By Katie Rosenbrock for The Active Times

What if someone dared you to sign up for a 100K ultra marathon right now? Would you take on the challenge or completely dismiss the idea?

I would tell that someone they were crazy. “I’ve never even completed a marathon. How could I possibly cover more than double the distance?” I would say. Heck, I’ll run my first marathon this year, but even after that I’m still not sure I’d be able to wrap my mind around the idea of finishing an ultra.

Eric Orton believes otherwise; for me, for you and for all runners everywhere. And he mostly has me convinced.

You may know Orton as the coach from Christopher McDougall’s widely popular book about running, Born to Run. Or you may know him as the author of his own book The Cool Impossible. I know Orton as an enthusiastic coach who believes in adventures and following your dreams.

Orton has an impressive background as a running coach and fitness expert. He is the former fitness director for the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and works with dozens of athletes from recreational runners to elite ultra-marathoners. He’s helped countless athletes reach feats they never dreamed possible, but his real dream is to create a larger, lasting impact.

Enter, the Jackson Hole Running Camp; a three-day, running-intensive camp set in Jackson Hole, Wyo. amidst the breathtaking terrain of the Tetons with Orton as your coach.

“I’ve always wanted to do this camp,” Orton told me. “Timing is everything and the timing just seemed right. With my book The Cool Impossible and with Born to Run, these last four years I’ve heard from people all around the world who wanted to come and train with me. This camp will really allow me to affect a lot of runners globally.”

The camp is designed for experienced runners who want to push their potential to the next level. Although Orton requires that you must be able to run continuously for two to three hours upon arrival at the camp, he emphasizes the fact that it’s meant for runners of all abilities.

“It’s important to get across that even though we will be running a lot and people need to be running two to three hours up to that point, that this is a camp for all abilities. Experienced runners of all abilities,” he said. “It’s not an elite camp. It’s a camp for runners who have a good foundation and who have the ambition to find the next big goal for themselves.”

In all that I discussed about the camp with Orton, he seemed most excited to be able to share the exquisite scenery of Jackson Hole (where he currently resides) with his new student athletes.

“I think this is an opportunity for people to come and use the mountains as a way to challenge themselves within their own abilities,” he said. “The mountains provide a natural challenge that is above and beyond anything anywhere else. It’s like ‘nature’s classroom,’ when they walk away from this three days later… The point is to walk away thinking, ‘Wow there’s something more possible for me.’”

That’s a lot to learn about running and your own potential in just three days. So I asked Orton how he trains athletes to conquer the mental aspect of training, which is arguably the most difficult part of the battle to overcome.

He says it’s all about understanding effort.

“Most people have the ability but they don’t understand the effort. We’re all ultra runners. It’s just understanding how effort works and how we manage that. You have to be efficient,” he said.

In fact, Orton told me that it’s his passion to help his athlete’s morph the physical and the mental aspects of athleticism together. “They’re so important and go hand in hand,” he said.

But how exactly does one go about better understanding effort? And probably more importantly, what does that really mean?

“That’s where heart rate training comes in,” he said. “That learning will take place and how they use the heart rate monitor will help them understand what proper effort is based on what they’re doing, how to really manage their effort so they can run four or five hours every day. That’s the key… to understand what running at 160 beats per minute means for you. Work interval, rest interval and distance all go together to form this understanding.”

So, maybe in terms of running experience you’re more towards the beginner end of the spectrum, if that’s we’re you’re at what can you do right now to improve your performance? I asked Orton to share some of his best running advice.

“If you’re looking to train and get better you really have to have purpose. My number one tip is to set a goal,” he said.

He also said that he always reminds his athletes to never confuse difficulty with failure. “It’s supposed to be difficult and we have to view that as part of the process,” he said.

And for runners like me who are somewhere in the middle (say, about to start training for their first marathon), Orton reiterated the following advice.

“Understand what effort is. What is my marathon pace? What should my interval pace be? Many people don’t get to have that understanding,” he said. “Understand what’s appropriate for you based on where you’re at, that will allow you to run more without breaking down. The more we can run well the better.”

At the end of the day, Orton says that accomplishing your goals is about eliminating any fear you might have.

“People are dealing with fear, they don’t know what they can do. When they leave my camp and go back home they might think, ‘I don’t know if I can do 100 miles, but I know can try.’”

I believe an effective “peak” in fitness first starts with a well thought out training plan and more importantly, a prioritized race schedule.  This all sets the stage for the peak process, making your run fitness as race specific as possible. Peaking is a mysterious art and for many reasons, it is just not easy to achieve one’s highest possible level of performance on the day of a major goal race or peak part of the season, despite all the effort and care that goes into planning and training to produce peak results.

I see it all the time, athletes to race very well early in the competitive season and fall flat toward the end of the season, when they should hit their peak.  The reason, I believe, is that they start to do race specific training too early in the season and do too much cardiovascular conditioning in preparation for early season races.  I have mentioned in previous posts that the development of endurance is associated with the functional specialization of the skeletal muscles, particularly the enhancement of their strength and neuromuscular qualities, rather than the improvement of prolonged cardiovascular ability.  And to experience great gains in strength and speed endurance, one should aim to eliminate the disparity between the anaerobic and aerobic abilities of the muscles.  If this is not the focus early in the season and carried out to some extent all season, there is a tendency to do too much endurance or cardiovascular training and peaking too soon or plateauing, which many times cause runners to over train.  To drive this home, here are some points to ponder:

• Why do athletes with equivalent VO2 max levels perform different results?
• Why do VO2 max results in elite athletes stabilize as results continue to improve?
• Why is there a decreasing correlation between VO2 max and improved times?

This could indicate that VO2 max or cardiovascular efficiency on its own is no guarantee of an outstanding performance and that a runners body can only progressively adapt to race specific training for a few weeks until a limit is reached. For this reason, I assign about 6 weeks of race specific training leading up to the athlete’s seasonal peak or race occurs.  Once the athlete hits the peak phase, they are now ready for a heavy dose of hard intervals.  These hard intervals heighten neuromuscular coordination and enhance economy, in concert with the easier overall weekly volume for recovery.  As coordination and efficiency at high speed improve from these hard intervals, the athlete’s previous race pace is now faster, because the oxygen cost of running at that speed has fallen. Thus, one reaches VO2 max at a higher speed than previously, and might explain why there is a decreasing correlation between VO2 max results and peak performance.

Merely regulating or limiting the duration of your race specific or peak phase of training will not guarantee a successful peak, however.  There are a few tricks you can use to reliably increase the odds of peaking successfully.  As mentioned above, your peak phase should include some hard intervals once or twice a week.  If you feel you are peaking too soon or need to extend your peak longer than a 3-4 week period, integrate some tempo runs to ‘massage’ your form and prolong it for the duration required.  If you are in your peak time of year, your heart rate should be very responsive, elevate quickly, and be higher than during your heavy training phase.  If  you notice this is not the case and your heart rate is low and slow to respond, be sure to take 2-4 days of recovery running or reduce you peak training volume even more.  Your legs need the recovery and a lower heart rate is NOT an indication of peak fitness.

And finally, you should taper not just before your big races but on a monthly basis. After all, since tapering is such a great thing, why reserve it for just a couple of times a year? If you taper for the last five to seven days of each month, you'll find that your fitness will move upward in sizable jumps, instead of just creeping up a little or - worse yet - stagnating at the same level.

Hope this helps - E

I coach because I love to help athletes explore their own potential and the rewarding part of this for me is witnessing the self-discovery that my athletes experience throughout the process.  Writing my book, The Cool Impossible, was the culmination of a life long dream and a way for me to continue to help more and more runners.  And, just like with my coaching, the most rewarding piece of writing a book is hearing from all of the  readers around the world about how their running has hit new levels and how stoked they are to embrace their Cool Impossible.

Here is a quick story I received from a runner just this week after just two weeks of his Cool Impossible training.

Eric,

Just a note to update you on progress - I finished the Cool Impossible book and will re-read it from time to time.

I'm now into my new training program - workouts 6 days a week, including hills and sprints. I actually laughed at the thought of doing sprints at my age (61 in two weeks), but then I tried it and it was like turning the clock back!

So I did my first serious 6-miler with the new technique this morning, a low Level 6 workout. My best previous time on the course was a 9:16 pace - today it was 8:48! Form was good, with a bit of a sprint at the end. When the book talks about the kind of Cool Impossible that makes you get goose bumps, I knew what that was for me ... qualifying for Boston in my age group. Now that I understand how to get there, I'm excited to start the journey.  

Thanks again and just wanted you to know what a difference Cool Impossible has made for me, physically and mentally.

-Bob

SIP (Strong, Interconnected, Persistent)

_____________________________________________________________

The proof that The Cool Impossible works keeps rolling in. 20 min HR test gone from 4.63km at 170 bpm to 5.30km at 170bpm.

That's the equivalent of going from a 21m35s 5k to an 18m50s 5k. Hard work works.

Thanks - Andrew

Question:  How do I peak for my big race.

Answer:  This is a tricky question as I believe an effective “peak” in fitness first starts with a well thought out training plan and more importantly, a prioritized race schedule. This all sets the stage for the peak process, making your run fitness as race specific as possible. Peaking is a mysterious art, especially in running. For many reasons, it is just not easy to achieve one’s highest possible level of performance on the day of a major goal race or peak part of the season, despite all the effort and care that goes into planning and training to produce peak results.

I see it all the time, runners tend to race very well early in the competitive season and fall flat toward the end of the season, when they should hit their peak. The reason, I believe, is that they start to do race specific training too early in the season and do too much cardiovascular conditioning in preparation for early season races. I have mentioned in previous blogs that the development of endurance is associated with the functional specialization of the skeletal muscles, particularly the enhancement of their strength and neuromuscular qualities, rather than the improvement of prolonged cardiovascular ability.

And to experience great gains in strength and speed endurance, one should aim to eliminate the disparity between the anaerobic and aerobic abilities of the muscles. If this is not the focus early in the season and carried out to some extent all season, there is a tendency to do too much endurance or cardiovascular training and peaking too soon or plateauing, which many times cause the runner to over train. 

To drive this home, here are some points to ponder:

• Why do athletes with equivalent VO2 max levels perform different results?

• Why do VO2 max results in elite athletes stabilize as results continue to improve?

• Why is there a decreasing correlation between VO2 max and improved times?

This could indicate that VO2 max or cardiovascular efficiency on its own is no guarantee of an outstanding performance and that a runner's body can only progressively adapt to race specific training for a few weeks until a limit is reached. For this reason, I assign about 6 weeks of race specific training leading up to the athlete’s seasonal peak or race occurs.

Once the athlete hits the peak phase, they are now ready for a reduction in weekly volume of about 50% and also a heavy dose of hard intervals. These hard intervals heighten neuromuscular coordination and enhance economy, in concert with the easier overall weekly volume for recovery.

As coordination and efficiency at high speed improve from these hard intervals, the athlete’s previous race pace is now faster, because the oxygen cost of running at that speed has fallen. Thus, one reaches VO2 max at a higher speed than previously, and might explain why there is a decreasing correlation between VO2 max results and peak performance.

Merely regulating or limiting the duration of your race specific or peak phase of training will not guarantee a successful peak, however. There are a few tricks you can use to reliably increase the odds of peaking successfully. As mentioned above, your peak phase should include a reduction in weekly volume and include hard intervals once or twice a week while all other riding is easy.

If you feel you are peaking too soon or need to extend your peak longer than a 3-4 week period, integrate some tempo runs to ‘massage’ your form and prolong it for the duration required. If you are in your peak time of year, your heart rate should be very responsive, elevate quickly, and be higher than during your heavy training phase.

If you notice this is not the case and your heart rate is low and slow to respond, be sure to take 2-4 days of recovery riding or reduce you peak training volume even more. Your legs need the recovery and a lower heart rate is NOT an indication of peak fitness.

And finally, you should taper not just before your big races but on a monthly basis. After all, since tapering is such a great thing, why reserve it for just a couple of times a year? If you taper for the last five to seven days of each month, you'll find that your fitness will move upward in sizable jumps, instead of just creeping up a little or - worse yet - stagnating at the same level.

I had heard him coming before I saw him.  Huffing and puffing, rhythmically out of breath and out of sight, but nearing me as he ran to the top of the ridge.  It was hard to tell what kind of runner he was, as his breathing provided no clue. The trail was so steep that his slow speed presented his silhouette like a rapid sunrise against the ridge line.  First his head, ear buds included, then his shirtless, Bruce Lee looking upper body, giving way to his lower body.  

Today was the first day where temperatures hit 70 degrees, so I was fully expecting to see him in shorts, but no. This mountain man was running in full length Carhartt trousers, and he was moving.

I gestured "peace", he gestured "hang loose", and we were both off in opposite directions.  As I finished my loop, so to was Mark, as we passed one another again - "peace, hang loose".

Seeing Mark in his Carhartt's got me thinking how sometimes we get so caught up in "being a runner" and that camouflages what pure running is all about.  Here was a guy out killing it, running and training for the pure sake of doing what he needed to do.  It reminds me of Silvino, one of the Tarahumara runners we ran with in the Copper Canyon.  Silvino marched to his own drum, always in back, wearing his jeans while all the other indians were in their native loin cloth skirts.

Who is Mark?  Mark is a mountaineer.  Mountaineers are some of the best runners you have never heard of.  In fact, back in 2012, super stud, Killian Jornet came to Jackson to run the Grand Teton, breaking the Fastest Known Time record.  One week later, a local climbing guide laced them up and broke Killian's record.

Mark, I am sure will be back at it tomorrow, doing loops and ascents all over the Snow King trails in prep for his next adventure.  And maybe one day I might just see him in shorts, but then again, maybe I should try Carhartts.

Folks, Meet Mark Newcomb

Wow it was nice to sweat today.  Got in the first 'dry' trail run of the year and boy did it feel great.  My early Spring strength running really paid off as I put in 2,000 feet of climbing in 6.5 miles.  I really was curious to see how I would feel on this climbs and felt in mid-summer form, which is really exciting and motivating now that the trails are melting out.

I still will not be able to hit Teton National Park until late June, but the trails around town and home our epic in their own right and will get me ready for the "big stuff" come Summer.

The Mountain. For a runner, there is nothing more freeing than running up a mountain, cascading down alpine meadows, jumping over rocks, and anticipating the unknown that awaits around the next switchback.  The pinnacle of so many challenges, the mountain is where determination and nerve combine to produce achievement. - EO 

I am tucked in between Scott Jurek and Chris McDougall.  The pace is not so hard that we can’t talk, but there was no conversing.  As the trail weaved, curved, and turned back on itself, I tried to get a peak and glance at the Tarahumara Indian ultrarunners positioned single file ahead of Scott and I.  For so long, they were mythical runners to me, and now I was running with them, they were now real.

Deep in the steep cuts of Mexico’s Copper Canyon, we were trekking 30 miles, traveling from one town, up and over the canyon’s rim to another town.  Old school transportation, Tarahumara style. 

We ultrarunners, from the USA, did not speak their language, nor did they, ours.  There was no need for verbal communication, our running was our communication, a common language that both American and Tarahumara runner understood.  We had a common bond.  Our initial athletic focus on the trail, of our footsteps, our pace, our breathing, soon turned to smiles.  We knew them, as they knew us – running brings this out in people.

Run forward a few years and I am running the Lantau trails outside of Hong Kong.  My life’s passion of running and coaching has brought me to Mainland China to develop my own line of running shoes.  Up until this point, China was a mythical place to me, and here I was, using my running to experience it for real. 

In the heart of Shenzhen, China, I woke early one morning to get my run in before heading to the factory for a long day of shoe development.  Running the paths of the golf course at our host hotel, I came upon a man doing Tai Chi and that universal athlete language ‘spoke’ again.  I ran past him with a smile, he returned the smile without losing his focus.

The following day, I made a point to run at the same time and location in hopes to see my ‘friend’ again and sure enough, there he was, same time and location.  But this day we exchanged smiles and a high five as I ran past him.  Day three, I stopped to watch his meticulous practice and he motioned me over, showing me a few movements – my first Tai Chi lesson.  It was that same athletic sign language that I had experienced deep in the Copper Canyon.  No words were spoken.  We didn’t need words because we both understood dedication, practice, effort, discipline, and the rewards that come from it.

Speed up a week and I was running the very steep hills of the Lantau trail as I came across a group of local runners speeding towards me.  As we approached each other, we all began to smile and one runner glanced down at my freshly made shoes and pointed.  We all stopped, as the pointing of his finger instigated some talk from his group.  Words I did not understand, but the body language I did.  Before I realized it, I blurted out, “Born To Run?”

Every one of the runners, in unison, replied, “ah Born To Run” in perfect English, shaking their heads, smiling with complete understanding.  Nothing more needed to be said.  I was part of them, and they part of me.

We are global runners who speak the same language.  As a running and performance guru, I have spent a lifetime learning and thinking about running and about the limitless possibilities of the human body and mind—from my astounding, philosophy-affirming run adventure with the Tarahumara runners of Mexico, to my current work with elite and developing athletes—and I am ready to share this knowledge.   This is a chance for me to instruct and inspire as the coach I am. For you, it is a chance to make amazing new strides.

The Cool Impossible is intended for runners and aspiring runners of all levels of ability and experience, from those contemplating their first hopeful steps, to seasoned marathoners and ultrarunners seeking to discover new challenges and unlock the full range of their capabilities.   I will lay out in the book my own experiences and development as a coach, and explain in a clear, step-by-step format how to build that perfect running body, covering the topics of running form, strength development, cardiovascular training, and nutrition, drawing along the way on my experiences with the Tarahumara, as chronicled in Christopher McDougall’s best-selling 2009 book Born to Run.

Finally, and most important, The Cool Impossible is more than just running, it is a challenge to live your dreams everyday.  As we begin to live our dreams, we begin to understand why Tai Chi masters spend entire lifetimes perfecting their art of movement. It is the sheer poetry of creating something and working on it until it is truly and absolutely right that ultimately keeps you coming back - coming back each morning at the same time, at the same location.

In these pages, I will lay out my concept of The Cool Impossible: a goal pursued by dreaming beyond fear and living beyond limits.  You will learn specific protocols of visualization and imagery to help you develop your own Cool Impossible.  

It is this last element that will make The Cool Impossible a book to dip back into again and again for inspiration and reinforcement. Like a favorite running companion, The Cool Impossible will be there with you, stride for stride, helping you go farther than you ever thought you could.

This book is also the first step towards my cool impossible, unifying the World with running. Thank you for being part of my dream and I look forward to the day we meet on your favorite trail, running with big smiles.

Winter running in Jackson Hole and the Teton's is amazing, beautiful, and just as spectacular as hitting the trails in the Summer.  The BIG difference is the temperatures, often hitting minus 10, minus 15 degrees F during some of my runs.  Cold weather brings bright sunshine and perfect snow conditions on the trails.

With the polar vortex affecting most of North America, I have heard from many runners asking what I wear.  I have developed this layering system from many cold, enjoyable miles of experience.  One day sticks in my mind.  It was minus 22 F and I was running North of Jackson near the Town of Kelly.  The sun was out, but it was bloody cold, so cold that I had to run 2-3 minute intervals alternating between running forward and backward, so I could face the sun and warm all parts of my body.  I have run many many long hours in conditions like this.  Cold weather running is NOT bad for us, only poor clothing choices are bad for us.  

So here goes:

• Sleeveless Base Layer
• BIO Compatible Wool l/s Base Layer
• Giordana Thermal Jacket
• Zoot Compression 3/4 Length Tights
• Giordana Thermal Bib Tights
• ToeSox Crew Length Ultra Socks
• B2R Moc Shoe
• R.U. Outside Balaclava
• Eassun Record Sunglasses
• EMS Mittens 
• SOS Rehydration

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort reported a foot of new snow this morning.  With fresh snow brings warmer temps, humidity…..and wind.  This means its time to get out of town and head North to find colder temps and good snow.  But first, I needed to fire off a few coaching emails, so I drained my double espresso and popped open the laptop.  I typically get a few emails each day from readers of The Cool Impossible and today was no exception.  One I received this morning started out with the usually, "thank you for writing the book, I love it.  I have been doing the strength work and run program and feel great."  But this one then took an unusual turn as he was writing me to ask if he could buy a training program because he just registered for his first 30k trail race in June.  

He went on to say that he was at week 5 of the Cool Impossible foundation program and was 'stuck' because it was too hard for him to get his long runs in during the winter and he was not motivated for the treadmill during the week.  Did he know I lived in Jackson and winter here is fifty nine months long!?

My response to him was that I felt the foundation program was ideal for this 30k race, sequencing perfectly for a June race.  I also mentioned that no coaching program can provide motivation or change the weather for him.  That a "new" or different program was not the solution to the challenges he was perceiving to have in being 'stuck' with the program.

When faced with challenges, we often think if something was only different it would change things:  "If only it wasn't so cold", well, wear something warmer.  Cold air is not harmful, not being prepared can be.  "There is too much snow", well, see it as a time to build more strength, rather than quit or turn around and head back to the usual road course with cars whipping past you.  "It is too icy to run outside", slow down and use it as a time to work on form.

Every challenge offers us an opportunity to improve and get better, but it takes a mind shift sometimes. Things will not always go the way we want them to and the more we resist this, the harder it will get.  Resistance creates stress and a desire to change something external only leads to more stress.  Acceptance of the situation gives way to learning and ultimately leads to great satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment.

Practice the mantra: satisfaction over desire.

Running will not always be fun and most times over-coming a challenging workout or 'bad' weather creates an unbelievable feeling of satisfaction.  And, most times, having the need or desire for running to be 'fun' leads to just the opposite outcome.  Just like wanting the 50 mile race to be over with when you are at mile 20.  Satisfaction Over Desire!

Email done, a quick strength warm up on the slant board, and then off to run.  I decided to head North of Jackson past the Town of Kelly and to the Gros Ventre.  The workout plan for the day was to get in 10 miles with some long, sub-threshold climbs.  The Gros Ventre is great for this because I can run on snow covered roads with a variety of climbs.

The Gros Ventre

I chose to wear very minimal shoes to work on micro-strength in feet/calves/glutes and they offer great traction so I could run fast up the climbs on the perfect layer of snow sand.  

Settle in and Climb

The Gros Ventre Corridor is steep in history and is the location of Slide Lake, where a massive landslide occurred back in the 1920's creating the lake. Eventually, the dam broke, desimating the Town of Kelly with a flood.  

Gros Ventre Land Slide

500 Mile Expedition

The First Runners

At the time, Kelly Wyoming was the major town in the valley due to its proximity to the Gros Ventre River, but after this flood, settlers moved to Jackson and Kelly today is only a small, eclectic town of yurts, log cabins, and million dollar ranches tuck into the side of the hills.

Welcome to Kelly

Well, my run did not disappoint, time flew by with my focus on hitting all the climbs in HR Zone 5 to help build my threshold endurance and improve my fat burning efficiency, which is vital for bigger mountains to come in the Summer.  Legs felt very strong, which is my focus right now.  My climbing intervals came out to this:

1st - 6:30 min

2nd - 4:50 min

3rd - 2:40 min

4th - 7:00 min

5th - 6:40 min

Total Miles: 10

Average HR: 143

Max HR: 163

Zone 5 Climbing Time: 27:40

Well, I finally had to shovel twice today, oops make that now three times.  Our first snow fall in a week and it is still coming down. Should be good skiing tomorrow, the mountain needs it.  And, could be a good snowshoe run tomorrow.  The snow was good timing also because today is my recovery day from running.  This time of year my recovery is a complete off day from running and I focus on more strength training in my gym.  I try to do some form of foot and leg strength every day, so on Thursday's my focus is mainly on full body "true" strength.

When we develop strength in the core and upper body, we do ourselves a world of good for our running. We swing our arms better and move with greater mobility. We activate muscles along the spine that protect the whole body, allowing us to run upright with greater stabilization. We breathe easier. We run more relaxed. We maintain form economy better and longer, especially during those last few miles when everything feels like it wants to collapse.

In the alternative, if we fail to pursue whole body strength, trouble ensues. Interconnectedness gives as much as it takes. Almost as a rule, runners tend to get rounded shoulders, thereby tightening our pectorals, thereby pulling on the muscles in our back, which causes pain while running—and let’s be frank, everyday life as well. These same rounded shoulders affect our breathing and the mobility of our arms and upper body. Without mobility there, our torso moves side to side as we run. This throws off our efficiency and equilibrium, and as we tire—more quickly by the way—we begun to lean over our feet or hunch - The Cool Impossible.

One great exercise that I use with my athletes is the Scorpion.  This is a great one to test your stability, mobility, and overall "true" strength.

Check it out here and see how you do.  Send in your own videos so we can see how good ya are!

Today I did 2 circuits below plus a lot of bouldering:

• knees to chest
• rockers
• toggles
• can openers
• scorpions
• jackknife
• knees side to side
• knees to chest

"Run strong, to go long" - E

With three great training days behind me, I was looking forward to today, my Cool Impossible Wednesday.  I like to devote Wednesdays to getting out for a long run and using this as a creative time for myself.  While writing The Cool Impossible, I found that I wrote best by composing my thoughts while running, taking mental notes and riffing on a subject.  

My mind gets very creative while running and today was no different as I ran the trails of Cache Creek.  My mind wandered with thoughts as my legs meandered up, down, and around the very hilly terrain of Cache - a great strength run.  Today, thoughts were just flowing out of me, thoughts of how athletes think to performance well and how I believe there is a "best way" of thinking to perform - just as I believe there is a best way to run and train.

I was running high up on Snow King and past a skier being coached how to make great turns. People never think twice about taking a ski lesson to learn, but runners often do not think running is a skill that can be learned.  Some of the first skis date back to 8000 B.C.  In fact, Chinese skiers in the Northwestern part of China where known to persistent hunt for elk on skis.  Not unlike native peoples who persistent hunt on foot, running them to fatigue after many hours.  

These Chinese skiers and native runners, like the Tarahumara Indians, developed great skill out of lifestyle necessity that is lost on us today.  This is what my Cool Impossible Wednesday is all about.  Devoting a day to truly and authentically living the lifestyle I have chosen and dreamed about for myself.  This is not about mountains or cool wildlife, it is a mindset that can be harnessed anywhere, like in Oxford.  We all have a story and dreams no matter where we live.

I just read a book about the Polish Alpinists of the 1980s and 1990s.  They were distinct in mountaineering because they created their own style, one of 8,000 meter winter ascents by new routes in the Himalaya.  This was never done before.  The Cool Impossible is just this, creating your own dreams and "style".

As I finished my run, I crossed paths with a women from France.  I gave her a smile and said "Hi" and she offered up a bigger smile and said, "hillo, furst timm, so buutiful."  What style!!

Here's to Cool Impossible Wednesday and your own style - and it's gonna be a great year!

Cool Impossible Wednesday Video

Today's Run Time: 90 minutes

AVG HR: 142

Max HR: 170

Ascent: 1600 ft

Mantra: "Trust and Create"

Well, the media is using the phrase, 'polar vortex' to describe the cold front hitting the USA today.  Here in Jackson, this is everyday weather and the best gauge of temps is normally dictated by what the moose are up to.  If it is cold, they tend to relax for breakfast in the backyard.

Momma Moose

So, today was a typical JH polar vortex, with a 1 degree F run start temp.  Today is my strength day, where I hit the neighborhood trails and "track" for a strength interval session, followed with some, in the gym, full body strength work - cool impossible style.

I started with a nice easy easy paced WU.  I ran by speed rather than HR on this.  Since it is a relatively short run, I want to nail my SP1 training zone and see if this puts my in my zone 2 HR - which is did and is a good sign this time of year.

After this WU, I headed to my winter track for 5 strength intervals.  I did one as a WU at a very moderate pace and to measure out 60 seconds.  My goal for the workout was then to make the next 5 efforts faster than this 60 second interval, AND each one had to be faster than the last.

The Track

My first one I hit 56 seconds and feared I made this way too fast and was in for a challenge.  The 2nd one I hit the finish at 54 seconds and the 3rd at 50 seconds - doing well, but the speed was getting challenging on firm snow.  For the next one I had to really focus the entire time.  I nailed it pulling off a 48 second effort.  I felt this was my best effort and my goal for the last was to really try to relax and "just let it happen".  I started out and slipped and stumbled, instead of get frustrated I kept shouting in my head my mantra and stayed relaxed.

44.8 seconds, with speed in the fours - hands on knees.  Funny how the mind works!  

Capped off with a nice recovery run to the road and then performed 7 X 15 second moderate sprints to form, economy and flush the muscles quick recovery for my long mountain run tomorrow - stay tuned.

Total Run Time: 55 min

Average HR: 141

Max HR: 180

Mantra: "I want this"

I am in the second day of my 2014 season of training.  Not because it is the New Year, but this start date sequences right with my Summer and Fall run projects.  During the holidays we had warm temps and some snow (never enough), but today I welcomed back cold, arctic air which brings great snow running conditions and blue skies.

I decided to hit Game Creek trail today, just 3 miles South of home, for a nice 3 mile gradual climb and gives way for some faster running back down.  I was first tracks today with a nice 5 degrees F to keep you awake if the mountain lion warning did not do the trick!

Today's workout plan was to climb 3 miles at a low heart rate.  The snow got a little soft in the sun, so I just ran nice and comfy in zone 2, allowing me to train my early season aerobic strength and power.  This trail is groomed for nordic skiing which is also a great time for me to use my very minimal shoes, using the B2R Moc prototypes.  These are my favorite winter snow shoe when traction is not needed.  Great for total foot and leg strength building.  Today's conditions were like running on firm sand - almost better than summer trails!

Yesterday I did 8 X 30" hill repeats, so I really felt good and strong today even though it was important to keep the HR low and easy for today's run.  It was just great to get some sunshine on the face and take in some great views.

You think running downhill on trails is fun, well, it doesn't get much more fun than downhill on snow.  Imagine every step a soft pillow, embracing all of your foot and leg muscles with the blue sky so perfect, it is fake.  And then you come around the corner and spot a Spring time climbing project.  Run on, climb on!

I hit the trail head at 6 miles and decided to finish with one hill repeat on the hill just above the parking lot.  A nice 4:45 steep climb to cap off the day.

The Skyrunning Series was just announce and I am planning to attend a few of these races in the US and potentially one International race, and thought it would be fun to get a group of you to show up and race together as an informal team.

These are great races and very popular in Europe and they are finally coming BACK to the USA in 2014.  They are very unique, offer a variety of race distances for all racers and also a great way to break into an ultra for the first time.  From an ultra distance standpoint, these races are not long, but they are extreme courses, which provides a great atmosphere and an "all in it together" feel.

I am sending this out to get your feedback and see who might be interested in signing up and showing up as a group?  There is certainly no commitment here, just something fun.  If there is some interest, I will create some training groups based on race location and we can support one another's training, get to know each other virtually, and then meet up race day.

To help gauge interest for this, simply reply to this blog with questions, input, mention which race you might attend, other ideas, etc.  Again, this is just something very informal and fun that could be a very powerful group experience, and, I can see some cool impossibles brewing.

With this being the first year of the series, but not the first year for the races themselves, it is hard to say how quickly registration will fill, but lets get on it soon with comments so those interested can start planning and sign-up in January/Feb based on race dates.

I am also leaving open a few Personal Coaching spots for these races, so be sure to email me with your interest soon.

Below is the US and World Series.  The races in BOLD are the ones I am potentially planning to attend.

US 2014 Race Schedule

SKY
1. COLORADO: Kendall Mt Run - 12 miles - Silverton - July 19
2. COLORADO: La Maratona Verticale - 27 miles - Breckenridge - August 3
3. WASHINGTON: Angels Staircase - 22 miles - Carlton - August 10
4. WASHINGTOIN: Name TBC - 26 miles - Venue TBC - late September
5. ARIZONA: Flagstaff Endurance Runs - 23 miles - Flagstaff - October 5

ULTRA
1. GEORGIA: Cruel Jewel - 56 miles - Blue Ridge - May 16
2. UTAH:  Speedgoat - 31 miles - Snowbird – July 19
3. WASHINGTON: Angels Staircase - 37 miles - Carlton - August 9
4. MONTANA: The Rut - 31 miles - Big Sky - September 13
5. ARIZONA: Flagstaff Endurance Runs - 35 miles - Flagstaff - October 5

VERTICAL
1. NEW HAMPSHIRE: Name TBC - Mt Washington - Date TBC

2. COLORADO: La Maratona Verticale VK - Breckenridge - August 2 
3. MONTANA: Lone Peak VK - Big Sky - September 12
4. ARIZONA: Flagstaff Endurance Runs VK - Flagstaff - October 5

International Skyrunning Series

SKY
1. SPAIN: Maratòn Alpina Zegama-Aizkorri – 42 km - Zegama - May 25
2. ITALY: Dolomites SkyRace® - 22 km - Canazei – July 20
3. SWITZERLAND: Course de Sierre-Zinal – 31 km - Valais - August 10
4. SWITZERLAND: Matterhorn Ultraks – 46 km -Zermatt - August 23
5. ITALY: Limone Extreme SkyRace® - 23 km - Limone sul Garda - October 12

ULTRA
1. SPAIN: Transvulcania Ultramarathon – 83 km - La Palma - May 10
2. FRANCE: Ice Trail Tarentaise – 65 km - Val d’Isère - July 11
3. USA: Speedgoat 50K - Snowbird, Utah - July 19 
4. ITALY:  Kima Trophy - 50 km - Valtellina, August 30
5. USA: The Rut 50K - Big Sky, Montana - September 13

VERTICAL
1. SPAIN: Transvulcania Vertical Kilometer® - May 8
2. FRANCE: VK Face de Bellevarde, Val d’Isère – July 11
3. ITALY: Dolomites Vertical Kilometer®, Canazei - July 18
4. USA: Lone Peak Vertical Kilometer® - September 12
5. ITALY:  Vertical Grèste de la Mughéra, Limone sul Garda - October 10

I was recently asked by the NY Daily News whether it was healthy for a six year old girl to run a half marathon.

Here is her story and my response.  What's your opinion?

6 Year Old Runs Half Marathon

EO's response:

I think we get into trouble when we try and make general claims and opinions about a specific, isolated event like this. I believe running is one of the most natural, athletic and joyful experiences we can do as humans.  Can a six year old girl run a half marathon healthy?  Yes.  Can a six year old girl run a half marathon unhealthy? Yes.  This is no different than a runner of any age, as there are many who do it very health and many who do it very unhealthy.  

Running, I believe, is a learned skill and there are certain things that go into the equation to help create a healthy runner, whether it be form and technique, strength, diet, and the actual execution of intensity or run program.

We do not know how Keelan implemented her training, but if we look at what we know about Keelan, there was a few great things she did to make this a healthy run.  She monitored how she was feeling several times throughout the race and made a personal and conscious decision based on how she was feeling to keep going.  She also stopped along the way and relished in the moment by taking pictures and truly embracing the joy of the race atmosphere and attention.  And most importantly, based on her mother's account, this seemed to be Keelan's choice to do the race and was not forced by others.  She seemed to simply want to do it because it was fun and a challenge and something she was prepared for.  This was not done to break a record.

Here is a great podcast conducted by Bob Babbitt of The Competitor's Radio Show

“The Cool Impossible is by far one of the best training books of the past decade.” - Competitor Magazine

http://competitorradio.competitor.com/2013/05/eric-orton/

The old saying "Everything in Moderation" is a classic, but in my opinion it leads only to being average.  Being your best is a choice, and consistently making good nutrition choices leads to peak performance.

We all have a choice of how we want to eat.  We know what is best for us: simple, natural, nutrient-dence foods.  The challenge is choosing to eat that way, making it a habit, and sticking with that choice.  It takes discipline, focus, and awareness.

Not to sound like a drill sergeant, but too many people say they want to be fit, healthy, thin, toned, and low in body fat, but they do not have the awareness or are not willing to do what is necessary to make it happen.  Your actions need to match your goal. In training, you cannot expect to run a sub three-hour marathon by training twenty miles a week.  The same equation works with nutritional health; consistency reaps the highest benefits.

Keep your pace steady in eating well, and I guarantee you the benefits will be profound.  It's not discipline for its own sake. Practicing discipline makes us feel good about ourselves, and this empowers us further.  Ironically, it is the pleasures and comforts we're scared to lose that ultimately lead to unhappiness.

You have a choice as to how you want to eat, how far you want to dedicate yourself to improving your diet, same as you do with your training.  The better you eat, the better you will feel and perform as a runner and in life.  Nutrition has a cumulative effect, just like good form and fitness.

Being your best is just a choice, start your 20 sugar detox today and live your own Cool Impossible.

E

Throw away your preconceived notions of strength. We are not talking about heavy lifting, drifting between exercises at the gym, or fighting for space in Monday morning’s sculpt or cross-fit class. These all serve a purpose for a variety of personal reasons, but I challenge you to think differently about what a strong body should be for you as a runner. Remember, the Tarahumara Indians are not only great runners, but they’re also great athletes.

For me, strength is the ability to use stored-up energy in our muscles, to create power, to propel and stabilize movement as efficiently as possible. It is the ability to use energy to accomplish a task through time. As runners, we want to cover a distance, often a long one, with enduring speed. We don’t want to fatigue, and we don’t want to break down and lose form. All that requires strength.

Integral to this idea of strength is equilibrium. We want the whole body to act and perform as a single unit, developing efficiency by using the body “well” and training it to be balanced.

Developing muscle equilibrium eliminates what I call big-muscle dominance (think of your quads or chest) by fostering those small, supporting muscles (think of the muscles in your ankles, hips, and spine) that often go underutilized. Equilibrium promotes movement, stability, endurance, and power.

In my experience as a coach, I have too often seen runners, those who work on strength at all, focus on building these bigger, prime mover muscles. This only accentuates their dominance, pushes others to grow weak or dormant, and furthers an imbalance in the body that might have already been developed over time from poor form and other issues. Disequilibrium causes tightness and leads to those all too familiar running troubles: tight hip flexors, hamstrings, IT band pain, Achilles trouble, low-back pain, poor breathing, runner’s knees, stiff upper body, rounded shoulders, and poor biomechanics.

Speaking of tightness, let me say again: Chronically tight muscles come from muscle dominance and unequal muscle activation. If you have equilibrium, you should not be chronically tight. Therefore (and this may surprise you, because it goes against popular wisdom), we should not need to stretch excessively. Excessive tightness is telling you something, and stretching may help it feel better, but will not take care of the problem.

Remember, there’s a certain part of tightness in muscles that is required to be fast and powerful, to have strength. The classic analogy is a rubber band. If you stretch a rubber band too far, it loses its elasticity and becomes useless. We want the rubber band taut and snappy. It’s the same with how we want our muscles. They store energy and act as springs to release energy. That’s power and speed. That’s healthy.

Once and for all, we need to stop thinking of strength in terms of how much we can lift, how hard we can work, how quickly we can get through this circuit, or working so hard we lose form. Instead, we need to focus on equilibrium by activating dormant muscles, and creating neuromuscular pathways to help fire more muscles. Stop thinking that a strong core is an end in and of itself. Instead, think about how we activate our core during movement and running. The same can be said of our feet, calves, hamstrings, quads, and arms.

Athleticism is many things that come together at once. It’s about moving well and efficiently. It is about controlling this movement through an awareness of what your body is doing in space and action, and how its individual parts are working together. Through strength training, we create stability and equilibrium among these individual parts, allowing them to work seamlessly, powerfully, with one another, to achieve your goals as an athlete and as a healthy runner.

Now, you want to see athleticism, true strength. Take a look at a climbers. Watch how they use leverage, balancing from one side of their body to the other, always aware of where they are, where they’re going. They’re precise in their movements, yet still at ease, actively realizing that perfect balance of power and relaxation. Pound for pound, inch for inch, climbers can boast of being the strongest, most efficient, and most balanced athletes on the planet. They are pure, lean power incarnate, able to harness anaerobic capabilities with aerobic endurance. That’s what we want to build for you from the ground up, and I mean that literally.

- The Cool Impossible: Chapter 3 - True Strength

Today's plan was for a nice, easy road run from home.  I set out with good motivation and about 90 seconds into it, just around the corner from home,  I stopped.  All that great motivation had blown out of me like the snow cannons blasting for avalanches in the winter.  I decided to walk and try to find some reason just to bag the run.  Ah, let me check, I bet my legs are tired.  Hmmm, nope, they actually feel great after 3 days in the mountains and over 10,000 feet of elevation gain, and heart rate is perfect and responsive too.  I am dehydrated, darn, just spent all morning and early afternoon procrastinating my run to catch-up on my hydration from yesterday's 2.5 hr run in the heat.

No excuses there, so I will just run up the hill to the main road and turn left rather than my usual right and just do the 2 mile loop back to home.  That's it, something is better than nothing, right?  So I tell my athletes anyway.  I get half way up the short hill and start walking again.  Ah, I have forced so many of these runs over the last 20 years, I can just turn around and go home. This road run is just not as exciting as running up Death Canyon tomorrow.  What good will this run do anyway.  The family is gone getting flowers, I promised myself no more 24/7 coaching, and the lawn is mowed - no run guilt to grab a hold of when I needed it!

Well, ok, ultra mode, I will walk to the top of the hill then turn around. And well, it is 70 degrees out and blue skies, the kind of day I visualize on those minus 20 degree days in February, so let me try running again.  I actually did feel great and the 360 degree view of snow capped mountains didn't suck either.  The Valley landscape was alive and so too now was my running. I decided I was not going to force anything and just run and let it happen.  The purpose of this run was to get some consistent turn over and leg speed on the road after my 3 days on trails.  Before long my stride was smooth as silk and even better, my brain was firing and I was in the flow.  Without realizing it, I had settled into the pace I had planned to hold for this run and felt my form coming together, when you should be tired, but you feel great.  When you least expect it, running rewards you!

And as I turned onto the bike path for the last 2 miles of my run I could feel the emotion and adrenaline hit my back, stronger than the tale wind I now had, blowing me even faster and more effortless, like the last two miles of an epic race.  The week's thoughts flooded into my brain.  Thoughts of how two of my athletes raced to first place wins, both course records.  Thoughts of the emails I had received from folks who have read The Cool Impossible.  Like Ken from Texas, who booked a red eye flight to visit and run with me in NYC and will now start training for the Pikes Peak marathon.  Or David, who at 33 years old, plans to quit smoking, start running, and make serious changes in his life for his Cool Impossible.

I was now finishing this run like it was some major run accomplishment for me.  My 5 mile planned run turned into 9 miles and I can still visualize running on the bike path, tree lined on both sides with the Grand Teton framed in the distance.  Like a tunnel, I could hear the mountains yell, "These these these are are are the days days days that make make you you bet bet ter ter!"

This this this is is running joy joy joy!