The PodiumRunner Endurance Podcast is hosted by Ian Sharman, a professional ultra runner and coach with over 200 marathons or ultra finishes and more than 50 wins (www.sharmanultra.com, @sharmanian). We discuss training and racing topics with leading sports scientists and how to practically apply research findings for marathoners and ultra runners.

Episode 11: Professor Samuele Marcora and the Psychobiological Model of Endurance Performance

This episode, we’re talking to exercise physiologist Samuele Marcora.

•  We discuss Marcora's psychobiological model of endurance performance and how the limiting factor for how hard and long you can push is the brain, not the body.

•  He explains how increased fitness is vital, but mainly through the mechanism of reducing perceived effort, and that perceived effort is what matters most.

•  We also discuss motivational intensity.

•  We close on practical takeaways to improve your running and racing in the real world.

•  Also, we mention the Brunel Mood Scale (or BRUMS) and its applications for athletes.

Professor Marcora has studied and worked in the US, UK and Italy and holds a PhD in Exercise Physiology from the University of Wales-Bangor. He currently teaches applied physiology and training methodology at the University of Bologna and his research integrates exercise physiology with motivation psychology and cognitive neuroscience to better understand fatigue, endurance performance and physical activity behavior. Professor Marcora has authored numerous high-impact scientific publications and he has been a consultant for many organizations including Juventus Football Club, MAPEI Sport and ASICS. In 2013, he rode a BMW GS1200 bike from London to Beijing to investigate fatigue in motorbike riders.

You can follow Prof. Marcora on Twitter at @samuelemarcora or visit his website.