CTS Ultrarunning Podcast

There are two fears Cliff Pittman sees repeatedly: athletes hold onto speed work because they don't feel fit without it, or they avoid increasing volume because they're afraid more running will eventually break them down.

In this episode, Cliff explains why both miss the point. He breaks down what aerobic volume actually changes physiologically, why those adaptations take time, how intensity should shift as race day approaches, and how training architecture allows athletes to increase volume without simply piling on fatigue.

HOST

Cliff Pittman is the Coaching Development...

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, leading the Ultrarunning and Cycling Coaching staff with a specialty in guiding at...

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 elevation, this video will help you focus on the strategies that matter and...

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 competitors at races like Western States 100, Leadville 100, and the Triple Crown of 200s. A competitive...

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 Coaching staff with a specialty in guiding athletes from first-time...

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 Western States 100, Leadville 100, and the Triple Crown of 200...

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 with a specialty in guiding athletes from first-time ultrarunners to elite competitors at...

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 Coaching Development Director at CTS, leading the Ultrarunning and Cycling Coaching staff with a specialty in guiding...

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 first-time ultrarunners to elite competitors at races like Western States 100, Leadville 100, and the Triple Crown of 200s...

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 interventions provide meaningful benefits, and which ones are mostly marketing. The takeaway is simple: major in the basics and minor in the marginal gains.

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, durability, heat adaptation, fueling, terrain preparation, and night running.

Whether you're racing for the podium or chasing a silver buckle, the framework is the same.<...

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 takeaways athletes can apply immediately to improve performance and recovery.

The message from nearly 200 studies is surprisingly simple: get the fundamentals right before chasing advanced nutrition strategies.

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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.

Fitness remains the primary adaptation. Heat training should support it, not replace it.

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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 Coaching Development Director at CTS, leading the Ultrarunning and Cycling Coaching staff with a specialty in guid...

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 at CTS, leading the Ultrarunning and Cycling Coaching staff with a specialty in guid...

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 Triple Crown of 200s. A competitive trail and ultra athlete himself, Cliff brings firsthand experience and a rare ability...

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 many zones you use, it’s about how you distribute your effort.

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/ultrarunning-training-assessment-welcome/

HOST

Cliff Pittman is the Coaching Deve...

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 short, they add fatigue, increase injury risk, and take time away from what matters most.

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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 over.

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

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