Jen was creating a big mess!
I am flying out for Mendoza, Argentina tomorrow morning. I really struggle to believe that I have been training for 15 months for this trip, nor that it has been 11 months since I wrote this post.
The training has been rather limited in the last few days. Saturday was a 50mins bike session (intervals) before we headed to Canberra for the night. Sunday was spent resting (and freezing) with my coffee-drinking companion Gnome & a ring in;-) while we watched Coach TigerAngel finish her first Olympic distance tri in Canberra in a great time! Congrats TA! I was supposed to do a couple of easy sessions yesterday & today but developed a touch of a sore throat on Sunday afternoon so I decided to rest. The last thing I need right now is a(nother) cold!
So that's that. The packing is just about finished & the nervous are just about at an all time high! This will be, by far, the hardest thing I have attempted to do to date. We have a 3 day walk to base camp, during which hike we have the assistance of mules to carry our gear. But from base camp, we become the mules! It is an 'unsupported' expedition meaning that we have to carry loads of 20+kg between our camps on the mountain, erect tents, collect water and/or snow for melting, assist with cooking etc. My preparation has not been ideal but 'it is what is is'. There is nothing I can do now other than stay healthy and (perhaps most importantly) stay positive.
If you are interested in following the expedition on a daily basis, the link to the relevant page on the Adventure Consultants website is here. Alternatively you can go to the Adventure Consultants website then select from the column on the left hand side 'Expedition news' > 'Current Expeditions' > Aconcagua 0809. Technology & weather permitting (and with crossed fingers), our guide will be sending daily dispatches from the start of our expedition on January 29. You can also sign up & an email will be sent to you to let you know that a new dispatch has been posted.
I will be updating my other blog once I get to Argentina and then again once the climb is completed & I'm back in civilisation.
See you on the other side (of Aconcagua!)
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Paid my dues...
Dropped another 0.6kg since last Friday; that's a total of 2.7kg down in 2 weeks - only 2.3kgs to go now :-)
The training is kinda, sorta just starting to ease off now ahead of my next great adventure which begins on Wednesday-
Tue: 60mins bike session (30sec sprints)
Wed: 60min strength session (lower body)
Thu: 75mins hike w/18kg pack at Glenbrook (6.08km). Hard work but I felt strong walking up & down (and down & up again) the causeway at Glenbrook with the pack. Due to my injury & ill-health over the last few months, my prep for Aconcagua hasn't been ideal. So I've decided to hire a porter to carry my share of the loads (which is likely to be 20+kg) for probably 3 days of the expedition so I don't tire myself out early & blow my shot at the summit. Although this session was short, it was the strongest I think I've ever felt walking back up from the causeway at Glenbrook with a heavy pack - a much needed confidence boost at the moment!
Fri: 50mins strength session (upper body)
Time to get back to the packing. Still trying to work out how on earth to get 25kg+ of gear & equipment to Argentina without getting hit with excess baggage charges...
The training is kinda, sorta just starting to ease off now ahead of my next great adventure which begins on Wednesday-
Tue: 60mins bike session (30sec sprints)
Wed: 60min strength session (lower body)
Thu: 75mins hike w/18kg pack at Glenbrook (6.08km). Hard work but I felt strong walking up & down (and down & up again) the causeway at Glenbrook with the pack. Due to my injury & ill-health over the last few months, my prep for Aconcagua hasn't been ideal. So I've decided to hire a porter to carry my share of the loads (which is likely to be 20+kg) for probably 3 days of the expedition so I don't tire myself out early & blow my shot at the summit. Although this session was short, it was the strongest I think I've ever felt walking back up from the causeway at Glenbrook with a heavy pack - a much needed confidence boost at the moment!
Fri: 50mins strength session (upper body)
Time to get back to the packing. Still trying to work out how on earth to get 25kg+ of gear & equipment to Argentina without getting hit with excess baggage charges...
Monday, January 19, 2009
T-9...
2.1kg down, 2.9kg to go! I know that it isn't all fat & that it won't continue, but it was a very nice surprise when I got on the scales on Friday morning.
My training over the last week has been fantastic - I am loving being a full time athlete at the moment :-)
Tue: 60mins bike (intervals)
Wed: 60mins strength session (full body)
Thu: 2 hrs cross training (concrete painting), a physio visit + 90mins hike w/16kg pack (6.88km) at Glenbrook at 5pm - very hard work given it got to 42 degrees out here (and a far change from the -42 I was experiencing early last week!)
Fri: 60mins strength session (upper body)
Sat: 80mins bike (intervals)
Sun: rest (phew!)
Mon: 2hr ride with TigerAngel on the M7 bike path - 47kms - av. 23.5k/h
My physio visit last Thursday regarding my ankle was promising. He is pretty sure that I haven't damaged any cartilage (yah!) so there is no need for an MRI at the moment. We'll see how it settles once I'm back from Argentina & (try to) start running again.
The mental fine tuning for Aconcagua continues. I've been reading & watching everything I can find about Aconcagua on the Internet (thanks YouTube). I am just about eating, sleeping & dreaming it at the moment. Getting very nervous. And a tad excited :-)
9 sleeps to go!
Edit: BTW if anyone is interested, I've started putting (more) holiday snaps on my other blog.
My training over the last week has been fantastic - I am loving being a full time athlete at the moment :-)
Tue: 60mins bike (intervals)
Wed: 60mins strength session (full body)
Thu: 2 hrs cross training (concrete painting), a physio visit + 90mins hike w/16kg pack (6.88km) at Glenbrook at 5pm - very hard work given it got to 42 degrees out here (and a far change from the -42 I was experiencing early last week!)
Fri: 60mins strength session (upper body)
Sat: 80mins bike (intervals)
Sun: rest (phew!)
Mon: 2hr ride with TigerAngel on the M7 bike path - 47kms - av. 23.5k/h
My physio visit last Thursday regarding my ankle was promising. He is pretty sure that I haven't damaged any cartilage (yah!) so there is no need for an MRI at the moment. We'll see how it settles once I'm back from Argentina & (try to) start running again.
The mental fine tuning for Aconcagua continues. I've been reading & watching everything I can find about Aconcagua on the Internet (thanks YouTube). I am just about eating, sleeping & dreaming it at the moment. Getting very nervous. And a tad excited :-)
9 sleeps to go!
Edit: BTW if anyone is interested, I've started putting (more) holiday snaps on my other blog.
Monday, January 12, 2009
I'm baaaack !
I arrived back in Sydney last Thursday after 3 months o/s. I had the most amazing time. If you haven't been following my travels on my other blog, in brief I've:
- climbed Mera Peak (6460m)
(Everest is the large peak to my left)
and Island Peak (6189m)
in Nepal;
- ice climbed for the first time (and loved it!)
- spent 3 weeks travelling through Egypt
and Jordan
- seen the Red Sea (I was too sick to go in), snorkled in the Indian Ocean and floated in the Dead Sea
- climbed Mt Meru (4556m)
and Kilimanjaro (5895m)
in Tanzania,
- been on safari in Africa,
- experienced my first white Christmas, my first hockey game (that's ice hockey for those who don't speak Canadian) and experienced what -47 degrees feels like,
- gained 5kg in weight (yikes!),
amongst many other things.
The fun isn't over yet. In just over 2 weeks, I fly out again to Argentina to climb Aconcagua; at 6,962m it is the highest mountain in the world outside the Himalayas. I am really nervous about this one. It will be, by far, the hardest thing I've attempted; not only due to the altitude but that it is a full expedition meaning that I have to carry loads of around 20kg-25kg which is hard at the best of times, never mind doing so at altitude.....
Unfortunately my training between treks was almost non-existant due to 2 colds/chest infections, one which required 2 courses of anti-biotics to kick so I am feeling decidedly underdone. But with only 2 & a bit weeks left, it's time to do some finetuning physically and (perhaps most importantly) mentally. Since arriving back on Thursday, I've been easing back into the training -
Fri: 2 hours hike at Glenbrook w/13.5kg pack (9.27km)
Sat: 45mins weights session (full body) + 45mins stepper interval session. Very tough session!
Sun: rest
Mon: 3.12 ride on M7 with TA - 67.45km - av.21k/h. My first time on the bike in almost 4 months! Was great to catch up with you, TA. Thanks!
After Aconcagua, my 2 main priorities are losing the 5kg I put on while I was o/s (*she blushes*) and to rehab my ankle & get running again. I haven't run since I stuffed my ankle back in September. It is ok (but not great) for the purposes of my hiking/trekking but it is far from 100%. But I'm not thinking about that right now. It's time to get my head & body ready for the next - and freaking high -adventure :-)
- climbed Mera Peak (6460m)
(Everest is the large peak to my left)
and Island Peak (6189m)
in Nepal;
- ice climbed for the first time (and loved it!)
- spent 3 weeks travelling through Egypt
and Jordan
- seen the Red Sea (I was too sick to go in), snorkled in the Indian Ocean and floated in the Dead Sea
- climbed Mt Meru (4556m)
and Kilimanjaro (5895m)
in Tanzania,
- been on safari in Africa,
- experienced my first white Christmas, my first hockey game (that's ice hockey for those who don't speak Canadian) and experienced what -47 degrees feels like,
- gained 5kg in weight (yikes!),
amongst many other things.
The fun isn't over yet. In just over 2 weeks, I fly out again to Argentina to climb Aconcagua; at 6,962m it is the highest mountain in the world outside the Himalayas. I am really nervous about this one. It will be, by far, the hardest thing I've attempted; not only due to the altitude but that it is a full expedition meaning that I have to carry loads of around 20kg-25kg which is hard at the best of times, never mind doing so at altitude.....
Unfortunately my training between treks was almost non-existant due to 2 colds/chest infections, one which required 2 courses of anti-biotics to kick so I am feeling decidedly underdone. But with only 2 & a bit weeks left, it's time to do some finetuning physically and (perhaps most importantly) mentally. Since arriving back on Thursday, I've been easing back into the training -
Fri: 2 hours hike at Glenbrook w/13.5kg pack (9.27km)
Sat: 45mins weights session (full body) + 45mins stepper interval session. Very tough session!
Sun: rest
Mon: 3.12 ride on M7 with TA - 67.45km - av.21k/h. My first time on the bike in almost 4 months! Was great to catch up with you, TA. Thanks!
After Aconcagua, my 2 main priorities are losing the 5kg I put on while I was o/s (*she blushes*) and to rehab my ankle & get running again. I haven't run since I stuffed my ankle back in September. It is ok (but not great) for the purposes of my hiking/trekking but it is far from 100%. But I'm not thinking about that right now. It's time to get my head & body ready for the next - and freaking high -adventure :-)
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