Last night I kicked off my training for my upcoming August trip.

Unfortunately where I live is devoid of anything but long flats and meadows surrounded by paved trails and high towering structures. But there are great views of a grand lake. On this particular hike I was joined by 23,374 others. The hike was a timed event, 3.5 miles.

The pre-hike preparations were made in the meadows before we began. There had been rain the previous two days so the meadows were muddy. It was a very cool evening and these meadows lie in the canyons just east of the towering structures. The lake lies just a bit further east. The trail itself was a paved loop that wound through narrow canyons with views of the lake and towering structures the entire way. Fortunately, the rain only produced occasional puddles and there was no danger of flash flooding through the narrow corridors. As far as wildlife, I only spotted the occasional pigeon and squirrel.

The hike provided my kickoff for training. Last night I did not wear a pack but I do plan on training with a pack covering high mileage the flat land and I’ll even use the internal passageways of the towering structures on occasion for climbing training. Sorry I do not have any photos but there are some available of the event at http://www.jpmorganchasecc.com/index.php

I finished in 25:34 for the 3.5 miles. A very good start since I’ve been mostly inactive in the winter since last October’s 26.2 mile hike on the same general course.

Once you start wearing the pack you might want to ditch the paved trails. They are not kind to heavy feet.

Given my location, the availability of non-paved trails is somewhat limited. There are forest preserves but even those paths are mostly paved. I'm skipping the 26.2 mile hike this year and instead gearing all my training to the Clouds Rest/Half Dome Hike.

The other question that I have to figure out is when to ditch the running shoes and start training in the hiking boots.

Suffice it to say, most of my training will be normal marathon training where I run on the paths in the forest preserves. Given the location, these runs are amazingly tranquil. The longest training hikes take 3 hours on early Saturday mornings and I always see numerous deer and a few skunks and raccoons.

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chicagocwright
Given my location, the availability of non-paved trails is somewhat limited. There are forest preserves but even those paths are mostly paved. I'm skipping the 26.2 mile hike this year and instead gearing all my training to the Clouds Rest/Half Dome Hike.

The other question that I have to figure out is when to ditch the running shoes and start training in the hiking boots.

Suffice it to say, most of my training will be normal marathon training where I run on the paths in the forest preserves. Given the location, these runs are amazingly tranquil. The longest training hikes take 3 hours on early Saturday mornings and I always see numerous deer and a few skunks and raccoons.

Some people hike in trail runners. I do.

You do know you'll be doing more than 26 miles by the time you're done with CR and HD? A 26 miler might be good training.

I had approximated 22 miles from Tenaya Lake to Happy Isles via Clouds Rest and Half Dome.

I think Happy Isles to Clouds Rest is close to 25 miles. Maybe that is what you are referring to?

I've gone through the trail runner vs. hiking boot debate. I ended up with a great pair of Asolo Moran's that I love. I primarily went with boot because I like to go off trail and with shoes I end up with stuff (rocks, sticks) in my shoes much more with shoes than boots. And for whatever reason I just like wearing boots with just about anything. My wife and kids give me a hard time--reminds me of the old insult: "your momma wears combat boots".

An actual 26.2 miler beats me up too much to use for training. But being in marathon condition will certainly put me in the right direction.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/27/2011 02:15PM by chicagocwright.

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chicagocwright
I had approximated 22 miles from Tenaya Lake to Happy Isles via Clouds Rest and Half Dome.

I think Happy Isles to Clouds Rest is close to 25 miles. Maybe that is what you are referring to?

I've gone through the trail runner vs. hiking boot debate. I ended up with a great pair of Asolo Moran's that I love. I primarily went with boot because I like to go off trail and with shoes I end up with stuff (rocks, sticks) in my shoes much more with shoes than boots. And for whatever reason I just like wearing boots with just about anything. My wife and kids give me a hard time--reminds me of the old insult: "your momma wears combat boots".

An actual 26.2 miler beats me up too much to use for training. But being in marathon condition will certainly put me in the right direction.

Getting in shape is definitely getting halfway there to ready. Even so, there are some things that you're not going to be able to approximate - especially altitude and trail conditions.

Part of what I recall from wearing a heavy pack on graded dirt trails is that there is a tendency to slip. Not only that, but Yosemite trails are a mix of dirt, lots of switchbacks, and many rocky areas where steps have either been carved into the terrain or laid out with broken rocks. A lot of those stone staircases can be extremely uneven and slippery when there's a layer of dirt on them. Yosemite is mostly granite, and a lot of the trails were carved into that granite. In many ways, I think those were the hardest trails on my knees and hips. It was a little bit of slipping combined with a hard/uneven surface.

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chicagocwright
I had approximated 22 miles from Tenaya Lake to Happy Isles via Clouds Rest and Half Dome.

I think Happy Isles to Clouds Rest is close to 25 miles. Maybe that is what you are referring to?

I've gone through the trail runner vs. hiking boot debate. I ended up with a great pair of Asolo Moran's that I love. I primarily went with boot because I like to go off trail and with shoes I end up with stuff (rocks, sticks) in my shoes much more with shoes than boots. And for whatever reason I just like wearing boots with just about anything. My wife and kids give me a hard time--reminds me of the old insult: "your momma wears combat boots".

An actual 26.2 miler beats me up too much to use for training. But being in marathon condition will certainly put me in the right direction.

I did several 30 milers recently and continue to do off trail bits in the trail runners and lightweight gaiters. Nothing like being able to lift your feet at the end of the day. The only time I ever injured an ankle was when wearing boots. Perhaps this has prejudiced me - never had an injury with trail runners. Plan not to... Boots are for winter.

I don't know that the marathon will do much about elevation, but it can't hurt.

I'm curious - if Tenaya Lake to Happy Isles is 22 miles, how is Happy Isles to Clouds Rest 25 miles? You must mean round trip.

My map tells me it's actually less than 25 miles, but it's beautiful country - how can you not do side trips and go look at other stuff?

Agreed. Fully. I've carried the approximate weight on 4 mile, Mist and Yosemite Falls trails (and at times carried smaller kids). Those trails and hikes were much shorter and elevation wasn't as much a factor.

Unfortunately the best I can do is rely on that experience and get in marathon ready shape for the hike I am doing. There is very little opportunity for approximating the other training factors in my location.

You could help yourself get in shape by climbing the stairs of those tall structures like the Willis (Sears) Tower. Just don't try to do it with your backpack on. I doubt that the building's security would look kindly at that.

From what I read, it's an 1,353' elevation gain from the ground floor to the observation deck. Not a bad hike (though a hike with no view until the very end).

Yea I had it at 25 miles roundtrip.

I've done that particular hike before for a charity event race. Amazingly it only takes about 20 minutes. But you do finish with a great view of the other towering structures, the canyons and the lake. Unfortunately even without a pack I can't use the Sears Tower. But I can use my much smaller tower with a pack and go up and down.