Just before Christmas I joined a place that is literally two blocks away from where Lindsay and I live in downtown Louisville called Derby City Crossfit (http://dccrossfit.com/). On January 11th (when I got back from helping to teach a glass class in Corning, NY) I finally got serious. I am giving myself 6 weeks to get in the best shape I can possibly get into. Had I known that Coach and I were going to hike the AT sooner I would not have put myself through this hell, but sometimes you got to try and hit the knuckle ball. If you are not familiar with the Crossfit style of training you should log onto the web address above and it will do a better job of explaining than I could do here. I will however, give you a brief description of my days since I started this lockdown.
Monday through Friday I work out twice a day (7:30 am and 3:30 pm) sometimes closely with a trainer sometimes not, but they always have a work out set out for me each time I come in because what I am doing is not normal. On Saturdays I work out once in the morning and then do either a hike or some sort of run in the afternoon. Sundays, I rest. (this weekend will be a little different though, I am taking Saturday afternoon off and going on a 16 mile hike on Sunday). I have to eat 4 to 5 times a day (which is harder than it sounds), but I'm on a strict regimented diet that consists mostly of lean meats, fish, eggs, almonds, berries, green vegetables, and some fruit. I haven't had any beer, liquor, white wine, or any sort of grain since January 10th. The only alchohol that is acceptable right now is a very small amount of red wine because for the most part the sugar content in the lowest and it still has positive effects on the body.
As far as my hikes are concerned, after talking to several guys at the local Quest Outfitters here in town, I learned about this trail called the Knobstone Trail in southern Indiana only 30 minutes away from downtown Louisville. It's the longest continuous trail in Indiana and comes out to be between 45 and 60 miles depending on some loop options in the northern section. The best part about Knobstone is there is 20 thousand feet of elevation change (for the whole span of the trail), no switch-backs, and an overall rough terrain. http://knobstonetrail.net/ In fact, a woman I talked to who has hiked the AT said that if she where to ever hike it again, The Knobstone Trail is where she would do most of her training. Lindsay and I did an 8 mile day hike in 4 inches of snow on it last weekend and it was a doozy! Perfect for Appalachian Trail training!
Its January 28th and I have less than four weeks to continue my training. I am currently 236 lbs. I know what you're thinking because I was thinking the same thing, 8 pounds sure doesn't seem like that much considering all that I am doing. I talked to my trainer about this the other day and here's basically how I understand it. First of all, I'm shocking my body to the extreme with both diet and exercise. It doesn't like that right now because it was comfortable with my lifestyle. It is currently trying to hold on to what it has (reserves/fat), because it is scared it may not have the resources to keep up with the stress I am putting it through. This is where eating frequently comes into play. At some point my body will trust that I am putting in the resources that it needs and it will dump old weight. In addition to all of this, I am building muscle right now, which is heavier than fat, and adds weight.
Besides feeling like I'm putting myself through hell, I feel good. I feel like I can tell a difference in my body and I'm confident that whatever I am doing is working to prepare me the best I can in this short period of time for the AT.
Side note--my trainer was wearing a Derby City Crossfit T-shirt that I really liked the other day and I asked him if there were any more for sale that I could purchase. He said the only way I can get the T-shirt is if I earn it. He challenged me to loose 16 lbs. by the time I leave for our trek. So there you have it: 220 lbs. by Feb. 24th = cool T-shirt
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