Running in the dark is a big part of being an ultramarathon runner. Either during events or during training runs that begin before sunrise and/or end after sunset, you’re going to find yourself on a trail in the dark. Carrying a light with the right combination of style, brightness, battery life, and other features is …
If you’re an aspiring ultramarathon runner who is stepping up from training for marathons, you’re not alone. The most important thing to understand is that an ultramarathon is not simply a longer marathon. As distance and duration increase, the challenges and demands shift so significantly that ultrarunning can only be described as its own, separate …
As the sport of ultrarunning continues to grow, we’re welcoming quite a few new runners to ultradistance events each year. If that’s you, glad you’re here! Establishing reasonable objectives for your first ultramarathon season is a challenge we hear from many runners making the transition from marathon distance or from sports like triathlon or cycling. …
This past week I completed my 44th trip around the sun. As usual, I ran my age in miles, which becomes more of an ordeal with each passing year. It also gives me a lot of time to think about what categorically has worked with athletes over 2-plus decades as a professional coach. Below are …
Just as athletes create goals for the upcoming season, coaches set goals for personal and professional development. Recently, I talked with CTS Coaches Jason Koop and Andy Jones-Wilkins on the Koopcast podcast, where I mentioned my goal to address perfectionism – or perfectionistic tendencies – when I believe it interferes with an athlete’s path to …
Old man winter is here, meaning it’s time for colds, flu, and generic ‘bugs’ to knock athletes down. Days off come from illness, injury, or one of life’s myriad of curveballs. Regardless, at some point you will miss a meticulously thought out training day. Most missed training sessions can be chalked up in the ‘no …
With much fanfare, the 2023 Western States lottery was held last weekend. For the few hundred athletes who now have entries, and those near the top of the wait list, the training countdown clock has started. Several CTS Coaches and I have extensive experience with Western States, including 10-time finisher Andy Jones-Wilkins. Each year, the …
By Darcie Murphy, CTS Ultrarunning Senior Coach In the early 2000s, Barb Lindquist was one of the best triathletes in the world. As a pro she won 33 of the 134 races she started (25%), was on the podium 86 times, and was the #1 ranked triathlete from 2003-2004. She finished 9th in the 2004 …
Virtually no one’s schedule magically gets less busy during the holiday season. Generally it’s the opposite and we must squeeze even more into an already demanding schedule. But we also want to reach the New Year with a training regimen and some fitness still intact. So, how do we approach this balancing act? Here are …
Although I have enjoyed a quarter century of long-distance trail and ultrarunning, I actually had my first exposure to endurance sports on a bike. In the early ‘90s my wife Shelly and I spent our summers traveling the country by bicycle. Then, between 1994 and 1996 we traveled the world by bike, covering 19,000 miles …