Hiking 101

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

I was scheduled to meet with Val Parker for a dinner at the Wright Place, which could only mean I’d be eating a juicy burger and probably some other fat item as a side.  I had only an hour to spend exercising before meeting with her and decided it was too little to bother with the bike.  I suited up for a hike and headed for the park.

Hiking 25 miles a day for five days is a little over two months away and I’ve done virtually nothing to prepare for it.  I made a decision that I’d take one day a week to walk long distances, throw in a couple of short ones at other times and let my cycling conditioning carry me the rest of the way.  It wasn’t a perfect plan, but considering a limited amount of training time, it would have to do.

I started fast and felt like breaking into a jog, but controlled myself and hiked for a little over an hour in a humid, wooded park.  It wasn’t much of a conditioner as such, but it would begin the process of preparing the walking muscles and the feet for what was coming.  More importantly, I’d made it part of the routine mentally.  Once I do that and lock in, I’m good to go. 

I’m planning to meet with John on Friday and walk ten miles of the Ohio Erie Canal.  It will be the first excursion on the path I’ll be following for 120 miles in two short months and I want to get a look at what’s available for that trek.  I’m trying to be a good ‘Leave No Trace’ person and follow the first and most important principle…Plan and Prepare.   I’ve got much to do and so little time…

Hike duration:  60 minutes.

Training Heart Rate:  90 bpm.

Calories burned during workout:  350.