The Psychological Aspects of Ultra Long Distance Running with Mike McKnight
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On this episode, I welcome back ultra-endurance runner Mike McKnight to discuss what he’s had going on since we last spoke on the podcast. For this episode, we’ll chat about his mindset and how he keeps putting one foot in front of the other during these grueling races.
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What we discussed in this episode:
- Claiming the record for the almost 500-mile Colorado Trail, which he completed in just over seven days (2:06)
- The logistics of Fastest Known Time on prestigious trails in the US (4:14)
- Running 100 miles with no calories (6:11)
- Having a healthy relationship with food (8:09)
- The importance of being encouraging and positive in the fitness and nutrition space (9:33)
- Mike’s average caloric intake (11:11)
- Healthy fasting and feast periods (12:36)
- How he structures his fasting and training (14:21)
- The reason he switched to a low-carb lifestyle for running (15:03)
- How he fuels for race days (16:44)
- Scaling training before a long race (19:11)
- Recovery (19:31)
- Testing blood glucose levels (22:08)
- Ketones as fuel (26:09)
- Sleeping schedule during a long race, such as the Colorado Trail (28:30)
- Cortisol levels after completing long races (29:41)
- Hormone levels, especially testosterone, after completing taxing endurance events (31:19)
- Mental vs. physical recovery (32:40)
- The watch Mike uses for tracking miles and other data (34:04)
- His preferred shoes and why they work so well for him (36:47)
- His upcoming races and why he chose them (38:17)
- Battling the heat (41:02)
- Electrolyte consumption (42:42)
- Advice for my upcoming David Goggins challenge (47:38)
- Foot care (50:12)
- How he prepares mentally for long races and how he sustains a positive mindset (53:28)
- Why he chose the charity he runs for (55:14)
- How his wife contributes to his success during these long races (1:02:06)
- Creating good habits early on (1:03:39)
Where to find Mike:
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Written By
Robert Sikes
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