CTS Ultrarunning Podcast

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 avoid wasting time and money on the ones that don't.

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 to turn complex training science into simple, actionable coaching.

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

Interested in working with a coach? Schedule a free consult: https://trainright.com/coaching/ultrarunning/

Self-coached athlete? Check out our TrainRight Membership: https://trainright.com/membership/

Find more free resources here: https://trainright.com/blog/

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 trail and ultra athlete himself, Cliff brings firsthand experience and a rare ability to turn complex training science into simple, actionable coaching.

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

Interested in working with a coach? Schedule a free consult: https://trainright.com/coaching/ultrarunning/

Self-coached athlete? Check out our TrainRight Membership: https://trainright.com/membership/

Find more free resources here: https://trainright.com/blog/

Resources:

• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4532714/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33629972/
• https://www.nasm.org/certified-personal-trainer/the-opt-model

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 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 to turn complex training science into simple, actionable coaching.

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

Interested in working with a coach? Schedule a free consult: https://trainright.com/coaching/ultrarunning/

Self-coached athlete? Check out our TrainRight Membership: https://trainright.com/membership/

Find more free resources here: https://trainright.com/blog/

Resources:

• https://drive.google.com/file/d/10eFC_tdi8c_V6_S-m28YLCfp_qmWzZ3r/view
• https://borgperception.se/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/The-Borg-CR-Scales-Folder.pdf

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 200s. A competitive trail and ultra athlete himself, Cliff brings firsthand experience and a rare ability to turn complex training science into simple, actionable coaching.

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

Interested in working with a coach? Schedule a free consult: https://trainright.com/coaching/ultrarunning/

Self-coached athlete? Check out our TrainRight Membership: https://trainright.com/membership/

Find more free resources here: https://trainright.com/blog/

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 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 to turn complex training science into simple, actionable coaching.

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

Interested in working with a coach? Schedule a free consult: https://trainright.com/coaching/ultrarunning/

Self-coached athlete? Check out our TrainRight Membership: https://trainright.com/membership/

Find more free resources here: https://trainright.com/blog/

Resources:

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12840640/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3156841/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1559951/

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 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 to turn complex training science into simple, actionable coaching.

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

Interested in working with a coach? Schedule a free consult: https://trainright.com/coaching/ultrarunning/

Self-coached athlete? Check out our TrainRight Membership: https://trainright.com/membership/

Find more free resources here: https://trainright.com/blog/

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. A competitive trail and ultra athlete himself, Cliff brings firsthand experience and a rare ability to turn complex training science into simple, actionable coaching.

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

Interested in working with a coach? Schedule a free consult: https://trainright.com/coaching/ultrarunning/

Self-coached athlete? Check out our TrainRight Membership: https://trainright.com/membership/

Find more free resources here: https://trainright.com/blog/

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.

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 to turn complex training science into simple, actionable coaching.

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

Interested in working with a coach? Schedule a free consult: https://trainright.com/coaching/ultrarunning/

Self-coached athlete? Check out our TrainRight Membership: https://trainright.com/membership/

Find more free resources here: https://trainright.com/blog/

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.

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 to turn complex training science into simple, actionable coaching.

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

Interested in working with a coach? Schedule a free consult: https://trainright.com/coaching/ultrarunning/

Self-coached athlete? Check out our TrainRight Membership: https://trainright.com/membership/

Find more free resources here: https://trainright.com/blog/

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.

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 to turn complex training science into simple, actionable coaching.

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

Interested in working with a coach? Schedule a free consult: https://trainright.com/coaching/ultrarunning/

Self-coached athlete? Check out our TrainRight Membership: https://trainright.com/membership/

Find more free resources here: https://trainright.com/blog/