Some pretty big news around here (as far as those things go in this blog)!
First off--Week 8 in the books:
Swim: 2,000 yards
Bike: 244.6 miles
Walk/Run: 29.7 miles
PT/Weights: 4:25
Total Training Time: 28:37
My big challenge, starting in October last year and continuing here through the first 8 weeks of 2025 has been my surgically repaired right shoulder. Clearly soft tissue/over-use oriented and not a result or a direct follow on to the AC Joint repair I had 20 years ago--though it's possible it was a contributing factor.
I saw a PT person for 6 weeks for what he saw as bursitis/bicep tendon impingement. For sure it wasn't good. Really impacted my swimming and any sort of weight training/PT that involved lifting my arms above my heads or using my right biceps. The worse thing was it was nearly impossible for me to sleep comfortably and my sleep was severely impacted.
Two weeks ago I decided to shut down my swimming for the most part and to back off from my PT--which I did for 10 straight days (coincided with a trip to the Super Bowl with my sons (EAGLES!!!!) and then down to Florida with Judy and to visit my mom).
I went back to my ortho seeking a cortisone injection which he said was not necessary. He did an X-ray and checked me out and said the joint looked great and that my bursitis was gone and the issue I now had was solely with the bicep tendon. He agreed my prior PT was too aggressive and showed me a couple simpler ones to perform. He also gave me prescription strength anti-inflammatory to take once a day and pronounced I would be good to go within a week or two.
Well, it appears he might be right. Shoulder is much, much better. No problem sleeping now. I'm going to slowly bring my swimming and weight training back on line. Finally, after 5 months of struggle, I think this thing might be moving to the rear-view. So this is exciting news item #1.
#2 exciting news: I snagged a slot to do a 29,029/Everesting event at Snow Basin from 7/31-8/3! I had originally picked this as my "A" Goal (or as I like to say, my "Big Ass Goal") for the year but when I went to sign up for any of the 5-6 such events on the 1st morning, it was already sold out. I was pretty bummed. Seemed like the perfect main training goal for me to focus on. I jumped on the waiting list and I cleared it this past week! Snow Basin is not my first choice (altitude and heat) as I wanted to do Stowe but beggars can't be choosers. I actually was able to snag two slots and hope I can get my wing-man back on board and get the climbing band back together again!
The Snow Basin event is 13 ascents of one of the ski hills there--each being 2.3 miles and 2,300 feet of vertical (average gradient of about 19%) that one needs to complete within 36 hours. 29 miles and 30,000 feet of vertical in 36 hours time. This feels like a 50/50 proposition for me. It does mean I'll shift my training focus to more closely mimic the training I was doing back during Anders' 7-Summit Project and all the big mountains we climbed then. I did an 8-mile walk two days ago in under 2 hours so I can move pretty well on flat land. I did an hour at 2.6 mph at a 15% grade this morning and will double up with another walk this afternoon. Heading down to Shenandoah National next week for a climbing fitness test and some hiking with a bunch of vertical.
You can see I have reshaped my 2025 goals--at the top of the blog. Judy and I (and a couple of friends) had previous selected a through-hike of Hadrian's Wall (89 miles across the "waist" of England over 7 days of hiking) and that will now turn into a training opportunity for my main goal in 2025.
Bring it! Onwards and Upwards!
