So I'm back to obsessing on Shasta. This is actually good as I used to obsess on Whitney and that's 8 hours away where Shasta is just over 4. (Ok I'm really not done obsessing on Whitney as I haven't climbed the last 800 feet or so but I've done the hard part more than once.)
I haven't written it here but I've been struggling with altitude sickness once I get over 8000 feet. The real bummer about this is that altitude sickness has nothing to do with what kind of shape you're in which irks me no end. There's no way to train for it really, and I've discovered that even Diamox can only get me so far. If I want to go to altitude I have to go the slow way. The really slow way. I can only ascend about 1500' before getting ill.
My last time on Whitney I stayed over night at portal (8800 feet), then overnight at Outpost (10k') and was ill. Then was well enough to continue the next day to Trail Camp (12k') and was ill then to and didn't feel better in the morning (even on Diamox) so I decended as I was missing Terri who had already descended. If I had stopped at 11,500 I would have probably been ok.
When I'm ill I wonder why on earth I'm doing this as it's not fun anymore. And then I get back down and start wondering if there's a way to make it work.
For Shasta it's pretty much the same dilemma.
Bunny Flat is at 7900', and Helen is at 10,300'. I could stop at 50/50 Flat whose elevation is around 9500' which would work and it's nicer than Helen anyway, and plan to stay an extra 24 hours there.
Horse Camp 1 night
Back pack to 50/50.
stay there for 2 nights
the middle of the 2nd night get up and try a summit attempt
after the summit attempt stay another night at 50/50
pack out the next day
Day 1) Horse Camp
Day 2) 50/50
Day 3) 50/50 (sleep only 1/2 the night)
Day 4) 50/50
Day 5) Pack out and head for Redding
The extra time at 50/50 might help me acclimate, though I don't know how that will help me on a 4000+' summit climb. though Diamox should help with that as I've been able to climb comfortably above 13,000' on it when starting out at 10,000'. I think with Whitney the problem was that I was carrying 45 pounds which is really too much and over exerting which is why I was unwell. Unfortunately it's hard in snow to go light as there are some things that you simply must carry: insulated boots, crampons, ice axe, down jacket, extra fuel, more burly snow stakes. I suppose I could hire someone to carry the bag but that takes such organization but if I was staying put somewhere that wouldn't be so bad (and I may be able to carry it down since there would be less food and hence lighter.)
I also want to do some skiing too though the above trip would most likely be on snow shoes unless a miracle happened and I got really good at skiing this winter. (I'm planning on doing a fair bit of skiing this winter in hopes of improving.)
I think with next year's REI dividend I'm going to put it towards some skis (though REI is not the best place for Randonee skis), or more likely get some Denali Evo Ascent snowshoes. I discovered that I really had a use for the heel lifters and my old pair didn't have them and I've since sold them to Patricia.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Ran further than I thought I would.
Ran 1.5 miles as planned (brief pause to retie a shoe lace) and then paused to help someone with a different treadmill and then went back to do a .5 mile cool down, but was walking for only a few seconds before I got bored and bumped it back up to 4.0 mph and ran the rest of the half mile. That's really encouraging.
The treadmill also let me watch myself walk and see how my right foot drags. I can hold on to the handholds and look down (I slow it down to a fast walk) I keep going back and forth between whether it's my right hamstring or tibialis anterior that needs strengthening. My right hamstring is clearly weak but improving. The tibialis anterior however seems to be what actually creates the dragging (or a combination) as if the tibialis is not holding my foot up it's going to drag no matter how high the hamstring pulls it up. What's strange is that while I definitely can feel the weak hamstring the tibialis seems easier for me to control. Well that's a good thing anyway no matter how mysterious.
I also went back to an old cycling thing i used to do a lot is drink slightly watered down orange juice. I like Gatorade but this is much more satisfying. I even put it in one of those fancy Gatorade "sports" bottles which made drinking from it while running much easier that pouring liquid all over myself from a Nalgene bottle.
So next week I'd like to run 1.75 miles continuously take a brief break and then run/walk for another .5-.75 mile or so.
Ran 1.5 miles as planned (brief pause to retie a shoe lace) and then paused to help someone with a different treadmill and then went back to do a .5 mile cool down, but was walking for only a few seconds before I got bored and bumped it back up to 4.0 mph and ran the rest of the half mile. That's really encouraging.
The treadmill also let me watch myself walk and see how my right foot drags. I can hold on to the handholds and look down (I slow it down to a fast walk) I keep going back and forth between whether it's my right hamstring or tibialis anterior that needs strengthening. My right hamstring is clearly weak but improving. The tibialis anterior however seems to be what actually creates the dragging (or a combination) as if the tibialis is not holding my foot up it's going to drag no matter how high the hamstring pulls it up. What's strange is that while I definitely can feel the weak hamstring the tibialis seems easier for me to control. Well that's a good thing anyway no matter how mysterious.
I also went back to an old cycling thing i used to do a lot is drink slightly watered down orange juice. I like Gatorade but this is much more satisfying. I even put it in one of those fancy Gatorade "sports" bottles which made drinking from it while running much easier that pouring liquid all over myself from a Nalgene bottle.
So next week I'd like to run 1.75 miles continuously take a brief break and then run/walk for another .5-.75 mile or so.
More training notes
I found a train for a 5K suggested training guide athttp://www.halhigdon.com/5K%20Training/5-Knovice.htm
There's also one here but it's assuming I run faster than I actually do:
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
This one is interesting too and stresses using interspersing walking as a way to avoid injury:
http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/5k.html
I like the first one as it's basically what I was going to do anyway.
My goal is to be comfortable running at 10k distances at whatever speed, so 5k seemed to be a good intermediate goal. Right now I'm at 1.5 run (3.8-4.0 mph) and then .5 walk/run (3.2-4.0 mph).
Even though it's a 12k (7.46 miles) I think having the May '07 Bay to Breakers run as an eventual goal would be something to shoot for. Mark tells me that there's an Alameda 5k later this year which would be perfect too.
I also got certified for the rock wall so I can use it anything the gym is open. They have a new manager of the rock wall who wants to redo it and put in some easier routes (which they really need since most of their users are beginners.) Terri will do the same and then we're all set.
I found a train for a 5K suggested training guide at
http://www.halhigdon.com/5K%20Training/5-Knovice.htm
There's also one here but it's assuming I run faster than I actually do:
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
This one is interesting too and stresses using interspesing walking as a way to avoid injury:
http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/5k.html
I like the first one as it's basically what I was going to do anyway.
My goal is to be comfortable running at 10k distances at whatever speed, so 5k seemed to be a good intermediate goal. Right now I'm at 1.5 run (3.8-4.0 mph) and then .5 walk/run (3.2-4.0 mph).
Even though it's a 12k (7.46 miles) I think having the May '07 Bay to Breakers run as an eventual goal would be something to shoot for. Mark tells me that there's an Alameda 5k later this year which would be perfect too.
I also got certified for the rock wall so I can use it anything the gym is open. They have a new manager of the rock wall who wants to redo it and put in some easier routes (which they really need since most of their users are beginners.) Terri will do the same and then we're all set.
http://www.halhigdon.com/5K%20Training/5-Knovice.htm
There's also one here but it's assuming I run faster than I actually do:
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
This one is interesting too and stresses using interspesing walking as a way to avoid injury:
http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/5k.html
I like the first one as it's basically what I was going to do anyway.
My goal is to be comfortable running at 10k distances at whatever speed, so 5k seemed to be a good intermediate goal. Right now I'm at 1.5 run (3.8-4.0 mph) and then .5 walk/run (3.2-4.0 mph).
Even though it's a 12k (7.46 miles) I think having the May '07 Bay to Breakers run as an eventual goal would be something to shoot for. Mark tells me that there's an Alameda 5k later this year which would be perfect too.
I also got certified for the rock wall so I can use it anything the gym is open. They have a new manager of the rock wall who wants to redo it and put in some easier routes (which they really need since most of their users are beginners.) Terri will do the same and then we're all set.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Struggling with Ulysses
I listen to audio books. Mostly as a way to catch up with classics that I'd never get time to read as I'm so far behind on my reading and it's mostly dog training/psychology books, and my eyes get tired more easily now. Using audible.com I've been able to get through a plethera of classics and I honestly don't drive that much, but it adds up. I need to make a reading list but haven't done so yet.
So for months off and on, I've been struggling with Ulysses by James Joyce. I understand maybe a tenth of it but what I do is really, really funny at times. I found myself wishing that James Joyce were alive today as trying to follow his line of thought may well be similar to trying to follow Robin Williams when he's really on a roll.
On the web you can find plot synopsises of the book. Why, oh why, oh why??? Essentially there is no plot to Ulysses. It's about the inner/exterior experiences of several characters one one single day. What they actually end up doing that day is so totally beside the point.
I listen to audio books. Mostly as a way to catch up with classics that I'd never get time to read as I'm so far behind on my reading and it's mostly dog training/psychology books, and my eyes get tired more easily now. Using audible.com I've been able to get through a plethera of classics and I honestly don't drive that much, but it adds up. I need to make a reading list but haven't done so yet.
So for months off and on, I've been struggling with Ulysses by James Joyce. I understand maybe a tenth of it but what I do is really, really funny at times. I found myself wishing that James Joyce were alive today as trying to follow his line of thought may well be similar to trying to follow Robin Williams when he's really on a roll.
On the web you can find plot synopsises of the book. Why, oh why, oh why??? Essentially there is no plot to Ulysses. It's about the inner/exterior experiences of several characters one one single day. What they actually end up doing that day is so totally beside the point.
I'm a big fan of The Amazing Race. It's just a race. A complicated one mind you, but in essence a race. No voting off someone, no silly backstabbing (well sometimes they'll try, but usually don't succeed) and great scenery. My favorite site about it is Television Without Pity. But what folks forget is that the race was run months ago. Sprint is trying to take advantage of this by having a way that folks can follow the race on their phone. Say what? There is no race.
Monday, September 25, 2006
I've been keeping Yoshi the corgi's training diary for about 2 and a half years but I don't seem to actively keep up with other entries at all. I was missing a place to just put random observations so here we are.
For a while I was keeping a training diary which helped a lot when I was working with a trainer doing some mountaineering training for Shasta. I'll put that here also.
Recently I joined Bladium (that's a gym) to use their treadmills to learn to run again and to use their rock wall. I've always struggled with being able to run very far and it's never stopped bugging me. One of my remaining MS symptoms is that my right foot will drag after running about a mile so I have a big incentive to work on it (right hamstring is weak). MS research is growing by leaps and bounds so I need to stay healthy as if they find a way to put it in permanent remission then the more healthy I am, the less recovery I have to go through.
The rockwall is decent though the routes are relatively hard for a gym that has it just as a supplemental thing, but I can always modify the routes (by including some of the off route hand/foot holds) in my climb.
Anyway a couple of weeks ago I started treadmill running and then I could run a mile and then my foot would start dragging and I would then walk another quarter or so. I was setting the treadmill to go 4.0 mph but that seems a little fast for me. Fortunately with the treadmill you can set the speed very preciously, so last week I set it for 3.7 (which is for most people a fast walk but I can jog at that speed.) That seemed to do it! I was able to run 1.25 miles and my heart rate stayed in the 145-150 bpm range. Any faster and it would go up to 160 and I would hit muscle failure and have to walk a little. This has always been a problem for me when running outside. I wasn't able to go slow enough to maintain a steady pace. With the treadmill I can enforce the speed I go and today I was able to make it 1.5 miles (and then walked another 1/2 mile. HR was still 145-150. Hooray. I started at 3.7 mph and then bumped it to 3.8 (3.7 was too slow this time) and then much later took it to 4.0.
This week I'll stick with 1.5 miles of running and see how well I do. Maybe next week I can move up to 1.75 and the next week 2.0. The cool thing is that I seemed to have found a pace I can maintain, the limiting factor now is my hamstring strength so on non-running days I should do some strengthening exercises for it.
The other major advantage of the treadmill is that there is something to hang on to if your balance gets iffy. This is a huge confidence builder for me as when outside I often feel like I'm just about to take a header so as a result I get less exercise as I walk more if I'm worried about my footing.
For a while I was keeping a training diary which helped a lot when I was working with a trainer doing some mountaineering training for Shasta. I'll put that here also.
Recently I joined Bladium (that's a gym) to use their treadmills to learn to run again and to use their rock wall. I've always struggled with being able to run very far and it's never stopped bugging me. One of my remaining MS symptoms is that my right foot will drag after running about a mile so I have a big incentive to work on it (right hamstring is weak). MS research is growing by leaps and bounds so I need to stay healthy as if they find a way to put it in permanent remission then the more healthy I am, the less recovery I have to go through.
The rockwall is decent though the routes are relatively hard for a gym that has it just as a supplemental thing, but I can always modify the routes (by including some of the off route hand/foot holds) in my climb.
Anyway a couple of weeks ago I started treadmill running and then I could run a mile and then my foot would start dragging and I would then walk another quarter or so. I was setting the treadmill to go 4.0 mph but that seems a little fast for me. Fortunately with the treadmill you can set the speed very preciously, so last week I set it for 3.7 (which is for most people a fast walk but I can jog at that speed.) That seemed to do it! I was able to run 1.25 miles and my heart rate stayed in the 145-150 bpm range. Any faster and it would go up to 160 and I would hit muscle failure and have to walk a little. This has always been a problem for me when running outside. I wasn't able to go slow enough to maintain a steady pace. With the treadmill I can enforce the speed I go and today I was able to make it 1.5 miles (and then walked another 1/2 mile. HR was still 145-150. Hooray. I started at 3.7 mph and then bumped it to 3.8 (3.7 was too slow this time) and then much later took it to 4.0.
This week I'll stick with 1.5 miles of running and see how well I do. Maybe next week I can move up to 1.75 and the next week 2.0. The cool thing is that I seemed to have found a pace I can maintain, the limiting factor now is my hamstring strength so on non-running days I should do some strengthening exercises for it.
The other major advantage of the treadmill is that there is something to hang on to if your balance gets iffy. This is a huge confidence builder for me as when outside I often feel like I'm just about to take a header so as a result I get less exercise as I walk more if I'm worried about my footing.
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