The Ascent Journal

Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run is the penultimate one hundred mile trail running race in the United States. For non-elites, the WSER lottery can consume athletes’ hopes for close to a decade before their name is drawn. Once the hurdle of entry is cleared, suddenly runners are left with the burning question: “How am I going to finish this thing?” A new analysis examines more than 15 years of finisher data to help us understand how it’s done.

Running shoe research is a black box to some degree. Researchers put the shoe on a runner’s foot and have them run. Then, we measure some things while they run. In one sense, you can still argue that the results of this kind of research is useful and well controlled. Through a different lens, by changing the shoe, we’ve changed several things at once. A recent paper proposes one way to think more clearly about what might be going on inside the black box.

The evidence has been compounding for decades, and it hasn’t slowed down. Muscles matter. Human muscle mass has been shown to play a massive role not just in strength in the gym, but in healthy aging, prediction of lifespan, and regulation of key features of metabolism, like blood sugar. A new study in Nature offers greater clarity as to whether or not the New Year’s resolution we made in January, to do more strength training, will still have done us any good by the time we m

The implicit assumption is that all of those mitochondria are created equal. That’s where a new paper by Mikael Flockhart and colleagues at the Swedish School of Sports and Health Science in Stockholm picks up. If not all mitochondria are the same, then what exactly do the bad ones look like, and how do we avoid them?

Super shoes have taken over elite road and tracking running in the decade since they first emerged with Nike’s invention of the Vaporfly 4%. One category of runner that hasn’t gotten the same boost that everyone else got when super shoes appeared: trail runners. Research on trail running can be hard to do. Simulating rock and switchbacks on a treadmill in a laboratory poses some readily apparent challenges. Two recent studies provide some answers though.

Early in my coaching career, I came across this idea that has sort of lurked in the shadows of the coaching world for decades: while science is humming along providing rigorous data on what will move the needle on an athlete’s performance, coaches are the innovators. The narrative goes “Science will likely take 10-20 more years to explain why the practices coaches are using today are effective.” The first 2 months of my masters work involved recalibrating my understanding of

One of the things that drove me to coaching years ago was how the learning process has no end. New ideas, perspectives, and data are always emerging. Along that grain, I know it's been a good year when I feel like I see the world in a slightly different light than when the year started. I found that these titles added perspective. Perhaps next year one or two of them can widen yours as well. Here's our 2025 book list.

What you should know and how to achieve weight loss that serves your ultimate goal.

Developing fitness is one part of achieving big things, but developing these skills might matter even more.

What athletes need to know about the new ingredients in the Awesome Sauce energy gel by Spring Energy.

An explanation of how much road running and trail running fitness translate to one another.

Understanding the importance of long runs, avoiding misconceptions, and training strategies for long distance races.

If you’ve struggled to create a strength training habit because you’re not sure what you stand to gain from it, this article is for you.

A comprehensive guide to fueling your best long distance running performances.

How endurance athletes can avoid performance plateaus and love their sport more.

What are the strengths and limitations to evidence-based practices in sport? In a recent blog post, Co-founder of 80/20 Endurance, Matt...

How is it that endurance athletes get faster and go farther? Many of us are familiar with the primary building blocks of an endurance...