The Endurance Lab

Deena Kastor's Advice To All Runners Over 40

Deena Kastor is a three-time Olympian, bronze medalist, former American marathon record holder, Chicago and London marathon champion, and US women's masters marathon record holder at 42 with a time of 2:27. She is one of the most decorated American distance runners of all time. But what made her great was not just her training. It was what she did with the six inches above her shoulders. In this episode Deena breaks down exactly how she trained her mind to run faster, the daily practices that made her simultaneously happier and quicker, how she broke the masters marathon record despite wildfires, allergies, the flu, and a flawed race, why comparison does not have to steal your joy, and what runners over 40 need to hear about their relationship with the sport as times start to change. This is a conversation about the science and practice of thinking your way to better running. Resources: 1. Deena's Book: Let Your Mind Run - https://www.amazon.com/Let-Your-Mind-Run-Thinking/dp/1524760757 2. Deena's Website: https://www.deena-kastor.com/ 3. Andrew Kastor's Coaching: https://www.coachkastor.com/ 0:00 The mindset shift that changed everything 6:42 How to structure mental training 12:04 Does positive thinking actually make you faster 13:47 Mental approach as a masters athlete 15:48 Breaking the masters marathon record at 42 22:18 How to handle the pain cave in a race 26:20 Training now at 53 29:34 Recovery and how it has changed with age 31:05 How environment shapes running longevity 34:16 Advice for runners whose times are declining 36:29 Advice for runners still improving after 40 38:10 Navigating the decline from elite to masters 43:23 How to handle comparison 45:57 Training with only 5 to 6 hours a week 47:08 When injury takes running away 49:52 The book — Let Your Mind Run 57:54 How to work with Deena and Andrew 58:44 Final message to runners over 40 #DeenaKastor #MindsetForRunners #RunningMindset #RunnersOver40 #MastersRunning #MarathonMindset #EnduranceLab #LetYourMindRun #MarathonTraining #RunFasterAfter40 #MentalTraining #PositivePsychology #RunningMotivation #MastersMarathon #RunningOver40 #EliteRunning #MarathonPerformance #RunningLongevity #ThinkFaster #WomenRunning

The Proven Fueling Strategy Behind 2 UTMB Wins Applied to Your Next Race | Paul Booth

Everyone seems to be chasing 120 grams of carbs per hour at the moment. But the research says that performance actually starts to dip after 100 grams per hour. And the fuelling plan behind two UTMB wins proves it. Paul Booth is a sports nutritionist, exercise physiologist, and lead nutritionist for the Salomon International Team with 26 years in university academia and 92 ultras completed himself. In 2025 he built the customised fuelling strategies that won both the men's and women's UTMB 100. But what makes this conversation valuable is not what Tom Evans and Ruth Croft did. It is what you can take from it and apply to your next race. In this episode Paul breaks down exactly how much carbohydrate you actually need per hour based on your intensity and fitness level, why going above 100 grams per hour may actually hurt your performance, how to train your gut so it does not fail you on race day, the glucose to fructose ratio that the research actually supports, and the one fuelling hierarchy mistake most ultra runners are making right now. Whether you are racing a marathon, a 100k or a 100 miler this is the most practical fuelling conversation you will find. Paul Booth: Website: https://performancegainsnutrition.com/ Instagram: @ultra.endurance.nutritionist Show notes links: 1. Ricardo Costa — Gut Training Research (the key paper Paul references)https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/abs/10.1139/apnm-2016-0453 2. Ricardo Costa — Gut Training Systematic Review (most comprehensive overview)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37061651/ 3. O'Brien and Rowlands — The 0.8 fructose to glucose ratio paper (2011)https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpgi.00419.2010 4. O'Brien and Rowlands — Fructose Maltodextrin Ratio Governs Performance (2013)https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255958218_Fructose-Maltodextrin_Ratio_Governs_Exogenous_and_Other_CHO_Oxidation_and_Performance 5. Alan McCubbin — Sodium ingestion and endurance performance systematic reviewhttps://research.monash.edu/en/publications/impact-of-sodium-ingestion-during-exercise-on-endurance-performan/ 0:00 Why 120g/hr has no research behind it 1:11 The UTMB fuelling strategy explained 4:20 What lab testing actually reveals 13:06 How to deliver carbs during a race 16:35 Carb strategy for recreational runners 21:35 Do elites need more carbs than amateurs 28:36 Fuelling the second half of your race 33:30 Gut training and osmolality 38:18 Glucose to fructose ratios 43:05 More carbs does not mean better performance 50:47 Feeding frequency and electrolytes 57:54 The fuelling hierarchy 1:01:13 Final takeaway for your next race 1:03:46 What endurance means to Paul Booth

Tim Noakes: I Was Wrong About Carbs! 120g/hr Breaks World Records

In this episode we cover what his new paper actually claims about muscle glycogen versus blood glucose, why he now believes 120 grams of carbs per hour works — and why the mechanism is not what anyone thought, the difference between fueling your metabolism and stimulating your brain, why recreational runners may be unknowingly developing pre-diabetes, the central governor theory updated, and his single most important training recommendation for every endurance athlete. Prof. Tim Noakes is a South African sports scientist, physician, and Emeritus Professor at the University of Cape Town. He is the author of the landmark book Lore of Running, one of the most comprehensive references in endurance sport ever written. He ran the Comrades Marathon nine times. He pioneered research on hyponatremia in endurance athletes that has saved lives worldwide. He developed the Central Governor Theory of fatigue. And he has spent decades challenging mainstream thinking on carbohydrates, muscle glycogen, and what actually limits human performance. Professor Tim Noakes has spent nearly 50 years studying endurance performance. He helped build the science of carbohydrate loading. He championed low carb for athletes. And in this conversation, he changed his mind — live — about something he had argued against for years. This is one of the most scientifically dense and genuinely surprising conversations in the history of this podcast. The carbohydrate paper: "Carbohydrate Ingestion on Exercise Metabolism and Physical Performance" by Prof. Tim Noakes and colleagues https://academic.oup.com/edrv/article/47/2/191/8432248?login=false The best impact paper: "Carbohydrate ingestion eliminates hypoglycemia and improves endurance exercise performance in triathletes adapted to very low- and high-carbohydrate isocaloric diets" by Prof. Tim Noakes and colleagues https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpcell.00583.2024 The debate paper:"Does a low-carbohydrate diet impede endurance sports performance? Debate Consensus" by Prof. Tim Noakes and Prof. Louise M Burke https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(26)00080-8/fulltext 0:00 Prof. Tim Noakes changed his mind 1:11 His new paper on carbohydrates and performance 9:44 Two glucose pools — muscles vs blood 17:11 Muscle glycogen vs blood glucose explained 21:34 Low glycogen fat burning and carbs during exercise 26:09 Does 120 grams per hour actually work 33:07 Practical carb strategy by athlete type 37:34 Should you carb load the liver 42:27 Practical advice for masters runners 53:06 The central governor theory updated 59:36 Mistakes runners will make after this conversation 1:02:18 The Norwegian method — final takeaway 1:07:23 What endurance means to Prof. Noakes

Run Your Fastest Marathon After 45, Even If You Started Late | Matt Fitzgerald

In this episode Matt breaks down exactly why recreational runners become their own ceiling, what he learned training alongside professional runners half his age in Flagstaff, why the 80/20 rule does not need to change as you get older, the carbohydrate debate that is dividing the endurance world right now, and the psychological edge that separates athletes who reach their potential from those who never do. If you want to run your fastest marathon after 40 this is the conversation you need to hear. Matt Fitzgerald's books - https://mattfitzgerald.org/books/ Dream Run Camp - https://dreamrun.com/ Matt Fitzgerald Coaching - https://mattfitzgerald.org/coaching/ 0:00 Fastest marathon after 40 3:31 Time as a limiter 6:06 Training with elites 9:00 More moderate intensity 10:51 The carb debate 18:05 Carbs per hour 21:15 Carb periodization 28:36 80/20 for masters runners 32:52 Low volume and 80/20 35:46 Hyperpolarized training 39:07 Psychology of endurance 47:46 Toughness vs smart racing 50:23 Mental lessons from elites 53:47 Dream Run Camp 1:01:47 What runners take home 1:04:26 What Matt is figuring out

Physiotherapist: Do THIS To Stay Injury Free As A Runner Over 40 | Brodie Sharpe

Most runners think getting injured comes down to weak glutes, bad form, or worn out shoes. But physiotherapist Brody Sharp says the real reason is almost always something else entirely — and most runners over 40 are missing it completely. In this episode, Brody breaks down the load versus capacity model that explains 90% of running injuries, why strong and weak runners get injured at exactly the same rate, how to use carbon shoes and minimalist shoes as tools to build a more robust and durable body, and the one training ratio that could keep you running injury free for the next decade. Resources: Run Smarter Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-run-smarter-podcast/id1494778818 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RunSmarterwithBrodieSharpe Website and online coaching: https://runsmarter.online/ Run Smarter Book: https://www.amazon.com/Run-Smarter-Evidence-based-Guidance-Opinions/dp/0645520705 0:00 Why runners over 40 keep getting injured 2:42 Early warning signs of injury 7:46 What runners get wrong about injuries 10:05 Load vs capacity explained 13:40 How to measure your training load 17:59 Carbon shoes and injury risk 21:03 How to transition into carbon shoes 28:35 Barefoot and minimalist shoes 31:37 Protocol for transitioning to minimalist shoes 37:10 Heel striking — is it actually a problem? 39:15 Does prehab actually prevent injury 43:45 What to do when injured 48:38 Injury and mental health 51:50 The 80/20 rule for masters runners