What does it actually take to run 60 miles a week, lift heavy multiple times a week, and still show up for HYROX competitions — without falling apart?

Joe Mello figured it out the hard way. He grew up playing baseball in the Bay Area, hated running his whole life (it was literally used as punishment at practice), and then one November day in Austin decided to sign up for a marathon happening in February — with zero race experience. That's just who he is: all or nothing.

Now Joe runs high mileage, lifts heavy, competes in HYROX, and works at Heart and Soil Supplements — where nutrition isn't just a hobby, it's his job. In this conversation we get into all of it: how he structures his week, how he fuels that kind of training load, what his supplement stack actually looks like, and the mindset behind doing more than most people think is possible.

We also get into:

• What HYROX actually is and why it appeals to people who love both running and lifting

• The running vs. lifting tension — and why Joe thinks most runners have it wrong

• How to fuel early morning long runs when eating at 4am sounds impossible

• The animal-based diet explained simply — and how it applies to endurance training

• Organ meats: do you actually have to eat them, or do supplements cover it?

• Why Joe thinks starting with shorter races is the advice he'd give his past self

• The 50K he ran with nothing but a jar of honey — and what happened around mile 25

Joe is the kind of person who jumps in before he's ready and figures it out on the way. If that sounds familiar, this one's for you.

Follow Joe on Instagram: @joe_mello

Follow Evan on Instagram: @evan_blakeney

Heart and Soil Supplements: heartandsoil.co

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it helps more runners find the show. And subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Until Next Time: Just Keep Running

13.1 miles. It’s not superhuman — millions of people do it every year. But for me, finishing my first half marathon was a genuinely big deal. And not because I crushed it. I didn’t. I finished well below the average time, my knee was a question mark the whole way, the weather was absolutely miserable, and I almost needed an emergency bathroom stop at mile nine.

In this episode, I’m breaking down everything — the good, the bad, and the embarrassing. We talk training mistakes (I definitely violated the 10% rule), fueling experiments that almost went sideways, the mental war of the final three miles, and what I’d do differently if I could start over.

This isn’t a story about being elite. It’s a story about being a regular person who signed up for something hard and showed up anyway. If you’re thinking about doing your first half — or any race — this one’s for you.

In this episode:

• Why I crammed my training into 8 weeks (and paid for it)

• The honey and banana pre-run fueling strategy that actually worked

• What happened when I almost didn’t make it to a bathroom at mile 6

• How race energy is completely different from solo training runs

• The mental trick that got me through the final 5K

• My official finish time and what I’m taking into the next race

Key Takeaway: Give yourself more time than you think you need, train in conditions that match race day, practice your nutrition, and don’t skip the mental prep!

Until Next Time: Just Keep Running

Do you need a running watch to be a “real” runner? In this first episode of Just Keep Running, Evan Blakeney shares his honest experience buying a used Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar on eBay for $250 — what works, what doesn’t, and whether a watch is actually worth it for beginner and intermediate runners.

Evan walks through his two running journeys: the first one in college with no watch, no Strava, no goals — just running for the joy of it after reading Born to Run. And the second one now, training for the Jigger Johnson 20-mile ultra in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, where suddenly every pace, heart rate, and Strava notification can become a source of imposter syndrome.

In this episode:

• The trap of comparing your numbers to David Goggins, Cam Hanes, David Roche, and Ashley Paulson (who just broke the women’s 100-mile world record at 12:19:34)

• Whether training readiness scores and suggested workouts actually help

• Multi-band GPS accuracy vs. your phone

• Battery life on the 955 Solar (he got almost 14 days)

• Buying used on eBay: what to look for, what to avoid, and the rule he uses (it has to be at least half off new)

• Why he probably didn’t need a flagship watch — and what he’d tell you to buy instead

• Who actually benefits from a running watch, and who should just go run

Whether you’re a beginner deciding on your first watch, eyeing a used deal, or talking yourself out of buying one — this episode lays out the real trade-offs from someone going through it right now.

Connect with Evan:

Instagram: @evan_blakeney

Have a question or topic you want covered? DM or email.

If this episode helped you, the best thing you can do is leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it’s the #1 thing that helps new listeners find the show.

Until next time, Just Keep Running

Until Next Time: Just Keep Running