Most recently updated February 18th, 2024
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.
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, 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.
I was also waiting to take advantage of a sale at my favorite sustainable travel company (read my page about it here.)
But I finally did it!
Aaaaand (drumroll please) my “goal” is… a week of hiking 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 deceptively warm – in the afternoons. But there were a lot of cold mornings, and a lot of forecasted rain.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Specific hikes included in my Eastern Iceland trip:
Day 1: Borgarfjörður Valley Hike, Bakkagerdi 4h 10km (6.2mi)
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)
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.
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.
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.
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!
You’ll get instructions and three printable trackers:
-
- Your Hike Plan Worksheet
- Daily & Weekly Workouts
- Weekly Meals tracker
A download link in your confirmation email let’s you get started right away. Happy training! LJ
Week 5 is next – with longer hikes, heavier weights, more uphill and more training!! Yay?
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.