The Science of Running Endurance: How Your Body Really Works, with Prof. Paul Laursen

In this episode I sit down with Professor Paul Laursen — sport scientist, co-author of Science and Application of High-Intensity Interval Training, and co-founder of Athletica — to break down the science of endurance in plain language. From mitochondria and fat-burning to HIIT, the neuromuscular system, nutrition, recovery and HRV, we turn the biology of running into practical tools to help you train smarter, recover better, and avoid the classic pitfalls.ABOUT PAUL LAURSENA sport physiologist from British Columbia, Canada, with a career spanning the Australian Institute of Sport and the New Zealand Olympic program, where he led physiology across two Olympic cycles. He's best known for his work on high-intensity interval training, co-authored the leading textbook on the subject, is co-writing the fifth edition of Lore of Running with Tim Noakes, and co-founded the AI training platform Athletica.WHAT WE COVERHow muscles create movement and turn food into energyMitochondria: why endurance training grows them, and why fat is the clean fuelThe heart as a muscle — stroke volume and why running starts to feel easierWhy "no pain, no gain" is the number-one endurance mistakeConsistency over heroics: the most important session is the next oneBuilding the aerobic base first (Paul's fat-burning study with Stephen Seiler)MAF and low-heart-rate training, with a nod to Phil MaffetoneNutrition as a lever: insulin, whole foods, and the simple PFC ruleWhen to add HIIT, and how it recruits fast-twitch fibresThe neuromuscular system and Dr. Marius Bakken's Norwegian MethodWhat adaptation is and when it happens: sleep, recovery and nutritionReading your body's data: wearables, RPE, feel and HRVUnderstanding HRV: 7-day vs 60-day averages and overtraining riskKEY TAKEAWAYSFat is your clean fuel — aerobic training teaches your body to burn it efficientlyPatience beats punishment — build the base before adding intensityRecovery is training — prioritise sleep, then whole-food nutritionListen to the trend, not the day — use HRV to adjust before stress buildsLINKSPaul Laursen: https://www.paullaursen.comHIIT Science: https://www.hiitscience.comAthletica: https://www.athletica.aiMENTIONEDScience and Application of High-Intensity Interval Training — Laursen & BuchheitLore of Running (5th edition, with Tim Noakes)The Norwegian Method Applied — Dr. Marius BakkenPACE BUDDIESWebsite: https://pacebuddies.comBook a free call: https://cal.eu/pacebuddies/freecallEnjoyed this episode? Subscribe to The Aerobic Edge and leave a review — it helps more runners find the show.