Although the title of this book and many of the stories in it are about high elevation endurance athletics, this is a book for any and every endurance athlete looking to improve their aerobic fitness. It breaks down the physiology of fat and glucose metabolism, zone training, suggested training plans, and a comparison of the three authors' own approaches. The athlete stories are fantastic.
Favorite Quote(s)
"The only ones who hate long, slow, aerobic capacity-building runs and skis are those who have never known what it feels like to sail up the mountain, nose to the wind, with ease." ~ p. 12
"Smart training needs to be targeted at enhancing specific metabolic processes rather than the popular, but misguided, method of going as hard as you can, for as long as you can, as often as you can." ~ p. 12
Key Takeaways
- You will never maximize your endurance potential without first maximizing your basic aerobic capacity. Everything else is built on top of that base.
- Capacity training (building your engine) should come before utilization training (race-specific work). Kilian Jornet's massive work capacity is the product of decades of aerobic base building, not shortcuts.
- A strong anaerobic stimulus actually blunts aerobic adaptation. Going hard too often works against the base you're trying to build.
- Train by heart rate zones, not by feel or ego. Most athletes run their easy days too hard and their hard days not hard enough.
- Progress training load gradually. Sudden jumps in volume or intensity are the fastest way to injury, not fitness.
- There's no one-size-fits-all plan. Training history, goals, age, and available time all change what the right plan looks like for you.