Dec 2024 / Jan 2025

Why Less Is Sometimes More

Cliff Pittman
Dec 2024

Running is one of the purest expressions of human movement, especially when compared to the wide array of endurance sports. Evolution has fine-tuned our ability to cover great distances, often at remarkable speeds. The old adage, “All you need is a pair of shoes,” holds a kernel of truth, and the legends of our sport embodied that mindset, achieving extraordinary feats with little more than grit, determination and maybe a handheld.

Today, however, it seems that thriving in the sport often requires high-tech shoes, a premium sports watch and a host of other cutting-edge gear. It’s a testament to the growth of both the sport and integration of science. But sometimes we need a reminder to embrace the simplicity and purity of running amidst a landscape crowded with gadgets, metrics and advanced training methods. As both a coach and an athlete, I benefit from these innovations and welcome them, but I still appreciate the inherent simplicity of ultrarunning – all it requires is putting one foot in front of the other, over and over, for a very long time.

Here are a few areas where embracing simplicity could bring clarity as well as a competitive edge.

Tune Into Your Body: The Power of RPE

Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) is your internal gauge of exercise intensity – a valuable, intuitive tool for understanding how hard you're working. The scale was originally developed by Swedish psychologist Gunnar Borg, ranging from 6 to 20, where 6 correlates to a heart rate of 60 beats per minute (bpm) and 20 correlates to 200 bpm. Though initially created for research settings, the Borg scale was later embraced in sports and fitness to help athletes better gauge the intensity of their training.

To make things simpler, a more user-friendly version was developed: the 0-10 RPE scale, which has no direct link to heart rate. Its simplicity and intuitive design made it popular, especially in settings where heart rate monitoring is less practical or where subjective effort is a better guide. Below is the RPE scale our coaching staff uses that corresponds with our workout types and one’s intensity:

 

Some might argue that using RPE to prescribe exercise intensity feels outdated, especially in a world where we now have advanced tools like power meters for cyclists, GPS watches for pace, heart rate monitors and even "running power" meters for runners. These tools can sometimes provide precise, quantifiable data, however, in the unique world of ultrarunning – where you face unpredictable variables like extreme environments, cardiac drift (a gradual increase in heart rate over time), or rugged terrain with steep inclines – these metrics become less reliable.

This doesn’t mean pace and heart rate are irrelevant – I regularly use both when coaching athletes, analyzing training data to draw insights from their sessions – but I rarely prescribe workouts strictly based on these metrics because, in ultrarunning, the variables we encounter often render them less useful. Instead, I encourage athletes to develop an understanding of their effort in real-time and train within ranges that account for these variables. This approach builds flexibility and confidence, which translates into smarter pacing on race day.

Knowing your body and its limits is incredibly empowering. Technology can help you refine your RPE in controlled environments, but the ultimate goal is to run by feel – to understand, at any given moment, whether your effort is sustainable and for how long. If you enjoy tracking data, you can use these metrics to validate your effort, just don’t let them dictate it. RPE is about honing your ability to listen to your body and trust your instincts.

Consistency Over Hero Workouts

It’s easy to get caught up in chasing the perfect workout or the latest training trend. Double threshold sessions are making waves, Zone 2 training has been in the spotlight for a while, and some coaches place undue emphasis on tactics like strides. While these methodologies can have a valid place in a training program, the key isn’t whether they work – it’s how they’re prioritized and implemented.

When I begin working with an athlete, my focus is on finding the lowest hanging fruit for improvement. If the athlete hasn’t yet optimized their training frequency (how often they train) and training volume (the total time spent training), that’s where we start. The most significant gains in fitness come not from complicated periodization or cutting-edge methods, but from simply training consistently. Hero workouts – those big, challenging sessions that deliver a major training stimulus – are effective, and I use them often to apply a strong overload of stress. But they’re not part of the discussion until we’ve mastered the basics: consistent frequency and volume over a long period.

Moreover, intense or complex workouts can actually derail consistency if not implemented correctly. A big workout loses its value if it leads to prolonged recovery times or disrupts an athlete’s ability to train regularly.

Recovery Is A Noun, Not A Verb

In the past, when an athlete said they were "recovering," it meant they were resting—sleeping, eating or perhaps lying down with a book. Recovery was about doing nothing and giving the body the time and space to adapt to previous workloads. Today, however, recovery seems unnecessarily complex. Are we really recovering if we’re not lounging in compression boots after a cold plunge, all while sipping our athletic greens laced with exogenous ketones?

Like training, recovery has its fundamentals and more advanced interventions. The foundational aspects – sleep, nutrition and stress management – are the lowest-hanging fruit. This means consistently getting at least 7+ hours of sleep, eating enough to fuel recovery and managing stress as much as possible.

There’s minimal research supporting the effectiveness of interventions like compression boots (I still utilize my pair because I enjoy them and they help me relax), and recent evidence suggests that prolonged cold plunges may even interfere with the adaptations you're working hard to build (1). While alternative therapies like cupping, acupuncture and cryotherapy can still be enjoyable if they make you feel better, the scientific consensus indicates they don’t meaningfully enhance recovery (2). If these methods cause additional stress due to financial costs or time commitments, your time might be better spent simply resting, reading a book or relaxing with Netflix.

Simplified Nutrition

Just like recovery, nutrition has become a complex space for athletes to navigate. Should you try intermittent fasting? What about low-carb diets? Are exogenous ketones really beneficial? You’ll find true experts, not just social media influencers, on both sides of these debates.

So, where is the lowest hanging fruit? What’s the most sustainable approach that aligns with your goals while also bringing you joy? After all, eating is something we do frequently and for the rest of our lives – enjoyment should be a key factor in your decisions.

While I have strong opinions about the strategies I mentioned, I won’t dive into them here. Instead, I encourage you to master the basics first. Then, explore, tweak, consult with a professional and learn what core principles work best for you.

The basics include eating enough to meet the demands of your training, adequate hydration and incorporating a variety of quality foods to fulfill your macronutrient (carbs, protein and fat) and micronutrient (vitamins and minerals) needs (3). It’s about fueling in a way that not only enhances performance but also balances enjoyment and social engagements.

When it comes to sports nutrition, training your gut is like training any other muscle. You need to expose it to stress – in this case, food and sports nutrition products – during training so that it adapts and becomes stronger. This means eating before and after workouts and fueling during long training sessions to ensure your body can handle the demands on race day (4).

Conclusion: Keep It Simple

Let’s not overcomplicate something as simple as running. There’s certainly value in exploring advanced concepts and interventions, but only after mastering the basics. Jumping straight into advanced methods is like chasing the final 1% of performance gains while neglecting the 99% that offers the most growth.

Be mindful that many advanced concepts are often just marketing gimmicks, supported by cherry-picked science, playing on our fears. The key takeaway here is that you aren’t missing out on any magic pill that will drastically transform your training or performance. The real "magic formula" for success in ultrarunning is straightforward: listen to your body, train consistently, get enough sleep and eat and drink enough. That’s what truly moves the needle. Keep it simple!

References

Hess, H. W., Schlader, Z., Johnson, B. D., Pryor, R. R., & Hostler, D. (2023). Aerobic exercise performance is reduced following prolonged cold-water immersion. Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38055876/

Dupuy, O., Douzi, W., Theurot, D., Bosquet, L., & Dugué, B. (2018). An evidence-based approach for choosing post-exercise recovery techniques to reduce markers of muscle damage, soreness, fatigue, and inflammation: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Frontiers in Physiology. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2018.00403/full

Carlsohn, A., & Mayer, F. (2010). Nutrition for Endurance Athletes. Sports Medicine (35), 173-177. https://www.thieme-connect.de/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-0030-1248416

Tiller, N., Roberts, J. D., Beasley, L., Chapman, S., Pinto, J. M., Smith, L., ... & Bannock, L. (2019). International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Nutritional considerations for single-stage ultra-marathon training and racing. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1186/s12970-019-0312-9

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