What's up people!

I'm back in Austin after an awesome few days supporting my team in The Speed Project (a team relay race from LA to Las Vegas).

We called ourselves 6 Hour Notice in honor of my friend Dan. Last year on race day, a team had someone drop out due to injury. They called Dan and 6 hours later he showed up to the Santa Monica Pier ready to run.

This year, he got his own team and asked me to help assemble the squad.

As much as I wanted to run, I had to listen to my body and know when to shut it down to prevent further injury. It's so easy to get caught up in the madness of events like TSP, but sometimes it's best to be selfish and know when to say "no".

Instead, I was media and support crew. It was so cool seeing the people I brought in connect, remain positive, and persevere. They faced a ton of adversity throughout 300 miles and came in with a super impressive time. 37 hours and 43 minutes, which put us 13th out of 88 teams that raced! 

Shout out to 6 Hour Notice for crushing it last weekend! Can't wait for next year to run with y'all.

Wellness Tip 

How to Taper Your Training for a Marathon

With Boston and London Marathons coming up, I want to share my best practices for tapering down your training leading up to the big race.

1. Reduce mileage: Aim for a 20-25% reduction to help build up your glycogen stores 

2. Focus on quality: Incorporate a speed workout so your muscles can generate that speed you want on race day

3. Hydrate: Aim for a gallon of water a day with electrolytes mixed in

4. Fuel: Add one more serving of carbs before the race. It's important not to go crazy and overload

5. Get good sleep: Aim for 7-8 hours each night leading up and definitely on race day

6. Stay mentally sharp: Stay present each day and keep your routine to stay grounded. Don't get too anxious about the race itself

Mindset Framework

The Power of a Team

When you think of running, you typically think of a solo activity. 

But participating in TSP last week took me back to my football playing days. Sharing the experience with the team touched my heart and reminded me how much we can learn working together with others. 

Here are 3 major takeaways from the weekend about the Power of a Team: 

1. Drop the ego at the door

One of my favorite themes from Ryan Holiday's Ego is the Enemy is to live with Purpose Not Passion. The ego loves the comfort a “secure” job or lifestyle has, but purpose, as well as the best things, happen outside of your comfort zone.

TSP is all about getting outside of your comfort zone. Everyone knew this would be tough. That it would be painful. But they showed up anyway and leaned on each other for support.

Our team was filled with creators, business owners, and professional athletes. Yet they all just showed up to be a member of the team. Everyone had their intentions for wanting to be a part of The Speed Project, but it was awesome to see them show up for each other.

I loved seeing everyone showcase humility throughout the entire race.

2. Chemistry is key

As a leader, it's important to find people who gel well together in a team environment. It's about getting a group of people to all be on the same page and believe in the same mission. 

When I was figuring out who to invite to the team, I took into account personality styles and values. Who did I think would mesh well together?

We were together for 37 straight hours in an intense and difficult environment. One negative person or conflict could have disrupted the entire team and race. It was 2 AM and the team was tired. We needed 2 or 3 people to run through the night while the others slept. It would have been easy for people to point fingers at who should run, but Jeremy, Griffin, and Isiah stepped up. There was no arguing or pushback. The shared mission and selflessness helped our team thrive.

3. Bringing together good humans

Our team came from all walks of life. Each person brought a unique skillset to the table and had a diverse background. But the beautiful thing was that they were all good humans. 

It's not easy coexisting for 37 hours in a shared RV. There are lots of opportunities for friction, for people to get frustrated, and for emotions to escalate. But it was awesome to see this group of 6 strangers rally together to achieve the goal. 

It was special for me because I was the connecting piece that brought all these people together. Seeing how well they all got along made me realize how important building the right culture is. It makes achieving goals so much easier when everyone believes in the mission and is working towards something bigger than themselves.  

Best Content I Saw this Week

One of the best takeaways from the weekend was a team of 6 female runners.

They were from an indigenous part of Mexico and absolutely crushed the race.

Grit and resiliency show up in many different ways. They wore their traditional outfits and battled the adversity in their own way.

They were inspiring and I'm glad I got to meet them! 

Talk to ya next week,

Matt