The sub-12 project

No, that’s not a typo. I do mean “sub-12,” not “sub-2.” Sub-2, of course, is far better known, especially from Nike’s Breaking2 project in 2017 and other parallel projects (see Beyond the limits).

But, I am talking about sub-12, i.e., sub-12 minutes for 1.5 miles. The Cooper test is a physical fitness test that measures a person's cardiovascular endurance and can be correlated with VO₂ max (maximum rate of oxygen consumption attainable during physical exertion). The test is performed by running as far as possible in 12 minutes. Practically, though, an alternative, easier-to-administer version of the Cooper test is more often used: fix the distance, e.g., 1.5 miles, and measure the time. So, instead of 12 minutes, how far; it’s 1.5 miles, how long. The latter version of the Cooper test is an application requirement of Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) courses.

The following chart shows my Cooper test results (time in brackets, pace in parentheses) for the BOSS courses I’ve taken so far and the one coming up in August (28-Day Field Expedition, FE). My first course (7-Day FE) was in 2015. I was still working back then. COVID arrived in 2020. So, it wasn’t until 2023 that I was able to take my second course. In those eight years, I slowed down quite a bit (~15 sec/yr). Since 2023, though, the slowing down has been 5-7 sec/yr. I’m not sure why the difference. But, more interesting is the question: Is it aging or is it training?

Here’s a table of Cooper test standards for different age groups.

For my age group (55+, though I’m quite a number of years above that!), “excellent” is > 2,400 m in 12 minutes (3.33 m/sec or ~8 min/mi). 1.5 miles is ~2,414 m. So, if I could run 1.5 miles in 12 minutes or less, I’d be in the “excellent” group. My most recent time of 13:55 for 1.5 miles is ~2.89 m/sec), which is at the lower end of “above average.”

So, the question is: Could I still run 3.33 m/sec? It seems like I should be able to. 😁 My COROS 2 GPS watch prediction for 5K is 8:09 min/mi. In all these years of training for races, I’ve been training mostly for marathons and not for shorter races. So, if I do train for shorter races, could I run faster?

Thus, the sub-12 project! My 12-week training for the BOSS 28-Day FE starts in early May. Working with a hiking coach, I’ve already been base training since last November. Focus is on elevation and hiking with a pack of increasing weight. Training will still include running. But, instead of my usual between-race running schedule, I’ll take a 10-week 5K plan that I have and incorporate parts of it into the 12-week BOSS training, and add a couple of progress-check 5K races.

Will my sub-12 effort contribute to a successful completion of the 28-Day FE, a kind of reverse of BOSS, the ultimate cross-training? And, will it still be a matter of training and not of aging? TBD!

BOSS, the ultimate cross-training, second thoughts

 In my post-BOSS 28-Day course reflections last year, I wrote that, though I was second-guessing my decision to leave the course early (due to some leg muscle issues), I felt pretty comfortable that mine was not a case of Tim Noakes’ second- and lower-placed finishers accepting “their respective finishing positions and no longer choose to challenge for a higher finish."

But, I think, deep down, there was always a vague sense of unease that I’d accepted not finishing, that I didn’t choose to challenge myself to finish. This sense of unease has only become clearer over time.

Shortly after I returned home from Boulder, I called up my friend and fellow multi-course BOSS student, Kris, to talk things out and to get her perspective. During our conversation, I mentioned that I’d found a really good online hiking coach and that I’ll be working with him in preparing for my next try for the 28-Day course (coming up in August!). Because, as I’d previously found out--the hard way (!)--training for running and training for hiking are very different.

I also mentioned Jasmin Paris' incredible finish at the 2024 Barkley Marathons (~100M) and that I was nowhere close to what she must have felt, collapsing at the finish line, when I left the 28-Day course. Check out her facial expression in the photo at the finish--that's "leaving everything on the course"! (For more info, see 1, 2.) Even in Pocono 2016, where I “ran without regret” and qualified for Boston for the first time, I definitely didn’t cross the finish line with that expression—not even close. 🤣

From The Guardian, Hallucinations and no sleep: Jasmin Paris on her historic ultramarathon, 3/25/24; cropped from photograph by Jacob Zocherman.

I've watched the full documentary, The Finisher, many times already. Inspirational every time. I expect I’ll watch it a few more times before heading out to Boulder again in August. Wherever I finish the course this time—hopefully back at BOSS after 28 days (!)--I want to leave everything out there and not bring any second thoughts home.