Episode 61: Alex Hutchinson on the Limits of Human Endurance

Alex Hutchinson holds a PhD in Physics from Cambridge, a Master’s in Journalism from Columbia, and is a former national-class runner in Canada. He’s written for Runner’s World, Outside Magazine, The Globe & Mail, Popular Mechanics, and many other major media.

I’ve been pestering Alex to write another book after Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights? became one of my favorite exercise science myth-busters (if you haven’t picked it up yet, I highly recommend it).

And he finally delivered! His new book, Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance has quickly become my favorite running book from the last few years.

Our conversation centers on the psychological limits of endurance:

• intrinsic motivation
• peer pressure
• joy and running for “the right reasons”
• how to access hidden reserves of energy
• overriding the “central governor”

Alex’s book showed me the many factors that limit endurance – and practical methods for overcoming those limitations.

Often, it’s not your training that predicts your race performances, but what’s between your ears.