by Chris Carmichael CEO/Head Coach of CTS Initially, this article was going to be about all the reasons endurance athletes don’t need protein shakes, but that wouldn’t really be fair or accurate. There are some very good reasons for cyclists, runners, and triathletes to consume protein shakes, but they are also often overused, used for …
by Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning Truth be told, I don’t like the way most ultrarunning seasons unfold. In any normal year, once January rolls around many of the ultramarathon lotteries have been held. Runners know which races they will be doing the upcoming summer and have anywhere from 6-8 months to prepare. …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS When you think about it, athletes spend far more time not training than they do working out. There are 168 hours in a week, and it is rare for any athlete to train more than 25 hours in a week (15% total). At 12 hours per …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS Good athletes make bad decisions when they’re tired. Fatigue and exhaustion are major components of endurance sports. In training athletes are always balancing stress and recovery in order to achieve positive adaptations. During adventures and events, we manage our efforts to prolong optimal performance before fatigue …
About this episode: In this week’s episode, coach Hillary talks with professional obstacle course racer Rea Kolbl about her evolution as an athlete, how she adapts to the unpredictable situations she has encountered both in life and races, and why she purposely tries new things that are outside of her comfort zone. Guest Bio – …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning By the time this newsletter hits your inbox, runners in the 2020 edition should have been testing themselves along the course of the Badwater 135, which many consider to be ‘the world’s toughest footrace’. Alas, in a very last-minute decision, organizers of the Badwater 135 cancelled …
By Chris Carmichael and Coach Adam Pulford, As the wave of cancellations and postponements swept spring and summer cycling events off the calendar, athletes were understandably disappointed, but months later we’re seeing record-setting performances by amateur riders, masters racers, and even pros. To show you how they did it, I sat down with CTS Pro …
About this episode: In this week’s episode, coach Adam talks with CTS Athlete Ayesha McGowan about her journey to becoming the first-ever African American female pro cyclist, cycling’s diversity problem, and her thoughts on changes that need to happen within the industry to create more opportunity and an inclusive culture. Guest Bio – Ayesha McGowan: …
By Jason Koop, CTS Head Ultrarunning Coach When I build ultrarunning workouts for athletes, I have unlimited combinations to choose from. I can create intervals ranging from seconds to hours. I can manipulate the intensity of intervals, combine different interval modalities into one workout, vary the amount recovery between intervals, and more. Despite the choices …
By Chris Carmichael CTS Founder and Chief Endurance Officer As more riders venture out for long adventure rides, gravel events, and endurance mountain bike races, they face distinct challenges when it comes to staying hydrated and fueled. Aid stations or water sources are often few and far between, and based on weather and terrain you …