Latest Research: Running Hills Faster, Race-Day Carb Intake, Tendon Health with Estrogen Changes

·52 min·3 clips

Uphill speed increased mainly by higher cadence, while flat-ground speed increased mainly by longer step length.

Brodie opens by framing the episode as a look at the latest running research. He centers the discussion on how running speed changes across level ground, uphill, and downhill work. The hill section is not treated as a simple fitness test. Instead, he uses the mechanical running power and energy expenditure paper to show why terrain changes the running cost. That keeps the conversation grounded in what the body is actually doing. He then turns to race fueling and how much carbohydrate endurance athletes really take in. The study looks at marathon runners and cyclists racing in Turkey. It compares intended intake, perceived intake, and the amount measured by weighing pre- and post-race products. The point is not only how much fuel was consumed. It is also whether athletes can accurately judge what they took in. Brodie walks through factors that may affect that number. Sleep quality, race-day anxiety, pre-competition carbohydrate loading, and gastrointestinal symptoms all get attention. The episode also notes that higher carbohydrate intake has been linked with faster Ironman finishing times. It does not skip the tradeoff. Nausea and flatulence can show up when intake gets high. That makes the practical question less about chasing a headline number and more about what the athlete can tolerate and repeat. He also points to research on uphill and downhill running mechanics and energy expenditure. The thread fits the rest of the episode by keeping the focus on terrain, fueling, and physiological context. The overall tone stays calm, evidence-led, and runner-specific. By the end, the listener has a clearer sense of how terrain, fueling, and behavioural factors can shape decisions in training and racing.

As heard by us

Terrain and fueling are framed as practical running problems, with evidence applied to real race conditions.

The episode keeps running terrain and race fueling close to the ground, treating them as decisions athletes have to make in real time rather than abstract ideas.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want the hill and fueling research stripped down to usable training rules.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from The Run Smarter Podcast