29029 week

 Well this is the week I've been training for since February.  Friday 8/1-8/2 is my snow Basin Everlasting event with Anders.

This is also the week that I learned that I have shingles--yuck!

I've been banished to Wilmington, since my new grandson, Henry is coming to visit with Kara and Marshall.  I'm on an anti-viral and while the experience is not pleasant, it so-far is tolerable.

This obviously creates a bunch of uncertainty but my doctor has given me a tentative still go/but pull the plug early if your body can't take it.  We'll see how my symptoms unfold over the next few days.  for now I'm just resting and not doing much of anything so my body has the best chance of more quickly defeating the this virus flare-up.

This is what Dr. chatGPT had to say:

One way or the other, this saga will come to a close on Saturday evening!

Training Volume--Monthly Look

Another look at training volumes this year.  This post looks by month and compares to 2024:

My Swim, through May, is the biggest casualty to my focus on 29,029 (also struggled with shoulder problems for the first three months).  Through May my Swim volume is down 42% vs. 2024:

My Bike, especially after February has also taken a hit and is down 7% from 2024:

My Run/Walk/Hike/Climb has been my main focus in 2025 as I prepare for my 29,029/Everesting event.  Through May I was up 50%:

PT/Weights have been pretty similar and I'm down 1% through May:

With all the emphasis on climbing/trekking and how long that takes, its not surprising that my total Training Time is up 12% through May:

VAST 4/5 Update

On 6/4 and 6/11 I did two more Vertical Ascent Speed Tests (VAST) down at Mary's Rock in Shenandoah.  I continued to make good progress improving another 6.5% or so in each VAST 4 and 5.  Overall, I've improved my Ascent Speed by 35% since my first VAST 1 in early March:

The last chart is interesting.  It plots my Calories/Heart Rate (bpm).  In a sense, how much work/power can I generate for a given Cardiovascular load.  Note my increasing capacity to generate power relative to my CV stress--I interpret this as my leg strength catching up to my already strong CV fitness.

It's also interesting to see that plateauing around 6-6.5 which implies this is approaching my threshold power (at this point in time).  It's also interesting to note that I got faster at the same work and CV load which also implies that I'm getting more efficient in where I place my feet and how I scramble up the climbs.

Anyways--the above is very encouraging.  Will it be enough?  Who knows?

8/1 we find out!

Training Volume Update

In this post I update my Training Volume metrics.  The Charts below are all Trailing 4-month averages.

First, the Swim.  My swim took a big hit with the walk across England and the last two weeks of Climbing work down in Shenandoah.  My volume this year is way off with my focus on 29,029. My hope is to now get into my summer open-water swim volume ramp:

My Bike volume has been pretty consistent but also took a similar hit to my Swim volume.  The big issue is with the quality of my bike training.  I'm certainly in relatively poor high-end bike riding shape:

My run/Walk/Climb volume has been my main focus and with England and the last two weeks down in Shenandoah continues to be quite high relative to the last few years:

My PT/Weights/Stretching time is now entering the summer time frame where it typically falls off:

My total training time remains quite high although off the unsustainable peak from earlier in the year:

In my next post I'll update on my Vertical Ascent Speed Tests over the last couple of weeks.....

5k Running Races Post Knee Replacement

OK, back in the saddle getting ready for my 29,029/Everesting event August 1-2.  Will bring you up to speed with several posts this week.

This first post looks at my 5k Road Race time progression since my Total Knee Replacement.  This has NOT been a focus of mine as I've decided to deemphasize running with my new knee.  I haven't run the math but my guess is that I averaged less than one run/week since the surgery and probably closer to one run every other week.

Given this lack of run-training focus, my times in races probably mostly reflect my general fitness as well as the improving functionality of my new knee as I recovered from the surgery and engaged in pretty extensive PT.

I've run 4 races since my late November 2022 surgery.  I've run the Stone Harbor "Turtle Trot" each of the last three Memorial Weekends as well as the Ivy Scholarship Race in April of last year.  Here is how my times have progressed:

So you can see I have improved with each race in spite of my lack of run specific training.  It's fun (and different) to have something I'm getting better at as I near 70!  I've managed to cut almost 6 minutes off my 5k time and this is about a 17% improvement.

Given all the climbing speed work and testing I've been doing I'm guessing that if I race again this year that I'll see continued progress.

Onwards and upwards!

Walk Across England? Been There, Done That!

So, Judy and I and our friends, Kim and Larry Drexler,  made our way across the Pond and walked East to West across England from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne to Bowness-On-Solway along the famous and historic Hadrian's Wall Path!  We had phenomenal weather--60s generally with plenty of sun, a nice breeze as a tailwind (which was a surprise because it typically blows west-to-east), and no rain what-so-ever for the 10 days we were there, including the 7 days of our hike.

We all had very high expectations for this truly "bucket-list" experience and I can safely say that the actual experience blew those high expectations away!

This post will be a quick summary of the experience.  First off-here is the overview of the 7-day trek and the 95 miles we covered:

Our target/plan was to average about 2mph (30-minute miles) all-in including all of our rest stops, lunches and a lot of site-seeing at the many forts and castles/turrets along the path--which we pretty much nailed!.  Here is a review of each day:

Day 1: 5/7/25: Newcastle to Heddon-on-the-Wall (15.6 miles/7:01/771 feet vertical

The first day was relatively flat (flattest of the 7 days) and principally an urban walk in Newcastle and its western suburbs.  The end of the hike featured a pretty good climb up to Heddon, where we first saw a portion of the wall.

Most of the hike was on hard, paved surfaces and we all had sore hips and feet by the end of the day.  It took us a while to find our groove and by the end of the day, we were all a bit tired (and wondering what the next day had in store for us).

The Keelman, above, is where we stayed and had our meals the first night on the trip.  We saw that our luggage transport arrangements worked like a charm (thanks Mac's!)--and they did for the whole trip.

DAY 2: 5/8/25: Heddon-on-the-Wall to Chollerford (16.7 miles/8:34/1,244 vertical)

The second day was spent out in the English countryside.  It was a glorious day, with a bit of a chill in the air, but perfect for hiking.  We had quite a bit more up and down on this day and it was our longest day, both in terms of distance and duration.  We began to see quite a bit more of the Wall as well!

One of the highlights of the trip is your interactions with the various farm animals along the way, especially the sheep, which I estimate we saw in the 10s if not 100s of thousands!  On this day I made friends with a couple of horses and made do with two less apples!

The above is the Robin Hood Inn where we stopped for a mid-morning snack!

This last picture is of the George Hotel in Chollerford where we stayed that night.   It was a delightful stay in a quaint, old but charming,  English Country Hotel!

Day 3: 5/9/25: Chollerford to Once Brewed (13.6 miles/7:45/2,166 feet vertical

Days 3-5 are the heart of the Hadrian's Wall trek as we move into the middle of the country and Northumberland National Park.  Today was an absolutely spectacular day--hiked with shorts and a light top.  Brilliant Sunshine, high 60s and a pleasant breeze were with us throughout.  We overlapped a fair amount with a gentleman couple--one in his 60s and the other who recently turned 80 years old.  Turns out he was a major player in the bike industry on the West Coast, including playing a big role at Schwinn (Pacific Cycle).

We also met some horses that seemed to be involved in some "frisky" activities.....

The terrain was breathtaking and we had numerous climbs--many fairly steep, but not especially long.  the Romans build the wall along the natural contour of the many crags that are a major feature of this area.  We passed the famed Sycamore Gap and saw the sad stump of the 150-year old Sycamore Tree that had stood there and was the most photographed tree in England.  It was also known as the Robin Hood tree.  We happened to pass there on the day the two vandals who brought it down were convicted and sentenced to jail for their crimes.  There was a TV News Guy there when we went by.

There were a couple of pretty testy climbs and our whole team did great!  Overall, it was to be our biggest vertical ascent day and a tremendous day of hiking!

Day 4: 5/10/25: Once Brewed to Gilsland (12.2 miles/7:43/1,956 feet vertical

In the morning we did not immediately head back to the trail but rather to an ancient Roman fort site called Vindolanda.  We spend about 90+ minutes there before we walked back to where we had left the trail the day before just north of Once Brewed.  This added quite a bit of vertical, distance and time to the day's hike.  This day in fact turned out to be the day with the highest average grade.

The fort was amazing.  They are in the midst of a 200-year old excavation project!  the weather and scenery were once again spectacular!

These guys were hiking the wall in roman garb for a bachelor's party!

Day 5: 5/11/25: Gilsland to Walton (8.9 miles/5:08/819 feet vertical

Our fifth day on the trail was our shortest and as a consequence we slept in a bit and enjoyed yet more great weather, company and stunning views!

Day 6: 5/12/25: Walton to Carlisle (12.2 miles/5:16/487 feet vertical)

The terrain henceforth was considerably flatter and alas, we left most of the remains of the wall behind us.  We could still see evidence of the roman ditch and the Vallum in places as well as where the romans had quarried their stone but now the hike was more of a stroll through beautiful English countryside.

At the end of the day we reached Carlisle, which is what passes for a larger city in this part of the world.  We toured the Castle there as well as the Cathedral, which was build in about 1100 AD!  A nice Italian dinner finished off another great day of exploring!

I lit a candle at the cathedral for the wife of a friend of mine, who had just passed......

Day 7: Carlisle to Bowness-on-Solway (15.9 miles/6:57/636 feet vertical)

Our last day!  Another mostly flat day as we walked near the River Eden and the Firth of Solway.  We could look across the water to our north, throughout and view Scotland.

When we finally made it, 95+ miles after starting there was an immense feeling of accomplishment, a few tears, a maybe just a touch of sadness that this great adventure was coming to a close!