lose weight

When is the Best Time for Ultramarathon Runners to Lose Weight?

  By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning Many runners would like to lose a few pounds. Whether they need to, would benefit from, or should lose weight is another question. Generally, I prefer to focus on fitness and adequate nutritional support for training and let body weight adapt naturally. However, some athletes still …

personal coaching

Unvarnished Reasons to Try Personal Coaching in 2025

  By Jim Rutberg, CTS Pro Coach, co-author of “The Time-Crunched Cyclist” “Training Essentials for Ultraruning“, and “Ride Inside“ As the new year begins, you are undoubtedly inundated with advertisements for training plans, weight loss schemes, hormone replacement therapies, and all manner of supplements and gadgets that promise “your best year yet”. Well, I don’t have …

ultrarunning long-range plan

3 Steps for Creating Your Ultrarunning Long-Range Plan

  By Jason Koop, CTS Head Ultrarunning Coach I am going to take you through how I plan out a season for athletes using a format that I refer to as the Long-Range Plan (LRP). Below you’ll also find a link to a free ultrarunning long-range plan template you can use to create your own. …

best cyclist

15 Things You Can Do To Be Your Best Cyclist In The New Year

  By Jim Rutberg, CTS Pro Coach, co-author of “The Time-Crunched Cyclist” and “Ride Inside“ It’s time for a New Year! Here are 15 things you can do this year to be faster, stronger, and more fit than you have ever been! And don’t tell me that you’re a year older and therefore you’ll have to …

season goals

3 Keys To Achieving Your Biggest Ultramarathon Season Goals

By Darcie Murphy, CTS Ultrarunning Pro Coach It is lottery season and an impending New Year. This means the sky is the limit for ultramarathoners when it comes to dreaming and scheming plans for the year ahead. Although planning is becoming more complex with the increasingly competitive lotteries, there are also more new events than …

week-long training block

Making The Most Of A Week-Long Training Block (Like Festive 500)

  By Chris Carmichael, CTS Founder and Chief Endurance Officer The week between Christmas and New Year’s is often an opportunity for cyclists to pile on miles and hours. The Rapha Festive 500 (riding 500 kilometers between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve) is one of the original and still popular versions for ending the …

goal setting

6 Goal Setting Failures That Could Ruin Next Season

  By Noah Niwinski, CTS Senior Coach You would think setting goals would be one of the simpler components of being an athlete. What do you want to do? Why do you want to do it? What does success look like if you accomplish it? But the truth is that many athletes are much better …

11 Keys to Success at Western States Endurance Run

  By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning, Author of “Training Essentials for Ultrarunning” The Western States Endurance Run is one of the most prestigious ultramarathons on the calendar, and entries are so coveted it can take years to earn a place on the start line. As a result, runners who get into the race …

winter cycling

Winter Cycling: Training Outdoors Effectively, Safely, and Comfortably

  By Jim Rutberg, Coach and co-author of “Ride Inside” and “The Time-Crunched Cyclist” Although I co-authored a training book for indoor cycling, I prefer to ride outside if I can. Winter cycling takes a bit more planning and thought compared to throwing on a pair of bibs and a jersey in the summer, but once …