BOSS, the ultimate cross-training, trust the training

Yesterday, I did the last workout of my 12-week hiking training program, a one-mile walk on an inclined treadmill (10% at 2.5 mph). Over the course of this program, I did countless (it seemed!) elevation workouts with a backpack, i.e., inclined treadmill, stair stepper, step-ups, and stairs; and hikes totaling almost 90 miles, with backpack weights up to 35 lbs. Total elevation gained was over 60,000 ft. I also did some limited running (10-15 miles per week) in support.

(Just an aside and apropos nothing much: I watched/listened to the Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor (performed by Hilary Hahn) for the first 36+ minutes of every inclined treadmill workout. Because it’s one of my favorite concertos; and because the third movement's beat is exactly the same as my pace at 2.5 mph.)

One of the best actions I took last year, after I had to leave the Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) 28-Day course early, was to engage a hiking coach. I’d already decided to take this course again this year, and I wanted to be as best prepared as I possibly could. I’ve been really fortunate to have found a terrific coach (Marcus Shapiro) with whom I’ve learned so much about hiking and how to train for it—not the same as for running (!)--and with whom I’ve been training for the past 10 months (base training before the 12-week program and parallel training for two marathons last October and this April).

So, I do feel good and positive going into the 28-Day course this year. Still, there is some anxiety, with doubts surfacing now and then. To allay these doubts, I have to remind myself to trust the training (and the coach!)—and, that I've done my homework.

When the course starts this weekend, I’ll have achieved my first milestone--getting there healthy. Well, not quite 100% healthy. About halfway through the 12-week program, while bouldering, I injured my left shoulder. A fairly minor injury but one that has been stubbornly slow to recover completely. In hindsight, of course, I should have prioritized the BOSS training and stayed off the wall. Anyway, I modified the training somewhat over the last few weeks by decreasing the intensity (backpack weight). Physical therapy also was quite helpful.

There are two other milestones. One is to complete day 1 of the first 7-day expedition in good enough condition to go on to day 2. It was at this point last year when I had to leave the course early. The other is to complete this first 7-day expedition, which would be about midway through the course. If I do that, I feel pretty confident that I can finish the rest of the course.

Will I reach these milestones? I’ll find out! BOSS courses are minimal (“Know more, carry less”), with no modern equipment of any kind (except for cameras), trying to replicate as much as possible the way of life of the Ancestral Puebloans who had lived in the Four Corners region. No headphones either (though I never run with one). But, in my head will be that Sibelius concerto beat to keep me going.

And, when doubts arise, I’ll make sure to remind myself to trust the training--and to enjoy and have fun!

30-40 miles, another update

30-40, 35-40, somewhere between 30 and 40 miles for a 7-day moving average is, for me, the threshold beyond which running becomes, once again, familiar and easy. All the body parts seem to become readjusted to each other and to smoothly fit together. There are two data points so far, one from a layoff due to an injury shortly before a marathon in 2018 and the other from the two-year hiatus in racing due to COVID-19 (2020-21).

Now, there is a third data point, though not, so far, of the change in body response to running after exceeding 30-40 miles per week, but of the body response to very little running. Currently, I’m in the last week of a 12-week Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS)-specific hiking training program for the upcoming 28-Day course. During these weeks, I’ve also been running, but in support of the BOSS training. Running volume has been much lower, around 10-15 miles a week, compared with my usual marathon training volume of 40-60 miles a week.

At 10-15 miles a week, a 4-6-mile easy run no longer feels entirely “easy.” It doesn't feel exactly hard, but it's definitely not effortless. This is despite the fact that, physically, I’m probably as fit as when I’m in marathon training. Here’s a summary of my 12-week BOSS training:

There are two main groups of workouts: (1) Elevation workouts (inclined treadmill, stair stepper, step-ups, and stairs) and (2) road and trail hikes totaling almost 90 miles. All workouts were done with a backpack (modern and blanket) of increasing weights, with total elevation gain of more than 60,000 ft.

But, after three months of basically no real running, the specific parts of the body used for running have basically been out on vacation. That is because the use of muscles etc. is different between running and hiking. The human body is fascinatingly smart! So quickly does it adapt to training for specific needs.

As a result, after this BOSS course, it’ll take a while to get back above that threshold of familiarity and ease and back to running shape, before I can target the next marathon. But, on the positive side, this is yet another indication that, yes, it’s still mostly a matter of training!

BOSS, the ultimate cross-training, second thoughts – an update

I wrote in a previous post that I had second thoughts about my decision to leave last year’s Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) 28-Day course early (due to some leg muscle issues)--that I hadn’t really left everything out on the course. I noted what leaving everything out on the course looks like, which was Jasmin Paris in Barkley’24, and that rewatching the documentary of her run each time is a shot of inspiration. (Intrigued by BOSS? Here are more reflections from past courses.)

Now, there are two other sources of inspiration.

The more recent one is Rachel Entrekin’s outright win in Cocodona 250 back in May. Her record winning time of 56:09:48 is more than 2.5 hours faster than the previous course record. She had previously won Cocodona (women) in 2024 and set the women’s course record in 2025. During her entire run this year, she slept for a total of 19 minutes. But, as she said during her post-race interview, “I can sleep when I’m dead.” In another interview a few weeks later, Entrekin mentioned the mantras she’d used during the race, including "Why not you? Why not now? Why not try?"

The other inspiration is Bob Becker who in 2025 became the oldest person (80-year-old) to finish the Badwater 135, with a time of 45:00:06, well under the 48-hour time limit (45-hour starting this year). Badwater 2022 was Becker’s first attempt to set the oldest person record. He finished but missed the 48-hour time limit by just over 17 minutes in an absolutely incredible way. Because of his age, Becker’s inspiration is (just a bit) more relatable to me. In one of the post-race interviews, he said that he doesn’t think of himself as of any particular age. Which is exactly how I think—or, rather, not think—about age. For him, “if others can do it, so can I,” while being realistic regarding types of course and finishing time limits. Why not him to be the oldest person to finish Badwater.

Of course, I can’t rely just on inspiration. All endurance efforts are mostly mental, but that’s assuming one has done the homework for the physical part before the effort begins. For this year’s BOSS 28-Day course, I’m on schedule to finish my homework before arriving at Boulder (Utah). Working with a hiking coach, I’ve been training very differently from what I’d done last year, in volume, intensity, and variety of workouts. The following is a snapshot of my training.

This time, the training is BOSS-specific. I still ran, but the running was in support of the BOSS training. I did hikes with a modern-day pack for strength building (up to 35 lbs. and six miles). I also did hikes with a “blanket pack” and “versa cloth” day carrier, with a combined weight of ~30 lbs., for specificity training.

“Know more, carry less” is the BOSS motto. Shown are all the gear I had for a previous BOSS 14-Day course I took, before packing [left] and after packing [right]. During the day, the blanket becomes the “backpack.” The white “versa” cloth becomes a carrier containing stuff that likely will be needed during the day.

There is one other consideration: Though age is really just a number—and, it is still mostly a matter of (correct) training--the body does become more “brittle” with age, and recovery is slower after injuries. So, while it’s true that, as Lisa Smith Batchen (Becker’s coach) said, “you can be younger by tomorrow if you do the work,” with less than three weeks to go before the start of the course, I’m prioritizing getting to BOSS healthy.

Once the course begins, there surely will be low points mentally. When they happen, I’ll have what Paris, Entrekin, and Becker have accomplished in my mind to help with not just finishing but also to help with having a good time. As Entrekin said, “I want to make sure that I like who I am, when things are tough.” Which is true whether in sports or in life.

Once the course begins, I’ll have the mantras, "Why not you? Why not now? Why not try?" And, I’ll also have, “no second thoughts.”