Training

[dangerdave]

Yea, the slugs are not piping in here! I fall down somewhere in the middle.

It's pretty hard to get much hiking/camping in with temps in single digits. When it's this cold, I go snowboarding, which uses the wrong muscle set for hiking. I'm currently on the treadmill every other day on it's highest incline, at 3 mph, for one hour, with squats and upper body work thrown in. In March (May 1st start), I'll start carrying my pack (25 lbs with food/water), and get back out for a few four day hikes and over-nighters. I did my shake down hikes last fall, so now all need is practice with my gear.

I'll be starting out slow on the trail. And I'm in no hurry, and for once in my life, my goals will be different. I understand the attraction of bragging rights for pack weight and miles/day. I used to be very goal oriented. This hike, my goal is to take my time and more fully appreciate the journey. And that's no criticism of anyone else's hike.

As I have been out hiking more and more, I find the mindset come about naturally.

[dudeijuststarted]

A few private lessons with a yoga instructor can protect your long range goal, especially if you've been sitting at a desk job or have had a lower body injury. Getting your hip->knee->ankle aligned and strengthened in place can reduce your risk of hike-stopping pain or injury. Sometimes chronic issues in one part of the body can be caused by misalignment or weakness in another part of the body, and show up weeks vs. days into your hike.

Not at all mandatory, just another suggestion.

[Jake2c]

Yea, the slugs are not piping in here! I fall down somewhere in the middle.

It's pretty hard to get much hiking/camping in with temps in single digits. When it's this cold, I go snowboarding, which uses the wrong muscle set for hiking. I'm currently on the treadmill every other day on it's highest incline, at 3 mph, for one hour, with squats and upper body work thrown in. In March (May 1st start), I'll start carrying my pack (25 lbs with food/water), and get back out for a few four day hikes and over-nighters. I did my shake down hikes last fall, so now all need is practice with my gear.

I'll be starting out slow on the trail. And I'm in no hurry, and for once in my life, my goals will be different. I understand the attraction of bragging rights for pack weight and miles/day. I used to be very goal oriented. This hike, my goal is to take my time and more fully appreciate the journey. And that's no criticism of anyone else's hike.

As I have been out hiking more and more, I find the mindset come about naturally.

I'm with you on this one. Part of the reason I am hiking the AT is to stop the daily goal thing. The overall goal is to finish but if I end up worrying about how far I went today or was it more than yesterday, I might as well not go at all. I will hike enough to make sure my gear is right.

[Pedaling Fool]

How's the training going? What's everyone doing? I've been walking three hours take some food n water then another three hours. Monday I will add the final three hour set which is the plan for the hike. 3h hike half hour rest 3 times a day for 10 hour days. This isn't written in stone and if it goes like this I'd be shocked but it is a rough plan

Walking on flat ground is nothing like walking in the mountains, but I guess it's better than nothing. Your time would be better spent running and working out with weights. Don't worry about cardio fitness, that's easy to build -- it's the frame that needs to be conditioned, especially the connective tissues and bones.

[Christoph]

Unfortunately, where I live it's very flat. So I'm stuck to treadmills and step up's/burpies and stuff like that. Basically I'm just trying to loose some fat here and there (ok... mostly my beer belly) so I've been running and a little core work quite a bit. On top of that, 6 days a week I'm putting the treadmill all the way up and walking fast.

[comanche8f]

How's the training going? What's everyone doing? I've been walking three hours take some food n water then another three hours. Monday I will add the final three hour set which is the plan for the hike. 3h hike half hour rest 3 times a day for 10 hour days. This isn't written in stone and if it goes like this I'd be shocked but it is a rough plan

I'm looking at pictures of hills, and then looking at my pack. I hope it's working

[Boo8meR]

Been drinking a lot of beer and making sure the smoker stayed full of some kind of pork, usually ribs or a shoulder. Trying not to do too awful much and hoping it'll get me to Maine. Of course, I just decided to do it today and will probably be leaving within 3 weeks, so...

[Laurappalachia]

Agreed Ruffdude I need to read less

[tim.hiker]

Taking the stairs at work all the time, going to the gym and working out.... always have issues with ankles getting sore tho...