Hard....Redefined!

Many of you ask me how the physical aspect of my training for the trip is going. I've been in the gym 5 mornings a week with Tuesdays being my stadium stairs day. My first definition of hard was simply doing the steps! I was determined to keep going back and get better at this!

Thankfully, Kasey Jo, a teammate, became my stair climbing partner. After several times of hitting the stairs, I realized I needed to go to a new level, since our hiking would be much longer than the 25 minutes or less it took us to complete the stairs. So I added 2 miles on the treadmill at full incline before I hit the stairs (new hard). Then I added my pack with 20 lbs. to the 2 miles on the treadmill at full incline (even harder).

I knew the real test was going to come when (IF) I added weight to my pack on the stairs. It seemed too daunting...until Thursday. I challenged Kasey Jo to bring her pack with weight (I figured it was my only hope of keeping up with her!) Needless to say, I didn't do the treadmill or my normal leg day beforehand. We finished the stairs across and back (with less conversation than normal), but it was HARD! Thanks to Tom Clancy and my water bottles, I ended up with my gear weighing 18 lbs...didn't mean to start that heavy, but I guess that's what you get when you weigh after the fact, not before!

Will I reach my goal of hitting both the treadmill and stairs with a weighted pack on the same morning? Only time will tell (and I only have about a month left!) I have realized that the mere act of setting goals has brought me much further than I would have ever gone - even if I don't quite get to where I want to be!! Thanks, Kasey Jo, for faithfully meeting me and helping me meet my goals!