In order to succeed in ultrarunning, you need to follow its own set of guidelines, as the distances involved may take your body and mind to new and exciting places. This week’s episode features Jason Koop, one of the best ultrarunning trainers around.
By the standards of “normal” runners, the distances ultrarunners push themselves to complete may appear absurd. However, there has been a recent surge in the popularity of ultramarathons, and an increasing number of runners are taking on distances of 50 kilometers (km), 50 miles (miles), and even 100 kilometers (km) and beyond.
Many ultra distance events take place on trails with varied terrain and significant elevation gains/losses, necessitating a strategy beyond merely extending one’s marathon training. Specificity of the course becomes crucial, as does the ability to deal with difficulties like muscular discomfort and gastrointestinal upset.
Newcomers to ultrarunning should be aware that getting ready for a race calls for a novel strategy, a flexible mindset, and a healthy dose of humor.
This week’s episode features ultrarunning instructor and author of one of the best guides to ultra training, Jason Koop. To name a few of the most challenging ultramarathons Jason has completed:
- The Badwater 135
- Rock of Ages
- The One Hundred Mile Leadville Trail
- The Western States Competiton
- Being prepared for the Cocodona 250
Jason has been a coach for almost 20 years and the head coach of Carmichael Training Systems Ultrarunning, where he has overseen a staff of more than 100 coaches.
