The holiday season is just now winding down, so I’ve started this week to focus on getting back to my usually pretty disciplined training routine.
That routine includes several hikes per week – which I’ll post on my Meetup, so you can go, too – along with weight training, cardio and of course 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.
Domestic Cheese Tray – holiday food. So much cheese!
Specifically, now that the socially condoned Holiday eating extravagance is behind us, I’m working on getting back to my normal (pretty healthy) eating habits before Super Bowl Sunday.
And then my birthday is this week…
Throughout the holiday season – which for me starts in October and doesn’t end until mid January – I’ve been plagued by a super-abundance of cheese. So much cheese.
Special Cheese Tray Idea, c1964 | Superbowl snacks. More cheese.
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 and grains.
Fun fact: Cheese activates the same receptors in your brain as opioids. So, you CAN get addicted to cheese…
But, even past the hurdle of Christmas and New Year’s, we’ve got the Super Bowl and then Valentines Day to deal with….
Valentine’s Day Snack – Fruit & Cheese Heart Platter. Cheese again.
After Valentine’s Day, Easter is just a short hop away.
And you know what that means – jellybeans. I admit I’ve got a jellybean problem – I even tried to explain to That Man how jellybeans are actually vegetables.
He was not convinced. Neither was I, really.
Jellybeans are so small… nd they’re beans, right?
Clearly, I can’t be trusted, so no more jellybeans for me – I won’t even bring them in the house.
Except for my magic Sports Beans– which have saved my bacon (no! no bacon!) many times on the trail in the heat of summer.
They even have caffeine 🙂
And just get away from me with that cheese tray….
TAKEAWAY LESSON: Any diet 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.
– – The persistent rain through the majority of the work week kept me indoors more than I like for Week 3 of the training.
I saved my “official” hikes for the end of the week when the sun reappeared, but earlier in the week I took some shorter walks (< 5 miles) between the raindrops in Bond Park and Davis Park along the Black Creek Greenway.
The water was really high in Bond Lake and Black Creek in Bond Park.
Strength Building – Company Mill & Multi-Use Trail, 6.5 miles
My Strength Building hike for the week went into Umstead State Park, from the Harrison Ave entrance side.
I loaded 20 pounds in the pack and walked the first half of the Company Mill trail, then took the multi-use trails past Reedy Creek Lake and returned on the last little bit of the Loblolly Trail to create a 6.5 mile route.
I saw our snake buddy near the same spot we saw him last Sunday. He seemed pretty calm….
A Modified Reopening Phase 2 started May 22….
The Guv released a modified Phase 2 on Friday, which included increasing allowed outdoor group size from <10 to < 25 people.
Snake crossing plank bridge on the Company Mill trail.
Long Hike – Company Mill & Sycamore, 8-9 miles
So I updated the week’s “long” group hike to hold up to 20 people (plus me) on an 8-9 mile loop using the Company Mill Trail and the Sycamore Trail in Umstead State Park.
We ran into our favorite snake on the trail again. He’s getting to be a regular 🙂
There were a lot of people in the park, but it’s still less crowded than normal ( and less crowded than the garden centers were this weekend).
High water in Reedy Creek, Umstead State Park
We had a shorter route option but everyone – even the first timers – chose to do the longer hike. What a great group!
Beaches Are Beckoning
Even with some restrictions still in place for North Carolina beaches, it’s hard not to head to the coast when the weather is nice.
If you’re not allowed to sunbathe, you might be able to get out on a hiking trail near the beach.
Though State and National Parks are still partly closed, some trails and facilities are available. I plan to check it out ASAP – and I’ll let you know what I find 🙂
While some State Park beaches and beach trails on the Coast are open, all inland swim beaches and swim areas are CLOSED.
(This includes the swim beaches at: Cliffs of the Neuse, Goose Creek, Hanging Rock, Jones Lake, Lake James, Lake Norman, and New River (Elk Shoals access) state parks; the swim piers at Lake Waccamaw, Pettigrew, and Singletary Lake state parks; and all swim areas at Falls Lake, Jordan Lake, and Kerr Lake state recreation areas.)
All Visitor’s Centers are also still closed.
In addition to hiking this week, I also kick-boxed, ran on my treadmill and outdoors, lifted some weights, and did some Bodyweight Training exercises.
So with 3 weeks down of the allotted 6 weeks to get back in shape , we’re halfway through. I’m not seeing the results I’d hoped for yet, but I’ll keep trying 🙂
If you’re local and would like to join us, check out the I’d Rather Walk Meetupfor hike postings.
Ferns enjoy the rain in the community composting garden in Bond Park.
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.
Take a look at my 6 Week Training Planpost to see what other kinds of training I’m doing, and what other hikes I’ll have coming up.
Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ
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– – This week, the recent change to government restrictions meant I was able to lead a group hike (of <10 people) for my longer hike.
Our local Umstead State Park is partly open again, so I hosted a hike on the Loblolly Trail – which is officially an out and back trail – and created a loop for a 7 mile hike.
It feels great to be in the Park again and to be able to see people – even socially distanced 🙂
(The next phase is supposed to start May 22, and hopefully we’ll be allowed to use more areas of the park then.)
One thing to be aware of when you go back into the woods is that the critters have had more free reign in the parks over the past 3 months, since humans have not been allowed in.
We almost stepped on a rat snake that was relaxing in the middle of the trail – – but we did some Matrix-style levitation backwards instead.
(We were seriously alert after running into that little guy.)
There are also unconfirmed reports that one hiker “screamed like a little girl” 🙂
I saw a coyote in the Park the other day, too, but from a distance and he just looked at me before slipping back into the trees.
The cemetery at Warren Hill in Umstead State Park
My Strength Building hike for the week also went into the park, but from the Old Reedy Creek trailhead side.
I loaded 20 pounds in the pack and walked all the way to Warren Hill cemetery and back to make about 6.5 miles.
Greenways are Still Good
I’ve been using our local greenways forever, but with State and National Parks closed for the past few months, I really started exploring because they were our only options for longer trails.
The Town of Cary has over 70 miles of paved greenways
If you’re on foot, natural trails are better for you and a harder workout, but I’m going to keep using the greenways weekly even after it’s allowed to use all of our State and National Park facilities again.
Especially for bikers, the greenways are a wonderful resource.
In fact, even though the State Parks were open again this weekend, That Man and I biked the southern portion of the Neuse River Trail greenway into Johnston County. It was a great ride!
In addition to hiking and biking this week, I also kick-boxed, ran on my treadmill, lifted some weights, and did some Bodyweight Training exercises.
Hiking the Loblolly Trail in Umstead State Park
It feels great on be back on the trails with some other hikers again!
If you’re local and would like to join us, check out the I’d Rather Walk Meetupfor hike postings.
So that’s 2 weeks down of the allotted 6 weeks to get back in shape for my next medical checkup and hopefully a new hiking adventure this Summer.
Revisiting all of the allowed trails now that the parks are partly opened will help keep me motivated – even though I know progress towards my fitness goals will take some time.
Hikers on the Loblolly Trail in Schenck Forest
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.
Take a look at my 6 Week Training Planpost to see what other kinds of training I’m doing, and what other hikes I’ll have coming up.
Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ
To get New Idratherwalk Posts sent directly to your inbox (how convenient!) Click this Button!
My other official weekly hike was a “long”one on the Loblolly Trail.
It was only 6.5 miles, but this time it was all natural trail, slightly hilly inside Umstead State Park.
Not a big deal from a length standpoint, but it was the first time I’d been able to hike that many miles on natural, slightly hilly, terrain since the State Parks were closed in March.
State Parks here are currently open on a “phased” basis, with restrictions in this first phase mainly around number of people in the park at once, and limited use of parking lots, shelters, picnic areas and restrooms.
Face coverings are recommended at crowded trailheads.
They still want social distancing (which isn’t a problem on the trails) and groups of 10 or less people.
Masks or face coverings that you can breathe through are recommended if there are other people around.
The next phase is supposed to start May 22, and hopefully we’ll be allowed to use more areas of the park then.
This week, I also kick-boxed a few times, ran on my treadmill, lifted some light weights and tried out some new Bodyweight Training exercises in my home gym.
BTW, in case you were wondering, burpees are just as horrible now as they were in Junior High…. 🙁
Hikers with two and four legs enjoy the Loblolly Trail.
It feels great on be back on the trails again!
Even though I haven’t been completely idle over the past couple of months, I feel I’ve lost some ground while we’ve been shut out of the longer natural trails in State Parks.
Revisiting all of the trails will help keep me motivated – even though I know progress towards my fitness goals will take some time.
BTW, just in case you’re new around here, I’m spending the next 6 weeks getting back in shape and ready for another hiking adventure!
View from the greenway around Lake Crabtree
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.
Take a look at my 6 Week Training Planpost to see what other kinds of training I’m doing, and what other hikes I’ll have coming up.
Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ
To get New Idratherwalk Posts sent directly to your inbox (how convenient!) Click this Button!
– – Training Week 8 started with a wonderful hike in Umstead State Park – with 6 mile and 10 mile options.
We combined Umstead State Park’s Company Mill trail, Sycamore Trail, and the Reedy Creek Multi-Use Trail. It was a little brisk (about 30 degrees) to start with, but warmed up quickly to about 50 degrees by the time we finished.
The weather was gorgeous and we had a great group of hikers – what a wonderful start to the day!
I had a moderately weighted pack and was planning on going a bit more slowly than normal, but some of the group wanted to go faster, so I added more frequent and a little bit longer breaks along the way.
Carved tree along the Sycamore Trail, Umstead State Park, Raleigh NC
For this week’s shorter Strength Building hike, I returned to Bond Park.
I’ve been slacking off in the pack weight department, so I added 5 more lbs to my pack.
The 5-6mi route around the lake is partially natural trails, and partially paved trails.
The route is pretty flat, but unfortunately the natural trails have a tendency to get muddy after a rain.
Luckily for us, the weather was pretty dry for a couple of days before the hike so all we had to deal with was bright sunshine 🙂
Canoe rack on Bond Lake
This week’s training included these two hikes along with kick-boxing a few times, treadmill runs (on rainy days), shorter fast walks and a gym trip or two.
I’ve done all I can to train for the hikes, the biking, canoeing, and yes – even zorbing. But how do you train for excessively long air travel???
My flight from the US to New Zealand will take two calendar days, while on the return I will actually get home BEFORE I leave New Zealand.
Time travel is REAL!!! I knew it…. 🙂
Stargate or boarding tunnel??
Seriously, although I have taken flights this long before (Patagonia comes to mind), I can’t say I’m looking forward to it.
But I think I’ve done everything I can – other than purchasing the incredibly expensive Business Class pod – to make this trip more comfortable and less exhausting.
Some people sedate themselves (herbally or otherwise), but I’m not a fan.
Besides, as soon as I land, I’ll need to board a shuttle (I already have tickets) to get to a kickoff dinner, and then we leave the next morning on our first hike.
So I will literally need to hit the ground running – and the less travel-worn I am, the better.
There a few things I’ve learned to do, both to make a long flight more bearable and to deal with jet-lag once I’ve landed.
TIPS TO SURVIVE YOUR OVERNIGHT FLIGHT
Choose Your Seats ASAP for the Best Choices
I always start with the least expensive Economy flight I can find, but somehow end up paying much more for things that I think should just be included.
(“What? You say you want to breathe while you’re in flight?? That’ll be $40 more! And a pint of blood, please.”)
Sometimes, they won’t let you choose a seat online before check-in UNLESS you pony up more cash. And we all know you’re more likely to get bumped if you don’t have an assigned seat.
As annoying as it is to be financially nibbled to death, for overnight flights and tight connections, I’ve learned to just suck it up and pay extra for at least a Priority seat.
Choose the Best Seat for You
I prefer the window so I can lean against it – and away from my neighbor – to sleep, but you might want the aisle for ease of access or to sneak your long legs into the aisle. (My legs are pretty short.)
Nobody wants to be in the middle seat, imprisoned by seat backs and stranger’s shoulders for longer than you usually spend in bed each night….
Priority seating may also allow you priority boarding (to ensure space for your carry-on) and put you closer to the front of the plane so you can exit more quickly when you land.
The time you save de-planing may let you make a connection with time to hit the restroom, or beat the rush to Immigration.
Hydrate Before You Travel
I always bring water on the plane with me, but try to use the restroom just prior to boarding and drink sparingly while in flight so I don’t have to use the plane lav more than a couple of times.
Especially since my trips tend to be outdoorsy, I don’t want to be dehydrated at the outset.
So I drink a lot of water the day before I leave, and chug a bunch of water when I reach the destination airport. Getting hydrated again ASAP will also help with any jet-lag.
Airplane Food
Eat real food at home before you go. It’s healthier and less expensive than airport food.
But once you’re imprisoned in the metal tube, eat sparingly. (You probably won’t have to work hard at this… 😉
Once you’ve landed, though, try to eat and sleep in accordance with your destination time-frame.
Toiletries and Meds
Don’t put all of your toiletries in your checked baggage – make sure you’ve at least got your toothbrush and any daily meds you need in your carry-on.
You may even want to bring a change of clothes to freshen up before you leave the plane.
I just realized Daylight Savings Time is also happening during my trip. Man, am I going to be messed up when I get home….
Take Care of Nagging Details
Before a major trip, I always try to wrap up any of life’s details – paying bills in advance, finishing up projects if I can, answering any emails, etc.
When I return, I likely won’t remember much of what I was in the middle of before I left, which is kind of the point.
A big trip is supposed to bring you home with fresh eyes and a “cleansed” brain.
The Tardis has more legroom than Economy Class
Bonus Week – The last planned Training Week is over, so now it’s time to try on all of my pants! Seriously.
I”ll continue with maintenance training as long as I’m here – but nothing too ambitious.
I’ll be resting up for time travel 🙂
TAKEAWAY LESSON: Training towards a goal should include a rest period just before the event. Relax, trust in your excellent training work and your body will know what to do!!
I hope you’ve found my Training Log ramblings to be helpful in your training process – or at least amusing! 🙂 To see more of them go to my Training Log.
You could also take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Planpost, if you want to see what kind of training I’m doing. It might work for your goals, too.
Keep an eye out for new postsabout New Zealand in the next month or so….
– – Training Week 7 began with the longest training hike yet – a combination of Umstead State Park’s Loblolly trail, the Reedy Creek Greenway, and multiple trails in the North Carolina Museum of Art Park. We even added in the short tunnel to the back gate at the Prairie Ridge Ecostation on the way!
We took a short break near the NCMA amphitheater then made our way to the I-440 pedestrian bridge – our mid-point on this 14 mile hike.
On the return, we took the long way around so we could stop and take a look at the community apiary (beehives) before we left the park.
This was a beautiful day with a great group of hikers – even so, 14 miles is a long way! Plenty of sunshine and good conversation made it go quickly, though 🙂
Community Apiary at NCMA Park
Due to the length of the hike, I cut back my extra pack weight to only 10lbs, and because my knees were hurting I kept it at 10lbs for this week’s Strength Building hike on the Loblolly trail and MUT 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 MUT to create a 6.5mile loop.
Sign at the Loblolly Trailhead
This route is primarily natural trails with a portion of the compacted dirt multi-use trail and paved Reedy Creek trail.
The Loblolly route is not as rocky as the Company Mill Trail, and has less elevation gain, though there are a couple of long uphill climbs.
I wasn’t totally wiped out at the end of the hike, but I sure was happy to get rid of my weighted pack!!
This week’s training included these two hikes along with the usual kick-boxing a few times, short walks and a gym trip or two.
A snowy day in the neighborhood
PLUS another bonus walk just for fun – because we had fresh snowfall and it was sunny outside 🙂
One of the optional activities on my NZ trip is Zorbing. Honestly, I don’t know how to train for that – maybe turn cartwheels down a steep hill?
What the heck is zorbing, you ask?
Zorbing in Rotorua, New Zealand
Although it’s one of the stranger sports out there, zorbing is actually pretty simple:
You climb inside a big inflated ball and roll down a hill.
The zorb rolled onto the scene in the mid-1990s in New Zealand, and hit extreme sports in 1998.
The ball has two skins, and the area between them is inflated, but the inner chamber is always open to the outside – so you have fresh air coming in all the time.
I will have the opportunity to try this, and I might. But I think I want to take a look at how steep the hill is before I commit 🙂
I’m closing in on all of the trip planning details, but still have a few things to do to get ready.
There’s still time to get it done, but no more time to procrastinate. Focus, focus focus…..
Week 8 is coming up – the last planned training week!!
TAKEAWAY LESSON: Training towards a goal is a planned process, but you should be able to respond to unplanned events like injury or weather changes without giving up your training entirely. Just keep going – but safely, of course.
I hope you’ve found my Training Log ramblings to be helpful- or at least amusing! 🙂 To see more of them go to my Training Log.
– – Training Week 6 started with a morning hike combining Company Mill, multi use trails and the Sal’s Branch Trail in Umstead State Park for a total of about 12 miles.
Sign for Sal’s Branch Trail
The route crosses the park from the Harrison Ave entrance all the way to the Visitor’s center on the Glenwood Ave side of the park.
This week’s long hike was a few miles longer than last week, so I kept my extra pack weight at 15 lbs.
It’s a beautiful hike beside the lake to Sal’s Branch and then it’s into the woods again until you reach the Visitor’s Center at the halfway point.
We took a brief break at the Visitor’s Center, and then hiked down the other side of Sal’s Branch back to the lake for the return.
The natural trails portion of this route is rockier than the Loblolly trail, and has more elevation gain, especially on the return trip because a long stretch of the MUT is all uphill from the lakeside.
I was delighted to find that even with the extra miles, I wasn’t nearly as tired climbing the last hill on Company Mill back to the trailhead as I was in Week 5. The training must be working!!!
For this week’s Strength-Building hike, I chose another mostly multi-use trail hike because of very wet weather through the week.
Old Reedy Creek Trailhead
I started from the Old Reedy Creek trailhead beside Lake Crabtree County Park. and walked from there over the I-40 bridge access into Umstead to the Warren Hill Cemetery and back.
I carried an extra 20lbs and total hike distance was about 6 miles – mostly uphill for the first half.
Even with extra weight and elevation gain, average speed for the hike was at 3.75 mph – which is a respectable speed even without a pack!
This week’s training included those two hikes along with the usual kick-boxing a few times, short walks and a gym trip or two. On one of the gym trips, I tried out a new machine (to me) – the rowing machine!
My NZ trip includes canoeing in the Whanganui River, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to do some rowing ahead of time.
View of the Whanganui River
The Whanganui River – in the heart of the heart of Whanganui National Park – winds its way from the mountains to the Tasman Sea.
The area has a unique history and Maori culture is an important part of the park.
I’m getting more excited about the trip, but worried that I may have slacked off a bit this week due to the rainy weather and an overwhelming need for coffee sorbet…..
That said, there’s still enough time to focus and get back on track before it’s time to go. Okay, then- gotta go work up a sweat somehow.
Week 7 is next, and it’s a doozy 🙂
TAKEAWAY LESSON: Don’t give up if you miss a workout or snarf too many doughnuts: every day is a new opportunity!!
I hope you’ve found my Training Log ramblings to be helpful- or at least amusing! 🙂 To see more of them go to my Training Log.
– – Training Week 5 started with another 8.5 mile morning hike combining the Company Mill and Sycamore trails in Umstead State Park to create a big figure-8 shaped route across the center of the park.
This route is rockier than the Loblolly trail, and has more elevation gain, especially on the return trip to the trailhead.
It’s a beautiful hike alongside the creek for a good portion, with a few bridges and step-stone crossings.
Hikers take a break at the tree carving near the Sycamore trail
For a little change of pace, I took us on the MUT for about .5 mile on the return trip.
This allowed us to take a break and also admire the wonderful trailside wood carving!
The length of the long hike this week was the same as last week, but I had 5 lbs more in the pack, and the trail had more elevation gain.
I was doing just fine until we got to the last mile or so on the return – which is all uphill! I admit, by that point the extra pack weight was kicking my butt….
My extra pack weight for Week 5 was 15lbs on the Company Mill-Sycamore route, and I upped it to 20lbs for the shorter Lake Crabtree circuit.
One of the spots that can get wet on the Crabtree Lake Trail
My Strength-Building hike, the second posted hike this week, was around the lake on paved greenways and natural trails in Lake Crabtree County Park.
Total distance was about 6 miles.
This route can get very muddy after hard rains, and sometimes they close access to the natural trails.
When that happens I come around from the other side – starting on the paved greenways – and if I’m lucky the trail won’t be too bad and the park’s access gate will be open by the time I get around to that side!
If you do this, there’s a chance you’ll need to turn around due to trail conditions and end up hiking more miles than you planned. I got lucky this time 🙂
Along with the usual kick-boxing a few times, short runs and a gym trip, this week I took advantage of the Spring-like weather to get out on my bike and ride some of the paved greenways in and around Bond Park.
– – Training Week 4 started with a 8.5 mile morning hike of the complete route on the Loblolly trail in Umstead State Park with the addition of several miles in Schenck Forest and on the Reedy Creek Greenway to create a circuit.
Sign at the Loblolly Trailhead
Loblolly trail has a little bit of elevation gain/loss, but is mostly fairly flat and smooth.
There are a couple of creek or fence crossings, but no big deal.
I love the Loblolly-Schenck loop because of all the ferns along the trail, and in the Springtime you can see colts and wildflowers in the NC State Veterinary school corrals.
Again, a really great group of hikers made this hike a lot of fun!
My Strength-Building hike, the second posted hike this week, was around Bond Lake and on the White Oak Greenway, and other natural trails in Bond Park. Total was about 6 miles.
Week 4 included carrying extra weight on every hike, so I carried an extra 15lbs on the Loblolly-Schenck, and the same for Bond Park.
I also kick-boxed a few times and did some running on the treadmill again, kept trying to get to the gym – and finally did!!
I kind of hate the gym, especially in the cold and dark – which is actually when you mostly need to use the gym – so I’m counting that as a personal win.
So, just in case you’re new around here, I’m spending