Thursday was a home workout and then a short 3 mile hike in the sunshine with That Man and the puppy at Blue Jay Point County Park.
The prettiest puppy at The Point in Blue Jay County Park.
About Blue Jay County Park
Blue Jay Point County Park is a 236-acre park located in the northern part of Wake County.
There are five miles of trails inside the park boundaries. (For a trail map, see pages 3–4 of Blue Jay Point’s Park Brochure .)
The Azalea Loop Trail is an interpretive experience. At the trail head, you can pick up a seasonal Interpretive Guide that corresponds with 18 numbered posts along the half-mile trail.
Hikers seeking longer trails opportunities will find that Blue Jay’s Section VI of the Falls Lake Trail connects with North Carolina’s Mountains to Sea Trail, thus extending the hiking opportunities well beyond the boundaries of Blue Jay Point – Falls Lake Trail Map and Falls Lake Trail sections .
We hiked just a few miles on the MST before sunset made us call it a night.
Brochure map of Blue Jay County Park trails.
Friday I was back at Eno State Park, leading a 12 mile hike on the MST. It’s the longest hike I’ve led so far this year.
The Eno River from the Cabelands Trail.
The route went from the Pleasant Green trailhead along the Laurel Bluffs trail, the Quarry Trail and to our resting spot and halfway point at the Pump Station ruins.
The Pump Station used to provide water for the whole area until Falls Lake and Jordan Lake were created.
It was a great group, including someone who had never hiked that far before!
Saturday was meant to be a “rest” day, but didn’t quite turn out that way.
I did my yoga/Pilates routine, and took a quick 3 mile hike in the morning to DTC Park before the rain, thinking that would be it.
DTC Bird play structures.
But later, the rain hadn’t materialized so we had time for another 3 miles in the woods at Falls Lake with That Man and our puppy friend.
And that’s a wrap for Week 5! 🙂
Next week, the weather forecast is….probably mostly wrong again!
But, no matter what, we know that:
You may have noticed that my hikes this week (the ones I was leading) were all pretty long.
Next week, hikes will be longer and I’ll also be adding more weight to my pack on the short ones.
Are you Ready????
View of the Eno from the Pump Station ruins
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.
– – 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.
Since this is an 8-week plan, and we’re halfway through, should we be seeing some improvements?
Well, that depends. How fit were you when we started, and what goals did you set?
If you don’t know where you’re going, you don’t know when you’re done.
If, like me, you weren’t really sure exactly what goal or hike you were training for – just had a general goal of getting more fit – you may not really be able to judge your progress.
The fact is, you can’t measure progress towards a goal if you have not yet defined it. You’ll also never know when you’re done 😉
I was delaying choosing a goal partly due to lingering illness – and the fear I wouldn’t be up to whatever epic thing I wanted to do.
Aaaaand (drumroll please) my “goal” is… a week of hiking in Eastern Iceland!
Loðmundarfjörður- Seyðisfjörður hike in Eastern Iceland
The trip includes hiking every day – along with a lot of other amazing things – so I picked the longest hike and the hardest hike (for elevation gain) to set my training goals.
On this trip, the longest hike is 11.5 miles and the most elevation gain is 2100ft. They aren’t on the same hike, but for sure if I train to those goals I’ll be able to do every hike on the trip – and enjoy it 🙂
Week 4 weather was a mix of rain and cold.
Week 4 weather was deceptively warm – in the afternoons. But there were a lot of cold mornings, and a lot of forecasted rain.
Hikers at Umstead on our Sunday hike
This week’s training began with a rainy day, and a planned “rain hike” – 7.5 miles on the Company Mill trail and Multi-Use trail in Umstead State Park.
This route takes advantage of the higher elevation on the Company Mill trail and the harder , more flat surface of the dirt/gravel Multi-Use trail to keep us out of the mud – and also keep us hikers from destroying the natural trails while they’re wet!
The weather did as forecasted, so we did the first half of the hike under clouds and were able to test our gear in a steady rain for the second half.
My Mountain Climber machine in my home gym.
Monday continued with a cold morning and I had meetings in the afternoon, so I contented myself with yoga/Pilates followed by a 3.5 mile uphill hike on my treadmill with a 10lb pack.
Tuesday was an even colder morning and a busy day.
So, I had another home gym workout with yoga/Pilates and 30 minutes on my Mountain Climber machine for vertical gain training.
Later, I walked a couple of miles in the neighborhood to stretch my legs and get some fresh air.
Taking a quick hike to stretch my legs.
Last year, my goal hike for the Awesome Training was a lot harder: I was planning an epic hiking trip to Greece – which included a 2-day hike up the slopes of Mount Olympus!
A view from the slopes of Mt Olympus!
We hiked up from Prionia up 6890ft to a mountain refuge on the FIRST DAY, then spent the night.
The next day, we hiked 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.)
I didn’t have any trouble with any the hikes on my trip to Greece after using the Mount Olympus hike as the goal hike for my training.
Olympus Mountain Refuge A to Skala
This year my goal hikes in Eastern Iceland require a lot less vertical training, although hikes are mostly 8-11 miles in length every day.
The trip also includes a lot more just walking and taking in the beautiful scenery in addition to planned hikes than last year’s trip, but I’ve set goals based on hike specs included in the trip itinerary.
Borgarfjörður – Breiðuvík
Specific hikes included in my Eastern Iceland trip:
Day 1: Borgarfjörður Valley Hike, Bakkagerdi 4h 10km (6.2mi)
This hike goes through Borgarfjörður valley following sheep trails up to Dimmidalur (the Dark Valley) at the base of the Door Mountains.
Day 2: Stórurð (Boulder Hollow) Day Hike, Stórurð, 5h, 14km (8.6mi), 2100ft
This strenuous trek goes up and over gravel, scree and boulders. Start from Vatnskarð pass (431 m/1414ft) hiking up and crossing Geldingafjall mountain (640 m/2100ft), before heading inland. (This is my goal hike for vertical gain.)
The trek continues down into Stórurð, with its enormous rocks and small river.
Day 3: Leirhnjúkur Lava Fields Hike, Mývatn, 1h30m, 4km (2.5mi)
Last active in 1984, this hike goes along the smoking Leirhnjúkur lava fields which lie within the Krafla caldera. The landscape is striking and many compare it to a Martian–scape.
Breiðavík – Húsavík – Loðmundarfjörður
Day 4: Moors and Breiðavík area Hike, Afrétt, 7h, 16-18km (9.9-11.2mi), 1572ft
Starting in Afrétt. begin the hike across the moors through Urðarhólavatn, Gæsavötn and Víknaheiði. Continue to beautiful Breiðavík inlet with its golden sand beaches and high cliffs, perfect for bird watching and a lunch stop. After, hike to 479 m/1572ft at Gagnheiði ridge which offers a stunning panoramic view of the mountains. (This is my goal hike for length.)
Day 5: Brúnavík area Hike, Brúnavík, 6h, 13km (8.08mi), 1181ft
Hike up from the coast across green mountain screes to Brúnavík pass at 360 m/1181ft then down to Brúnavík inlet. Walk across the black sand beach and continue the hike over Hofstrandarskarð pass at 321 m/1053ft, and alongside the colourful Helgárgil canyon.
Day 6: Seyðisfjörður Village Walk, 3h-4h
Visit historic Seyðisfjörður fishing Village nestled under Mt. Strandartindur and Mt. Bjolfur and along the deep fjord.
Known for its preservation of old 19th century buildings and stunning location, it’s considered one of the most picturesque towns in Iceland.
I took a short scouting hike on local trails at Umstead State Park.
Wednesday was another cold day, but I couldn’t take it any more!
I did my yoga/Pilates routine, then took myself out to Umstead State Park to investigate a new route that involved linking some of the shorter trails together.
I only hiked about 3.5 miles, but I had extra weight in my pack to make it harder.
Old stone culvert along the trail.
Thursday was another gym workout, but this time I did my yoga/Pilates workout followed by 4 miles on the treadmill, flat, for speed.
Later, when it was warmer, I joined That Man and the puppy for 3 miles walking to and around the new Cary Downtown Park.
The renovated Cary DTP is a fairly new addition to the area, and is a pleasant, (and certainly not physically challenging) walk.
The large bird play structures in DT Cary Park.
It’s a nice place to sit in the sun, grab a coffee, and see all the other folks out with their little kids and their dogs.
Friday I was back in the woods at Falls Lake, leading a 9 mile group hike on the MST.
We started from the trailhead near Rollingview Marina, going all the way out to the boardwalk beyond Little Lick Creek bridge and back.
This is one of my favorite MST sections, because of the varied terrain, the Lake views – and not lest of all the chance to feed some apple slices to friendly horses in pastures along the way 🙂
Saturday was yoga/Pilates and a rest day.
So, there we’ve done it! Week 4 is finished, with just another 4 weeks to go.
Well, I really thought I’d be further along. And I know what I have to do now.
On the other hand, I know that as long as I keep moving forward – no matter how slowly – I’ll just keep getting better 🙂
NEW: Track Your “Awesome” Progress at Home!
Track your progress towards your fitness goals!
You’ll get instructions and three printable trackers:
– – Awesome Training Week 3 got off to a frozen start with a very cold hike on the Loblolly Trail in Umstead State Park on Sunday.
Hikers on a very cold Sunday morning hike!
Temps were in the teens at our normal start time, so I pushed it out to start at 10:30am, so we’d be starting off at least in the 20’s F.
The rest of the week was much warmer and a lot wetter!
Week 3 weather was warm and rainy.
What to Wear When It’s Cold AND Rainy
It’s important to wear the right gear when it’s cold outside to keep your body’s core temperature warm. It’s even more important dress protectively when it’s also rainy.
Because there’s nothing worse than being cold AND wet, with 5 miles left to get back to the trailhead 🙁
Clothing and accessories can help conserve body heat to keep your muscles warm, so you feel less stiff. Waterproof clothing keeps the wetness and wind off of your skin to help you preserve that body heat.
Here are some ideas for how to dress when hiking in the cold and rain:
Wear Layers — Your bottom layer should ideally be something thin that is made of synthetic material that is “moisture-wicking.” Over your thin layer, add something heavier that will keep you insulated, like a jacket or fleece.
Water and Wind Proof – Over your wicking and warm layers, wear something water or windproof, like a rain jacket or shell.
If it’s really coming down, I throw a poncho over my pack and all, and put a rainhat on top of the poncho hood. I’m also not above using an umbrella!
Socks, Boots and Gaiters – Keeping your feet dry is always important, and especially challenging in the rain. Waterproof boots, and 2 layers of socks (thin wicking and warmer on top) with maybe a plastic bag in between is how I roll. If necessary, you can wear gaiters.
Cover up vulnerable parts — Your hands, feet, toes, ears and tip of your nose are the parts most vulnerable to cold. This is because your body priorities warming your core, rather than your extremities.
Depending on how cold it is, cover up with a hat, gloves, face mask, scarf or goggles so less skin is exposed.
Protect your skin — Most dermatologists recommend wearing 30 SPF+ if outdoors more than 20-30 minutes, plus lip balm with sunscreen. Don’t forget the sun is out even when it’s raining!
Monday I joined my friend Lenore’s hike exploring a new section of greenway adjacent to the Park.
The new section of the greenway connects to other existing routes.
We followed the paved path to see where it would go, then looped back into Umstead State Park , onto the Loblolly trail and MUT for a total of about 8 miles.
Following the greenway back towards the natural trails in the park.
I hosted a hike the next morning before rain was forecasted to return, on the Company Mill Trail. We went about 6.5 miles.
A few of us got together for an early hike before the rain.
The next day – Wednesday was supposed to be very warm and unexpectedly NOT raining, so I hosted a last-minute 9 mile hike on theMountains to Sea Trail, at Eno River State Park.
The water was pretty high after all of the recent rain.
The water level in the river was nice and high after all of the recent rain, but the trail was only a little bit muddy.
Colleen, the prettiest puppy.
Thursday was forecasted heavy rain in the afternoon, but it was a warm morning.
So, I did my yoga/Pilates, then invited That Man and the prettiest puppy Colleen out for a walk on the new greenway and Loblolly trail.
We got about 4 miles in before the rain started to roll in. We took that as a cue to go find some lunch on a covered patio 🙂
There’s Rain, and then there’s RAIN
Meteorologists broadly categorize stuff falling from the sky into one of two groups: liquid and frozen.
Liquid precipitation falls to the ground as a liquid (hopefully water). Here’s a quick look at different types:
1. Rain
Our first type of precipitation is one that most people are very familiar with: rain.
Basically, rain is water that falls from the sky when clouds become saturated with droplets of water.
2. Drizzle
You may think the term “drizzle” is simply a colloquial term for light rain.
In fact, a drizzle is technically defined as liquid precipitation where the individual water drops are no larger than about 0.2 to 0.5 millimeters in size.
3. Freezing Rain
Most freezing rain starts its life in the clouds as snow. Then, if the snow hits some warmer air on its way to the ground, the stage is set for freezing rain.
If the layer of sub-freezing air near the ground is small, raindrops won’t have time to refreeze before they hit the ground.
When this happens, the water will freeze on contact with the ground or whatever surface that it hits first, be that your car, the road, or a tree, creating freezing rain – and dangerous black ice!
If you find yourself hiking in freezing rain, beware: the ice that accumulates on trees can cause tree branches to fall, and the trails can become very slick.
4. Freezing Drizzle
The distinction between freezing rain and freezing drizzle is really a matter of size. Freezing drizzle comes from very small droplets of water, like liquid drizzle.
When freezing drizzle happens in parts of the southeastern United States, it wreaks havoc on local highways, causing many car crashes.
So please be careful if you’re driving in these conditions!
5. Slush
Slush is a blend of partially melted snow and rain. This kind of precipitation is usually fairly mushy and rarely freezes when it hits the ground.
Sometimes, slush serves as a transition between snow and rain. For example, if the temperature starts to warm, snow might become rain or vice versa.
Warm weather continued the next day (Friday), and I didn’t have a hike planned.
So I did the yoga/Pilates again, and then That Man and I dug out our bikes for a very early first ride of the season!
Trailhead of the new greenway.
We got in about 10 miles – seemingly all uphill – checking out some new routes before calling it a day.
The new greenway section seems to be all uphill!
Saturday the rain forecast turned out to be real, so I did my Pilates routine and some weights in my home gym , and treated it like a rest day.
I ended the week feeling a bit stronger, but a LOT impatient with how long it’s taking to get over my illness from the Holidays. But the only way to get better is to keep going!
Kickboxing in my home gym with my little bro!
Next week’s weather forecast is for a LOT more 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!
Track your progress towards your fitness goals!
You’ll get instructions and three printable trackers:
– – I began this year’s second week of training on Sunday 1/14, leading another great group on a 7 mile morning hike in local Umstead State Park .
Started the week with another great group in Umstead State Park!
The weather was relatively mild when we started – around freezing – and it warmed up later to be a pretty nice day, with a high temp near 60F degrees.
I was feeling pretty good, too, starting to get some energy back, still battling some congestion – but SO happy to be out on the trail in the sunshine!
The weather through the rest of the week was not nearly as nice – a couple of rain days, followed by much lower temps with lows in the 20’s and teens.
Local weather during Week 2 of this year’s training.
The next day (Monday) happened to be Martin Luther King Jr day, and was forecast to be VERY rainy, so I opted to do my Yoga/Pilates, and then basically have a rest day.
A lot of people get MLK Jr day as a work holiday, and use it as a day to get outdoors, while others do a service project in honor of King’s ideas.
This year, unfortunately, the weather wasn’t cooperating and some of the service projects and outdoor plans got postponed.
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 was assassinated in 1968 at the age of 39 in Memphis, TN.
“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 heed today, more than ever.
Since I exercise in the morning, and was still getting over the Creeping Crud, I opted for indoor workouts during the worst of the cold.
Too cold outside for a windbreaker….
Tuesday I did my usual 30 min Yoga/Pilates workout – upping the reps a bit – and then hit the treadmill for an indoor hike.
I hiked 3.5 miles uphill with a 10lb pack, which took about 45 minutes.
You can keep on going on a treadmill as long as you have time, I guess, but I find treadmill hikes REALLY boring, and can only stand it if I’m watching a movie or something while I do it.
Wednesday was more of the same 30 min Yoga/Pilates routine, followed by a more flat 4 miles on the treadmill – this time without a pack.
Don’t try this at home?
But for variety, I attempted to run for a while towards the end. (It wasn’t pretty.)
I used to run outdoors about 5 miles, 3-4 times per week (even when it was cold), but then I got a leg injury and stopped.
That injury got better, but now I have a knee thing….
Anyway, one of my goals is to work *some* running back into my routine.
Many mountains are frozen at the top!
It’s Cold Outside – Should You Still Work Out?
Part of your fitness and training journey is staying active every day.
But what do you do if it’s stormy or really really cold outside?
Your choices are to:
Exercise inside (not my favorite)
Watch a movie and eat Cheesy poofs instead (so tempting!)
Exercise outdoors anyway (with the proper gear)
Choice #3 is the one I like best, even if I have to keep it short. Luckily, according to experts from Harvard Health, even small amounts of exercise are beneficial.
Researchers found that only 15 minutes of moderate activity and as little as 8 minutes of vigorous activity each day can have an impact on your health.
So even if you can’t go do that 9 mile hike outdoors, practically anything you do – indoors or out – is better than doing nothing at all!
The good news is that the cold weather exercise you do manage to accomplish might have bonus benefits.
This means that exercising in the cold can boost calorie burn, making winter workouts even more effective.
But What About Breathing Cold Air?
Breathing extremely cold air can be dangerous for anyone, but the cold can really make things worse for those with chronic lung diseases.
People with respiratory disease, whether that’s asthma (like me!), COPD or other lung diseases, are more prone to aggravated symptoms if facing cold winter conditions – especially during exercise, when you inhale more deeply.
Breathe through a scarf in really cold air.
The best thing you can do to protect yourself is to dress for the weather and carry a quick action inhaler.
Your body does its best to keep your core temperature about 37 degrees, and unless your whole body is at risk, freezing your lungs should not be a risk.
I wear a scarf over my face on cold days to warm and moisturize the air before it reaches my lungs.
View of Lake Pine from the parking off of Lake Pine Dr.
Thursday (finally!) there was a little break in the weather.
So, in the morning I did the usual Yoga/Pilates thing, followed by 30 minutes on my Mountain Climber machine.
View from the greenway at the marshy end of Lake Pine.
But the afternoon was warmer and sunny, so I took a break for a quick 2 mile hike around Lake Pine.
It was nice to be outside for a change, and the wildlife was in full force!
Water birds of all sizes were out, and I spent some time stalking them with my camera 🙂
Water birds of all sizes made the most of the sunny warmer weather.
Friday the morning temps were back in the 30s, so I had organized a hike at Umstead State Parkon the Company Mill and MUT up to Big Lake.
Great group for Friday’s hike!
We ended up with an 8 mile hike in the rare sunshine!
Saturday morning temperatures were back down into the 20s, with a high forecast of 30 for the day.
So, more yoga, more Pilates….grumble grumble. Basically a rest day.
Looks like we’ll get temps down into the teens again on Sunday.
That’s ok – we’ll be fine as long as we dress for it 🙂
And so ended Week 2, headed back into the deep freeze for the beginning of Week 3.
NEW: Track Your “Awesome” Progress at Home!
Track your progress towards your fitness goals!
You’ll get instructions and three printable trackers:
– – I started the Awesome hike training again this first Sunday, with a 30 minute Yoga/Pilates routine followed by a short 5.5mile hike in Umstead State Park.
Hikers in Umstead State Park
This was my first hike back after an extended respiratory illness – I’m still not anywhere near 100% – and my great group of hikers were incredibly kind.
And by that I mean, they didn’t hurt me 😉
The next couple of days, since I was still recovering from sinus and chest congestion, I thought it would be prudent to stay out of the cold and rain.
So, Monday I spent some time in my home gym, first with some stretches, then hiking 3 miles briskly on my treadmill uphill as far as it would incline.
It took about 45 minutes, with no weight in my pack this time.
Then I spent some time revving up my old Pilates routine!
What is Pilates?
Pilates is a type of workout that involves simple repetitive exercises to increase muscle strength, endurance, and flexibility.
Sydney Dance Company – example of modern dance
I first started doing Pilates (though I didn’t know it at the time) when the Director of my undergrad Modern Dance troupe held 45 minute Pilates warmups prior to each rehearsal.
Though there is some focus on breath-work, Pilates exercises don’t require a lot of cardio, which makes it a perfect way to get some strength exercise while I’m coming back from respiratory illness.
Even though my college days are long behind me, Pilates exercises have been around for even longer than that!
Joseph Pilates first developed the Pilates method and introduced his physical and mental conditioning to soldiers overseas during World War I. He then brought the exercise program to the United States in 1923.
Sometimes I like hiking in the rain. This was not one of those times…
Tuesday was extremely rainy all day, so I went for another Pilates workout, and later – when I couldn’t take it anymore – took a short greenway hike on my own in-between the cold raindrops.
Wednesday brought another indoor workout due to bad weather: another Pilates warmup, followed by a vigorous 3.5mile uphill hike on the treadmill with a weighted pack on my back.
It felt great to break a sweat – even if it was indoors in my home gym 🙂
Pilates Method History
To create his exercise method, Joseph Pilates studied and incorporated aspects of yoga, martial arts, Zen meditation, plus Greek/Roman exercise.
Pilates was plagued by asthma and rickets as a child, so he initially used his exercise method to strengthen his own frail body.
Later, while serving as an orderly in a hospital on the Isle of Man towards the end of World War I, Pilates began using his method for therapeutic rehabilitation on non-ambulatory soldiers.
Joseph Pilates
To do this, he attached springs to hospital beds to support the patient’s limbs while he worked them. Unique at the time, Pilates’ supported therapy method allowed movement early in the rehabilitation process.
After some time, the doctors noticed that the patients treated with the Pilates method seemed to recover more rapidly.
Students Taking a Mat Pilates Class
How Do You Do Pilates?
The Pilates program consists of 50 repetitive, simple exercises that involve muscle exertion.
Like Yoga, Pilates exercises are usually performed on a mat. In the mat class, participants sit or lie prone and use gravity to help stabilize the core.
Body weight is the main resistance used throughout the series of Pilates mat exercises.
Each exercise starts with stabilizing your core muscles (the abdominal, gluteal, and para-spinal muscles) and then goes through a controlled range of motion, and repeated as desired.
Pilates Upper Abdominal Curls
The Pilates Curl
The Pilates Curl is the most basic of the Pilates exercises, and is used to engage the core muscles at the beginning of each session.
To perform a Pilates curl, follow these steps:
Lie on the back with knees bent, arms at the sides, and feet flat on the floor.
Breathe out, curling the chin to the chest and bringing the shoulders off the mat.
Hold for a moment, and then lower back down to the mat slowly.
Lift from the chest to use the abdominal muscles and avoid crunching the neck.
I use the Pilates Curl as a basis to perform ~200 curl crunches each day (in 4 different positions) to strengthen and flatten my core, without straining my neck and back.
You can find Pilates classes online and offered in gyms, as well, if you’d like to try it out!
Umstead State Park Loblolly Trailhead sign
Thursday I was back in the woods, trying to lead a 7 mile hike I had planned for the Loblolly trail.
Unfortunately,, it had rained so much, the creek was impassable, so we rerouted.
We still had a great 7-ish mile hike, and no one had to fall in the creek 🙂
Creek on Loblolly Trail
Friday it was back indoors with some Pilates, another 3 mile treadmill hike – only this time with no pack- and I added on 20 minutes on my Mountain Climber to practice vertical gain.
Pilates vs Yoga
Yoga focusses more in breathing and spiritual integration
There are significant differences between Pilates and yoga, both in origin and purpose.
While Pilates dates back to WWI, yoga dates back to ancient India.
Pilates works to control mind-body coordination, while yoga strives to integrate the mind, body, and spirit.
Scientists have conducted very little research comparing the benefits of yoga and Pilates.
However, there are some existing studies on the topic:
A 2020 study involving 28 people with multiple sclerosis compared the effects of Pilates and yoga. It found that both produced benefits in walking and breathing, but Pilates was superior in increasing:
balance confidence
walking speed
quality of life
Data from a different 2015 study of 56 patients with ongoing neck pain found that the two fitness programs were equally effective in reducing pain and disability.
The lake is cold but still pretty.
Saturday was another Pilates workout followed by a 3-mile uphill treadmill hike with 10lb pack early in the day.
Later, I walked a quick , frozen 2 miles in the woods with That Man and the dog.
I ended the week still not my normal self, but maintaining and slowly getting better – which is what this training is all about! 🙂
Wall Pilates – The latest fitness trend
About Wall Pilates and Chair Yoga
Wall Pilates has emerged as the latest fitness trend in this year’s “New Year New You” season, popping up in every social media feed, promising you’ll look just like the girls in the videos if only you sign up for personalized subscription!
It’s funny because it’s true!
I think the only thing you can know for sure is that you’ll no longer have your money, and that you’ll have a pretty hard time cancelling your automatically-renewing subscription.
Don’t get me wrong, any exercise is better than no exercise, and if you stick to it, you could be in great shape!
Honestly, though, I don’t see the benefit of Wall Pilates over just doing regular Pilates exercises.
The only difference in the exercise is that Wall Pilates uses a wall as a prop as you complete certain moves, in theory creating extra leverage and support as you do traditional Pilates exercises, like glute bridges, lunges, and leg circles.
Yoga for Seniors – Chair Yoga
As long as we’re talking about new modifications of exercise, we should mention Chair Yoga.
This is another New Year fitness craze that’s been showing up in my social media feeds. (How old do they think I am, anyway?)
This exercise is really meant for people with mobility issues or who have trouble standing up and holding their own weight, due to injury/illness or old age.
Chair yoga involves poseslike twists, hip stretches and bends that are modified to be done while sitting in a chair (or, sometimes, standing while using the chair for support).
Aside from just promoting movement in people who are basically sedentary, chair yoga can also be a good quick stretch if you’re stuck in an office chair for hours at a time.
If you’re injured or making your way back from an illness, this is a very basic place to start, and is certainly better than not moving at all!
Hiking on the greenway between raindrops.
This week, I did a couple of shorter outdoor hikes, several weighted uphill indoor treadmill hikes, and long-form Pilates or at least stretches every day.
My activity was somewhat limited due to both my lingering illness and the weather.
And now at the end of the first week…
I’m pretty much the same. Maybe a little bit better? IDK.
Logically, I know it will take longer than a week to see or feel any difference in my fitness, especially while I’m still trying to get well from a long illness.
It’s okay, though. As my kickboxing instructor says, “If you’re moving, you’re doing it!” And tomorrow is another day!
So I’ll just keep going and try not to hork up a lung….
NEW: Track Your “Awesome” Progress at Home!
Track your progress towards your fitness goals!
You’ll get instructions and three printable trackers:
This is the 4th year in a row that I’ll spend 8 weeks training at the beginning of the year to get in shape for an awesome epic hike later on.
My last year’s training was for an epic 2 weeks of hiking in Greece, specifically hiking Mt Olympus, the Vikos Gorge and all over the island of Corfu.
We took hike breaks in the sea while on Corfu.
The training did it’s job, and I didn’t have any issues with any of the hikes.
At this point, I don’t know yet what hike that will be for me this year. But it’s still a good idea to be ready to hit the trails by Spring time.
Last year, the NC General Assembly) designated 2023 to be “The Year of the Trail” in North Carolina, and if their goal was to promote more use of NC outdoor recreation resources – it was a success!
Hikers at a local park
Last year both local and regional NC trails saw more traffic, especially from beginning hikers.
Now a year later, the trails will likely be even more popular – and populated! – especially in peak times.
Last year’s bucket list hike was Mt Olympus in Greece
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 early, so you can tackle the more ambitious trails when the easy ones are crowded!
The “8 Weeks to Awesome” hike training plan will help you do that, and you’ll be in great shape by Spring Break for any hike you want to do 🙂
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 usual 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.
Over the next couple of weeks, along with more focused and increased physical training, I’ll also try to clean up my diet.
Over the holidays – which for me was a series of gatherings for the whole month of December and into January – I went kind of overboard with the cheese intake.
Holiday eating caused me to abandon my usual healthy eating habits, so now I’ve got to get strict with myself again.
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.
Combined with intermittent fasting, this diet works pretty well for just about anyone, whether you’ve got asthma or not!
Motivational sign in my home gym.
Luckily, I live within walking distance of a couple of different grocery stores, so for extra exercise I could walk to the store for smaller trips and carry groceries home in my back pack.
I’ve been very sick with chest/sinus congestion during this past Holiday season, and have been pretty much grounded from hiking.
No specific injury, just hard to breathe with all the buckets-o-snot, and very tired….
So this year, I’ll be training back up from the ground along with everybody else! (Please don’t hurt me…)
I made a checklist/tracker to help everyone measure their hike progress, available now on the IRW Merch Shop!
NEW: Track Your “Awesome” Progress at Home!
Track your progress towards your fitness goals!
You’ll get instructions and three printable trackers:
For your amusement and (I hope) to help with motivation, you can follow along with my journey in my weekly Training Logs. I’ll be adding them as I complete each week.
To see logs from this year and years past go to my Training Log.
This Week 9 Training Log is a bonus extra week of sharing my daily adventures in sweat!
Why? Because I don’t feel like we’re done yet.
When we last left our training in Week 8, I was trying to work in more vertical-gain training through use of my new Maxi-Climber, treadmill hikes, and more actual uphill hiking.
The uphill hiking close to home is very limited, so I’ll be getting creative with daytrips to uphill trails for the next few weeks – as weather and time allows.
Walking a nearby greenway while my car was in the shop.
So naturally, on Monday I did some yoga and about 5 miles of TOTALLY FLAT urban hiking in my own neighborhood because my car was in the shop again.
Sigh.
But I got redemption Tuesday, when a few of us met at Hanging Rock State Park for nice long steep hike 🙂
Diagram of the hike route at Hanging Rock State Park.
Hanging Rock State Parkis only a couple of hours drive away for me, so very do-able as a day-hike destination.
This was the first out of town State Park trip I took my daughter on, about 20 years ago – when she was just 8 years old – almost at this time of year.
We hiked the Hanging Rock Trail, slowly and with breaks, and her face just lit up when we reached the top.
Hanging Rock SP with Peanut!
She had such a sense of accomplishment and wonder – she was hooked!
From then until the dreaded Middle School years she was my little hiking buddy.
Maybe your kids would like Hanging Rock too 🙂
Besides good memories, Hanging Rock also has some very steep uphills, so it’s a great place to train for my bucket list hiking trip!
View from the top of Hanging Rock.
In fact, I devised this hike route specifically to take advantage of the FULL uphill experience all the way from the park’s Dan River Access up to the tippy-top at Hanging Rock.
So that was fun.
No, seriously, it was fun!
Kiosk at the Dan River parking access.
The hike starts from the river, then crosses the main park road, where it’s joined by the Mountains to Sea Trail (MST).
On the way up there are at least 9 creek crossings (we kept losing count) before eventually reaching Window Falls.
It’s just a hard slog uphill beyond that to the Visitor Center’s parking lot.
Hiking uphill on the Indian Creek Trail.
We took a quick break there, and then found the Hanging Rock trailhead across the lot, and started up again.
The Hanging Rock Trail is paved at the start, and then turns to natural trail heading uphill.
When the trail turns rocky, there are many stone steps to help you go up. It gets very wide, too, made so by the many many visitors that take this trail.
There are wide steps on the Hanging Rock Trail.
There was some significant erosion, too, so when you visit, try to take the steps so you don’t make it worse!
The view from the top is spectacular!
Up top was breathtaking as always, but populated by kids on a fieldtrip who were also enjoying the view.
Squirrely kids near ledges with steep drops made us all nervous, so we didn’t linger very long before starting back down the trail.
The Visitors Center was also very crowded, so we didn’t stop.
Trailhead to Indian Creek at the VC parking lot.
We crossed the parking lot to the Indian Creek trailhead and made our way back down to our starting point at the Dan River Access.
I have to say, going down the trail was a lot easier than going up.
One of the CCC-built picnic shelters at Hanging Rock.
I’m pretty sure I need more vertical training 😉
Wednesday, as you might expect, was a rest day.
Wednesday was a rest day.
Thursday I had scheduled a nice hike along the Eno that includes part of the MST and an old unmarked trail, the Sawmill Trail.
It turned to to be just Holly and I, and we had a great 8.5 mile hike.
Walking on the Old Sawmill ruins on Eno River.
The trail was pretty much deserted except for us – and no traffic noise either, so we could actually hear the river!
Friday was a cold rainy day, so I stuck to indoor training, starting with some longer yoga.
Then I did a quick 15 minutes on my vertical climber – and I do mean quick because I did 4000ft elevation gain!
I followed up with 45 minutes of kickboxing and called it good.
We did a short walk at Falls Lake.
Saturday training started with some yoga, followed up with a 1 hour/3.75mile treadmill hike uphill.
I carried a pack weighted 10lbs and hiked 1800 vertical feet.
Later, I joined That Man and the Puppy at Falls Lake for more uphill hiking, this time outdoors but only 3 miles RT to “our” beach and back.
The wind was high, and the water must have been pretty cold because the puppy didn’t want to swim!
Snow on my deck Sunday morning.
Sunday I had posted a 10 mile hike in Umstead State Park, and a lot of people wanted to join me, but I had to cancel due to forecasted really unpleasant weather.
It was also the day after setting clocks forward for Daylight Saving Time, so probably a good morning to take off anyway…
We lost an hour of our lives overnight!!
I rescheduled the hike for the next weekend, and got some exercise in my home gym with yoga, kickboxing, upper body weights.
So that winds up Week 9.
But, here’s the deal: training never really stops.
Creek crossing on the Indian Creek Trail.
You can focus it more by training for a specific race or hike, or to get in shape for an epic hike or other event.
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!
Hiking a greenway in my neighborhood.
I’ll keep posting updates on my continued training for the next couple of months as I get ready for my bucket list hike in Greece.
And I really hope this year’s Awesome training has helped you reach your goals!
Hiking the MST and Indian Creek Trails.
If you’re new around here, but you still want to do the training from the start – you can!
– – Training Week 8 started Monday with some yoga, and I FINALLY had a chance to get back on my new Vertical Climber for a 35 minute session.
Still just lifting my own body weight, but I’ll see how it goes and probably add some pack weight later in the week.
I finally got some time on my vertical climber!
I hiked up about 2000ft, and I did 3lb weights on each wrist to work my arms and back a little bit harder.
This week I needed to “look up” and focus more on vertical gain training, either with actual uphill hikes, or treadmill or vertical climber workouts.
Tuesday was my fun/exploration day because the weather was amazing!
Started with kickboxing in my home gym, then went over to Umstead State Park.
My goal was to take a look at a social trail on the far side of Big Lake that I hadn’t been on for several years.
Hiking a social trail at Umstead State Park.
My time was limited, so I ended up hiking only about 4 miles, but it was good to get out in the unseasonably warm day and see what had happened to the social trail.
Wednesday I led a small but mighty group of hikers on a long hiking route I hadn’t done in a couple of years.
Laurel Bluffs Trailhead at Pleasant Green.
We started from the Pleasant Green trail access on the Eno River and hiked the Laurel Bluffs, Quarry and Pump Station Trail for a 12.5 mile RT hike.
Stopping for a halfway break at the Pump Station ruins.
We also had about 1400ft elevation gain, which I’d forgotten about (ugh!).
But I only had 5lbs extra in my pack, so it wasn’t that bad 🙂
It was a gorgeous hike, and I was also able to take the group on a short detour from the Laurel Bluffs trail to the old Cabe Cemetery site I found a couple of weeks ago.
Headstones in the old Cabe cemetery along the Laurel Bluffs trail.
We stopped for a break along the river at the Pump Station ruins, and then reversed our route back to Pleasant Green.
This hike kicked my butt! So Thursday was mostly a stretching and rest day 🙂
Thursday was mostly a rest day.
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By Week 8:
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Walking a local greenway.
Friday I had to drop off my car in the morning for some maintenance work, so though the afternoon was nice, I was limited to exercise I could do around home.
So I did some longish yoga, and about 4 miles urban hiking in my neighborhood.
Spring is here in my neighborhood!
Saturday began with kickboxing and upper body weights in my home gym.
Later in the day I met with That Man and the puppy at Falls Lake for some exploratory hiking in the woods.
Hiking the MST towards the intersection with Hwy 98.
We have a short hike that we usually do from the Baptist Rd trailhead to a bench along the lake that’s along the MST.
We wanted to continue from there to the intersection with Hwy 98.
Kiosk at MST Trailhead on Hwy 98
The closest equivalent I could find was MST Hike L, which they say is about 6-7 miles RT.
We thought our route would be slightly shorter because of where we were starting, but…No!
The end point of MST Hike L.
It was actually longer.
We ended up going about 8 miles, which was a very long way for That Man (who is rehabilitating a knee) and the puppy (who has very short legs).
Hiking through the powerline cut towards Hwy 98.
Fortunately the route is mostly soft underfoot with pine needles and leaves, and doesn’t have much elevation gain .
Even so, we barely made it home before sundown and pretty much flaked out for the rest of the evening 🙂
Redbuds blooming on the MST.
Between kickboxing, weights, AND 8 miles of hiking, I think that was just the thing to do!
Hikers on the 1 Mile bridge on the Company Mill Trail.
Sunday I led a big group of hikers on a 9 mile Company Mill and Sycamore loop in Umstead State Park.
The weather was perfect, the pace was good, and everyone had a great time 🙂
Hikers taking a break on the Company Mill Trail.
And so ends Week 8.
Don’t worry if you haven’t reached your goals yet – just because it’s an 8-week program doesn’t mean you have to stop at 8 weeks.
In my case, I still have some training to do in terms of elevation gain.
Maybe you’ve still got some work to do, too?
Fortunately for me, my epic hike event doesn’t happen for about another 8 weeks.
I’ll be hiking Mount Olympus in a couple of months.
So, I’ll just keep training from here – while trying to NOT over-train.
And I’ll bet you thought this was going to be my last Training Log post! Not so fast, Grasshopper 😉
I’ll also keep posting weekly because telling you guys what I’m doing helps keep me motivated- and you know you’re all my accountability buddies.
But I’ll bet some of you are heartily and justifiably sick of these training posts – it’s just too much me, right???
Believe me, I’m getting kind of sick of me, too… 😉
So I also want to get back to writing about great parks and hikes you can try out – we’ve all got that to look forward to!
TAKEAWAY LESSON: For any kind of training – ongoing or towards a goal – it’s a good idea to stop every once in a while to appreciate how far you’ve come. But if you still have a way to go – don’t stop!
Stopping along the Eno for a break.
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 Asthma Diet , if you want to see what kind of things I’m eating. It might work for your diet goals, too.
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!
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.
This is because Tuesday was also “refrigerator day” and I was trapped there until my new fridge was delivered and the old one removed.
Colleen, the prettiest puppy!
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!
A sunny afternoon in Bond Park.
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.
Creek crossing.
After a while I came to the remnants of the old Cabe Ford in the river.
Remnants of the Cabe Ford.
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.
I noticed some pink ribbons.
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.
I just kept following 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 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.
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.
We had a great hike on Sunday!
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!
![[42+] Patience Grasshopper](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-na.ssl-images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2FA16aOZsqa6L._SL1500_.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=27d1f4e4f450dca640d2dbd925545ca88638125e3d5cd2b77ab44cc7f01bd3a9&ipo=images)
But in a mid-hike surprise twist, Lenore handed the reins over to Michael.
