PaceBrain blog
Research backed insights for runners.
We read the papers so you do not have to. Each article is grounded in primary research with full citations. No marketing fluff.
Carbon plate super shoes: do they actually make you faster?
Super shoes promise free speed, and the lab evidence for a ~4 percent running economy gain is unusually strong. Here is whether that becomes a faster race, and why some runners respond far more than others.
Does running ruin your knees? What the research says about arthritis
The fear that running wears out your knees is one of fitness’s most persistent myths. The evidence shows recreational running is linked to healthier joints, not damaged ones.
Does running make you live longer? The evidence on running and longevity
Large cohort studies tie running to lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, with even a few minutes a day helping. The evidence on the minimum dose, the disputed U-shaped curve, and the roughly three extra years runners gain.
Ice baths for runners: does cold water immersion actually help?
Cold water immersion does reduce post-run soreness, but regular use can blunt long-term strength and muscle adaptations. The trick is knowing when an ice bath helps a runner and when it quietly works against you.
Creatine for runners: does it help endurance performance?
Creatine is the best-evidenced supplement in sport, but its case for distance running is indirect. What the research really shows for runners, the honest caveats, and how to dose it.
Carb loading for a marathon: the science of fuelling up
Carb loading tops up muscle glycogen so the wall arrives later. The modern 1 to 3 day protocol, how many carbs to aim for, and why the scales go up.
How many carbs per hour should you eat during a long run?
Carbohydrate intake guidelines scale with how long you run: 30 to 60 g/hr up to two hours, 60 to 90 g/hr beyond. The glucose plus fructose science, the gut training, and the gel maths.
Caffeine and running performance: what the research shows
Caffeine is one of the best-evidenced legal ergogenic aids in endurance sport. The effective dose, the timing, the mechanism, and why the habituation worry is a myth.
Beetroot juice for runners: does dietary nitrate actually work?
Beetroot juice is one of the few legal supplements with real evidence behind it. How dietary nitrate lowers running’s oxygen cost, the dose that works, and why it does less for fast runners.
Protein for runners: how much you really need for recovery
Runners need more protein than the old 0.8 g/kg advice suggests. What the research says about daily targets, per-meal doses, timing, and eating food first.
Hydration for runners: how much to drink and the hyponatremia risk
The modern consensus is drink to thirst, not on a schedule. Why overdrinking, not dehydration, is the bigger hazard for slower marathoners, plus electrolytes and sweat rate.
Running cadence: does 180 steps per minute really matter?
The 180 steps-per-minute rule came from one observation at the 1984 Olympics, not a universal law. What the research really shows about cadence, overstriding and injury.
Heart rate zones for running, explained
The five-zone model and what each zone trains, why 220 minus age is a poor estimate of max heart rate, and how reserve and threshold testing build zones you can trust.
Lactate threshold: the most important number in distance running?
Lactate is a fuel, not a waste product. What LT1 and LT2 really mean, why the fraction of VO2max you can sustain predicts race times better than VO2max alone, and how to find your threshold without a lab.
The long run: how long and how slow it should be
The long run is the cornerstone of endurance, yet most runners run it too fast and cut it too short. How long it should be and how slow it should feel.
Negative splits: the pacing strategy that wins races
Negative, even and positive splits explained. The science shows even or slightly negative pacing wins, while going out too fast is the costliest amateur mistake.
Does stretching prevent running injuries? An evidence check
Static stretching before a run does not meaningfully cut injury risk and can briefly blunt power. What the evidence shows, and what actually keeps runners healthy.
Sleep and running performance: the most underrated training tool
You get fitter while you sleep, not while you run. What the research says about sleep extension, sleep loss, injury risk, and how much sleep runners really need.
Running in the heat: how to acclimatise and keep performing
Heat drives up core temperature and cardiovascular strain, slowing every runner down. How acclimatisation works, what it changes, and how to pace, cool and hydrate when it is hot.
The menstrual cycle and running: training with your physiology
On average the menstrual cycle barely affects running performance, but individual variation is large and symptoms matter. The honest, evidence-led case for tracking your own response over rigid cycle syncing.
Zone 2 training for runners: what the research actually shows
Zone 2 is the most talked about intensity in running. Here is what the science says it does, how to find your real Zone 2, and why a heart rate percentage is the wrong way to do it.
VO2max for runners: what it is, what is good, and how to improve it
VO2max is the most quoted number in running and the most misunderstood. What counts as a good value, how much you can realistically change it, and the training that actually works.
How to taper for a race: what the research says about the final weeks
A good taper is worth two to three percent of your finish time, but most runners do it wrong. The evidence on how long to taper, how much to cut, and what never to touch.
Strength training for runners: does lifting actually make you faster?
The research is unusually clear. Two to three sessions of heavy and explosive lifting a week improves running economy and race times, without adding bulk, and cuts injury risk.
Why most runners train too fast on easy days
Two decades of research on elite endurance athletes points to an 80/20 split between easy and hard work. Most recreational runners do the opposite, and pay for it in fatigue, stagnation, and injury.
How accurate are race time predictors? An honest look at the research
Every running app gives you a finish time. Behind that number are formulas with real limits, and a confidence range your predictor probably is not telling you about.