It’s time to ratchet things up for hiking in the Adirondacks. At least that’s what my logic tells me. I always want to go there in better shape than I was in on the previous trip and in better shape than any of my travel companions. I’m a lot older than the group I’m taking up on Labor Day weekend and feel I need to make allowances for those 30-plus years. I don’t know if it makes sense to anyone else…but then I’ve really never let that concern me before.
I started with a though Survival Workout that would eventually include 20 sets of the next 75 minutes. I mixed in some karaoke up my favorite hill, did some extra core work and added in my first set of pull-ups since the cortisone shot three weeks ago. I figured it was about time to find out the status of my elbow and the push-ups were probably the safest move I could make to test it. I did it as the last set and was so exhausted by the extra squats, push-ups and overhead presses, that I could only manage six. Still, it was enough to find out that my elbow didn’t hurt…a very good initial sign.
Once home, I continued my manic ways by climbing the ladder to do more window frame painting and gutter cleaning. After that, I edged the lawn and flower gardens and cut the grass I haven’t needed to cut in two months due to the drought. Holly had talked about walking in the park when I finished, but when she reneged, I figured I needed it anyway and grabbed Dakota for the hike. We went off-trail the whole way, making our way down and onto the marsh, which was sorely in need of some water. We were able to walk almost all the way across it before running into small puddles of what little water remained. I decided to hike the entire perimeter to see if there was any point where I could cross all the way, and to see if I could spot the eagle I kept hearing. I made the trek, but never found the eagle. It was tough hiking and by the time I made my way back to the car, we’d been gone 90 minutes and I’d broken a heavy sweat. I like doing the off-trail hiking because it tests the knee in ways that trail hiking can’t. I’m constantly climbing over logs, jumping down from things and walking on uneven surfaces…much like the Adirondacks and the conditions that led to the meniscus tear last spring. I’m trying to put myself through back to back tests of different intensities to make sure the knee is solid before Labor Day. So far…so good.
Survival Workout: 70 minutes. Hike Duration: 90 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100-150 for SW and 80 hiking.
Calories burned during workout: 650 for SW and 450 hiking.
No comments:
Post a Comment