<p>Happy Birthday to a fellow Aquarian, Idad!! Loved the video of your hike.</p>
<p>Basic flow yoga class for me today–didn’t care for the instructor. Can’t say why exactly. Been trying to figure it out all day. Anyway–I felt good after class and that’s what is important.</p>
<p>PG–hang-in there. Rest as much as you need. Keep talking to your trainer/others and see if you can come up with a plan. Good luck.</p>
<p>I don’t run–I walk, but I do keep track of my mileage and workouts. Added up my walking miles for January–my total is 47 miles. I’m happy with that. Would like to get outside more but given the weather in MA, it might not happen next month. </p>
<p>I’m inspired by hearing about everyone’s mileage–hoping to add some miles to my walking routine next month.</p>
<p>I think a lot of us like numbers around here. </p>
<p>My numbers can’t measure up to many people here but they are good for ME. </p>
<p>Remember that your numbers or accomplishments can be measured in many ways other than miles. #of times you exercised?? #of pounds you lost??? #number of new exercises you tried? # of meals you remembered to track? </p>
<p>I am inspired by those here who can do so much but not intimidated - which would/could be easy to happen. All different levels of involvement here and all accepted - that’s what is wonderful!</p>
<p>abasket, I try to get in three runs a week but it doesn’t always happen if the weather is bad. I’m not one to make myself miserable just so I can say a got x number of miles in that week. I try to do one longish (for me) run. For the other runs, I tell myself I’ll always do at least three and then evaluate the conditons ( time, weather, my energy level) and go from there.</p>
<p>Idad…Happy Birthday. I’m still reading “Following Atticus” . Your hike pictures were so great . It was really cool to see actual pics that I’ve just been reading about in the book</p>
<p>Being an engineer, I love numbers. That’s what motivates me to run every week! I like seeing the mileage stack up on my graph. Talk about intimidating - the masters’ group on RunningAhead.com is unbelievable. My mileage for January won’t even be close to the MEDIAN!</p>
<p>I met with our tax accountant yesterday (my husband and I are a two-person firm). He said, “Hey, is that you I see running around Back Cove often?” Yep! That made me smile. Oh, I got in another 4.2 miles on the treadmill just now, so that makes 8.2 for the day. I’ve decided I love doubles.</p>
<p>I do financial analysis for a law firm, so of course I love numbers! I run 5 to 6 times a week. Monday starts my “training plan” so I will have set runs to follow. I use the Nike Plus app (and now I’m also tracking on RunningAhead as a backup) and like ML, I enjoy seeing the mileage add up. My goal for this year is 100 miles a month, but I’ve decided not to hold myself to that mileage every month. If I’m at 1200 at the end of 2014, that’s a good thing for me. </p>
<p>Regarding the January mileage totals, the only thing I can say is: ^:)^ </p>
<p>I ran a grand total of ZERO miles in January, which matched my total of ZERO miles in December, and (without going back to look it up) I think ZERO in November. Oh well…</p>
<hr>
<p>Back to the basement for me. I fell asleep for a Sat afternoon nap, but manage to rouse myself, strap on the heart rate monitor, fill a bottle with ice water, grab the iPod, and trot down to the basement for good 65 minute workout. </p>
<p>*Warm up</p>
<p>Farmer’s carries
Front Plank rows
Side Plank rows</p>
<p>Med Ball slams
KB swings</p>
<p>Single leg squats
TRX inverted rows
Hex bar deadlifts
Alt. Overhead DB press*</p>
<p>Glad I talked myself into it. All the warmup stuff and the single leg squats were enough to get my snow shoe quads to simmer down.</p>
<p>Chicken fajitas, hold the tortilla for dinner. It’s in my regular rotation, almost weekly because it’s so easy and so good.</p>
<p>I downloaded it to my Kindle, but haven’t started it yet. Still reading the Everest book my D gave me for Christmas and she gave me one about a thru-hiker on the Pacific Coast Trail.</p>
<p>For a better glimpse of what hiking the 4000 foots in the Atticus book is like, here’s a terrific article about climbing one of them last winter by Steve Smith, editor of the Appalachian Mountain Club Guide to the White Mountains (the bible, covering every trail).</p>
<p>I’m not confident enough in my capabilities to do the big hikes in the winter (or even in the summer for a lot of them). That’s OK. I’m happy to stick to half-day “geezer” hikes this time of year. I have a healthy respect for the dangers of winter hiking. Give me a nice winter day, a three or four mile hike, and I’m happy…</p>
<p>Not specifically on Pizzagirl’s workout schedule, but more generally… it seems the people who start out with very aggressive workout schedules around here tend to fall off the schedule. I suspect that it’s a universal phenomenon. </p>
<p>I noticed it in myself. Over time, I couldn’t keep up the intensity/length of the workouts I was doing early on. As I shifted to more of a maintenance mode, I had to scale back and realize that I can always exercise again tomorrow. I don’t have to kill myself every day to stay fit. I also realized that not every workout has to be (or should be) gruelling. Should I get my heart rate up. Sure… but it doesn’t have to be off-the-charts.</p>
<p>In the long run, I would rather see someone commit to 30 minutes, five times a week, and make it become something they enjoy, rather than trying to do Crossfit in the morning, hot yoga at lunch, and sprints after work. I think Mark Sisson has a useful concept – make the majority of our exercise play time…</p>
<p>A great example is the “plank challenge” here on CC. Now, I would wager that I have probably done planks on more days over the last four years than most CC posters. I started with planks on my very first workout at 250 pounds and have done some kind of plank or another in the vast majority of my workouts, three days a week, ever since. And, I would never dream, not even for a nanosecond, of trying to hold a plank for 5 minutes, let alone try to build up to that from scratch in 30 days. A much more productive goal would be to commit to doing 30 second of plank and 30 seconds of side plank, three times a week, for the next 52 weeks. Simple stuff, done has a matter of regular habit, is what pays the big dividends, I think.</p>
<p>Thanks for the pics Idad. It blows me away that people make those climbs in the snow on a regular basis. I’m a coastal southern girl so can’t even conceive of doing such a thing! Bravo to those who can.</p>
<p>I’m in the “don’t wear yourself out” camp on exercise. I don’t have high mileage numbers/hours because it just wouldn’t be sustainable for me .Three years ago I lost 50 lbs. and have kept it off . I’m not trying to lose more, just want to stay on an even keel. I run when I can and do a 15-20 minute workout a few times/week. My BMI is 19.4 I don’t want exercise to turn into a forced march for me. Everyone has their own sweet spot that works for them. </p>
<p>My DH has no interest in working out or running but does enjoy walking and biking. So every Fri.,Sat,.Sun, I’m committed to walking with him. We avg. walking about 15 miles per weekend. We’re retiring in May so will be able to do more walking, biking, kayaking together at our new home. Looking forward to it,</p>
<p>One of the challenges to fostering long term adherence to exercising is learning when to go easy without “guilt”. There is a real tendency, particularly for for those new to working out, to feel compelled to always push hard, otherwise you are “cheating”. The reality is just the opposite. Every workout/fitness program should be structured around hard and easy days. Doing so not only wards off mental fatigue but is necessary for your body to recover from high intensity days and is necessary to achieve desired fitness and performance levels. Studies have shown that in the absence of easy days, there is a substantial increase in the symptoms of overtraining such as elevated resting heart rate, fatigue, elevation or depression of normal exercise heart rates, an inability to hit normal performance markers, loss of interest, difficulty sleeping or feeling refreshed from sleep. In contrast, having some easy days mixed into your schedule enables your body to recover and grow from the stresses of exercise. </p>
<p>What constitutes a recovery day will vary from person to person and exercise program to exercise program. If you are doing heart rate based training, a session where you don’t exceed 50% of your max hr may be the ticket. If you are a weight lifter, a session of doing a couple of sets per body part using body weight resistance only may be what it takes. In a nut shell, if the intensity is low enough that you question whether you are really getting any exercise or training effect, then odds are it’s a good recovery session.</p>
<p>IDad–this is probably a dumb question but after looking at your video and having hiked a few trails in NH–how do you follow the trail when the markers are covered with snow and the footpath too? Do you choose trails with which you are familiar? I’m organizing a hike up Mt Wachusetts (in MA) with a few friends–it’s how I want to celebrate my upcoming birthday–think that will be fine since most of us have done the hike up the mountain.</p>
<p>Lol. I suspect that with the exception of my hill trudge, most of my workouts would be defined as rest days to most But as I have discovered, these little bits all add up, and for me, are more sustainable.</p>
<p>Well, I overcame my mental block about the hill on weekends when you can hear shots. Today I said what the hell and just did it, and discovered that the weekend warrior hunter is NOT the guy in the blind on my trail, but is a good deal further south. I suspect he’s killing turkeys or just practicing because if he’s any good at all, he’d be done by now At any rate both the deer and I seem to have blazed a trail that’s not in his range ;)</p>
<p>While the trek was a good 45 min slog today, I also is discovered that the weather reports must have been somewhat trumped up for yesterday…I’d say about five fresh inches…much less daunting than eight :)</p>
<p>On mileage, I don’t think I get much more than 20 miles in a month on the snowshoes, but I probably should track it just for fun. My real goal has been to do a half hour of something five or six outta seven days in actuality, I do more like the equivalent of 8 half hours of something because I generally double dip the first three days of the week.</p>
<p>I like what you said, MNK about the need to avoid going all out, all the time. That is very true and for me there’s always that fear of being unable to maintain weight and fitness without a strictly regimented diet and exercise plan. Perhaps in time I’ll overcome that, but for now, I need to have a goal - so while some may find my mileage goals irritating, to me they are absolutely necessary for maintenance. I really, really enjoy running - even though we all know it’s stupid. I’ll never, ever be at the level of Bunsen or MOWC (forgive any gentlemen I am missing), nor do I aspire to that level of running, but I find them to be very motivational. </p>
<p>Yesterday H and I took the dogs to the park - nice 1.5 miles around the loop, slow walk. Puppy loved it, her first time there. I took them both for a nice big walk this morning - our usual path has been interrupted by all the snow and ice which has temporarily vanished. Then I had an easy 5 mile run which felt terrific. Now to get ready for the Stupor Bowl. </p>
<p>Sabaray, no one should see anyone’s goals as irritating! They are all individual and should be seen as that - what works for that individual. I guess I’m always watching out for the “underdog” on this thread - to not scare anyone away who is truly wanting to make some gains (or losses) and is making personal gains. </p>
<p>It is SO icy out. We have snow up the wazoo and then yesterday it snowed in the morning and rained all the rest of the day resulting in slush and mush and puddles on sidewalks inches deep. Then, it all froze last night and snowed a bit on top. Took pup out this morning and I probably could have used ice skates - sidewalks with inches of polished, smooth , deadly ice!!! I saw a couple people out running - I don’t know how they do it - not worth the fall for me! Heading to the gym soon though to make a little room for some Super Bowl Minor munching.</p>
<p>Hour with the trainer this morning doing PHA; I woke up tired this morning after a crazy night of basketball watching, so we had to scale back a bit after a half hour, but I finished up. Done for today. </p>
<p>Assuming that there’s a good snow cover on the ground and you aren’t the first one to hike the trail, it’s actually easier to follow trails in the winter. Everywhere I’ve been in the White Mountains are popular trails and there is a clearly defined path in the snow. Don’t even need to look for the blazes or markers on the trees. Just follow the path in the snow. Here’s an [url=<a href=“http://■■■■■■■.com/m4y68el]example[/url”>http://■■■■■■■.com/m4y68el]example[/url</a>]. You can actually see one of the blue blaze trail markers on the tree in the foreground, but you don’t even need to look for them in the winter because the trail is so obvious.</p>
<p>Above treeline, where everything is windswept and footprints fill in with drifting snow, is a different issue. But, I haven’t hiked above treeline in winter. That’s where cairns (big piles of rocks) are used to mark the trail and, in theory, you just walk to the next cairn.</p>
<p>I do try to stick to trails I’ve hiked before when I go out in winter. Mostly because I want to know what I’m getting into. Some of the short rock scrambles I do in the summer would be above my pay grade in ice and snow. If I need crampons for the ice, I don’t want to be there! It’s a good idea to do and out and back hike in winter, so you can turn around if you encounter conditions that are too dicey. On a loop hike, you could find yourself needing to get down an icy pitch that you are not prepared for. If you had encountered it on the way up, you could have just bailed out. But, I generally try to avoid trails with a lot of steep rock ledges in the winter.</p>
<p>Also, trails where there are a lot of junctions and side trails look different in the winter, so having hiked it before is a plus.</p>
I believe there is much truth to what you write!</p>
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