[Luke Nelson]

Luke Nelson on October 29, 2020 at 10:43 am · in reply to: Training on “work days” with physical job #46395

Nick,
I can totally relate to this situation. I work as a PA and twice a week I first assist in spine cases. Typically these days are 12-14 hours, similar to your shifts. They can be exhausting. Scott mentioned that they certainly don’t make you fitter, but can absolutely add to your fatigue. There are a handful of things that I do to help reduce the impact of these days. Here are a couple that I have found to be pretty effective for in the OR: compression socks and/or compression tights on really long days, if your hospital allows invest in your own lightweight lead (the one I wear is 11 pounds and cost around $400), if possible in between cases or on breaks I spend 5-10 minutes laying on the floor with my feet on the wall above me, get off your feet whenever possible, even if it is for a minute or two at a time it adds up.

As far as training on those big work days, I have found it pretty challenging to get in any hard efforts on those days. I do find that I can get in some easy running or cycling in the morning before work, most commonly this has been commuting to the hospital from home on foot or via bike. For me that is about 7 miles each way and the easy effort in the morning doesn’t crush me during work. An easy spin on the bike for 30 minutes or so after those long days seems to be pretty beneficial for harder training the next day. Normatech boots have been a huge benefit for me. I use them in between cases when there is enough time, and have found that a 15 minute session after a long day in the OR can freshen the legs up enough to feel decent enough to get in a good workout.

The hardest part of the situation we are in is finding the right balance of work and training. Scott has done a wonderful job of teaching me that it is ok to skip a workout if you are crushed after work. You know it is going to be 3 days a week, plan your hard sessions around those days, and figure out what you can or can’t do on work days without impacting the quality sessions on non-work days. Also, make sure you prioritize time with your family!

[Luke Nelson]

Luke Nelson on February 29, 2020 at 5:38 pm · in reply to: Return after Melanoma #39044

Hey crw5074,
I can certainly understand how you are feeling. Last July I discovered a lesion on my scalp that was melanoma. It required a wide incision and some down time after. I struggled quite a lot in the time immediately after the procedure as I ruminated over the worst case scenario. Fortunately my margins are came back clear and at 39, the prognosis is excellent. I imagine your situation is also similar. I’ve done an extensive amount of research and had multiple consults with my board certified dermatologist and the long term outlook is very good. Of course we both need to be cognizant of sun exposure, but with proper protection I am confident that both of us can continue to have long lives full of outdoor adventure. I’ll certainly be using good physical sunscreen, like the products made by AllGood, and avoiding getting sunburnt whenever possible. At the end of the day, regardless of a small chance of recurrence, I’ll be choosing to live a life fulfilled by time in the mountains and hope you are able to do the same. As a matter of fact I am replying to your thread from a tea house in Nepal! I wish you a speedy recovery and hope to see you on the trails!

[Luke Nelson]

Luke Nelson on December 20, 2019 at 10:00 pm · in reply to: How to log ski patrol hours? And ideas for avoiding overtraining? #34756

Caya you are asking a great question. Working as a ski patroller can be very physically demanding. I don’t patrol full time but do patrol 2-3 days a week during the season. Figuring out how to train for objectives beyond patrolling takes a lot of thought, planning and willingness to throw the plan out the window if you are too tired to hit the other parts of your training plan. What I do is to try to balance my week so that I am doing easier aerobic training on the days I patrol and have ample time between those days and intensity or interval training. The toll of patrolling needs to be accounted for, and often it will be almost all zone 1 work. If you are unsure wear a HR strap and monitor your output for a few days of patrolling to get an idea. Perhaps the most important piece of advice would be to be honest with how tired you are, or aren’t, when deciding whether to train in addition to your work day. If you can plan a week based off weather forecasts or anticipated high/low customer days you can sketch out a rough plan. Be thoughtful. Be flexible. I’m happy to get more specific if you have questions about your training.

[Luke Nelson]

Luke Nelson on February 25, 2018 at 9:24 pm · in reply to: Mountain Running Questions #8265

James, do you have a goal time or an estimate of how long it will take? Typically for shorter events, say less than 6 hours I shoot for 200 calories an hour. For longer events I try for closer to 300 for the first half or so, then often decrease around 200 as the event goes on. I do this mostly based of experience with how my stomach reacts the longer the I run, particularly if running faster paces. What you will really want to do is practice during your longer training runs to make sure the strategy works well.

[Luke Nelson]

Luke Nelson on February 14, 2018 at 3:09 pm · in reply to: Mountain Running Questions #8103

James,
I have experience with a lot of races that require mandatory kits. So let me chime in here. They are very particular about the jacket having taped seams. From what I have experienced with races like the Skyrace you are doing is that not only do you want to be able to meet the requirements but you will very likely be wearing the jacket for part of the race. It is worth investing in a good shell that will actually work for running, and meet the requirements out there. There are many good options but I would highly recommend the Patagonia Stormracer It is 170g and great for running in crap weather, packs small too. I can share that this jacket was developed and tested by myself and Jeff Browning who needed a great shell for mandatory kit races. Another option, although much pricier is the Arcteryx Norvan SL.

I am happy to help with any other kit questions you have. I spent a lot of time tweaking my kit to as light and functional as possible.

[Luke Nelson]

Luke Nelson on December 7, 2017 at 1:20 pm · in reply to: Heart Rate on Hills #7045

John,
Scott is correct with his comments. I wanted to add that with the goal of the run being zone 1 you are working on your aerobic capacity. If your aerobic capacity is not enough to handle hills in that workout without heart rate going up too much you need to focus on easier terrain to build it. As your capacity grows you will be able to handle more varied terrain within the heart rate parameters.

Luke

[Luke Nelson]

Luke Nelson on September 28, 2017 at 9:04 am · in reply to: How to train when sport-specific training is not possible #6219

Birey,
I have used a couple of versions of classic roller skis in the past. I think they are very good for sport specific drylands training. I would consider how seriously you want to prepare for your objectives, and if you are very serious about be well prepared they are a good option. The ones you mention from V2, I have a pair, and they work really well. I actually mounted them with a tech toe and use my ski mountaineering boots with them. I think is probably unnecessary, but I wanted to get my feet trained to being in my boots while I was training to make the transition to snow easier. I tried them on a few non-paved roads and they did not work too well unless the road was very firm and had little to know loose gravel. The biggest reason for going with the 3 wheeled version was the brake option. This allowed me to train on hills around the city, a little urban skimo. I often training very early or very late at night to limit my exposure to traffic and found the training to be very effective.

[Luke Nelson]

Luke Nelson on June 7, 2017 at 2:59 pm · in reply to: What comes next? #5117

Jason,
I am also super stoked to hear that you are enjoying the plan. I think you will really enjoy the preparation when you start tackling your planned goals. In regards to your question, what’s next really depends on you and what you hope to accomplish. I typically take a small break from structured running once a year for 3-4 weeks at the end of the running season and then start building again. You will need to consider your goals for next year and for the years that follow. The 20 week training plan will give you some of the tools you would need to build programming on your own, or you could consider getting more specific with a more detailed or custom training plan.

I know that there are lifetime’s worth of objectives, races or link-ups that could be done, and once you decide what you want to accomplish you can certainly determine what you need to do to get there.

I find it very helpful to have several layers of goals regarding performance in the mountains to keep engaged in training and to keep stoke high. Similar to what Steve mentioned regarding Alex, I think about the next project during or sometimes before the current project is done. For example, I am preparing for a large link-up in Colorado this fall. I am using two smaller, but significant objectives in Idaho and Utah to test fitness and to put in long days in similar terrain. Part of this preparation is also serving as a base for running Hardrock next summer (if the lottery gods are kind), as well as a similarly difficult multi-day mountain link up next fall.

These multiple goals or objectives keep me on track and focused.

I wish you the best in the next 7 weeks of training and in trying to determine where and what you will attempt next.

Luke Nelson

[Luke Nelson]

Luke Nelson on May 19, 2017 at 9:19 am · in reply to: Shoe Rec #4944

jobois- I would check out a the La Sportiva Akasha. It has a lot of cushion and protection like a Hoka, but it is a bit closer to the ground and more stable.

[Luke Nelson]

Luke Nelson on January 3, 2017 at 6:37 pm · in reply to: Skimo muscular endurance- specificty #3839

Vegarye,
You bring up some good questions here. In regards to balancing the harder workouts I think the bottom line is to make sure that you are focusing each workout on quality. Easy, aerobic volume needs to be easy, below AET and that is what makes it quality. The harder intensity workouts need to be hard, quality here means hitting good solid intervals, or prolonged tempos.

Specifically about the ME workouts, they should absolutely be regarded as High Intensity. If done correctly they may not stress the cardio system, but will crush your legs. You will need a couple of good recovery workouts after in order to recovery. Always choose quality over quantity, junk miles are exactly that, junk.

It might be worth considering a phone consult with Scott to further clarify and help create a more specific program for meeting your big goal this spring. I am amazed at how much better my training has gone with his guidance and mentoring.

[Luke Nelson]

Luke Nelson on January 1, 2017 at 8:33 pm · in reply to: Skimo muscular endurance- specificty #3828

Vegarye,

From my perspective it looks like are doing several things right. I am not sure that spending focused time in zone 3 is going be helpful as that tends to be not hard enough to be a great training stimulus and too hard to be a recovery workout. I would suggest dropping the intensity there and increasing the intensity on your interval day to get more in the 4-4+ zone.

As far as the muscular endurance, you should check out the article in training about muscular endurance and see how it makes sense to apply it (https://uphillathlete.com/vertical-beast-mode-what-is-muscular-endurance-why-it-is-important-for-any-alpinist-or-mountaineer-and-how-do-you-train-it/) Part of what you are trying to accomplish may be met with training on heavier equipment, but the load is probably not enough to fully reach your potential.

Good luck in your racing and adventures,
Luke

[Luke Nelson]

Luke Nelson on November 13, 2016 at 6:00 pm · in reply to: How to balance climbing and running #3433

Mullet,

I can appreciate your conundrum. I have spent the last 8 years heavily focused on running, with some sport climbing mixed in on occasion, as well as a bunch of peak scrambling up to easy 5th class. I am certain that if you focus heavily on running that your climbing will suffer some. They are both very specific in the metabolic demands required to reach highest potential. It sounds like defining what you would like to accomplish with climbing and running will help you determine what training should look like. If you want to go from climbing 5.10 sport routes to climbing 5.12-13 then you would probably have to have the majority of training focusing on climbing. I think it is possible to have good running fitness and good climbing fitness, but it will be challenging to be great at both at the same time. I would suggest some periodization in focus. Take several months to focus on climbing, maintain a couple of runs a week for cardio fitness and to keep the joints/tendons appropriately stressed for running. Once you have achieved the goals you are after in climbing, shift the focus to an equal balance of both or perhaps to running. Your sharp-end climbing fitness will decline, but not immediately and not dramatically as long as you maintain some climbing during the running training.

I am working on a bit of the same right now, trying to get a bit stronger at climbing while maintaining running fitness. I am taking the approach, with Scott’s guidance, to use climbing as more of a strength training tool and not just climbing to get stronger at climbing. Right now I am including two climbing sessions a week in my training. One focused on bouldering and the other on climbing routes. My overall goals rely more heavily on endurance fitness so training focus has to be a majority of endurance. I have seen good progress in climbing by climbing more regularly than in the past. I think in order to see full potential I would need to shift the focus almost entirely from endurance training and go through a rigorous climbing training for several months.

Luke

[Luke Nelson]

Luke Nelson on November 6, 2016 at 8:56 pm · in reply to: How to train when sport-specific training is not possible #3383

Hey Shep and Mariner_9, you are bringing up a really good question. Of course the best way to train for mountain sports is the application of those sports. When you live in a place where access is limited you’ll need to get creative. The strength training that you mentioned is right on, but I think there is a little more you could add. I would say that including bounding workouts would be a good way to do a little more muscle specific work for skinning. Scott has a video in the resources section on bounding, it’s on the second page of videos. Another consideration could be roller-skis. I used roller ski training in the shoulder season to get ready for Ski mountaineering races. The classic style skis do a pretty decent job of mimicking that ski motion, and if you live somewhere with paved bike paths or similar you can “skin” for miles!