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Alex Hutchinson
@sweatscience
Outside columnist, author of THE EXPLORER'S GENE and ENDURE, Globe & Mail, ex-physicist, not-quite-sub-4 miler.
Toronto, Canada
Joined March 2009
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    It's been 9 years since I started telling interviewees that I was working on a book about the limits of endurance. Now it's just 10 days until that book goes on sale. Thanks to everyone who read, discussed, and debated these topics with me over the years!
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    Pretty cool "naturally randomized" experiment: the right to buy a car in Beijing is determined by lottery. Win that lottery, and 5 years later you'll be ~22 lbs heavier if you're over 50.
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    Our blueberry bush produced its first ever berry. All four of us enjoyed our portion.
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    70% of elite marathoners land on their heels; Almaz Ayana's stride length is asymmetric by 20cm; and you should throw a hammer at 45 degrees: insights from a massive IAAF biomechanics study.
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    Neat study suggests there's a trade-off at the mitochondrial level between aerobic power (VO2max) and efficiency: maximizing one may hurt the other. Result: a new threshold ("complex I max"), and an explanation for Oskar Svendsen's mediocre efficiency.
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    Kipchoge's incredible world record, solo for a huge portion of it, felt almost like the antithesis of the Breaking2 extravaganza. But I don't think 2:01:39 would have happened without that prior 2:00:25. #BerlinMarathon
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    After 4 days of sitting (<4,000 steps/day), you become "exercise resistant" and don't get some of the usual acute metabolic benefits (blood sugar, insulin, triglycerides) from a 60min workout. Potential interaction between sitting time & exercise habits:
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    Which is more important for building endurance (via mitochondrial adaptations): training volume (i.e. running more) or intensity (running faster)? An interesting "CrossTalk" debate in the Journal of Physiology lays out the case for each view:
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    "89% of international U17/U18 athletes never reach that level as seniors, and 83% of international-class seniors weren't U17/U18 internationals" A good reminder that athletes whose talent seemingly emerges in their 20s are the rule, not the exception.
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    Man, Eliud always makes me smile. All that running business aside, what a great guy.
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    With every step Kipchoge now takes, it's the fastest a human has ever run for this distance. #breaking2
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    The Journal of Physiology recently published a review titled "The Anaerobic Threshold: 50+ Years of Controversy." Here's my attempt to make sense of its account of one of the most confusing and misunderstood concepts in endurance training and physiology.
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    Finally, a mandate we can all agree with: forcing exercise physiology students to buy copies of Endure. Awesome to see the University of Calgary leading the way! ;)