The physical demands of this trip surprised me. I honestly thought I was in much better shape than that. The flight exhausted me, maybe because of the time difference and that I got very little sleep. Most of our days were long with early starts and days filled with activities. It took a toll on me.
Prior to the trip I was feeling so confident with my morning workouts. I was strong on the stair stepper, I was enjoying my yoga, and my breathing had become much stronger during my Wim Hoff exercise. I was feeling I could tackle any of the trails thrown my way. I was so excited to attempt Mount Healy.
Mount Healy kicked my butt before I was halfway up. Those inclines had me stopping to catch my breath every few minutes. I felt like I was an old couch potato that hadn't exercised in years. I was so discouraged and disheartened. How would I ever get in shape to take on the EBC trek? I guess I need to remind myself that I only started exercising less than four months ago. I hadn't hiked in over two months prior to the trip due to the summer heat. I am pushing 65 years old and it will take longer to get in shape. But the doubts are planted in my brain now. I know how hard it is going to be to get in the kind of shape I will need to be in to successfully complete the EBC trek.
We did walk the distances most days that I will need to do on EBC. We did a few with some minor inclines and I did great. But the inclines that are on EBC, plus the high altitude, well it's a whole another challenge. When I first arrived back home I was on the verge of giving up my EBC dream. I then struggled feeling wretched for the first week home and skipped my workouts. But then I started seeing the posts on social media and the pictures taken along the trek. Oh I want to see that... I want to be there.... I want to achieve that goal. So this week I returned to the early morning workouts. Yoga is going well, A few stiff muscles that don't want to stretch. The first day of Wim Hoff was a bit tough but day 2 went great. Stair stepper was a few steps back from where I was before the trip, but I'm sure in a week or two I'll be back up where I was and increasing the count. The forecast for this Sunday morning is a low in the 60's so I am heading back to the trails. My goal is three Sundays a month on the trails no matter the weather. I can't wait.
While it has been a rough time emotionally and physically I am ready to get back on track and trek!
Coastal Trail in Anchorage
Savage River Trail (my favorite)
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