Jason Koop is a veteran endurance coach and athlete. Over the past decade, he has made a name for himself as one of the preeminent ultrarunning coaches globally. Koop coaches many of the leading athletes in the sport. Training Essentials for Ultrarunning is Koop’s offering to those beginning in the sport and those who’ve completed countless ultras — the distillation of his philosophy and approach to ultrarunning training and race preparation.Unlike most volumes about ultrarunning, Essentials is not based on Koop’s personal experience as an athlete, or even the collective experience of his athletes. Rather, Essentials is the product of Koop’s systemic review of scientific literature and research on training, race strategy and the biomechanical and physiological impact of ultra-endurance sport. In this way, the book is the first of its kind.
Essentials is easy to read despite its foundation in scientific research and complex physiological processes. Readers are able to access the wealth of knowledge and apply it to their own training and racing. The layout follows from a base understanding of the biomechanics, energy systems and particular requirements of ultrarunning with a much needed, and clear, emphasis that ultramarathons are not simply longer marathons. From this foundational understanding, Koop goes through each step in his approach to training and preparing for an ultramarathon. Each chapter includes sidebars from athletes Koop coaches, providing entertaining and lived examples of the concepts shared.
