Keegan and Company

Four days after our baby was born, I ran my version of the Sydney Marathon. It took me over four hours. Three weeks later I lined up in Berlin to run a sub 3:30. The only difference was how much I cared about the outcome.
In this episode I get into why the effort we're willing to give changes from one race to the next. Jack Brehm and motivational intensity theory. Three weeks away from my family. Oliver Foran on doing it for something bigger than himself. Fear, and proving it to yourself. The shallow end and the deep end of the pool. What happened at 33 kilometres. A mate's line about wanting and paying. And a mountain you might not need to climb to the top of.
Part one, The Wall Is In Your Head, and part two, Lowering the Effort, are both out now.
This podcast is supported by Denza. Thanks to DENZA Gold Coast for getting behind the show.
Start with parts one and two:
Why do we Quit? (Part 1) #209 Psychological Impacts on Physical Performance: The Wall Is In Your Head: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube
Why do we Quit? (Part 2) #213 Psychological Impacts on Physical Performance: Lowering the Effort: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube
For more just like this:
#189 Oliver Foran: Mount Everest World Record (Sea Level to Summit), Losing his Mum 16 & Finding His Why: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube
#165 The Psychology of Finding your Why?: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube
#160 Andy Buchanan: Finding Purpose In Running: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube
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Letty Mortensen was a late bloomer. He turned pro by sending Rusty photo after photo for free until they put him on the team. Then he had a big injury three years running: his shoulder, a fractured tibia, and a hamstring torn off the bone. He was just getting back in the water when a board hit him in the temple and gave him a concussion, in the lead up to a boat trip through a military zone between Russia and Japan. He went anyway and had the adventure of a lifetime!

In this episode Letty and I discuss that trip to the Kuril Islands, a 1200 kilometre chain of volcanic islands that Russia and Japan still fight over, the two locals who started surfing because of Travis Rice, and what it’s like trusting your life to a captain who had never run a surf charter. We talk about the day his hamstring came off the bone, the first thing that went through his head, and how you show a sponsor your value when you can’t surf. Then the concussion: the hour and a half he kept surfing after it, what happened at the butcher’s, the headaches that came back every time he trained, and everyone having an opinion on what he should do. We compare it with my own concussions from footy, and get into the fear of getting hurt again, why he has given up some of his airs, and going all in with no plan B.
Free your team from time-consuming procurement tasks. Discover smart business buying, where unmatched selection meets AI-driven tools to simplify complex processes so you can focus on what matters most. Learn more at amazon.com.au/keegan
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If you enjoyed this you will also enjoy these
#124 Mark Mathews: Recreate the Fear · Apple · YouTube Letty names Mark twice in this episode, both times as the person who made him think differently about being scared of big waves.
#168 World Champion Surfer Molly Picklum: How I Stopped Letting Fear Make My Decisions · Apple · YouTube The same question from the other end of the sport: what happens when you stop letting fear pick for you.
#76 India Robinson: World Surf League, Burnout & Concussions · Apple · YouTube For the concussion stretch in the back half: another surfer on how little the sport knows about heads.
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Most of us already have something we reach for when a session gets hard. Music, a mate beside us, the odd swear word. I wanted to know which of them hold up in the research, and why. This is part two of a three part series on why we quit.
In this episode I get into how to make the same effort feel lighter, and why none of it is a shortcut. The study that sorted songs by beats per minute. Music against podcasts in sprint intervals. Smiling through pain, and someone in a sausage outfit. What my footy coaches used to say to me every pre-season, and whether that voice is baggage or something real. A 2020 study on anger and fear before a run. Swearing and a bucket of ice water. And an Oxford rowing crew who did the same session together and alone.
Part one, The Wall Is In Your Head, is out now. Part three, next week, is Raising the Willingness.
The studies I mention: Terry et al. (2020), Effects of music in exercise and sport: a meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin Patania et al. (2020), The Psychophysiological Effects of Different Tempo Music on Endurance Versus High-Intensity Performances. Frontiers in Psychology Stork, Karageorghis & Martin Ginis (2019), Let's Go: Psychological, psychophysical, and physiological effects of music during sprint interval exercise. Psychology of Sport and Exercise Blanchfield et al. (2014), Talking yourself out of exhaustion: the effects of self-talk on endurance performance. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise Giles et al. (2020), When Anger Motivates: Approach States Selectively Influence Running Performance. Frontiers in Psychology Stephens, Atkins & Kingston (2009), Swearing as a response to pain. NeuroReport Stephens, Spierer & Katehis (2018), Effect of swearing on strength and power performance. Psychology of Sport and Exercise Cohen et al. (2010), Rowers' high: behavioural synchrony is correlated with elevated pain thresholds. Biology Letters
This podcast is supported by Denza. Thanks to DENZA Gold Coast for getting behind the show.
Start with part one:
Why do we Quit? (Part 1) #209 Psychological Impacts on Physical Performance: The Wall Is In Your Head: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube
For more just like this:
The Psychology of Smiling Through Pain | Episode 181: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube
#160 Andy Buchanan: Finding Purpose In Running: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube Listening to your shoes hit the ground in a pack comes from Andy.
#172 Rob Dalto: Losing Dad, 38 Marathons & Building the Bronx Burners: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube The Bronx Burners is the run club Rob co-founded in New York.
Listen and subscribe: Spotify Apple Podcasts YouTube
Follow for more: Podcast Instagram Keegan's Instagram TikTok
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jake Taylor grew up in Sydney before moving to England on his own at 17 to play soccer. Now he's a content creator known for his signature running shot, bringing high-quality filmmaking to running content.

A year ago he ran his first marathon, in Berlin. We recorded the day before this year's race, and I'm grateful he gave up some of that day to sit down with me.

In this episode Jake and I discuss why he walked away from professional soccer at 24. What losing his wife Alex's dad did to his priorities. The stranger who ran past him in Copenhagen to say he was running because of Jake's video. How social media has made a sub-three marathon look normal, when it's far from it. The months of 300 views before anyone watched. And why he believes his best creative ideas come on a run.
This episode touches on grief and mental health. If anything it brings up for you, Lifeline is 13 11 14.
For more just like this:
#144 Bailey O'Brien: Building The Life You Want: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube The episode Jake says got him following the show.
#199 Eddie Hearn: What It Takes to Be Great, "You Will Never Outwork Me": Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube Eddie on obsession and family, the conversation I bring up with Jake.
#201 The Psychology of Obsession: A Healthy Dose, and When It Crosses the Line: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube The solo I mention recording just before Eddie came in.
Listen and subscribe: Spotify Apple Podcasts YouTube
Follow for more: Podcast Instagram Keegan's Instagram TikTok
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nick Pearce opened his first cafe a few days after his 19th birthday and spent the best part of 13 years in hospitality on the Gold Coast. He sold the cafe and the coffee roastery, and then last year set off around Australia in a caravan with his wife and three daughters. He cooked a recipe at every stop, and the cookbook that came out of it is out on pre-order now.
In this episode Nick and I discuss what inspired the decision to travel around Australia. The careers counsellor who told him hospitality wasn't an option. Opening Blackboard at 19, and the experience of having 70 staff and $750k of debt. Why he sold. The story of scone boy, and what inspired him to share his cooking online. Taking his seven year old daughter spearfishing. Routine and ritual on the road with three kids. How a year in a caravan affected his marriage. And what he told the publisher who said nobody makes the book he wanted to make.
This episode with Nick is supported by Dometic. If you want the best gear for your next outdoor adventure, head to Dometic.
Buy Nick's book, Recipearce On The Road, on pre-order now: Pre-order Recipearce On The Road
For more just like this:
#196 Geoff Wilson: 1800km Across the Desert by Wind & Why Hard Times Make Good People: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube The mate I quote in this episode on building resilient kids.
#170 Grace Grove: Doctor, Runner & Content Creator | Being Yourself & Ditching Toxic Productivity: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube The toxic productivity episode Nick mentions.
#164 Jai Arrow: Fatherhood and What Really Matters: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube
Listen and subscribe: Spotify Apple Podcasts YouTube
Follow for more: Podcast Instagram Keegan's Instagram TikTok
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.