CTS Ultrarunning Podcast

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, supplement...

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 spec...

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...

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 ar...

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 S...

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...

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...

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-...

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 Ultrarunn...

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 adap...

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...

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 Ultrarunni...

Most ultrarunners train almost entirely at easy intensity — and eventually stop improving because of it. In this episode, Coach Cliff Pittman breaks down the 12 running workouts he uses with his athletes to develop VO2 max, lactate threshold, and aerobic durability, and explains exactly what each one does so you can train with purpose and build the fitness that holds up late in a race.

CTS Article: https://trainright.com/12-ru...

Most ultrarunners obsess over how long their longest run should be, but it might be the wrong question entirely. Coach Cliff Pittman breaks down how CTS Coaches actually determine long run length, and why one big run matters far less than most runners think.

Free Ultrarunning Training Assessment: https://trainright.com/ultrarunning-training-assessment-welcome/

HOST
Cliff Pittman is the Coaching Development Director at CTS,...

Zone 2 training is the foundation of ultramarathon performance, but if it's all you're doing, it's also why you've stopped improving. Coach Cliff Pittman breaks down exactly how CTS Coaches strategically add intensity to raise your aerobic ceiling and make your easy running faster.

Free Ultrarunning Training Assessment: https://trainright.com/ultrarunning-training-assessment-welcome/

HOST
Cliff Pittman is the Coaching Development ...