LOL - my “own game” this week is not totally mine. It’s a week of LOTS of walking around London, based on the other members of the family loving American football. I am here with hubby and the grown kids this week because they were all quite keen to see the Broncos play an international game. But hanging with the kids IS a favorite activity for me, so I joined in. The weather on Sunday was fine (phew!), and the whole trip is grand. After the kids go home on Wed, we’ll stay in England for more travel and 40th anniversary celebrating.
7 Likes
@abasket. I love this post. Its not a competition or a race. We all do what works for ourselves and that is great.
We also have to give ourselves grace as our abilities change.
4 Likes
The wife and I traveled this past weekend to visit a relative. So the travel days, unfortunately, I did nothing, which really, really sucks.
On the other two days of the trip, I ran Saturday in the local park and then yesterday I joined the local CF gym.
I’ve attended this gym before, a couple times, and they have a wonderful community of members.
5 Likes
I’m very familiar with this hike, great job! And hoping you found a good stop for food and beverages.
2 Likes
Remember, ANY movement is better than not moving, and doing whatever you can is way better than nothing. You sound like you’re already doing quite a bit. I ride and walk a lot, but I know I “should” do more weight training. I try not to focus on the positive.
4 Likes
I had a nice walk to dog beach via a scenic lagoon and beach coastline yesterday, with total distance of 14 miles. That’s not an especially challenging distance for me. I was not exhausted and did not have muscle soreness the next day, nor did I have noticeable sweat when in the sunny, low 70s weather. I also did my usual weight training workout that evening and performed better than typical. My dog also did not seem to be challenged. She ran and played with the other dogs after arriving at dog beach as enthusiastically, as other trips where we did not spend hours walking before arriving.
More unusual is my Fitbit reported the maximum 100/100 daily readiness score the next day, as pictured in the 2nd screenshot. This daily readiness score is based on metrics like heart rate variability, which was notably higher than normal. It’s rare that I get a 100 score under any circumstances. Perhaps the walk contributed to improved sleep quality. I had my most challenging usual cardio workout the following day, which is pictured below. Consistent with the daily readiness stats, it felt notably easier than usual. This is a positive change from similar distance hikes in previous years.
I expect the lack of noteworthy elevation change and low impact sandy surface was key. My dog and I will go on a more challenging hike on Thursday, which I expect will be more impactful. Elevation gain will be somewhere between 4000ft and 7000ft, depending on which route we choose, with rock scrambling.
4 Likes
With continuing with the recent theme, I am a huge proponent of doing what works for you in terms of diet and fitness. If working out at 5AM makes your schedule work then do it. If it is 9PM then great. I go by the idea that the best workout you can do is one that you will do all the time and not skip.
For food I basically never eat anything before 12-1PM. I skip breakfast. I do this because I know I will eat some of my calories later in the night after dinner.
Do what works for you.
5 Likes
Data10 do you mind sharing what breed of pup accompanies you in all these long hikes? We used to have Bernese Mountain dogs but they were not up to that sort of action! Not sure if I could keep up with an Aussie or other speedy breed tho…so was curious… 
The dog was described up thread.
1 Like
As usbalumnus mentions above, she is mixed breed. Her parents were street dogs from the Baja California area of Mexico. She was rescued as a puppy, hours before being euthanized. I’d take the DNA test breed listings above with a grain of salt. I suspect a good portion of ancestors were descended from indigenous dogs to the region (village dogs) rather than Kennel Club dog breeds, which often confuses DNA tests.
In terms of hiking, she is superior to me in most dimensions. She can handle longer distances and more elevation change. She easily go up or down routes that are far to steep for me. She can effortlessly race through snow, ice, or muck; and seems to especially enjoy this type of surface, often getting the zoomies. When I lose the trail, she can usually find it and/or find alternative routes to get to desired location.
I think healthy, non-senior dogs from most breeds could handle the type of hikes that are regularly posted in this thread. Like with humans, the bigger limitation is often with exercise/training history. Dogs that get little exercise shouldn’t suddenly go on a 10 mile hike. However, it’s often not a big deal for dogs that walk several miles each day as part of their usual routine and regularly play fetch with ChuckIt, chase/wrestle with friends, or similar running activity. As such there are anecdotes about dogs from a wide variety of breeds enjoying long hiking trips – working breeds, sporting breeds, herding breeds, etc.
For example, your post mentions Aussies. The hiker at Thru-Hiking With a Dog – Dogs That Hike describes hiking 4000 miles with his Aussie and currently being 1000 miles in to 3000 mile hike from Canada to Mexico. I’ve seen anecdotes about Bernese Mountain Dogs being enthusiastic about full day hikes as well, particularly when in colder weather with snow.
The minority of breeds that may have special concerns with hiking include brachycephalic breeds for which breathing heavily can be challenging, sighthounds (sighthounds I’ve known are usually natural sprinters and can struggle with longer distances), dogs that are especially sensitive to temperature, toy dogs or dogs with very short legs, and dogs for which coat presents challenges.
3 Likes
Thanks for sharing, Data10 (and reposting, ucbalumnus). Wow, what a pup! And how great you rescued him too.
Good thought about ensuring your hiking companion doggo is in as good shape, with preparation, as a human would be. 
1 Like
The route had ~5000ft elevation gain. My Fitbit reported 21 miles. The primary limiting factor was not the miles or the elevation change – it was snow. After the 2nd mile, the ground was almost fully covered by snow, and the snow became deeper as increasing to higher elevation. My originally planned route did not appear safe, and I turned back from my 2nd choice for similar reasons. I did make it to my 3rd choice peak. Based on footprints, my dog and I were the only ones who did so, in spite of wearing slip-on shoes with subpar tread and having no poles. I slid several times, but did not fall, remaining on my feet throughout the trip. I do feel more impacted today, with some muscle soreness, but not enough to alter my usual workout schedule. I expect the muscle soreness primarily related to the downhill portion, including some jogging/hopping to increase depth of landing for traction.
6 Likes
And now, hopping on my treadmill!
ETA: The whole interview airs Sunday.
3 Likes
Here’s the whole interview …
3 Likes
And on that important note, I did my old “Covid Murph” this morning. I ran to the local park on a hill with a pull up bar, got the bodyweight work done, and then ran back.
As a follow-up, I’m now roughly a month into taking 5mg of Creatine each day and I honestly don’t feel anything. 
6 Likes
Thanks for posting that. I listened to his audiobook last year, and I think there is a lot of merit to most of his points. Love that it was on 60 minutes because my 98 year old father is a regular watcher, and it would be nice for him to think back on how all his interest in sports and walking over the years has kept him fit and lively. (Out of caution he does use a walker now, but a few times a week he and his wife try to get outside for a walk.). It might be an interesting topic on our next call.
1 Like
Our pickleball foursome this morning had many long plays. Yay, makes it really fun. And we all agreed that we are MUCH better than when we were newbies last year, even if not as good as we’d like to be. It’s rather nice to have something at my age where I actually keep getting better. It’s also nice to have an hour where I laugh a lot, don’t think much about family concerns or problems of the world.
If you don’t play and have the opportunity to learn, think about giving it a try.
7 Likes
Happy for you, Colorado_mom! 
Another vote for pickleball as FUN exercise AND time to be social.
4 Likes
For the 1st soccer season in a long time, I ended the season lighter than I started.
The challenge is even though I am moving more, mealtimes can get weird so I snack more.
This season I was more concious of my choices and am down 8 pounds. Still not great but I will take it.
8 Likes