Ever felt like you’re spinning your wheels with training, battling injuries, falling off track, or just not knowing where to turn next? You’re not alone. I’m Kris King, and over the past 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of coaching runners and directing some of the toughest ultra marathons on the planet. Along the way, I’ve learned a few things, mostly the hard way, about what helps runners not just survive, but truly thrive.
Just a warning, the below isn’t about quick fixes or flawless training plans. It’s about real lessons learned the hard way, what actually works, what doesn’t, and how to build something that lasts. Whether you’re chasing a personal best or just hoping to reach the next checkpoint feeling a little stronger than before. You will find this useful.
In my view, ultra running isn’t just about stacking miles. It’s about training with intent, managing stress, and building the kind of resilience that lets you sustain high volumes over time. The truth is, your ability to train well isn’t just about how much time you’ve got, or how fired up you are. It’s about how well you manage everything that affects your body’s capacity to handle the load.
If injuries keep showing up, if you’re feeling flat more often than not, or if your progress has just hit a wall, it’s probably not about effort. It’s about capacity. Something is holding you back from absorbing the demands of your training.
That’s where training capacity comes in. It’s your body’s ability to take on, adapt to, and recover from the work you’re doing. And if you can increase that, everything changes. You can train more consistently, recover more quickly, and show up stronger when it really matters.
“The best runners I know aren’t the ones who push the hardest, they’re the ones who know when to pull back.”