My mind is purely focused on my N3PX Charity Hiking Challenge coming up in May this year. Today I thought I would share some of the elements I am including within my training schedule. The daily tasks to make sure I am ready to take on this behemoth of a hike. Taking on this type of hiking route which will see me covering all types of terrain possible here in the UK will require me to be at the peak of my game. So in this post I will take you through the whats and why’s of how I am preparing for it.
Training mind, body and soul
As much as hiking almost 600 miles will be a physical challenge, it will be a mental one too. So I need to make sure that I am prepared for the task in many ways.
Yoga
Yoga is one practice that brings everything together. The focus and meditation side of yoga helps to settle the mind. During my hike this will be something I will need to keep in check.
There are also the physical benefits, stretching those hip flexors, improving balance, and more advanced breathing techniques are all skills that adapt to hiking trips as well as yoga mats.
Daily Walks
It may seem like an obvious one, but conditioning the legs is vital. So I go on a walk at least once a day. Some are longer than others, thanks to the ‘create a route’ function on OSMaps I have routes ranging from 2 miles up to 13 miles. Which all start from my front door. So although I am still started off small with at least two miles day, with just over 14 weeks to go I am bringing this up to five miles daily.
Regular Hikes
I’ve hiked less over the winter months, with a few trips cancelled recently due to adverse weather. Whilst I am training getting miles in is more important than getting in the mountains. As much as I do love ticking off new trig points or bagging Nuttalls, I do not need to pick up an injury right now by taking on mountains in winter conditions. So I’m keeping my hikes to lowland areas. This is a much better representation of the paths I’ll be taking during the challenge too.
Although spring is just around the corner and with it will come some longer days and warmer nights so there are plenty of adventures and mountains days coming up before I head off on this challenge.
Turbo Training
Now this may seem like a strange one. For those that don’t know a turbo trainer is a stand that allows you to turn any bike into a static exercise bike. Even though I am not riding any of the route, the exercise still has many, many benefits.
Yes, it is great cardio training and I need to get as much as that in as possible. It also helps to develop different muscles in your legs. Which although they may not all be directly engaged during hiking, they are connected to the ones you’ll be using. I’ve found it to really help with increasing the strength of my legs and also my stamina.
My rule for the next few months is my only TV is going to watched whilst I am training, with the odd exception for a movie night on rest day evenings. So my training challenge is Ride2KingsLanding, as I hope to get close to the thousand mile journey during the 66 hours it will take me to watch Game of Thrones.
Weight training for hiking
Now I am training all my muscles here. One thing that is one the hardest aspects for me of training for this type of event is the increase in cardio whilst not wanting to lose weight. In fact right now I am trying to put on weight.
The reason being with hiking for 35 days, it is guaranteed that I’ll definitely be dropping a few pounds. So I would like to have an extra few to start with. Ideally those extra pounds will be carried in my muscles. So I am taking on short but daily weight lifting sessions along with a huge focus on nutrition.
Backpack Days
These I find fun. I get my backpacked up to weight, and simply carry it on my shoulders as I go about my day around the house. It allows me to get used to the weight of the pack (and maybe consider what I can lose) so that when I am on the hike itself it feels strange not to have it on.
Currently I have it over weight from what I’ll be carrying too. This is something I always do in the last couple of weeks before a big hike but this time I am starting early.
Kettle carry days
I don’t mean being ready to make a brew at all times. This one is a little stranger than that. In preparation for a kettle carry day, the night before I place a 12kg kettlebell next to my bed. From the moment I wake up the next morning that thing will be glued to me.
When ever I move I carry it with me. Even if I am just popping upstairs to the toilet I’ll carry it up (although I do place it down when doing my business, learned that one the hard way!)
Some shorter expedition trips
I am also going to take on some short three to four days hiking routes. Although I am not wanting to spend a fortune on training trips the continual miles will be good. It will also give me a good chance to test out the gear I will be using.
Some contenders are the Limestone Way and the south section of the Welsh Coastal Path. I may also just look for two train stations 30/40 miles apart with a campsite between them.
It would be silly not to mention nutrition
As with any training schedule nutrition is vital. Especially when it involves bulking up whilst also increasing aerobic activities. So my diet right now is more big than anything else. I am trying to be minimal with supplements and protein shakes but magnesium, creatine, collagen and protein shakes are all in my current daily intake.
I’ll go a little more indepth with this in future posts, where I will also include some hiking day snack recipes, campsite meals ideas and high protein meals, snack and drinks that can made on the cheap at home.