By Darcie Murphy, CTS Ultrarunning Pro Coach Ultrarunning continues to grow and we’re welcoming many new athletes to events each year. If that’s you, we’re glad you’re here! New ultrarunners making the transition from marathons or from sports like triathlon or cycling sometimes struggle to establish reasonable objectives for their first ultramarathon season. What are …
Two-hundred-mile ultramarathons are growing in popularity, even if the absolute number of competitors is still relatively low. I finished second to Sally McCrae in the 2023 Moab 240, one of 112 total finishers and was the 10th Female Finisher in the 2024 Cocodona 250. If you’re considering stepping up to the 200-mile distance, this is …
By Andy Jones-Wilkins CTS Ultrarunning Coach In a sport where the ultimate goal is to get from the start line to the finish line as quickly as possible, it might seem counter-intuitive to suggest that patience is one of the key skills athletes need to master. However, after two decades in the sport, I …
By Darcie Murphy, CTS Pro Coach I have never been more excited to be a professional coach, and that’s because there’s never been a better time to be a coached athlete. I recently spent a long weekend at the CTS Coach Summit in Bentonville, Arkansas, which was a combination of classroom seminars, in-depth discussions …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning Author “Training Essentials for Ultrarunning” Western States, Wasatch, and Badwater runners – and any other athlete training for a hot weather race – listen up. Start thinking about your heat training protocols now. Don’t wait for the last four weeks of training. Don’t meticulously plan out …
By John Fitzgerald, CTS Ultrarunning Coach The Tor des Géants is an annual 330-kilometer (205 mile) footrace held in September in Italy’s Aosta Valley. This steep and technical race features more than 24,000 meters (78,000 feet) of elevation gain. In terms of distance, duration, and elevation it’s equivalent to doing two Hardrock 100s or …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning Updated 2024 If you are an ultrarunner and you’re considering two-a-days or double days for your training, you’re going to want to read this first. Training twice in one day can have its place in ultramarathon training, but the practice should be used sparingly and in …
By Darcie Murphy, CTS Ultrarunning Pro Coach Fartlek runs are fun, challenging, and useful for ultramarathon runners. And, of course, ‘fartlek’ is just a fun word to throw into conversation. A Scandinavian term coined in the 1930s by Swedish coach Gosta Holmer, fartlek translates to ‘speed play’ in English. And ‘playing with speed’ is …
Increasing ultramarathon training volume or intensity is often a contributing factor for injuries. Your body has adapted to a certain workload, and increasing that workload is necessary in order to improve fitness. However, if you ramp up training too quickly or too much you are at increased risk of injury. Finding the right balance can …
By CTS Ultrarunning Pro Coach Darcie Murphy with exercises by Sarah Scozzaro, CTS Pro Coach, NSCA-PT, NASM PES Many ultrarunning events and races are held on courses that feature lots of elevation change. However, plenty of runners live where there is little or no access to hilly terrain. Although developing superior aerobic fitness is the …