In Alex Hutchinson’s book Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance (the one many people casually call “Endurance ”), the emphasis is squarely on what limits—and eventually unlocks—ultra-distance performance:
- pain tolerance
- muscle fatigue
- oxygen
- heat
- thirst
- fuel
- and above all the brain’s role in pacing and motivation.
Current best-practice guidance about early, controlled movement after common running injuries (e.g., ankle sprains) comes from sports-medicine research and clinical reviews. These sources show that:
- Early functional rehabilitation —after a brief (often 3-10 day) period of protection—speeds healing, reduces pain, and gets athletes back to activity sooner than prolonged immobilization or strict bed rest. PubMedAAFP
- Extended, complete immobilization is now discouraged – it delays tissue remodeling and can lead to muscle atrophy, joint stiffness, and slower neuromuscular recovery. PubMed CentralPhysiopedia
Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run also digresses w/ modern rehab philosophy.