My guest today is Denny Paull. Denny is a good friend and northern Michigan endurance sports legend. In addition to being a devoted father, husband, and veterinarian, he is one of the most impressive masters class athletes I know. Now in his early 50s Denny continues to dominate xc ski, multi-sport, and paddling races. He is a fierce competitor with razor sharp focus, but also a dedicated student of technique in all of his pursuits. In his early years Denny was a world class clydesdale runner, definitely the fastest 6'4 200 lb guy I've ever met, running a 4:30 mile and 32 minute 10ks at his peak. Denny doesn't compete as much in pure running races anymore, but has been on the podium every year he has raced the M22 challenge with 2 overall victories, and 3 2nd place finishes. He also continues to place in the top 15 of the 50k Birkie Classic race, often finishing neck and neck with guys half his age who train full time
In this podcast we cover:
- The big discovery Denny made early on in his endurance career (as a 200 lb runner, high mileage was not the ticket to peak performance)
- The doctor's advice on back rehab that kicked off Denny's kayak/surfski journey
- Denny's diet transformation. Going from a classic high carbohydrate disciple to ketosis and ultimately landing on the Perfect Health Diet
- The glucose, ketone, and thyroid hormone blood testing that Denny performed on himself during his diet transformation, what it revealed, and how he used it to ultimately find the perfect diet for him
- Morning workouts on an empty stomach, but still maintaining stable blood sugar levels through lunch time
- Denny's weekly training regime, how many hours and what type of training he does
- Denny's strategy for racing the M22 Challenge. How he approaches the run, bike, and paddle as well as the transitions
