Endure

Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance

By: Alexander Hutchinson

Narrated by: Robert G. Slade

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • ""Reveals how we can all surpass our perceived physical limits."" —Adam Grant

Limits are an illusion: a revolutionary book that reveals the secrets of accessing your hidden extra potential

Foreword by Malcolm Gladwell

The capacity to endure is the key trait that underlies great performance in virtually every field—from a 100-meter sprint to a 100-mile ultramarathon, from summiting Everest to acing final exams or completing any difficult project. But what if we all can go farther, push harder, and achieve more than we think we’re capable of?

Blending cutting-edge science and gripping storytelling in the spirit of Malcolm Gladwell—who contributes the book’s foreword—award-winning journalist Alex Hutchinson reveals that a wave of paradigm-altering research over the past decade suggests the seemingly physical barriers you encounter as set as much by your brain as by your body. This means the mind is the new frontier of endurance—and that the horizons of performance are much more elastic than we once thought.

But, of course, it’s not “all in your head.” For each of the physical limits that Hutchinson explores—pain, muscle, oxygen, heat, thirst, fuel—he carefully disentangles the delicate interplay of mind and body by telling the riveting stories of men and women who’ve pushed their own limits in extraordinary ways.

The longtime “Sweat Science” columnist for Outside and Runner’s World, Hutchinson, a former national-team long-distance runner and Cambridge-trained physicist, was one of only two reporters granted access to Nike’s top-secret training project to break the two-hour marathon barrier, an extreme quest he traces throughout the book. But the lessons he draws from shadowing elite athletes and from traveling to high-tech labs around the world are surprisingly universal. Endurance, Hutchinson writes, is “the struggle to continue against a mounting desire to stop”—and we’re always capable of pushing a little farther.

Narrator needs to learn how to pronounce names

Very disappointed that the narrator didn't bother to learn how to pronounce the names of several of the greatest endurance athletes of all time. This is like writing a book about baseball but mispronouncing Babe Ruth or Lou Gherig. Absolute shame.

Informative and insightful

I found the content and quality of writing to be among the best. The reader, unfortunately, insisted on mispronouncing any non-English words. How hard would it have been to learn how to say Kipchoge?

Slow moments but a thrilling story of human limits

The last section of this book is thrilling reading for anyone who knows the thrill of racing.

The narrator does not do this book justice and there are a few errors in the speech. Great book about the limits of human performance none the less.

endurance nerd heaven

it is very well written and easy to follow. I loved that it talked about so many studies and their implications for endurance athletes. a must read if your an endurance or physiology nerd

No limits!

Excellent book! Clearly shows that there is almost no limits and often times it is our minds that set the limits for us.

This story will forever endure in my mind and body

This book blurs the idea of mind and body into one cohesive physical machine that begs the question of what makes a world athlete so great.

great research and storytelling!

Alex Hutchinson did a great job with reviewing the subject and staying critical. excellent read for professionals and layman

excellent read

Facebook was excellent! Everything I expected out of it I got and then more. Show us what the human body is capable of doing it is well beyond our own imagination

Inspiring

It motivated me to aim beyond my set limits. Fundamental for every athlete at any level.

A Must Read for Athletes

I have now listened to this book twice, and I have enjoyed it thoroughly each time as I take away new things. From the well structured story to the mountains of science backed research and studies it’s an engaging read. Athletes looking to better understand their mind and body while pursuing their limits of performance, should absolutely read this book.