Stubborn as a Mule
Yes, I'm talking about me.
At the moment, it looks like I will not be making a hiking trek outside of the US for some time, if ever. Actually, I will probably be really lucky if I ever get to take a hike outside of my local area. I am just too out of shape and condition--that's right, I'm too fat, too lazy, too slow. No matter how much I work out that is unlikely to change--at least it hasn't so far. And chances of my ever being able to keep up with my friends or a group are not good. I just can't seem to break a 17 minute mile on pavement--level or inclined--and I can only hold that pace for about 3 miles max. ( It's not unusual for it to stretch to a 20 minute mile if I'm not paying attention.) Which I suppose makes sense, since I only have time to fit in 3, 3 mile walks a day on the weekdays. I prefer to save my longer hikes for the actual trail.
I was feeling really good about my accomplishments over the last couple of months. I'd managed to increase my walking distance per day--tripled it--and started trail hiking. All without injury or pain or even strain. I was having fun. And last week, after putting in a great deal of time to find the right shoes, I started running again. It was just a 1 mile jog walk. I didn't bother telling anyone about it because I knew it would seem silly and trivial to all my friends, but to me it was a miracle. Running without any pain to an old injury that was supposed to keep me from ever being able to run again was more than thrilling. It was like flying. It wasn't the first time I tried, but always before I had failed miserably. I was excited, but still I knew that my minor success would mean nothing to anyone else I care about. That point was driven home quite thoroughly when I decided to tell two of my closest friends. It meant nothing to them, and why should it. Most people take the ability to run for granted. Besides, it was my achievement, not theirs.
So, with all this seeming failure sitting on my shoulders now, am I just going to curl up in a ball under my favourite comforter and let my admittedly small and unremarkable achievements atrophy and fade away into oblivion? Nope, I'm too stubborn for that. I'm still on my walking schedule. I've added incline workouts on the treadmill at the gym. I've contacted the local Sierra Club conditioning hike group to see if they have room for another hiker. If they do, I will add at least one conditioning hike a week to my schedule--I'm in desperate need of a pacer. And, weather permitting, the hope is to continue with one long hike in the hills a weekend. There are strengthening exercises in there somewhere too. Stubborness is sometimes a good trait.
So, what is the hiking schedule for this weekend? Well, assuming the trails are not snowed in or flooded out--we're expecting a lot of rain over the next two or three days--we thought we might attempt the Mount Lowe Railway trail. It's at a higher elevation than the Upper Arroyo Seco trail, and has twice the elevation change. It's also more likely to be snowed in. So, if we can't get to Lowe, and Arroyo Seco is open, we will hit the trailhead no later than 9am and do the full 10 miles with the possible addition of a couple miles of the Bear Canyon trail as well. The big trick--getting my hiking partner to limit photo taking to sign posting and realizing that this time I will leave him behind if his camera causes him to lag.
Ok, I'm not mean and cruel enough to leave him so far behind that he can't possibly catch up with me, but I might think about it. :-)
At the moment, it looks like I will not be making a hiking trek outside of the US for some time, if ever. Actually, I will probably be really lucky if I ever get to take a hike outside of my local area. I am just too out of shape and condition--that's right, I'm too fat, too lazy, too slow. No matter how much I work out that is unlikely to change--at least it hasn't so far. And chances of my ever being able to keep up with my friends or a group are not good. I just can't seem to break a 17 minute mile on pavement--level or inclined--and I can only hold that pace for about 3 miles max. ( It's not unusual for it to stretch to a 20 minute mile if I'm not paying attention.) Which I suppose makes sense, since I only have time to fit in 3, 3 mile walks a day on the weekdays. I prefer to save my longer hikes for the actual trail.
I was feeling really good about my accomplishments over the last couple of months. I'd managed to increase my walking distance per day--tripled it--and started trail hiking. All without injury or pain or even strain. I was having fun. And last week, after putting in a great deal of time to find the right shoes, I started running again. It was just a 1 mile jog walk. I didn't bother telling anyone about it because I knew it would seem silly and trivial to all my friends, but to me it was a miracle. Running without any pain to an old injury that was supposed to keep me from ever being able to run again was more than thrilling. It was like flying. It wasn't the first time I tried, but always before I had failed miserably. I was excited, but still I knew that my minor success would mean nothing to anyone else I care about. That point was driven home quite thoroughly when I decided to tell two of my closest friends. It meant nothing to them, and why should it. Most people take the ability to run for granted. Besides, it was my achievement, not theirs.
So, with all this seeming failure sitting on my shoulders now, am I just going to curl up in a ball under my favourite comforter and let my admittedly small and unremarkable achievements atrophy and fade away into oblivion? Nope, I'm too stubborn for that. I'm still on my walking schedule. I've added incline workouts on the treadmill at the gym. I've contacted the local Sierra Club conditioning hike group to see if they have room for another hiker. If they do, I will add at least one conditioning hike a week to my schedule--I'm in desperate need of a pacer. And, weather permitting, the hope is to continue with one long hike in the hills a weekend. There are strengthening exercises in there somewhere too. Stubborness is sometimes a good trait.
So, what is the hiking schedule for this weekend? Well, assuming the trails are not snowed in or flooded out--we're expecting a lot of rain over the next two or three days--we thought we might attempt the Mount Lowe Railway trail. It's at a higher elevation than the Upper Arroyo Seco trail, and has twice the elevation change. It's also more likely to be snowed in. So, if we can't get to Lowe, and Arroyo Seco is open, we will hit the trailhead no later than 9am and do the full 10 miles with the possible addition of a couple miles of the Bear Canyon trail as well. The big trick--getting my hiking partner to limit photo taking to sign posting and realizing that this time I will leave him behind if his camera causes him to lag.
Ok, I'm not mean and cruel enough to leave him so far behind that he can't possibly catch up with me, but I might think about it. :-)
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