CTS Ultrarunning Podcast

Epizode

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  Carbs, Fluid & Sodium: Building Your Ultrarunning Fueling Plan 19.08.2026 17min

  Elite athletes don't just pick a carbohydrate target and hope for the best. Their fueling strategies are built, tested, practiced, and adjusted around three key levers: carbohydrates, fluid, and sodium. Precision Fuel & Hydration Sports Scientist Emily Arrell joins Cliff Pittman to explain how those plans come together—from sweat testing and gut training to making real-time decisions when things go wrong on race day. HOST Cliff Pittman is the Coaching Development Director at CTS, leadin...
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  Race High When You Live Low 12.08.2026 11min

  Racing at altitude can feel intimidating, especially if you live at sea level. Should you buy an altitude tent? Sleep in a hypoxic chamber? Wear an altitude mask? In this episode, CTS Director of Coaching Cliff Pittman explains what actually improves altitude performance, how to time your arrival before race day, where heat training fits, and why your biggest advantage is still the fitness you build before you travel. Whether you're preparing for Leadville, Pikes Peak, or any race at elevatio...
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  The Gym Should Build What Running Cannot 05.08.2026 20min

  Strength training should support your running, not compete with it. In this episode, Cliff Pittman explains how ultrarunners should approach the weight room, why most strength programs miss the point, and how to build strength that transfers to better performance, greater durability, and fewer injuries. HOST Cliff Pittman is the Coaching Development Director at CTS, leading the Ultrarunning and Cycling Coaching staff with a specialty in guiding athletes from first-time ultrarunners to elite...
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  Why Heart Rate And Pace Fail On Trails 29.07.2026 14min

  Heart rate or pace? For years, runners have debated which is better, but both measure different parts of the same effort. In this episode, CTS Director of Coaching Cliff Pittman explains why RPE is the missing piece, how perceived effort integrates cardiovascular strain, metabolic demand, and mechanical loading, and why learning to trust it can improve both training and race-day pacing. HOST Cliff Pittman is the Coaching Development Director at CTS, leading the Ultrarunning and Cycling Coac...
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  How to Build the Perfect Taper 22.07.2026 6min

  In the last episode, we explained why tapering works. This week, Cliff Pittman shows you how to actually build one. Learn how much to reduce training, what to keep in your program, and why the biggest mistake athletes make isn't in training, it's reacting to the taper itself. HOST Cliff Pittman is the Coaching Development Director at CTS, leading the Ultrarunning and Cycling Coaching staff with a specialty in guiding athletes from first-time ultrarunners to elite competitors at races like W...
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  How Science-Based Tapering Unlocks Race-Day Performance 15.07.2026 10min

  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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  Elite Coaching Without The Secret Sauce 08.07.2026 8min

  CTS athletes captured nine Top 10 finishes at the 2026 Western States 100, including a course record and the overall women's victory. In this episode, Cliff Pittman explains what those results actually say about coaching. We discuss the three pillars that guide every CTS coach: personal connection, evidence-based training, and thoughtful use of data, and why those same principles apply whether you're training for your first ultramarathon or competing for a podium. HOST Cliff Pittman is the Co...
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  The Minimum Maximum Training Plan For Your First 100-Miler 01.07.2026 7min

  How much training does it really take to finish a 100-mile ultramarathon? In this episode, Cliff Pittman breaks down Jason Koop's Minimum-Maximum framework, explains why hours matter more than mileage, and shares a practical approach that helps everyday athletes prepare for their first ultra without living like a professional runner. HOST Cliff Pittman is the Coaching Development Director at CTS, leading the Ultrarunning and Cycling Coaching staff with a specialty in guiding athletes from fir...
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  Most Recovery Methods Are a Waste of Money 24.06.2026 18min

  The recovery industry has convinced athletes that better recovery requires more products, more technology, and more spending. But the evidence tells a different story. In this episode, CTS Coaching Director Cliff Pittman ranks the most popular recovery methods from S-Tier to D-Tier and explains what the research actually says about sleep, nutrition, hydration, active recovery, ice baths, massage, compression, cryotherapy, supplements, and more. We discuss where recovery truly happens, which i...
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  How Elite Western States Ultrarunners Train Without Gimmicks 17.06.2026 8min

  When people look at elite Western States athletes, they often assume they're doing something fundamentally different. The reality is much simpler. In this episode, CTS Coaching Director Cliff Pittman breaks down the universal training principles that guide every successful Western States build and explains why elite athletes aren't following different rules, they're simply applying the same rules at a different scale. We discuss specificity, progressive overload, periodization, individuality,...
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  Most Ultrarunners Aren't Eating Enough 10.06.2026 10min

  The biggest nutritional challenge facing ultrarunners is not carbohydrates, supplements, hydration, or meal timing. It's eating enough. In this episode, CTS Coaching Director Cliff Pittman breaks down the International Society of Sports Nutrition's position on ultrarunning nutrition, one of the largest reviews of ultrarunning nutrition ever published. We discuss caloric intake, carbohydrate recommendations, ketogenic diets, train-low strategies, gut training, hydration, and the practical take...
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  The Smarter Way to Heat Train for Western States 03.06.2026 10min

  Heat acclimation can be a powerful tool for ultrarunners, but more isn't always better. In this episode, CTS Coach Cliff Pittman breaks down what the research actually says about heat adaptation and why many athletes are accumulating unnecessary fatigue in pursuit of marginal gains. We cover plasma volume expansion, passive heat exposure, sauna protocols, hot water immersion, taper timing, and the minimum effective dose needed to arrive at race day prepared without compromising fitness. Fitne...
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  What Marathoners Get Wrong About Ultramarathons 27.05.2026 12min

  The transition from marathon to ultramarathon is more nuanced than simply running longer. In this episode, CTS Coach Cliff Pittman breaks down the biggest differences between marathon and ultra training, and what athletes actually need to change when making the jump. We cover terrain, pacing, fueling, durability, gear, mental resilience, and the “Minimum Effective Change” model used while helping Olympic medalist Molly Seidel transition into trail ultrarunning. HOST Cliff Pittman is the Coa...
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  How to Know If Your Endurance Is Actually Improving 20.05.2026 7min

  Fitness progress is often hard to recognize and frustrating to “track”. In this episode, CTS Coach Cliff Pittman breaks down the most reliable ways to measure endurance improvement and how those benchmarks change depending on your level of structure and available tools. We cover easy run heart rate trends, Strava segments, interval repeatability, threshold testing, and why patterns over time matter far more than isolated data points. HOST Cliff Pittman is the Coaching Development Director a...
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  Why Easy Running Is the Foundation of Endurance Performance 13.05.2026 11min

  Easy running is often misunderstood, underappreciated, or done too hard. In this episode, CTS Coach Cliff Pittman breaks down what easy running actually does physiologically and why it forms the foundation of endurance performance. HOST Cliff Pittman is the Coaching Development Director at CTS, leading the Ultrarunning and Cycling Coaching staff with a specialty in guiding athletes from first-time ultrarunners to elite competitors at races like Western States 100, Leadville 100, and the Tri...
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  Three Zones vs Five Zones: What Ultrarunners Actually Need to Know 06.05.2026 10min

  Training zones are often presented as precise and complex, but the underlying physiology is far simpler. In this episode, CTS Coach Cliff Pittman explains the origin of training zones, why three zones reflect the true physiological model, and how five zones are used as a practical tool for structuring training. We also cover how to determine your own zones, why labels differ across platforms, and how to apply this framework to real-world ultrarunning. The takeaway is clear: it’s not about how...
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  DIY Training Camps: The Missing Piece in Your Ultra Prep 29.04.2026 11min

  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...
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  Weighted Vests, Circuits, and the Truth About Muscular Endurance 22.04.2026 10min

  Shortcuts disguised as ways to build muscular endurance, like weighted vest hikes and fatigue circuits, often add stress without meaningful adaptation. In this video, CTS Coach Cliff Pittman breaks down what muscular endurance actually is in ultrarunning and why imitation is not the same as specificity. We cover what the research supports and what does not transfer. The takeaway is simple: focus on the work that actually drives adaptation, because these so-called shortcuts do not just fall sh...
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  How to Build Durability That Lasts 100 Miles (#5) 15.04.2026 9min

  For decades, endurance performance has been defined by VO₂max, lactate threshold, and efficiency, but there’s a fourth variable that often gets overlooked called durability. This episode breaks down what durability actually is, why athletes with similar fitness can perform very differently late in races, and how to measure it through real-world data like heart rate drift. We also cover how to build durability through training, so you can maintain your performance when fatigue starts to take o...
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  The #1 Reason Ultrarunners DNF...And How to Avoid It (#4) 08.04.2026 7min

  Most ultrarunners spend months building fitness, logging miles, and dialing in pacing, but never train the one system that causes more DNFs than anything else. In this episode, Coach Cliff Pittman breaks down the science behind GI distress in ultramarathons, explains why so many athletes accidentally cause their own stomach problems, and walks through exactly how to train your gut so it holds up when it matters most. Free Ultrarunning Training Assessment: https://trainright.com/ultrarunning...