Trail and ultrarunners are not immune to the countless changes that occur with the aging process. The following discussion highlights the hormonal changes that occur as female athletes age. More specifically, we’ll cover how hormonal changes through perimenopause and menopause impact widespread physiological changes and ultrarunning performance for women. Roles of key female hormones First, …
Table of Contents PART 1: Preparing for Exercise in Hot Weather PART 2: Optimizing Performance During Hot Weather PART 3: Recovery Strategies After Exercise in Hot Weather Introduction: Heat is the enemy of endurance performance and an underlying cause for diminished performance, dehydration, heat stress, gastrointestinal distress, and impaired recovery. This guide will provide you …
Group rides are growing! Cyclists around the country are meeting outside bike shops and coffee houses for their Saturday morning club rides. Sometimes it’s a road ride, other times it’s on gravel or mixed surface ride. There might be some new riders at the group ride or on your cycling team. If you’re new …
Riding a bicycle is a great way to experience the world, but traveling internationally with your bike can be a challenge. CTS has been helping athletes travel to cycling tours and bike races around the world for more than 20 years, including our recent trip to FNLD GRVL. Here’s a guide to what we’ve …
We are all aware that exercise is beneficial to our health, but exposure to air pollution isn’t. Harmful particles end up in your lungs causing irritation, inflammation, and can microscopic particulates can potentially enter the bloodstream. This can cause an increased risk for serious medical issues, including heart attack and stroke. What are athletes …
You spend lots of time in your head during an ultramarathon. Entering an aid station sometimes feels like a brief and welcome visit to civilization. Most ultras provide such comprehensive support that a runner doesn’t absolutely need a personal support crew, but it sure is nice to see a familiar face. Having crewed, paced, …
Training can be a lot like drinking: to have a great time you need to know when to stop. In the taper week leading up to a race or event, athletes can do more to undermine their training than they can to enhance it. Yet, just like that “one more” drink, it’s the prospect of …
By Reid Beloni, CTS Senior Coach There are a lot of Murphy’s Law moments in gravel racing, so we need to talk about crisis management, or what to do when things go wrong. Anticipating and planning solutions for what could go wrong creates the greatest chance of success. Particularly in long races, athletes who can …
Ultrarunning is a sport built on adversity. Extreme distances, fickle weather and countless other hurdles will seemingly coordinate and conspire in the universe’s cruel attempt to throw you off of your game. Yet, we are a triumphant lot. Whether it is Killian Jornet winning the Hardrock 100 in an arm sling after dislocating his …
Amateur criterium racing is not dead, it’s just moved from weekends to weeknights. Based on the activities and feedback we’re seeing from CTS Athletes, the after-work criterium scene may be stronger than it’s been in a decade or more! And it’s no wonder. There are three new elite-level criterium series – the American Criterium …