Show Notes
Many athletes worry they'll lose fitness during a taper, but the research says otherwise! In Part 1 of this two-part series, CTS Coaching Director Cliff Pittman breaks down what tapering actually does, why the final weeks before your race are about reducing fatigue, not building fitness, and the science behind the taper strategies that consistently produce the best results. HOST Cliff Pittman is the Coaching Development Director at CTS, leading the Ultrarunning and Cycling Coaching staff wi...
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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...
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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...