Most recently updated January 29th, 2022
Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
– – Training Week 4 started on Saturday with the world all socked-in with snow and ice from Friday’s storm, so Saturday was a treadmill with heavy pack day for me.
Sunday morning, everything was still iced in, so it was kickboxing for me early.
A little bit later things were starting to melt, so thanks to some other local hikers, I decided to take it outdoors to enjoy some sunshine and company!
A few of the local hike leaders, hosted by my friend Michael, ventured out to Umstead State Park, and took the multi-use trail from Old Reedy Creek Road into the Park.
Some of the group went into the woods on a snow-covered trail, but another hiker and I just took the MUT back the way we came because of time constraints.
The walk out was a lot easier and less treacherous than the earlier walk in!
Monday was my first posted hike, and I hosted a great group of people in Bond Park, on natural trails and the greenway for about 6.25 miles.
This was my “strength-building” hike for the week, so I had an extra 20 lbs in my pack.
It was still a little bit icy, but most of the trails and greenways were no trouble at all – in fact, it got more difficult as the ice melted and the mud thawed.
Bond Park is a great place for shorter walks or hikes, and has a lot of paved trails for strollers.
Tuesday was more kickboxing and I was able to entice That Man and the puppy out to walk a few miles in the afternoon, because it was a balmy 50ish degrees!
Week 4 included adding more extra weight, so I carried at least an extra 15lbs on every hike – including the treadmill hikes.
Wednesday, I led a another group on one of my favorite MST section hikes at Falls Lake.
Officially, the section is ~ 9 miles from the Baptist Rd trailhead out to the Little Lick Creek Bridge and back.
It was a little windy and cold on the bridge and exposed boardwalk, so some folks held back in the shelter of the bridge for that section.
We were protected from the wind and all got much warmer once we returned to the shelter of the woods.
Thursday was *sort of* a rest day for me, so I only did a few miles with a pack uphill on the treadmill, and some yoga.
Friday, was more kickboxing and a chilly 3 mile urban hike.
I kind of hate the gym – even my home gym – so I’m counting those indoor workouts this week as a personal win!
As a celebration of being half-way through my 8-week program, I bought 2 new pairs of hiking pants – after a friend told me my butt looked amazing in them…
What? Nothing wrong with being useful AND decorative 🙂
Week 5 is next – with longer hikes, heavier weights, and more Winter weather!! It should be lots of fun!
And I don’t mean that sarcastically. Pretty sure…
TAKEAWAY LESSON: Reward yourself for hard work and celebrate your personal wins!
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
LJ has spent much of her free time as a single Mom – and now as an empty-nester – hiking in the US and around the world. She shares lessons learned from adventures both local and in exotic locations, and tips on how to be active with asthma, plus travel, gear, and hike planning advice for parents hiking with kids and beginners of all ages. Read more on the About page.