biathlon?

No. My my wheelhouse is running, although. Being the head track and field coach, I, you know, I oversee the throwers and the jumpers and the hurdlers. So I have learned a lot. I know, you know, I know what it takes to be a good thrower, hurdler, jumper, sprinter, of course distance runner. But my wheelhouse is definitely in endurance running.

Yep. Yeah. But it really is like, I don't know, this is also something we talked about in Flagstaff where like, you know, I'm, I'm, I know my lane and I'm not like a psychologist, but let's be honest, like as a coach, like you're, you're doing a lot of psychology, you know?

Yeah.

And I think, you know, that, that's exactly why you can be an effective coach even if you, you know, aren't a high-level performer in, in the sport yourself. But, uh, you know, on the, on the psychological side of working with athletes, like, what are the main things that, that you focus on? Like, I also want to share what I focus on, but I want you to answer that question first.

Yeah, I mean, it really does depend on the athlete, um, but I, you know, in the days leading up to an important race, for example, I might tell them to really picture the race, do some like visualization work where they are picturing themselves in the race at different points during the race so that they can anticipate that level of competition. They can anticipate how they might feel, you know, if they're doing the 1600 4-lap race, they know. Lap 3 is really gonna suck. But they're anticipating that. They know that. They're ready for it. They've trained for that. And so visualizing that will help them be more prepared when they're actually in it on the day of the race. I also sometimes like to give them like a word or 2 to focus on for each lap, whether that's like smooth or controlled, things like that.

Mm-hmm.

to help them give these— give them these cues as they're running, you know, just so they don't go off the rails and, you know, start doing something crazy in the middle of a race. Yeah. So sometimes those cues will help. I also, for myself, I think having a mantra, some— something personal that will help you stay focused and will help prevent your mind from wandering and also just help you trust yourself and know that this is what you're prepared for. This is what you trained for and you can do it. So those are just a few things that I I tell myself and the athletes I coach. Yeah.

I mean, it seems like there's a, there is a psychological, the, the dimension, psychological dimension to any challenge that an athlete might be confronting. Like it, it could be a training thing, an injury thing, a nutritional thing. Mm-hmm. But all of those types of challenges have a psychological dimension.

Mm-hmm.

And that needs to be addressed as part of addressing Right.

And I think, I think for myself too, I think one of the biggest things that us collectively as endurance athletes kind of face is like, you know, our bodies go into fight or flight when we're doing something difficult and our brains think we're gonna die. And so that's why we freak out.

Yeah.

Um, and that's why we slow down or something. But it's learning how, you know, the solution is learning how to tolerate discomfort. And that's You know, that's the biggest thing that I also— one of the biggest things I try to teach my athletes too is you're going to be uncomfortable, but you're only going to be uncomfortable for, you know, 5, 6, 7 minutes. It'll go and you can do it. We can be in discomfort for that long. We're not going to die. Even though our brains might think so, your body, your body can push past it. So yeah, it's tolerating that discomfort and it's something I, I still work on too. Um, when I did a 50— my 50-mile race earlier this year, I bonked. I had some nutritional issues early on and, you know, it was like mile 13, 14, 15, something like that. So very early on in the race. And I remember thinking, how am I going to run for 35 more miles? And, you know, my brain was like, yeah, you can't, you got to stop now. But my body knew I could. This was a solvable problem and I just got to get through a little bit of discomfort and it would be okay. And it was. Yeah.

The way, the way I kind of look at it is that every athlete or very close to every athlete self-limits in some way that has to do with just their psychological makeup. And it's going to come out like those self-limiting tendencies are going to cut because like, it's just the crucible of training and competition is. You know, your issues will bubble up. Like, you know, for me, a big one is impatience. Like, I am just a— it's weird because I like, I chose to be an endurance athlete and to write books, which are two things like you have to be—

You have to be patient for.

Patient for to do them well. But like, yeah, so like I've gotten myself into trouble like so many times. Yeah. And, but, you know, I became self-aware of that. And like, I'm always— you can't— there's no such thing as a personality transplant. But like, with self-knowledge comes the power to, to break out of those patterns. You still feel impatient, but you don't necessarily automatically do the impatient thing that—

Right. You don't fight it. Yeah.

Yeah. But, you know, so like, You know, for me, again, mostly coaching adult athletes, like, I, I want to go there with every athlete I work with, and it ends up kind of like becoming therapy a little bit. This is why I like to be conscious of my lane and, and go about it in the right way. But, but when athletes are willing to go there and like, you know, have like self-work be part of their athletic journey, it's so rewarding.

It really is. Yeah. And You know, with kids too, you know, kids can be, they can be, you know, they don't know their own potential, and there's a lot that they don't know because they don't have enough experience yet. So it's, it can be interesting. Yeah, trying to, trying to work on some of those things with kids. Yeah.

Could be putting you on the spot with this question. You can, you can deflect through the politician thing and answer the question you want to. wish I had asked instead, but, but, uh, where would you like to be professionally 5 years from now?

That's a fair question. I, and I, to be honest, I don't totally know. I would love to still coach. That's, that is a given. I, um, I think I mentioned earlier, it feels like I was meant to do this. So no matter, yeah, no matter what, I would still very much like to be coaching. I think, I think I'm still figuring, figuring things out. My background is in science. I studied geology in college. And so there's definitely a passion for science and being outdoors and all of that. So I would love to find a way to kind of combine, combine all of these things. And maybe I, maybe I need to Frankenstein a job together. Maybe that's the solution. But I really do love my life now. You know, I get to coach, I get to be outdoors a lot. I get to, you know, meet great people like you and the other Coaches of Color Initiative apprentices and mentors. So yeah, I get to run. So I hope my life is pretty similar actually.

Right on. Yeah, just like more of the same. Moving in the trajectory you're already on.

Yep.

So yeah, I'd like to invite, and this is also perhaps putting you on the spot, but like I would like to invite people watching this, uh, in the future, if they're interested in reaching out to you and perhaps working with you to, to give you that opportunity, um, you can email me, uh, with your requests, uh, matt@8020endurance.com. That's 8020endurance.com. Um, I'll let you decide if we also share your direct contact.

Sure. I mean, honestly, the best way is to contact me via Instagram. So Rosina underscore Garcia, R-O-S-I-N-A underscore Garcia. Best way to reach out to me and also a chance for you to see what I'm all about. Um, you know, you can look at my recent posts, see if I'm someone you might like to work with.

Right on. And you don't have to memorize those things. I will put them in the, the text that accompanies this video. Um, but yes, that's it for the gotcha questions. They were Thank you so much, Rosina, for giving us a little bit of your time today.

Thanks, Matt. This is fun.

Bye now.