Crooked Thumb

Photo: Carrie Markusen in a cloud on the summit of Hailey Pass, Wind River Mountains, Wyoming 2023.

Emerging from the forest, we follow a faint path winding through wet alpine tundra dotted with drooping Blue bells. Dark clouds scud across the sky pregnant with rain. A flash of lighting brightens the sky. I count, “One, two, three… seven.” Boom! The thunder peels across the barren landscape. Doing the math I say to my daughter Carrie, “5000 feet. We have 5 minutes before it hits.”

Carrie looks up at the ridge ahead and says, “There is a band of junipers up there, maybe we can make it to shelter.”

With set jaw, I say, “Let’s go!”

It is the fourth day of a father-daughter backpack trip in the Wind River Wilderness of Wyoming, August 2023. We’ve been rained on every day—multiple times. It is Carrie’s first backpack. All summer, we trained in Minnesota dreaming of rugged mountains framed by blue skies and puffy white clouds. Hoping for the best, we prepared for the worst.

The rain hits, battering our hoods so hard we can barely hear. Lightning flashes, thunder booms. Scrambling the last 100 yards we burrow into the tight, scratchy Juniper bushes. We look at each other, wet dirty faces staring back. And we start to laugh.

This issue of What I learned this Week is titled: Training with a Plan, Part II: Light the Fire. In the previous blog, I wrote about the principles of training with a plan and the first 2 weeks of training and a week of recovery. Here is a link to the article if you missed it: Training with a Plan, Part One: A Disciplined Approach to Achieving Goals. This week I write about the next eight week training plan building a progression of strength, power, intensity and endurance. In the next blog, I will address tapering for your event.

Period 2: Light the Fire 6 to 8 weeks

In this period, we add intensity to our workouts in progressive amounts; not every workout and not every day. Most of us are not professional athletes and don’t have the time to train as such. We may be training for a long day event or multi day trip. We may have a goal of climbing a big peak, but live in the flatlands. To make up for duration and address vertical challenge, we add intensity to our workouts. Check out my article Training for Hiking and Backpacking.

We will do two cycles in this period. The first two weeks active, one week recovery. The second three weeks active, one week recovery. It’s time to light the fire.

Photo: Sunrise in the Winds, 2023

Sport Specific Training

Most of sport specific training occurs at aerobic threshold— the intensity where you burn mostly fat for fuel. This is your fun ride, hike or run pace; a level you can go for long periods. On a weekly basis you should add intensity. For improving your fat burn, do aerobic threshold intervals: 1 to 3 minute intervals in heart rate zones 2 and 3. To improve your anaerobic threshold and your aerobic capacity do 30 second to 2 minute interval at zone 4 and 5. Limit the intensity to 10% of your workout time and 2 times per week.

As you move through this period of training you increase both the intensity of your intervals and the duration. For my cycling training, every two weeks I will do an FTP test. This is a 15 to 30 minute ride a full threshold power (your anaerobic threshold). This gives me a measure of my progress throughout the training season. You can do the same running or hiking. For more on interval training read my article: High Intensity Interval Training: A Fitness Regimen for all Ages and Abilities

Strength Training

The goal of strength training during this period is building aerobically active muscles working over their full range of motion. My workouts are age and ability focused. I use three different workouts that are changed weekly. Endurance strength workouts use light to moderate weight and high reps with added aerobic (i.e. a row machine) or plyometric exercises. Strength workouts use heavy weight, low reps and multiple sets. Dynamic workouts do it all: strength, plyos, core and aerobic.

The art of strength training is making your strength workouts complimentary to your sport specific training; not antagonistic. Over the course of this training period I add intensity to my strength training by increasing the tempo and reducing the rest time. You can increase weight, but you reach a point of diminishing returns. For more on strength training read my article: A Purposeful Life: Training for Sport, Adventure and Life

Photo: The pot of gold.

Nutrition and Recovery

This period of training only works if you rest and provide your body with proper nutrition. At age 70, I can still go really hard, but it takes a toll. I need more time for recovery, and quality sleep. I can’t get away with eating crappy food. To learn more about rest read A Body at Rest: The Science behind a Good Night’s Sleep. For thoughts on nutrition read Feeding Your Fire: Nutrition for Training, Competition, and Adventure. Finally, for information on recovery check out Recovery: The 50+ Athletes Secret Weapon  

Afterword

The rain ends. Carrie and I pull our wet bodies and packs out from the clinging embrace of the Juniper copse. Hiking over a rise, we are treated to the view of a steel grey placid water of Lake Baptiste. Above us looms the sheer North face of Mt. Hooker shrouded in mist. Looking for a place to camp, we head for a stand of Ponderosa pine. There we find an established campsite with flat ground covered in brown pine needles under the shelter of the tall pines. We set up our tents, make a hasty, but hot meal, strip off our wet gear and crawl into our dry sleeping bags.

It rains again during the night and dawn brings more clouds and mist. Everything is soaked. We put on our wet boots and pack our wet tents. Shouldering our packs, we head for Hailey Pass. I could not have asked for a better companion. Carrie is strong, upbeat and cheerful. She renamed the range “Rainy Rivers.” We laugh at adversity, joke about hardship. Two days later we make it to the trailhead… just as it starts to rain… again.   

Please contact me if I can help with your goals and training plans at mailto:steve.crookedthumb@gmail.com

Thank you for reading!

Photo: Back at the trailhead. Priceless.