Training Archives - Page 2 of 5

Week 6: Are We There Yet?

Most recently updated February 25th, 2023

– It’s Week 6 of our training! Are we there yet?

If you’re like me, you’re getting tired of this training routine and are ready to move on to something else – hopefully something, you know, easier…

But don’t do it! Keep going, just for a couple of weeks longer.

Just a couple of weeks more - you can do it! — Just a couple of weeks more – you can do it!

And with that encouragement… on to my Week 6 Training report!

Monday was a beautiful day, so I joined Lenore and a good group of hikers for what I thought was going to be a pretty flat 7-ish mile hike in Umstead State Park on the Multi-Use trails.

Gathering at the trailhead for a sunny Monday hike.

With that in mind, I loaded my pack with 15lbs extra to make it a strength-training day.

But in a mid-hike surprise twist, Lenore handed the reins over to Michael.

We ended up tromping through a less-traveled section of the woods, fording streams and climbing mud banks before we were through!

It turned out to be an 8.25 mile hike in all.

It was so much fun, I hardly noticed the extra weight in my pack 🙂

Tuesday was a kickboxing and upper body weights day in my home gym – despite the wonderful sunny Spring-like weather outside.

A beautiful sunny Winter's day in Bond Park. — A beautiful sunny Winter’s day in Bond Park.

This is because Tuesday was also “refrigerator day” and I was trapped there until my new fridge was delivered and the old one removed.

But it was also Valentine’s Day and That Man and the puppy came to my rescue, just moments after the fridge business was over.

We had just enough daylight left to have a picnic and take a nice 3 mile walk in Bond Park!

Wednesday was supposed to be my “rest” day, but it was another nice NOT rainy day and I couldn’t stand it!

So after some yoga, I loaded 15lbs extra weight (and a snack lunch) into my pack, and set off to explore a bushwack at Eno River State Park.

A “bushwack” is when there’s no official trail blazed from one point to the other, so you’re just using landmarks or info from other hikers to find your way.

This particular bushwack was an out-and-back from the Cole Mill Road trail access to the Pleasant Green Road trail access in Eno River State Park – about 6 miles in all.

Map of the Cole Mill to Pleasant Green bushwack

Aside from looking for a passable hiking route between the two access points, I was also hoping the find the old Cabe Ford in the river, and the old slave cemetery back in the woods behind the powerline cut.

Cole Mill to Pleasant Green Road Bushwack

I was fortunate to have some guidance from the Eno.com website to get me started on finding a route.

Starting from the Cole Mill Road Loop Parking area, I took the Eno Trace Trail, staying close to the river until it turned uphill to the left.

I went straight ahead, following the river.

At that point, I left the established trail and followed the river bank downriver.

There was still a trail to follow, but it was un-blazed.

Follow the power line cut until it goes away from the river.

I followed the trail south under the powerlines until it turned left away from the river.

I had to cross a small creek – fortunately someone had placed stepping stones to make it easier.

After a while I came to the remnants of the old Cabe Ford in the river.

I knew from the map that the the historic cemetery for the slaves of the Cabe family was nearby – supposedly just a a few hundred yards away from the river.

I poked around, but I didn’t see anything, so continued to follow the river.

After a bit, the trail turned back into the forest, and the way became less obvious and not so well-used.

Then I noticed the pink ribbons tied at intervals to the trees….

At first, I thought it was just some random surveyor’s marks, and I thought they’d stop after a couple of ribbons. But they kept going!

Pink and green ribbons were tied to the trees.

And not only did they keep going, but now there were both pink AND green ribbons tied to the trees.

I’d had my suspicions before, but now I knew for certain – it was Bushwack Fairies! 🙂

And thank goodness for the Bushwack Fairies, because the way became more and more obscure – especially hidden under fallen leaves – so I just followed the ribbons.

After a while, I had to cross a small creek, but couldn’t find a good place, so I followed it up on one side and came to another larger creek, with some little waterfalls.

This would be a good spot to take a break and have a snack on a sunny day.

I found a large creek with a series of little waterfalls upstream.

This was a pretty large creek with a series of waterfalls upstream adding to the water flow.

I crossed the creek on the rocks and kept going, staying on the high ridge and following the pink and green ribbons when I could see them.

I passed a house with a pond just outside the State Park lines, then emerged from the woods to the powerline cut again.

The route goes through the powerline cut again.

The trail goes back into the woods and follows the river.

Along the way, I saw some unexpected waterfalls on the other side!

Eventually, you end up going through some scrub brush along the river to a point where you approach some old farm buildings.

The trail goes through a tunnel of laurels.

Emerging from the bushes you can see the Pleasant Green Road Parking area on the other side of the river.

The Pleasant Green Road parking area can be seen across the river.

About a quarter mile further down, the trail ends at the bridge on Pleasant Green road. This is where you would cross the river to actually get to the Pleasant Green Road parking.

But since the bridge and road were under construction, and there were a lot of cars backed up, I decided that seeing it from across the river was good enough!

I went back down the trail the way I came, with no surprises.

But when I got back to the woods near the powercut, I decided to try again to find the Cabe slave cemetery.

Remnants of stone walls may mark the location of the cemetery.

I found remnants of stone walls in the cemetery location shown on the map.

I don’t know for sure that these were part of the cemetery, but there were no other ruins that I could see nearby.

Old cabin across the river from the Eno Trace Trail.

I retraced my steps back to the parking lot at Cole Mill, then got in the traffic line behind the flag guys on the Pleasant Green bridge 😉

Thursday started with a balmy 9.3 mile hike on the MST at Falls Lake with a great group of hikers!

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 – including the friendly horses in trail- adjacent corrals.

Feeding an apple to the friendly horses. — Feeding an apple to the friendly horses on Thursday’s hike.

Sometimes they ignore me, but this time I was worried I didn’t have enough apple to go around! I’ll bring more next time 🙂

I took my first spin on my new vertical climber!

Friday I finally did take a rest day, and just did some yoga…but I also put together my new Vertical Climber machine and tried it out for about 30 minutes.

The climber folds up and stands in a corner when not in use.

I got the machine because I really need to get more training in really steep vertical gain hikes.

The hike I’m training for has several miles of almost straight vertical climbing up rock faces – almost as steep as cliff climbing.

CLICK HERE to see purchase details for the Vertical Climber.

Saturday was a rainy day, so I did a treadmill climb in my home gym with 10lbs on my back.

I did 2 miles in 35 mins with 1000ft vert gain, then another 2 miles in 30 mins with 700ft elev loss.

Sunday I led a great group of hikers in what ended up around 9 miles at Umstead State Park.

It was a long hike but a fast one, with an average pace of 3.7 mph.

Next up: Week 7!! Let’s make it a good one 🙂

TAKEAWAY LESSON: Don’t give up if you’re getting bored or worn out in the middle of the program – change it up, make it fun, or take a rest day – but keep on going!

We’re winding down with this year’s 8-week hike training, but you can get started and do it on your own whenever you want!

Take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Plan post, if you want to see what this hike training is all about.

To Track Your “Awesome” Progress at Home Click Here!

Track your progress towards your fitness goals!

You’ll get instructions and three printable trackers:

- Your Hike Plan Worksheet
- Daily & Weekly Workouts
- Weekly Meals tracker

Happy training! LJ

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. Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ

Week 5: Sun, Rain and a Legacy of Daffodils

Most recently updated February 17th, 2023

– – Training Week 5 started with another nice day, but I decided to give my hiking boots a break and do kickboxing and upper body weights in my home gym.

Trailhead at Rock Nut Hollow near Duke Forest.

Tuesday temps were going to be well above freezing and the sun came out again just in time for a short 5 mile hike at Rock Nut Hollow near Duke Forest.

Lenore led the hike with a great group of hikers!

It’s a scenic and fun route along the creek with a very steep (but mercifully short) hike up a “mountain” with a nice rock scramble on the return route.

I hiked with 10 lbs of extra weight in my pack, and we went at a moderate pace.

I love a good rock scramble! In fact, I hiked the ultimate mile-long scramble on Old Rag at Shenandoah last summer 🙂

Kiosk on the Black Creek Greenway at Lake Crabtree.

Wednesday, still trying to avoid mud, I scheduled a hike at Lake Crabtree where half of the trail is on paved greenway.

The sun came out and it was a beautiful hike!

The natural trails were closed due to mud, but we went far enough to see the eagle’s nest at the pond across Aviation Parkway before turning back.

Some parts of the Black Creek Greenway are still closed due to construction.

In spite of ongoing construction on the Black Creek Greenway, Silvia and I were able to get some time on natural sections of the blue-blazed Lake Trail on the way back, and finished at about 6-6.5 miles.

I carried 15 extra lbs on this hike, and I could really feel it in my legs afterwards!

In case you’re feeling proud of yourself (and you should!), I designed some Awesome T-Shirts to commemorate your training:

Thursday this week was the last day forecast to NOT have rain, so I took advantage to do some exploratory hiking at Eno River State Park.

View of the Eno River from the Cabelands Trail.

It was my “rest day” for the week, so I just did some yoga stretches before heading out, and the hike itself was only a few miles and not very fast.

Exploratory hiking is never a sure thing – it’s more about the discovery than the miles!

This time I started from the Cabelands trailhead on the Eno River.

Who were the Cabes?

The area is called “Cabe Lands” because Barnaby Cabe and his family were settled there in the years prior to the American Revolution.

After America won her independance, the Cabes were patriots and loyal citizens, even representing Orange County in Congress and serving in the militia.

Remains of the Cabe Mill on the Eno River.

John Cabe built a grist mill on the Eno and owned many acres in the “Cabelands” area.

He eventually had 9 daughters (with three wives) and many of his daughters married other mill owners along the Eno River.

Portrait of the owners of Cole Mill, Anothy(sic) Cole and Susan Browning Cole. ca. 1875.

One of the daughters, Rachel, married John McCown and together they built what was to become known as Cole Mill – which is another major trailhead access further downriver in Eno River State Park.

In the hard times after the defeat of Culloden in 1746, family groups – even whole villages – left Scotland for America.

The shipping lists of 1776 show the McColes landing at Wilmington, NC – but we have no evidence that these early Coles ever made their way this far inland, though many other families did.

Levi Cole, an older brother of Anthony Cole, said to have travelled from the English town of Leeds, appears to have been the earliest Cole in the Eno Valley.

After her first husband died, Rachel married Colonel Sims and together they owned and operated West Point Mill at Roxboro Road.

This mill is still in operation for demonstration purposes, and is the centerpiece for the West Point on the Eno park.

Grave markers of in the Cabe Cemetery. — Grave markers of Elizabeth Arnold McCowan and John Cabe McCowen in the Cabe Cemetery.

In my explorations, I was looking specifically for an old cabin from the 1770’s and also the Cabe Cemetery.

But also in the area are the remnants of the Cabe Mill.

Following the Cabelands Trail from the official trailhead, blazed in red, the map shows a left-hand trail-split, marked by two red blazes.

I followed the red blazes for the Cabelands Trail.

The Cabelands Trail continues downhill to the Eno River – and this is the way I went.

Turning downriver, I followed the trail until just before the two wooden footbridges.

Off to the right through the trees, I could see the well-preserved stone foundations for the old mill.

Two footbridges beside the river cross the old mill race from the Cabe Mill.

I tromped around a bit, but couldn’t find a passable way to the mill ruins, so I continued on along the Cabelands trail beside the river.

Back on the trail, I followed the trail up toward the bluffs, now looking for the old cabin and the cemetery.

As I followed the marked trail uphill, and noticed a long flat area of land overlooking the lowlands below.

Daffodils cover the hillside where the old homestead used to be.

It turns out this was the site of the old John Cabe homestead, but nothing remains of the cabin.

Instead, only a field of daffodils appear in the Spring to mark the spot where Cabe’s daughters grew up playing in the yard.

I (reluctantly) left the daffodil-covered hillside and went in search of the Cabe Cemetery.

I was just about to give up, when I saw what looked like an unmarked trail to the right of the “official” path.

I followed that path straight to an area dotted with old headstones, some illegible and in disrepair, but some easy to read even after all of the years in the forest.

Friday I led an 8-mile hike that combined the Company Mill and part of the Sycamore Trail in Umstead State Park.

MUT intersection with the Company Mill Trail.

I only carried 5 lbs extra on this hike, and went for speed – rain was forecast to start again at noon, and some of us had meetings to get to as well.

We ended up going about 4 mph!

Saturday the weather was pretty good all day, but I was waiting for some contractors at my house (which is another story!) so I had to settle for kickboxing and weights in my home gym.

Sunday I had posted an 8-10 mile hike, but it was forecast for 95% chance of cold rain (about 40 degrees) and 15-20mph gusting winds for the whole hike.

That really didn’t sound like much fun.

So I rescheduled the hike for next week, and spent a good long time hiking uphill indoors on my treadmill wearing 10lbs extra in a pack.

I hiked 3 miles with 1500ft elev gain in 45 mins, then another 2 miles in 35 mins descending 2162 ft. I’ll be ready for Mt Olympus in no time! 🙂

Next week, the weather forecast is much more normal.

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! Have a bad weather workout plan, check trail conditions before you head out, and don’t be afraid to wait for better conditions!

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.

You could also take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Plan post, if you want to see what kind of training I’m doing.

Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ

Week 4: Don’t Get Stuck in the Middle (So Much Mud!)

Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

– – It’s Training Week 4!

That means that at the end of the week we’ll have been doing this stuff on purpose for a whole month. Woot! 🙂

I started on Monday with some yoga, and then joined Lenore and some other hikers in a moderate-paced 6.5 mile hike on Umstead State Park’s Company Mill Trail in the afternoon.

Trail crossing sign at the Company Mill Trail.

I carried 10 lbs extra in my pack to make it a bit more strength building for me.

It was a beautiful warm sunny afternoon, and we took full advantage of it before the rainy colder weather set in for the week.

Tuesday, I did an 8 mile hike, again in Umstead State Park, on a route designed to not be too muddy in the rain – this time on my own.

Kiosk and maps at a trail head in Umstead State Park.

I took advantage of being solo to hike at my own fastest pace and try a little bit of a different route than usual.

Wednesday was another cold rainy – and muddy! – day, so it was kickboxing and upper body weights day in my home gym.

Thursday was raining again, ALL DAY, so I went with the “rainy day” vibe and did a long yoga flow and uphill fast training hike on the treadmill in my home gym.

I missed the outdoors…but…so much mud!

Does the Surface You Hike on Matter?

Paved greenways are a great alternative for hikers, walkers and trail runners when natural trails aren’t available.

But be aware that paved surfaces have a different effect on your body than softer dirt trails.

“Concrete is the worst surface you can run on,” according to Joseph Herrera, DO, assistant professor of rehabilitation at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

“In general, the softer the surface, the more joint-friendly it is,” says Dr. Herrera.

Uneven dirt or gravel trails also give you more balance exercise and work more of your core muscles naturally during your walk or run, so it’s a better workout.

Harder walking surfaces can be very hard on your knees, hips, and ankles. Be sure to choose the right footwear and stretch when you get home!

Blooming tree beside the House Creek Trail in Raleigh

Friday, I had posted a greenway hike at the North Carolina Museum of Art Park, and a bunch of great hikers joined me!

I prefer hiking natural trails, but I was in “mud avoidance” mode.

It was nice to go see what was happening at the NCMA Park, anyway.

They’ve always got something new going on.

We hiked the Park trails, crossed the I-440 pedestrian bridge, and then took a left on the House Creek Trail (also a paved greenway) for something a little bit different.

I’m not a fan of hiking more than a couple of miles on pavement, but when you get so much rain, it’s better for you (AND for the natural forest trails!) to stay away until they’ve had a little time to dry out.

Total distance was about 7.5-8 miles, and I had an extra 10 lbs in my pack.

Construction continues across the road from Schenk Forest.

I stopped by nearby Schenk Forest afterwards to see how the construction was progressing.

Good news! They’ve closed off the pasture again near the main forest road, so the horses are back 🙂

Saturday was another kickboxing and upper weights day for me.

And after that there was a short cold walk in the woods followed by some jamming with musical friends, homemade guac and chips, and beer!

What? I earned it 🙂 Read about how I Hike for Beer. You could do it too!

Coming off of the Company Mill trail onto the MUT. — Coming off of the Company Mill trail onto the MUT on Sunday.

Sunday morning, it was back to the woods!

Though half of the route was on the MUT trails inside the park to avoid most of the muddiness, it was still nice to get back to my favorite forest at Umstead State Park.

I spent a lot of time in Umstead this week – partly due to muddy conditions.

I’ll try to mix it up more next week.

A 6.5 mile hike Sunday morning with 10 extra lbs in my pack and a great groups of hiker friends was not a bad start to the day…

NEW: Track Your “Awesome” Progress at Home!

You’ll get instructions and three printable trackers:

- Your Hike Plan Worksheet
- Daily & Weekly Workouts
- Weekly Meals tracker

Click Here to Order!

A download link in your confirmation email let’s you get started right away. Happy training! LJ

Mossy shelter at the Company Mill trailhead.

So, there we’ve done it! Week 4 is finished, with just another 4 weeks to go.

Harumph. I thought I’d be further along. This is getting kind of tedious…

The trick is to keep your goal (your ‘why”) in mind and keep on going! And also allow yourself to have some fun now and then.

Week 5 is next – with longer hikes, heavier weights, more uphill and more rain!! It should be lots of fun!

And I don’t mean that sarcastically.

Pretty sure…

Oh, and it’s also going to be Valentine’s Day pretty soon!

Look for snarky and fun gifts in the IRW MERCH SHOP Valentine’s Collection!

TAKEAWAY LESSON: Halfway there is also only halfway done – so don’t get stuck – keep going! But also take the time to reward yourself for hard work and celebrate your personal wins at any point in your fitness journey 🙂

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.

You could also take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Plan post, if you want to see what kind of training I’m doing.

Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ

Week 3: What is your “Why”? And don’t panic!

Most recently updated February 3rd, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

– – Awesome Training Week 3 got off to a great start with some yoga and kickboxing on Monday in my home gym.

Tuesday I led a 9ish mile hike in the morning at Umstead State Park , combining the Company Mill and Sycamore trails.

It was a cold sunny day, but sadly there was bad traffic so only half of my group made it to the hike!

We still had fun though, going at a good clip, and stopping to look at the carved tree art on the multi-use trail in the middle of the hike.

Then Jody showed me an alternative route for part of the return trip to the trailhead, so I learned something new, too 🙂

Wednesday I was kind of a slug. Seriously. But in my defense, I was really very busy panicking.

Detail of the carved tree art in Umstead State Park.

Why? Well, remember when we started this training, I hadn’t decided on my goal hike yet?

Usual “whys” for fitness goals can include feeling and looking better for life in general, or getting ready for a specific event – in my case, an ambitious epic hike!

I’ve been dithering about pulling the trigger on some international travel this year.

Hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand just before the pandemic.

My last international trip was to hike the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand just days before the pandemic shutdown about 3 years ago.

I’ve stayed pretty local since then due to all of the travel restrictions and general airline weirdness.

This week, I finally made the decision to to take advantage of a January sale at my favorite sustainable travel company (read my page about it here.)

Hiking the Pyrenees in Spain a year before the pandemic.

Because it’s so expensive to fly now, I also decided to combine 2 of their week-long hike itineraries for the longest trip that I’ve taken in many years.

Aaaaand my “why” is… hiking Mount Olympus! In Greece!!!

Hiking Mt.Olympus From Refuge A to Skala Peak

The itinerary has us hiking from Prionia up along the E4 to a mountain refuge (6890ft) on the FIRST DAY, and spending the night.

The next day, we’ll hike from there to 2 summits -Skala (9455ft) and Skolio (9550ft) – and then ALL THE WAY back down the E4 from there to Prionia. (See AllTrails description of the summits route.)

Seriously, my knees hurt just thinking about it.

So, immediately after committing and sending the down-payment, I began to worry I’d taken on too much.

So, Wednesday was spent kind of freaking out.

Why? Because the Mount Olympus hikes are just the beginning.

I also want to be in good enough shape afterwards to do the rest of the trip (and enjoy it)!

But then, I took some time and translated the original hike descriptions from km=miles and meters=feet so I could relate better.

Meteora Hiking Tour — I get to hike to the monasteries in Meteora! How cool is that?

Here’s the rest of the trip’s hike itinerary AFTER the Mt Olympus hikes and summits in the first two days (translated to miles and feet):

Mt Olympus (Day 1-2)	Miles	Elev gain/loss	Est hike time
Day 3: Meteora	5 miles	2548ft	3 hours
Day 4: Zagori Mountain	9.3 miles	1765ft	6 hours
Day 5: Vikos Gorge	7.5 miles	984 ft	6-7 hours
Day 6: Travel to Corfu/rest	Miles
Day 7: Stavros-Pelekas	10.6 miles	2133ft	6 hours
Day 8: Giannades-Lakones	8.7 miles	1800ft	5 hours
Day 9: FREE DAY!!! Opa!
Day 10: Angelokastro-Afionas	10 miles	1312ft	5.5 hours
Day 11: Spartilas-NE Coast	9.3 miles	1968ft	6.5 hours

I stopped hyperventilating long enough to compare these hikes to some I’ve done pretty recently closer to home.

View from the trail in the New River Gorge last Summer.

It was then I realized that the projected “miles per hour” on the trip is MUCH slower than I ever go, even on the steepest or longest local hikes.

With that in mind, the freakout dissipated a bit.

I hiked the Triple Crown in Virginia! It's a group of three hikes - Dragon's Tooth, McAfee Knob, and Tinker Cliffs - that can be done individually or tackled all together as a backpacking trip. — I hiked the Triple Crown in Virginia a couple of years ago! It’s a group of three hikes – Dragon’s Tooth, McAfee Knob, and Tinker Cliffs – that can be done individually or all together as a 40-ish mile backpacking trip.

Nothing much needs to change with my training except to increase the degree of elevation gain.

So if I do that and also practice rock some scrambling before the trip, I should be fine.

I could even revisit some of my vertically tougher local hikes, too, like summiting Old Ragin Shenandoah, or head back to the Smoky Mountains for a few days.

Resting at the summit of Mary's Rock in Shenandoah. — Resting at the summit of Mary’s Rock in Shenandoah National Park.

And maybe add some time on the “mountain climber” machine at the gym because it LITERALLY simulates what I’m going to be doing.

I feel much better now 🙂

Thursday started with a 9ish mile Saturday morning hike hosted by my friend Heidi on the Mountains to Sea Trail, at Falls Lake.

Specifically Hike N, which starts at the Cheek Rd MST Trailhead and goes to the Little Lick Creek Bridge.

Trees in the lake at the mid-point of the MST section hike from Baptist Rd trailhead. — Trees in the lake at the mid-point of the MST section hike from Baptist Rd trailhead, in Summer.

I do this hike frequently from the opposite direction, starting from the Rolling View side of the MST and going from there to the bridge.

It was interesting to come at this hike from a different angle, a beautiful sunny day, and a great group!

I only had a little bit of extra weight in my pack, so the 9ish mile hike was good exercise, but didn’t exhaust me too much!

Good thing, because I had a full day after that with That Man and Colleen (the prettiest puppy), hacking around outdoors and having a pretty great music rehearsal 🙂

Cyprus at Little Lick Creek bridge in winter.

The next day, Friday, I had scheduled a favorite 7-ish mile hike at Umstead State Park, this time on the Loblolly Trail going into Schenk Forest and the Reedy Creek Greenway.

This was to be my main “strength-building” hike for the week, so I had 10 extra lbs in my pack.

It was a great group of hikers and a beautiful day!

Kickboxing in my home gym with my little bro!

Saturday was kickboxing and weights in my home gym before meeting That Man for a frozen (but sunny) test drive on the lake in a pontoon boat.

We bundled up for a sunny chilly day on the water.

I know, in January, really??? But why not? We bundled up 🙂

The next day Sunday, I led a great group hiking on the Eno river, starting from the Pump trail, crossing the river at the Guess Road bridge and continuing along the Sawmill Trail.

This was the trail I scouted last week and it was my first time taking a group on that trail. Everyone seemed to like it!

View of the old sawmill dam from the MST.

We did a out-and-back hike of about 8 miles total.

Next week’s weather forecast is for a LOT of rain.

But don’t panic!

We’ll find a way to get some exercise and time on the trail anyway, and I guarantee we’ll feel better about everything when it’s done.

NEW: Track Your “Awesome” Progress at Home!

You’ll get instructions and three printable trackers:

- Your Hike Plan Worksheet
- Daily & Weekly Workouts
- Weekly Meals tracker

Click Here to Order!

A download link in your confirmation email let’s you get started right away. Happy training! LJ

Meanwhile, I’ve got to find out if my gym still has a Mountain-Climber machine….

One of the creek crossings on the Sawmill Trail.

TAKEAWAY LESSON: Don’t freak out if your goal seems unattainable, or the weather is against you! Break your problem down into small do-able chunks until you can see the best way to tackle it. And keep moving forward 🙂

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.

You could also take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Plan post, if you want to see what kind of training I’m doing.

Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ

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Week 2: Make Time for Fitness AND Fun

Most recently updated February 3rd, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

– – I began the second week of training on Monday – which happened to be Martin Luther King Jr day – leading a great small group of hikers on another 7.5 mile hike on the Loblolly trail into Schenk Forest.

I added another 5 lbs extra pack weight (to make 10 lbs total extra) to make it a “strength training” hike for me.

Service project on MLK Jr Day at Umstead State Park

A lot of people get MLK Jr day as a work holiday, while others choose to use it as a day to get outdoors.

Others do a service project in honor of King’s ideas.

The Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr Day is a US federal holiday honoring the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983.

King won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his work, and at the time was the youngest person to have done so.

He was assassinated in 1968 at the age of 39 in Memphis, Tennessee. Sunday would have been King’s 95th birthday.

“Judge people not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

King preached against racial prejudice and political injustice, a warning politicians and political extremists should still heed today, more than ever.

Other people combined day of service with getting outdoors, as we saw at Umstead State Park on Monday.

Hiking to get in shape is great when you have a day off or on the weekends, but you may be frustrated when you have very limited free time.

It’s true, hiking can be very time-consuming, especially if you:

- - Take longer hikes or
  - Go at a slower pace, or have to
  - Drive any distance to get to a trail.

If you’re constrained by office hours and caring for children, it can seem almost impossible to have time for any kind of fitness training! Believe me, I get it.

A view of Jordan Lake from the trail on the hike. — A view of Jordan Lake from the trail on the Wednesday hike.

I wrote an article about how I used to sneak fitness into the cracks of my life – maybe it will help.

Even if you can just sneak in 1 shorter hike and 1 longer hike per week, your hiking will still improve!

Tuesday was a kickboxing and weights day.

Wednesday was a great, beautiful, fun day!

It began with a 6-mile hike at Jordan Lake recreation area, on a trail I hadn’t seen for a while because it’s a longer drive from home for a regular workout hike.

But it was worth it to get together with some other hikers, led by my friends Heidi and Jody.

Anyway, this time I hiked it with 10 extra lbs in my pack again. Yay 🙂

Because it’s a longer drive, I decided to add another event on after the hike as long as I was down that way, and make a visit to the Carolina Sunshine Alpaca Farm.

(Carolina Sunshine took over the location after M&M Alpaca closed.)

Heidi joined me for the visit, and it was a lot of fun.

There aren’t so many animals in the herd right now – though they’re expecting more than 10 babies this summer! – but the alpaca that are on the farm all have a lot of character 🙂

This alpaca boy looks a little bit angry to me... — This alpaca boy looks a little bit angry to me…

For sure I’ll go back again after all of the babies arrive!

Thursday was another beautiful day, so I did some yoga, then took the weights out of my pack and set out to look for an old unmarked trail on the Eno River.

The dam at the West Point on the Eno park.

I started at the West Point on the Eno Park, and hiked a known trail along the river for a while, then set off to explore!

I found a trail that looked used, though it wasn’t marked.

The Old Sawmill Trail goes right along the river.

It traveled along the river, and was supposed to only be about a mile long, but kept going.

Time finally made me turn around, but I’ll hike that trail again for sure, and maybe take it all the way to the end!

Friday I led a favorite 9ish mile hike out at Falls Lake on the white-blazed Mountains to Sea Trail, which will lead you all the way to Falls Lake Dam if you take it that far.

Later I did another 3-ish miles on the MST in the other direction with That Man and the puppy.

So Saturday was a rest day. 🙂

Sunday had been forecast to rain all day, and lately I’ve started to hate indoor workouts, so I decided to have some fun with it!

I posted a 6-mile Rain Hike on the dirt and gravel multi-use trails in Umstead State Park.

The idea was that we would hike in the rain on purpose and test out our rain gear. (I put the extra 10 lbs back into my pack for this hike.)

Well, we did it, and it was fun – and most of us only got wet on the outside!

So……drumroll please… 39+ miles of hiking this week! Not a bad Week 2, though I kind of slacked off with the kickboxing.

Happy New Year 2023 — Every day is a new opportunity – keep it going!

But I’m still good with the New Year goals, and (so far) I’m still doing better than the 11% who quit before the end of the first month.

Tell you what, though, the motivation really flags sometimes – strangely enough it’s worse when I have a lot of time.

Like if there’s no urgency, I have the leisure to procrastinate until there’s no time left. Not good.

Buddha Quote: "The trouble is, you think you have time." — Buddha Quote: “The trouble is, you think you have time.”

I think if you’re having trouble doing the exercise you’re “supposed to” be doing, you need to forget about that, and seize any opportunity to work out that seems more fun – so you’ll actually do it.

Whatever gets you moving is your best workout option!

TAKEAWAY LESSON: The right workout is one that you not only have the opportunity to do, but actually want to do. So be ready to seize the day and try make your workouts fun!

NEW: Track Your “Awesome” Progress at Home!

You’ll get instructions and three printable trackers:

- Your Hike Plan Worksheet
- Daily & Weekly Workouts
- Weekly Meals tracker

Click Here to Order!

A download link in your confirmation email let’s you get started right away. Happy training! LJ

Alpaca having a discussion at the Carolina Sunshine.

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.

You could also take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Plan post, if you want to see what kind of training I’m doing.

Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ

To get New Idratherwalk Posts
sent directly to your inbox (how convenient!) Click this Button!

Week 1: Resolutions and Hope for the Future

Most recently updated February 3rd, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 2.3 minutes

– – I started the Awesome hike training again this past Monday, with some yoga followed by a Dam hike (that’s a moderate-paced 7-miler to the Dam and back).

This hike was on the MST at Falls Lake in the warm sunshine with friends, led by my hiker friend Heidi.

The day before I’d led a brisk 9-mile fitness hike in the morning cold, so a warmer “moderate” hike sounded like a great idea!

Well, Heidi was extra-energetic, so the pace was a bit MORE than moderate! (Maybe it was the sunshine.) But it was still fun 🙂

Looking down at the Eno River from the trail.

Tuesday was another 7.5 miles hike, this time on part of the MST trail on the Eno river. I also added 5 lbs extra weight to my pack.

It was a cold morning, so my hike group had dwindled to just myself and one other stalwart hiker by hike time.

That’s fine – in fact, it was so pretty we took advantage of it being “just us” to hike an extra 1.5 miles along the river.

Wednesday I took as a very light, almost rest day, because at that point I realized I’d already hiked ~25 miles in the previous 4 days, and had committed to another 20 before the end of the week.

Last year I found out the hard way that over-doing can screw up your whole season!

So just some yoga and upper body weights.

Besides, it was That Man’s birthday, so we took the afternoon off and went to check out Zinc House, a new brewery/winery in the Falls Lake area.

It was a good day to visit, because we had the place mostly to ourselves, and got a chance to meet Muskie, the owner’s golden retriever, who was making his rounds and getting pets 🙂

Fountain at the Zinc House winery and brewery

Most Common New Year’s Resolutions

Even if you aren’t doing the Awesome training because of a New Year’s resolution, there’s something about the start of a new year that causes people to commit (or re-commit) to some goals for improvement.

So, what do people want to change about themselves and their lives?

A Forbes Health/OnePoll survey found the most popular resolutions for 2023 to be (in order of most to least common):

- - Improved mental health (45%)
  - Improved fitness (39%)
  - Lose weight (37%)
  - Improved diet (33%)
  - Improved finances (30%)

Some less popular resolutions include stop smoking (14%), learn a new skill (12%) and make time for hobbies (11%).

Fitness, weight and diet were all on my radar this year – and every year! What about you?

Thursday I led a (small but feisty) group on the Lake Trail and greenways in Bond Park and all the way to Davis Drive park and back.

I chose this route for strength training, because it’s pretty flat and can be a good choice after a recent rain.

Friday I joined a fun exploratory hike led by another hiker friend, Michael, in search of a lost quarry in Eno State Park.

I still had 5lbs extra weight in my pack for mild strength training.

The hike was about 8 miles altogether, with around half (I think) off trail, and some hills.

Off-trail is harder hiking, carefully choosing your steps to avoid rocks and potholes hidden under fallen leaves, and lifting your knees high over the grasses and other obstacles.

And of course, finding your way back.

But we did find the quarry (and our way back) and had a lot of fun doing it!

View of a cut in the quarry from the bottom.

Saturday was cold and rainy, so I did my kickboxing and weightlifting indoors and called it good.

What Percentage of New Year’s Resolutions Fail?

The second Friday in January has been nicknamed “Quitter’s Day”, which might give us a clue 😉

And the joke with fitness friends is that machine lines at the gym will for sure be back to normal by March.

Sadly, it’s not really a joke.

One survey (of those who responded) found that:

- - 11% lasted less than a month.
  - 19% made it at least one month,
  - 14% made it at least three months,
  - 11% made it at least six months, and only
  - 55% kept their resolution from 6 months-year.

Ugh! That’s kind of discouraging – on the other hand, it’s more than I expected.

So, if you just keep doing something for at least 6 months – even if you start from scratch every day – you’re still doing better than half of the people!

That means if you just have persistence, and hope to do better in the future, you’ve already won 🙂

Sunday, I had a great group of hikers join me on the 6.5 mile Company Mill Trail in Umstead State Park – despite temps in the 20’s to start!

This trail has some noticeable hills, especially right toward the end (ugh!) so it’s a great training hike. (I still had an extra 5lbs in my pack.)

We also ran into a huge number of blackbirds flocked to a single tree in the middle of the forest. We only saw them because of how loud they were!

I’d never seen that in the forest before, and it was probably due to the very cold temps.

Blackbirds congregate for warmth, to find food, and keep an eye out for predators.

This week, I also did long-form yoga or at least stretches every day. And as for my diet… I don’t want to talk about it. I’ll do better next week 😉

And now at the end of the week… drum roll, please…

I’m pretty much the same.

Well, crap.

Hikers at the lost quarry site we found in Eno State Park.

Logically, I know it will take longer than a week to see or feel any difference.

It’s okay, though. As my kickboxing instructor says, “If you’re moving, you’re doing it!” And tomorrow is another day!

But here’s the thing:

You DO have to do the work – or at least some of it – every day.

- - Even if it’s boring, painful, inconvenient or all of those.
  - Even if you start over every single day.

It’s just going to take a while.

So, on to the next hike – which is tomorrow morning 🙂

TAKEAWAY LESSON: Patience and hope for the future is required for training, and instant gratification is never fast enough!!

NEW: Track Your “Awesome” Progress at Home!

You’ll get instructions and three printable trackers:

- Your Hike Plan Worksheet
- Daily & Weekly Workouts
- Weekly Meals tracker

Click Here to Order!

A download link in your confirmation email let’s you get started right away. Happy training! LJ

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.

You could also take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Plan post, if you want to see what kind of training I’m doing.

Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ

To get New Idratherwalk Posts
sent directly to your inbox (how convenient!) Click this Button!

The Awesome Year of the Trail

Most recently updated February 3rd, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes

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.

I hiked the Flat Top Tower Trail in Moses H Cone Memorial park on the Blue Ridge Parkway this past summer. I found it by accident while hiking nearby Grandfather mountain, and I'm so glad I did! Read about the Blue Ridge Parkway, Cone Memorial Park, this hike and other local attractions, and how you can visit too. #Idratherwalk #Hiking — 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 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. — 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!

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!

You’ll get instructions and three printable trackers:

- Your Hike Plan Worksheet
- Daily & Weekly Workouts
- Weekly Meals tracker

Click Here to Order!

A download link in your confirmation email let’s you get started right away. Happy training! LJ

(Or, you could subscribe and download the pdf for FREE here.)

Anyway, gotta go sweat. See you next time!

Hiking on the Brumley Mountain trail in Virginia.

TAKEAWAY LESSON: Any diet (and possibly strength training) begins in the grocery store!!

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.

You could also take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Plan post, if you want to see what kind of training I’m doing.

Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ

To get New Idratherwalk Posts
sent directly to your inbox (how convenient!) Click this Button!

Week 9: Bonus! (A.K.A. Training Never Stops)

Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Week 9 Training is a bonus!

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. — 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. — 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’ve written about a few of them:

- Hiking Cannon’s Point Preserve on St Simon’s Island.
- Hiking the beach at Fort Macon State Park.
- Hiking the longest trail at First Landing State Park.

I’m sure I’ll also get around to writing something about walking and hiking around Myrtle Beach soon, too 🙂

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 form the last Public Beach Access. — 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.

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 the Kindred 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.

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!!

Bonus Good-Weather Day!!!

So after some yoga and breakfast, I hit the road again, this time to visit Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve.

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! — 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 🙂

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.

You could also take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Plan post, if you want to see what kind of training I’m doing.

Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ

To get New Idratherwalk Posts
sent directly to your inbox (how convenient!) Click this Button!

Week 8: Don’t Be a Lame Duck!

– – 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 🙂

And I did more bleeping yoga. And 45 minutes of *very mild* treadmilling in my home gym.

Monday, I did another Infrared sauna session (see Week 7) and then joined Lenore and some other hikers for a 5ish mile hike in Hollow Rock Nature Park and Duke Forest.

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.

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.)

Cargo Container Theft in LA Is a Big Problem

Anyway, I’ve had to get creative with alternate asthma treatments. (Learn more about vitamins and supplements that help your asthma.)

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 :-) — 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.... — 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... — 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 :-) — 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.

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!

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!

At their practice at B.E.S.T. Physical Therapy in Cary, they focus on a 3-step approach.

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.

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! — 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!

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!

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 Plan post, if you want to see what kind of training I’m doing. It might work for your goals, too.

Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ

Week 7: But Wait – There’s More!

Most recently updated February 26th, 2022

– – 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.

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.

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.

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 Saunas | Traditional Finnish Saunas — 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)

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.

9. INCREASE BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF)

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.

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%.

Harry Potter's scars — 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.

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!

Perhaps I’ll go back and read my article on training back from an injury and take my own advice 🙂

And focus, focus focus…..

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.

You could also take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Plan post, if you want to see what kind of training I’m doing.

Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ