Together with Andy Jones and Lars Nybo, here is our brief view about:
- How Physiological Resilience and Durability should be distinguished
- How they link the abundant literature on fatigue development with endurance performance models.
journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10....
π¨ Fully funded PhD π¨
(UK & International)
Work with me at @openuniversity.bsky.social on Durability in endurance athletes ππ»ββοΈπ΄π½
π Please share
π¬Brand new lab facilities
Deadline: 16 Jan 2026
Start: Oct 2026
Details π wels.open.ac.uk/research/res...
π¬ Feel free to reach out for a chat
Nice work!
The durability of speed at LT was found to be moderately associated with marathon performance in trained runners ππ»
7/7
This highlights the importance of training specificity (i.e. long runs) and higher mileage for sustaining economy during prolonged exercise β key for events from 10k to marathon.
π Share & discuss!
π Free full text (AoP): journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/ab...
6/7
Take-home messages:
Even with identical performance levels, training matters for durability.
Runners regularly including long runs β and accumulating higher mileage β had:
β
More durable running economy
β
Smaller neuromuscular declines
5/7
When we merged data from both groups, RE durability correlated:
π strongly to weekly longest run (r=-0.67; p<0.001)
π and moderately to weekly running distance (r=-0.48; p=0.038)
But not to declines in neuromuscular function.
4/7
Neuromuscular function followed a similar trend:
π¦΅πΌ SDT showed larger drops in maximal squat force (-19% vs -12%)
β¬οΈ SDT lost CMJ performance (6.6%), while LDT maintained it
3/7
During a 90 min run at LT:
- Running economy deteriorated nearly 50% less in LDT than SDT (+3.1% vs +6.0%)
- Differences emerged after 60min and grew with time
2/7
We matched well-trained runners for 10k time (39 min), VΜOβmax (~58 ml/kg/min) & LT speed (12-13 km/h)
But differed in training characteristics:
- LDT: regularly running β₯90min
- SDT: always run <70min
LDT also ran more (51 vs 30 km/wk) & had better fresh running economy
π¨ The last paper of my PhD is out in @MSSE
Regular Long Runs and Higher Training Volumes are Associated with Better Running Economy Durability in Performance Matched Well-Trained Male Runners
ππ» Rich Blagrove & Jonathan Folland
Temporary free download.
π journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/ab...
𧡠1/7
3rd place in the Young Investigator Award at @ecssofficial.bsky.social, presenting in front of 1500+ people.
βYou are here because you are excellent, and the quality of your research is excellentβ.
Among the kindest words Iβve ever been told. As a young scientist, they mean the world ππΌ
Ad maiora.
This Tuesday I will give an oral presentation at the @ecssofficial.bsky.social annual congress in Rimini about:
The effect of 90 and 120 min of running on the determinants of endurance performance in well-trained male marathoners
01.07.2025, 14.30
5/5
βοΈFinal message
Researchers should consider, quantify, and report TL.
If youβre assessing training interventions, matching TL may help ensuring results reflect their effect, without being confounded by unintended differences in the dose of training prescribed.
4/5
We also highlight why TL matching might not be essential. For instance when:
- Studying real-world training programmes
- Investigating outcomes less sensitive to dose (like enjoyment or adherence).
3/5
Our paper explores how TL mismatches can skew results, and when matching TL is likely beneficial.
We provide 3 practical examples in areas where TL warrants consideration.
And briefly discuss how an increased TL carries differences depending on participants characteristics
2/5
Training load (TL) can be associated to the "dose" of exercise.
When groups in a study receive different doses, it becomes unclear whether the outcomes are due to the type of training, or simply more training.
An issue for interpreting effectiveness in some contexts.
π£ New paper out in European Journal of Applied Physiology
We discuss an often-overlooked aspect in sports science and rehab research:
The importance of matching training load across interventions.
Nice collaboration led by Tomek Kowalski.
π Open access
π link.springer.com/article/10.1...
π§΅1/5
8/8
βΌοΈResults matter for durability studies assessing interventions & longitudinal athlete profiling.
π Finding: Even subtle differences in RE durability between conditions are likely detectable.
π Share if you find this interesting.
π Open access
π onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
7/8
Summary:
β
RE (expressed as OC or EC) is reliable during prolonged running
β
VE, RER, and HR also consistent
β οΈ BLa and RPE less so, esp. >60 min
4/5 PhD studies published. As always thanks to Rich Blagrove and Jonathan Folland.
6/8
Blood lactate (BLa) was the least reliable:
β¨πΉ ICC = 0.48β0.94β¨πΉ CV = 5β16%
β¨Reliability dropped after 60 min.
β¨This likely reflects limits in analyser precision more than physiology.β¨Caution warranted when interpreting small BLa changes during prolonged exercise!
5/8
β¨RPE was moderately reliable, with:β¨
πΉ ICCs = 0.41β0.72β¨πΉ CV = 4.2β6.0%β¨No effect of time on CV β fatigue didnβt make it less reliable.β¨
Important: subjectivity means RPE isnβt as stable as physiological data.
4/8
β¨Heart rate (HR) was also highly reliable:β¨
πΉ ICCs = 0.82β0.92β¨πΉ CV = ~1.1%β¨π» Slightly lower in trial 2 at later timepoints; possibly due to familiarisation.β¨
Still well within typical day-to-day HR variability.
3/8
β¨Ventilation (VE) and RER also showed strong reliability:
β¨πΉ VE: ICC = 0.96β0.97, CV < 3.6%β¨πΉ RER: ICC = 0.78, TE β€ 1.9%
β¨These markers are consistent across 90 min of heavy-intensity running.
2/8
β¨Both Energy Cost (EC) and Oxygen Cost (OC) showed excellent reliability across all timepoints:
β¨β
ICCs: 0.96β0.99β¨β
CVs: 0.6%β1.2%β¨β
TE: β€1.4%
β¨No decline in reliability over time.
β¨βΌοΈRE durability is measurable and trustworthy.
New paper out in Scand J Med Sci Sports!
β¨We tested the reliability of running economy (RE) and other physiological parameters during 90 min of running.β¨β¨β‘οΈ Running economy is highly reliable in a fatigued state, a ππΌ implication for testing durabilityβ¨
ππ onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
π§΅1/8
I think a possible solution could be having a testing session as an outdoor long run with pre-post assessment of running economy and speed at LT (this could be done on a separate day).
sLT is likely to capture multiple changes under a single variable, and testing it may not be too intense.
Thank you Jamie!
I think a thorough durability testing for high-level marathon is quite challenging - as you already pointed out. Athletes more trained than our cohort will likely display smaller changes, so either duration or intensity would need to increase..
π If you're a practitioner, coach, athlete, or scientist interested in endurance performance, feel free to share this thread.
π Open-Access
π onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
14/14
Thanks to the runners who pushed through these VERY demanding trials.
π Grateful to my PhD supervisors Rich Blagrove and Jonathan Folland.
Future directions may include:
ππ» Training intervention studies
π Marathon performance modelling which includes durability.
13/14
Take-home message:
β
VΜOβpeak and sLT decline non-linearly, particularly between 90 and 120 min
β
RE deteriorates steadily
β
FULT increased due to VOβmax drop
π₯ Pacing, race modelling & training may need to account for durability.
π onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
12/14
