This past weekend the forecast called for rain. Although the weather turned out to be a bit better than predicted, I was feeling quite out of sorts and opted to remain down south. It certainly was a tough decision for me, considering that I’ve hiked almost every weekend since the first week of December. Nevertheless, it gave me plenty of time to think about my April hiking goals, and what I realistically can (or cannot) accomplish during this difficult shoulder season of “monorails,” treacherous water crossings, and rotten snow.
Given that we’re nearly one quarter of the way through the month, I’ve decided to set a rather moderate target of 10 4k peaks for April 2009. Since the likelihood that I’ll be turned back on at least one hike – whether it be due to water crossings, or deteriorating snow conditions – is relatively high, I’ve determined that hiking in April will be my secondary priority. Instead, I’m going to focus on improving my endurance and cardio strength through running… so that when I do return to active hiking I’ll be stronger and considerably more prepared to tackle long distances.
Over the course of the winter, I aimed for 1-2 days of slow runs (at an indoor track) each week, simply for the sake of keeping my body shape for the long (often difficult) hikes that I’d embark on each weekend. Putting in hours at a track certainly becomes tiresome, and finding the motivation to do so was incredibly difficult. However, now that it’s warm and pleasant outside… let’s just say I’ve become addicted to running and simply cannot get enough of it!
Although I’m not the fastest of runners, my endurance is surprisingly not so bad. At present, I find that I’m able to cover a distance of 6-8 miles rather comfortably. Fortunately, I live in a very hilly area, which means that I’m forced to put in a solid hill climb (or two, or three…) each time I go out for a run. Hiking has definitely helped me in that regard, and I must admit it’s nice to be able to maintain a steady, strong pace whilst hill climbing.
…but I digress – let’s return to my goals for April 2009:
Goal #1
Climb 10 4k peaks
Goal #2
Run 100 miles
