By Darcie Murphy CTS Ultramarathon Coach 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 regiment and some fitness still intact. So, how do we …
By Adam St. Pierre CTS Ultramarathon Coach Every athlete has a limiting factor. More accurately, there are a number of interconnected factors that seek to limit your ultramarathon success. Though it’s an oversimplification to say these are the only three factors limiting performance, three of the most common are: Time, Structure, and Energy. Time For …
Many times, the best questions we get come from athletes and readers. The question below, from Kate, came to us via our Contact form. If you have questions you’d like answers to, send them our way! “I’ve been following a training program for several months, but there are days when I just don’t feel like …
By Andy Jones-Wilkins CTS Ultramarathon Coach Last week, at a meeting I attended with an experienced group of educational leaders, the topic of discussion eventually centered in on a very basic essential question: “What three things — skills, attributes, temperaments, whatever — do you want your students to graduate high school with?” The facilitator, knowing …
By Jason Koop, CTS Coach Author of “Training Essentials for Ultrarunning” For many ultramarathon runners, the event season is done and lottery season has started. Buckles were earned and many gels consumed during the course of your endeavors. Even after a healthy amount of rest you have great fitness from months of spring and …
By John Fitzgerald CTS Ultramarathon Coach Data published by Ultrarunning Magazine indicates that between 2000 and 2016, the number of ultra-distance events grew exponentially and increased over 700%. Assuming the 1,473 races in 2016 fell on weekends, a person could have picked from 28 ultras on average any given weekend. Ultrarunners can race year around …
By Darcie Murphy, CTS Coach This time of year, as most athletes wrap up their competitive seasons, there’s a tremendous opportunity to comb through the year’s achievements and shortcomings. It’s an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed. Each fall I set aside time for comprehensive season reviews with my athletes. This guided reflection process creates an …
By Andy Jones-Wilkins CTS Ultramarathon Coach For most ultra runners the arrival of autumn signals the end of a long season. Perhaps the season has been culminated by a triumphant race finish or the end of an exhausting training cycle. Whatever the cause, the end of season means the sensible runner looks back and forward …
By Andy Jones-Wilkins CTS Ultramarathon Coach Runners who are thinking of making the jump to ultra distances frequently ask me what they should do to prepare for that jump and how they will know they are ready. While it is, like many things in this sport, often a matter of individual circumstances, I have, over …
By John Fitzgerald Ultrarunning Coach Some people love running at night and others find it intimidating, but if you’re going to be an ultrarunner you at least have to get comfortable with running in the dark. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced ultramarathon veteran, here are some tips for making the most of the …