Endurance is something all hikers know about. Just ask those who devote up to half a year walking the length of the Appalachian Trail or  Pacific Crest Trail. But endurance is something even the casual weekend hiker has familiarity with. Our bodies are pretty good at providing sustained energy for up to three hours; afterward, the blood-glucose levels begin to plummet.  Trail-mix keeps us going then.  Yet did you know that you can train your body to tap into its nearly limitless supply of body fat for energy?  Our body fat is a like an untapped reservoir of energy.  Ultrarunners know this. So do cyclists and triathletes. The key is how to unlock this energy source. That’s one of the fitness messages addressed in just-published The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing, by Dr. Philip Maffetone, who  was named “Coach of the Year” by Triathlete Magazine and honored by Inside Triathlon magazine as one of the top twenty most influential people in endurance sports worldwide. Continue reading →