💊You Already Do What Everyone Else Is Paying For (and They Pop Pills In the Process)
How Runners Can Improve Their Vo2 Max Without Overtraining + Consistency + Bad Dad Joke
Intel for the Mission Ahead
💊You Already Do What Everyone Else Is Paying For (and They Pop Pills In the Process)
📈 How Runners Can Improve Their VO2 Max without Overtraining (The Right Way)
💬 Quote Of The Week - On Consistency
🤡 Bad Dad Joke Of The Month
💊You Already Do What Everyone Else Is Paying For (and They Pop Pills In the Process)
I know a few people using Ozempic or similar meds, and for them, it’s life-changing—maybe even life-saving. Modern medical tech is wild in the best way. We’re not talking about snake oil here; this is real, and I respect that.
What’s Ozempic? Ozempic is a relatively new and revolutionary diabetes medication that mimics a gut hormone to lower blood sugar and reduce appetite, which is why people also use it for weight loss.
But still... I can’t help poking at it a little.
Not because I think it’s bad, but because I can see how easy it could become a crutch for people who don’t really need it. It solves problems that some of us already solve—just in a different, slower, sweatier way. And that’s what got me thinking.
Runners have kind of been doing this stuff all along.
I keep seeing Ozempic all over my content feed (podcasts, video, newsletters etc.). It’s being talked about like it’s the new CrossFit. But instead of barbells and pull-ups, it’s just people who don’t feel hungry, aren’t eating as much, and might be extending their lives. It claims to reduce appetite, stabilizes blood sugar, improves brain health, and even makes you want to drink less alcohol.
Those effects sound a lot like what you get from running.
The world seems eager to package and sell what runners already get from a simple, consistent aerobic session. It’s like trying to monetize breathing for people who’ve forgotten how to do it. As runners, we wake up, lace up our shoes, go for a run, and finish feeling better.
Meanwhile, others inject synthetic gut hormones and treat that as an innovation. The frustrating part is that these drugs actually work and they create real effects which is what got me thinking about the newsletter in the first place.
If we can now outsource hunger, drive, creating (What is up Ai!), and even the willingness to move… what’s left that we still own?
I don’t have a solid answer, but I do know this: the world is gradually finding ways to automate self-discipline. And yet, runners still retain something most people are giving up.
Nobody else is logging the miles for us. We train in the rain. We train when we’d rather stay home. We train even when everything around us is saying there’s an easier option. That’s more than fitness — that’s independence.
I also have the same mindset around e-bikes. While I do see a use for them in a lot of situations like you live in a hilly part of town and have two or more kids - yes, an e-bike is a great option. But I stay far away from them because riding an e-bike is one step closer to living the Wall-e spaceship lazy life aka Why “Soft People Don’t Do Hard Thing”. Not today!!
So yeah, I get it, GLP-1s might shape the future for some. But I’ll stick with the low-tech method for now. My legs are sore and my head feels clear. I can still tell the difference between something I earned and something that was handed to me.
And the crazy part? Most of these drugs cost anywhere from $900 to $1,500 a month if you're paying out of pocket. But I’ll happily pay $225 USD for my super shoes, and they’ll last me 400 miles.
The ROI on running isn’t just physiological, it’s financial. No needle, no pharmacy line, just effort, attention, and showing up each day.
Still seems like a good deal to me.
Let me know if you agree, disagree or have other comments and ideas on Instagram, YouTube, comment on Substack or in your email.
📈How Runners Can Improve Their VO2 Max without Overtraining (The Right Way)
What Is It?
Stop Running in Circles (Literally & Figuratively)
Most runners treat VO2 max training like a punishment—run until your lungs explode, then do it again. That’s not science, that’s self-sabotage. The real magic happens at the edge of discomfort, not deep in the pain cave.
How To Do It?
Train Like a Scientist, Not a Lunatic
Four-minute intervals at your actual current 5K fitness pace (not the fantasy one in your head) with equal rest. Don’t know your current 5k fitness pace? Use the Vdot Calculator to figure it out.
Or go old-school with 12x400m intervals at a controlled effort—just hard enough to work, not hard enough to wreck you. More isn’t better. Better is better.
Why It’s Important?
Why Suffering Doesn’t Equal Success
Burnout is not a flex. Training smarter means finishing your race with a crooked grin, not a straight faced-grimace. Your lungs, legs, and future best times will thank you.
So… what happens if you stop guessing and start training with actual intent?
Watch, read, and listen to the full episode here on your next run or workout.
💬 Quote Of The Week - On Consistency
Anyone can do anything for a day or even a week. But can you do it for a year? Two? Five?
A day is forgotten.
A week proves nothing.
A year reveals everything.
Five years? That’s a whole new identity.
🤡 Why Did The Marathoner End Up in Jail?| Bad Dad Joke Of The Month
Why Did The Marathoner End Up in Jail?
He was resisting a rest.
[Cue: Rim Shot 🥹]
