How to Plan and Prepare for Your Own Adventure
This week I head out to climb Pike’s Peak (altitude 14,115 ft), south of Denver. If you’ve been with me for awhile, you might remember I tried this same exact hike last year but failed to reach the summit. So when I thought about where to go hike this year, the idea of climbing the same mountain started getting more and more appealing. Learning from what didn’t work last year, I would improve my planning and preparation. For example, last year I flew into Denver, drove to the trailhead, and started hiking immediately. That’s an elevation change of 10,000 ft in one day! This year, I’ll spend a night in a hotel to acclimate for the night before starting the hike the next day.
When it comes to “adventure,” whether it’s hiking, visiting a new place, or just someplace you’ve never been before, I think an important factor is how much will it push you and make you uncomfortable.
Last year, when the going got tough, I slowed down. This year, I hope to instead lean in and push myself to go harder.
PS. As of this writing, zero coronavirus incidents at Pikes Peak!
How do you prepare for an adventure? In my case, the best training is just running.
Two reasons why:
- No prep and no excuse — With my running shoes by the front door and lots of sidewalks in my neighborhood, there’s no waste of time associated with getting to the gym or the excuse that I forget to pack socks.
- High altitude training — I live at sea-level, and unless I have access to an air-tight chamber that can simulate low pressure, the best I can do is work on my cardiovascular fitness and breathing.
Having said that, almost everybody I know who isn’t a runner says they HATE running. So what to do? I suggest getting the right gear and coach to help motivate you.
- On Running Shoes — Been running with these for a couple years now. Based in Switzerland, they’ve won innovation awards for their design and professionals have worn their shoes to win some big races. I won’t ever come close, but I’ll treat my feet (and knees) like a winner.
- Map My Run app — Tons of apps out there to track data, and I’ve been using this for years without fail. Tracks runs, cycling, and hikes, and I still have access to my data years later.
- Headspace app — Specifically, there are 3 coaching sessions (Run Easy, Run Smart, and Keep Running) cohosted with Nike trainer Mike Bennet. Loads of great advice and perfect as your personal coach while on your run.
- Earbuds — Any earbud will do, but here are the cheap ones I’m using. Too scared it’ll fall out and I’ll never find them again!
And like we discussed before, it’s really not about motivation but about great habits. So make a habit of having all your gear ready to go and protect 20 minutes just once a week to make it happen.
Set your Adventure EXPECTATIONS
Woke up at 630AM on a Sunday to get to a coffee shop to have some uninterrupted time to work on my writing. I blocked out several hours to write out the next 4 issues, and so far I’ve only written one. It’s not like I’m slacking off (I do admit to one game of Clash Royale!). It’s just that my expectations were too high.
Lately I’ve been feeling disappointed in myself. I keep thinking I should do better, done more, or be happier. Keeping up with the election, I’m sure all those democratic candidates who dropped out may be feeling disappointed too!
So, what I’ve been doing lately is reminding myself to literally enjoy the exact moment I’m in. Like right now, reminding myself this is awesome I get to sit here uninterrupted, working on my passion project. And this week, when I try to summit Pike’s Peak again. I’ll def enjoy the hike, the views, and the opportunity.
A habit that I’ve been able to incorporate is a few minutes of stretching before going to bed. I just thought it was a good idea, but (yes!) there’s science to back it up! A study on certain yoga stretches and meditation movements resulted in:
- Improvement in sleep quality was reported in the majority of studies and was often accompanied by improvements in quality of life, physical performance, and depression. [10,11]
Keep in mind, about static stretches: [9]
- Static stretches done prior to weight training can be detrimental to performance
- With static stretches, “you want to be sitting in it for at least two minutes,” says Dr. Jen Esquer, physical therapist and STRONG advisory board member. This allows the cells to change at a deeper level and your joint flexibility to improve.
- Static stretching prior to cardio poses little benefit.
With the above in mind, here are my recommended stretches before bedtime:
- Reclining bound angle pose -a restorative pose that helps to reduce tension in your back, shoulders, and neck while promoting relaxation. Here’s how. [10]
- Bretzel — “This stretch opens your anterior chain, the muscles that run up the front of your body. ‘It lengthens your quad, hip flexors, chest, and shoulders and gives you good torso rotation,’ says Wilson. Fluid movement in those areas is key for runners, climbers, and riders.” Here’s how.[7]
Build your Adventure SKILLS
Last year I was on Pikes Peak and failed to summit to the top. As much as I’d like to blame it on my physical fitness (and yes, the altitude change is drastic and acclimation is no joke), it was also because of my mental fitness. I remembered after giving up and getting back to Camp Barr (where I camped out at), another guy showed up with a huge backpack and successfully made it to the top! I asked him why did he carry everything up when he could’ve left most of his gear at his campsite. He said, “oh, I just wanted to see what it would feel like to do the whole thing with a full backpack.”
That got me thinking about confidence and competence (and my inadequacies). Of course, with confidence and competence, it helps to be good at something! In this case, when it comes to climbing this mountain, the skill I hadn’t mastered was how to pace myself.
When hiking, there’s something called the “rest step,” which you can learn from this video. By hiking this way, you can have a micro-rest at each physical step up the mountain. The rest stop quickly relieves stress from the leg muscles, and thus you can last longer overall on the hike. Combine this technique with a good pace, and it’s been shown to be way more effective, resulting in hiking longer distances and in a shorter time (because of less rest periods).
So on your next adventure anywhere, try these tips:
- Build in a rest day or blocks of time with no plans — Allow yourself to be spontaneous, catch up on other things, or just sit back and appreciate where you’re at.
- Set a pace that’s achievable and doesn’t induce stress — Remember, you’re on an adventure, so enjoy it! Chances are you’ll never be back here again, so pace yourself.
- If you have a travel budget, pace how much to spend each day.
ENJOY Your Adventure
Corona virus. Two words that is probably making us at a tad nervous. Maybe that’s because we’ve watched too many movies where the end of the world or the origin of zombies starts with a tiny virus. Instead of getting too wrapped up with worrying, I suggest doing what preps you need to make relieve your level of concern, but then take a step back and appreciate what we have in our life right now.
I just finished hiking Pikes Peak, a 14k+ mountain outside Denver. While I was climbing, it was like a 3 day meditation session. A constant struggle of “suffering” in the cold and the mental battle of convincing myself I could make it to the top. Yet, it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. At that elevation and being completely alone, it’s utterly peaceful. In between the heavy breaths, I was enjoying this adventure.
Last year when I hiked this same mountain, I was listening to an audiobook and found it enhanced the adventure greatly. I first did something similar years ago when I was in Pokhara, Nepal, and read the Snow Leopard, about how “In 1973, Peter Matthiessen and field biologist George Schaller traveled high into the remote mountains of Nepal to study the Himalayan blue sheep and possibly glimpse the rare and beautiful snow leopard.” As I myself was hiking through the Himilaya mountains, I could visualize what Mattheissen was seeing.
For Pikes Peak last year, I listened to Alone on the Ice: The Greatest Survival Story in the History of Exploration Paperback by David Roberts. Here’s the hook:
“On January 17, 1913, alone and near starvation, Douglas Mawson, leader of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, was hauling a sledge to get back to base camp. The dogs were gone. Now Mawson himself plunged through a snow bridge, dangling over an abyss by the sledge harness. A line of poetry gave him the will to haul himself back to the surface.”
Bottom line, download an audiobook app and get a book that relates to the trip you’re going on!
Overdrive App — A FREE app that allows you borrow audiobooks for FREE because it’s from your local library. You can’t beat that!
References:
- Zebulon Pike Wikipedia
- Pikes Peak Wikipedia
- COLUMN: Bigfoot crossing sign tests our gullibility by Barry Fagin
- High-Altitude Training: Fact vs. Fiction by Karen Mirlenbrink
- How to Prep Your Body to Ride at Altitude Without Feeling Like You Might Die… Even When You Live At Sea Level by Samantha Lefave
- The 9 Best On Running Shoes by Michael Charboneau
- 3 Stretches Every Outdoor Athlete Should Do Daily — This three-minute routine will make you faster and stronger and help keep you injury-free by Michael Easter
- Moves: Stretches You Should Do Daily by Doug Lawder
- Truths and Myths about Static Stretching by STRONG Fitness Mag
- 8 Stretches to Do Before Bed by Emily Cronkleton
- The effect of meditative movement on sleep quality: A systematic review by Fang Wang
- Hiking Skills: Learn the Rest Step
