These 12 Workouts Build Ultramarathon Fitness (#3)

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-running-workouts-for-ultramarathon-success/

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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.

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Transcript

Why Easy-Only Training Plateaus

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Most ultrarunners do almost all of their training at easy intensity, zone two, and that's important. But if you only train easy, you eventually plateau. Because improving endurance performance requires developing multiple physiological systems. And the workouts that develop those systems are actually very predictable. When I design interval workouts for ultra marathon athlete, I technically have thousands of combinations available. I can manipulate interval duration, recovery periods, terrain, total volume, and intensity. But in practice, I use only a handful of repeatable structures. In this video, I'm going to walk you through the 12 running workouts I used most often when coaching ultra marathon athletes. And more importantly, I'll explain what each one actually develops. I'm Cliff Pittman, Pro Ultra Running Coach, and Director of Coaching at CTS. I coach athletes from first-time ultrarunners to professional athletes competing at the highest level of the sport. And today we're going to break down 12 running workouts that form the backbone of effective ultra-marathon

The Simple Logic Behind Intervals

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training. Before we talk about the workouts, we need to understand one key principle. Interval workouts do not need to be complicated to be effective. In fact, simplicity is one of the biggest advantages in endurance training. Because the structure of the workout largely demands the intensity. Any effort level can only be sustained for a limited amount of time. Very hard efforts can only last minutes, threshold efforts can last forty to ninety minutes, and steady aerobic efforts can last for hours. So when a coach chooses the duration of an interval, they're not choosing it randomly. They're choosing it because that duration naturally produces a specific physiological intensity. And that intensity then drives a specific adaptation. Once you understand this, training becomes much simpler. And most of the workouts you'll ever need fall into three categories VO2 max intervals, tempo intervals, and steady state aerobic work. Let's walk through them.

VO2 Max Intervals That Work

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First, VO2 max intervals. If there's one workout ultra runners tend to avoid, it's this one. These efforts are uncomfortable. They're short, very intense, and they hurt. But they're also extremely valuable. VO2 intervals improve stroke volume, maximum cardiac output, and ultimately your VO2 max. They also increase plasma volume, which helps you tolerate heat and improve muscle capillarization, while enhancing oxygen delivery to working muscles. These efforts are performed at roughly VO2 max intensity. In practice, that means an RPE of 9 to 10 on a scale of 10. Research from Ballat showed that the key driver of adaptation in accumulating more than 10 minutes near 90% of VO2 max oxygen consumption. And the most reliable way to achieve that is with intervals lasting two to four minutes. So here are four versions of that workout. First, four repeats of three minutes hard with three minutes recovery. Five repeats of three minutes hard with equal recovery. Six repeats of two minutes hard with two minutes recovery. Or three repeats of four minutes hard with four minutes recovery. If possible, these workouts are best done uphill. The incline increases the workload and helps athletes reach high oxygen consumption more consistently. Downhill intervals on the other hand rarely achieve the same physiological demand and come at a very high risk for injury.

Tempo Intervals For Lactate Threshold

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Next are tempo intervals. Tempo work targets your lactate threshold. This is the intensity you could sustain for roughly 40 to 90 minutes in an all-out effort. These workouts drive several important adaptations. They increase mitochondrial density, they improve your ability to process and utilize lactate, and they enhance your ability to produce energy efficiently. The intensity should feel strong but controlled. RPE eight to nine. The key variable is time at intensity, and for most runners, that means accumulating forty to ninety minutes of tempo work. So here are four examples. Four intervals of ten minutes with five minutes recovery, three intervals of fifteen minutes with seven minutes of recovery, two intervals of twenty minutes with ten minutes recovery in between. Or a continuous forty five to sixty minute tempo effort. One mistake I see from athletes is running tempo too hard. Threshold training should feel demanding, but also sustainable. If it feels like a race effort, you're probably running too fast.

Steady State For Aerobic Durability

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The third category is steady state running. This intensity sits just below lactate threshold, but above your typical easy endurance pace. Think of it as a strong aerobic effort, RPE of seven to eight. Steady state work is extremely valuable for ultramarathon athletes because it develops aerobic durability, the ability to maintain a strong pace for long periods of time. These workouts often occur naturally during long climbs or sustained rolling terrain. Individual intervals typically range from twenty to sixty minutes in length, and total time of intensity can range from twenty minutes to two hours. Here are four common examples. Two intervals of thirty minutes with five minutes recovery, three intervals of twenty minutes with five minutes recovery, a continuous sixty minute steady state effort, or a long progression of ninety to one hundred and twenty minutes gradually building towards steady state intensity. These sessions are particularly useful during the later phases of ultramarathon preparation because they train athletes to sustain a demanding aerobic effort deep into long runs.

Recovery Rules And Key Takeaways

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A quick note about recovery periods. Athletes often overthink this. The rule is very simple. Hard efforts should be hard. Recovery periods should be easy. That might mean very light jogging or even walking. If you run the recovery too hard, you limit your ability to reach the correct intensity during the next interval. And that reduces the quality of the entire work. Now let's zoom out to the 30,000 foot view. These 12 workouts develop three key systems VO2 max capacity, lactate threshold, and high-end aerobic durability. When those systems are developed together, they create a powerful endurance engine. And that engine is what allows ultrarunners to maintain strong pacing late in a race. The important takeaway here is that effective training doesn't require endless complexity. There are thousands of possible workouts, but a small number of simple, repeatable structures drive most of the adaptations that matter. Master the basics, execute them consistently, and you'll build the fitness required for ultramarathon success. If you found this helpful, subscribe to the CTS channel for more evidence based coaching advice. And if you're interested in learning more about how we structure training for ultramarathon athletes, I'll link additional resources in the description below.