Episode 61 - Prepping For The Unknown, Improving VO2 Max, & Pushing To Our True Limits With Alex Hutchinson

The OCR Underground Show

Well one thing is for sure, that you just don't know what to expect with OCR's. Recently the Spartan Race at Big Bear was no exception. With rare snow fall in May in SoCal, we so some last minute race cancelations and modified courses.

Overall Spartan did a great job handling this unfortunately situation, despite the fact of making us hit the dunk wall twice in the Sprint. In this episode I give a race day recap of Big Bear, plus talk about some key takeaways on how you can better plan for the unexpected.

In my research review I share a really interesting study that looked at improving VO2 max using standard heart rate prescrition versus a more customized approach. Even more intreging with this study was how they view responders versus nonresponders to training.

Finally, in my coach's corner interview I have on award winning author Alex Hutchinson. Alex actually started out as a physicist, with a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge then a few years as a postdoctoral researcher with the U.S. National Security Agency, working on quantum computing and nanomechanics. During that time, he competed as a middle- and long-distance runner for the Canadian national team, mostly as a miler but also dabbling in cross-country and even a bit of mountain running.

Alex's primary focus in writing is the science of endurance and fitness. He is a contributing editor for Outside for the Sweat Science colums. He is also a regular contributor to The Globe and Mail, Canadian Running Magazine, Popular Mechanics, the New York Times, and Runner's World.

Alex is on to discuss some of the findings and research he found when writing his latest book Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance. He discuss the different factors and theories behind what truly limits our performance and how we probably are not reaching our full potential.

Alex leaves you with some great insight on how you can remove the self brake your body has built in and push through to new limits.

Full shownotes: www.ocrunderground.com/episode-61