JET LAG IS A CHOICE I think I understand why Taylor Swift said that. She must have been on the FlyKitt protocol. I shared the protocol I followed on my trip from Colorado to Chamonix, France, and due to this, I truly haven't felt jet lag at all. So I reached back out to @AndrewHerrBio and asked for a discount to share with y'all. For a limited time, you can get this exact protocol for $85 round trip with code FTLR. If you have a work trip or a race that you care about showing up ready for, jet lag is a choice. Choose correctly. flykitt.com

I followed this protocol to a T overnight and feel waaaay better than I would’ve expected and substantially better than any other overnight flight I’ve ever taken. I’m impressed! @AndrewHerrBio

Most people think jet lag is just a messed-up circadian rhythm. It’s not. Taking off in an airplane is the physiological equivalent of ascending an 8,000-foot mountain in 15 minutes. At cruising altitude, you’re breathing ~74% of the oxygen you get at sea level. That drop in pressure and oxygen drives acute inflammation and oxidative stress. When you try to shift time zones by restricting sleep, you hit your immune system with a double dose of inflammation; leading to heavy legs, brain fog, and wrecked performance. I sat down with @AndrewHerrBio, founder of FlyKitt, who spent years running human performance research for the DoD with Navy SEALs and pro sports teams, to break down how to actually land ready to run (or perform in any way): ✈️ Book the right aircraft when possible: Fly composite aircraft like the Boeing 787 or Airbus A350 when possible. They pressurize to ~6,000 ft instead of 8,000 ft, cutting cabin-altitude stress significantly. ⏰ Protect Night 1: On most long-haul flights, cap sleep at ~4.5 hours (or ~3 hours west-to-Asia) so you don’t land too rested to sleep at your destination. (Exception: overnight flights landing early morning, sleep as much as you can. This is my plan with a 5:40pm flight that arrives at 7:40am). 🥗 Fuel for inflammation control: Keep meals smaller, higher in protein, and lower in carbs. Hydrate with electrolytes, not just plain water. Full deep-dive writeup and podcast episode: forthelong.run/p/how-to-trav…

If you fly for work and train seriously, you've probably accepted a tradeoff that doesn't actually have to exist. I'm headed to Chamonix and London in a few weeks, so I spent some time reviewing an episode I recorded with @AndrewHerrBio, founder of FlyKitt last year on @ForTheLRPod. The thing that changed how I think about travel is this: jet lag isn't primarily a time zone problem. It's an inflammatory one. Cabin altitude on older aluminum jets like the 767 and 777 sits around the equivalent of 8,000 feet. And you reach that in 15 minutes. Your body responds to that the way it responds to any stressor, and the fog you feel on day two is downstream of that response as much as it is of the clock. Which is why the aircraft itself matters more than most frequent flyers realize. The 787 and A350 pressurize to roughly 6,000 feet and run higher cabin humidity. Same seat, different physiological cost. The rest of the protocol is unglamorous: -Board planning to sleep, not to eat, watch something, then sleep. -Get outside into daylight on arrival before you check into the hotel. -Twenty easy minutes on the ground beats an extra hour horizontal. -Cap the nap at 90 minutes and be up by mid afternoon. -Hold your bedtime that first night, even when 4pm feels brutal. I'm testing the full protocol on my way to Chamonix next month and will share my experience. Wrote up the whole guide... link below. Curious what the heavy travelers (for running and for work!) on here have landed on, pun intended. forthelong.run/p/how-to-trav…