A Deeper Insider Look at Fatigue and Pacing / Why High Carbohydrate Intake Works - It's Not Fuel Depletion / A Heat Condundrum

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Nov 20, 2025

Explore the intriguing dynamics in sports science, where personal stories on pacing spark debate about belief versus knowledge. Delve into how academia can become adversarial and the risks associated with overriding physical limits. Learn why high carbohydrate intake is the key to improving running economy and unlocking performance, not merely delaying fuel depletion. The complexities of heat in endurance sports are also highlighted, along with practical strategies for managing challenges during competitions.

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INSIGHT

Pacing Is Anticipatory Regulation

Pacing is an anticipatory, regulated process rather than simple failure by running out of fuel.
Training improves the brain's prediction and interpretation so you can sit closer to your physiological ceiling.

INSIGHT

Training Builds Knowledge, Not Just Belief

Training builds 'knowledge' not mere belief: it changes physiological signals and the brain's expectations.
That acquired knowledge allows athletes to perform closer to their ceilings reliably.

ADVICE

Recover From A Too-Fast Start

If you start a race too fast, slow enough to drop below threshold until perceived effort normalizes.
Then gradually increase pace once your signals return to expected levels.

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In this Spotlight, we pick out some of the sports science topics that our listeners are sharing in our Discourse community.

You can become a Real Science of Sport Supporter here, and a small monthly pledge gets you access to the community that discusses today's, and many other, topics!

(00:00) We begin with a look at some of the reaction to our most recent podcast on Endurance, and the Central Governor. Listener reaction and accounts of their experiences stimulate conversations about the hostilities and fights in academia, the difference between "belief" and "knowledge", failures of pacing leading to heat stroke, and how to recover from a pacing mistake when it happens in your races and training. We also learn about how physiology, for many years, views performance through a 'failure' lens, rather than regulation, and what this means for how we understand training and performance.

(46:09) A new research study has again confirmed that high carbohydrate intake is the way to go, improving our running economy and unlocking potential performance gains similar to those of super shoes. We link pacing and regulation to this paper by pointing out that carbohydrates are not working by delaying fuel depletion, or sparing carbohydrates, but rather changing exercise intensity and our ability to run higher paces for longer.

(57:53) Our Supporters Club have also been sharing thoughts about the challenge of endurance sports in the heat, which affects not only body temperature, but also fuel use (more carbs) and compromises carbohydrate delivery to the muscles. A triple challenge, confirmed by a new study that shows that we tolerate and extract fewer carbs in the heat.

And Finally (1:03:15), Ross is planning his own heat challenges, having entered a mountain bike race in the peak of South Africa's summer. With temperatures expected to soar above 40C, heat adaptation and fuelling will be tested, and he discusses his general approach and promises to share more in the coming weeks!

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