Wake-Up Call

With about six weeks to go until the start of my trek I knew I had to start getting into shape. It's something I should have started weeks ago, but I'm really lazy and like to make excuses - "It's too cold" or "I would rather watch college basketball" or even "I can get myself into shape in just a few weeks." Well today I finally got outside for my first real workout of the year and I soon realized that I'm in worse shape than I thought I would be.

In addition to going on long walks, I like to train for my hiking trips by climbing stairs to strengthen my legs and increase my stamina. Since there are no serious hills or rugged trails in the area, this was the best training I could think of to prepare myself for hiking in the mountains. What I've found is that the stairs not only replicate the tough climbs on a trail, but they're actually more strenuous.

The set of stairs I like to train on is at a nearby forest preserve at an old toboggan run. The toboggan slides were removed a few years back, but they kept the stairs due to their popularity. There are 125 stone steps in the set, each one having a different height and depth, so no two steps are exactly the same. Rain or shine, I'm never the only person using them. It's not uncommon to see 20-30 other people there also trying to get in a good workout. I've seen all kinds of people there: firefighters (while carrying a heavy fire hose), mixed martial arts fighters, runners, hikers, and men and women obviously just trying to lose a few pounds.

Usually I like to go twice a week and do about 10-15 sets (a set being up and down). If I'm feeling good then I like to run a few sets. Today being my first time there this year I just wanted to take it easy and walk 8-10 sets. Halfway up my first set I could already tell I was out of shape and that it was going to be a real struggle. After eight sets my legs were done and I called it a day. I'll definitely be sore tomorrow. It was a lot harder than I expected, and I wasn't even wearing my pack, but really it shouldn't have surprised me since I haven't worked out much since doing the Colorado Trail last summer. I have a long way to go, but I know the first time is the hardest and it'll get easier every time.