Structuring VO2 max and threshold phases

In this solo episode of the Everyday Ultra Podcast, I’m pulling back the curtain on my current training as I prepare for both Western States 100 and Badwater 135 in the same year—plus answering some of your biggest ultrarunning questions.

I break down the key lessons I’m learning right now inside this training block, including how to identify your true performance limiter, why speed work still matters for mountainous races, how patience actually drives fitness gains, and the small recovery habits that are making the biggest difference.

Then we dive into a Q&A covering strength training during mileage builds, racing while sick, training timelines for your first 100K, and how to fuel properly in hot and humid ultras.

If you want to train smarter, avoid common mistakes, and understand what really moves the needle in ultrarunning performance—this episode is for you.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• The 5 pillars of ultrarunning performance—and how to identify your true limiter

• Why flat speed work can make you faster on hilly race courses

• The real timeline of fitness adaptation (and why patience is everything)

• How sleep, mobility, and small recovery habits stack into big performance gains

• Whether you should keep strength training while increasing mileage

• What to do if you get sick before a race

• How long it actually takes to prepare for your first 100K

• The best strategy to fuel in heat and humidity

SHOW LINKS:

Register for our race, The Desert Peak Ultra 100K + 50K at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠desertpeakultra.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Want to be coached by me and my team to crush your next ultramarathon in our 1:1 coaching program?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Book a free call here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with one of our coaches to see if we are a good fit!

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