WEBVTT 00:00:00.669 --> 00:00:02.490 Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening 00:00:02.490 --> 00:00:04.509 everybody and welcome to today's episode of the 00:00:04.509 --> 00:00:07.150 never peak project podcast I'm your host coach 00:00:07.150 --> 00:00:09.929 Ranger and in today's episode. I'm gonna be talking 00:00:09.929 --> 00:00:12.390 a little bit about what my body's been going 00:00:12.390 --> 00:00:16.690 through pre during post my walk across the United 00:00:16.690 --> 00:00:19.870 States of America My intention really with this 00:00:19.870 --> 00:00:21.829 episode is just to kind of give an overview of 00:00:21.829 --> 00:00:24.390 what I did to prepare for the walk What my body 00:00:24.390 --> 00:00:27.699 went through during the walk? and what's been 00:00:27.699 --> 00:00:31.500 going on since I finished last August. It is 00:00:31.500 --> 00:00:34.859 now March 23rd at the time of recording this 00:00:34.859 --> 00:00:37.579 episode, and I think that the biggest thing is 00:00:37.579 --> 00:00:42.539 just how things have been over the last year. 00:00:42.740 --> 00:00:45.000 You know, I started my walk on March 10th, 2024. 00:00:45.579 --> 00:00:49.140 Again, it's now March 23rd, 2025, so just over 00:00:49.140 --> 00:00:53.710 a year since I started. And it's about six months 00:00:53.710 --> 00:00:58.170 or so since I ended the walk. So I've gotten 00:00:58.170 --> 00:01:00.689 the questions a lot about what my body went through, 00:01:00.770 --> 00:01:03.770 what's been happening since then. So again, just 00:01:03.770 --> 00:01:07.670 want to give a quick overview. So really, the 00:01:07.670 --> 00:01:09.569 first thing that I want to go through is what 00:01:09.569 --> 00:01:13.450 I was doing before. my walk across the country. 00:01:13.950 --> 00:01:16.670 As some of you may know, I hit my peak weight 00:01:16.670 --> 00:01:21.489 of about 300 pounds in 2018, and that was around 00:01:21.489 --> 00:01:22.890 the time that I decided to really start taking 00:01:22.890 --> 00:01:26.230 my fitness and body seriously. I was going through 00:01:26.230 --> 00:01:28.150 a lot of mental health issues. I wouldn't say 00:01:28.150 --> 00:01:35.049 anything, what is it, diagnosable by any means, 00:01:35.170 --> 00:01:38.939 but I would say that it was definitely frustrating 00:01:38.939 --> 00:01:40.799 it was a lot of self -worth and other issues 00:01:40.799 --> 00:01:43.739 especially around school and college about what 00:01:43.739 --> 00:01:45.920 i wanted to do with my life and career i went 00:01:45.920 --> 00:01:48.000 to school originally for animal science to be 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:50.840 a veterinarian learned very quickly that it was 00:01:50.840 --> 00:01:54.599 a lot more science than animal in the major which 00:01:54.599 --> 00:01:58.519 makes sense because i wanted to be a doctor but 00:01:58.519 --> 00:02:01.900 that was kind of a kick in the throat my first 00:02:01.900 --> 00:02:06.189 year of college especially And then, you know, 00:02:06.209 --> 00:02:09.650 drinking and eating like absolute garbage and 00:02:09.650 --> 00:02:11.750 a lot of stress eating happens. So that definitely 00:02:11.750 --> 00:02:14.250 didn't help anything. And I went from about, 00:02:14.270 --> 00:02:17.789 I would say about 220 or so to about 300 pounds 00:02:17.789 --> 00:02:21.710 throughout my college career. I didn't super 00:02:21.710 --> 00:02:25.210 look it, but I definitely felt it. And, you know, 00:02:25.229 --> 00:02:28.349 I could tell when I took my shirt off that I 00:02:28.349 --> 00:02:34.080 wasn't at my varsity -ish athlete. stature anymore 00:02:34.080 --> 00:02:37.479 that I was in high school. So around 2018, I 00:02:37.479 --> 00:02:40.939 started taking my fitness more seriously. And 00:02:40.939 --> 00:02:43.620 the first thing that I did was I ordered a Spider 00:02:43.620 --> 00:02:46.599 -Man shirt off of Amazon, one of those little 00:02:46.599 --> 00:02:49.340 Spider -Man Amazon workout compression shirts. 00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:51.659 And what I would do is I would sneak out of my 00:02:51.659 --> 00:02:53.479 fraternity house at like two or three in the 00:02:53.479 --> 00:02:57.360 morning and go for runs. And I remember the very 00:02:57.360 --> 00:03:00.539 first night that I did it, no stretching, no 00:03:00.539 --> 00:03:03.550 warmup, no nothing. I just poked my head around 00:03:03.550 --> 00:03:05.370 the corners. I lived on the second floor, so 00:03:05.370 --> 00:03:07.770 I had to get through the first stairwell, through 00:03:07.770 --> 00:03:10.669 the first hallway, down the stairs, around the 00:03:10.669 --> 00:03:13.710 corner, whatever, and then sneak myself outside. 00:03:15.189 --> 00:03:19.490 And I barely made it, I think, just down the 00:03:19.490 --> 00:03:21.169 street a little bit, probably about 100 yards. 00:03:21.969 --> 00:03:24.150 I think I was doing the full sprint thing that 00:03:24.150 --> 00:03:25.969 I think a lot of people do when they start running, 00:03:26.030 --> 00:03:27.569 is they think that if you're running, you have 00:03:27.569 --> 00:03:31.569 to run full sprint. and I didn't get much further 00:03:31.569 --> 00:03:32.889 than that. I was out there for probably about 00:03:32.889 --> 00:03:36.909 10, 15 minutes until I went back to the room 00:03:36.909 --> 00:03:40.389 or back to the house and then took a shower and 00:03:40.389 --> 00:03:42.969 went to bed. But I started doing that pretty 00:03:42.969 --> 00:03:46.090 consistently for a few months, at least four 00:03:46.090 --> 00:03:49.069 or five times a week, just sneaking out to go 00:03:49.069 --> 00:03:51.409 do that. And I was sneaking out because I felt 00:03:51.409 --> 00:03:54.110 like it was embarrassing to be a large person 00:03:54.110 --> 00:03:57.400 running down the street, which... isn't necessarily 00:03:57.400 --> 00:04:00.819 the best mentality to have. I think that was 00:04:00.819 --> 00:04:02.879 kind of a judgment that I had on other people 00:04:02.879 --> 00:04:06.280 at the time that I was applying to myself, which 00:04:06.280 --> 00:04:09.780 was something that after coaching and after self 00:04:09.780 --> 00:04:12.479 -development and looking inward, I realized was 00:04:12.479 --> 00:04:13.960 an issue that I didn't want to carry anymore. 00:04:14.780 --> 00:04:17.139 Once I realized that, I started going to the 00:04:17.139 --> 00:04:19.279 actual gym more. We had a membership at Davis, 00:04:19.360 --> 00:04:21.279 so I was going to lift weights and run and rock 00:04:21.279 --> 00:04:23.779 climb. I signed up for the rock climbing gym 00:04:23.779 --> 00:04:27.180 in Davis. And that was really good for muscle 00:04:27.180 --> 00:04:30.019 development and kind of like pulling myself out 00:04:30.019 --> 00:04:33.600 of that comfort zone. Being on a wall and climbing 00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:38.120 on it and being a big guy wasn't the greatest 00:04:38.120 --> 00:04:43.500 in terms of hiding myself, which I think is what 00:04:43.500 --> 00:04:46.680 I needed was to be more out and open with what 00:04:46.680 --> 00:04:48.240 I was doing, what I was trying to accomplish. 00:04:48.800 --> 00:04:52.779 And I think I ended up losing about 20, 30 pounds. 00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:56.819 by the end of the year, not the end of 2018, 00:04:57.120 --> 00:05:00.300 but the end of 2019. So I got down to about 280, 00:05:00.579 --> 00:05:05.480 270 or so, and I felt pretty good. It was really 00:05:05.480 --> 00:05:07.540 nice to be able to go through that and see what 00:05:07.540 --> 00:05:10.779 I could do just from the little bit that I was 00:05:10.779 --> 00:05:13.379 doing. I really think the thing that helped the 00:05:13.379 --> 00:05:16.040 most was not drinking a gallon of Mountain Dew 00:05:16.040 --> 00:05:19.800 a week, which is a half joke that I like to say 00:05:19.800 --> 00:05:22.569 about that time. Um, cause I was just eating 00:05:22.569 --> 00:05:26.410 and drinking like garbage constantly. I think 00:05:26.410 --> 00:05:28.029 that's a big thing that if you're on your own 00:05:28.029 --> 00:05:31.569 weight loss journey is really there there's, 00:05:31.569 --> 00:05:33.389 I think it's the Pareto principle where it's, 00:05:33.389 --> 00:05:35.730 you know, 20 % of the inputs equals 80 % of the 00:05:35.730 --> 00:05:39.970 outputs. If you look at your, if you look at 00:05:39.970 --> 00:05:42.110 your diet or what you're eating or drinking on 00:05:42.110 --> 00:05:44.110 a, on a daily, monthly, weekly, whatever basis, 00:05:44.250 --> 00:05:49.060 um, cutting out the big calorie intakes. is going 00:05:49.060 --> 00:05:51.819 to do wonders for you even just walking a little 00:05:51.819 --> 00:05:56.959 bit is going to help a ton i mean it did for 00:05:56.959 --> 00:05:59.060 me and i'm just kind of extrapolating that out 00:05:59.060 --> 00:06:02.240 for literally every other person on earth um 00:06:02.240 --> 00:06:07.339 but yeah rangers rangers fitness tips um don't 00:06:07.339 --> 00:06:09.339 drink them out gallon of mountain dew a week 00:06:09.339 --> 00:06:12.339 and maybe eat a vegetable every once in a while 00:06:12.339 --> 00:06:15.420 and you'll lose a bunch of weight um then during 00:06:15.420 --> 00:06:18.600 covid is when I started getting more and more 00:06:18.600 --> 00:06:21.180 into fitness and activity. I started hiking more, 00:06:21.259 --> 00:06:25.579 running more. I did my first 5K, I think, right 00:06:25.579 --> 00:06:27.579 before COVID with my mom and my little sister. 00:06:28.500 --> 00:06:31.779 Like an actual race, not just by myself. The 00:06:31.779 --> 00:06:34.439 Nike running app is something that I use constantly 00:06:34.439 --> 00:06:38.720 for tracking my miles and running. And there's 00:06:38.720 --> 00:06:43.300 guided runs on there by Coach Bennett, the Nike 00:06:43.300 --> 00:06:46.379 global running head coach. And it's just really 00:06:46.379 --> 00:06:49.540 nice to have those guided runs going on in the 00:06:49.540 --> 00:06:51.319 background because it really helps in terms of 00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:54.480 staying focused and forgetting that you are running 00:06:54.480 --> 00:06:56.779 and putting yourself through something kind of 00:06:56.779 --> 00:07:00.459 the worst. And it's just really encouraging. 00:07:00.560 --> 00:07:02.420 So another thing I'd recommend if you're getting 00:07:02.420 --> 00:07:04.220 into running is to download the Nike Run app 00:07:04.220 --> 00:07:07.579 and take advantage of those guided runs. And 00:07:07.579 --> 00:07:10.959 then during COVID, I got into 75 Hard with my 00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:13.790 little brother. Um, we did the program and by 00:07:13.790 --> 00:07:16.990 the end of 75 hard, my first round, um, it wasn't 00:07:16.990 --> 00:07:19.769 just that that got me from two 70 down to two 00:07:19.769 --> 00:07:23.350 25 ish. Um, it wasn't just during those 75 days 00:07:23.350 --> 00:07:25.949 that I lost that weight. It was again, that continuous 00:07:25.949 --> 00:07:27.649 going through it, going through the motions, 00:07:28.009 --> 00:07:31.889 um, and eating better and working out more. I 00:07:31.889 --> 00:07:34.930 think I was around two 50 or two 60 when I started 00:07:34.930 --> 00:07:37.750 and I got around two 25 to 30 by the end of it. 00:07:38.250 --> 00:07:40.430 Um, I wish I took better notes during that time. 00:07:41.240 --> 00:07:43.279 Because I'm just going off of my noggin and what 00:07:43.279 --> 00:07:46.600 I can remember. But I mean, it was pretty extreme. 00:07:46.740 --> 00:07:49.519 I mean, you're working out twice a day and being 00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:51.300 very careful about what you're eating. And I 00:07:51.300 --> 00:07:54.259 did intermittent fasting during that time. And 00:07:54.259 --> 00:07:55.600 honestly, I think that might be something I go 00:07:55.600 --> 00:07:58.560 back to in the future. Because I think my biggest 00:07:58.560 --> 00:08:01.699 issue that I have with eating is I eat when I'm 00:08:01.699 --> 00:08:05.660 bored. Or if there is something there, I will 00:08:05.660 --> 00:08:08.579 eat it. But if I kind of limit myself and say 00:08:08.579 --> 00:08:10.480 I can only eat during this time, I really focus 00:08:10.480 --> 00:08:15.439 more on protein, vegetables, fiber, starch, you 00:08:15.439 --> 00:08:16.819 know, just like the big things that I needed 00:08:16.819 --> 00:08:23.699 to eat. So that was useful for me. And then I 00:08:23.699 --> 00:08:26.459 guess that's the general what got me into fitness 00:08:26.459 --> 00:08:27.740 and everything. And then I made the decision 00:08:27.740 --> 00:08:31.050 to do my walk. And I started taking running and 00:08:31.050 --> 00:08:33.590 lifting a lot more seriously in about the year 00:08:33.590 --> 00:08:36.490 or so before I started my walk across the U .S. 00:08:36.590 --> 00:08:42.289 So in terms of PRs, my 5K PR is 25 minutes and 00:08:42.289 --> 00:08:48.490 6 seconds. My 10K PR is 56 minutes and 59 seconds. 00:08:50.629 --> 00:08:54.750 My half marathon time is 2 hours, 18 minutes 00:08:54.750 --> 00:08:57.590 and 15 seconds. And I'd really love to get that 00:08:57.590 --> 00:09:00.220 half marathon. half marathon time down below 00:09:00.220 --> 00:09:04.259 two hours. Um, the time I was going to do it 00:09:04.259 --> 00:09:08.039 was the Yosemite half marathon in 2023. And they 00:09:08.039 --> 00:09:12.879 ended up the, one of the parts of the race had 00:09:12.879 --> 00:09:16.740 a landslide. So they had to divert the course 00:09:16.740 --> 00:09:19.100 through a different area and it ended up turning 00:09:19.100 --> 00:09:21.580 into a mud run. So it was a lot of running through 00:09:21.580 --> 00:09:23.779 the mud, running uphill way more than you were 00:09:23.779 --> 00:09:26.500 supposed to be. So that knocked down my time 00:09:26.500 --> 00:09:29.649 pretty significantly. I don't know if I would 00:09:29.649 --> 00:09:31.529 have actually gotten below two hours if it wasn't 00:09:31.529 --> 00:09:33.629 for that, but I think it'd be a lot closer, probably 00:09:33.629 --> 00:09:38.090 under 210 for sure. And then I ended up hiring 00:09:38.090 --> 00:09:42.409 a fitness coach, Spencer Sharp. He is a good 00:09:42.409 --> 00:09:45.029 friend, a great mentor, great coach. I highly 00:09:45.029 --> 00:09:47.070 recommend him. I hired him for about six months 00:09:47.070 --> 00:09:49.450 before starting my walk. And really what I wanted 00:09:49.450 --> 00:09:54.129 to focus on with him was eating better and getting 00:09:54.129 --> 00:09:59.500 my body overall from my toe muscles to my neck, 00:09:59.600 --> 00:10:02.799 I guess, in shape and ready to go for the walk. 00:10:03.879 --> 00:10:06.059 I mean, again, it was really full body focus, 00:10:06.240 --> 00:10:10.080 but he was able to get my bench up to 300. I 00:10:10.080 --> 00:10:14.220 was able to do 300 for three, squat 405 for three, 00:10:14.279 --> 00:10:20.580 and deadlift 450 for four, which one of the big 00:10:20.580 --> 00:10:22.600 things I wanted to do was join the 1000 pound 00:10:22.600 --> 00:10:26.110 club, which is where The big three lifts, your 00:10:26.110 --> 00:10:28.690 bench squat and deadlift, all your maxes equal 00:10:28.690 --> 00:10:31.649 at least a thousand. I was able to get that up 00:10:31.649 --> 00:10:36.690 to 15 or 1150. Sorry. My new goal is to get it 00:10:36.690 --> 00:10:40.850 to 1500. So we'll see how that goes. And again, 00:10:40.970 --> 00:10:42.629 I just knew I was going to be carrying that 20, 00:10:42.649 --> 00:10:46.100 30 pound pack during the entire walk. And I was 00:10:46.100 --> 00:10:48.259 also going to be pushing my, you know, hundred 00:10:48.259 --> 00:10:50.799 plus pound cart through all different types of 00:10:50.799 --> 00:10:52.659 terrain. And I just didn't ever want to hit a 00:10:52.659 --> 00:10:55.639 point where I couldn't get past it. Not that 00:10:55.639 --> 00:10:57.399 I wanted to get through everything super fast, 00:10:57.559 --> 00:10:59.879 but I just want to make sure that, you know, 00:10:59.879 --> 00:11:04.740 no matter what happened, I could get myself out 00:11:04.740 --> 00:11:08.019 of it essentially. And it worked. So if he can 00:11:08.019 --> 00:11:10.820 get me prepped to walk across the country, imagine 00:11:10.820 --> 00:11:15.490 what he could do for you. The other thing during 00:11:15.490 --> 00:11:18.590 my walk is my daily average for walking on days 00:11:18.590 --> 00:11:21.389 I actually walked was 25. The max miles I ever 00:11:21.389 --> 00:11:23.549 did in a day was 40, and that was through Joshua 00:11:23.549 --> 00:11:25.990 Tree. And one of the things I noticed pretty 00:11:25.990 --> 00:11:29.350 quickly off the bat was my running ability disappeared 00:11:29.350 --> 00:11:34.669 very fast. About 200 miles into the walk, when 00:11:34.669 --> 00:11:38.610 I was still in South Carolina, I stayed in a 00:11:38.610 --> 00:11:42.539 town called Saluda. And they had me run the torch 00:11:42.539 --> 00:11:46.059 for the Special Olympics. And it was just kind 00:11:46.059 --> 00:11:48.179 of a reality check because I could barely make 00:11:48.179 --> 00:11:50.799 it a mile of running, even though I'd been averaging 00:11:50.799 --> 00:11:54.279 about 20 to 25 miles a day walking. It just made 00:11:54.279 --> 00:11:58.580 me realize that endurance and speed and agility 00:11:58.580 --> 00:12:01.720 are very different things. You know, before the 00:12:01.720 --> 00:12:03.500 walk, the furthest I'd ever gone in a day was 00:12:03.500 --> 00:12:07.100 a half marathon, so 13 .1 miles. And now, even 00:12:07.100 --> 00:12:09.820 though I was doing 20, 25, almost 30 miles a 00:12:09.820 --> 00:12:14.460 day, that was walking, not running. So just again, 00:12:14.539 --> 00:12:16.360 made me realize that just because I could do 00:12:16.360 --> 00:12:18.120 it in one way doesn't mean I could do it in another. 00:12:18.700 --> 00:12:20.299 I think it's one of those things where it's like 00:12:20.299 --> 00:12:22.899 these skills or traits are very domain specific. 00:12:23.240 --> 00:12:26.960 They don't always translate. So there were a 00:12:26.960 --> 00:12:29.500 few times on the walk when I was in hotel rooms 00:12:29.500 --> 00:12:31.679 that I would try to run a little bit just to 00:12:31.679 --> 00:12:34.980 keep that up. But I realized that my legs would 00:12:34.980 --> 00:12:37.519 hurt very quickly from the impact and start burning. 00:12:38.360 --> 00:12:42.340 And my cardio was just shot for the most part. 00:12:42.480 --> 00:12:46.840 My breath, I felt like I got the wind knocked 00:12:46.840 --> 00:12:49.169 out of me when I would start running. So that 00:12:49.169 --> 00:12:50.730 was something that I was like, you know, I don't 00:12:50.730 --> 00:12:54.210 think it's even worth it to try to keep this 00:12:54.210 --> 00:12:57.830 going for now, this cardio. I'll just focus on 00:12:57.830 --> 00:13:00.909 walking and really focus on mobility and stretching 00:13:00.909 --> 00:13:04.889 during the days. And that was, again, a big thank 00:13:04.889 --> 00:13:07.730 you to Steph Alston over at Santosha Yoga Collective. 00:13:08.230 --> 00:13:12.169 She made my yoga and stretching routine for morning, 00:13:12.250 --> 00:13:15.559 afternoon, and evening. I for sure always did 00:13:15.559 --> 00:13:19.279 the morning. I tried to do the afternoon as much 00:13:19.279 --> 00:13:21.299 as possible. And then the evening one, it just 00:13:21.299 --> 00:13:23.320 depended on where I was sleeping for that night. 00:13:23.639 --> 00:13:25.620 There were some nights where I was just so exhausted 00:13:25.620 --> 00:13:27.440 by the end of the day that I didn't. And I really 00:13:27.440 --> 00:13:29.379 wish that I'd focus more on that recovery aspect 00:13:29.379 --> 00:13:33.419 rather than just getting ready and maintenance. 00:13:33.980 --> 00:13:35.740 I think that recovery is something that I would 00:13:35.740 --> 00:13:41.279 have liked to focus on more. In terms of the 00:13:41.279 --> 00:13:44.659 actual walk itself, even there was a time when 00:13:44.659 --> 00:13:48.980 I stayed at a gym called Slaughterhouse in Mississippi. 00:13:49.700 --> 00:13:53.940 I tried to do a little bit of lifting. I got 00:13:53.940 --> 00:13:56.039 under the bench. I did some squats. I did the 00:13:56.039 --> 00:13:58.679 deadlift. I thought that it might be a good idea 00:13:58.679 --> 00:14:02.919 to do some lifts. Then I got really worried that 00:14:02.919 --> 00:14:04.899 I was going to hurt myself even with a little 00:14:04.899 --> 00:14:07.580 bit of weight. Because any little bit of a tear, 00:14:07.740 --> 00:14:10.179 sprain, or anything else I think would put me 00:14:10.179 --> 00:14:12.539 out for at least a few days up to a few weeks. 00:14:13.159 --> 00:14:17.080 And I just didn't want to risk it. So that was 00:14:17.080 --> 00:14:18.840 the first time that I tried lifting during the 00:14:18.840 --> 00:14:22.720 walk. And I did very little things occasionally 00:14:22.720 --> 00:14:26.700 just to like stretch out or just to see what 00:14:26.700 --> 00:14:28.559 it felt like when I would try to lift like a 00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:31.340 10, 15, 20 pound dumbbell at the hotel gyms. 00:14:32.860 --> 00:14:34.960 Just decided that it wasn't worth it after a 00:14:34.960 --> 00:14:38.980 while. And really, just again, a testament to 00:14:38.980 --> 00:14:42.659 Spencer and his training, all the uphill and 00:14:42.659 --> 00:14:45.019 heavy load days where there were some days where 00:14:45.019 --> 00:14:46.740 I didn't have the cart because it was broken 00:14:46.740 --> 00:14:49.919 or I didn't want to push it or the shoulders 00:14:49.919 --> 00:14:51.759 were going to be pretty small and I had to carry 00:14:51.759 --> 00:14:53.980 more in my backpack while a host family took 00:14:53.980 --> 00:14:56.419 the cart. I didn't really have any issues. It 00:14:56.419 --> 00:14:58.600 definitely hurt. It was definitely rough. But 00:14:58.600 --> 00:15:00.259 there was never a time where I was like, man, 00:15:00.299 --> 00:15:03.899 this is unmanageable and I can't do this. So 00:15:03.899 --> 00:15:05.519 I think that was the main thing, too, was all 00:15:05.519 --> 00:15:07.259 the muscles that I was using on a daily basis 00:15:07.259 --> 00:15:09.600 were getting continuously worked out. But the 00:15:09.600 --> 00:15:13.840 overall everything else was kind of falling apart. 00:15:16.620 --> 00:15:20.639 Then the very last day of my walk, August 31st, 00:15:20.639 --> 00:15:25.879 2024, around 2, 3 p .m. in Los Angeles, I did 00:15:25.879 --> 00:15:28.899 my last few miles of the walk. And once I made 00:15:28.899 --> 00:15:31.039 it to the beach, there was about 100 feet from 00:15:31.039 --> 00:15:34.629 me in the water. And I remember just going into 00:15:34.629 --> 00:15:38.370 a full sprint. I didn't feel anything during 00:15:38.370 --> 00:15:39.929 that time. I think it was just pure adrenaline 00:15:39.929 --> 00:15:45.009 that pushed me through. And it was such a weird 00:15:45.009 --> 00:15:49.330 out of body experience, really. The next day 00:15:49.330 --> 00:15:52.529 we flew from Los Angeles back to San Francisco 00:15:52.529 --> 00:15:55.490 and back to Julie's place. And I remember going 00:15:55.490 --> 00:15:58.809 for a walk and everything just kind of hurt and 00:15:58.809 --> 00:16:04.320 felt like everything hurt more. Right. And then 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:06.820 the following day, September 2nd, I remember, 00:16:06.960 --> 00:16:08.519 well, I think, I think everybody went to work 00:16:08.519 --> 00:16:12.320 that next day, but I tried going for a quick 00:16:12.320 --> 00:16:14.720 run, just like a quick around the block, like 00:16:14.720 --> 00:16:18.580 a quarter, third of a mile. And I barely made 00:16:18.580 --> 00:16:21.679 it a hundred feet. Like I had the day before 00:16:21.679 --> 00:16:23.759 I wasn't even trying to sprint or go super fast 00:16:23.759 --> 00:16:26.559 or anything. But again, I was just out of breath. 00:16:26.620 --> 00:16:30.940 My legs hurt. Everything was just achy. And then 00:16:30.940 --> 00:16:34.120 I decided from there just to do two to four -ish 00:16:34.120 --> 00:16:36.419 miles a day of walking just to kind of keep myself 00:16:36.419 --> 00:16:40.320 moving and feel like I was doing something. I've 00:16:40.320 --> 00:16:42.659 done 75 hard a couple times since I've ended 00:16:42.659 --> 00:16:45.919 the walk. Definitely not – I don't even want 00:16:45.919 --> 00:16:49.220 to say that I did 75 hard. I was doing two workouts 00:16:49.220 --> 00:16:51.320 a day, at least walking or running or lifting 00:16:51.320 --> 00:16:54.679 a little bit. I was reading. I was drinking the 00:16:54.679 --> 00:16:58.200 water. But the diet wasn't really super dialed 00:16:58.200 --> 00:17:00.980 in. It was more so of don't eat like garbage 00:17:00.980 --> 00:17:05.440 and not eat five to six thousand calories a day 00:17:05.440 --> 00:17:07.880 like I was doing on the walk. Because on the 00:17:07.880 --> 00:17:09.359 walk, I thought I was going to come back pretty 00:17:09.359 --> 00:17:13.019 skinny, but I was able to maintain around 270, 00:17:13.839 --> 00:17:17.240 280 pounds. I think that was because I realized 00:17:17.240 --> 00:17:20.880 that I didn't have to just eat tuna and veggie 00:17:20.880 --> 00:17:24.000 sticks every day. Um, there's McDonald's and 00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:26.559 other fast food places pretty readily available. 00:17:27.200 --> 00:17:30.940 Um, and pop tarts became a huge staple, uh, near 00:17:30.940 --> 00:17:32.960 the end. Shout out Andrew Kivett for reminding 00:17:32.960 --> 00:17:37.559 me of, uh, the fact that pop tarts existed. Um, 00:17:37.839 --> 00:17:42.700 so yeah, I, I thought I would be eating a lot 00:17:42.700 --> 00:17:44.019 less cause I remember at one point during the 00:17:44.019 --> 00:17:47.180 walk, actually, um, I should have mentioned this 00:17:47.180 --> 00:17:52.289 earlier. I got down to about 260, 255, and I 00:17:52.289 --> 00:17:54.349 started around 270. I think that that was also 00:17:54.349 --> 00:17:57.430 something important to remember. My weights fluctuated 00:17:57.430 --> 00:17:59.930 pretty significantly over the last five or six 00:17:59.930 --> 00:18:04.589 years. That's also an interesting thing. I go 00:18:04.589 --> 00:18:06.529 through weird periods of feast and famine. I 00:18:06.529 --> 00:18:09.170 think I'd like to stay down closer to 220, 230. 00:18:10.069 --> 00:18:12.230 But even now that I'm right now, I'm right around 00:18:12.230 --> 00:18:16.849 275. Even though that's pretty... That's closer 00:18:16.849 --> 00:18:21.369 to the 300 that I hit when I was in college than 00:18:21.369 --> 00:18:26.210 my lowest weight of 225 -ish during COVID. I 00:18:26.210 --> 00:18:28.529 still feel really good. I think that's something 00:18:28.529 --> 00:18:31.369 that I've taken into consideration on all of 00:18:31.369 --> 00:18:33.069 my weight loss and working out and everything 00:18:33.069 --> 00:18:37.089 else is that my goal isn't to necessarily be 00:18:37.089 --> 00:18:39.430 a certain weight or really even look a certain 00:18:39.430 --> 00:18:43.410 way. It's just to feel good. Like I can do the 00:18:43.410 --> 00:18:47.230 things that I want to do. I'm not quite there 00:18:47.230 --> 00:18:49.410 in terms of running or the amount I want to lift, 00:18:49.509 --> 00:18:51.529 et cetera, et cetera. But I think that that's 00:18:51.529 --> 00:18:54.190 just part of the journey. So I think that's something 00:18:54.190 --> 00:19:00.849 important to keep in mind. But yeah, I think 00:19:00.849 --> 00:19:03.970 the other fun thing was in September of 2024, 00:19:04.190 --> 00:19:06.150 the month after I finished my walk, the worst 00:19:06.150 --> 00:19:10.309 thing was how tired I was. Just absolute exhaustion 00:19:10.309 --> 00:19:13.670 mentally, physically, emotionally. I think that 00:19:13.670 --> 00:19:17.430 a lot of it had to do with just the state I was 00:19:17.430 --> 00:19:20.289 in during the walk. I talked to Andrew Kiven 00:19:20.289 --> 00:19:21.849 and Mark Dudek about it a little bit because 00:19:21.849 --> 00:19:25.089 I was like, guys, I feel like crap. I'm so tired. 00:19:25.890 --> 00:19:27.950 Even a couple weeks into September, I'm like, 00:19:28.009 --> 00:19:30.289 is this normal? Did you guys experience this? 00:19:30.849 --> 00:19:34.170 And they both said, absolutely. I think Mark 00:19:34.170 --> 00:19:37.809 said it. It was a tired that not even sleep could 00:19:37.809 --> 00:19:40.369 touch. And I looked into it a little bit and 00:19:40.369 --> 00:19:43.119 I did some noodling on it. I think a lot of it 00:19:43.119 --> 00:19:44.940 had to do with the fact that I was drinking so 00:19:44.940 --> 00:19:47.480 much caffeine and electrolytes and water every 00:19:47.480 --> 00:19:50.579 day that my body was just confused on why all 00:19:50.579 --> 00:19:53.660 of that suddenly stopped. Mixed in with the fact 00:19:53.660 --> 00:19:56.200 that pretty much every day I was getting like 00:19:56.200 --> 00:19:59.500 hits of adrenaline throughout. You know, I was 00:19:59.500 --> 00:20:02.559 constantly in almost, I mean, it sounds dramatic, 00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:05.799 but life and death situations. walking on the 00:20:05.799 --> 00:20:08.279 side of highways and freeways and interstates 00:20:08.279 --> 00:20:11.240 and staying with strangers. And I was constantly 00:20:11.240 --> 00:20:15.140 on and have to be aware of everything going on 00:20:15.140 --> 00:20:17.660 around me, no matter what, no matter where I 00:20:17.660 --> 00:20:20.619 was. And I remember kind of experiencing that 00:20:20.619 --> 00:20:24.140 and feeling that while I was in Vegas with Julie 00:20:24.140 --> 00:20:27.740 and my friend for about a week and with my stepbrother 00:20:27.740 --> 00:20:30.140 about a week, like I was just exhausted and tired. 00:20:30.960 --> 00:20:33.880 Because I was with people that I knew, loved, 00:20:33.900 --> 00:20:36.319 and cared about, and I felt the same way towards 00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:41.660 me. So it was like that weird safety. Not that 00:20:41.660 --> 00:20:46.640 the safety was negative, but that it gave me 00:20:46.640 --> 00:20:49.920 that sense of security. Therefore, I didn't have 00:20:49.920 --> 00:20:55.440 to keep numbing my feelings like I did with the 00:20:55.440 --> 00:20:58.109 adrenaline that was going through. I'm not an 00:20:58.109 --> 00:20:59.990 endocrinologist. I have no idea what I'm talking 00:20:59.990 --> 00:21:02.250 about, but I think that that would be something 00:21:02.250 --> 00:21:04.730 interesting to dive deeper on. If you know anything 00:21:04.730 --> 00:21:07.690 about hormones and endorphins and all that kind 00:21:07.690 --> 00:21:09.109 of stuff, let me know because I think that that'd 00:21:09.109 --> 00:21:14.529 be fun to talk about more. But really, the crash 00:21:14.529 --> 00:21:17.430 happened about two weeks into September. I was 00:21:17.430 --> 00:21:21.220 on a cruise with Julie and her family. I was 00:21:21.220 --> 00:21:23.339 falling asleep on the buses, on the planes, on 00:21:23.339 --> 00:21:25.440 the trains, and the Ubers, taxis, everything. 00:21:25.819 --> 00:21:27.480 And Julie kept kind of having to elbow me to 00:21:27.480 --> 00:21:29.920 keep me awake, which I appreciated because I 00:21:29.920 --> 00:21:31.539 didn't want to miss out on the experience. I 00:21:31.539 --> 00:21:33.420 mean, it was expensive, and I don't know that 00:21:33.420 --> 00:21:35.599 we're going to go to Greece and Turkey ever again. 00:21:36.960 --> 00:21:39.259 We're on a cruise, so I didn't want to waste 00:21:39.259 --> 00:21:43.000 the opportunity, the time that we're there. But 00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:46.119 I was caffeinating myself. I was trying to get 00:21:46.119 --> 00:21:49.170 the best sleep I possibly could. trying to relax 00:21:49.170 --> 00:21:52.869 every chance I got without falling asleep. Um, 00:21:52.990 --> 00:21:56.569 and halfway through, I got super, super sick. 00:21:56.650 --> 00:21:59.470 I mean, cruises and boats and ships are just 00:21:59.470 --> 00:22:03.269 cesspools of a bunch of different people and 00:22:03.269 --> 00:22:06.029 people are kind of gross. Um, and I got very, 00:22:06.130 --> 00:22:07.869 very sick, like to the point I was bedridden 00:22:07.869 --> 00:22:09.910 and I felt it like whatever I'm making up the 00:22:09.910 --> 00:22:11.609 days, but it was like Tuesday night. I felt like 00:22:11.609 --> 00:22:16.259 crap at dinner. Um, and I barely ate. And then 00:22:16.259 --> 00:22:18.000 the next day I woke up and went to breakfast 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:20.380 and I was like, I can't even really see straight. 00:22:20.500 --> 00:22:23.480 Like I don't feel good. And then I miss out on 00:22:23.480 --> 00:22:25.140 the excursions for that day. But I went back 00:22:25.140 --> 00:22:27.799 to the room and I fell asleep and I remember 00:22:27.799 --> 00:22:29.460 waking up throughout the day and I was just in 00:22:29.460 --> 00:22:33.019 pain. I was vomiting. I was sweating profusely. 00:22:33.640 --> 00:22:35.279 And I was like one of those pains when you're 00:22:35.279 --> 00:22:37.700 sick where it's like, if I could throw myself 00:22:37.700 --> 00:22:40.140 off of this boat, I probably would right now 00:22:40.140 --> 00:22:42.279 just because it felt so bad. And again, that's 00:22:42.279 --> 00:22:45.849 so dramatic. But it hurt. It did not feel good. 00:22:46.750 --> 00:22:49.069 Then Julie got back that night. We went to the 00:22:49.069 --> 00:22:52.789 urgent care hospital thing on the boat, which 00:22:52.789 --> 00:22:56.369 huge scam. They charge ridiculous amounts of 00:22:56.369 --> 00:22:59.950 money just to basically give me ibuprofen and 00:22:59.950 --> 00:23:05.210 tell me to go rest. This is my my angst against 00:23:05.210 --> 00:23:07.430 the health care system in general. It should 00:23:07.430 --> 00:23:11.230 not cost a thousand dollars to make sure you're 00:23:11.230 --> 00:23:13.119 not. dying and they didn't even run any tests 00:23:13.119 --> 00:23:15.160 they ran me they ran a covid test and a flu test 00:23:15.160 --> 00:23:17.819 and they came back negative so that was super 00:23:17.819 --> 00:23:22.339 lame um thank god for insurance and going back 00:23:22.339 --> 00:23:26.359 and forth anyway but after that it was fine i 00:23:26.359 --> 00:23:29.359 stopped um taking electrolytes because again 00:23:29.359 --> 00:23:33.839 i was doing um i wrote here two to ten electrolyte 00:23:33.839 --> 00:23:36.140 packs a day especially during this the heat of 00:23:36.140 --> 00:23:39.160 the summer That was mixed in with three to five 00:23:39.160 --> 00:23:42.039 gallons of water every single day at least. So 00:23:42.039 --> 00:23:45.339 it wasn't like I was just taking it very quickly. 00:23:46.740 --> 00:23:49.140 And then two to six coffees or energy drinks 00:23:49.140 --> 00:23:52.599 a day to keep me moving and going. The other 00:23:52.599 --> 00:23:54.779 crappy thing that is hard for me with caffeine 00:23:54.779 --> 00:23:58.539 is I really love the taste of coffee and energy 00:23:58.539 --> 00:24:02.099 drinks. Like if there was a non -caffeinated 00:24:02.099 --> 00:24:05.259 energy drink, I would probably buy a ton of them. 00:24:06.829 --> 00:24:08.930 I mean, coffee has decaf, but there's still a 00:24:08.930 --> 00:24:11.609 little bit of caffeine in there. I don't know 00:24:11.609 --> 00:24:13.750 what it is, but bean juice. I just love that. 00:24:13.769 --> 00:24:17.549 I love that stuff. So speaking of caffeine, check 00:24:17.549 --> 00:24:20.029 the description for my code for Cold -Blooded 00:24:20.029 --> 00:24:22.309 Caffeine Company. They were my sponsor during 00:24:22.309 --> 00:24:24.670 the walk. I'm still in the affiliate with them. 00:24:24.730 --> 00:24:27.849 Still love what they do. A portion of their proceeds 00:24:27.849 --> 00:24:31.170 goes towards wildlife and forest conservation 00:24:31.170 --> 00:24:34.450 over in coffee producing areas. So 10 out of 00:24:34.450 --> 00:24:36.980 10 would recommend. their coffee. They're also 00:24:36.980 --> 00:24:39.180 just have a bunch of cool flavors and everything 00:24:39.180 --> 00:24:43.019 else. I need to put in a new order soon. Speaking 00:24:43.019 --> 00:24:47.519 of which, but anyway, use code Ranger at checkout 00:24:47.519 --> 00:24:50.299 or yeah, I think it's Ranger R -A -N -G -E -R 00:24:50.299 --> 00:24:52.799 at checkout for 10 % off your order, by the way. 00:24:53.779 --> 00:24:58.259 Now that I am back and I'm past that crappy one 00:24:58.259 --> 00:25:03.049 month of feeling like garbage. I am focused on 00:25:03.049 --> 00:25:06.210 recovery and getting back to where I was pre 00:25:06.210 --> 00:25:08.930 -walk. I've been running a lot more. One of the 00:25:08.930 --> 00:25:10.369 big goals that I have for the year is to run 00:25:10.369 --> 00:25:13.589 1 ,000 miles in 2025. The early part of this 00:25:13.589 --> 00:25:16.289 year has kind of sucked. I've gotten sick a few 00:25:16.289 --> 00:25:20.710 times. I got bit by a cat, completely my own 00:25:20.710 --> 00:25:24.190 fault. I'm so stupid. It was a family member's 00:25:24.190 --> 00:25:29.309 cat. But they bit my left hand. Because they 00:25:29.309 --> 00:25:31.150 were an inside cat. They'd gotten out. I picked 00:25:31.150 --> 00:25:32.809 them up. They freaked out. They bit me. It was 00:25:32.809 --> 00:25:35.670 a whole thing. I had to take antibiotics. It 00:25:35.670 --> 00:25:37.849 sucked. Don't get bit by cats or animals in general. 00:25:38.769 --> 00:25:41.549 But that took me out for about a week, week and 00:25:41.549 --> 00:25:44.329 a half. So I'm very far behind on where I want 00:25:44.329 --> 00:25:46.630 to be with running so far. I think I am about 00:25:46.630 --> 00:25:51.089 120 miles into 1 ,000. Right now I should be 00:25:51.089 --> 00:25:55.509 around 300 or so. So I am kind of stressed and 00:25:55.509 --> 00:25:56.890 kind of worried that I'm not going to hit it. 00:25:57.900 --> 00:26:02.980 making it happen um i'm able to run sub 10 minute 00:26:02.980 --> 00:26:06.619 miles on good days which is fantastic i ran a 00:26:06.619 --> 00:26:11.539 5k not that long ago um for a non -profit here 00:26:11.539 --> 00:26:13.559 on the coast side in half moon bay and i got 00:26:13.559 --> 00:26:18.720 like 29 58 so that's pretty cool that i'm able 00:26:18.720 --> 00:26:23.799 to do um average under 10 minute miles um for 00:26:23.799 --> 00:26:30.220 several miles in a row um Right now, for that 00:26:30.220 --> 00:26:33.480 1 ,000 -mile goal, it's miles run in under 15 00:26:33.480 --> 00:26:38.039 minutes. I am counting as good towards that goal, 00:26:38.079 --> 00:26:41.420 so I can't do miles that I've walked. But it 00:26:41.420 --> 00:26:44.819 also lets me have some leeway in terms of, you 00:26:44.819 --> 00:26:48.900 know, I did two miles, I did two miles out, and 00:26:48.900 --> 00:26:50.960 then a mile back, I wasn't feeling great. Like, 00:26:50.980 --> 00:26:53.960 I want to make sure I give myself some grace 00:26:53.960 --> 00:26:56.599 on that. Uh, one of the other big goals that 00:26:56.599 --> 00:26:58.839 I have is to hike Mount Whitney with some friends. 00:26:59.160 --> 00:27:01.920 We put in a fur permit, none of us got it. So 00:27:01.920 --> 00:27:04.420 hopefully next year we can, but we still want 00:27:04.420 --> 00:27:08.359 to hike a few other, um, mountains and, um, taller 00:27:08.359 --> 00:27:10.940 climbs in California this year. So that's still 00:27:10.940 --> 00:27:15.339 a goal. And one of my other goals is to hit 1500 00:27:15.339 --> 00:27:20.460 miles or 1500 pounds for squat bench and deadlift. 00:27:20.500 --> 00:27:24.019 Like I hit 1150 before I ended. That is where 00:27:24.019 --> 00:27:25.579 I want to be now. And I'm going consistently. 00:27:25.579 --> 00:27:27.279 We have a gym membership over here on the coast 00:27:27.279 --> 00:27:31.759 side. And I think that that is pretty much it. 00:27:31.859 --> 00:27:33.240 I hope that I went through everything that people 00:27:33.240 --> 00:27:36.039 would want to hear about for this. This is almost 00:27:36.039 --> 00:27:39.799 longer than my normal episodes for business -related 00:27:39.799 --> 00:27:43.559 content or mindset and everything else. So let 00:27:43.559 --> 00:27:46.519 me know what you guys think. I know most people 00:27:46.519 --> 00:27:49.599 probably still follow the podcast for walk -related 00:27:49.599 --> 00:27:52.490 content. Or maybe some of the newer people are 00:27:52.490 --> 00:27:54.789 here more so for the business content. But I 00:27:54.789 --> 00:27:57.289 hope to do a good mix of the two in ways that 00:27:57.289 --> 00:28:02.430 are useful for you. I really think that in terms 00:28:02.430 --> 00:28:04.150 of the final thoughts, the notes that I have 00:28:04.150 --> 00:28:07.210 here is walking across the country isn't just 00:28:07.210 --> 00:28:10.390 physically demanding. It really does rewire you. 00:28:10.490 --> 00:28:11.890 And I think that that is a big thing to keep 00:28:11.890 --> 00:28:14.690 in mind for other big goals. It's not just about 00:28:14.690 --> 00:28:17.970 the obvious things. It's not the external. It's 00:28:17.970 --> 00:28:20.900 the internal that happens. I didn't even talk 00:28:20.900 --> 00:28:22.960 anything about the physical or the mental or 00:28:22.960 --> 00:28:24.440 emotional challenges that I went through on the 00:28:24.440 --> 00:28:28.180 walk. Maybe that's for another episode. But the 00:28:28.180 --> 00:28:30.539 goals that you set for yourself, I really do 00:28:30.539 --> 00:28:33.359 think should change who you are as a person, 00:28:33.519 --> 00:28:36.980 not your values or what you believe or what you 00:28:36.980 --> 00:28:39.259 want out of life. But I think that it should 00:28:39.259 --> 00:28:43.160 really change what you think is possible for 00:28:43.160 --> 00:28:45.900 yourself and what you're capable of. The other 00:28:45.900 --> 00:28:47.940 thing here is recovery takes time and intention. 00:28:49.099 --> 00:28:53.099 I think that is just something you need to trust 00:28:53.099 --> 00:28:56.019 the process for. You can't really rush the comeback 00:28:56.019 --> 00:29:01.339 or you can't rush progress, but you can do the 00:29:01.339 --> 00:29:05.720 things that encourage it, if that makes sense. 00:29:07.740 --> 00:29:11.839 Another thing here is breakdown to breakthrough. 00:29:12.480 --> 00:29:15.440 Post -walk, I mean, again, there's some mental 00:29:15.440 --> 00:29:17.160 and emotional challenges going through that, 00:29:17.240 --> 00:29:20.920 but... Um, now it's just about building back 00:29:20.920 --> 00:29:24.880 better. So I think that's pretty much it. I don't 00:29:24.880 --> 00:29:27.539 want to go too far over the 30. So let me know 00:29:27.539 --> 00:29:30.720 your thoughts again. Um, if you have a few moments 00:29:30.720 --> 00:29:33.359 to leave a review for the podcast, I'd super 00:29:33.359 --> 00:29:35.380 appreciate it. Just whatever podcast platform 00:29:35.380 --> 00:29:37.240 you're listening to this on takes a few seconds, 00:29:37.319 --> 00:29:39.779 a few swipes of the thumb, and it means the world. 00:29:39.819 --> 00:29:42.119 You don't even have to write too much. Leave 00:29:42.119 --> 00:29:44.619 the review and hopefully this will push it out 00:29:44.619 --> 00:29:47.059 to more people that want to hear the podcast, 00:29:47.240 --> 00:29:49.720 that want to be a part of what we're building 00:29:49.720 --> 00:29:51.700 here, the Never Peak Project, which is just a 00:29:51.700 --> 00:29:54.460 constant reminder that no matter what mountains 00:29:54.460 --> 00:29:55.940 you climb, no matter what you do in your life, 00:29:56.059 --> 00:29:57.539 there's always another mountain. There's always 00:29:57.539 --> 00:30:00.839 something else you can do. And really our goal 00:30:00.839 --> 00:30:02.799 in life is to get better at climbing those mountains 00:30:02.799 --> 00:30:06.519 so that we can see better peaks. The great thing 00:30:06.519 --> 00:30:08.400 about climbing the mountain is at the top you 00:30:08.400 --> 00:30:11.579 get a view. Thank you guys again for listening. 00:30:11.720 --> 00:30:13.559 If you have any questions, comments, concerns, 00:30:13.680 --> 00:30:15.859 emotional outbursts, please let me know. My email 00:30:15.859 --> 00:30:18.640 will be in the show notes and description ranger 00:30:18.640 --> 00:30:20.819 at within range coaching .com. I'd love to hear 00:30:20.819 --> 00:30:23.859 what you guys think. And remember the best is 00:30:23.859 --> 00:30:26.079 yet to come. As long as you make the decision 00:30:26.079 --> 00:30:29.799 every single day to never settle, never quit 00:30:29.799 --> 00:30:32.700 and never peak. I'll see you guys in the next 00:30:32.700 --> 00:30:32.880 one.