bill
Junior Member
Posts: 15 
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Post by bill on Nov 2, 2014 19:07:00 GMT -5
Feedback needed: I have been hiking for about a year and a half. The C & O Towpath is one of my favorites.Sometimes I do 15 miles. Today I did about 9 miles on the towpath near Harpers Ferry, then tried to do Maryland Heights. I got winded quickly. It seemed that I could do about 100 yards, then had to stop and catch my breath for a few minutes. Last year I noticed the same thing at Cacapon State Park in West Virginia. I'd done flat terrain hiking for the whole summer and fall, then tried my hand at hiking up Cacapon Mountain. BOOM, I got winded quickly. After being able to click off between 8 & 15 miles almost at will this past summer I thought my ability to hike hills would be better. I should add that I have never smoked, and drink only a little. I am 55 yrs old, 6' 1", 188 lbs. When hiking the towpath I can average 2.5 to 3 miles per hour. I just don't get it, I thought I'd have more stamina on hills by now. |
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Post by arfcomhkr on Nov 2, 2014 19:21:28 GMT -5
Walking on flat ground won't cut it for conditioning for the mountains. I live mostly in Ohio and have to go looking for a hilly place to hike as most trails here are just rail trails.
Ride a bicycle and work yourself up a little at a time. It will help quite a bit cardio wise and won't impact your joints.
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Post by Hours Per Mile on Nov 3, 2014 23:50:42 GMT -5
I would recommend getting a hold of an oxygen meter, the kind that you clip on your fingertip. They are pretty inexpensive, and this might indicate a possible serious health concern. Great little tool.
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Post by aseege1 on Nov 4, 2014 10:56:14 GMT -5
What works for me is finding a nice set of stairs if there aren't big hills nearby. And I also wear a fully loaded pack when I take on said stairs. A full pack, walking up and down for 20 minutes each day, does a lot.
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christopherrobin
Forum Elder
“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.”
Posts: 257
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Post by christopherrobin on Nov 5, 2014 8:12:38 GMT -5
Hills are tough on your heart. You have to take it slow, slower than you probably think. A fellow hiker told me about climbing Mt Kilimanjaro. She said she had a couple of friends do it, one who trained for it and one that was a chain smoker, more than a few pounds overweight. The one who finished was the chain smoker, because he listened to his guide and took it very slow. Step, breathe. Step, breathe.
I figured this out very quickly on the stair machine at the gym. Try it. Set it on heart rate, and you will see it doesn't take much to get you maxing it out, way less than I thought!
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neita
Junior Member
Posts: 11 
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Post by neita on Nov 9, 2014 13:21:38 GMT -5
Deadlifts. I'm a firm believer in strength training. A stronger back and stronger hamstrings will make those hills feel a little easier.
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