BOSS, the ultimate cross-training, an evolving view

When I wrote my first reflection after completing a Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) 7-Day Field Expedition 10 years ago, I titled it, “BOSS, the ultimate cross-training.” It was running-centric, i.e., BOSS was the ultimate cross-training *for* running.

Being out there in southern Utah really puts everything in proper perspective.

Over the following couple years, I wrote three more posts in that “BOSS, the ultimate cross-training” series. So, four total: “part 1,” “part 2 (physical),” “part 3 (mental),” and “part 4 (spiritual).” Shortly afterward, BOSS became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and I added another post related to that change, “a community.” Around that time, I was also getting ready to take another BOSS course. But, then came the global pandemic.

It wasn’t until 2023 that I was able to take my second BOSS course, a 14-Day Field Expedition. After completing that course, I began another BOSS series, titled, “BOSS, what else the world could be like.” The first post of that series is “part 1 (heart circles).” The second one, “part 2 (climate connection),” is in work. A major lesson learned from that 14-Day course can be summarized by what I wrote in the “part 1 (heart circle)” post: “Never again would I look at a hiker with a backpack and think, meh, that is just walking!” My view on the relationship between running and hiking (with a weighted pack) evolved from running-centric to one of mutual benefit and respect.

Recently, I added two more posts to the “BOSS, the ultimate cross-training” series: “a revelation” and “seriously.” I wrote the former before, and the latter after, this year’s 28-Day Field Expedition course from which I had to leave early due to some upper leg muscle issues. (This was my fourth BOSS course. The third one, in 2024, was more skill-focused and less physically demanding.) From this recent experience, my view on the relationship between running and hiking is that it’s complicated. And, it’s more intimate than I’d thought. My view has further evolved. I now think, at least for me, that running a marathon is easier than hiking extended distances with a loaded pack.

I’m planning more posts for both “BOSS, the ultimate cross-training” and “BOSS, what else the world could be like” series. For ease of access, I’ve collected all my BOSS-related posts here, in an ongoing table of contents.

Ultimate cross-training

BOSS, the ultimate cross-training, part 1

BOSS, the ultimate cross-training, part 2 (physical)

BOSS, the ultimate cross-training, part 3 (mental)

BOSS, the ultimate cross-training, part 4 (spiritual)

BOSS, the ultimate cross-training, a community

BOSS, the ultimate cross-training, a revelation

BOSS, the ultimate cross-training, seriously

BOSS, the ultimate cross-training, an evolving view [this current post]

What else the world could be like

BOSS, what else the world could be like, part 1 (heart circles)

BOSS, what else the world could be like, part 2 (climate connection) [in work]