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Another Race Under my Belt:
My quarter life crisis is starting to rear its head.
And it’s coming out in ways that most of you won’t be shocked to hear.
No, not buying fancy colognes or spending hours on Zillow.
This past weekend I made the spontaneous — impulsive might be more accurate — decision to sign up and race in the Christie Clinic Half Marathon in Champaign, IL.
While my initial plan was to cruise at a moderate pace and enjoy the scenery of my old stomping grounds, that was quickly amended when my legs felt fresh a few miles in and the competitive itch became too bothersome not to scratch. Predictably.
Although I didn’t top the time I had in Chicago last fall and set a PR, I was incredibly pleased with my performance.
Especially since I didn’t taper off my training the week prior as this was just a steppingstone to running a full marathon in June.
I’ve said it before but there’s nothing that can match the environment on race day.
Thousands of people gathered who spent months training for this moment and it’s nothing but good energy and smiles.
Advice — if you are planning a race, I highly recommend doing a “tune-up” prior to a longer event to iron out any kinks in your fueling strategies, training, and running gear.
The blood stains on my socks and shoes is a testament.
Time to recalibrate and dial in these next seven weeks!
Also, huge shoutout to Mr. Cody Moody for finishing the FULL marathon in training for his 100(!!) mile ultra-marathon!
Podcast I Just Finished:
This one is atop the most meaningful podcasts I’ve heard thus far in 2025.
On a long drive this week, I tuned into Dr. Anna Lembke on The Diary of a CEO podcast hosted by Steven Bartlett. Dr. Lembke is a world-renowned psychiatrist who leads the addiction clinic at Stanford University and is a best-selling author of Dopamine Nation — a book centered around indulgence and finding balance.
Lembke proposes that our brains weren’t wired for the current world we live in — one where instant pleasure is available at a single swipe and click of a button.
Our bodies were designed to be at homeostasis, a balanced internal environment. Surprising to many, this even holds true for our dopamine levels — the ones that are associated with reward, pursuit of goals, and pleasure.
Dopamine is the driver of our existence between the continuum of pleasure and pain.
It’s normal to think that we should dwell on the side of pleasure then, right? Who would ever want to be on the painful side?
But in fact, we’re intended to spend the vast majority somewhere in the middle. It’s like a seesaw; when we tip the scales too far in the direction of pleasure from instant rewards, a rebound-effect occurs and we are sling-shot in the other direction.
This is the illustrated in the so-called “comedown” that addicts experience the day after a long evening.
Or even days after we reach an exciting accomplishment and those post-success blues set in.
Lembke estimates that over 90+% of Americans struggle with some sort of compulsive overconsumption whether that be drugs, caffeine, food, nicotine, alcohol, social media, or even reading fantasy novels.
Her words, not mine.
Once we find that “drug” of choice, our bodies crave the dopamine rush it leads to, and we impulsively start seeking it out.
But the immense pleasure it once came with diminishes over time and we are often left chasing our baseline rather than the high it used to give us.
We build up a tolerance, that is.
So, how am I applying this to my everyday existence?
Well for one, I’m back with strict screen times on social media use. We just weren’t meant to have our heads down in our phones as much as we do and it’s sad to see how many of us are attached to devices.
Speaking of this, here’s a quick poll for curiosity sake.
Just to put things in perspective (and give you motivation to lower that number), check out this collection of photos where photographer Eric Pickersgill removes phones from the images to emphasize how perplexing this epidemic is.
I’m also purposefully going to continue seeking out “real dopamine” which often comes with pushing into the painful side of the spectrum.
Enter cold plunges, hard workouts, long sauna sessions, going on a run with no headphones, driving with no music, etc.
When we start to rewire our brains by doing such, we feel more pleasure from the simple things and don’t need those grandiose moments just to feel something.
And yes, this takes time and a sense of agitation.
But it’s how life was meant to be lived.
What NOT to Consume After Working Out:
I briefly mentioned last week to avoid using cryotherapy (cold) in the hours after a resistance training session as it can lead to a decrease in positive training adaptations.
For change to occur within our muscle tissue, we need some of that inflammation and blunting it with cryotherapy is counterintuitive.
Keeping with that theme, let’s discuss another biggie that nestles into the same category.
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS).
It’s in the name.
Medications like Ibuprofen and Naproxen are good pain-relievers, sure — but they also come at the expense of blocking the inflammation necessary to rebuild and strengthen muscle tissue.
So, if you’re a person who takes NSAIDs to rid that muscle soreness, try without!
And if you’re going to reach for something, consider acetaminophen which doesn’t tap into the inflammatory pathways.
Just some bro advice from a non-medical professional, of course.
What else?
May has sprung… how do you want this month to look as we head into the summer? Manifest it — a lot of changes can be made in 30 days.
Don’t wait for the grandiose, enjoy those subtle pleasures.
If you enjoy this weekly bite of information, please share it with a coworker, friend, and/or family member!
DISCLAIMER
This is NOT Medical advice. Consult your medical professional before starting any supplement, diet regimen, or workout program.