Show Notes
Training fresh is the easy part. What happens under fatigue is everything. In this episode, CTS Coach Cliff Pittman explains how DIY training camps can bridge that gap by simulating the physical and psychological demands of late-race conditions. We cover how to structure a 2-3 day training block, when to schedule it, and how to balance stimulus with recovery so you gain meaningful adaptation without unnecessary risk. Free Ultrarunning Training Assessment: https://trainright.com/ultrarunni...
More from CTS Ultrarunning Podcast
Free Ultrarunning Training Assessment For many first-time ultrarunners, the prospect of running through the night is more intimidating than the distance itself. How will you navigate technical terrain with a headlamp? What happens when sleepiness sets in? And do you actually need to train while sleep-deprived to prepare? In this episode, CTS Director of Coaching Cliff Pittman breaks down what changes when the sun goes down during an ultramarathon and how athletes can prepare without unnec...
Free Ultrarunning Training Assessment Every training plan is built on the same physiological principle: stress followed by adequate recovery creates adaptation. Yet understanding how to apply that principle is one of the most challenging parts of endurance coaching. In this episode, CTS Director of Coaching Cliff Pittman explores the science of training adaptation, from Hans Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome to the fitness-fatigue model and the mechanisms behind supercompensation. Cliff...
Free Ultrarunning Training Assessment At what grade should an ultrarunner stop running and start hiking? 10%? 12%? 15%? There isn't a universal answer. CTS Director of Coaching Cliff Pittman examines the physiology behind running versus hiking on steep terrain. He explains how cost of transport changes with grade and speed, why walking becomes more economical under certain conditions, and why running economy is only part of the equation once muscular fatigue accumulates deep into an ultra...
Free Ultrarunning Training Assessment! Endurance athletes have access to more performance information than ever before, but that hasn't necessarily made it easier to separate good science from a convincing sales pitch. In this video, CTS Director of Coaching Cliff Pittman breaks down what evidence-based training actually means and why it isn't as simple as finding a study that supports your argument. Cliff examines how pseudoscience gains credibility, why elite athletes aren't proof that ...
“Never increase your weekly mileage by more than 10%.” It’s one of running’s most repeated rules, but the evidence doesn't support using 10% as a simple weekly-volume ceiling. A randomized trial found no reduction in injuries from a gradual program based on the 10% rule, and newer research following more than 5,000 runners found no relationship between week-to-week percentage changes and injury rates. Cliff Pittman breaks down where the 10% number does show up in the research, why different s...