In a constant search for energy and performance, athletes tend to focus on the big macronutrients: carbohydrate, protein, and fat. They manipulate the percentage of calories from each, going from the classic endurance athlete’s high carbohydrate strategy to a Paleo-esque high-protein strategy, or even a high-fat ketogenic strategy. However, the foods we eat supply more …
By Jason Koop Coaching Director, Author of “Training Essentials for Ultrarunning” Racing a 5-kilometer running race may seem antithetical to ultramarathon training, but there are plenty of good reasons why racing fast for 5 kilometers is beneficial for athletes training to run 50 or 100 miles. I should preface this by saying that, while …
By David Henry, CTS Ultrarunning Coach Sooner or later every ultrarunner has to get comfortable running at night. While running at night is still just running, seeing well on a trail can be a challenge unless you address a few key difficulties that crop up in the dark. We’ll tackle each one individually below. Adequate …
Most of us are limited by time, somehow shoehorning ultrarunning training into busy lives. Taking an hour at lunch or waking up an hour earlier is often the way people with lives, jobs, and a family fit in their training. It is easy, particularly if you are an aspiring ultrarunner, to conclude you don’t have …
By Jason Koop CTS Coaching Director, author of “Training Essentials for Ultrarunning” Not all speed records age well. Technology and science move forward and make some accomplishments seem pedestrian years later. The 4-minute mile is not as elusive as it once was, but for a period in the early 1950s its pursuit captured the sporting …
By David Henry, CTS Ultrarunning Coach Keeping your feet happy is important for all runners, and between weather extremes and long training weeks, it can be particularly challenging for ultrarunners. For some reason, I developed a keen interest in keeping feet happy in long races, which has led to a lot of research and experimentation. …
By Jason Koop CTS Coaching Director, Author “Training Essentials for Ultrarunning” From an insular position within the sport of ultrarunning it can seem like everyone is running 50k and 100-mile events these days, so I really appreciated reading the participation data from Gary Wang at realendurance.com compiled from the early 80s through 2017. There is …
By Andy Jones-Wilkins CTS Ultrarunning Coach It’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow and as such the CTS Running Coaches and I thought it would be a great time to share a few thoughts on how we encourage our athletes to maintain loving harmonious relationships at home while running long distances, training for hours on end, and often …
By Jason Koop CTS Coaching Director, Author of “Training Essentials for Ultrarunning” Over the weekend, CTS Athletes Kelly Wolf and Dylan Bowman earned victories at the Tarawera Ultramarathon in New Zealand. They both ran smart, gutsy races and fended off great competitors to earn the top step on the podium. Their wins were both close, …
By Corrine Malcolm, CTS Ultrarunning Coach With the growing popularity of ultrarunning, races are selling out faster than ever before. More races are moving to lottery formats – or already have them – to distribute entries, and those who don’t get in through the lottery are often placed on a wait list. While wait …