From Last Pick to Elite: How I Became a Top Ultra Runner | Harvey Lewis DSH #950

Summary

Digital Social Hour Podcast Episode Summary Title: From Last Pick to Elite: How I Became a Top Ultra Runner
Host: Sean Kelly
Guest: Harvey Lewis
Release Date: December 5, 2024

---

1. Introduction and Early Beginnings
Length: [02:03] – [04:18]

Harvey Lewis begins by recounting his introduction to running during his teenage years. At the age of 13, he participated in his first marathon while in high school, an experience that profoundly shifted his perspective. Harvey explains, “I discovered that persistence—you can do anything on this planet” ([02:03]).

2. Transition to Ultra Running
Length: [04:24] – [05:55]

After immersing himself in marathon running, Harvey ventured into the realm of ultra running at 19 years old. He highlights the exponential growth of ultra running in the United States, noting, “When I first started ultras back in the 90s, there were fewer than like 5% of the people doing them today” ([04:45]). He describes various ultra races, including the infamous Badwater 135, emphasizing the blend of individual endurance and team support essential for success.

3. Mental Toughness and Persistence
Length: [05:55] – [12:59]

Harvey delves into the mental challenges of ultra running, illustrating how pushing through physical pain leads to profound self-discovery. He shares his strategy of focusing solely on the present lap, stating, “I've just focused on doing that very lap I'm on, and that's it” ([12:59]). This mindset enables him to overcome extreme fatigue and continue beyond perceived limits.

4. Nutrition and a Vegan Lifestyle
Length: [16:43] – [20:25]

A staunch advocate of a vegan diet, Harvey attributes much of his athletic longevity and performance to his plant-based nutrition since 1996. He explains, “I eat all vegan foods... our obsession with animal protein and also like sugary foods is really what's killing Americans” ([17:21]). Harvey discusses the importance of quality nutrition and its impact on reducing inflammation and enhancing recovery.

5. Recovery and Injury Prevention
Length: [35:07] – [37:28]

Harvey emphasizes the critical role of active recovery techniques in his training regimen. He introduces Active Release Therapy, detailing how targeted bodywork helps him maintain peak physical condition. Harvey compares the body to a car, advocating for regular maintenance to prevent long-term damage, “We’re very reluctant at times to go spend money on ourselves for something that really can impact our overall being for decades” ([36:37]).

6. Balancing Teaching and Ultra Running
Length: [48:03] – [55:59]

In addition to his athletic pursuits, Harvey serves as a teacher, instructing both AP Government and financial literacy classes. He shares insights into the evolving educational landscape, advocating for comprehensive financial education. Harvey remarks, “Every single state must have financial literacy in their curriculum. You shouldn't be allowed to graduate high school if you don't understand compound interests” ([55:59]). He also addresses the challenges and rewards of teaching in diverse school environments.

7. Perspectives on Public Education and Curriculum
Length: [55:16] – [76:13]

Harvey offers a nuanced view on public education, defending the dedication of teachers despite systemic challenges. He critiques recent legislative changes impacting curriculum, such as the banning of certain subjects, stating, “I don’t understand how that would injure… make one of my other students feel like a victim” ([53:49]). Harvey advocates for a balanced and inclusive curriculum that fosters critical thinking and civic awareness.

8. Reflections on Competitions and Rivalries
Length: [26:13] – [43:54]

Harvey discusses the importance of friendly rivalries in ultra running, which drive him to continually improve. He shares his accomplishments, including being ranked in the top 10 ultra runners in North America and winning prestigious races. Harvey highlights the increasing presence of female ultra runners, noting, “Women are in many cases running equal to men and, or superseding them” ([43:54]), showcasing the sport's evolving inclusivity.

9. Personal Insights and Philosophy
Length: [68:38] – [75:22]

Harvey reflects on personal setbacks and lessons learned, particularly from races where he did not finish. These experiences reinforced his commitment to never quitting unless faced with a medical emergency. He emphasizes the limitless potential within each individual, encouraging listeners to adopt a persistent and growth-oriented mindset. Harvey advises, “You can always get better at whatever you're doing” ([74:35]).

10. Future Goals and Motivational Takeaways
Length: [75:22] – [77:31]

Looking ahead, Harvey aspires to continue competing at elite levels and inspiring others through both his athletic and teaching careers. He underscores the interconnectedness of physical health, mental well-being, and educational excellence. Harvey concludes with a motivational message, “It's all about character as well, and also about… health and trying to really help kids grow into whatever dreams they wish to pursue” ([48:17]).

---

Notable Quotes:

• “I discovered that persistence—you can do anything on this planet.” — Harvey Lewis ([02:03])
• “When I first started ultras back in the 90s, there were fewer than like 5% of the people doing them today.” — Harvey Lewis ([04:45])
• “I've just focused on doing that very lap I'm on, and that's it.” — Harvey Lewis ([12:59])
• “I eat all vegan foods... our obsession with animal protein and also like sugary foods is really what's killing Americans.” — Harvey Lewis ([17:21])
• “Active Release Therapy is, it's fast. Like, I don't have to like, buy a big plan.” — Harvey Lewis ([36:37])
• “Every single state must have financial literacy in their curriculum.” — Harvey Lewis ([55:59])
• “Women are in many cases running equal to men and, or superseding them.” — Harvey Lewis ([43:54])
• “You can always get better at whatever you're doing.” — Harvey Lewis ([74:35])
• “It's all about character as well, and also about… health and trying to really help kids grow into whatever dreams they wish to pursue.” — Harvey Lewis ([48:17])

---

Conclusion:
In this compelling episode of Digital Social Hour, Harvey Lewis shares an inspiring journey from a struggling high school athlete to a top-tier ultra runner and dedicated educator. Through his stories, Harvey underscores the power of persistence, the importance of proper nutrition, and the profound impact of mental resilience. His holistic approach to life—balancing intense athletic training with a passion for teaching—offers valuable lessons for listeners aspiring to excel both personally and professionally in today’s fast-paced digital world.

Transcript

[Indeed Advertiser]

We're driven by the search for better. But when it comes to hiring, the best way to search for a candidate isn't to search at all. Don't search. Match with Indeed. Indeed is your matching and hiring platform with over 350 million global monthly visitors, according to Indeed Data. And a matching engine that helps you find quality candidates fast. Ditch the busy work. Use Indeed for scheduling, screening and messaging so you can connect with candidates faster, leveraging over 140 million qualifications and preferences every day. Indeed's matching engine is constantly learning from your preferences, so the more you use Indeed, the better it gets. Join more than 3.5 million businesses worldwide that use Indeed to hire great talent fast. And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit. To get your jobs more visibility at indeed.com bluewire, just go to indeed.com/blue wire right now and support our show by saying that you heard about Indeed on this podcast. That's indeed.com/blue wire. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire. You need Indeed.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. With the price of just about everything going up during inflation, we thought we'd bring our prices down. So to help us, we brought in a reverse auctioneer, which is apparently a thing Mint Mobile unlimited premium wireless head to get 33. 15. 15.

[Harvey Lewis]

15.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Just 15 bucks a month.

[Harvey Lewis]

So give it a [e-mail] Switch $45.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Upfront payment equivalent to $15 per month. New customers on first three month plan only. Taxes and fees. Extra Speed slower above 40 gigabytes. You detail. What drew you to love running so much?

[Harvey Lewis]

This is back when I was like 15, 14. Actually 13. Jumped into a marathon when I was in high school. And that moment just really changed my life because I discovered that persistent. You can do anything on this planet.

[Ryan Reynolds]

All right, guys, Harvey Lewis here today. Been to 107 countries, right?

[Harvey Lewis]

Yes, yes. It's been a amazing adventure across life.

[Ryan Reynolds]

You ran hundreds of miles in all of them, I assume, right?

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, well, not all of them, but I've. I've seen some places and I was talking to your wife out in the lobby. I mean, you're like sharing some stories about Bolivia and la salta de Uni.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

Your fiance. I'm sorry.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. Getting married next year.

[Harvey Lewis]

So that's exciting.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, pretty much my wife at this point.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. I just got married myself.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh.

[Harvey Lewis]

My fiance before my wife. We were together for 10 years. So how long have you guys been together?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Seven years.

[Harvey Lewis]

Seven years. Very similar.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Very similar. Yeah. So what drew you to love Running so much, man.

[Harvey Lewis]

I start off and I was like the very last person to ever be picked on teams while I was growing up. I was like chunking goonies and somewhere it hit me that I just started like running for training for football and I ended up like going out for the football team and being like third string defensive tackle. But I like the training in the, all the fitness elements to it and pushing myself. So this is back when I was like 15, 14, actually 13, and I. I like jumped into a marathon when I was in high school. And that moment just really changed my life because I've discovered that so much in this world is a matter of how much persistence you have. And if you're persistent, you can do anything on this planet.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Nice. So you like the results you saw from your training and your persistence?

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, I mean, I was still finishing towards the back of the pack.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, really? So at 15 you weren't?

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, ye, I was. I never won a race in high school.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Whoa.

[Harvey Lewis]

In fact, I normally finish towards the back and when I ran the marathon, it took me five years to break. Five hours. Damn long.

[Ryan Reynolds]

So you had terrible genetics.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, well, I wouldn't say I had terrible genetics, but I would say I didn't have, I didn't like have the, the formula.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Okay.

[Harvey Lewis]

And I've learned the formula across decades.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Got it. Because now people are running marathons in like two and a half hours, right?

[Harvey Lewis]

Oh, faster than that. Like, I mean, the world record is like two hours and two minutes.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Holy crap.

[Harvey Lewis]

I mean, it's like we've had. Yeah, it's pretty incredible. I mean, they just keep on pushing it lower and lower.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Harvey Lewis]

But yeah, I got into running pretty young and I discovered ultras when I was actually 19 years of age. And I've been doing ultras for now, 20, 28 years.

[Ryan Reynolds]

So an Ultra is two marathons, right.

[Harvey Lewis]

The ultra is any race further than a marathon.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, further than.

[Harvey Lewis]

So I mean, in this country they've explod. So I mean, when I first started ultras back in the 90s, there were fewer than like 5% of the people doing them today. So it's, it's grown by like exponentially. And now there's like, you have a hundred mile races, you have 200 mile races, you have backyard ultras that go have no finish line. You keep, you keep going to the last person standing.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That's cool.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. And it's, I love the sport because it is, it really brings you to. It removes all the layers that we have and it gets you to Your inner core. You discover what your purpose is, what your. Why is. I feel like, a closeness with, like, when you're in that moment of, like, complete and utter, like, challenges, sometimes people will refer to as, like, suffering or pain. I don't really like to think of it that way, but it really causes you to, like, dig into your inner side and, like, think about what is important in the world to you.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow. Yeah. Because you're on your own. It's a very individual sport.

[Harvey Lewis]

It is. It isn't. It isn't. Like, there are times, like, where you have a crew and like, your crew is like your. Your team. Like, they. They basically. Like, for example, in Death Valley, I run a race that Goggins popularized called Badwater 135. You basically run 135 miles from the Badwire Basin to the portal, Mount Whitney.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Harvey Lewis]

And you have a crew that follows you every mile, like in a vehicle or mile or two. And they hand off, like, ice or drinks. And so, I mean, without that crew, like, you wouldn't be able to, like.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That'D be tough, right? Because that's six marathons.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. Yeah. So it's like, a lot of times there is a crew.

[Indeed Advertiser]

We're driven by the search for better. But when it comes to hiring, the best way to search for a candidate isn't to search at all. Don't search. Match with Indeed. Indeed is your matching and hiring platform with over 350 million global monthly visitors, according to Indeed data, and a matching engine that helps you find quality candidates fast. Ditch the busy work. Use Indeed for scheduling, screening, and messaging so you can connect with candidates faster, leveraging over 140 million qualifications and preferences every day. Indeed's matching engine is constantly learning from your preferences, so the more you use indeed, the better it gets. Join more than 3.5 million businesses worldwide that use Indeed to hire great talent fast. And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit. To get your jobs more [e-mail] bluewire just go to indeed.com bluewire right now and support our show by saying that you heard about Indeed on this podcast. That's indeed.com bluewire. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? You need Indeed.

[Ryan Reynolds]

When your gut feels off, your whole day can feel off. Activia Probiotic yogurts and dailies are a quick, easy, and tasty way to up your gut health game every day. They're deliciously smooth and creamy and packed with billions of live and active probiotics. Your gut is where it all begins. So Start with Activia. Enjoying Activia twice a day for two weeks. Weeks as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle can help reduce the frequency of minor digestive discomfort. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a [e-mail] DSH and get on your way, becoming your best self. My fiance Arielle plays a big role in my mental health, helping me realize my true potential. Everyone's trying their best around you, so take time to appreciate someone close to you. I've tried therapy in the past and it helped me go through some tough times. When I was in college dealing with mental health, I was on prescription medication. I actually had agoraphobia when I was in college and therapy helped me figure out some answers to how to fix that problem. For two months, I couldn't even leave my house or I would have a full on panic attack. So I love companies like BetterHelp that can get therapy in front of the masses. But therapy definitely helped me get better. And I definitely appreciate companies like BetterHelp because it's completely online and it's conveniently suited to fit your schedule and accommodate life surprises. Fill out a brief questionnaire to match with a licensed therapist today with the freedom to switch therapists anytime for no additional charge. Visit betterhelp.comDSH to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp. H L P.com- check them out now.

[Harvey Lewis]

Other times you have even like teammates. Like I've been on the USA team. The 24 hour race where you're running for 24 hours. I've done that five times and I've been on the, the backyard, in the backyard world championship team five times for the usa. So for that like the last one we did, I ran like 316 miles. I had teammates. We were, I was pacing our teammates. They were, we're each like supporting each other with like positive energy. And like sometimes someone would like, would like be just falling back and falling asleep like as they're running and I might have to grab them and say like, we're going man. So it's not always like an individual sport.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Harvey Lewis]

You have like races where you are teamed up with people too.

[Ryan Reynolds]

316 miles. You ran that in how long?

[Harvey Lewis]

That race is a race where you have to do 4.167 miles every hour. So it adds up to a hundred miles every day. And so that was like three days and four hours. Yeah. But my, my best was last year I ran and set the world record of or the. On the biggest course for running four and a half days. Oh my God, 150 miles. And it was a really, I mean, if, you know the UFC fighting gets a lot of attention, but honestly, I'd say like ultras are, are even to be even more badass and require more toughness than even surviving like in the ufc. Because with that, with, with that, I mean, you're running like non stop practically. You, you, if you finish your, your loop within your 4.167 miles, faster than an hour, you have whatever time that is to the, to this. So you might get like, if you finish in like 50 minutes, you get 10 minutes to like lay down to like, eat whatever you can and then restart the loop at the top of the hour. And like, I mean, you lose toenails, you have blisters that you have to like, sometimes pierce. You're like, you have to fight through sleep deprivation. For that race. I didn't sleep for the first three days, and then the fourth day I was like, fourth night I started sleeping like, just like one minute, two minutes because I was finishing my laps with 55 minutes. I only had five minutes to reset and get going again.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Holy.

[Harvey Lewis]

So it was, it was really wild. And there were 75 other people that were like world or there were champions of their own countries who didn't want to give up either. So it was like a wild experience. Like, last person standing. I mean, people were going to like the point where they just were total fatigued and they couldn't walk back to their tent. Like, and it's really wild because you get into like this mental aspect of your mind and your body and you're able to push beyond where you think you could, like, in so much limits us by what we think we can do versus what we actually can do. You know, we are our greatest strength and our greatest challenge. You know, if we, if we believe we, we can't do something, that's the heart of it. You're never going to be able to do it. But with that particular race, I always focus only on the lap I'm on. And I never think like, oh, I've got 200 more miles to go. Like, I've just focused on, like doing that very lap I'm on, and that's it.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Harvey Lewis]

And eating a lot of food. Yeah, you gotta eat a ton of food.

[Ryan Reynolds]

So you were just staying in the present.

[Harvey Lewis]

Just staying in the present.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Because if you thought about the 200 miles you had to run, you probably would have gone crazy.

[Harvey Lewis]

No, you have to really break it down into like that, that particular hour. Like, you just have to focus on like the next tree, the next mile.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Future you faces some big expectations, Work out more, go to bed earlier, and.

[Harvey Lewis]

Most importantly, make smart money decisions.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Thankfully, today you has bank of America one place with tools and guidance to.

[Harvey Lewis]

Help balance tasks from budgeting to saving. So you can just be you with big plans.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Do more with the bank that asks.

[Harvey Lewis]

What would you like the power to do? Explore our tips and [e-mail] futureu.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And.

[Harvey Lewis]

Focus on what are you excited about when you get to finish of that lap, right? You got. And it's, it's simple, simple stupid stuff. Like, I'm excited. I'm gonna get like some Coca Cola. I'm excited. I'm like, get some.

[Ryan Reynolds]

You drank Coca Cola?

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, I mean, I do, like, during the race.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, I mean, it's like, it's really lots of calories. Caffeine. I usually don't drink it until like the second day because I don't want to, like, use any caffeine the first night. Like, make it through the first night without any caffeine and then like the second, third, fourth night beyond. Like, having some caffeine is helpful. So I, I like to mix up my drink. Like, I have like, probably a dozen different drinks I like to have, but it's one I have.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That's impressive, man. And you won that race at 48. I'm assuming a lot of the competition was younger than you, right?

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I won the race at 48. And, you know, I think it. You. It's really interesting. Like, one of the statements, you, you said, go for it. You remember what you said in the lobby?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, is running this much bad for you because you're running hundreds of miles? Like, is that actually bad for the body?

[Harvey Lewis]

Right? Well, no, I would say yes. And like, that you can accomplish, like, and. And actually what you were saying, a lot of you were saying, is running bad for you, like, period.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Harvey Lewis]

You know, and I would say, like, a lot of people don't understand. They. They assume that running is bad for you, but, like, there's running, it can be. Be excellent for you, but it depends where you're at. So I mean, for me, I don't have any pains at all. And that's kind of crazy. Like, I'm 48 and I just ran like 316 miles a few weeks ago. Yesterday, I ran up and down a mountain in Death Valley. I ran twice yesterday. I ran this morning, like, 10K in, in Vegas, I don't have any aches on my body. None. And so much of it has to do with like what I eat, also what I, what I do with my recovery. And like, those are huge elements. So for, for ultras, on the other hand, I'd say yeah, if you're running like 1,000 miles, it might, it might not be the greatest thing. You could achieve the same goals by going out running 5, 10K, you know, 20K, a half marathon, like absolutely. Even running one or two miles are amazing. But I think number one is just like movement. Like people need movement in their body. Finding something that you enjoy doing, that you're passionate about is critical, whether it's swimming, yoga, walking. So yeah, it's not like I expect. I'm trying to think everyone should be a runner, like not at all. But running is also can be good for you if you take good care of your body in terms of what you're eating, in terms of like doing other things in addition to running. Like it's, you can do amazing stuff.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. Well, there's a lot of evidence that your VO2 max levels coordinate with longevity these days.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, yeah, it's. Well, you know, I have a friend who's 102, Mike Fremont, and we met Ronnie and he's still, he, he is 102. So he was running really up to 100 the last couple of years. His run is more of a walk. But we still say we're going out for a run and it's pretty impressive that he's able to do that. You know, a lot of it for me, honestly has been my nutrition. So I eat all vegan foods. Like I've been doing that since I've been vegetarian since 1996.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. And I mean I heard like when you're like recent guests.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Billy Carson.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, he said like a vegan diet almost killed me.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

And I was like, that just drives me crazy. Because honestly in America today, really our obsession with like animal protein and also like sugary foods is really what's killing Americans. And so from. I feel like people ought to really do their own research and get more into it, looking at like actually quality sources of evidence. And I don't expect every American to become a vegan. But the big deal is that if you can like move your, your nutrition more in that direction. So maybe like every morning for breakfast, like my friend Jesse Itzler, he only has like fruits and like simple like plant based things at the beginning of the day all the way up through Midday or incorporate a couple of days a week where you're eating something vegan or like just looking at what you're eating in terms of what your nutrition is, is like if you are eating meat, like are you eating, is that your main go to in your plate? It's kind of interesting because in America we've been so conditioned through like the media or not the media, but like marketing to, to think that we need to have some meat with every meal.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Harvey Lewis]

And it's like there's a lot of inflammation with like dairy, for example, the dairy industry has, I'm a teacher and like even in schools you can't even serve a plant based milk because of the influence of the dairy industry on the usda. Yes. So I mean there's some really big shifts that I hope are going to be happening also in schools. But you're seeing in the grocery store like half of the possible things that people are drinking now are like oat milk, almond milk, and it makes up almost half of like what is sold in the, in the grocery store today. And like when people start thinking about it like and learning more about what really does. This milk is designed to make a small calf, you know, a gigantic animal. And you can get the same benefits of like oat milk by drinking like it has like the same proteins, calcium, vitamin D, those kinds of things. And you don't get the inflammation that you get in the dairy. So I mean I, I started this in the 90s and I'm seeing a major shift in the last 25 years in our country and around the world.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

So it's nice to see that from my, my vantage point. But then I also hear like your, your guest coming on and saying like, I think that probably what happened, a lot of people, they, they may just eat only I've never heard anyone having any issue unless they're not eating enough calories or they're only eating like cheese pizza every meal. So you know, if you're not diversifying yourself to a degree or like educating yourself with anything, you could, you could have like, you know, not do as well as you otherwise.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, I was reading the comments. That one really blew up, had like 8,000 comments, right? Yeah, he travels a lot, so it could have been just an issue of it's hard to eat healthy when you're traveling too.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. And so that's one of the things when I think really helps actually also when you're like dedicated to eating a certain way. Nutrition for me, like traveling, I traveled to 107 countries and what I do is I always bring a couple snacks with me in my bags. And then it also. It causes me to, like, search out better foods. So, for example, when I was in the Azores, I was on this small little island, and, like, the first place I went into, all they had was, like, burgers and fries. And I, like, pulled up on my phone. I'm like, I'm not eat this stuff. Obviously, there's no. Nothing I can eat here. So it caused me to go to another place, was like a kilometer away, and, like, they had amazing, like, vegetable soup and like, some vegetable, like, paninis and like, all sorts of great things that I wouldn't have gotten had I just been, like, lazy about or I hadn't been, like, focused or dedicated to nutrition.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Harvey Lewis]

So it's like, it causes you to. You learn a lot. I mean, there's a lot of, like. There's a lot of. It's a. It's far more easier today than it ever was before, but when you dedicate yourself to it, you. You start to, like, you find where these things are.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

There's all. There's apps, there's all kinds of ways that.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Seed Oil Scout's a good app. Yeah, I love that app. Have you seen that one?

[Harvey Lewis]

No.

[Ryan Reynolds]

So it tells you if the restaurant is using seed oils or not.

[Harvey Lewis]

Really?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

I. I've only heard a little. I saw a billboard up yesterday.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, they had a billboard?

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, some. Some. There was a billboard about the seed oil.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, Oh, I saw that one. Yeah. In Vegas.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. That Mexican restaurant. Yeah. Are you big on seed oils? Like, do you have opinion?

[Harvey Lewis]

No, I'm not. I. The only thing I've. I personally, like, saw some stuff on online about seed oils, like the. In relationship to the sun, like.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, sunburn, right?

[Harvey Lewis]

Sunburn. Yeah. You have anything to add about that?

[Ryan Reynolds]

No, I've seen that. Yeah. If you eat seed oils, there's a greater chance you get sunburned, basically.

[Harvey Lewis]

Something like that.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I can relate to that. I mean, I used to get sunburned a lot when I was eating really bad, so maybe there's something to it, but who knows?

[Harvey Lewis]

I don't know. Yeah, I. It's just one of those things, like, I feel like that there needs to be some, like, research. Like, people need to look at, like, legitimate sources.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

And like, with seed oils, like, I don't think that, like, I definitely, like, think that there's some benefits or disadvantages in looking at that, but. But, like, yeah, I saw a lot of misinformation online about. Well, people get skin cancer because of, like, seed oils or something like that. And I just feel like that's something that is important to, like, you look at the science behind.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

And like. Yeah. So, I mean, I. I go to a dermatologist and like, you know, we. I personally, I'm in the sun, like, in like, for example, Death Valley.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

All this sun exposure. And I feel it's really important to, you know, also just be mindful, like, to cover up from the sun. Like, I mean, I still get out there, I love the sun, but I also don't be oblivious to, like, that the sun does cost cancer to people. I mean, if you're in Australia, you're going to get really messed up.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, man. I went there and my skin was peeling off my face.

[Harvey Lewis]

Seriously. Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wrecked. Yeah. I didn't even think about that. But you're in the sun all day. You got guys like Brian Johnson staying inside all day because he's scared of the damage from the sun. Have you seen any sun damage from your dermatologist?

[Harvey Lewis]

Like, yes. Yeah. I actually got skin cancer.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, you did?

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, Last year I had melanoma or actually last spring and I had it removed, so it's fine. But I was really surprised because I'm someone who's like, darker complexion.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

I like, get dark very easily and. But I never have been really focused on, like, wearing, covering up. Like, you know, it's like, no big deal. I, like, would go to the beach. I wouldn't wear a sunblock. Yeah. I go out running. I wouldn't purposely try to get a lot of sun, but I also wouldn't avoid it. I mean, even when I was younger, I can remember, like, going in, like, tanning a couple times. Just like.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

I mean, I think it's stupid now.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

But like, I was like, you know, 23, whatever. I was like, oh, yeah. I'm like, just. Yeah. Yeah. That's so stupid.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Being tan was, like, attractive at that.

[Harvey Lewis]

It was attractive. And it's like now it's like, I'm so much more aware of that is like, it makes so much sense to just cover up. Like, you know, wear a hat. Wear, wear, wear a shirt when it know you. I'm not always wear a shirt. Like, I mean, I went out running yesterday morning without my shirt on. But once it gets to like, a certain time of the day, like nine or ten.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Harvey Lewis]

I'm gonna cover up. And it's just being like, again, like, critical of, like, what you see in, like, look at the actual evidence from, like, university research, that type of thing, versus just believe in somebody. You hear say something.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Well, social media makes it easy to see all these opinions these days.

[Harvey Lewis]

Absolutely. Right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. You got Dave Asprey saying oat milk is terrible for you. Almond milk's terrible for you.

[Harvey Lewis]

Right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

There's mold and coffee. And you see that clip, and it's easy to just believe it and see the comments.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. And I wonder, like, what the motivation is of some of the people that, you know, spread this stuff. That's.

[Ryan Reynolds]

A lot of them have their own products.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

So that's definitely motivation.

[Harvey Lewis]

There could be.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I think some people generally want to help. Like, I like Huberman's podcast.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, Like Huberman. Absolutely. I think he has a very strong reputation overall.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. But when I do see them have a product on the back end, I keep that in my head, like, I.

[Harvey Lewis]

Absolutely discerning. Yeah. That's so powerful.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. You got to trust the research, man. You got any rivalries in this sport? You probably race against the same people all the time.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, you know? Absolutely. But they're, like. They're like friendly rivalries, you know? So, I mean, going back across, like. I mean, it's kind of crazy. I've been running ultras for, like, three decades, and, like, I've hit my peak, like, literally in just the last five years.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Whoa.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. The last three years, I was ranked the top 10 ultra runners in North America. And it's kind of wild because I never came close to that in my 20s or my 30s. But it was just, like, continual, like, perseverance, like, continually developing myself. Learning, like, how to train smarter.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

Like, the nutrition aspect, all of that contributed. But my rivals are also my. My friends, you know? Like, it's like you can't be. You can't reach your pinnacle without having people that. That. That challenge. You beat you, and then you have to come back and try to beat him. It makes you a better, Better athlete.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Absolutely.

[Harvey Lewis]

Right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

So are you the only vegan in the top 10?

[Harvey Lewis]

No. No. Like, Jim Walmsley is number one in the country, and he is a vegan.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. Okay, so it's not like it's some, you know, rarity. In fact, within ultra running, I'd say probably 15% of the runners in the top level are vegan.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Interesting.

[Harvey Lewis]

Or vegetarians. Absolutely.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. There's a guy named Andrew Glaze. He literally runs 100 miles a week. He's done this for, like, four or five years, and he's vegan.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Damn.

[Harvey Lewis]

Like, one of the Things is like recovery time. So like, like I said yesterday, I ran, I went to Death Valley. I went out to the Balwar Basin and like most of people, they're getting out of their cars and they're, they're walking out like maybe a half a mile and then turn around getting back in their car. Like, I, I run, I run all the way out to the, like the middle of that salt pan.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

And, and then I'm a run back. That's what I did before I go to bed. I ran up a mountain Saturday night.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right before bed?

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, like right before I go bed.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Isn't your heart rate still going, like afterwards?

[Harvey Lewis]

I calm down.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Okay.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, yeah. It's like just natural, like it's become ingrained into my, my, my, my habits. It's like I run twice a day. Like, wow. Every day. And I know people like that are ultra runners. Like my friend Ed rousseau. He's like 86. I met him at my first ultra. He's still doing this, like at 86. Like, still, like, he's not doing 100 miles, but he's like 50 miles, you know. So it's, it's quite amazing what you are capable of if you don't abuse your body like with, you know, other things. Like, I mean, you see it every day, right? So, yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's there. It has like. I think my experience can be impactful to anyone listening to the show because you can always get better at whatever you're doing. It's like Dave Ramsey, he talks about it's never too late to start investing. I mean, you could be 70 years of age and like, you may be a smoker, you may be a drinker, you may be someone who never gets out and exercises. You could like change your life dramatically by changing some of those habits today and also by like integrating some sort of fitness into your leg, your lifestyle.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Harvey Lewis]

And it's like the impacts, I hear people say all kinds of excuses is like, they don't want to do it, but it's like they don't realize. Like it's not just you're going to live longer is like the quality of your years, what you're going to experience with the time you have here and like how you're going to feel. Every aspect of your life will feel more energized and you'll feel just better physically, mentally, spiritually. By engaging in these activities 100%.

[Ryan Reynolds]

On days I work out, I can notice the difference of my mindset. Like, I Am way more optimized.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. It's absolutely huge. Yeah. It's like I wish I could, like, have a couple days with every person I see that. I'm like, well, like, get them, wrestle them like into a different direction.

[Ryan Reynolds]

100. Yeah. Because there's a lot of mental health. I'm sure you're seeing it because you're a teacher, right, with your students.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yes.

[Ryan Reynolds]

But if they just worked out more, got outside in nature, I'm sure that would help them a little bit.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Like it. That's, you know, it. We can be in like some stale environments and like we, you know, it's like being in Vegas. Like, I have like this love hate relationship with Vegas. I absolutely feel like elated when I arrive in Vegas and I typically head out to Henderson and I head out to like one of the national parks near here or some wild place. And I like certain things. I mean, I love that they have the shows here, but. And I love that, like, there's a lot of really good vegan restaurants in Vegas.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Really?

[Harvey Lewis]

One of my favorite.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That's surprising because we're in a desert.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. No, it's like Taco Terian is incredible. If you've ever eaten at Taco Terian is amazing.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Okay.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. I always have to make my whole food stop right on the street.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I like Whole Foods.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. So they have a lot of. This is probably my favorite Whole foods in the whole country. Right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

The one in Henderson, the one right here.

[Harvey Lewis]

That's on the strip.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, that's right on the Strip.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. It was right, right up from the Luxor and right next to airport. It's like 0.6 miles from the airport.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Okay.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, it's real nice.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I'll check that one out.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, they have a lot of options. So. I mean, I have this love hate relationship, but even like staying in the hotel in the Strip, like yesterday is like I can only talk so much time there. It's like they have you in prison. Like, it, it's hard to even like as a get out and walk around because it's. It's not a very walkable place necessarily.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Which hotel are you at?

[Harvey Lewis]

I was at the Treasure Island.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Okay.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. Plus the smoke from the.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, the smoke. It just. And it just feels like very. Yeah, it's like the furthest you could come from, like being in nature. It's like you're in this, like, it feels like Dubai.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

There's lights, like very much like we've created this artificial world. And I mean, I feel Like a lot of people don't spend much time outdoors or like even in like your backyard, local park, something like that. I mean that's always going to make you feel just better.

[Ryan Reynolds]

100.

[Harvey Lewis]

It's always gonna make you feel better.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, I ground every day.

[Harvey Lewis]

That's, that's sweet.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, that's, you know, the Stanford, I don't know if they still do this, but the Stanford track and track and field team and the cross country team, they, they used to run barefoot.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. Yeah. There's been a lot of like evidence that that's powerful. Like one of the things about running really far is you have to have good form. And so if you're running barefoot you're, you're likely to develop good form because you just can't do it any other way. You can't land on your heel if you're running barefoot. You're going to kill yourself.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Harvey Lewis]

But you feel some of those things are masked by the fact that the shoes today, some of the shoes today have very cushion, like lots of cushion in them. So people don't really feel that impact immediately and it's masked and then like a week or two weeks or like just what they're feeling in general, their knees or back, they hurt because they're. The way their form is.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, it's a really, is a true thing.

[Ryan Reynolds]

So the shoe's super important then.

[Harvey Lewis]

Shoes can be really important. Yeah. I, I wear Newtons and I really love the Newtons because they're like, they have cushion but they're also like designed so that you land like you're barefoot running and you take off so you're not like landing on your heel and like doing damage to your back and your, your knees.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow. So you're not supposed to land on your heel when you're running?

[Harvey Lewis]

No, no. You're not supposed to.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I'm pretty sure that's how I used to run.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, that's how I used to run too. I definitely used to run that way back in the day. But it's true like it, you really want to be able to run like you would be running barefoot. So I mean you might just try it out. Like run on like some grass for like little 40 meter strides, 40 yard straws like that could do it. Or like some like turf like.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

So it's comfortable on your feet.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Good to know.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow. What about running backwards? I had, what's that guy's name? Knees over toes guy.

[Harvey Lewis]

Okay.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Ben Patrick.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Have you seen him?

[Harvey Lewis]

I have not, but I'VE heard of people getting, like, world records, run marathon backwards and stuff.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, you can run a marathon backwards.

[Harvey Lewis]

Someone. I can't do that, but someone else did.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That sounds hard.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

But he was basically saying walking and running backwards is good for injury prevention.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, Yeah, I, I could see that. I, I, I mean, I don't do it, but, like, I, I could see that benefiting you because you're kind of strengthening different muscles.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right. Well, it sounds like you're doing good with injury prevention anyways, so I, Well.

[Harvey Lewis]

I'm always learning, like, that's the thing. Like, I've learned from, like, being that the very bottom and like, the least likely person to ever, like, succeed with running as learning is like, you always listening to other people if hear what they do and, like, incorporating that into your strategies.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Harvey Lewis]

So, like, there's something I do, like, I, I hurt my foot on the Appalachian Trail. I was running the whole length of it.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Did you roll it?

[Harvey Lewis]

No, I, I, like, hit, like, I kicked, like, 150 rocks.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Whoa.

[Harvey Lewis]

Like, just kick them. Because I fell down over a hundred times back in 2018.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Was it steep?

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, a lot of places were super steep and, like. But I mean, I, I really did damage my foot. Like, it's, like, splayed like this. I went to, like, three different podiatrists. They all told me different things. And finally, physical therapy. The key was just, like, reorienting my balance. And like, literally every day while I'm flossing my teeth, after brushing my teeth, I balance on one foot with my knee raised, and then I balance on the other foot, like, when I'm flossing my teeth. So it becomes part of my daily ritual. And it's, it's something that seems so, like, simple and, like, but it's, it's creating, like, equilibrium in your body. And it's really important because a lot of times as athletes, we get something like our calf muscle, like, or our Achilles is, like, hurting, or something's going on, and it causes you to, like, change your, your form, and then it, it causes some other injury somewhere else in your body. I also go to, like, a guy does active release therapy. So, like, he does bodywork. It's kind of like a sports massage. But he is, like, a genius, and he's very intuitive with the body. You can, like, absolutely, like, tell when there's. You have something, like, off.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Interesting. So he adjusts you, like a chiropractor.

[Harvey Lewis]

He adjusts me, but he only focuses on a specific area of your body where you're having like, trouble.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. So, like, if my, my calf muscles, like, if I've got some calf muscle that's like really super tight, he'll just like find the trigger points with it or break up the scar tissue, these sorts of things. It's like, it's incredible. Like, I mean, he works on a lot of professional athletes, like with the Cincinnati Res and Bengals in the past. It's. But he also works on typical people. I mean, there's. People have gone in to see him, they were suffering from like, tennis elbow or like some chronic injury for like the last 15 years. And like, they leave after one or two visits and they're like, wow. Yeah, I feel totally different. And you'll find active release therapists, like in every city, major city in America.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I need to look into that.

[Harvey Lewis]

I've heard that it's very powerful.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, I'd rather do that than a chiropractor, because chiropractors too broad. It's like.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, I've only had limited experience. I mean, I think like, chiropractors can be really good too, in their own domain. It's just I've, I've, I've really found that like this active release therapy is, is. It's fast. Like, I don't have to like, buy a big plan. You can like, go in and get a couple sessions and you'll find that it's really helpful. I mean, your body is like a car in a sense. Like, would you like neglect, like your, your car to take it in to have like the tires rotated or oil changes, things like this?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Harvey Lewis]

But we're, we're very reluctant at times to go spend money on ourselves for something that really can impact our, our overall being for like decades and how we feel, period.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, it's super important. Have you ever had to quit a race stop early?

[Harvey Lewis]

Yes. Yeah. So with the last person standing race, it's basically everyone is going until like they're. They give up or they can't continue on. So that race only has one person who's finishes is a winner. And I've run like eight of those races and I've won, I think, three of them.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. So there's been others where I've not been the last person and, and, but amongst I've run over, let's see, I think 106 ultras in my lifetime, including like 50 races or 100 miles or more. And the one race I didn't finish was back in 2010. I didn't finish a race called the Spartathlon. Spartathlon is this epic race that goes from Athens to Sparta and it traces the route of Pheidippides. Philippides is a famous Greek who we know the marathon, modern day marathon from because he ran in like, to marathon to like announce the victory. But he did this other run was 153 miles to Sparta to try and get to Spartans to help them in the battle. And so I did this race and I didn't finish it. I made it to about 116 miles. I, like, had all of these forces working against me. Like our, our flight, like had emergency landing in the UK on the way over. Yeah, people were hysterical. Like, we went from like 30, 000ft to landing in like 10 minutes.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Holy crap.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. Like, the pilots, like, if anyone has any laptops are on, please turn them off. Like they thought there was a fire on the flight so that I didn't get to the race until like six hours before it started. And there were some other things. I ran the race too fast. I was like in the lead with some Brazilian runner and I didn't pace myself. So. But what happened from that race is I took away a lot. So it's when we get knocked down that we oftentimes learn the most.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

And I learned that I never want to quit. So that's the last ultra I've ran in 2010, where it's actually like a race where there's, you know, you have a finish line that you cannot, you can't. Like that didn't go to the finish line even though I had the opportunity. And really I told myself I didn't think I could make it when I got to 160 miles and I thought, like, I did the math in my head and if I would have kept going, I would have just made it after the time cut off. And I didn't want to risk, I think, failure like I was. I was really not wanting to risk, like putting all that energy into it and then possibly failing despite all that energy. But I learned afterwards I went to the finish line, I was watching these runners come in, some of them, like, looking as haggard as you could ever imagine. Like just with the last ounces of their energy making it to the statue of Leonidas and touching it. And I learned in that moment I was like, I don't ever want to be. I don't ever want to quit again. So the only time I've ever. I would ever quit is if I had like a medical emergency or I get timed out. So like with the backyard Ultra, I've gotten timed out. I also do this crazy race in Tennessee called Barkley, which is like a famous secret race, sort of secretive race that happens in Tennessee. In that race, I have not finished either. So it's. There's very few finishers of that race. Only, like 1% of the runners.

[Ryan Reynolds]

What makes that one so difficult is it's.

[Harvey Lewis]

It's. It. You have to navigate. You have to find your way to find. These books are hidden in the woods.

[Ryan Reynolds]

What?

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. So you have to climb the equivalent of Mount Everest two times, and it's quite wild.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Holy crap. Mount Everest?

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. Well, you have to go up and down the equivalent of Mount Everest two times, like, 67,000ft. You have to, like, find books that are hidden in the woods. So there's like 12 to 14 books.

[Ryan Reynolds]

It's like a scavenger hunt race.

[Harvey Lewis]

It's kind of like a scavenger hunt. There's the famous iconic race director, Laz Lake, this guy with this motley beard, and he's been doing this for ages. And he. He sets out, like, the directions on, like, how you. That he gives you these cryptic directions on how to find the books. So it's like, go to the upper point. You gotta find a certain type of tree, and there's gonna be a rock that's the size of a Volkswagen, you know, such and such meters away. And then you gotta find it underneath, like, the edge of the rock. So, I mean, it's. It's very difficult to find.

[Ryan Reynolds]

So. That sounds harder than the actual running part. Just like, finding it.

[Harvey Lewis]

It is. It really is. In a lot of times, it's, like, very crazy in, like, that area, Tennessee. Like, there's a lot of, like, fog and it's.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

It's in, like, March. And. Yeah, you're. There's only 40 competitors.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Damn. Plus the elevations. No joke.

[Harvey Lewis]

No, no joke. I mean, basically, all sorts of people have tried to run this race and including, like, special Forces. And most everyone gets really messed up.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. Because, I mean, just climbing Everest or people are out of breath. So imagine running.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. But last year. Or this. This. This year, in fact, we had our first female finisher.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, whoa.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. Jasmine Paris.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Shout out to her.

[Harvey Lewis]

It was pretty incredible. And that's another thing within our sport is we're seeing, like, women are in. In many cases running equal to men and. Or superseding them. In fact, I mentioned the Appalachian Trail and another, like, ultra runner, Tara. Another ultra runner, she. She actually got the fastest known time on the Appalachian Trail this year.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Really?

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Out of Women and men, or of.

[Harvey Lewis]

All men and women.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Holy crap.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, it's. It's pretty amazing. On my team, for last person standing, we had Americans, we had 65 different countries and one of our two finalists was a female.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Interesting.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. So, I mean, it's pretty amazing. When I started in this sport back in the 90s, I. I knew it from the beginning. Like, I started seeing, like a famous runner back then was Sue Olson, and she ran in Minnesota with me, and she would win the race, like, beat all the men. It was pretty incredible. This was back in the 90s, but it was only, like, shared, like, limited amount, like, that many people heard about. Only if you lived in Minnesota. But I mean, I think that more people are hearing about, like, women like Courtney Du Walter. You know, it's just she. She did this Fiji 100 or Mount Fuji one 100 miler this year, and she came in, I think, second overall or third overall amongst, like, a field of like, hundreds of people. So, yeah, it's so much as in your mind and your mental capacity, your mental mindset and gender has less of an advantage the further you go in these races.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That's really interesting is. I wonder what's going on there because, yeah, the sprints, men are obviously better, but as it goes on, I guess the playing field gets more equal, huh?

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That's interesting.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. As well.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Have you done an ironman?

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, yeah, I was a couple ironman. It was. It was kind. I like the aspect of changing what you're doing, you know, Like, I like the swimming. The swimming is my worst event in the world.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That one scares me the most. Out of the three swimming, I look like.

[Harvey Lewis]

I look ridiculous sometimes, but actually, that was the part of the race I enjoyed the most.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Like, swimming.

[Harvey Lewis]

Swimming aspect. Yeah. Even though, like, I'm traditionally known as a runner, like, I loved being out. If you're out in, like an open water and like, you're swimming, it's very liberating. It feels very free. So I really love getting out. I mean, an ideal place would be like, Lake Tahoe. Like, imagine being swimming in that. That beautiful water where it's crystal clear. Or like in Greece, like, if you're out swimming between islands.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I've been there.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, it's beautiful.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Beautiful.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. It's so incredible.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, it's unbeatable.

[Harvey Lewis]

It's so amazing. I did this adventure where you. You swim between the islands.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, it was so cool. And I'm not a very fast swimmer. My. My cousin, like, was Having to go back and forth, back and forth, like, in front of me, waiting for me. But I think that's the thing is being open to doing new things and also growing. Like, don't be stagnant. Like, always researching, finding new, new ways to, like, improve yourself. Like, the people probably listening to your podcast like to do, you know, it's like, is a big aspect of what I believe in.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, I love that, man. Mindset's important.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. Yeah. And it's with teaching. It's another thing, like, I try to, like, really instill in my students is like, yeah, I think with teaching today is like, I don't only think about, like, my curriculum. Like, I think about character as well, and also about, like, a million other topics, like health and trying to really help kids to, like, you know, grow into, like, whatever dreams they wish to pursue. But I mean, like, there was a guest. I was on the show, like, recently. I don't know, you maybe can, like, help me with their name. I just happened to catch it, and they were like. They said something like. I. I think I wrote down here. It was like, what? Oh, schools are teaching lies about America. I was like, what in the world is this person talking about? Did you do? You know, I'm talking about this.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I've had a few guests.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, the guests in the last couple weeks, it was. Someone said something like, bastion education. I was like, man, you know, most of the teachers in this country would die for their students. Literally die for their students. I mean, you look at, like, and. And education is not perfect. Like, it absolutely isn't. We could absolutely grow.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

But there are a lot of positive things are happening in education in this country. Amongst every single student I have, I don't have a single student that I don't, like, love.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Really?

[Harvey Lewis]

Absolutely. I mean, I have some that give you a little, like, extra edges. Edge. Edges. But I absolutely love every. My. One of my students. And like, my. My class today is as incredible as any class I've ever had in my lifetime.

[Ryan Reynolds]

What are you teaching?

[Harvey Lewis]

I teach a financial literacy and AP government.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Okay.

[Harvey Lewis]

Government. Government is an AP Government primary, like, classes.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Interesting.

[Harvey Lewis]

I was teaching financial literacy up to last year, but, like, the curriculum, for example, that's all adopted by the state government. And, you know, so, I mean, like, the. We. We've had some real benefits that, you know, Covid was a really rough time, no doubt about that. And it was. It was difficult teaching as well, because you can't really get the same effect of, like, teaching online. Personally, I feel as you do in person.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

But, you know, since that time, like, art, I teach in a public school. In our district, we have tablets for every student. We have, like, the technology that is available today versus where I started. Even in, like, 2001, when I started teaching, I was still using that chalkboard. Like, I mean, you know, it's kind of crazy that that advancement has happened in, like, 25 years to where now, you know, our kids have access, that our kids don't have cell phones in our classroom. Like, the state of Ohio has passed law, a legislation so that there are no longer cell phones in the classroom.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I actually like that.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, I. I do, too. Like, I always had, like, a board where kids would just put up there when they came in a classroom anyway, so it wasn't.

[Ryan Reynolds]

They won't be able to focus with those.

[Harvey Lewis]

But now we have a pouch that they put it into every day. And I've not had. I've had, like, two students challenge me on that. And, like, that's only happened one time and then not again. So it's like, kids today are not like these, you know, dragons, some kids. And the teachers aren't either. Like, I mean, although I do have a little inner dragon that I sometimes pull out. Like my spirit animal. Yeah. In these crazy races. Right. But, like, yeah, I mean, I'm around teachers, and all my life, I've taught in public schools. And I. And I started off in a school that was a really challenged school 25 years ago that, like, it was. The resources just weren't there. But that's another thing in our country, like, everything is really diverse in terms of resources. Like, we teach. I teach in a public school in Cincinnati, but we have a strong tax base. But if you go out to a rural county, like Vin county in Ohio, like, those kids have very limited tax base.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Harvey Lewis]

And, like, if you're in Kentucky, teachers make, like, maybe 60% of what I make because of, like, the. The way that they fund schools there. If you go to Mississippi, it's even worse. So, I mean, so much is. And it's not just about funding, obviously, but that could be part of the puzzle. And it's not just about teachers. Although, you know, you. You may have a couple bad teachers.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, that's. In any industry.

[Harvey Lewis]

Any industry. But the bulk of people that are there, they're there. I see them there every single day because they care about kids. And, like, that's. That's the truth.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I don't doubt that. I don't doubt that most teachers want the best for their kids. I think a lot of the complaints I'm seeing is the actual material that's being taught.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, that's really interesting because the material, by and large is being produced by the state government. And like. Like, I think the biggest critics on that are coming more from, like, the conservative end.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

And like, Ohio is a largely Republican state. Like, our state government is absolutely controlled by the Republican Party, all levels. So, I mean, I don't feel like that the curriculum is particularly biased to that end or to liberal end. I feel like it's a fair curriculum. Like, I feel like it's been produced, but I mean, I'd be curious to look at what specific things that. That. That they were talking about with that. But, like, like, we're. We're studying the Constitution. Like, we're engaged in the Constitution. We're looking at, you know, like, the, the amendments. We're not going off on some strange tangent. And even though, like, for example, I'm a vegan, I don't, like, make my curriculum about veganism. Like, you know, it's like, I don't. My. My students know I'm a vegan because I have a. A vegetarian club that meets once a month where we provide, like, a potluck. And like, it's just a fun event. I don't talk about, like, veganism in class. Like, you know, like, so. And there, There's a way that we have. With, like, evaluating teachers. I mean, we have that system in most states.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I remember that in my school, someone would come in, like, once a month.

[Harvey Lewis]

So I mean, it's. I, like, if you have now, it doesn't mean that there's not bad administrations. There's not people that get you. I've seen crazy stories out there too. But those crazy stories, I feel, are the minority.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Harvey Lewis]

Like, you, by and large, most teachers are. Are trying to, like, instill, like, follow the curriculum. And I mean. Yeah, I don't know. Like, I feel like, you know, there's. There's. There's been more involvement in the last, like, eight years, 10 years, six years in terms of, like, school boards. Like, a lot of people are getting. I need to go find out what's going on. The school board. There was never that before when I started teaching is really interesting. It's really strange. Like, there's been this whole push of, like, what's been. What's being taught in the curriculum. Like, you know, in. I hear in Florida, like, they. They banned AP African American History.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Whoa.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. Did you hear that?

[Ryan Reynolds]

No, I didn't hear that.

[Harvey Lewis]

So, I mean, I don't understand, like, I feel like, you know, you can be patriotic and, you know, love this country even greater by knowing that the hardships we've experienced.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

By. By knowing, like, about the. This. The segregation and like, no understanding that period of Jim Crow and like, how we've moved beyond that, you know, So I don't understand how that, like, would injure, like, you know, one of my students feelings or make one of my other students feel like a victim. You know, it's like the education I received or that I feel we have today is even better than it was back when I was in school. When I was in school, I. If you would ask me, like, for example, and I'm social studies, so I'm not talking about other subjects, but if you would ask me about, like, who was. Like, I was asked by my. One of my neighbors, like, about a history project for their child, and they said, I remember this question coming to me while I was like a junior in high school. They said, my kid needs to do a research on an African American figure. And I was like, I only knew two people. I was like, MLK or Rosa Parks. And I was a junior in high school. That was it. So I feel like that education back then was much more Eurocentric, and like today we're much more looking at sources from multiple perspectives.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

So I mean, that, Yeah, I think is important. Like, I mean, it's important to have, like, to. To look. To fill in the story with more than just one source.

[Ryan Reynolds]

You know, it's cool to see your perspective on this, because I've never had a teacher come on and give their perspective. I've had on a lot of guests criticize the public education system.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

To be fair, those people are entrepreneurial in nature, and they're not really meant to fit in the public education system to begin with.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

You know what I mean?

[Harvey Lewis]

And I love entrepreneurship. Like, see also financial literacy. After the Great Recession, like, the state of Ohio adopted curriculum for financial literacy, so we actually teach financial literacy. And I did not get that. Girl, that's cool.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I didn't get that.

[Harvey Lewis]

Like, I didn't know about investing. I know about, like.

[Ryan Reynolds]

So they teach that in High School.

[Harvey Lewis]

100% we teach that. I mean, like, I very much care about, like, you like, students knowing about, like, the. The risk of debt to know about. Like, I bring in entrepreneurs into the classroom, and I love that. Like, I love bringing those people in, and every kid in America should get access to that. So I. I'm not up to date on, like, researching every single state. So, yeah, I do believe every. Every single state must have, like, you know, financial literacy into their curriculum. You. You shouldn't be allowed to graduate high school if you don't understand compound interests and like, the other basic models that everyone can benefit from. It's as important to your life as, like, health to understand your financial health. You know that there's a. There's absolutely. They go and they're paired together for sure.

[Ryan Reynolds]

What do you think of the SATs and that a lot of universities use that to determine if someone will get in or not. Right?

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, we. We do both SAT and ACT tests. And I. I mean, I feel like it's. It shouldn't be discounted. Like, I think that there is some benefit to having ACT tests. Like, I mean, I think they should also look at other aspects of the kids. Look at, like, you know, how their grades are, look at what kind of look. Were they involved with extracurriculars? Do they volunteer at all? Do they get any. They have some strong letters of recommendation. So, I mean, I feel like there's definitely a full puzzle, but I wouldn't, like, totally eliminate testing altogether. Like, I mean, I know a lot of teachers complain about testing.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Like, grading it. It takes a while.

[Harvey Lewis]

Well, like, just that we. We move our curriculum just towards testing. So, like, I teach, like, they may say I don't want to teach the test. Like, but I do feel like it also, to me, is like a race. Like, I prepare to run a race like in Death Valley every July. I've done it for the last 13 years and run the Battle 135. And for me, that Battle 135 is an indicator of how I'm doing in terms of, like, my athleticism. So, like, this last summer, I didn't have my best bad wire 135. So I went back. I want to redraw what I'm doing and go back at it. And I feel like for us, with my class, we have a state test that is the last one that high school kids take, and it's on government. So it's all about the constitution. And our. My kids, they. They've done really well in it. They. They perform way above the state average. And I feel like it's. It's important for them because we have a goal of where we're getting to. I mean, that's not our only goal. Our goal is for you to become productive members of society to, like, be educated on, like, the constitution, but also this is one of our goals out there. We want to do well in the state test at the end. So we. We had, like, 91 passage, but I want to have 100 passage. So it's like. But I feel like, you know, the. The ACT sat there. There is some potential value. I'm not as familiar about the SAT as I'm the act.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

But because I only. I. I went to college in state. Actually, I went to Minnesota, But I only need my ACT scores.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Got it.

[Harvey Lewis]

But I want to eliminate them all together. I think they're another. They're. They're valid. Like, they could be another valid point to, like, look at the full picture, you know? Yeah, I can.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I can agree with that. Yeah. They're so long, though. Four hours. God damn.

[Harvey Lewis]

That. That's true. Yeah. I mean, I'm not. I'm not, like. It's not like I love them.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

But I also see some value if you didn't have any testing whatsoever and you only relied on. On student scores and, like, curriculum. I mean, I'm. I'm sorry. The, like, extracurricular activities, like their essays, letters, recommendation. I mean, I feel like some of the students, they actually get scholarships through those tests.

[Ryan Reynolds]

The high scores. Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. So, I mean, I've known students that have gotten that. They come from, like, a disadvantaged background that have been able to, like, get somewhere because of their test score.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, nice.

[Harvey Lewis]

So, I mean, that's one other reason why I see it. But I. I empathize. I mean, I don't think that should be, like, the old. The whole piece, like. Okay, we're just gonna look at the test scores. No way.

[Ryan Reynolds]

100. Yes. You said you had a bad race in Badwater this year, and then you ended up running it twice, right?

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So basically, I was running, like, I ran this race, and it's. It's 135 miles. It's like 120 degrees, and you. It's. It's extremely hot, so you're just, like, beating your body. And normally I never get, like, as tired as I did this time at, like, about mile 35, I was just really getting dehydrated. I worked through that. Then I made it to about mile 100 some, and I, like, literally just staked out, which means I took a break from the race. I went and cooled off, and I came back, which you're allowed to do within the rules, But I wasn't happy that I did that. Like, when I came back, I felt revived, but I also was really, like, kind of mad with myself for not fighting through that fatigue because I felt like mentally I had given up. Like, like I had more in me, but I didn't want to go to that place where I feel that extreme discomfort.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Got it.

[Harvey Lewis]

So I was like, but it's also an enlightening place. And I. So I didn't want to. Like I. When I restarted the, the run, then about five hours later after like cooling off, getting a nap, etc, I felt really fresh. And I was running up the mountain, Mount Whitney, I made up about three or four miles up the mountain and I just had this epiphany hit me like that. I want to go to the finish line and I want to turn around and I'm just going to run right back to the start again. So it's going to be 270 miles. I didn't know if my crew would be agreeable to that. So when I got to the finish line, I basically told my friend Judd, who was my crew chief. I was like, hey, what do you think about turning around now and just going back to the start? He's like, well, I don't have anything else going on, so let's go do it. So one other crew member of mine, Isaac, he jumped in and like they helped to crew me. Like they've just like drive down the road a couple miles and then like I would just get drinks out of the back, etc. But it was kind of wild because that's a race I've been running for like now 13 years and I never turned around at the finish line and ran all the way back. And if I would have said that at the start line that was going to go all the way there, 135 miles, turn around and come back, that would have, I would have said, hell no. Yeah, like, absolutely not. But something happened and it just like tugged at my inner like spirit to like just do this. It was, it was difficult. It was really tough. Especially the last like marathon because it was going back to the hottest place in Death Valley. It was over 120 degrees.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Jesus.

[Harvey Lewis]

And it was a wind into our face.

[Ryan Reynolds]

It was like hot.

[Harvey Lewis]

It was really hot wind. It just like goes right across that black pavement and it just heats you. And. But it was, it's. What's exciting about this stuff is when you think you're at your end, you're not at your end. And you have a way to like pull more from yourself now. It takes like nutrition. It takes like pacing. It takes like, sometimes you have to stop and like stretch or do Something like that. But there's more within each of us than we ever dream.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. You remind me of David Goggins, man. You guys are machines out there.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, we. I love David. I mean, I think he. He and I are different individuals. Like, we're both really hard, as he would say.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Harvey Lewis]

Like, I. I would love to go to the end with him, but we both come from a different strand. Like, he's gonna come at you and say, you gotta get going right now. And I'm gonna. And I'm like more like the, The. The. The. The quieter teacher mode.

[Ryan Reynolds]

You're like the philosopher.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. And I love his approach. And I know, like, a lot of people that resonates with them. They like being, you know, that, that hardness of just being. Like, get your military approach. Yeah. Go and like, with my students or people that I come with, I. I just try to reason. Like, try to reason and. Yeah. I mean, that's just different. Different angle, but yeah, I love what he does.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Have you ever yelled at a student or gotten angry? Super angry?

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, I have. I. But I don't like to do that. Like, I. You. I don't usually do that. Like, normally. Like, one of the things about the running. It kind of. Or working out like you like to do.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

Is it just calms you. So, like, I never. I always run commute to work. So every single day for 11 years, I run to work and run home from work.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Harvey Lewis]

Every single day.

[Ryan Reynolds]

So you show up sweating to school.

[Harvey Lewis]

No, I changed. So I got my suit, tie, and my backpack. I, like, throw that on. I, like, carry my laptop, my food, Everything's in my backpack. It's like 5k each way. But a lot of days I run 10 miles of work, 10 miles home. And that way I make sure I work out. But I also, like, I get to work and I have, like, the right mindset. Like, I feel like, ready to engage with the students. I'm, like, not bringing in too much extra baggage. And like, if I have a rough day with a class or some, for some reason, which doesn't happen that often, then I just. Running home, it's gone.

[Ryan Reynolds]

It's like meditation almost.

[Harvey Lewis]

Meditation. Absolutely. So, yeah, I mean, I. I don't, like, typically yell at students. I don't like to do that. I mean, last year, my student teacher was a Marine. He was amazing. And he never yelled one time the whole school year. And he got the kids attention by speaking to them and reasoning with them, and it was beautiful. Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. I got some traumatic memories getting yelled at as a kid.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. That's all right. Yeah. But I can't say I never did it. I mean. I mean, you're human at the end of years. Yeah. I mean, but when I do something that I don't like, I try to catch myself. So, like this last week, my dog died.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, sorry to hear that.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, he was amazing dog. He was a rescue dog, Chance. And like, that day at school, I had, like, my second bell. There was just like, some, like, a little bit, like, people weren't engaged, like, I want them to. And someone, like, said. I addressed someone and said something. Like, I said someone's name wrong or something. And I was like, well, my dog died, you know, And I was like, yeah. And it was. I didn't yell. But then afterwards, I was like, it made me think about it. I was like, oh, you know, I definitely wanted to, like, you'll talk to that student, be like, hey, I'm sorry. I mean, like, snap back to my dog or something. You know, just because that's, like, that. That I think about that, like, that. That. That could have a bad impact on my student, you know, so that takes.

[Ryan Reynolds]

A big person to admit that, because I've never seen a teacher, like, apologize after they yell at someone, you know.

[Harvey Lewis]

Oh, yeah, Yeah. I mean, it's. I don't think it gets us too far. I mean, there are times where I want to, like, yell at someone, like, to get some sense into someone, maybe if I'm pushed my end. But usually that's not the way that you're actually going to, like, break through, you know, and with me as a kid, I was. I was a bad student.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, you were?

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. I normally had, like, D's just scraping by.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Harvey Lewis]

It was that marathon that I talked about that changed everything for me because I found something to go that. I found that formula. I started to find the formula. I was still finishing the back of the pack, but I found that persistence, with persistence, you can do anything on this planet. And with enough persistence and work ethic, you can achieve anything. So that. That was a real key moment. I love the aspect. For me personally, it helps me like, that I was a bad student because I didn't change things around until, like, I was later in high school.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

And in college. And that helps me with, like, working with the kids that may be struggling. They didn't have, like, success before. And I still don't have success with every student. Like, I'm. I have students in my mind right now that I'm thinking about that tomorrow how am I going to engage them? Because I want them to, to move into a different direction.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right?

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

At the end of the day, it's, it's on them as well. So you can't 100% influence everyone.

[Harvey Lewis]

That's it. Absolutely.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. But I agree with you, man. I was a bad student too, but persistence, that's how I made it. In podcasting, I film more than anyone I know and just that work ethic and volume is what got me to one of the top shows.

[Harvey Lewis]

How did you make that transition? I mean, it's, it's pretty incredible that you went from. You started this in 2023.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. To 22 months ago.

[Harvey Lewis]

That's incredible.

[Ryan Reynolds]

So 1200 episodes in 22 months. That might be a world record.

[Harvey Lewis]

That might be a world record because.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Rogan's at 2400 in 15 years.

[Harvey Lewis]

That's crazy. And right now you're doing a fasting.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I'm doing a two day fast right now. I just got a Pranuvo health scan done on my body, so I want to fast and, you know, get my body.

[Harvey Lewis]

I'm really curious about the fasting.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Like, I mean, have you done it?

[Harvey Lewis]

I, I've done like little bits, but never seriously.

[Ryan Reynolds]

You probably couldn't because of how much you run. I don't think it would work.

[Harvey Lewis]

I think you could do it just for like short periods.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

You know, like, it's part of your.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Like your big, I mean, a long one though.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. I'm not sure, like, I, I, I would be curious. Like, you know, I think I could do it, but it would affect my training. But you, you could incorporate that into like your training. Like. Yeah, maybe you're okay. This is my lower mileage, part of my 48 hours a week.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. Maybe you're off season or low mileage part of the season.

[Harvey Lewis]

You could do it. Yeah, you could definitely do it.

[Ryan Reynolds]

There's some interesting studies on it. Like a three day fast and how it can reverse certain things in your body. I would look into it.

[Harvey Lewis]

I think the, the other aspect I'm curious about is like just the, the philosophical or the spiritual aspect.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

Like, I think that there's something also you might be able to like, it's like get to a meditative state a little bit differently.

[Ryan Reynolds]

They call it runner's high. Right.

[Harvey Lewis]

That's different though too. But I mean with the fasting, I think. But yeah, runner's high is absolutely something real. Like you, you get like an elated, but that you need you, I would think you need like you need the nutrition.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

You need the power. Because it's hard to like be going 100%. And a lot of times with the runner's high, it's like, it's like a concert. Like imagine you're like driving a convertible and you're like listen to your favorite music. Or that like, you get that feeling, like tingly feeling all over that sensation. And that's what runner's high is. It's like you've. I've, I've got that maybe when I was running in the 270 miles and I turn around and I come back down off Mount Whitney. I'm looking at this, this incredible vista and I just get this tingly sensation over my whole body and I feel euphoria that I couldn't. Like I could just go forever.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. It's a wild experience.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I wonder what that is like scientifically, what, what's going on there.

[Harvey Lewis]

I think it's like the endorphins kicking in your, your, your body. Like it's, it, it's the brain chemistry.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. Human body's so fascinating.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

We're still figuring out what's going on.

[Harvey Lewis]

It is wild.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I love it.

[Harvey Lewis]

But longevity, like running like is, it's just about taking care of your body. I mean, like, I've been doing this for now almost 28 years and it's like I'm still looking next year to compete in a world championship and I would love to go back and win that race. And it's like you can. Like my friend who's 102, he got cancer at 69. He changed his, his, his lifestyle. He, the doctor say he had three months to live.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Cheese.

[Harvey Lewis]

He changed to eating all vegan foods. Got reduced stress in his life. And he's, he does more pull ups than I do. He literally does pull ups every night.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That's awesome.

[Harvey Lewis]

So it's like there's, it's an interesting age we live in.

[Ryan Reynolds]

It is.

[Harvey Lewis]

But you've got like, you got. Some folks are like on the extreme end of like, you know, health and nutrition and doing crazy things. And then you've got. A lot of Americans are like struggling now. Like I look at my hometown in Ohio and Circleville, like a third of the people I go into, like Kroger or anywhere like that are like really suffering from obesity. And it's like that, that has an impact on your mind as well, like your mental health. It's, it's, you know, there's absolutely the, the modern currents like that, A lot of the currents that we're getting through our marketing and, like, advertising is, like, it's only furthering, like, this epidemic of, like, poor health in the country.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. I used to eat, like, and I. I'd brain fog every day.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah. Can you imagine that? Like, think about schools, for example. Like, we talk about the, like comparing our country to the other 35 countries or 25 countries in the world. And, like, why. Why are we not performing as well? And, like, one of the biggest challenges is, is that kids do not have adequate nutrition in school, period. I mean, they're. I mean, we're trying to provide it.

[Ryan Reynolds]

The school launches.

[Harvey Lewis]

They're trying to provide it. Like, our school district has really made some shifts, and they've really tried to do a better job. When you look across the whole country, a lot of kids come to lunch or breakfast or come to. Come to class, come to school with, like, chips and a soda.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That's, like, used to be me. Yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

How in the world can you learn math or study science without getting enough nutrition? So, I mean, you know, school really reevaluating, like, you know, what we're providing to our kids and. And providing adequate nutrition to our kids would be a huge difference. One of the things I was surprised about with my school district is they actually have a vegan option every day now in every school in my district. It's, like, kind of crazy. Now. Our breakfast is still could use some help, like, in my mind. But it's. There are some shifts. Like, we finally have, like, salad bar. Like, they never had that when I was growing up.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Definitely not.

[Harvey Lewis]

I don't know. I mean, so there are some shifts. Like, they don't sell soda in our school anymore.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Nice.

[Harvey Lewis]

You can't buy soda. But, like, we look at analyzing, like, our performances, like, also look at, like, those other meters. Like, what's happening with our kids versus other kids. Like, are we getting enough, like, of these. The nutrition and, like, we've kind of pushed aside, like, physical education, like, in, like, the arts. Like, you know, there's so much concentration on the core academic subjects, but those subjects, like orchestra, someone's playing orchestra, they're more likely to do better in math as well by performing an orchestra and, like, having these other arts. They're more likely to balance out these kids so that they have an outlet so that they're able to succeed in the other subjects.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Absolutely.

[Harvey Lewis]

There's a whole big picture out there.

[Ryan Reynolds]

There's some work to do. But I think we're on the right path.

[Harvey Lewis]

It is. We are on the right path. To a degree, yeah. We are on the right path, but we. Yeah, it's. It's a challenge, you know, I mean, you know, President Trump, love him or hate him, you know, he. He's. He said some, like, you know, flamboyant things, and I think that that's in our concern. It's like, you know, he's a leader of our country. President elect. You know, I mean, he said recently that kids could go to a public school and get a sex change and not even get the parents permission.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I saw that.

[Harvey Lewis]

That's the most outrageous statement I've ever heard of. And I'm not picking on people if they vote for Harris or Trump, but really thinking about, you know, if 5% of people believe that, like, I can't even. As teachers, we can't even take kids out the front of the school.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Harvey Lewis]

Without permission slip.

[Ryan Reynolds]

A lot of distress.

[Harvey Lewis]

There's so much permission slip so that there's no school in America that that's the case. But you have our, you know, our President elect saying that. So it's a, It's a concern, you know, that there's a lot of misinformation that's being sent out there that have parents, like, in hysteria, like at these school board meetings and et cetera, when reality isn't really. So.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, yeah. A lot of mistrust with parents and teachers right now. It's probably an all time high.

[Harvey Lewis]

I say you're right. Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

With the media.

[Harvey Lewis]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Well, Harvey, it's been cool getting to hear from you, man.

[Harvey Lewis]

It's really cool to hear from you, and I'm definitely excited to hear about the rest of your fasting experience.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Thank you.

[Harvey Lewis]

And keep up with the basketball. That's pretty sweet. And that's amazing that you've had this podcast. How many months now?

[Ryan Reynolds]

22.

[Harvey Lewis]

22 months. So do you have any goals in the next two years, where you want to be?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, two years. I want to break the world record for number of podcast episodes. I want to be top three on Apple for overall shows. I think right now we're like a hundred for overall. In our category, we're number one. And then I want to be top 100 on Spotify as well.

[Harvey Lewis]

That's really sweet.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, yeah.

[Harvey Lewis]

Go get it.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yes, sir.

[Harvey Lewis]

Go get it.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Thanks for coming on.

[Harvey Lewis]

Appreciate it. I appreciate it.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Thanks for watching, guys. See you next time.

[Harvey Lewis]

Cheers.