Jill Hedgecock

Fiction Writer

exercise

Ten Wondrous Things: Inca Trail Conditioning: Week 10

It’s week 10 so it seems appropriate to take stock on progress to date.

Wondrous Thing No. 1: I am not dead. Okay, that’s a bit melodramatic. But seriously, I did 7 miles in 90 minutes this week and I am not dead. That is a wondrous thing!

Wondrous Thing No. 2: Joining a gym (and liking it – sort of). Gyms are for people that enjoy exercise (aka not me). I took First Aid to meet my physical education requirement in college; I don’t like to sweat…still I kind of like body pump and do like to swim.

Wondrous Thing No. 3: Buying my first sports bra at over 50.

Wondrous Thing No. 4: Learning to breathe right. Thanks to my soccer daughter, she informed me that when you feel winded, breathe through your nose, and exhale through your mouth.

Wondrous Thing No. 5: I can read on Stairmaster. (Thank goodness – it helps me endure).

Wondrous Thing No.6: Hiking higher than soaring hawks and turkey vultures. It’s kind of a heady thing to look down and see winged creatures below you.

Wondrous Thing No. 7: St. Elmo’s Fire would become my theme song. (I can climb the highest mountain.)

Wondrous Thing No. 8: Wildflowers. How great to see the incredible diversity of spring flowers. Gorgeous!

Wondrous Thing No. 9: Amazing hikes. I had no idea how much amazing open space lies almost at my doorstep.

Wondrous Thing No. 10: Splat! I never in my wildest dreams would have thought that my gym cloths would be drenched to the point that they make the same sound as dropping a wet bathing suit on the floor.

Inca Trail Conditioning: Week 9 – Blood and Sweat

A tough week after I donated blood on Tuesday evening which put a small wrinkle in my workout plans.  I added a book to my weighted backpack for my morning hikes.  I did manage to complete Body Pump class on Wednesday night, though I went easy on the weights.  I met last week’s Stairmaster goal by time, not distance:  90 minutes, 6.29 miles and 302 floors, two days after my blood donation.  Two hikes completed my workout week this weekend: a difficult, approximately 8 mile loop up to the East Peak of Mount Tamalpais on Saturday with Eric and a 4.6+ mile hike at Las Trampas Regional Wilderness on Sunday with Lindsay.  Next week’s Stairmaster goal:  7 miles or 100 minutes.

Inca Trail Conditioning: Week 6 – Posture!

My first Spin class was Monday. I liked the workout and will be back for more. Tuesday was an eye opener. I never realized how much I slouch. After the trainer got me straightened out (LOL), I made a conscious effort to squeeze and apple between my shoulder blades during my daily hike, while working at the computer, walking around the house, but most importantly, during my Stairmaster workout on Wednesday. Although my Stairmaster goal for the week was to go 5 miles and I’d planned to stay at Level 5, I was feeling strong, probably because my new posture makes it easier to breathe! I ended up doing 5.5 miles (75 minutes), 3 miles at Level 6. Friday, I took the usual Body Pump class, then did 40 minutes of Spin (self-directed). Because of a crazy busy weekend, Eric and I only went on a five-mile hike, but I increased my pack weight, so I felt like I was still pushing the envelope.
Next week’s Stairmaster goal – 5 miles at Level 6.

Inca Trail: The Journey Begins: Week 1+

My Inca Trail journey began before the tickets were secured, the airfare booked. Machu Picchu has been on my bucket list for years. I’d first envisioned a train ride to the top, then conceded that perhaps I could handle the two-day hike. Then, my athletic girls chimed in. Nothing but the traditional four day camp/hike would suffice. The trip was to celebrate my girl’s graduations (high school and college), shouldn’t I go with the flow? Except I was looking at hiking twenty-seven miles in three days. What was I getting myself into?
My idea of exercise is a daily morning walk of about a mile with the dogs. I was always the last person picked for sports teams in high school. In college to meet my physical education requirement I took first aid. Was I insane for even considering it?
The first day sounded doable. Two hours of relatively flat hiking, then a two hour ascent to our evening campsite. I’d done a seven mile hike this summer in 90 degree heat at Pinnacles National Monument. It was the second day that sounded overwhelming. Four hours of stairs to an elevation of 13,000 feet. I’ve since learned it’s more likely to be six hours of stairs up and three hours down. And even as my mind screamed, don’t even think about it, a part of me thought: if not now, when?
So, while my husband started checking out the costs, I took an open space hike. There’s a pretty steep climb right at the entrance in the neighborhood. The next day I took the same hike, jogging part of the way. It wasn’t horrible. Maybe I could do this. The next test would be to tackle the Stairmaster. My first attempt went well. Twenty minutes and one mile later, I had energy to spare. Inca Trail permits tend to sell out six months in advance and our first choice in dates had already vanished. It was decision time. A last minute pitch to shift the trip to an African safari was shot down. And so…I gave the thumbs up for the hike.
This week launched my first official week of training. Monday, it was back to the Stairmaster. But they were all occupied, so I ran a mile on the treadmill first. I stuck to the twenty minute regiment on the Stairmaster, but picked up the pace. Then swam for another twenty minutes. I still felt whole and didn’t even get sore the next morning. I spent the rest of the week jogging the neighborhood with a few forays into the open space. Week one ended at the gym once more. This time I set the time for 30 minutes on the Stairmaster. It was tough, but I managed to complete two miles (93 floors), at fifteen minutes I was ready to get off, but I kept going, then spent another twenty minutes in the pool. Twenty-one weeks (148 more days) to train. I can do this.