What is a Side Stitch and Why Won’t It Go Away?
If you run, you’ve likely experienced a side stitch. If you haven’t, consider yourself lucky! A side stitch is a cramp-like sensation occurring toward the bottom of the rib cage area and usually on the …
10 Differences Between Road Racing and Ultramarathons
I’m not going to lie – prior to creating the UESCA Ultrarunning Coach Certification with ultrarunning coach, Jason Koop, I must admit, I fell into the group of people that more or less viewed an …
Reverse Periodization
Periodization is a pretty common term and training practice within the realm of endurance sports. When most endurance athletes think of periodization, they think of a pyramid; with the lowest intensity/highest volume at the bottom …
Know Your Worth
This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. Throughout my career as a personal trainer, I would often get asked for free fitness programs, advice, or my ‘opinion’ on a variety …
Cycling Aerodynamics – Surprising Facts
If you’re an avid triathlete or road cyclist, you likely geek out over slippery looking bikes and have an odd knowledge of terms such as ‘coefficient of drag’ and ‘yaw angles.’ However, despite familiarity with …
Overtraining Syndrome
This blog post is largely taken from our certification content and is contributed by UESCA advisor, physiologist and overtraining syndrome expert Alexandra Coates. While everyone has heard of the terms “Overtraining” and “Overtraining Syndrome”, there …
Environmental Physiology and Training Considerations
There are a lot of unique things about endurance sports. However, perhaps one the most unique aspects is the influence of the environment on athletes. As an example, the Bob Cook Memorial Hill Climb (Mt. …
GUIDE: Strength Training for Endurance Athletes
The History Ahh yes, strength training – the nemesis of any endurance athlete… or at least that is what we are often led to believe. For starters, despite being debunked many many years ago, the …
Lactic Acid vs. Lactate: What’s The Difference?
If you’ve been involved with endurance sports for even a short amount of time, you have no doubt heard or read that the ever so fun muscle burn that you experience is caused by a …
The Science of the Warm-Up
Whether it was your 5th grade soccer coach, your college track coach, or your running group buddies; if you’ve been participating in sports of any kind, you’ve likely heard the phrase, “You gotta warm up!” …
7 Steps to Create an Annual Running Training Program
As the 2021 calendar year is winding down, it’s time for most of us to plan our own and our athletes’ training programs for the upcoming year. This post primarily focuses on the coach/athlete relationship …
Minimizing the Chance for GI Distress in Ultramarathons
You’ve probably seen the commercials with someone having a bad case of indigestion and dropping a few white tablets in a glass of water to create a magical, fizzy concoction that is supposed to alleviate …
