My son is running the Brighton Marathon this upcoming weekend. I’ve watched his early enthusiasm, his discipline of training runs in the cold and the wet, the mid-plan injuries that have forced a rethink, and now… the mix of nerves, hope and belief that shows up in the final week. And alongside that I found a message in my inbox this week from a patient.
Another week. Another memo! Happy April.
This one feels personal. My son is running the Brighton Marathon this upcoming weekend. I'm so proud! I’ve watched his early enthusiasm, his discipline of training runs in the cold and the wet, the mid-plan injuries that have forced a rethink, and now… the mix of nerves, hope and belief that shows up in the final week.
And alongside that I found a message in my inbox this week from a patient. She wrote: “I’m feeling amazing. I ran my first of three half marathons last Sunday and took almost 5 minutes off my PB. I'm delighted… I’m convinced it’s as a result of the consultations, advice and targeted supplements. In addition to the Oura data we looked at that has made me really pay attention to what my body needs. Eight weeks to Italy my next HM so nutrition is dialled in and continuing with all of the advice and data from yourself.”
What a joy to receive this... and how phenomenal is she!!
Two runners. Two journeys. One principle.
Endurance is not built by pushing harder. It’s built by understanding deeper.
You train for events. But how do you train for life itself? Let’s dive in...
Where insight becomes impact
What I’ve been looking at this week…
Most people think endurance is about distance. It’s not. It’s about energy.
When you run, your body is not counting miles. It’s responding to mitochondrial demand, oxygen delivery, and metabolic stability.
Every stride my son takes this weekend, and every stride my client took to shave 5 minutes off her personal best, is powered by mitochondria. These are the parts of your cells that turn oxygen and nutrients into ATP, your body’s energy currency. The more efficient they are, the better you perform.
But zoom out, because you do not need to be running a marathon to be needing endurance.
If you’re leading a business, raising a family, travelling, firefighting problems, making decisions all day, you are already in an endurance event. Just without a finish line.
That afternoon slump, that wired-but-tired feeling at night, that brain fog in a meeting when you need to be sharp. Different setting, same physiology. Your body responds to energy demand and recovery supply.
And here’s what matters. VO₂ max, your ability to use oxygen, is one of the strongest predictors of lifespan we have. A large study in JAMA Network Open showed that higher cardiorespiratory fitness is linked to lower mortality risk across age groups.
In simple terms: the better you are at making and using energy, the longer you live.
But your body adapts to stress plus recovery, not stress alone.
That is where many high performers get it wrong. They push hard at work, train hard in the gym, stay switched on all day, and assume their biology will simply keep up. It won’t. Too much unmodulated demand can raise cortisol, increase oxidative stress, suppress immunity, and reduce recovery capacity.This is where people plateau. Or regress.
So the real question is not, how far can you go? It's do you know how your body's responding?
Because the real marathon is not just the one my son is running this weekend. Whether he runs through pain, walks parts of it because of injury, finishes with a personal best, or simply finishes at all, I’m proud.
Because either way, that’s endurance.
And the real win is not how far you push. It’s how well your biology adapts.
Track it to hack it.
What I’ve been monitoring this week…
What made the difference for my patient wasn’t more running. It was more awareness.
She mentioned one thing specifically. Her Oura Ring data.
This is where it gets powerful.
Because when you can see what your body is doing, you stop overriding it. You start responding to it.
Here’s what I focus on: 1. Sleep architecture (repair) Not just how long you sleep, but how well. Deep sleep drives physical repair. REM sleep processes emotional load. If either is disrupted, performance suffers. My patient started adjusting her training intensity based on her recovery score. That’s a shift from discipline to precision.
2. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) ( resilience) This is your nervous system’s adaptability score. High HRV tells you your body is ready. Low HRV is your body asking for modulation. Ignoring this is like running with high heels on!
3. Resting heart rate (recovery) This is your overnight reality check. If it rises above your usual baseline, it can be a sign that recovery is incomplete. Stress, dehydration, poor sleep, inflammation, travel, alcohol, or training load can all push it up. Your body is signalling to you through your resting heart rate before it screams at your through fatigue or injury - don't ignore the signals!
(PS If you haven't got an Oura ring yet and would like one, I've got 10 codes for 10% off - reply with Oura if you'd like the code)
From knowing to doing.
What this means for YOU…
So what does this mean for you? Whether you’re training for an event, leading a business, managing a family, travelling, decision- making all day, or simply trying to feel more energised through your week, here’s the key shift:
Don’t just track output. Test how you make energy.
Here are three things that come up repeatedly when I test how you make energy: 1. Magnesium: your calm and repair switch Magnesium is involved in energy production, muscle relaxation, and nervous system regulation. Low levels can show up as poor sleep depth, muscle tension, headaches, palpitations, constipation, or that classic wired-but-tired feeling so many busy people normalise. This is what many people get wrong. They think they need more discipline, a stricter routine, or another coffee. What they may actually need is better biochemistry.
2. Omega-3s: your inflammation buffer Every hard training session, every stressful week, every late night, every flight, every difficult conversation creates internal strain. Omega-3 fats help regulate inflammation and support cell membrane function, including in the brain. When levels are low, recovery can be slower, focus can feel less crisp, and your system can stay in a more inflamed, less resilient state. And it's rare for me, on testing, to find someone with optimised omega 3 levels - even the ones taking supplements!
3. Glycine: your recovery raw material Glycine is an amino acid that helps support collagen, sleep, tissue repair, and your antioxidant defences. Why does that matter to a high performer? Because whether you are doing hill sprints or handling back-to-back meetings, your body still needs to repair the wear and tear. When glycine is low, recovery can feel slower, sleep can feel lighter, and resilience can feel thinner. You may call it just feeling a bit flat. Your biology calls it insufficient repair.
💼 Case in point One of the reasons my patient improved was not simply that she trained consistently. It was that we paid attention to what her body was asking for.
The message you read earlier says it all beautifully Five minutes off a personal best. Not from pushing harder. From paying attention. From using data. From supporting what her body actually needed.
And as I watch my son in his final preparation mode this week, I'm also thinking what happens beyond the marathon route. Whether you are chasing a finish line, a funding round, or simply a calmer and clearer way to move through your week, endurance means not ignoring your body, it means understanding it.
The goal of life is not just to keep going. The goal is to keep going exceptionally well.
For the long haul. For the mighty marathon. For all one million hours of it. Do not just admire endurance. Build it. Biochemically. Deliberately. Personally. That is why I have seen targeted testing make such a difference.
When I test for endurance I use my Get A.H.E.A.D. Accelerator - 5 tests that will help you stay A.H.E.A.D:
A (Age) → biological age shifts with endurance capacity
H (Hormones) → cortisol rhythm determines recovery
E (Ecosystem) → gut affects energy extraction
A (Anabolism) → mitochondrial function + nutrients
D (DNA) → recovery, injury risk, endurance genes
🎯 If you'd like to make decisions with precision based on your personal data and using devices that are specific for you, then book a private consultation and let's start to decode your health.
Where you’ll find me…
Last week: I led a very stimulating longevity lunch for a room of women who are not settling for fine when it comes to their health.
This week: I'll be glowing with proud Mum moments, being emotional support crew, unofficial race analyst, and chief snack carrier, supporting my son as he takes on 26.2 miles
Next week:I'm off to Italy. I'm aking longevity into the world of hospitality. And bringing biology to the boutique hotel experience. Very exciting!
A thought to pause on…
“From the outside it looks like discipline. On the inside, it’s data-driven biology.'
Wishing you a wonderful week ahead (that's 168 hours of your Million Hour life!! Dr Alka Be sure to send this email to anyone who you also want to live their longest, healthiest life!
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Longevity Lifestyle Concierge, 75 Harley Street, London, W1G 8QL, United Kingdom
The Longevity Quotient is free. It is a short set of questions, not a test, and it shows you where your habits may be shaping how you age.
Take the free LQThis article is general education, not medical advice, and reading it does not create a doctor-patient relationship. If something has been going on for a while, please get it properly looked at by your own doctor.