Six Months to Multi-Stage Readiness 
featuring TPU veteran Jess Kolko
When the countdown timer ticks down to six months, it’s time to start training, says Jess Kolko, a veteran of the 2017 Trans-Pecos Ultra.
That six-month milestone for TPU is April 20, 2018. If you haven’t signed up yet, make the leap and get serious about preparation. If you’re already registered, it’s time to get down to business.
Jess is a seasoned endurance athlete, with multiple finishes in ultras and Ironmans. As a professional dietician, she knows bodies and their requirements. This month, she’s my go-to for a complete picture of multi-stage readiness.
1. Just Dig It
For physical training, Jess followed a typical ultra marathon training schedule, stacking long runs on consecutive days, and using a rhythm of 3 weeks of increasing intensity followed by 1 week of recovery. Later in the summer, she began running with her weighted pack for more specific training.
On PT, Jess advises: Dig it. Enjoy the routine and habit of training. Weave it into your life. Run a few miles to the gym for your weight workout, then enjoy running home on fatigued legs. Think up new ways to integrate extra miles into your daily schedule. Make it a pleasure.
Jess also recommends that you not skimp on strength training. TPU isn’t flat and you’ll be glad you powered through your squats and lunges during training.
2. Gearheading
The whole strategy for gear is to get the lightest you can afford. After all, you’re going to be carrying it on your back for a week. In fastpacking gear, you pay for every ounce you save; the less to weigh, the more you pay. If you love numbers, you’ll enjoy comparing tech specs on all sorts of packs, bags and mats. Check the TPU blogs for posts that compare some of the most in-demand items.
Jess reported that she did take her smartphone, but kept it turned off except to take pictures. Since there is no way for athletes to recharge devices, and there is no cell reception in Big Bend anyway, it’s a tossup whether the weight of a phone is worth it for the week.
She also reported that she slept well each night in the tent with only the help of silicone earplugs.
Jess was very intentional about planning nutrition, though not quite as detailed as some others (see interview with Travis Ralph, an Army Special Ops veteran, for a view of mega-intentional planning). As a vegan, she planned carefully for protein needs and potential “palate fatigue.” Her favorite go-to foods were ProBars and Justin’s Nut Butters. When she told me that she consumed everything she packed for the week, I knew she’d done good planning. She didn’t overpack, and she didn’t get too tired of any one food to leave it.
3. Mental Fitness
TPU ain’t easy. It can be hot, the terrain is often rugged, and there are enough different species of cactus for a botanist’s dissertation. Jess remembered one afternoon on the trail, finishing up an already long day, when she encountered a dry river bed with soft, unstable sand, the kind that makes you feel like you’re running in place. She’d thought she was close to the end of the trail by then, and such an obstacle made the day seem like it would never end. That’s when mental fitness pays off.
Mental fitness is built when an athlete pushes forward on fatigued legs, sets strict limits on rest periods, completes workouts in adverse conditions.
For both physical and mental fitness, running on tired legs is Jess’s best tip. It strengthens your legs, builds staying power and gives you the confidence of doing more than you thought you could.
The payoff is huge. Jess calls TPU an “amazing life-changing experience,” primarily because it gave an already highly accomplished endurance athlete the confidence to believe that there is nothing she can’t do. She’ll take that confidence into more fastpacking trips, possibly a solo.
The greatest gift of TPU, according to Jess, is the week of utter simplicity, when there is nothing that needs to be done besides run, eat and enjoy. The TPU race organization is very adept at providing everything to allow the athletes to immerse themselves fully in the experience. The stress of life falls away as you have nothing to do but the very things you love the most.
To those pondering TPU who have not yet registered, Jess says the race transplants you into an amazing other-worldly universe. Come experience the wonder and awe of a Big Bend vacation! Explore our website, talk to our race director, read our blog. Then register for the adventure of a lifetime!
Register at: http://trans-pecosultra.com/registration-details and check for group and military discounts, as well as payment options.
You can talk directly to the Race Director, Chris Herrera at 432.294.5284 or email him at [email protected].
Explore the magic of Trans-Pecos Ultra at: http://trans-pecosultra.com/photos-and-videos/
Many thanks to Jess Kolko for her willingness to share her experience and expertise!
