By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning This past week, I launched a crowd sourced data gathering project aimed at acquiring race files from a number of prominent ultramarathons around the world. The aim of the project is to find out exactly how ultrarunners pace themselves, as well as how much hiking vs. …
By Alison Tetrick, CTS Contributing Editor The juggle is real. Am I right, or am I right? We wake up and pour ourselves that cup of ambition while watching yesterday’s to-do list drain onto another post-it note. The inbox overflows as you paddle through the rising tide. You longingly look at your bike on the …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning Over the weekend, elite ultrarunner Ruth Croft won the coveted Tarawera Ultramarathon in course record time and in the process, beat out the entire field of men and women. As is the case whenever a female ultrarunner bests the entirety of the field, the age-old debate …
By Chris Carmichael, CTS Founder and Head Coach A few weeks ago, major media outlets splashed out headlines declaring that “fat but fit” is a myth because a new study suggests that being fit does not protect people from the heart health risks associated with carrying excess bodyfat. The problem is, saying people can either …
Oh, how we trail runners love and loathe running uphill. Deviations from the horizontal plane elicit agony and euphoria all at the same time. Agony from the heart pumping, legs screaming feeling of increased effort; and euphoria from the accomplishment of reaching the summit. I prescribe intervals to be done uphill roughly 80% of …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS So, cycling’s governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), has decided to enforce a ban on the ‘supertuck’ cycling position in the pro peloton because they say it is dangerous for the rider and riders nearby. I’m not as involved with pro cycling as I used …
By Scott Mercier, US Olympian, Retired pro cyclist Scott Mercier competed in the 1992 Olympic Games for Team USA and raced professionally for the Saturn, US Postal Service, and Navigators cycling teams. He will be contributing a monthly column for CTS, featuring stories from his cycling career and the triumphs and challenges of staying fit …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning Most of us are limited by time, and somehow cram ultrarunning training into our busy lives. Taking an hour at lunch or waking up an hour earlier to get a run in is more often than not the way most normal people with lives, jobs, and a …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS “Cycling keeps me sane.” We’ve all heard similar one-liners on group rides or social media posts, and there is plenty of evidence that exercise can play an important role in mental health. However, based on recent data and personal conversations with coaches and athletes throughout the …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning Interventions in sport tend to borrow and steal lessons from other disciplines and redirect them in pursuit of improved performance. Take, for example, a pair of compression socks or pneumatic compression device (like the Normatec boots). These devices were originally developed for patients with poor circulation stemming …