Fastpack Training
After a few years of building mileage, getting slightly injured, building back better with PT, strength training, and endurance running specific strength training, I’m excited for a fat year on the trails.
Here’s my current race/adventure run calendar:
Badger Mountain 55k: March 26th. 34 miles, 4100' gain. http://www.badgermountainchallenge.com/p/50k.html
Sun Mountain 50 Mile: May 14th. Vert unknown at the moment. https://www.rainshadowrunning.com/sunmountain2021.html
Lost Coast: June 2, 3, 4: back-to back days; 27 miles, 4500' gain | 20 miles, 3500' gain | 20 miles, 6300' gain. https://www.aspireadventurerunning.com/lost-coast-trail-3-day-stage-60-miles/
Nooksack Ridgelines: August 19, 20, 21: back-to-back days; 22 miles, 5355' gain | 34 miles, 8892' gain | 20 miles, 6418' gain. https://www.aspireadventurerunning.com/nooksack-ridgelines/
Floating: Orcas Island 50k 8600' gain. Not sure when they’re rescheduling.
Self-Supported Fast Packs: yet to be scheduled. Thinking I’ll get in 2–3 this year, primarily in the Fall.
Alright, now to the meat of my post. Here’s what I’m doing/trying to do for training:
Running: ~30 miles a week
I use three sources of thought for my running theory: The Heartbreakers, Run Less, Run Faster, and the Field Guide to Ultrarunning. What this works out to for me, when I’m being consistent, is running three days a week.
Two Tempo runs, generally six to eight miles on pavement with between 500–800 feet of climbing. I train heart rate zones primarily, so these would mostly be Zone 3, maybe 4 if I’m listening to trance ;).
One long run, generally twelve to eighteen miles on trails with several thousand feet of vert.
Cycling: ~50–100 miles a week
I’ve done this consistently during my absolute best running seasons. I think it’s a fantastic cross train for cardio and climbing endurance without putting more impact miles into your legs. Additionally, I find that it counters the build in your quads by allowing a solid focus on hamstring strength. That counter balance has been huge for injury free running for me.
I recently got a magnetic trainer and roller bar, so I have no weather excuses. Pre-covid I would usually get most of these miles via commuting. Key thing here? Ensure you get your bike fit to you. Repetition injuries are super easy on bikes. Don’t do it.
Strength: ~three to five 45–60 minute sessions a week + pre-run warmups and cooldowns.
I was never a strength person. Closest I got was highschool where I was a body weight junkie and could bust out five hundred pushups.
Fast forward to fracturing and displacing my left clavical in a mountain bike crash and the PT that followed. I eventually joined Seattle Kettlebell Club and found that raising bell made for mighty legs and a long-enduring core. Who would have thought. I still remember my first session where they told me, an endurance runner, that kettlebell was all about the legs. I was skeptical, but the burn was real.
I’ve doubled down on this in the last few months by doing endurance running specific training with a licensed trainer. She’s been focusing heavily on two things I’ve always avoided: plyometrics and pre-run warmups. Both have been really powerful for my running form and all-around power/flexibility during long runs.
Fueling/Weight Focus:
I’m 5'9" and at the moment, 182 lbs. When I was running <3:30 marathons I was 158lbs but didn’t have much of a core or an upper body. Since introducing kettlebell, I’ve meated up a bit so I’m aiming for 170 lbs by the time I hit Badger Mountain.
Mostly this means smaller portions/eating until I’m sated. I eat really well, but often too much and a few more liquid calories than I should. When I’ve topped 185lbs+ I utilize calorie counting ala Noom or MyFitnessPal, but the thing that works best for me is exercise. Here’s an interesting article as to why I think that is: An Argument for Making Exercise (Not Diet) the Foundation of Weight Management | The Art of Manliness
Anyway, feel free to follow along with my training here: https://www.strava.com/athletes/2596236 as I build up to what I’ve articulated in this post.
I’m also hoping to GoPro a few of these trails for the broader Seattle Trail Running community so be on the lookout for those as well.
✌🏼
