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 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.

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 the physical part has been taken care of before the effort begins. For this year’s BOSS 28-Day course, I’m also trying to take care of the physical part before getting there (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.”