Keep Conditioning Creative!

Like the gym everyday? Nah, me either.  Is today a chest day or a bicep day?  Oh crap, it's neither, its a cardio day.  Hey that person was here yesterday.  The gym smells like it does everyday.  That attendant always asks to see my membership card.  Ugh, my playlist is getting old too.

I think what had discouraged me from being fit in the past is how mundane it can tend to get.  I worked out just to be able to make it through my workout.  I've learned about myself that to stay motivated, I need variety, and smaller goals.

This year, I'll be training for the CPAT, Tough Mudder, Bolder Boulder, and hiking.  They all require different things from my body, and thus different conditioning.  Can you imagine a training schedule that limits you to 30 minutes of cardio 3 times of week, chest/tricep exercises twice per week, and shoulders back and biceps twice per week? Blaaaaaaahhhhhh....zzzZzzzz...

CPAT:  Mainly requires upper body strength and excellent cardio as it is a test that asks you to meet certain objectives in under 10 minutes.  BUilding muscle mass has been the objective for training for this.

BOLDER BOULDER:  Once the CPAT is done, training focus is shifted to the 10k race, which will require me to shed all of the muscle mass I had been putting on and return to a leaner version in the matter of a month and a half.

TOUGH MUDDER:  After Bolder Boulder, hopefully the endurance will be in place, and the goal will be to put on a little more muscle mass in a month to prepare for the demands of a race 10 miles long which includes an elevation gain of 4000', and various obstacles set throughout the course.

HIKING:  Hopefully all of this will come together and put me in a good place conditioning wise to accomplish the hiking goals set forth for the year.  It's kind of my final exam I guess!

Bottom line, don't train to get through your workout at Planet Fitness.  Train for a few different things throughout the year, and force your workout to adapt.  Mind, Body and Soul will appreciate the variety!  

Lost Lake, Hessie Trail

February 19, 2012

Indian Peaks Wilderness

Hiking Party:  Aaron Dover, Amanda Harnden, Scarlet

Round Trip Distance: 5.28mi

Directions from Denver:  US Route 6 West, CO93 North to CO72 West.  Stay on CO72 West for approximately 27 miles and take a left onto Eldora Road (not marked), and be sure to stay RIGHT at the fork in the road.  You will go through the town of Eldora, and find parking where the road ends (TH).

I will start by saying that this lake is no longer lost.  We arrived at the TH at approximately 9:45, and there were already large groups of people strapping on their snowshoes and preparing to hit the trail.  Regardless, it was a great day to be outside, so I couldn't blame them!  We strapped up, and hit the trail happy to finally be outside, and out of the city.  

Heading out, knee deep with snow shoes off trail.

 The first mile was very tame, and the trail was in great shape, so we made pretty good time.  The following 1.5 miles is a climb, gaining 1000' in elevation, and a nice test after a few weeks of not being at elevation.  It gives you a good sense of your leg strength and cardio in a short, but serious climb.  The top was not as spectacular as we were reading about, but still gorgeous and plenty of snow and photo ops!  We met a local from Coal Creek who was skinning all the way up, and he recommended checking out Moffat Tunnel at some point too.

Scarlet and I at Lost Lake

Amanda and I at Lost Lake before lunch

 The way back down was all downhill and more enjoyable for sure!  There were enormous amounts of 2-leggers and 4-leggers headed up, and we both were happy to have gotten such a jump on the crowd.  Honestly, I can't remember ever seeing so many people out in the woods on one day...PACKED!  We tried out Amanda's new Garmin Forerunner watch which is really cool since it gives you all kinds of neat info such as mileage, elevation, pace, etc..here are a few screen shots of the data it captured:

Elevation Chart

Route

 It was a challenging snow shoe for us, and we liked it.  Some factors to consider are it does see heavy crowds, including copious amounts of dogs, and some motorized traffic.  The view at the end was not as spectacular as other things we have done, and was somewhat anticlimactic.  

Oh, we have developed a new rating system, and this hike is the first one to gain a rating.  It earned 3 out of 5 possible marmots.

Mental Momentum

Having a goal is great.  Not only does it provide you with motivation, it provides you with momentum.

For example, if I say to myself Hey I'd like to do a 5k this month.  Most likely, I would train for a 5k, and run a set amount of miles per week, watch my diet, watch my partying, and most likely would achieve my goal of running that 5k.

An unintended result of working towards that goal is the momentum gained along the way.  Looking back at the end of the month, I probably partied less, ate better, ran more, and proved to myself that the goal is attainable.  I have gained momentum.  The physical and mental momentum gained along the way encourages us to set the bar higher the next time around.

That said, putting your goals in writing is that much more effective.  Everyone sees them.  Everyone knows you have stated what your personal challenges are for the year.  More importantly, you see them. Every damn day! Here are my goals for 2012, in writing, for the four of us to see:

• Bolder Boulder 10k sub 50:00
• Tough Mudder Race
• Pikes Peak, Long's Peak, Mt. Lincoln, Mt. Democrat, Blanca Peak

Great Sand Dunes National Park

It has been discussed recently.  A time to wax down some beater snow sport equipment, hike to the top of the tallest....sand dune?  Yes.  A trip to one of the most unlikely parks in one of the most unlikely states.  The Great Sand Dunes National Park is approximately 3.5 hours southwest of Denver, and is nestled on the south western side of the Sangre De Cristo mountain range.  It is such an unlikely park in that 40 square miles of sand dunes appear out of nowhere as you make the drive in.  With plenty of trails for hiking, a small river that goes in front of the Dunes and 14,000 foot peaks as a backdrop, the Sand Dunes are a natural wonder.  I can hardly wait until June to get back there!