When I first met my wife she was training for her very first half marathon. Like many before her and countless since, she had picked up a book from preeminent marathoner and author Jeff Galloway and organized her training around programs in the book. Galloway’s methods center around two principles: weekly progressive overload and a …
I recently earned my third finish in the notorious Hardrock 100. The high-altitude race is notorious because it features an average elevation of over 11,000 feet and includes more than 32,000 feet of climbing and descending. Every race is a learning experience. This time around, Hardrock delivered a lesson on the value of downhill run …
For many athletes, tapering for ultrarunning can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand runners are happy about the reduced training load. On the other, they are sometimes anxious or distressed by the reduction in training volume. Athletes have two primary fears during their taper: detraining and missing out on time they could use …
Running can be hard on an athlete’s feet and blisters can happen to novice and experienced runners. Many runners rightfully focus on their footwear and making sure they have the right traction and support. However, it is also important to consider how your feet move in the shoes, the surface you’ll be running on, and …
For years I have wanted a fantasy football-style league for trail and ultrarunning (come on, you know you want one too). It would be fun, good for the sport, akin to the annual iRunFar Western States prediction contest that draws international acclaim and fun banter all at the same time. Along these lines I’ve used …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning The scene at the Twin Lakes aid station during the Leadville Trail 100 is interesting. The small town serves as the aid station at Mile 40 (outbound) and again at Mile 60 (inbound). It’s equal parts haven for tired athletes and late night rager for the crews. …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning The scourge of ultramarathon injuries in training and racing is not one we are going to solve any time soon. 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 …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning When I originally wrote the first edition of ‘Training Essentials for Ultrarunning’ in 2015, I wanted to create a work that could bridge a gap I perceived in the ultrarunning space. At the time, there was a gap between using anecdotal accounts to drive training and …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning Every few years, a narrative emerges that some particular level of exercise is bad for long term health. Sometimes the stories focus on the amount total volume, or the peak of intensity, or some combination thereof. And when those narratives come around, the collective athletic community takes …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning It seems like for the last several years, female athletes have been told to tailor their training, nutrition and even the way they recover towards their menstrual cycle. Apps like Wild AI and books like ROAR have done quite well in the commercial space, leading to specialty …