Alex Hutchinson | Testing the Limits of Endurance

Today’s guest on the Art of Adventure podcast is the New York Times bestselling author and national award-winning journalist, Alex Hutchinson. Alex primarily focuses on endurance and fitness. In fact, his latest book, ENDURE: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance, explores the science of endurance. Alex began his career as a physicist, with a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, and worked for the U.S. National Security Agency. He is a two-time finalist in the 1500-meters in the Canadian Olympic trails. While at the NSA, he also trained and competed as a middle- and long-distance runner for the Canadian national team. In this episode, Alex talks about the limits of endurance and human performance, and how he spent years researching about this project. He breaks it down so well, you can go and test every variable that he is talking about. Whether or not you’re a runner, listening to this episode will pique your interest about your limits and how to defy it. What you’ll learn in this episode: * Understanding the limits of endurance* How Alex defines endurance* How zapping your brain with electricity helps endurance* Aging and endurance* How deception in workouts can expand possibilities* How endurance applies to parenting and entrepreneurship, among others* What Alex did during his decade-long research for his project on endurance* What Alex wants to do next after his bestselling book and other insights on his life and career Quotes: "Pain might just be confirmation you are doing something hard" - Alex Hutchinson "I'm willing to talk to scientists - I don't shy away from complexity in my writing" - Alex Hutchinson Continue the Adventure:Alex Hutchinson Twitter:@sweatscienceENDURE: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human PerformanceOutside Online