CTS Ultrarunning Podcast
Whether you're lining up for your first trail 50K or chasing a buckle at the Western States 100, the CTS Ultrarunning Podcast delivers the science-backed, evidence-based training guidance you need to run farther, recover smarter, and race better.
Hosted by Cliff Pittman, Coaching Development Director at CTS, this podcast brings over 25 years of elite coaching expertise directly to your earbuds. Cliff is a UESCA-certified Ultrarunning Coach and Sports Nutritionist, NASM-certified personal trainer, and an accomplished trail and ultra athlete himself, actively competing in his home state of Arkansas. He has guided athletes through some of the most demanding events in the sport, including the Western States 100, Leadville 100, Cocodona 250, UTMB, the Triple Crown of 200s, and the Sky Running World Championships, and has worked with notable athletes including Olympic marathoner Molly Seidel and elite ultrarunners Zoe Rom and Hannah Allgood.
Cliff's coaching philosophy is simple: training can be complex, but it doesn't have to be overwhelming. Each episode translates cutting-edge sports science and decades of real-world coaching experience into clear, actionable strategies that athletes at every level can understand and apply. From endurance nutrition and fueling to strength training, periodization, and race-day execution, Cliff distills the collective knowledge of the CTS coaching group to help you improve your performance.
CTS was founded by legendary coach Chris Carmichael and has spent more than 25 years developing champions across endurance sports. The CTS coaching methodology is rooted in individualized, science-driven training: the same approach that has taken athletes to podiums around the world now comes to the trail and ultrarunning community through this podcast.
Tune in for no-hype conversations grounded in research and experience.
Episodes
16 episodes
The Minimum Maximum Training Plan For Your First 100-Miler
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...
Most Recovery Methods Are a Waste of Money
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 po...
How Elite Western States Ultrarunners Train Without Gimmicks
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 pri...
Most Ultrarunners Aren't Eating Enough
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 N...
The Smarter Way to Heat Train for Western States
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 unnecessar...
What Marathoners Get Wrong About Ultramarathons
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 chang...
How to Know If Your Endurance Is Actually Improving
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 stru...
Why Easy Running Is the Foundation of Endurance Performance
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.
Three Zones vs Five Zones: What Ultrarunners Actually Need to Know
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 h...
DIY Training Camps: The Missing Piece in Your Ultra Prep
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...
Weighted Vests, Circuits, and the Truth About Muscular Endurance
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 ul...
How to Build Durability That Lasts 100 Miles (#5)
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 wit...
The #1 Reason Ultrarunners DNF...And How to Avoid It (#4)
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 u...
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, a...
How Long Should Your Longest Run be Before an Ultra? (Ep #2)
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 ...
The Training Mistake Most Ultrarunners are Making (Ep #1)
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 ceil...