Starting next week, as I have for the past 3 years, I’ll be spending 8 weeks training for an awesome epic hike.
I don’t know yet what hike that will be, but in any case it’s a good idea to be ready to hit the trails before Spring break and definitely before Summer vacations begin.
In fact, now that they (“they” are the NC General Assembly) have designated 2023 to be “The Year of the Trail” in North Carolina, the trails will likely be more popular than ever.
Hikers on the Flat Top Tower Trail in Moses H Cone Memorial park on the Blue Ridge Parkway this past summer.
The big challenge from NC State Parks and Rec is for people to walk 100 miles within the coming year.
One hundred miles in a year is not really a problem for regular hikers (I usually hike ~30+ miles per week) so while all of the trails will be busier, it’s safe to say the shorter, easier, and easier to get to beginner-level trails will likely be the most crowded.
All the more reason to train up to tackle more ambitious trails, both locally and in your Bucket List locations!
The Holidays are just now winding down…
The holiday season is just now winding down, so this past week I started to focus on getting back to my normally pretty disciplined training routine.
That routine includes several hikes per week – and starting next week I’ll post the training hikes on my hiking Meetup, so you can hike with me!
And of course, there’s weight training and cardio each week, with stretching every day.
Hiking down – and up! – 820 steps at the Kaymoor Miners Trail in New River Gorge NP.
Over the next couple of weeks, along with more focused and increased physical training, I’ll also try to clean up my diet.
Because of my asthma, I’ve adopted a “clean” diet ( you can read about my Anti-Asthma Diet here ) that focuses more on protein and veggies, and less on dairy, breads and grains.
And no more Holiday cheese platters!
Motivational sign in my home gym.
Combined with intermittent fasting, this diet works pretty well for just about anyone, whether you’ve got asthma or not!
Luckily, I live within walking distance of a couple of different grocery stores, so I’ve also decided to walk to the store for smaller trips (that don’t include cat litter), and carry groceries home in my back pack.
Carrying your groceries on your back gives a whole new meaning to “eating light” 🙂
I just finished making a checklist/tracker to help everyone measure their hike progress, available now on the IRW Merch Shop! See below:
NEW: Track Your “Awesome” Progress at Home!
Track your progress towards your fitness goals!
You’ll get instructions and three printable trackers:
After all of the retailing hype we’ve already been through and is coming up soon this season –
Black Friday (and Black Friday weekend),
Small Business Saturday,
Cyber Monday (just the start of Cyber Week!),
Giving Tuesday,
…and my personal favorite – “I’m Already Broke” Wednesday, you may think you don’t have any more shopping to do, or any cash to do it with.
But if you do have more retailing to do (it’s only late November after all!), please consider some of these unique and fun gifts on the IRW Merch site!
A fun holiday tee from the IRW Holiday Collection. Click to see more!
Holiday Tee’s & Sweatshirts
Just for the holidays, these colorful and comfy designs make a great gift (or a snarky statement) at all of your Holiday gatherings!
Find snarky messages specifically for hikers, holiday themed, or any time!
A Holiday-themed sweatshirt from the IRW Merch shop. Click to see more!
See this and other holiday cell cases i the IRW Merch shop! Click to see more.
For those of you who like to change your cell covers with the season, we’ve got you covered!
A selection of festive cell covers to fit a bunch of different phones, plus some matching mouse pads, can be found in the IRW Tech Accessories collection.
A Holiday-themed jigsaw puzzle from the IRW Merch store. Click to see more!
Jigsaw puzzles are the perfect cold-weather family activity that doesn’t require learning a lot of rules, paying attention to keeping score, or even making conversation.
All you need is a puzzle and a flat surface – perhaps a festive drink – and there you go!
We’ve got several original IRW Design holiday puzzles to fill all of those activity gaps, plus more in the general collection made with photos from our favorite hikes and parks!
A T-shirt form the IRW Merch Snarky Tees collection. Click to see more!
If you don’t want Holiday-themed stuff, we’ve also got T Shirts and sweatshirts sporting the *incredibly attractive* I’d Rather Walk logo, or an amusing, inspiring or snarky message.
Messages are witty, fun, silly – but never political or crude.
You’ll probably want more than one!
Take a look at all of the collections in the IRW Merch shop to see what’s out there.
You never know what you’ll find and we’re adding more products every day 🙂
As wonderful as our original IRW Merch designs are, there’s nothing wrong with turning to the tried-and-true Amazon website.
Amazon deals are still happening!
Amazon Deals Are Still Happening
You might have noticed Disclosure notices throughout my site, especially on posts that talk about hiking gear and other household products, because I’m an Amazon affiliate.
(As such I a make a tiny, miniscule, speck of commission on any sales I make, at no cost to you. )
Holiday deals are still happening on Amazon, and you know they have just about everything and can deliver lickety-split if you need it!
Remember that you must be a member of Amazon Prime to get the Prime Free Shipping and other deals.
If you’re not a member you can sign up for a free trial today that will last you through the sale and beyond.
Remember, you can also use these Holiday discounts to update your home decor or do your Spring spruce-up shopping early!!
Find discounts for items on Idratherwalk.com gear pages!
There are some other Idratherwalk.compages about gear and other hiking stuff that feature Amazon products.
NOTE: Amazon has degraded some of their tools for importing product images, so there may be a few broken links on the product pages below.
A person’s a person no matter how small!
I haven’t had time yet to fix them all (did I mention my commission on Amazon sales is smaller than the smallest Who in Whoville?), but the text links still work and will still get you some amazing deals!
If you’ve been eyeballing something on the pages below, you should take another look to see if anything you want is on sale!
Amazon – the huge online store that sells everything on Earth and delivers it right to your front door – has a humongous sale every year that’s called Prime Day.
The annual Prime Day online shopping event is a major opportunity to nab some major bargains on everything they sell online!
Early Access Days allow Prime Members to get great deals BEFORE the usual start of Amazon Prime Days for great Holiday deals.
That said, you don’t have to use the deals for gift purchases – you can get deals on everyday things you need for your household, too, like:
NOTE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases made through my website (at no cost to the purchaser), and also get the inside skinny on sales and such.
The Prime Day sale is usually held each year in the Fall to help reduce the cost of Holiday and gifting items.
This year, Early Access Daysallow members to get an even earlier jump on things! But you need to be a Prime Member to get the savings.
Click the banner below for your free 30-day Trial:
Products all across the Amazon site are discounted for Prime members already, and new Early Access deals have been added on top of that!
Prime Early Access is Oct 11-12
I’m not a fan of conspicuous consumption, but everyone needs things for their home, their kids – and of course outdoor gear– and I am a big fan of getting quality items that you need at the best possible price!
Unless you’ve been hiding out in the backwoods off the grid somewhere – which might actually happen with some of you guys! – you’ve probably heard of Amazon Prime and Prime Day.
If you haven’t heard of it, here’s everything you need to know about Amazon Prime Day 2022, July 12-13!
Amazon – the huge online store that sells everything on Earth and delivers it right to your front door – has a humongous sale every year that’s called Prime Day.
The annual Prime Day online shopping event is a major opportunity to nab some major bargains on everything they sell online!
As an Amazon AssociateI earn from qualifying purchases made through my website (at no cost to the purchaser), and also get the inside skinny on sales and such.
The Prime Day sale is usually held each year in the Summer – to help reduce the cost of all of those back to school items.
But you need to be a Prime Member to get the savings. Click the banner below for your free 30-day Trial:
Products all across the Amazon site are discounted for Prime members already, and new product discounts will be added every day.
This year Prime Day is July 12-13
I’m not a fan of conspicuous consumption, but everyone needs things for their home, their kids – and of course outdoor gear– and I am a big fan of getting quality items that you need at the best possible price!
Mostly because when we last left our training in Week 8, I was trying to work myself back from total lameness.
And, actually, that’s going pretty well. 🙂
But, to save myself from myself, I didn’t post my usual weekend hikes on my Meetup.
Well, actually, it was to save myself from my regular hikers, who have grown to expect high-paced longer hikes from me – and I just can’t NOT do that when I’m with them!
So, instead on Saturday I did some yoga, and then joined my friend Douglas for a shorter more moderately-paced hike on the Sal’s Branch Trail in Umstead State Park.
Sal’s Branch trail is adjacent to Big Lake in Umstead State Park.
Sunday was a rainy day so I did the kickboxing (minus hi-impact) and upper body weights again.
Escape to the Beach
In an effort to do something fun, use some expiring hotel points – and still avoid hurting myself – I decided to take myself down the Coast to Myrtle Beach for a few days.
I like the beach in the Winter, when it’s less crowded and you can walk the beach for miles without suffering heat stroke 😉
This isn’t my first mid-Winter escape to the beach.
The Fountain of Youth in St Augustine is surrounded by peacocks!
Last February (when it was raining like Noah was still afloat) I drove all the way to St. Augustine, FL then made my way back up with stops at Hilton Head, and a lovely weekend visit at St Simon’s Island.
Visiting a historical cemetery on St Simon’s Island.
In this part of the world, there are many beaches to choose from – and lots of hiking and walking opportunities at each one.
I’m sure I’ll also get around to writing something about walking and hiking around Myrtle Beach soon, too 🙂
Hiking Sunset Beach, NC.
Monday I did some more kickboxing and weights, then loaded the car and hit the road!
On the way down the coast, I stopped at Bird Island on Sunset Beach, home of the famous Kindred Spirit Mailbox.
At about 2.25 miles down the beach from the 39th Street public access, I did find the mailbox.
I also found a Memorial to one of the mailbox founders, and a couple of benches.
The Kindred Spirit Mailbox and benches, about 2 miles from the last Public Beach Access.
What’s the Kindred Spirit Mailbox?
For over 35 years, a small black mailbox printed with the words “Kindred Spirit” has stood in the dunes on the shore of Bird Island, an uninhabited island at the west end of Sunset Beach, NC.
The Mailbox first appeared in 1981 on a small sandspit near Tubbs Inlet between Sunset Beach and Ocean Isle.
For a many years, visitors had to wade across Mad Inlet to Bird Island at low tide to reach the mailbox, but since then several large hurricanes changed the location of the box and the island’s surrounding waterways.
The Kindred Spirit Mailbox and bench.
Most stories say the mailbox was first put up after the Kindred Spirit saw a mirage of a mailbox on the shore during low tide.
This vision inspired them to plant a mailbox, with a communal notebook inside, so visitors could leave a message.
The mailbox caught on quickly, and many visitors used the mailbox to express their hopes and thoughts, even saving the island with their handwritten pleas.
Once a prime target for resort development, Bird Island is now a Nature Preserve operated by the State.
The original placement of the mailbox was done by Claudia Sailor -the Kindred Spirit – a woman from Hope Mills, NC.
She maintained the mailbox in secret along with Frank Nesmith (the mailbox co-founder) since its inception.
Memorial to one of the Kindred Spirit co-founders.
Sailor passed away in 2013, so local author Jacqueline DeGroot recruited a team of volunteers to help watch over the landmark.
Nesmith preserved Claudia’s life work by having the notebooks (over 30 years worth) accepted into UNCW’s William Madison Randall Library.
The collection now numbers over 500 journals, and is still growing! Each summer DeGroot brings the handwritten notes, prayers, and letters to UNCW to add to the collection.
Along with the messages that saved Bird Island, many of the personal thoughts and hopes left in the mailbox are now published on theKindred Spirit’s website.
Access Sunset Beach from the last Public Beach Access to get to the mailbox.
After a quick sit-down for some water (and nuts and berries) I continued the rest of the way down to the Point.
I didn’t write a note for the mailbox – THIS is my message!
It was only another .25 miles or so – then I turned around and made my way back to my car (for a total of ~5 miles beach hiking) and got to my lodgings just ahead of sundown.
The point at Sunset Beach.
Tuesday was supposed to be a cloudy, cold day, so I hadn’t planned any big excursions.
Luckily for me, it turned out to be another beautiful warmish sunny day!!
Rumor had it (okay, it was Alltrails) that there was a 4 mile hike there that would be different than the beach.
Well, rumor – and Alltrails – had it wrong.
Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve entry.
I showed up and went inside the park gate, and the road was just a simple dirt track cut out of the forest.
I kept driving to see if there was a Visitor’s Center or something, maybe some trailhead signs.
Nope. Finally after a few miles, I saw a white pickup parked along the road, so I pulled up and rolled down my window to talk to the folks inside.
The whole Preserve looked like this, basically.
The two young women (and their dogs) said that the place was basically a hunting preserve, and that you could walk the fire-breaks, but they’d just done that and found some bear scat.
Hmmmm. There HAD been a sign that said all visitors were required to wear Blaze Orange during deer hunting season…
But it was the bear scat that was the deal-breaker. I decided to head for Huntington Beach State Park instead.
I first visited the Park on my last trip to the area about 6 months ago, so I already had a general idea of the layout.
Hiking down the beach towards the Jetty at Huntington Beach State Park.
This time, I specifically wanted to do the hike to the Jetty, which is usually frequented more by Birders, but at ~ 6miles it’s also one of the longer available hikes in the area.
With all of the screwing around with the driving and not-hiking at the Preserve place, it was almost 2pm by the time I reached Huntington.
I was concerned I wouldn’t have time to finish the Jetty hike before they closed at 6pm – but I did it, and it was sooo worth it!
View from the Jetty back down the beach.
Wednesday I decided to stick around near where I was staying, because traffic in Myrtle is already heavy (in February!), and I didn’t want to waste any more beach time stuck in my car.
So I started with 45 mins of yoga, then did a quick 10 miles (!) on the beach right outside my door.
The beach I didn’t have to drive to was also very nice!
I really hadn’t meant to hike that far, but I was in the zone. Later, I accidentally hiked 3 more miles. Oops. 🙂
Thursday was more yoga and a quick 3 mile beach walk, and then I scampered up the Coast to home again.
A view from the Jetty on the Marsh side.
Friday I had posted my first Meetup hike in a week or so, just the 6.5 mile Company Mill trail in Umstead State Park.
I had a great group of hikers join me, and we went at a good clip!
I was wearing ankle and knee compression for a little help, and I’m happy to say I didn’t have any issues 🙂
That Man and the puppy.
Later, That Man and the puppy joined me for another 4 mile urban hike – and we discovered a new pub!
Not sure if the cider and stout canceled out the exercise, but anyway, it’s nice to have another dog-friendly pub within walking distance.
So that winds up Week 9.
But, here’s the deal: training never really stops.
You can focus it more by training for a specific race or hike, or to get in shape for:
your daughter’s wedding,
or a school reunion,
or your next doctor visit.
But that’s not the real goal.
More than tuning up for a single event, we train to be fit enough to enjoy our lives and activities every day.
TAKEAWAY LESSON: We’re really training for life. We all want to be able to do whatever we want to – both ordinary and extraordinary things – for as long as we can. And have fun doing it!
See you next time 🙂
Hiking the Jetty at Huntington Beach State Park.
I hope you’ll find my Training Log ramblings to be helpful- or at least amusing! 🙂 To see more of them go to my Training Log.
– – Training Week 8 started Saturday with a 45 minute yoga flow session.
I also tried out a short hike in the afternoon at Falls Lake with That Man and the puppy, but my leg started hurting after about 2 miles. (Heavy sigh.)
Don’t get me wrong, it’s fine.
But I REALLY want to stop being so, well, lame. Literally.
Sunday, anticipating that I would NOT be ready for my already-posted 9.3 mile hike on the Mountains to Sea Trail along the Eno River, I got one of my regular hikers to take over and lead the hike for me.
All reports are he did very well 🙂
Trailhead at the Pump Station Trail
And I did more bleeping yoga. And 45 minutes of *very mild* treadmilling in my home gym.
I was feeling lucky, so I didn’t wear any ankle support, but I also didn’t add any extra weight to my pack.
I also thought about bringing hiking poles – which I almost never use.
In fact, the last time I carried hiking poles, was years ago hiking in Italy with a group – where they “strongly encouraged” everyone to rent poles. (Mine never left my pack.)
I was encouraged to use hiking poles in Italy.
I forgot to bring my poles on Monday, but did end up finding a sturdy hiking stick along the way, which helped support the bad ankle crossing streams and rock scrambling.
Hiking into Duke Forest
I did okay, and we had fun exploring! When I returned home, I snarfed some ibuprofen and applied a bag of frozen veggies to the ankle.
Part of my adventure for the past few weeks is that my asthma meds have run out, because my prescription order for new ones have gone missing from the Port of Los Angeles. (Read story from CBS here.)
That means my challenge lately has been to try to stay in shape and at the same time avoid triggering massive asthma attacks or further injuring my leg.
So, I’m just focusing on what I CAN do – and planning for new hikes when I’m on the trail in earnest again. 🙂
That Man’s REAL girlfriend 🙂
Tuesday, I broke out the Pilates!!
AND I also treadmilled a couple of miles, and took another 2-3 mile urban hike with That Man and his (real) girlfriend, Colleen.
Wednesday I was supposed to join Heidi’s hike on another 6 mile section of the MST at Falls Lake, but it was a rainy day and slipping in the mud while nursing an injury seemed like a SPECTACULARLY bad idea.
If it seems like a bad idea….
So I did the stoopid yoga again, PLUS Pilates and took myself on a soft-surface hike in Bond Park for about 4 miles – wearing compression on my ankle AND my knee.
Thursday I did my long-form yoga and took another Infrared sauna session.
Rock scramble at Rock Hollow. There’s a trail there somewhere…
Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that Chromotherapy is included in the Infrared sauna sessions.
Colored light is turned on in addition to the Infrared inside the sauna to complement the treatment.
What is Chromatic Light Therapy?
Chromotherapy is a centuries-old concept that uses the visible spectrum (colors) of electromagnetic radiation to cure diseases, on the premise that each color is associated with a different bodily response.
Color has been used to treat all kinds of medical conditions since ancient times. Color light therapy history dates back to ancient Egypt, India, China, and even as far back as the Mayan culture.
10 Benefits of Color Light Therapy
Color light therapy is attributed with many benefits, ranging from emotional to physical, including:
Reduced Swelling and Inflammation
Pain Relief
Accelerated Healing
Increased Range of Motion
Decreased Muscle Tension
Improved Circulation
Regulated Mood
Improved Sleeping Patterns
Relief of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)
Anti-Aging Benefits
Although thought of as “alternative” medicine, a recent scientific study from the NIH explores Chromotherapy’s history, uses and effectiveness in treating different disorders or illnesses.
In fact, today the medical benefits of color light therapy are being investigated and implemented in major hospitals and medical research centers worldwide.
The other thing I did on Thursday was to go and consult my new friend Joe at B.E.S.T. Physical Therapy in Cary, NC.
I’ll let him introduce himself to you as he did to me:
“Hello –
Joe’s actual face 🙂
My name is Joe Villecco and I’m a physical therapist with B.E.S.T. Physical Therapy in Cary.
As the new year begins, I can’t tell you how many people I talk to about starting new habits and ways that they can do that.
P
For many of my patients, running or traditional gym workouts are just not their cup of tea. I have frequently recommended hiking in the past but with no resource to point them to!
P
Enter, the I’d Rather Walk blog and Meetup! “
(What Joe didn’t tell me until later is that he earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University and has his Bachelors of Science degree in Biology from SUNY Oneonta, where he also became an ACE Certified Personal Trainer.)
Joe at B.E.S.T. Physical Therapy in Cary
I took the opportunity to visit Joe at his office, and talk to him about my leg problems.
I stressed out my leg with too much activity all at once.
He examined my leg and moved it around a bit, gauging pain level etc. – and assured me that it was NOT a stress fracture in a leg bone. (Yayy!!)
He did say that it was probably a stress injury caused from jumping up activity too much all at once.
So anyway, yeah, I know exactly when and why that happened – beautiful weather, lots of fun hikes posted, FOMO.
Joe recommended only bumping up your activity by 10% each week to avoid injury. Now I have to carefully build back up to my previous level.
More About B.E.S.T Physical Therapy
In addition to his other qualifications, Joe is a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopedic Physical Therapy (OCS) and completed his Orthopedic Residency through Evidence In Motion in 2018.
Orthopedic Clinical Specialists are experts in evaluating and treating musculoskeletal conditions – an honor that is held by < 5% of all physical therapists in the United States!
Step One – is to reduce pain and improve function as quickly as possible to return to activity.
Step Two – is complete symptom resolution and working on correcting weaknesses, mobility deficits, movement impairments, etc.
Step Three – is to create a daily at-home plan to attack ongoing weaknesses to reduce the risk of any future injuries or problems.
During a typical visit, they use various hands-on techniques to reduce pain and improve mobility, and then they go on to use individually designed corrective exercises to further improve any weaknesses.
P
The goal at B.E.S.T. Physical Therapy is always to get you back to what you enjoy doing as soon as you can, and Joe truly loves to see his clients leave the clinic more resilient and with a higher quality of life than they had before!
For those of you who might also be interested in seeing if some PT might help you, I’ve invited Joe to come give a short talk and some pre-hike stretches at one of my regular Meetup hikes in March.
Keep your eyes peeled for that notice!
Winter hiking isn’t the most scenic, but it’s still great exercise!
Now, I’m sure all of this stuff about my total lameness is entertaining – but for those of you who are NOT lame, Week 8 training should be kicking your butt!
If you go back to the beginning and look at the 8 Weeks to Awesome plan, by this time:
Your weekly Long Hike should be about 10 miles, and
Your Strength Building hike should include an extra 25-30 lbs in your pack.
Regular weekly maintenance (whatever level you are) should look like this:
(3 days) Strength training workouts,
(2-3 days) 1.5-2 hour moderate endurance hiking or jogging workout, and
(1 day) high intensity workout – like fast hiking or running
Stretch every day
Sample Weekly Workout Schedule
Monday
Strength
Stretch
Tuesday
Endurance
Stretch
Wednesday
Strength
Stretch
Thursday
Endurance
Stretch
Friday
Strength
Stretch
Saturday
Hi Intensity
Stretch
Sunday
Endurance
Stretch
Some people think a daily workout is too much, but it’s okay as long as you vary the intensity – for instance, don’t do two really long, high intensity workouts back to back.
And as I learned (the hard way), don’t go jump up your activity by more than 10% per week!
Hiking with That Man and Colleen.
Friday was the ankle mobility exercises Joe gave me plus more yoga, kickboxing (without the hi-impact parts), upper body weights, and another leisurely 2-3 mile walk with That Man and his furry side-kick in the forest.
And so ends Week 8.
….and I’ll bet you thought this was going to be my last Training Log post! Nope.
Because I’ve been so lame this week, I’m adding a Bonus Week to the training log, including a special event. 🙂
So you’ve got that to look forward to!
Flowers blooming in Duke Forest.
TAKEAWAY LESSON: Training towards a goal should include a rest period just before the event. For any kind of training – ongoing or towards a goal – it’s a good idea to only bump up your activity by 10% each week, or you risk injury.
I hope you’ve found my Training Log ramblings to be helpful in your training process – or at least amusing! 🙂 To see more of them go to my Training Log.
You could also take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Planpost, if you want to see what kind of training I’m doing. It might work for your goals, too.
– – Training Week 7 began with That Man and I taking advantage of the last forecast day of mild, Spring-like weather with our first bike ride of the season.
We biked about 25 miles on some of our favorite local greenways, including the American Tobacco trail.
Some of our local greenways have fun tunnels!
A gorgeous day, and lots of other people were out enjoying it, too.
Biking hits a different set of muscles than hiking, so I was worried I would be sore the next day – but I wasn’t! The training must be working 🙂
Sunday morning it was back to a colder and rainy weather forecast, but I had a big group signed up to hike the 6.5 mile Company Mill trail in Umstead State Park before the rain set in for the rest of the day.
Monday I was planning to just do some kickboxing and weights, when Lenore posted a hike at Umstead so I signed up … but, it was not to be!
Work intervened, and I ended up doing the kickboxing and weights, and also a short urban hike with That Man in the cold sunshine later.
Seriously, this is really us.
Which was probably a good thing to do on Valentine’s Day anyway 🙂
Tuesday we were back to the MST at Falls Lake for a 9.3 mile hike with a small group from the trailhead on Baptist Rd to Little Lick Creek Bridge and back again.
View from the middle of Little Lick Creek Bridge.
A great hike, as always!
That said, my ankle started hurting badly on the last half of the hike, even though I didn’t remember doing anything to it….
I was relieved when the hike was over, so I could go ice it and put my foot up!
Hiking a bridge on the Loblolly Trail in Umstead State Park.
Wednesday was to be my Strength-Building hike for the week, and I had a good crew signed up for a 6-7 mile hike on Loblolly trail in Umstead State Park.
Technically the Loblolly Trail is an out-and-back from the trailhead to the edge of the park, but I add on a portion of the Schenck Forest Loblolly and the Reedy Creek Greenway to create a 6.5mile loop.
Sign at the Loblolly Trailhead
This route is primarily natural trails with a portion of the compacted dirt multi-use trail and paved Reedy Creek trail.
The Loblolly route is not as rocky as the Company Mill Trail, and has less elevation gain, though there are a couple of long uphill climbs.
But even with ankle compression – and a sleeve on my opposite knee that was hurting from compensating for the ankle – it was just too painful to continue more than a mile or two.
Fortunately, I had a group of strong hikers who were familiar with the route, so they were able to continue on without me.
I went straight to the pharmacy to get the strongest ankle brace I could find – and more ibuprofen 😉
Between that and rest in the meantime, I’m determined to be ready for my next posted hike!
Thursday was going to be a kickboxing day, but I opted for some heavy core yoga work and arm weights instead, to keep from stressing my ankle.
I tried an urban walk, just a few miles, on Thursday evening, and found that there hadn’t been much improvement – so I decided to try something different.
Workout tools in my home gym.
Friday after more core yoga, I made an appointment to take a session in an Infrared sauna.
I mainly wanted a sauna to work up a sweat to take the place of the cardio workouts that I can’t do until my ankle is healed.
But, Infrared is very different than a traditional sauna, and I also discovered that the Infrared sauna has a lot more to offer than just a good sweat.
Before we get into the benefits, let me explain exactly what an Infrared sauna is.
The use of sweat bathing or “hot air baths” were a part of Chinese, Native American, and Eastern European culture, and have been used all over the world for centuries.
Traditional Sauna
These traditional saunas use heat or steam to create an atmosphere that will raise your core body temperature by raising the temperature of the air inside the sauna.
The appeal of saunas in general is that they cause your body to react as if you’re exercising, with sweating and an increased heart rate.
Infrared saunas use infrared light to heat your body without changing the air temperature around you.
Infrared saunas are built using three different sauna therapies:
Near IR impacts the surface of the body, namely the skin.
Mid IR affects the muscles, and
Far IR permeates far into the body to reach the organs. (ref)
Infrared Sauna
Benefits of Using an Infrared Sauna
1. DETOXIFICATION
Sauna therapy, especially far IR, is excellent for detox. By using an infrared sauna, you can rid your body of built-up and dangerous mold, chemicals, and heavy metals.
2. CIRCULATION
Mid IR sauna therapy improves circulation and can give muscles a greater degree of flexibility, increased range of motion, decreased stiffness, and less joint pain.
3. REPAIR AND REGENERATE CELLS
Near IR sauna therapy promotes faster cell regeneration and tissue growth, which speeds up the skin’s healing process. By activating heat shock proteins, infrared sauna therapy also repairs cellular damage in the body.
4. LOWER INFLAMMATION
Near IR consists of extremely short wavelengths, which lowers inflammation. The short wavelengths can improve the quality of your skin and diminish the appearance of unwanted blemishes.
5. BOOST IMMUNITY
Near IR sauna therapy increases blood circulation and oxygenation in blood cells, strengthening the immune system, improving cellular health, and aiding in muscle recovery.
6. WEIGHT LOSS
Studies show that a single far IR sauna therapy session can burn up to 600 calories. In cases of patients who must remain sedentary, a sauna could be used as a substitute for traditional exercise.
8. ACTIVATE MITOCHONDRIAL ACTIVITY
There is evidence that heat exposure is very healthy for your energy-producing mitochondria.
The Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a protein in your brain that helps keep your brain young and healthy. Studies show that heat exposure can help boost your levels of this all-important protein in your brain!
In some studies, people who used Infrared saunas experienced an improvement in their asthma symptoms.
Canoe launch, Umstead State Park
Improve Wound Healing and Chronic Disease
Infrared saunas are unique in that they can help to improve wound healing – though you shouldn’t use one with an open wound.
Specifically, research out of NASA has shown that infrared light significantly increases tissue growth and cell regeneration due to our mitochondria readily accepting infrared light (ref).
This increases the cellular activity needed for wound healing.
In the study, wound size decreased by as much as 36%, and cell growth was enhanced by 150-170%.
Infrared sauna can help with healing wounds and scars.
The young woman who helped me at my local spa said that she had scars on her abdomen from several surgeries, and that the Infrared sauna made them heal and disappear very quickly!
Several studies have looked at using infrared saunas and found some evidence of benefit, in the treatment of chronic health problems, too, such as:
high blood pressure,
congestive heart failure,
dementia and Alzheimer’s disease,
headache,
type 2 diabetes and
rheumatoid arthritis
However, larger and more-rigorous studies are needed to confirm these results. On the other hand, no adverse effects have been reported with infrared saunas.
Cost for one 45 minute session at my local salon is around $40, though you can get discount packages.
If you try Infrared Sauna and really like it, you can even get one for your own home at relatively small expense.
Sunny winter day at Falls Lake.
I went for another short urban walk with That Man on Friday evening – around 2-3 miles – and found that there was some improvement in my ankle already!
Was the improvement due to the Infrared sauna treatment? Hard to say, but it probably didn’t hurt.
So, I think I’ll do a few more sessions in the Infrared sauna – at least until the ankle is a lot more healed up.
Who knows, I may see some other improvements as well 🙂
Week 8 is coming up – the last week of the training!!
It might be difficult with my bum ankle, but I’ll find a way. If I can do it, so can you!
TAKEAWAY LESSON: Training towards a goal is a planned process, but you should be able to respond to unplanned events like injury or weather changes without giving up your training entirely. Just keep going – but safely, of course.
I hope you’ve found my Training Log ramblings to be helpful- or at least amusing! 🙂 To see more of them go to my Training Log.
– – Training Week 6 started with a cold Saturday morning 9 mile hike on the MST at Falls Lake.
Cypress tress in the water near Little Lick Creek bridge on the MST.
This hike is one of my favorite sections of the MST, because it’s long enough to know you’ve had a hike, and has some interesting features along the way.
I normally don’t lead hikes on Saturday, but the weather forecast for Sunday was for snow, ice and extreme cold (again), so I switched it up.
Needlessly, as it turns out, because the forecast was completely wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong! Oh, those wacky meteorologists…..
Hiking at the North Carolina Museum of Art park.
So, instead of cowering inside all day Sunday and doing the dreaded housework, I did some kickboxing – and, yes, housework.
Pretending to be sculptures in the Rodin garden.
Then I convinced That Man and the puppy to join me in the afternoon for a nice 4 mile walk at the North Carolina Museum of Art.
Monday, it was forecast to be rainy all day and evening – and it was!!
So it was a treadmill training and weight lifting day.
Tuesday – I was able to join Lenore and other hiker friends at Umstead State Park – and this time I was not thwarted by a slow lumber truck!
We hiked the MUT about 6 miles, and I had a heavy pack, so this was my official Strength Building hike for the week.
View of the old boathouse at Umstead State Park.
THE SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION PART
A couple of weeks ago I got an email out of the blue from Mary Insprucker, host of the “Triangle 411” podcast.
She wanted to know if she could interview me about hiking and the I’d Rather Walk meetup group. How cool is that?
So I said okay, and the interview was just published. Here it is:
Penny’s Bend Nature Preserve is a small 85-acre natural area in northeast Durham that is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers and managed by the NC Botanical Gardens.
Map on the kiosk at Penny’s Bend.
The nature preserve protects a peninsula of land that is surrounded on three sides by the Eno River just upstream of where the river flows into Falls Lake.
Friday was such a gorgeous day, I spent most of the day hiking a new-to-me section of the MST with a wonderful group of hikers led by Rich B from the “Life is a Hike!” meetup.
It was fun, but after completing that hike, my legs hurt and I realized I’d hiked 51 miles during the week!
So, I got off my feet and let That Man pamper me with a nice dinner 🙂
This MST section runs opposite the Rollingview Marina on Falls Lake.
I may have slacked off a bit this week on the kickboxing and weight lifting because the sunny warm weather made me do a lot of hiking and ignore the rest.
That said, there’s still time to focus and get back on track before the 8-week program is over.
Okay, then – time to go work up a sweat somehow.
THE SHAMELESS SALESY PART
In case you haven’t noticed, Valentine’s Day is just a few days away.
– – Training Week 5 started with another snowy, icy Saturday morning – so it was treadmill training for me!
But Sunday the roads were clear – although it was still very cold! – and I went back into the woods with a great group of hikers for 6 miles on the Loblolly Trail in Umstead State Park.
We started a bit later than usual due to the cold, so I had time before we started for some extra yoga 🙂
A thin skim of ice on Big Lake in Umstead State Park.
Monday I attempted to join my friend Lenore for another hike, this time on the other side (Glenwood entrance) of Umstead State Park, to hike the multi-Use Trails.
But I was thwarted by a slow lumber truck that made me late, so I went my own way.
This was a short Strength Building hike for me, so I carried extra weight in my pack and hiked around 6.5 miles.
I decided to check out a trail at Forest Ridge Park.
Tuesday was supposed to be kickboxing, but it was an unusually warm day, and I just had to get outdoors, so I went to check out a new trail – recommended by another hiker – at Forest Ridge Park, and did a short 5 miles on the Shoreline Trail.
It was another trail along the shore of Falls Lake, but this time not part of the Falls Lake Trail or the MST.
Hiking the Shoreline Trail at Forest Ridge Park.
Wednesday I scheduled a long hike (`9 miles) that we hadn’t done in a while, due to weather.
The hike follows the MST along the Eno River from the Old Pump Station ruins to the Old Mill at West Point on the Eno.
There’s been construction along there for a couple of years, and it looks like it’s finally winding down.
Construction is finally winding down at the dam at West Point on the Eno.
Thursday was another long hike at Umstead – 9mi on the Co Mill & Sycamore trails, followed later in the day by another 4 miles on Loblolly and MUT with That Man and puppy.
Second hike of the day at Umstead with Colleen, the prettiest puppy 🙂
Friday it was supposed to rain all day, so I’d planned for kickboxing and indoor work.
Turns out we got hardly any rain at all. Hmmmph.
Nevermind, we’ve made it through 5 weeks so far.
In case you’re feeling proud of yourself (and you should!), I designed some Awesome T-Shirts to commemorate your training:
Wednesday this week was Groundhog Day, and the Rodent says we have 6 more weeks of winter.
Whatever that means around here…. But, no matter what, we know that:
Are you ready????
TAKEAWAY LESSON: The weather can have a big impact on your workout plans! Always check the weather and trail conditions before you head out, and even though the forecast is wrong A LOT, plan as if you believe them 😉
I hope you’ve found my Training Log ramblings to be helpful- or at least amusing! 🙂 To see more of them go to my Training Log.
During a typical visit, they use various hands-on techniques to reduce pain and improve mobility, and then they go on to use individually designed corrective exercises to further improve any weaknesses. 
