#17 - Mike Trevino: life-lessons from ultra-endurance, mindset, hard work, and removing limitations
Ultra-endurance athlete Mike Trevino shares lessons from his legendary feats like Badwater 135 and Race Across America. He discusses critical insights on mindset, sleep engineering, fat adaptation, and objective training, offering practical advice applicable to both extreme endurance and everyday life.
Deep Dive Analysis
17 Topic Outline
Introduction to Mike Trevino: Ultra-Endurance Athlete
Mike's Birthday Tradition: 43-Mile Fasted Run
Early Life and Transition from Power to Endurance Sports
Breakthrough Year: Badwater 135 and Other Ultra-Runs
Race Across America (RAAM): The Ultimate Cycling Challenge
Mental and Physical Toll of Extreme Sleep Deprivation in RAAM
Lessons from RAAM: Crew Dynamics and Strategic Adaptations
Applying Ultra-Endurance Lessons to Everyday Training Goals
Fat Adaptation and Fasting: Accidental Discoveries
Impact of Parasites on Mike's Health and Fasting Experience
Risks of Cycling: Accidents and Loss of Life
Trans-Iowa Cycling Record: A Personal Bucket List Feat
Performance Enhancing Drugs and the Pursuit of Natural Performance
Philosophical Motivations for Extreme Endurance: Escapism and Self-Discovery
Transition to Family Life and Shifting Priorities
Life Lessons for Kids: Hard Work, Perseverance, and Objectivity
The Quest for the World's Best Beer
5 Key Concepts
Fat Adaptation
This is the body's ability to efficiently use fat as a primary fuel source during prolonged exercise, rather than relying solely on glycogen. Mike demonstrated this by running 43 miles on no calories after a 12-hour fast, experiencing no hunger or bonking.
RAAM Speed
This refers to the speed an ultra-cyclist can maintain on the bike after muscle glycogen is depleted, essentially their cruising speed when the body is primarily burning fat. It's a key determinant of success in multi-day ultra-endurance events like Race Across America.
RAAM Cycle (Sleep Engineering)
This is a technique used by ultra-endurance athletes, particularly in RAAM, to optimize sleep. A crew member monitors the sleeping athlete and wakes them during specific sleep stages (e.g., when eye movement stops) to maximize the restorative benefits of short sleep periods, allowing them to feel rested after only two hours.
Mental States in Extreme Endurance
During prolonged, sleep-deprived ultra-endurance events, athletes can progress through a sequence of mental states: normal homeostasis, then illusions and hallucinations, and finally true delusions and paranoia, where they lose touch with reality.
Cross-Functional Problem Solving
Drawing on diverse perspectives from different functional areas or domains (e.g., engineering, physics, medicine) to solve complex problems. This approach helps in thinking outside the box and bringing in ideas from other fields, applicable to both athletic training and business.
8 Questions Answered
Starting at age 40, Mike runs the number of miles equal to his age on his birthday. For his 43rd birthday, he ran 43 miles with no calories, only water and Crystal Light for flavor.
After playing football and rugby in college, Mike moved to Germany for a startup where he discovered trail running in the mountains. This led to weight loss and a natural progression into endurance sports, which he found he enjoyed and excelled at.
The Badwater 135 is a 135-mile running race that starts in Death Valley, California, at below sea level, and finishes at Whitney Portals at 8,500 feet elevation. It is known for its extreme heat, with air temperatures reaching 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
RAAM is a non-stop, 3000-mile bike race across the United States, from the bottom-left corner (San Diego) to the top-right (Atlantic City). Unlike the Tour de France, it's not staged, and the winner completes it in about 8-9 days, requiring extensive logistical support and crew management.
He found traditional carb-loading made him feel bloated and negatively impacted his heart rate. Through experimentation, he learned that fasting improved his performance and felt cleaner. A forced 10-day fast to clear parasites after a trip to the Himalayas further solidified his understanding of the body's ability to perform without constant caloric intake and in a ketogenic state.
Cycling carries significant risks, including severe accidents with vehicles, often resulting in serious injury or death, even when the cyclist is not at fault. Mike himself experienced a severe crash and knows many others who have died while cycling, leading him to reduce his road riding.
For Mike, it started as an escape from an undesirable social life and a brutal breakup, serving as a meditative and centering activity. He found a 'happy place' in pushing himself, feeling 'normal' only when engaged in these extreme endeavors, and refusing to accept perceived limitations.
He made a conscious transition after meeting his wife, realizing his priorities shifted from setting records to being present with his family. He now focuses on imparting values like hard work, perseverance, and objectivity to his kids by leading by example, doing household tasks himself, and encouraging them to explore their own interests without pressure to follow in his footsteps.
43 Actionable Insights
1. Challenge Limiting Beliefs
Assume you have the inherent ability to do great things and discard preconceived notions about personal limits. This encourages an open mindset to push beyond perceived boundaries.
2. Prioritize Sleep for Function
Extreme sleep deprivation (10.5 hours over 8.5 days in RAAM) can lead to clinical insanity and delusion. This underscores sleep’s critical role over food and hydration for thermal regulation, muscle recovery, and brain function.
3. Cultivate Discipline to Rest
The hardest decisions are often pulling back on training despite internal doubts. Emphasize self-discipline to prioritize recovery and prevent overtraining, even without an external coach.
4. View Body as Engineered Utility
Approach your physical self as a tool to be optimized for specific goals. This encourages a results-oriented and analytical mindset towards health and performance outcomes.
5. Use Objective Metrics for Self-Assessment
Rely on objective data like time, heart rate, and power (for cycling) to honestly evaluate performance and avoid self-deception. This is crucial for long-term consistency and preventing overtraining.
6. Embrace ‘Never Give Up’ Mindset
Apply perseverance across all life domains, from endurance sports to family and company challenges. Continuous effort through adversity is key to achieving goals, even if it means simply finishing.
7. Practice Disciplined ‘No’ for Focus
Be highly disciplined in saying ’no’ to anything not on your critical path. This eliminates distractions and helps maintain laser focus on your objectives.
8. Engineer Sleep Cycles for Recovery
Monitor sleep (e.g., watching eye movement for REM cycles) to wake up at the ideal moment from short sleep blocks. This ensures maximum rest and alertness for optimal performance.
9. Build Diverse, Cross-Functional Teams
For complex challenges, assemble a team with varied skills and perspectives, not just those with direct experience in the core task. Diverse viewpoints enhance problem-solving and support.
10. Establish Clear, Singular Leadership
In high-stakes endeavors, designate one sole decision-maker. This ensures absolute trust and a clear chain of command for safety and success.
11. Use Centering Activity for Clarity
When demoralized or under extreme stress, engage in a meditative or centering activity like a short run. This practice helps to re-center yourself and reaffirm your purpose.
12. Adapt Quickly to Changing Conditions
Be prepared to make immediate strategic adjustments based on real-time conditions. This flexibility can provide a significant advantage and help avoid negative outcomes.
13. Re-evaluate Priorities When Motivations Shift
Recognize when core life motivations change and be willing to shift your focus from past pursuits to new priorities. This allows for natural transitions in life phases.
14. Lead by Example in Hard Work
Show children that hard work comes in many forms, both physical and mental, and that no task is beneath you. This fosters a strong work ethic and perseverance.
15. Foster Intrinsic Motivation in Children
Encourage children to ‘have fun’ in their activities and avoid giving them special treatment due to parental achievements. This helps them develop their own intrinsic motivation.
16. Adopt Cross-Functional Learning Approach
Draw insights from diverse domains (e.g., mountaineering for fat adaptation in running) to foster out-of-the-box thinking. This helps translate knowledge effectively across different fields.
17. Experiment with Fasted Endurance Exercise
Consider training for long-distance events with no caloric intake, relying only on hydration, after an overnight fast. This can help develop fat adaptation for ultra-endurance.
18. Prioritize Liquid, Nutrient-Dense Nutrition
During ultra-endurance, consume liquid, nutrient-dense calories that combine nutrition and hydration. This minimizes digestive effort and avoids diverting blood flow from working muscles.
19. Actively Manage Electrolyte Intake
During high-sweat activities, actively consume salts with trace minerals, magnesium, and potassium. This helps prevent hyponatremia and supports performance in extreme conditions.
20. Consider Extended Fasting for Reset
For a body cleansing or reset, consider a multi-day water-only fast, potentially combined with medical therapy. This can lead to unexpected improvements in health and performance.
21. Be Cautious with Sugar in Endurance
Sugar can lead to bonking due to insulin response and creates a dependency, committing the body to a glycolytic strategy. If used, it must be timed perfectly in long events.
22. Consider High-Density Fat at Altitude
For energy at high altitudes, consuming a shot of olive oil can be more effective than carbohydrates. This suggests fat as a superior energy source in challenging metabolic conditions.
23. Monitor Resting Heart Rate Daily
Check your resting heart rate daily as an indicator of overtraining or inadequate adaptation. If it’s elevated above your normal baseline, consider resting.
24. Stick to Training Plan
Adhere to your scheduled training plan and avoid trying to ‘make up’ missed miles or sessions. This prevents overtraining and potential injury.
25. Prioritize Fun in Training
Unless pursuing world records, focus on enjoyment and sustainability in your physical activities rather than overthinking data. This makes training more sustainable long-term.
26. Consider Data-Light Exercise
When not competing, opt for a simpler, more enjoyable exercise experience without constant tracking of metrics like power or heart rate. This shifts focus from performance to fun.
27. Acclimate to Heat Through Sauna
To prepare for extreme heat events, use saunas and jacuzzis to intentionally raise body temperature and practice consuming large amounts of water. This trains the body to handle heat and process fluids.
28. Create Personal Annual Challenges
Establish consistent, increasing physical goals each year, such as running miles equal to your age on your birthday. This provides a continuous personal challenge.
29. Question Conventional Limits
Approach established norms with curiosity, asking if multi-day events could be completed in a single, non-stop effort. This encourages a mindset of challenging what’s considered possible.
30. Prioritize Regular Social Physical Activity
Schedule consistent weekly physical activity with friends to maintain connection and social engagement. This combines exercise with cherished social interaction, even with busy schedules.
31. Be a Supportive Friend
Be present and show up for loved ones during their most difficult periods. This demonstrates the importance of strong, reliable friendships.
32. Plan Hydration Stops for Runs
For long, self-supported runs, carry handheld water bottles and know specific public drinking fountain locations for refills. This allows continuous movement without relying on stores.
33. Embrace Unexpected Opportunities
Be open to new environments and experiences, as they can lead to profound personal transformations. Unexpected paths can reveal new passions and capabilities.
34. Maintain Personal Standards for Performance
Commit to understanding and achieving your body’s natural capabilities without the use of performance-enhancing drugs. This ensures the integrity of your personal challenge.
35. Define Personal Boundaries for Enhancement
Establish clear personal lines for what constitutes ’natural’ performance enhancement, such as avoiding intravenous fluids. This helps maintain a consistent ethical framework for your endeavors.
36. Re-evaluate High-Risk Activities
Assess activities with inherent risks based on cumulative exposure over time. Acknowledge that prolonged engagement in certain high-risk activities increases the likelihood of negative outcomes.
37. Utilize Indoor Training for Safety
After a serious accident or for safety concerns, use indoor training equipment to continue intense workouts. This mitigates risks associated with outdoor activities like road cycling.
38. Apply Non-Carb-Loading to Children
Provide children with nutrient-dense, lower-carb options like nuts and cherries before sports events. This reflects fat-adaptation principles for sustained energy.
39. Consider Modafinil for Sleep Deprivation
For managing severe sleep deprivation in critical roles, modafinil (200-600mg daily) has been used to maintain or improve performance over 24 hours without the crash of stimulants. (Note: This is Peter’s personal experience during residency).
40. Be Aware of Stimulants’ Judgment Impact
Understand that stimulants can negatively affect judgment. This is a critical consideration for individuals in high-stakes environments where clear decision-making is paramount.
41. Use Physical Challenges for Self-Discovery
Engage in physical challenges as an escape or a path to self-improvement. These pursuits can help process personal difficulties and lead to finding a ‘happy place’.
42. Leverage Endurance for Meditation
Utilize long endurance activities as a meditative time for deep introspection and processing thoughts, both past and present. This can prevent boredom and foster self-reflection.
43. Try Lost Abbey Judgment Day Beer
For a high-quality, mass-produced strong Belgian quad (10%+ alcohol), try Lost Abbey’s ‘Judgment Day’ from San Marcos, California. It is described as a dense and fantastic beer.
5 Key Quotes
I think we all have the physical ability. We all natural born athletes, right? Everyone, some people may have, I believe that I firmly believe that. Now, some people may have better genetics or better biomechanics, but look, I was heavy and a jock football player, and I'm not the best endurance athlete in the world. I mean, I was able to engineer myself, kind of hack my way to positive outcomes. And if I can do it, I think anybody can.
Mike Trevino
There should be no sacred cows, right? We have these constructs in our mind about limits. And I'd say that's the biggest thing. I've talked to people about this before, is just change your perspective on what you think you can do. Just throw it out the window.
Mike Trevino
I love ultra running. And, you know, the follow-up question is, is why? And I said, you know, it's the only time I feel normal. And I like to feel normal. I feel normal when I'm out there doing that stuff. It's just, it feels right. Right or wrong, that was my comfortable spot.
Mike Trevino
My response has been, it's a privilege to do what I do. I love doing what I do. It's fantastic. It's not a sacrifice. If it was a sacrifice, I wouldn't be doing it.
Mike Trevino
Sleep I've found is more important than food and hydration when it comes to thermal regulation and muscle glycogen restoration and synapse repair and formation.
Mike Trevino
3 Protocols
RAAM Sleep Engineering
Pete Penn Sears (described by Mike Trevino)- Watch the athlete sleep.
- Chart their sleep patterns and 'RAM cycle' (time to deep sleep).
- Wait until their eyes stop moving (indicating a specific sleep stage).
- Wake the athlete up at this optimal point to maximize rest from short sleep periods.
Parasite Cleansing Protocol
Mike Trevino- Consult with an infectious diseases specialist for medical treatment.
- Undertake a 10-day fast, consuming only warm water.
- Combine the medical treatment with the fasting regimen.
Daily Training & Recovery Routine (Early 2000s)
Mike Trevino- Wake up around 3 AM.
- Run 12 miles.
- Prepare a 2000-calorie smoothie (whey protein isolate, L-glutamine, glucosamine, flaxseed oil) and pack it.
- Bike to work (no shower after run).
- Arrive at desk by 6:30 AM.
- Sip the cold smoothie from 6:30 AM to noon for recovery and nutrition.
- Occasionally incorporate sauna time to train for heat adaptation (e.g., for Badwater), focusing on raising body temperature and pounding water.