Peak form is not simply about being as fit as possible. It is the point where high fitness meets low fatigue, allowing an athlete to fully express the adaptations built over weeks and months of training.

Hard training develops aerobic fitness, strength, durability, climbing and descending ability, but it also creates fatigue. This means runners can sometimes be getting fitter while temporarily feeling slower or heavier. Tapering works by reducing that fatigue while preserving the fitness already developed.

Research supports substantially reducing training volume before an important race while maintaining some intensity. The purpose is not to create new fitness at the last minute, but to reveal the fitness already there.

Peak form should also be viewed as a window rather than a permanent state. Fitness can be maintained for relatively long periods, but the ideal combination of fitness, freshness, race specificity and psychological readiness cannot be held indefinitely.

After an A-race, the goal should therefore not be to stay at your peak, but to repeat the cycle:

RECOVER → REBUILD → DEVELOP → TAPER → PEAK AGAIN.

The key message of the episode is simple:

Training builds the fitness. Tapering reveals it.

1. Wang, Z., Wang, Y., Gao, W., & Zhong, Y. (2023).Effects of tapering on performance in endurance athletes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE, 18(5), e0282838.DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282838

2. Bosquet, L., Montpetit, J., Arvisais, D., & Mujika, I. (2007).Effects of tapering on performance: A meta-analysis. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 39(8), 1358–1365.

3. Mujika, I., & Padilla, S. (2003).Scientific bases for precompetition tapering strategies. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 35(7), 1182–1187.DOI: 10.1249/01.MSS.0000074448.73931.11

4. Calvert, T. W., Banister, E. W., Savage, M. V., & Bach, T. (1976).A systems model of the effects of training on physical performance. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, 6(2), 94–102.DOI: 10.1109/TSMC.1976.5409179

5. Spiering, B. A., Mujika, I., Sharp, M. A., & Foulis, S. A. (2021).Maintaining Physical Performance: The Minimal Dose of Exercise Needed to Preserve Endurance and Strength Over Time. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 35(5), 1449–1458.DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003964

6. Millet, G. Y., Tomazin, K., Verges, S., Vincent, C., Bonnefoy, R., Boisson, R. C., et al. (2011).Neuromuscular Consequences of an Extreme Mountain Ultra-Marathon. PLOS ONE, 6(2), e17059.DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0017059

In Episode 30 of The Trail Running Briefing, we explore why ultrarunners sometimes stop improving even when they are training consistently and working harder.

A plateau doesn’t always mean you need more mileage or more intensity. It can mean your body has adapted to the same training stimulus, accumulated fatigue is hiding your fitness, recovery or fuelling is insufficient, or your training is no longer targeting the qualities that actually limit your performance.

We look at the importance of purposeful progression, keeping easy runs genuinely easy, strength training, durability, recovery weeks, adequate fuelling and race-specific preparation.

The key message is simple: training is not about collecting more kilometres, it is about creating adaptation. Before doing more, understand what needs to change.

Key References:

1. Zanini, M., Folland, J. P., & Blagrove, R. C. (2026).Regular Long Runs and Higher Training Volumes Are Associated with Better Running Economy Durability in Performance-Matched Well-Trained Male Runners.Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 58(1), 162–173.

2. Zanini, M., Folland, J. P., Wu, H., & Blagrove, R. C. (2025).Strength Training Improves Running Economy Durability and Fatigued High-Intensity Performance in Well-Trained Male Runners: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 57(7), 1546–1558.

3. Tiller, N. B., & Millet, G. Y. (2025).Decoding Ultramarathon: Muscle Damage as the Main Impediment to Performance.Sports Medicine, 55(3), 535–543.

4. Llanos-Lagos, C., Ramirez-Campillo, R., Moran, J., & Sáez de Villarreal, E. (2024).Effect of Strength Training Programs in Middle- and Long-Distance Runners' Economy at Different Running Speeds: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis.Sports Medicine, 54(4), 895–932.

5. Sperlich, B. et al. (2023).The Proportional Distribution of Training by Elite Endurance Athletes at Different Intensities During Different Phases of the Season.Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 5, 1258585.

6. Oliveira, P. S. et al. (2024).Comparison of Polarized Versus Other Types of Endurance Training Intensity Distribution on Athletes' Endurance Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

7. Mountjoy, M. et al. (2023).2023 International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Consensus Statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs).British Journal of Sports Medicine, 57, 1073–1097.

8. Meeusen, R., Duclos, M., Foster, C., Fry, A., Gleeson, M., Nieman, D., Raglin, J., Rietjens, G., Steinacker, J., & Urhausen, A. (2013).Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of the Overtraining Syndrome: Joint Consensus Statement of the European College of Sport Science and the American College of Sports Medicine.Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 45(1), 186–205.

Ultra running demands far more than just mileage. Long runs, back-to-backs, strength work, fuelling, recovery, work, family and everyday stress all contribute to the total load an athlete carries.

In this episode, I explore burnout in ultrarunning, how it differs from normal fatigue or overtraining, and why it can gradually turn something we love into something that feels like an obligation.

We look at the key warning signs, physical and emotional exhaustion, declining motivation, reduced sense of achievement and losing enjoyment in the sport, and most importantly, what runners can do to reduce the risk.

The central message is simple: your real training load is training plus everything else happening in your life.

Sustainable ultra running isn’t about doing the maximum training you can survive. It’s about training at a level you can repeatedly absorb while protecting your motivation, health and love for running.

Key references:

1. Raedeke, T. D., & Smith, A. L. (2001). Development and preliminary validation of an Athlete Burnout Measure. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 23(4), 281–306.

2. Gustafsson, H., DeFreese, J. D., & Madigan, D. J. (2017). Athlete burnout: Review and recommendations. Current Opinion in Psychology, 16, 109–113.

3. Lonsdale, C., Hodge, K., & Rose, E. A. (2009). Athlete burnout in elite sport: A self-determination perspective. Journal of Sports Sciences, 27(8), 785–795.

4. Kellmann, M., Bertollo, M., Bosquet, L., et al. (2018). Recovery and Performance in Sport: Consensus Statement. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 13(2), 240–245.

5. Cresswell, S. L., & Eklund, R. C. (2005). Changes in athlete burnout and motivation over a 12-week league tournament. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.