The final podcast in our Kona Qualifiers Series is with Michael Stanek. Michael is a young athlete with a background in Freestyle BMX, of all things, but more impressive is how he managed to qualify for Kona amidst 80 hour weeks and night shifts while finishing his Residency. Listen in to find out how Mike accomplished this and how he arrived at having such a detailed race plan, and feel free to ask any questions below!
What specialty was your residency?
Looking forward to the links for vegetarian Crock-Pot recipes.
Hi wcass, I did an emergency medicine residency at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, IL.
So much good stuff coming your way when I get back home!!!
Nice work yesterday Michael! You were in good spirits at the turnaround on Ali’i, and looks like you carried that through!
Thank you Jonathan, it was great seeing you guys out there on the run course. I tried to enjoy that run and take it all in. I was kissing hands and shaking babies the entire way! Time to go hike some Volcanoes.
Hey @mtstanek really enjoyed listening to you on the podcast, it’s inspiring to hear what can be achieved despite a hugely demanding professional workload. I’m a father of 3, so my available time is very limited also but you have given my hope and motivation that I can achieve my goals! Thanks, and congrats on a great time yesterday!
@racewheels Thank you! Some other things I found helpful for training during a busy work/life schedule… I pretty much always carried around a pair of swimming stretch cords. If I had a chance at work or at home I would always do a few sets, maybe 4 x 50 on the cords. I would also have my bike set up and ready to go in the trainer at all times with my shoes and a towel ready to go. This way I was able to either hop on it before or after work and it saved me 10-15 min each day which really adds up after a while. Keep up the good work!!! Mahalo!!
Thanks man! I am definitely a master of minimising the time it takes to transition from family to the bike! Bike permanently on the trainer, bottles prefilled and on the bike, playlist/podcast selected and workout loaded and ready to go! Thanks for the tip on the swim cords, will look into it.
Inspiring story and journey to Kona on your constrained time budget, Michael!
Very cool to hear a local successful and talented guy on the podcast.
I bought my first “real” bike from a cycles n sports around 2005-2006. A Specialized Hardrock.
That’s great - thanks in advance. Congratulations on your race and enjoy the post-race recovery!!
Thank you Kevin!
No way! Really? The cycles and sports in Worth, IL? There is a pretty good chance I sold you that bike lol
Yeah, in worth, IL.
@mtstanek Hi man! Great result and inspiring podcast!
If you find the time to post some links to the crock-pot recipes would be great. Thx!
Thank you @kimi ! Ill be leaving the island tomorrow to head back to Chicago. Recipes should be coming your way Thursday.
Awesome man and congrats on the great race!!! Just listened to the episode on my way to an interview for an EM residency! Definitely gives me more hope that it’s possible to continue to get faster even during residency!!!
@Jodierno That is awesome! Good luck with interview season. You definitely picked the right specialty if you want to continue to train. The life work balance is amazing.
