It’s a big week in the Flomas household with Zadie’s first birthday and Ironman Championships in Kona, and the anniversary of both of those slightly large life events occuring days apart from each other last year. This go-round will be decidedly more chill, with Lauren not in the labor wing and Jesse not laboring through 140.6 miles of brutal triathloning (the debate over who was in more pain is off the table, don’t even go there). Jesse will still be traveling to the Big Island to rep Picky Bars and take in the race from the other side of the barricades - maybe he’ll shave some time off his post-race Beer Mile with fresh legs? - but not before some of Lauren’s nearly-famous birthday cake and answering some new listener questions. [Submit yours: pickybars.com/podcastQs] Topics this episode include: Innovation vs stasis Breakthrough performances Multi-year projects (athletics and other) Staying sane/motivated in the off-season A teacher looks for advice on keeping her enthusiasm high when the material is repetitive, which anyone would find relatable to endurance sports, performance arts, work tasks, and just general life’ing. Lessons from hosting Wilder Retreats and Picky Bars annual activities provide the bones for a good chat on getting the most out of your upfront work while giving the most to the recipients, without watering it down or overworking the dough. From there they talk about how to set yourself up for a breakthrough performance, eat an elephant (aka big, long-term goals like qualifying for the Boston Marathon), and managing guilt in the off-season, which triggers a spontaneous soft-commitment from one of them to running Club Cross Country Nationals. Enjoy!