Most recently updated February 14th, 2020
– – 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.
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.
Bond Park is a great place for shorter walks or hikes, and has a lot of paved trails for strollers.
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 the next 8 weeks training for an awesome hiking trip to New Zealand.
As a celebration of being half-way through my 8-week program, I bought a new one-piece swimsuit! And it doesn’t have leggings – or a parasol 🙂
Week 5 is next – with longer hikes, and heavier weights. It should be lots of fun!
And I don’t mean that ironically.
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.