Marcus Scotney

So this just happened!! Winning @DragonsBackRace What an amazing tough race my body is a bit broken but worth it for the adventure twitter.com/dragonsbackrac…

🚨👋I’m launching a Substack to write about metabolism, sports performance, mitochondrial function, metabolic health, cancer metabolism, longevity... I’m starting with two pieces!. The first addresses the recent review “Much Ado About Zone 2.” My position is simple: the debate between Zone 2 and HIIT is largely artificial. In real training environments, both intensities coexist and always have. The second article explains the physiology behind Zone 2, something that is often simplified or misunderstood. Zone 2 is not just a training label. It reflects a specific metabolic state defined by redox balance, mitochondrial flux, and lactate shuttle equilibrium. Thirty years working with elite athletes and metabolic patients led me to this framework. Links below: Article 1 — Why the Zone 2 vs HIIT debate is largely misguided inigosanmillan.substack.com/p/zone-2-vs-hi… Article 2 — The cellular physiology that actually defines Zone 2 inigosanmillan.substack.com/p/zone-2-is-a-… If this topic and others interests you, feel free to subscribe. I’ll be writing regularly about metabolism, performance, metabolic health, mitochondrial function, cancer metabolism...Thank you!😉

@OldScottie Looks awesome 🙌 well done and I can’t wait to read it 💪🏻

Pre-orders for my new book are now open with delivery after 25/03… If you are an athlete looking for your best performance yet, Peak Performance Psychology is jam-packed full of evidence based processes to help you bring your Mental A-Game when it counts…on Race Day!

It’s inspiring to see research like this shaping the conversation about Scotland’s educational future. I’m excited to be contributing to this research and its potential impact on the Scottish curriculum as I start my PhD this September at @StirUni

Bridge brilliance at @UofStirling! 🤯 So proud to have been part of the first Youth Bridge Camp this past weekend – my first big step in my PhD research! 40+ young minds learned, played, and grew, and I even picked up bridge myself! 🧠 #YouthBridge #Mindsports #UofStirling

@MicZanini @E_C_S_S @lborouniversity @LboroSSEHS It's a fantastic paper! And I wonder what the implications are for ultra-marathon training? Does this mean the days of ridiculous 6-hour training runs should be a thing of the past...

Grateful to see our recent paper on the “Durability of determinants of running performance” being the May editor’s choice in SJMSS. 👤 I will present the findings and implications at @E_C_S_S next week. 📆 Tuesday July 1st @ 1.30pm 📄 Open Access 🔗 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/160008…

Toughness isn't about gritting your teeth and blindly grinding your way through. Toughness is a skill that depends on: 1. Understanding Emotions 2. Directing Attention 3. Navigating Your Inner Dialogue 4. Creating space between Stimulus and Response

@natolisnuggets @stevemagness Interesting statement, any evidence to back it up? If the zones are set correctly and for the individual then an athlete can struggle to maintain a consistent pace, but this can also be an indicator that the athlete has been overreaching.

@stevemagness Most normal people can’t run in zone 2 without walking at the start and for a very long time. The whole running industry and their advice is backwards.

Every fitness person online is screaming... One camp shouts: Zone 2. The other: Go hard or go home. HIIT! But if you look at what the best in the world actually do? It’s simpler. More thoughtful. Less dogmatic. More varied A new study surveyed elite endurance coaches and the patterns were striking. Let’s break it down.

Super excited to share I’ve been awarded a fully funded PhD at @StirUni 🎓 I’ll be researching how the mindsport bridge can support learning, wellbeing & development in schools through game-based learning. Didn’t think this was possible - but here I am. Believe. 💛

Still can’t quite believe it; nine years after winning the first @CapeWrathUltra in 2016, I’ve done it again. An emotional end to an epic race. 🏆 live.opentracking.co.uk/capewrathultra… 📷 @NoLimitsPhotog1

⚠️ Out of Office ⚠️ Off on an 8-day running holiday through the Highlands 🏔️ You can follow the adventure (and dotwatch the ups & downs) here 👉 live.opentracking.co.uk/capewrathultra… #CapeWrathUltra #Dotwatching #RunningHoliday

@Dan_Nash94 Thanks for sharing this it looks an interesting read - I’ve always felt this was what happened and why as I coach I don’t get athletes going over four hours in long runs.

An exciting new paper just released, describing how VO2max, thresholds and economy deteriorate over the course of a hard/long run. Massive implications for marathoners, ultra runners and long-course triathletes 👇👇

@ieuanedwards This is looking stunning 🤩

A quick peek at the penultimate layer. Almost there.

@ieuanedwards It looks fantastic 🐙 and can’t wait to see how it turns out on Saturday.

Carve update. That’s me done for a couple of days. I’ll be finishing and printing this layer on Saturday

@ieuanedwards This looks superb 👌 will they be available on your website?

Early days on a new thing. Having lots of fun with this block, there’ll be a few variations of the final print.

@TrailsAndAlesUK @MountainRoche @wser I'm wondering how many other athletes will be using breast milk...youtube.com/watch?v=74niJ1…

Just caught up on all the @MountainRoche youtube episodes! Really get you going and inspired! Latest episode really like how he put it out there as a fuck you to the haters & that hes not holding anything back against Kilian & Jim. Looking fwd to @wser as much as anything else!

@SteAssent @Garmin Damn those celebrity runners getting limited edition modes!!! I'm so annoyed at how I could have kept people guessing at what my data could have looked like!!

@MarcusScotney @Garmin I'd be furious if I were you, Garmin must have rolled out a ltd edition nav mode just for him.

Literally all the people calling him out are runners. It's the fucking gimps who don't know better who worship the fella. Bad shithouse who's terrified of training for and doing a proper race. Cause you can't hide there. Or have a fella with 15 sleeping bags bail you out

@SteAssent "Special" being the operative word there!! And that Navigate mode must be a new version as its always uploaded all my data...just saying! Have we asked if @Garmin can help him sort his watch out?

@MarcusScotney He has a special Garmin that uses navigate mode that also delays the map upload for 3 days and hides most of the other days. Garmin connect data is a shout.

@DrTEHughes I feel your pain! I use WhatsApp with my coached athletes and at least once or twice a week I sign off with xx 🙈🤦‍♂️

That's it! I have to stop using Outlook on my phone for work email. I have far too many xxx and love yous to co-workers on autopilot! Am I the only one?

@brady_h Interesting 🤔 but is there longevity in such an approach and does 8 weeks of research get anywhere near to showing us? What happens after 12 weeks, 52 weeks would the same approach still create the same results??

Can you get the same endurance benefits from just 2 workouts per week instead of 4? In today's newsletter, I break down a new study that suggests you might not need to train as often as you think—as long as you’re willing to go long when you do. Researchers compared two training styles over 8 weeks: - High-Frequency Group (HF): 4 shorter workouts per week - Weekend Warrior Group (WW): 2 longer workouts per week (same total volume) The result? Both groups saw nearly identical fitness improvements. ✅ VO₂ max increased by 10–12% ✅ Endurance time to exhaustion more than doubled (+120–132%) ✅ Muscle oxidative capacity improved by ~23% ✅ Both groups burned more fat and became more metabolically efficient Read the full summary at the link in my bio or check the next post.