For The Long Run: Exploring the Why Behind Running The 90% Rule for Sustainable Running Success: Use this Performance Formula
Mar 13, 2026
Cliff Pittman, Coaching Development Director at CTS and seasoned ultrarunning coach, shares his focus on training fundamentals and stress-recovery balance. He discusses minimum effective dose, using subjective feedback with data, race-specific preparation like downhill and heat work, and managing life stress for sustainable, repeatable progress.
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Tell Your Coach How You Really Feel
- Communicate and collaborate with your coach; provide subjective feedback alongside device data.
- Cliff requires athletes to report how they feel because data is only ~50% of the story for individualized decisions.
Quantify Load To Guide Periodization
- Use TrainingPeaks or similar to quantify acute and chronic load for informed periodization decisions.
- Cliff leverages device uploads plus workload calculations to balance stress/rest ratios across training blocks.
Use Minimum Effective Change When Switching Disciplines
- Change the fewest training variables necessary when switching disciplines.
- Cliff used a minimum effective change model with Molly, keeping lactate-threshold work while avoiding unnecessary big-volume shifts when moving from marathon to ultras.