I’ve always been fascinated by the role of genetics in sport. Obviously, there’s the heredity aspect that sometimes helps children of great athletes become great athletes themselves. More practically for those who don’t win the DNA lottery, genes affect the way individuals respond to stimuli, potentially opening the door to even greater customization of …
By Jason Koop Coaching Director, Author of “Training Essentials for Ultrarunning” Racing a 5-kilometer running race may seem antithetical to ultramarathon training, but there are plenty of good reasons why racing fast for 5 kilometers is beneficial for athletes training to run 50 or 100 miles. I should preface this by saying that, while …
By Mara Abbott, Olympian and CTS Contributing Editor My junior year of college, I spent a semester enrolled at a university in Mérida, Mexico. In part, I considered it an experiment in what would happen if I went out in the Real World where sports (forever and always swimming and at the time only recently, …
By David Henry, CTS Ultrarunning Coach Sooner or later every ultrarunner has to get comfortable running at night. While running at night is still just running, seeing well on a trail can be a challenge unless you address a few key difficulties that crop up in the dark. We’ll tackle each one individually below. Adequate …
If endurance events were easy, would they be as much fun? For our tribe the answer is: No. We get excited by challenges that push us beyond our comfort zones. Our tribe is drawn to events other people consider insane, including running 100 miles above 10,000 feet in Leadville, CO; riding a road bike …
By Syd Schulz CTS Athlete and Pro MTB Racer When I first started mountain biking, it used to make me miserable, like, somewhat frequently. This was because mountain biking is hard and starting new things is hard and also because I wasn’t very confident in my own abilities. As a result, perceived failures (OMG …
I was listening to the radio on my way to work earlier this week and a story on National Public Radio caught my attention. A retired scientist who also happens to be a life-long cyclist noticed he and his friends didn’t seem to be aging the same way their non-cyclist peers were. Not in the …
By Mara Abbott Olympian, CTS Contributing Editor Want to get somewhere? Devote yourself to the process. Destinations are highly unreliable. As the PyeongChang Olympics end and the Paralympics come into full swing, many spectators wonder about the origins of the motivation that keeps these athletes working so hard for so long. This dedication is particularly striking for …
We’ve been helping athletes have great international cycling experiences for nearly 20 years, and right now Coach Adam Pulford is preparing to take 16 athletes to South Africa to compete in the Absa Cape Epic MTB stage race. Adam has led CTS teams all over the US as well as in South Africa, Chile, and …
Ultimate Direction’s new Signature Series 4.0 trail running vests and Adventure Collection Fastpacks will be used exclusively by Carmichael Training Systems’ (CTS) coaches during the organization’s ultrarunning training camps and “Bucket List” events this year. CTS is one of the premier endurance sports coaching companies in the world and this partnership deepens the connection between both brands, as several UD-sponsored …