Why I’m Using the StairMaster Intentionally

(for Elevation and Distance)

Training for Epona 100 has already asked me to think differently about what “good training” looks like.

This isn’t just a race about elevation. It’s a race about distance sustained movement over a very long time, often uphill, often at a hike, and often when the legs are already tired. Preparing for that kind of effort means thinking beyond miles alone.

That’s where the Stairmaster comes in.

Not as punishment.
Not as a shortcut.
And definitely not as a replacement for running.

I’m using it intentionally as a way to support both the climbing demands and the distance demands of Epona 100. It is also super helpful as a means to gain quick elevation as I am sort of far from some hills.

A hundred miles asks a lot of the body especially when you’re running three days a week and want to stay healthy enough to keep training consistently. The Stairmaster allows me to accumulate time on legs and vertical effort without adding more impact miles. That matters, because durability isn’t built by cramming in more running at all costs it’s built by managing load intelligently over time.

Epona’s distance means that efficiency matters. A lot. Much of the climbing will be done at a steady hike, not a run. The Stairmaster lets me practise exactly that: upright posture, controlled steps, steady breathing, and patience. It’s rehearsing the kind of movement I’ll rely on deep into the race, when pacing and restraint matter more than speed.

There’s also a practical reality to distance training: recovery. Every extra mile has a cost. Using the Stairmaster helps me build endurance and climbing strength while protecting my calves, achilles, knees, and overall energy so I can still show up well for my key running days. It supports the long game.

I approach it the same way I approach long outdoor climbs:

• tall posture

• slow, deliberate steps

• light hands

• effort I could hold for a long time

It’s not glamorous. It’s not about chasing sweat or suffering. But it’s specific, and specificity is what long-distance races demand.

As a Black woman in endurance sport, I’m also aware of the unspoken pressure to prove legitimacy by doing the most; more miles, more pain, more extremes. I’m not interested in that narrative. Choosing smarter tools doesn’t make the challenge smaller. It makes the preparation more sustainable.

Distance running, especially at this scale, rewards consistency far more than bravado.

The Stairmaster gives me a way to build endurance when terrain, weather, or recovery calls for something different. It allows me to keep stacking meaningful work without breaking myself in the process. And it reinforces something I believe deeply: you don’t earn long-distance success by destroying your body you earn it by respecting it.

This is still about risk over regret.
But it’s not about recklessness over wisdom.

Epona 100 isn’t asking me to arrive exhausted from training. It’s asking me to arrive prepared with legs that know how to keep moving, uphill and forward, for a very long time.

And if that means some of the work happens indoors, step by step, with intention, I’m more than comfortable with that.

This post is part of my ongoing Epona 100 series, where I’m sharing not just what I’m doing, but why the thinking behind the choices, the trade-offs, and the lessons along the way.

For you:

How do you balance distance, intensity, and recovery in your own goals?

Where could doing less impact actually help you go further?

Thank you for coming along for the ride (and climb :)