By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning Earlier this week after I had deleted the umpteen-millionth ‘holiday gift guide for runners’ from my inbox, I got to thinking ‘there’s got to be something else runners really want’. Sure, a new pair of compression shorts, or the ‘only breathable and waterproof jacket you’ll ever need’ …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning For far too long, heel strikers have been ridiculed, mocked and laughed at in running communities around the globe. It’s time for that to stop. We’ve heard it all before. The rationales for a forefoot strike go something like this: “Our Paleolithic ancestors inevitably ran on their …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning As winter gets into full swing, many runners are stuck in this no-person’s land of motivation. Without an event to focus on in the near term, the desire to train wanes. You might skip a run here, cut a run short there or just not be as …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning In September of this year, the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) came out with a new position paper titled “Nutritional considerations for single-stage ultra-marathon training and racing”. You can view the whole paper, in its entirety, for free here. It’s about a 40 minute read and moderately …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning Every year around this time, athletes take a look at their previous training and start to scheme on better ways to improve their performance. Some will point to doing more miles (to which I will say train smarter, not harder), others to equipment (Nike Vaporflys, anyone?), and …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning This article is the third in a series of how to use poles in trail and ultrarunning. If you missed article one (when poles are beneficial and when they are not) and two (how to choose the right type and length of poles), go check them …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning This article is the second in a series explaining the proper selection and use of trekking poles for ultrarunning, and the science behind it. It is also a (hopefully welcome) reprieve from last weekend’s marathon-centric content bonanza, which I will succinctly summarize as yowza! If you have …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning To pole or not to pole, that is the question! Over the next 4 weeks, this blog will explore how, when and why to use poles in ultrarunning. Aided by the poignant research of our summer intern Jackson Brill, we will review the science of how poles …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning This past week, I had the pleasure of being a roundtable presenter at TrainingPeaks Endurance Coaching Summit. The annual summit, which alternates locations yearly between Boulder, CO and the United Kingdom, brings together hundreds of like minded triathlon, cycling and running coaches. These coaches hail from all …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning This past week, I had the pleasure, pain and privilege of running the Tor Des Geants in the Aosta valley of Italy. The race is a beast, boasting 24,000 M (78,741 feet) of climbing over 356 kilometers (221 miles). Within those miles is a variety of …