15 April: Shopping helps

Another Hamilton line ... I need to start training "like I'm running out of time."  The gal at REI said I have plenty of time ... and that I'd be surprised at how quickly my body adapts.  I looked at her and wondered if she was really looking at MY body ...  the starting point of sub-zero keeps cropping up to bite me.  But, talk and shopping always help ... see left pic!  The purchase makes me feel more committed or reminds me that I should be committed ...

No tragic comedy gym stories to share today other than when the machines didn't do what I wanted, I just left them and went on to the next one ... ha!  Kind of like dating again.  I finally found a good 'rolling hills' profile and plodded from 4% - 10% grade for an hour and fifteen minutes.

Accomplishments:  Got to the gym in the course of running errands vs. making it a specific destination.  What I had on was good enough and getting there was more important than the specifically selected gym clothing.

Startling revelation:  Heat stroke red is not a good shade for me.

12 April: Well I'll be damned ...

I've been swept away by Hamilton - the musical, the man - the genius of both.  So it may well be this blog occasionally incorporates apropos lyrics, hence, the title of this entry.   The first time you hear this is in the song "It must be nice, it must be niii-iiice to have Washington on your side."  Later the melody reprises to "Well, I'll be damed, well I'll be daa-aamned ... Hamilton's on your side" referencing the influence Hamilton had on the electoral results of 1800 when he endorsed Jefferson (over Burr).  While this may have your rapt attention, I digress ...

Well, I'll be damned ... well I'll be daa-aamed ... she got to the gym and ran.
Before the sun rise, before the goose flies, the time on the clock had a disguise
Else how would I have done it, why did I do it, tell me please sir, how did I not puke it all up ...
It was before six, no, it was before five and there I was ... dead or alive.  I couldn't tell which.
Well, I'll be damned ... well I'll be daa-aaamed ... somebody's on my side ...

Accomplishments:
1. I got to the gym (I repeat ... this is still a big deal)
2. I got to the gym in the morning before work (HUGE deal)
3. Elevation grade to 10% on the treadmill.   Total distance varying grade 2.3 miles

Startling revelation:  I actually had more energy today when I expected the opposite!  (Well, I'll be damned ...)

For anyone who really might be interested, if you have Amazon prime membership, the Hamilton soundtrack can be streamed for free from the Amazon music app.  Check it out.  So cool.

8 April: The Machines are coming to get me

Machines ... we're supposed to run them, right?  I can't consistently operate my damn iPhone, leave alone a new model treadmill.  Decided to press the 'compete' button this morning.  Shit.  After almost flying off the back end of the black conveyor belt, I managed to slow it down enough not to die (that death theme keeps cropping up ...) I get it now, 'compete' means race against anyone else 'connected' ... yeah ... not doing that again.  You gym rats will no longer have the pleasure of me slowing down your pace.

Accomplishments:
1.  I went to the gym (this is still a big deal)
2.  After 10 mins of start/stop/pause/resume training/disconnecting from the gym rats round about, instead of thinking the fitness gods were not in my corner, I manually managed 50 mins and 3.2 miles of varying grade.  The heart meter had me at 50bpm after the first 30 minutes.  Hmmm - either really in shape or off by a factor of about 200.  Believe me, it's not the former.

Startling revelation:  Someone sent me a link on how to 'fuel up' for a 6am workout.  6am ... this is so far from my current reality I'm thinking, "People who work out this early don't puke in the morning? What?"

Second startling revelation:   While managing between a 3-10% grade, red-faced, I got to 780 feet of elevation after an hour.  Mt. Whitney is 14,505.  How many days are left?  Shit.

6 April: It's time to get serious

Bad knees, bad back, clumsy as hell ... my right shin is swollen and scabbed from running into the bed frame last night ... what the hell am I thinking?  SERIOUSLY?  What am I thinking?  "Well," says the little voice inside my warped brain,  "If you don't do it now, you NEVER will."

Finally:  the gym this morning!  The fingerprint scan device said "See Receptionist" presumably because it has been 4 months since my last visit.  Yeah ...  I ignored THAT and walked in.  There is no need to overtly bring my latency to light.  It was a good start with 25 minutes on the stair-stepper like machine (there's a different model each time, so the correct name escapes me, although the 4-6 month visit interval is likely to blame.)  Clearly, from 25 minutes to 8-10 hours of hiking per day is an apt description of my current vs. future state therein clearly highlighting the gap.  Could it be any more clear? Did you notice my goals on the side bar?  The gap.  The plan.  I laugh at the incredulity of it.  (If you don't do it now, you NEVER will.)

Startling revelation of the day:  finding an image of Mt. Whitney for this blog scared the shit out of me.  It looks so ominous - in every image I find.  Maybe a topo map of the trail would be better ...

23 January 2017 - the beginning

And so it starts ... approximately 180 days until I leave on a 75 mile 8 day backpacking trip inclusive of Mt Whitney summit at an elevation of 14,505 feet.  I'm old, my body is a mess and I made this commitment ... because ... why?  Oh yeah, I thought it would be fun.  That's why we dragged the whole fam-damily into it.  My 17 year old son says we're all going to die.  But that's only because he's done this trip before and can't imagine his mom and her sisters actually pulling it off.  The more i think of it, the more I'm inclined to agree with him but too late now - the downpayment has been made.

I should probably start with the gym ... right?  The first question (again besides why?) is when to go.  Morning?  Afternoon?  Evening?  Never?    So many reasons not to go at all ... Maybe I'll pick this up again tomorrow ...