Fitness Level Question

[UTurn]

I was reading through some trip reports that were long on miles with tons of elevation gain. (4000 ft+) So here is my question. I walk all winter long in my neighborhood 3-5 miles probably on average 5 days a week. We occasionally get out for the winter weather hikes because I miss the woods but I'm talking about hikes like Multnomah/Wahkeena or Angels Rest. However, if I know that I'm climbing Dog Mountain in May, I start adding in some serious hills around the Portland area to prepare. I can't just wake up one day and hike Dog Mountain. I can, but it might kill me.

For those of you who take on these 15+ mile hikes that gain thousands in elevation, are you training at home all winter on a step machine or treadmill? Or do you find that though the first big hike may be tough, you find your hiking legs quickly and get right back into it.

I am 54 and didn't start hiking until 50 so there's that. Many of you I'm talking about are also around my age. But I'm also not weak and have summited Eagle Cap while backpacking the Wallowas and completed the 3 Sisters Loop, etc. However, I'm amazed when I read a trip report by Karl or Sean (and many others) and they just decide to take on 25 miles in a day!

I'm heading to South Sister this weekend and know I haven't trained enough for it. I'll probably sit by Moraine Lake and read while my husband summits.

So, how do you stay fit year round to take on the big ones?

[David.97005]

good question that deservess more than my quip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvQViPBAvPk

[adamschneider]

I'm heading to South Sister this weekend and know I haven't trained enough for it. I'll probably sit by Moraine Lake and read while my husband summits.

Go. Do it. Summit that thing. It may hurt like hell, and you'll be taking LOTS of breaks, but the view from the top of South Sister is worth it.

Personally, I don't do any intentional "training" at all. But my first hikes of the year are usually wildflower rambles in early spring, and those get my legs used to the idea that it's hiking season. 4000' of elevation would be awful in April, but by August it's no problem. (I should add, though, that unlike a lot of people, I've never had any knee or hip issues.)

[drm]

Nothing I can do in the winter prepares me for my summer hikes, and I'm a few years older than you. It's always a process in the spring to get into summer shape, and that gets harder as the years go by. Of course as active as can be in the winter presumably makes the spring training quicker. And for some reason getting in shape for long miles is harder than getting in shape for large EG.

At some point I think genetics plays into this. I don't think any level of training would allow me to do 25, 30, 40 miles per day, even when I was much younger. I don't have an athletic physique and my body just isn't built for it. For long mileage, it's really my feet. They just give out after a certain number of miles. That's why I think EG is less a challenge for me. Short and steep doesn't challenge the feet, it challenges other things. My feet are my weak point and so long mileage won't work. For others it is something else.

[adamschneider]

For long mileage, it's really my feet.

Good point, I'm the same way. I think my legs could probably handle 30 miles, but my feet get pretty unhappy after 10-15 miles, or even less on rough terrain.

[kaltbluter]

I don't do much training(for the sake of training) either. Most of my hikes are with the family and end up being in the 4-8 mile range. Every few months I start feeling like a slacker and go do something like this or this just to make sure I still can.

Go. Do it. Summit that thing.

I agree, if you're already there you might as well give it a shot. Drink plenty of water, take plenty of breaks and be prepared to call it quits if it really is too much.

You'll either make it or get a better idea of how much you need to improve.

[kepPNW]

For those of you who take on these 15+ mile hikes that gain thousands in elevation, are you training at home all winter on a step machine or treadmill? Or do you find that though the first big hike may be tough, you find your hiking legs quickly and get right back into it.

I am 54 and didn't start hiking until 50 so there's that. Many of you I'm talking about are also around my age. But I'm also not weak and have summited Eagle Cap while backpacking the Wallowas and completed the 3 Sisters Loop, etc. However, I'm amazed when I read a trip report by Karl or Sean (and many others) and they just decide to take on 25 miles in a day!

I've only been "back on the trail again!" for four years myself, after 25 years of "being responsible" at a desk, and am (just) two years older than you. For me, there is no such thing as "summer hiking season." Check the photos and tracks links in my sig. In fact, summer is the hardest time to get in the really long ones, because of all the issues hydration and electrolyte balance present. It's waaaay easier knocking off 20 or 25 miles in January than July, believe me! Looking at my stats, it seems only about 1/3 of my 20+ mile hikes were in June, July, or August.

I don't do any "training" whatsoever, other than walking three miles at lunch and two (or more) in the evening with the dog. Totally agree with Adam that keeping the feet happy makes all the difference out on the trail. Angry feet are absolutely the most likely thing to stand between me and where I wanna go. At least until heat exhaustion kicks in.

So... Best advice? Go outside in winter! Embrace the dampness.

17 miles along the Wilson River Trail, 15-Feb-2014.

[Steve20050]

I'm the same as some others. Little thought to "get ready for hiking season". I walk to work and am on my feet for up to 12 hours, so I really don't want to exercise in my spare time. If I had a desk job maybe. What kills me is steep unrelenting downhill stuff. Coming down a volcano like South Sister would be a good example .

[drm]

I should emphasize that when I say I need to train on the Spring, that just means I do hikes that ramp up in difficulty. I don't do gyms or city running. I have an exercise machine at home that only gets used if there is an extended period of rain. But since summer hiking for me means backpacking, sometimes multi-day backpacks, no amount of winter dayhiking or snowshoeing or cross country skiing can match the exercise you get from backpacking days in a row. And so the start of the backpacking season, which for me is around the equinox, really is what triggers "training."

[Chazz]

I have the luxury of having showers at work and being in close proximity to the west hills at the edge of downtown. I normally run three times a week just to maintain a level of fitness I am comfortable with but starting in May (or earlier if you are looking at Gorge flower season), I add in a day or two of strength workouts focusing mostly on the legs. Lunges with weights, squats, push-ups, sit-ups, and my favorite step-ups.

Step-Up program:
- set up a stable bench with an minumum 8 inch platform above ground-level
- grab a weight in each hand (5-15 lbs)
- Step up and then down with one leg in the lead 25 times
- Switch lead leg for another 25 times.
- Repeat for 10 minutes, at a rate of 6-9 step-ups per 10 seconds

As your aerobic and leg fitness improves, you can add time and weight. I like to be able to do 700 step-ups with 30lbs of weights in less than 30 minutes before multi-day big mileage hikes.