226. 2 x Olympian Nick Willis on What it Takes to Run a Sub-4 Mile for 19 Years Straight

Nick Willis exemplifies longevity not only in the competitive world of elite running, but even more so in an event that typically favors young, powerful runners.

He is the 2008 Olympic silver medalist and the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist in the 1500m. Nick’s PR of 3:29 established him as one of the fastest 1500m runners in history.

Nick also holds a unique record of being the most consistent miler in history. For the past 19 consecutive years, he has run a sub-4 minute mile. On January 1st at midnight, he’ll be attempting his 20th year of sub-4 miles at the Armory in New York City. 

In the podcast, we discuss many of the factors that have contributed to Nick’s success, including:

• The importance of who you surround yourself with 
• Putting in the focused work when it counts
• How he focuses on injury prevention
• Using less conventional cross-training as an outlet
• Learning to respect your body and know what it can and cannot do, especially as you get older
• A willingness to be patient and show up when it matters
• Using strength as a primary resource when it comes to healing

Links & Resources from the Show:

• Follow Nick on Twitter and Instagram
• Watch Nick prepare for his 20th sub-4 miler
• Check out Nick on Facebook
• Get stronger and avoid injury
• Join a team to support your own running 

Our show is supported by our longtime sponsor InsideTracker. Today, more than ever, it's essential that we’re making the right decisions to keep our bodies healthy. To help us be resilient, prevent over-training, and optimize our running to get the most from it.

InsideTracker is the ultra-personalized nutrition platform that analyzes your blood and DNA biomarkers along with your lifestyle habits to help you optimize your body and reach your goals.

InsideTracker’s patented system will transform your body's data into knowledge, insights, and a customized action plan of science-backed recommendations. The data can help you determine whether you’re running too much, not enough, or have some other issues that could be affecting your recovery or performance.

I've had my own blood drawn with InsideTracker several times and have been amazed at the valuable information that they provide. Not only are the results very detailed, but they also share guidance for how to improve any markers that are out of range.

If you’re ready to take control of your health and optimize your training, InsideTracker offers a selection of plans that best suit your needs with a limited time 25% discount.