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199 - Running, overcoming challenges, and finding success | Ryan Hall

Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://bit.ly/4c602k2 View show notes for this episode: https://bit.ly/3pY3y8S Ryan Hall is the fastest American ever to run the marathon (2:04:58) and half marathon (59:43) and is the author of the book Run the Mile You’re In. In this episode, Ryan discusses his amazing successes and epic failures during his remarkable running career and what he's learned through these experiences. Ryan explains not only the physical aspects of running - including his training routine, fueling regimen, and recovery process - but he also emphasizes the mental aspect of the sport. He discusses how accepting and reframing negative thoughts can empower you to take on challenges and reach your potential. Additionally, Ryan discusses the traits that make the best competitors, the keys to overcoming setbacks, and his amazing feat of 7 marathons in 7 days as a goodbye to the sport that gave him so much. We discuss: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:00:10 - How Ryan got into running and his formative years of training 0:05:40 - The advantages of altitude—living high and training low 0:10:00 - Progressive overload, blood flow restriction, and switching up your workout routine 0:12:42 - Lessons learned from competing in the Beijing Olympics 0:18:40 - Importance of speed, power, and strength for runners 0:32:12 - The crazy idea that got Ryan hooked on running 0:34:58 - The mental aspect of training and the power of reframing negative thoughts 0:49:45 - The importance of fueling, and Ryan’s marathon diet 0:57:17 - Boosting performance with Tylenol and keeping core temperature down 1:08:50 - Ryan’s early struggles and later success at Stanford 1:15:05 - Keys to overcoming difficulty: faith, mindset, and being a better teammate 1:21:32 - Ryan’s professional running career and his discovery of his gift for marathon distances 1:32:26 - Reflections after breaking the American half marathon record, and challenges faced by retired athletes 1:39:45 - Ryan’s marathon training regimen at the Mammoth Track Club in 2010 1:49:08 - Optimal body weight for competition and the pros and cons of going below your natural weight 1:54:45 - Training volume, importance of mixing up the intensity level, and zone 2 and zone 5 for longevity 1:59:12 - The most impactful adjustments Ryan made to his training leading up the to 2011 Boston Marathon 2:04:39 - A new personal record at the 2011 Boston Marathon and lessons on maximizing your own potential 2:13:55 - Learning from failure and takeaways from his disappointing performance at the 2012 Olympics 2:26:41 - Utilizing cardio and strength training for overall health, and how Ryan uses blood flow restriction in his workouts 2:31:32 - Performance enhancing drugs (or lack thereof) in marathon runners 2:34:54 - Traits of the greatest marathon runners 2:41:25 - 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents—saying goodbye to the sport 2:52:30 - Reflections on what running has given Ryan -------- About: The Peter Attia Drive is a weekly, ultra-deep-dive podcast focusing on maximizing health, longevity, critical thinking…and a few other things. With over 40 million episodes downloaded, it features topics including fasting, ketosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, mental health, and much more. Peter is a physician focusing on the applied science of longevity. His practice deals extensively with nutritional interventions, exercise physiology, sleep physiology, emotional and mental health, and pharmacology to increase lifespan (delay the onset of chronic disease), while simultaneously improving healthspan (quality of life). Learn more: https://bit.ly/3J8pmWI Subscribe to receive exclusive subscriber-only content: https://bit.ly/3pZdgrr Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://bit.ly/3t2Pa0X Connect with Peter on: Facebook: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDTW Instagram: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDIG Subscribe to The Drive: Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveApplePodcasts Overcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveOvercast Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheDriveSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheDriveGoogle

Peter AttiahostRyan Hallguest
Mar 14, 20222h 58mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Ryan Hall on Running, Failure, Faith, Strength, and Finding Joy

  1. Ryan Hall describes growing up at altitude in Big Bear, then running a 59:43 debut half marathon in Houston and a 2:04:58 at Boston in 2011, and he credits speed development and consistent threshold training.
  2. He and Peter Attia discuss training science, including living high and training low, strength and power for runners, hard-easy intensity contrast, fueling, caffeine, Tylenol, and cooling strategies.
  3. Hall explains that a performance-based identity caused depression at Stanford, and that accepting unconditional worth through his faith freed him to take risks and train better.
  4. He recounts a four-year string of injuries and failures after 2012, which he attributes largely to being underweight and underfed, a body weight below his natural range, and an unhealthy approach to weight and recovery.
  5. Since retiring, Hall has shifted to heavy lifting, extreme challenges like the Grand Canyon water carry and seven marathons in seven days, and coaching, with a focus on joy and helping others over personal performance.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Speed underpins marathon success

Hall says world-class marathoners need real sprint and mile speed built early, then extended upward to 5K, 10K, half, and marathon, and he credits a decade of speed work for his Houston half marathon.

Strength and force into the ground matter for runners

The two discuss hex bar deadlifts, glute strength, and stomping force into the ground rather than pawing at it, and Hall says he wishes he had used his weight-room time better as a pro.

Run the mile you're in

Hall manages pain by turning off the mind, staying present, and reframing negative thoughts, as in the Grand Canyon carry, rather than being overwhelmed by the distance left.

How you train matters more than what you train

Hall says that racing every workout to prove himself was counterproductive, and that confidence in his identity let him absorb training better and work well with teammates.

Hard days hard, easy days easy

Hall describes widely varying paces between hard and easy days, while Attia argues that most people train in a middle-intensity zone and should favor zone two and zone five.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

It's not about what I do. It's about how I do what I do.

— Ryan Hall

I need to be making deposits, not making withdrawals when I'm training.

— Ryan Hall

Just handle what's this mile that you're in right now, which is why, you know, I wrote my book entitled Run the Mile You're In, 'cause just like you just gotta bring yourself back to being present in this moment, and there's always enough to get you through this moment.

— Ryan Hall

Nothing lasts forever, right? That's, like, what makes the sunset so beautiful. It doesn't just stay in the sky forever.

— Ryan Hall

I'm far more concerned with my athletes' happiness than I am with how fast they are, right? Like, I want them to enter into the good life, and I think running is a way to do that.

— Ryan Hall

Living high, training lowSpeed, power, and strength for marathonersMental reframing and being presentFueling and caffeine strategyTylenol, palm cooling, and core temperatureOvertraining, low body weight, and injuriesFaith, identity, and handling failure

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