New Goals

 Last Spring when I started going to the gym I had a goal of getting up to 2000 steps on the stair master. I did it earlier than my targeted date. I had it though in my head that at some point in the future I wanted to be able to do a full hour on it. Yesterday was the day I accomplished it! Pretty good since I haven't done 2000 steps on it since last September and only in recent workouts was going 1500 steps in thirty minutes. When I started my workout yesterday I told myself to go for as long as I could. I was hoping to do 2000 steps but was curious to see if I could last the full hour. I did set my pace a little slower than normal. I would usually do 55 spm, but did most of the workout at 50 spm, then 45 spm after hitting 2000. the last five minutes were a struggle but I hit 2850 steps in the hour.  

On Saturday I concentrated on the treadmill. I did seventy minutes with 53 minutes of that at 15%, a few at 12%, the remainder was warm up / cool down. That has been my best to date.

New goals are Stairmaster 3000 steps in one hour. Treadmill 55 minutes at 15% after a five minute warm-up. I need to get my -3% up to ten - fifteen minutes before a five minute cool down. So going forward I will concentrate on the treadmill on Saturdays and stair master on Sundays. Once I retire I will aim to do both workouts in a single day at least one to two days a week. 

I have had to increase my calorie intake to maintain my weight. I am enjoying that as I have put desserts back on the menu. Last week was homemade coconut milk chocolate ice cream, this week a homemade Key lime pie. Last year when I decided to cut back on meat and only eat it every other week I soon last my appetite for it and only occasionally ate some. I have now completely lost my appetite for it and just the smell of it cooking turns my stomach. I am still eating fish a few times a month, but no meat or chicken. I do still eat dairy and eggs, but not as much as in the past. I feel so much better, healthier and my digestive system is working so much better. I enjoy what I eat and am often trying new recipes. I love spicy foods so I explore cuisines from around the world. I love Korean food and Indian curries. I am also a big fan of soups and will eat them year-round. I will cook a big pot full when I make a soup and will freeze individual servings so that I always have an assortment to choose from for lunch or dinner. Maybe I should start a new blog - Vegetarian Soups! 

Have a good week everyone!

Another week nearly complete...

Another week is nearly done. They are flying by. 9 months, 19 days until retirement, not like I'm counting it down, ha ha. 

So it has been five weeks since my trip to Big Bend. I finally put together a slide show to post on YouTube of my favorite pictures.  

Big Bend 2025 Video link

I enjoy having these little videos of my adventures to look back on as the years go by. I was able to put the entire trip this time into one video and not multiples like I did after Alaska. I wonder how many I will have after Peru and then Nepal? I'll probably be weeks if not months creating the ones for Nepal after I return. I do plan at some point creating one with photos of my life, something maybe for my Memorial Service when I have passed on from this realm. 

My workouts last weekend were not great. I had spent so much time working in my yard and garden, I was pretty worn out. I did get an hour in each day and 1500 steps on the stair master. I felt it though for the first few days after. I was more exhausted on Sunday than I was after hiking the Pinnacles Trail at Big Bend. I really was not expecting that. But it has been months since I had that much yard work to do. But it is paying off as the yard is looking so much better and spring is making a strong appearance now.

Native Violets

Veg/Herb Garden Makeover

I have planted tomatoes, mixed lettuce, eggplants and peppers, this year. I have onions and asparagus that were already in the ground. Herbs are basil, fennel, sage, oregano and parsley. The black planter has rosemary which I have had since 2020. The hard work is now done so hopefully it will just be maintenance to keep it looking good and I can enjoy the rest of the spring and Summer. It is looking like we will remain in this long drought so that at least cuts back on the mowing. I have given up on having a lawn. It is just to costly and environmentally unhealthy to maintain. I'll be gradually replacing it all with native plants. 

Looking ahead to 2026 trips, in my research for Peru I think I will consider as an alternative to the Inca Trail to do the Lares Trek instead.  It crosses two passes that are higher than Dead Woman's Pass on the Inca trail, but the total elevation gain across the hikes is less and it doesn't have as many stairsteps. It doesn't go all the way to Machu Pichu, but you do continue on by bus to the site after a three day trek. Since I'll be traveling solo I will need to be flexible and join an existing group. I really want to avoid the 4 day Inca trail as I think it is just too intense for me at my age. I still prefer the 5 day Inca Trail, but my goal is to just see and spend some time in the Andes mountains. 
 

Have a good weekend. I am hoping for good weather on Sunday morning so I can get on the trails at Mother Neff State Park. The Wildflowers are starting to make their appearance!

What a difference a shoe makes...

My old athletic shoes had lost most of their bounce and cushioning. I had purchased them over six years ago ( maybe event longer than that). I never wore them a lot as I had several other pairs that I wore with different outfits. It was only after I started going to the fitness center that I wore them more frequently. I was beginning to suspect that my recurring knee pain was partly to blame by these shoes starting to wear out. So I started doing my research and thought I would look into a pair of New Balance trainers that were available in a narrow fit. But I needed to go try some on in a physical store before I ordered anything online. So last weekend when I was in Waco I ended up at Academy (not a fan of the store, but there really weren't other options). I first tried on the New Balance in a medium width ( they don't stock narrow) I did not like them at all. So I tried a Nike - nope, Asics - nope, Under Armor - nope, plus a few others. Nothing fit, or felt good on my feet. I had hoped to try on a Hoka brand as I had been reading good things about them. But they do not carry them. So I returned home empty handed and started my research a bit more intensely focused on Hoka's. I decided to order a pair from Zappos knowing that returns would be easily made. Research led me to the Clifton 9 style. It was on sale and they had a color combo that I really liked. I received them on Thursday. I tried them on and wore them around the house for a few minutes. The fit was good, they laced up without puckering up (which happens when they are too wide and I lace them to fit), they were really comfortable. My only concern was the width of the toe box, but since the heel and instep fit so well, I decided to give them a go at the gym on Saturday. 

Saturday rolled around and I headed off to the gym wearing my new Hoka's. First was the stair-master. The first few steps felt a bit awkward due to the over-sized sole. I did find my rhythm and did my 1000 steps easily. On to the treadmill... 65 minutes, 40 at 15%, 10 at -3%. I felt great. These new shoes really made a difference. On Sunday I went all in. I focused only on the treadmill (the stair-master wasn't available when I arrived). I did my five minute warmup at 3 mph at 3%, then I went right up to 15% for 55 minutes straight. No break. then 10 minutes at -3% and a 5 minute cool down. No knee or hip pain. I was just hot and sweaty. Even after returning home, I still felt great. 

I'll be keeping my Hoka's. 

The trail so far...

 I was just looking back at a post from a year ago to see how far I have come. I was struggling to do 300 steps on my Stair Stepper. That and yoga were the extent of my workouts. I am now going to the gym twice a week, doing well over 1000 steps on the Stair Master, followed by one hour on the treadmill with forty minutes of that at the 15% incline. My hikes have increased substantially in difficulty and my recovery is quick. I have no problems doing  5 to 8 mile hikes several days in a row. I've gone with just surviving 500 - 600 mile altitude gains to more easily completing hikes with altitude gains of 2000 feet. 

I am getting excited about taking on new goals of more challenging hikes. I've ten months until retirement and will probably only get to go to Manitou Springs in the Autumn before then. I will keep pushing myself at the gym and maybe do a few local hikes just to get outdoors. Oh but once I retire.... I'll either be at the gym or on the trails every day. I am already planning a trip probably next February to Guadalupe Mountains National Park with the goal of making it to the top of Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas. I will also try to get to many of the State parks that have good hiking and camping so I can keep challenging myself to do some long hikes, even if I can't get the altitude gains. 

The Inca trail in the Spring of 2026 will be my biggest challenge. It scares me. Day two across Dead Woman's Pass is unlike anything I have done. But when I look at how far I have come in the past year, I know I can be ready to take on the challenge successfully. I just need to stay focused, stay positive and know how great the reward will be to complete these challenges and more.   

     Top of Guadalupe Peak

Near the top of Dead Woman's Pass - Inca Trail

Last year on the top of the Manitou Incline with my daughter.