training strategies for cyclists

The Best Fall Training Strategies for Cyclists

  By Jim Rutberg, CTS Pro Coach, co-author of “Ride Inside“ and “The Time-Crunched Cyclist” As the summer cycling season winds down, cyclists face several options. With your biggest event goals in the rearview mirror, the next few months are full of opportunities! Rather than sitting on the couch and watching football, use this time to …

beta-alanine

Does Beta-Alanine Improve Performance for Trail and Ultrarunners?

Beta-alanine is a workout supplement that promises to reduce fatigue and increase exercise capacity. It is very popular with athletes who engage in short bouts of intense exercise (e.g., Crossfit, strength training, sprinting) but not as commonly used by endurance athlete, especially ultraendurance athletes. Would supplementing with beta-alanine improve trail and ultrarunning performance? The short …

gear list

Essential Gear List for Trail and Ultrarunning

Running is not typically considered a gear-intensive sport, but the remote nature of trail and ultrarunning means there are some gear essentials that improve comfort and performance as well as increase a runner’s safety. Here is an essential gear list meant to ensure new trail and ultrarunners have the basic equipment to train effectively and …

training mistakes

Don’t Make These 7 Late-Summer Training Mistakes

  As we start reach the end of August, the bulk of the summer is in the rearview mirror. And while there are athletes who have big events coming up in the next several weeks, many of you are wrapping up your summer season. You have trained long and hard to get here and I …

UTMB

How CTS Coaches Prepare Athletes for UTMB

  Forty CTS Athletes are gathering in the Chamonix for the 2025 Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) races, including the winner and runner up from the elite women’s Western States: Abby Hall and Fuzhao Xiang. I have attended UTMB multiple times to support athletes and it’s always a highlight of my year. As in previous years, …

leadville2025 finishwithollie 1152

Why I’m Never Riding Another Leadville 100 MTB

I am never riding the Leadville 100 again. Don’t get me wrong, I love Leadville. I’d recommend it to my friends, help them train for it, and I’m sure I’ll be back to crew for CTS Athletes and friends in the future. But 1,100 miles on that course, eleven times up Columbine and Powerline, is …

running injuries

Running Injuries: Why Older Ultrarunners Get Injured Less

Running injuries in ultramarathon training and racing are not going away. That’s a sobering fact, but the numbers don’t lie. On the training side, up to 70% of runners will become injured every year and lose at least one day of training. Racing is just as injurious. For every 1000 hours of ultramarathon racing, there …