Just one week until my next big ultra – the Sangre de Cristo 50-miler in the Colorado mountains. Average altitude: 10,000 feet, with 10,000 feet of elevation gain and loss. Why? Reasons.

Last year’s Indian Creek 55K (7,000-8,000 ft) with my niece Robin turned out fine, so naturally I signed up for a longer race at a higher altitude this year. No good resting on one’s laurels, you know.

Somehow finishing a race makes you think another one is a good idea.

So people ask me, “Jeff, how do you train for an ultra race at that altitude when you’re from Michigan?”

Until recently, I would simply shrug my shoulders and say it was an ancient Chinese secret. But now, at last, I’m ready to reveal to the world exactly how I prepared. The main reason being that until last year I’d never run a race in the mountains, so I didn’t know, either.

So what have I actually done to prepare? Many things, including a couple I never imagined, let alone share them with you all. But here we go.

The first was hiking above 12,000 feet in July to see how my body and lungs held up, the result of which I captured in a previous blog post. I learned some good lessons, the principal one being not to wear old shoes. So the next thing was to get some new ones.

At the TPK Debauchery 50K I tried out the Hoka Speedgoat GRX, which have good grip but aren’t too bulky. With them I wear Injinji toe socks, with an extra liner over them to further reduce friction from my feet moving around. They worked really well at the 50K, so I’m confident they’ll work in Colorado.

I also invested in a roomier running vest. The Salomon Skin 12 got rave reviews, so I traipsed to my local REI and got one. So far I’ve used it on an 11-mile training run and the aforementioned 50K, and frankly, I’m not really happy with it. It feels heavy on me. That could be due to warm days both times. Hoping it will work better in cooler weather. I do like the trail pole quiver, though.

I also tried the two 17-ounce soft flasks that came with the vest. After my first run using them I called my wife. “I think I finally appreciate what it must be like to have boobs,” I told her. They jiggle and shift while I’m running, just like they’re part of my chest. I’m not a fan. Whether I’ll use them in Colorado is undecided still.

Man! I do NOT want to feel like a woman.

Finally, I’m training my lungs for higher altitude (i.e. lower oxygen levels) by using a device called the POWERbreathe Plus. This compact torture device is something you breathe through after setting a variable resistance level. 30 inhalations per day, twice. There is apparently some good evidence that it strengthens your breathing muscles, allowing for stronger performance at altitude. I’m doing my best. But given its resistance range is 0-10 and I’m maxing out at level 1, I’ve got some work left to do.

I find your lack of faith disturbing.

And now, after months of anticipation, it’s actually race week! Off to Colorado we will go, and Robin and I will knock this one out. She’s been training hard, too, completing her first 50-miler (Pikes Peak Ultra) this summer, and doing other hard mountain stuff too. I’ll try not to slow her down too much.