Coach Shangrila Rendon
How long have you been doing what you do, and how did you become a Champion Mindset and Goal Achievement Expert?
To answer this question, it’s best that I share with you how I started 15 years ago, from running 15 minutes on a treadmill and zero experience in triathlon to the defining moment that brought me to where I am today – coaching athletes like you on how to become extraordinary athletes, despite physical, mental or emotional challenges.
A few months prior to doing my first triathlon race at age 29, I didn’t know how to swim and I didn’t even know how to clip or unclip my shoes on the bike. I remember nervously asking the swim coach during a workout if I could swim in the shallow area where I could reach the bottom. I was feeling embarrassed, but going into deep water was overwhelmingly impossible for me; I was scared.
But that wasn’t my only problem. I was super slow in all sports (swimming, cycling and running) and didn’t really know what I was doing. I was always the last one out of the water. There were many times that the race organizers would be half way through removing the swim and transition course race barricades by the time I reached my bike. A few of the pictures from those racing days show exactly that; just me in the transition, with no other athletes or their equipment around.
Though learning how to swim, bike and run on my own, one day at a time took me to finishing my first Ironman in one (1) year, it was extremely stressful because I was completing a Masters degree and working full time as an engineer back then.
I loved the idea of being a triathlete, having a reason to stay fit, winning races and training with "cool" people.
But I wasn’t very good at it. I was trying to “fake it till you make it”. At the same time the internal struggle that I was dealing with was trying to recover and heal my past of abuse and depression as a child.
I grew up having no control of what happened to me and feeling like I was invisible and didn’t matter. I wanted to show to my family and friends I could still make something out of my life despite what I had to go though in the past. I just wanted them to be proud of me and see that I could be an inspiration to them and others.
The defining moment in my life happened in 2014. In October, after I came back from an Ultra-triathlon race in Virginia.
At that race, I had committed to completing 4.8 miles swim, 224 miles bike and 52.4 miles run. I thought I did everything I could since I trained very hard for it, but I didn’t factor in how I would react, think and adjust when faced with heavy rain and thunderstorms. I only finished 4.8 miles swim, 150 miles bike and 26.2 miles run.
To others, this distance might have sounded amazing, but to me, all I could think about was that I didn’t meet my goal. I didn’t see the results of all my hard training. Worst part was that I couldn’t deny to myself that I had made excuses during the race. While I was riding in the cold darkness and rain, my head was full of negativities and “what ifs”. They were so loud and real, I convinced myself to pull out. Next day in the bright daylight, I regretted it bitterly. I had quit too soon, before giving it my best fight.
On November 2014, a month after the ultra-triathlon race, I was scheduled to race Ironman Arizona (IMAZ). Due to the lack of recovery time, I had caught a cold, sore throat and was coughing when I toed the start line of IMAZ. I finished the race, but didn’t see the result of all my sacrifices in training, just like what happened a month ago in Virginia.
After these 2 back-to-back setbacks in 2014, I was so frustrated, depressed and angry at myself, I avoided all my family and friends, just so I didn’t have to talk to them about the races.
I had had enough of failure. I told myself that I won’t let these disappointments and regrets to ever happen again. I decided that I was going to figure out how to become a Race Champion, whatever it takes!
This was my defining moment. I was done being average. It was almost Christmas time, when I made a commitment to immerse myself in absolutely everything to do with top performance.
I didn’t want to be the last one out of the water. I wanted to figure out how to get results, that I could be proud of. I wanted to be able to tell myself on race day that “I’m very happy and have no regrets, because I’ve done my best.” I wanted to get results my family and friends would be proud of.
I needed help. I needed a coach. A mentor. Someone who understood exactly what I needed to know and do to achieve the results I wanted so badly.
It wasn’t easy and straight-forward. I had a lot to learn and I was super stubborn. The problem was that I was trying to translate what my coach told me to do into my own way, yet I didn't really believe and trust myself.
I was also not used to following directions from someone. I kept thinking, it takes a longer time to follow another person rather than I just do things on my own. Even though I had tried that before and it didn't work.
When Ultraman Florida race came, I was ready and committed.
I completed the super cold 6.2 mile swim but was still one of the last ones out of the water. I finished very close to the organizers swim cut-off time.
My transition was slow, because I was freezing and I spent about 15 minutes in the car warming up. It was my longest swim to date and I was super grateful I made it.
After the swim I had to do a challenging 91-mile bike ride. That’s when three simple mistakes cost me the finish line:
- I didn’t know the route all that well.
- I didn’t know the route all that well.
- I had just bought a new Garmin navigator and didn’t set it up right
- I had a support crew, that didn’t know the route either
I took the wrong turn and got lost. I ended up biking 96 miles, instead of the planned 91-miles, yet still being 4 miles short of the finish line, when the organizers pulled me out of the race.
I was heartbroken. I was angry. I was disappointed. I was bitter and sad.
Even though I had completed the distance, the race organizers didn’t give me credit because I didn’t complete the distance on the assigned course. At the end of the day I saw a “DNF” on Day 1 under my name.
What’s unique about this race is that Ultraman allows all athletes to continue to participate to next day’s event, despite a DNF.
I decided to do the hardest thing there was – to show up on day 2 and 3 as a participant and still do the race despite of a “DNF” in the results.
That’s when things started to turn around.
I had a very strong day on Day 2 of Ultraman. I finished 171 miles of cycling. Placed 3rd female overall and 21st overall, out of 40 athletes.
I continued to show up to Day 3, where athletes were required to run 52.4 miles. My coach advised me to take my time during the run and enjoy the race. I followed him and did my best to be strategic all throughout the run.
I was 24th on the 10k mark.
I was 18th at the 13.1 miles mark.
I finished Day 3 as the 1st female overall and the 11th athlete overall (out of 40).
I was the first Filipino (male or female) to ever take on that race.
And even though that race was officially lost, I had just executed a perfect race.
In fact, I had executed the Champion’s Mind just by showing up on Day 2 despite of the “DNF” result on Day 1.
In order for me to start the 171 miles ride on Day 2, I had to truly accept what had happened, be in control of the present and continue to strive for the best every single day.
To some, this may not be very easy, because our minds and emotions trick us. It takes so much energy, effort and practice to do this.
2 weeks after Ultraman (on March 7, 2015), I successfully completed another ultra-triathlon race in Florida (4.8 miles swim, 224 miles bike, 52.4 miles run) and placed 4th female overall and was the first filipino female to complete the distance.
I continued with Champion’s Mind approach and continued to accomplish more of my goals.
On the same year (2015), I achieved the Guinness World record as the fastest female to complete 5 Ironman in 5 days (consecutively). I did this despite heavy continuous rain during the race and despite a hurricane, that was raging in the area. Things that would have been enough to stop me before.
This was the moment where my family and friends finally noticed and appreciated what I’d accomplished. It’s where I finally felt that they saw what I’d become and were proud of me.
It was a moment where after all my years of training and hard work, everything finally paid off and I experienced the thing I wanted most.
I won the IUTA World Cup as the 1st place woman in my age group and the 2nd place woman overall that year.
It showed me anything was possible, so I kept going.
I kept setting and committing to larger and more impossible goals.
On 2016, I finished 8 Ironman in 8 days in Switzerland.
On 2017, I participated in an extreme ultra-cycling endurance race (200-300-400 miles back-to-back) in Russia, battling different race challenges (overnight cycling, unpaved roads, driving on 1-lane roads with angry drivers behind you) and weather conditions (rain, extreme heat, hail) for 10 days and become one of the first 2 females to take on the challenge.
On 2018, I qualified and participated the Ultraman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.
I took myself from being a non-athlete, an average individual to a world class professional athlete with Champion’s Mind and driven to achieving my goals.
I took full responsibility for my results and started teaching other athletes how they can do the same.
I watched them transform themselves from being an average athlete to overcoming their fears, mindset blocks, excuses and physical limitations.
I taught them to use their past and bad experiences as their strength in order for them to achieve their wildest dreams and long-time goals.
I have since made a commitment to dedicate the rest of my professional life to helping others reach their utmost potential, while still being healthy, injury-free and maintaining a balanced life. This means, they are training for their BIG dream race, while working full time and still spending quality time with their family and friends.
Since then, I’ve worked with many athletes of different levels, executed many coached group workouts, taught in webinars, motivated and inspired individuals through speaking events, put resources and experts together in order to be accessible and bring knowledge to many.
I’ve lived my life going after almost impossible goals that I myself couldn’t fathom of doing. Goals I’m initially afraid of doing.
I have created a Champions Mindset and Goal Achievement System™, a series of structured learning, training and preparation steps every triathlete, cyclist, swimmer, runner needs to apply to gain the confidence and practice they need to skyrocket their athletic results in record time.
To learn more about my journey go here >
Feisty Fox Coaches
Coach Michael
Coach Michael is a physician, lecturer and published author. A husband, a father of 2 and a sub-5hr 70.3 finisher. He is an All World Athlete (5% in his age group).
Coach Michael is an understanding, encouraging leader who loves helping athletes see their true potential.
Feisty Fox 1-on-1 Coaching
The 1-on-1 coaching option is ideal for any triathletes who are looking to work closely with a coach, to maximize the effectiveness of their training and achieve improvement rapidly.
One major benefit of this is the ongoing coach-athlete communication, for overcoming unexpected obstacles, problem-solving and adjusting the training plan on a daily and weekly basis.
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