Dynamic Balance

A few months ago, I made the decision to stop all structured training in an effort to regain my health. I've been struggling with Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) for over a year now, and after a lot of trial and error, it became clear that I needed more rest - mentally through less structured training, and physically through less training in general. Throughout this unstructured period, I have placed emphasis on moving my body in ways that bring me joy. Accordingly, I have freed myself up to try new things purely for enjoyment. This is in major contrast to the last four years of my career, during which enjoyment was tossed aside in favor of an "all-in" mindset and an all-consuming pursuit of success - and during which I operated under the idea that anything non-triathlon-specific would detract from my triathlon endeavors. But recently, through my efforts to combat burnout, I have realized that this is not the case at all. In fact, these non-triathlon-specific

  This is the story of how one promising young triathlete met an all-too-common fate, written by Kristen Seymour of Triathlete Magazine. Click here to read.

Sport is full of peaks and valleys, and recently, I have been navigating what feels like a vast valley in my career. A mere six weeks after leaving the full-time training environment that had been my home for four years, and just five weeks after moving back across the country to my true home, I raced at 70.3 Mont-Tremblant. Leading into the race, I had a gut feeling that I was pushing myself a bit too much to get to the start line. But I had already signed up, this race was on my bucket list, my training numbers looked good, and I was determined to make it there. Make it there I did – even after a comedy of errors leading up to race day, including delayed baggage and perpetual bike issues – but ultimately, Mont-Tremblant made it painfully clear that I needed to take a step back, give myself some grace, and allow my body and mind to recover from what was an extremely stressful period in my life. I never felt right on race day, and after faking my way through the swim in what felt like

Six weeks ago I crossed the finish line at the White Lake Half, securing my first win as a professional triathlete. This result looked great on paper – but a result never tells an athlete’s full story. I always imagined my first pro victory would be a momentous, emotional event, and this held true – but not in the way I had always pictured. What I experienced when I crossed the line was not an overflow of positive feelings, as one would expect. On the contrary: what I experienced was a complete feeling of demoralisation after what should have been one of the biggest accomplishments of my career to date, and an utter lack of enjoyment in any part of the 4 hours and 20 minutes I had just spent on the race course. I’ve had subpar races before, but this was different. Not only did I perform significantly below my capabilities, but I felt devoid of any fight. I had gone into the race with no excitement and no desire to be there, and after the fact, I was left with a sinking feeling that I n

I opened my 2022 season at the White Lake Half in North Carolina on May 7, achieving my first win as a professional. While this was a huge benchmark and accomplishment in itself, the race left a lot to be desired. Read my full race recap on Tri247: https://www.tri247.com/triathlon-news/elite/ali-brauer-white-lake-triathlon-2022-report

As I crossed the finish line for my first major podium finish after a wet and wild day at IRONMAN 70.3 Memphis last October, I was flooded with multiple emotions. The major one: relief. Then, fleeting happiness. And finally, dissatisfaction with a side of embarrassment. In an event that was broadcast live on IRONMAN NOW for thousands to see - I, a rookie long course pro, was not afraid to stick my nose in the middle of a race with two of the best female triathletes in the world: Ellie Salthouse and Jackie Hering. I exited the swim with Ellie and traded pulls with Jackie during the second half of the bike before finishing third on the day. To the vast majority of those watching the live stream, I was a complete nobody, likely performing above anyone’s expectations for someone who, up to this point, had flown completely under the radar. But the result never tells the full story, and what people couldn’t see on screen is the two years of relentless hard work I put in on the swim and bike