The Leadville Double: Big Day Out
Workout - The Leadville Double: Big Day Out
- 10min @ 6'30''/km
- 24.0km @ 5'05''/km
- 10min @ 6'30''/km
- 1.6km @ 6'30''/km
- 25min @ 5'45''/km
- 1.6km @ 7'00''/km
to import the workout after you install it.
Intro
Seth James DeMoor’s The DRONE RUNS with You! offers a compelling approach to altitude training — here’s what we took away and how to adapt it for your own running. Watch the full video to explore Seth’s complete methodology and insights.
Key Points
- Training at higher elevations (above Denver’s altitude) strengthens aerobic capacity; Seth demonstrates this in his recent Q&A, explaining how the thinner air environment works to your advantage.
- The session combines both distance work and targeted hill training on the same day, showing how to structure back-to-back workouts effectively.
- Content creation alongside training: Seth filmed the entire session using a Skydio 2 drone, demonstrating that you can productively gather footage while putting in quality training time.
Workout Example
Morning Long Run
- Distance: 15 miles
- Pace: 8:15 min/mile (steady, controlled intensity appropriate for altitude work)
Afternoon Hill Session
- Distance: 3 miles
- Structure: Warm-up followed by uphill pickups (repeating surges up a steep gradient) sustained for around 25 minutes. Hill repeats build muscular strength and explosive power. Pace varies by individual; run hard on climbs and recover on flatter sections. For a more complete breakdown of interval design and periodization, check out our article Mastering Interval Training: Science-Backed Workouts and How a Smart App Can Personalize Them.
- Optional: Place a drone on a tripod and run a roughly 800 m loop repeatedly to document your work with time-lapse capture.
Practical Tips
- Request a late morning checkout (10 am or later) to maximize recovery sleep before starting your long run.
- At altitude, maintain easier paces and let the environment do the conditioning work for you.
- Pair training with filming: position a camera or drone, run short repeated routes, and collect usable footage during the session.
Closing Note
Test this altitude-based two-session format for yourself. While it’s designed around general aerobic development, the framework adapts well across different goals. Whether you’re targeting Mastering 5K Speed: Proven Interval Strategies to Cut Minutes off Your Time or building volume for a longer race via Mastering the 10K: Proven Training Plans, Pace Strategies, and How a Smart App Can Elevate Your Performance, adding strength-focused hill work remains essential. Scale the distances and paces to match your current fitness using the Pacing app, and take in the views as you work. Enjoy your run.
References
- The DRONE RUNS with You! - YouTube (YouTube Video)