Thanks so much for sitting down with us, Carson!

It was a pleasure speaking with you and we are very excited to have the opportunity to share your wisdom.

Interview follows below!

Intro Q & A

Name?

Carson Beckett

Place of Birth and/or Nationality?

KY, USA

Age?

25

Type of Athlete and/or Specific Sport?

Professional mountain biker (or off-road cyclist)

Why did you get started doing it and why do you continue doing it in a few sentences?

I got started in mountain biking by following in the footsteps of my local shop buddies and older friends. What began as unique, fun weekends driving all over the map for events became a passion and career, as I realized I’ve fallen in love with the “chase” of bigger and better experiences.

Athlete Q & A

What are the biggest moments of your career or some top accomplishments?

One of the biggest moments of my career was actually this year when I won my first UCI (internationally recognized) mountain bike race. Surprisingly, I did so in quite a commanding way, but it felt anticlimactic because of how seamless it felt. Secondly, while not related to race results, was going to Switzerland on a whim to ride in the Swiss Epic (a five day stage race in Switzerland). It was the first time in my career I had jumped on an opportunity with the goal of soaking up the experience and not going to “win or compete”.

What three factors (anything really) do you most owe to your success?

A few factors that I owe to my success include patience, consistency, and skill development. I’m really not the most physically gifted athlete in terms of numbers and performance, but over time I’ve kept chopping away at the task at hand and let the work slowly come to fruition. I was fortunate to get early exposure to technical riding and racing and it has become a huge advantage and tool for me.

Any advice you'd give to your younger self, especially when it comes to maximizing athletic performance and potential?

Don’t be afraid of rest. It’s what I continue to struggle with and find myself neglecting. How are you able to mentally and physically stay so consistent and motivated to train day after day? To me, the process and structure of training is more rewarding than the racing itself. I enjoy the byproduct of getting to travel and explore new events, but the daily routine of checking boxes brings me satisfaction.

What is the key or keys to preventing overtraining and/or developing an unhealthy relationship with sport?

This has to be related to rest. I don’t necessarily believe someone can “overtrain”...I believe athletes will under-recover. Additionally, make training fun. There’s a time and place for forcing yourself into uncomfortable sessions or structure, but taking days to ride for fun, do intervals on trail, or just explore are key to staying balanced.

An unexpected piece of advice that greatly influenced your athletic career and/or life the better?

I don’t know if this was direct to me, but hearing from athletes that “race what they want to race” has been inspiring. Whether it’s an MTB athlete turning down Pro Road Racing contracts or adventurous athletes racing the fun events and skipping important ones, I think doing what you want is the most satisfying course of action.

The best way you've learned to recover from a hard day of racing or training?

All the gadgets in the world can’t help you recover if you don’t do three things: sleep, nourish, and chill. I find that fueling enough during training, relaxing after sessions, and keeping sleep at the forefront are the best ways to recover.

Mystery Q & A

Weirdest thing that's happened to you or that you've seen happen during a race? For us, it was a spectator at the top of a hill climb during a road cycling race with his pants pulled down and slap my ass written over his, well, his ass.

In the Swiss Epic, we had to stop and maneuver around a herd of the big Euro cows they have there. They literally walked down the singletrack and were essentially saying “well, guess you are going to have to go around”.

Two tips to go faster on the bike nobody knows about?

Lift heavy things! Ride when it’s wet out…you’ll be grateful for it years down the road when you can ride tricky trails. This could also just be reframed as “work on technical skills”.

When training for a race, what's 1 thing everyone does but shouldn’t, and what's 1 thing no one does but should!?

Go slow to go fast. Most of your time training (%80) should actually be spent going “easy” and developing your aerobic foundation. Yet, most people smash workouts more often than not.

The best thing you’ve bought in the past year to help improve your health, fitness, and/or performance?

A Supersapiens CGM. While I still don’t feel I utilized it to it’s full potential, the 2mo I had one provided some serious insight as to how different food reacts, fuel better in training, and manage daily blood glucose flow.

Favorite cycling book?

Not just a cycling book, really, but a general performance one: Endure.

Your biggest idea for a better life (in 1 or 2 sentences)?

We should spend more time outside, doing hard stuff, and doing things we enjoy. If we try to check those off each day, you begin to reframe what it means to be “alive”.

Outro Q & A

Where can our readers follow you and stay updated on the latest?

@carsonjbeckett on almost all of my social media and www.carsonjbeckett.com

You also do private coaching, right? Please tell us a little bit more about that.

I coach athletes (one-on-one) with a main focus on actively guiding them towards X, Y, or Z goals  with planning, consultations as needed, and of course the physical workouts themselves. I coach athletes from 14yr old in NICA to 60+ chasing big gravel adventures.

Any last words of wisdom?

I’d like to say that of all the things you can do, committing yourself to pursuing something is a great opportunity. The lessons that sport and challenge have taught me have shaped my life for the better. Do hard things, eat well, and have fun.

Are you an athlete? Have an awesome story or accomplishment? Interested in just sharing your wisdom with the world?

Well, we'd love to have you (or someone you nominate) be featured on our next installment of The Heart of an Athlete. 

Please contact ethan@purecleanperformance.com to be featured.