Finishing the World's Toughest Endurance Events: A Guide to Resilience with John Kelly
07/21/20 • 68 min
John Kelly holds a spot in the Guinness World Book of Records, is a Chief Technology Officer, and is the 15th person to finish the Barkley Marathons. John shares stories on how he trained for the Montane Spine Race, surviving the Barkley, and how he still has time for family at the end of the day.
Who is John Kelly?
John Kelly is an ultrarunning data scientist, father of three with a former triathlon habit. He is the Chief Technology Officer of Envelop Risk, and to support his ability to do that day job with a clear mind he runs, bikes, and hikes. He also used to be a pretty serious water skier and World of Warcraft player.
John has been running most of his life. In high school he was a good, but not a great runner. During college and grad school, John essentially took a full decade off from the sport. After grad school, he rediscovered his love of the mountains on a road trip out west that included hiking the John Muir Trail with his incredible wife Jessi.
John ended up running the 2013 Marine Corps Marathon, and it was an absolute disaster. It was his first race in 10 years, his longest race by 20 miles, and his training had been horribly insufficient. Of course, immediately after that, John said, “I think I can do better” and signed up for another.
John has always been a math and computer person who enjoys finding patterns and automating complex processes. An opportunity at a startup, where there was less bureaucracy and John would have more influence over research and applications, was something he couldn’t walk away from. In the summer of 2015, around the same time that he got serious about ultrarunning and triathlons, as he made the jump to become the Director of Analytics at QxBranch, a data analytics startup in downtown DC. That startup partnered with a company in the UK to create another startup, Envelop Risk, that could better deliver that product to customers and insurance partners.
Highlights
[3:30] Setting a world record
[7:30] The appeal of data science
[9:55] Returning to running
[15:44] Thriving at the Barkley Marathons
[22:30] How ultra resilience transfers to everyday life
[30:06] The biggest mistakes people make with marathons
[36:15] John’s training regimen
[43:50] Sleep optimization for performance endurance
[49:45] Use data in the training
[55:38] Maintaining work-life balance
Resources
The Barkley Marathons Documentary
David Roche -Training For Busy Athletes
Sponsors
CAR.O.L
You don’t have time for that 45 minute jog.
You need something fast, efficient, and leaves you wanting more.
My favorite tool for this is the CAR.O.L. She is a life-changing bike, that provides you all the endurance you need into two 20 second bursts.
Yes, you read that right.
That’s 40 seconds of max-effort, including the warm up and cool downs, you get a kick-ass workout in 8 minutes and 40 seconds.
The CAR.O.L is a resistance bike powered by artificial intelligence, which personalizes and optimizes the resistance, so you hit your maximum intensity levels and maximize glycogen depletion every single time.
The proof is really in the pudding. CAR.O.L’s effectiveness was independently verified by the American Council on Exercise. I gave the CAR.O.L bike spin at Health Optimization Summit in London this year, and she kicked my ass so much that I had to get one. Check out CAR.O.L at carolfitai.com
If you have limited time and want a kick ass workout, which basically everyone that listens to this show does, use the code DECODING150 for a big discount, head over to CarolfitAI.com to secure yours.
Resilient Nutrition
The guys at resilient nutrition have done a fantastic job of tackling the endurance nutrition space.
Their first product, Long Range Fuel come...
John Kelly holds a spot in the Guinness World Book of Records, is a Chief Technology Officer, and is the 15th person to finish the Barkley Marathons. John shares stories on how he trained for the Montane Spine Race, surviving the Barkley, and how he still has time for family at the end of the day.
Who is John Kelly?
John Kelly is an ultrarunning data scientist, father of three with a former triathlon habit. He is the Chief Technology Officer of Envelop Risk, and to support his ability to do that day job with a clear mind he runs, bikes, and hikes. He also used to be a pretty serious water skier and World of Warcraft player.
John has been running most of his life. In high school he was a good, but not a great runner. During college and grad school, John essentially took a full decade off from the sport. After grad school, he rediscovered his love of the mountains on a road trip out west that included hiking the John Muir Trail with his incredible wife Jessi.
John ended up running the 2013 Marine Corps Marathon, and it was an absolute disaster. It was his first race in 10 years, his longest race by 20 miles, and his training had been horribly insufficient. Of course, immediately after that, John said, “I think I can do better” and signed up for another.
John has always been a math and computer person who enjoys finding patterns and automating complex processes. An opportunity at a startup, where there was less bureaucracy and John would have more influence over research and applications, was something he couldn’t walk away from. In the summer of 2015, around the same time that he got serious about ultrarunning and triathlons, as he made the jump to become the Director of Analytics at QxBranch, a data analytics startup in downtown DC. That startup partnered with a company in the UK to create another startup, Envelop Risk, that could better deliver that product to customers and insurance partners.
Highlights
[3:30] Setting a world record
[7:30] The appeal of data science
[9:55] Returning to running
[15:44] Thriving at the Barkley Marathons
[22:30] How ultra resilience transfers to everyday life
[30:06] The biggest mistakes people make with marathons
[36:15] John’s training regimen
[43:50] Sleep optimization for performance endurance
[49:45] Use data in the training
[55:38] Maintaining work-life balance
Resources
The Barkley Marathons Documentary
David Roche -Training For Busy Athletes
Sponsors
CAR.O.L
You don’t have time for that 45 minute jog.
You need something fast, efficient, and leaves you wanting more.
My favorite tool for this is the CAR.O.L. She is a life-changing bike, that provides you all the endurance you need into two 20 second bursts.
Yes, you read that right.
That’s 40 seconds of max-effort, including the warm up and cool downs, you get a kick-ass workout in 8 minutes and 40 seconds.
The CAR.O.L is a resistance bike powered by artificial intelligence, which personalizes and optimizes the resistance, so you hit your maximum intensity levels and maximize glycogen depletion every single time.
The proof is really in the pudding. CAR.O.L’s effectiveness was independently verified by the American Council on Exercise. I gave the CAR.O.L bike spin at Health Optimization Summit in London this year, and she kicked my ass so much that I had to get one. Check out CAR.O.L at carolfitai.com
If you have limited time and want a kick ass workout, which basically everyone that listens to this show does, use the code DECODING150 for a big discount, head over to CarolfitAI.com to secure yours.
Resilient Nutrition
The guys at resilient nutrition have done a fantastic job of tackling the endurance nutrition space.
Their first product, Long Range Fuel come...
Previous Episode
Spiritual Journies, Bodybuilding Championships, and Optimizing Digestion with Wade Lightheart
Wade Lightheart, Co-Founder of BiOptimizers, built a wealth of experience traveling the world. As a vegetarian bodybuilder, Wade competed in Mr. Universe and was a 3 time Canadian All-Natural bodybuilding champion. Wade shares his wisdom from a life traveling the world, dieting, and what led him to focus on digestion.
Who is Wade Lightheart?
3-Time Canadian national All Natural Bodybuilding Champion who competed as a vegetarian, former Mr. Universe Competitor, host of The Awesome Health podcast, Wade Lightheart is one of the world’s premier authorities on Natural Nutrition and Training Methods. Having majored in Sports Science at the University of New Brunswick, he has authored numerous books on health, nutrition, and exercise which have sold in over 80 Countries.
Wade also serves as an advisor to the American Anti-Cancer Institute and is the Co-Founder and President at BiOptimizers, a digestive and health optimization company.
He’s been in the health industry for over 25 years, coached thousands of clients, and is sought out by athletes and high-performance oriented individuals worldwide for his advice on how to optimize their health and fitness levels.
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[6:03] The search for spirituality
[14:07] Becoming a digital nomad
[18:41] Living in India
[23:27] The best of living abroad
[28:00] Becoming vegetarian
[33:46] Vegetarian bodybuilding
[45:10] Digestive enzymes
[1:01:01] A self-evaluation for leaky gut
Resources
Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda
The Holy Science by Swami Sri Yukteswar
Enzyme Nutrition by Dr. Edward Howell
Food Enzymes for Health & Longevity by Dr. Edward Howell
Power VS Force by David Hawkins
Sponsors
Vielight
Vielight combines science and engineering ingenuity to develop unique devices that deliver photons to the brain and inner systems. Their mission is to create photobiomodulation devices that are safe and effective – to help improve one’s quality of life.
The Neuro Alpha is a staple in my stress resilience and sleep improvement routine. I get better sleep, better focus, and less anxiety around public speaking. And... increased ability to drop into flow.
Go to vielight.com and use the coupon code BOOMER to get 10% off on your purchase.
BiOptimizers
If you’re over 35, your enzyme levels have already begun to decline and your immune system can be more susceptible to viruses.
Enzymes are the workhorses of digestion. They break your food down into usable macro and micronutrients.
Research shows that by the time someone hits 65, their saliva and pancreatic secretions, both of which are involved in enzyme activity—can have declined by as much as 50%! This decline creates chronic indigestion, setting the stage for gut issues, yeast and mold overgrowth, even malnutrition.
This is why I’m a big fan of enzyme and probiotic supplementation and one of the best companies I’ve ever found that specializes in optimizing your digestion through both of these supplements are my friends at BiOptimizers.
Head on over to www.bioptimizers.com/boomer and use coupon code BOOMER to get 10% off any package. They have the best guarantee I've seen in the industry. It's a 365 day FULL money back guarantee.
If you want to try MassZymes, I strongly suggest you head on over to their site and grab it your free bottle before they either run out or just take down this offer. Head on over to https://masszymes.com/boomerfree and you'll automatically get your free bottle added to your shopping cart.
Continue Your High Performance Journey with Wade Lightheart
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Dealing with Insomnia: Sleep Solutions for Crisis Times with Greg Potter
Our first conversation is one of the most downloaded episodes of the podcast! Greg Potter PhD returns for a discussion about the effects of COVID-19 on sleep, what to do about stress induced insomnia, formulas for behavior change leading to better sleep, and Resilient Nutrition.
Who is Greg Potter, PhD?
Greg Potter’s PhD work at the University of Leeds on sleep, diet, and metabolic health was featured by the likes of the BBC World Service, the Washington Post, and Reuters. Greg has a BSc and an MSc in Exercise Physiology from Loughborough University, where he coached a sprinter to four gold medals at the European Championships. Greg has also worked with groups such as The United States Naval Special Warfare Command on health and performance optimization. He is now Chief Scientific officer for a digital health startup.
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[5:23] COVID-19 and Sleep Disturbance
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[18:46] What metrics matter
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Resources
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Tobias Lundgren Bull’s Eye Exercise
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index
SponsorsResilient Nutrition
I met Greg Potter at a speaking event in Latvia.
9 months later, I met Ali Macdonald at a speaking event in London.
Ali and Greg mentioned they were working on something special in the endurance space. And damn... they have done a fantastic job of tackling endurance nutrition.
I remember when I was going back to run the Brussels marathon and I was looking at the options for fueling during the race. I was surprised by the lack of real food, but also things that supported me during my run.
Enter Resilient Nutrition.
Ali and Greg have developed a formula which is called Long Range Fuel, and there are several choices for you, which now I use for everything from cognitive endurance to my physical endurance.
Head on over to resilientnutrition.com and get yours today because they taste so fricking good. Use the code Boomer for 10% off.
Vielight
Vielight combines science and engineering ingenuity to develop unique devices that deliver photons to the brain and inner systems. Their mission is to create photobiomodulation devices that are safe and effective – to help improve one’s quality of life.
The Neuro Alpha is a staple in my stress resilience and sleep improvement routine. I get better sleep, better focus, and less anxiety around public speaking. And... increased ability to drop into flow.
Go to vielight.com and use the promo code BOOMER for 10% off your purchase.
Continue Your High Performance Journey with Greg Potter PhD
Disclaimer
This information is being provided to you for educational and informational purposes only. This is being provided as a self-help tool to help you understand your genetics, biodata and other information to enhance your performance. It is not medical ...
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