The big race is behind you. You've completed your marathon and feel good about your achievement. Congratulations!

But, man, your legs are sore! I think it's a badge of honor. I had a buddy who used to pride himself on being able to jog and walk perfectly after a marathon, and my response to him was, "apparently you didn't run hard enough." (Just kidding).

But seriously, what is the best way to get back to full capability after a long effort, and how long does it take?

How long it takes depends on the individual; what your training was like, how experienced are you, how hard did you run. All of these variables play a part. But speaking in generalities, three weeks is about average. Yet there are things you can do to help the process along.

Race Day
First of all, right after the race, do not sit down. Obviously, you will have to but fight the urge. But you need to keep moving. Ditto the next few days. Walk. Take an easy spin on your bicycle. Do not run, but gently work the legs to move the toxins out that have collected in the muscles during the race effort.

Ice bath. No, I am not kidding. Go home or back to your hotel. Put on a nice, warm sweatshirt then put your legs in a cold bath for approximately 10 minutes. This helps to reduce inflammation and speeds recovery. Don't then stand in a hot shower for several minutes after as it can undo the benefits of the ice bath.

Eat a combination of carbs and protein within 45 minutes of the end of the race. I know that no one really has much of an appetite after a long race. But you have to get this in shortly after the race. This is that window I talk about all the time, when the body restocks its glycogen stores at a rate two times faster than it does after the window has closed. A healthy sandwich, peanut butter and jelly or even a bar will help. The carbs help the glycogen, and the protein aids in muscle recovery.

Drink water and electrolyte drinks. This helps you flush out the stuff that was released into the body during the hard effort and helps you regain your electrolyte and hydration levels. Doing this will actually help you feel better overall.

Go out and celebrate! It takes quite a bit of time, determination and training to complete a marathon.? Celebrate your personal victory and have a great time. You've earned it.

In The Week That Follows
This week is pivotal in your recovery. As I said above, move. Gentle cycling, walking, swimming or whatever cross training activity you enjoy most, get out and do it. Whatever your choice of activity, do something. Do not sit around or it will take longer for your legs to come back.

Eat protein. In addition to your regular, healthy diet, include a little extra protein as it helps the muscles recover.

Keep fluid intake up. As I mentioned above, this helps flush out some of the toxins from the muscles that are making you feel that stiffness.

Sleep. This is a big one. Your body recovers at a faster rate when you get plenty of sleep. Plus, the marathon effort can often impede immune system function. How many times have you known folks to get very sick right after the marathon? Resistanceis down and people don't take some of the extra and necessary steps to care for a body that has been through a tough event. Sleep is a vital part of this.

Massage. Do not get any deep tissue massage for about seven days after the race. You can get light circulatory work done, but nothing that digs into the muscles. The marathon effort microtears the muscles. Light massage will help recovery.  Deep massage will hamper it and could potentially cause bigger issues.

The most important thing to remember as you recover is that, regardless of your marathon history and experience, it is still a long day for your body. We need to remember to give the body all the help we can, to allow it to recover from this effort.

Best of luck to all Masters athletes racing this weekend.

Tags: Marathon

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To continue my focus here on the marathon, I'd like to talk about race strategy today. I've been discussing these marathon topics as we are in the height of marathon season. With Twin Cities this weekend, Chicago next weekend and Grand Rapid and Detroit the following weekend, there are many, many folks racing these next few weeks.

It's a fairly typical scenario to see people positive split the marathon. It's also typical to see them positive split by quite a bit. This is the ultimate race of attrition and it's quite challenging to pace this race correctly.

I hear again and again from clients, when I tell them to run conservatively in the early miles, "but I want to bank some time in the first half while I feel good." Or "I am nervous about being able to run faster later in the race."

I understand those concerns. But if you've trained properly, and that means solid long runs, culminating in at least two 20-milers; a proper carb load and intelligent taper (all things we have touched on these last few weeks), you should be able to execute a well-paced marathon and run some of those second half miles faster than your first.

Here's why. Let's take a comparable situation. If you have a car that has x amount of gas in the tank, and you are taking a 26.2 mile trip, you will use less gas if you don't floor it early in the trip. If you drive more conservatively early, and decide to pick it up later in the trip, you'll lose less gas.

The same holds true with the marathon. If you are judicious in your fuel burning in those early miles, you'll have more available to you in the second half.

And here is where that metaphor ends. If you have a full gas tank in your car, you can use a little more and not worry you'll run out.

Not in a marathon. The muscles hold a finite amount of glycogen. We try to maximize that amount through the carb load. But HOW we use that fuel early dictates directly what kind of race we will have later. In other words, you don't want to waste it.

So run smart early. Hold back. Even if you feel you are running too slowly at the outset, show discipline and know it will pay off in the later miles. You'll have more to give because you didn't squander it early.

There is an old saying in marathoning. "You can afford one too-fast mile in the race. You can't afford two." You'll pay exponentially for that. And here is the other marathon pacing quote: "For every second you run too far under pace in the first half, you'll give back minutes in the second half." Absolutely true.

I'll say it again: Runners have to be disciplined to stay within themselves in those early miles. If you do that, you will be surprised with how good you feel as the race progresses.

Back in 2004, I ran a spring marathon in Maryland. I was just coming off intensive iron therapy for anemia. I was concerned I would be unable to run well. So I made a specific plan. I would hold the pace I felt would be fairly comfortable until mile 20. Then if I felt good, I would see what I could do. I ran 7:15's, give or take three seconds, for 20 miles. At 20, I felt good. I dropped my pace in the high 6:40's/low 6:50's and negative split my marathon. I ran 3:04. And it was a comfortable effort. I had run around 3:04 with positive splits in other marathons, and they were much more difficult efforts.

The point is have faith in your training so that you allow yourself to back off in those early miles. You need to be careful with your fuel so that you have both the physical and the mental fortitude to execute your race plan.

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Let's discuss the taper, what it is and why we do it. The marathon you have chosen is in three weeks. You have completed your last 20 miler. So what's next? The taper! Besides tapering off my running, what else can I do in the last weeks to assure I have a good marathon?

We taper to rest the body. People often forget that the body assimilates work and gets stronger when we rest.

Rest is tricky. It has to be used properly and timed well. Resting is a part of the training program. It isn't just blowing off workouts and pulling back. A taper uses rest optimally, so that you can get the maximum amount from the training you've done. If you just reduce mileage without concern to where you are in the process, you can lose some fitness in the weeks leading up to the marathon. We keep that from happenning by carefully planning our speed work.

I break the taper down into two to three weeks, depending on the experience of the marathoner. But for most people, three weeks is best. You come off your last long run and we begin to reduce the weekly long run signficantly. The first week, the long run will be between 14 and 16. The second week between 8 and 10. Then the following week is the marathon. 

Also, it's important that as we reduce overall mileage in these weeks, we change the kind of intensity we are doing. For example, you may have been doing longer intervals, like mile repeats and 800s or tempo runs once or twice a week. We now move that speed into shorter intervals. We reduce that overall volume and start working the top end of the cardiovascular equation. Shorter, harder speed (sharpening work) and shorter recovery. Shorter overall workouts. 

The first week of taper, I may have a client doing some mid-distance fartlek. Six to 8 repeats of 2 minutes on, two minutes jog (8 x 2 x 20). The next week I may have them at the track.  After a good warm up, 4 x 400 (200 rest) and 2 x 200. We may also have some short fartlek in the week as well. Again overall the distances they are running are reduced exponentially as the race approaches, and yet we leave in quality to keep the system getting fitter, but still resting.

Race week the quality is very short; one session of 6 x 30 x 30 or three all out 400s. Again, short work. Quick recovery. Top end only. We work that top end but still allow for rest, recovery and assimilation.

Taper is also a time we need to begin to organize ourselves for race day. Make sure you have the stuff you need for your carb load on hand. Make sure you have body glide. Check to make sure your shoes don't have too many miles on them, and if they do, replace them in time to wear them on runs and check the fit.  

Keep stress to a minimum. I know that one can be hard. But especially the week of the race, try to avoid stressful people and situations as it's our goal to not spend an ounce of energy anywhere it doesn't serve us. That phone call or meeting can wait until the week after the race.

Stay off your feet that last week. Don't spend hours wandering the expo or site seeing. You can cruise the expo, still have a benefit of seeing what it has to offer, without standing or walking around for 7 hours straight. Be smart and know you are trying to give your legs the maximum amount of rest you can before you ask them to run 26.2 miles.

If you have to travel to your marathon and are flying, take your shoes and the clothes you plan to race in, on to the plane with you in a backpack or carry on. It isn't worth it to have to scramble the day before to find your favorite shoes and the clothes that work for you. It's an avoidable stress so try to avoid it.

Finally, take a few minutes to plan out your race nutrition. If you use gels or other replacement, make sure you have the ones you want before you head to your race. Again, try not to leave things til the last minute or to chance. 

The best marathons happen when the stars are aligned and everything goes properly. There are many variables involved and there are those we control and those we can't. So why not be prepared and take control of the ones that are indeed in our hands so we don't leave them to chance? Cover our bases and do what we can do to assure we have tapered properly and taken the time to have our race plan in place.

Best of luck to all the marathoners out there.

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It's marathon season so many folks are spending one day of the week getting in runs of anywhere from 13 to 22 miles. 

There are many theories out there about how many 20's a marathoner should do, when they should do them and whether 20 is far enough and 24 is too far. There are lots of opinions and ideas.

But I think there is a pretty fool-proof way of handling these.

First of all, how many 20's you do should depend on your marathon experience. If you are a seasoned marathoner, these runs are familiar to the body. Yes, you need to do some things after the run to help with quicker recovery, which we'll cover in a second. But running a 20-miler isn't going to be a totally new and strange workout for your body.

You need to therefore edge up to the distance if it's been a bit since you've done a marathon, but once there you can repeat your 20-mile runs with three weeks' rest between but without having to work back up to the distance. 

For example, if your longest run before starting marathon training is 12, you could go 12, 15, 17. Back to 12. Then 17, 20, 20. Back to 14. Then 18, 20, 20. Back to 13 and so on.

If you are a new marathoner, you need to gently and carefully work up to the distance. My program dictates that you increase miles three weeks sequentially, then pull back for a week to a familiar distance. Then the following week when it's time to increase, you pick up where you left off.

For example, if you regularly ran 6 miles with an occasional 8 miler, and we'd start your marathon training with a long run schedule that looked like this: 6, 7, 8. The back down to 6 during the rest week. Then 8, 9, 10. Back down to 7. Back up 10, 12, 14. Once we get to the double digit distance we are OK to increase by two miles at a time. Down to 10. Then 14, 16, 18. Back down to 12 or 13. Then 18, 20. Back down. Back up 16, 18, 20.

This allows the body to assimilate the training and get used to those long runs. That is also why I ask a new marathoner to commit to about 18 weeks of training plus taper. Then we have the time to increase the long run intelligently and without unnecessary strain on the body, which comes from doing too much too soon. What I have outlined above is about 18 weeks of training before taper. 

So how many 20's do you need? Well a couple of things come in to play. First of all, what is your goal? To finish or to race it? If you are a seasoned marathoner and would like to race your marathon, you need a minimum of four 20's to allow for that extra strength in the later miles. 

If you are a first timer, and I know there are some that won't agree with this, but I think you need at least two 20's. You want the marathon to be a positive experience. You want to stand at the start of your first one, and know you have done all necessary steps to finish and finish well. That means doing more than a single 20. It helps mentally and physically to know those 20's are in the training bank.

I am also asked often if there is benefit to running over 20 if you are an experienced marathoner. I have all my clients who have at least a few marathons under their belts, do one 22-mile run in addition to the 20's. But only one. I do not recommend they run more than that in a single run. 

Here's why. It's a recovery issue. Twenty-four miles is nearly a full marathon and to do that in the weeks before race day is very risky. You will recover from the 22. But as you add mileage from there the recovery time become exponential and to me, the benefits do not outweigh the risks. So go ahead and do one 22. But keep the rest of the 20 milers as 20 milers.

Finally, there are things you can do after the long run to help your body recover faster.

First, put your legs in cold water. A lake, a cold shower or bath all do the trick. Keep them in there for at least 7 minutes to help reduce the inflammation the distance has caused.

Also, eat a snack or meal that contains protein and carbohydrates within 45 minutes of finishing the run. I've talked about it here before. You have about 45 minutes when the body, when given carbohydrate, will replenish your glycogen (the fuel source in your muscles) twice as fast as normal. The protein aids with muscular recovery and the carbs help the body restock the glycogen. A turkey sandwich, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole grain bread, pasta salad with tuna, or a sports bar if you don't have food handy, all do the trick. Wash it down with some water to not only re-hydrate the body but aid in absorption of the fuel into the muscles.

All this will help you recover, so you can be ready when your next long run comes around...even if it's in seven days.

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I think Lance Armstrong's return is great news for cycling. While the sport can stand on its own without him, Lance's presence still has the potential to increase the visibility of the sport, as it did during his run of 7 Tour de France wins. His comeback adds a component of breath-holding uncertainty as we stand back and see if he can do it again.

I believe he can.

He will compete in five races, including the Tour de France and the Tour de California.  

Lance's stated reason for his return is raising cancer awareness. The Lance Armstrong Foundation has done important and amazing work for this cause. He has indeed become the face of hope for many who want and believe they can beat their cancer.  

His high profile presence has raised millions of dollars for cancer research for the development of treatment, with the goal of eradication.  

But all that said, my guess is he came back for the reasons that Brett Favre is now playing for the Jets, and Michael Jordan came back to the Bulls after a few dismal years in baseball. The love of the game; the love of the pursuit of excellence and the lifestyle that goes along with working to be the best. The absolute best.  

Perhaps spurred on by the likes of people like Favre and Dara Torres; athletes who some said were past their prime but who continue to compete with not only incredible talent, but the maturity that comes with mid-life and beyond.  

Being an older athlete affords you the benefit of perspective. It affords you the ability to bring forth other strengths you have developed in the course of your life in and out of the athletic arena. By the time Jordan lost a little bit of his vertical, he was playing some of the smartest and saviest ball of his career.

At 37, Lance is still in incredible shape. There is no reason he cannot win No. 8.  

Let's look at what he's been doing since he left the sport of cycling. He has run three sub-three hour marathons. Probably will add another to that list if he runs Chicago next month. His first attempt at the distance netted him a 2:59:36, on a stress fractured tibia. That's a sub-7 minute pace.    

Subsequent to that, his next two marathons were 2:46:43 (also at New York) and 2:50:58 at Boston this year. If he's ready, he could set a person best at Chicago next month. We've all figured out that he can do anything he puts his mind to -- including a return to cycling.

And last month, he finished second at the Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race. Grueling isn't even a strong enough word for this event. My guess is it was probably what cemented the return, though I am sure he's been thinking  about it for a while. 

Lance worked often and well with the first-place winner Dave Wiens, throughout the race. He probably misses that kind of camaraderie in his racing. Marathoning is a solo endeavor. His history is with a group of guys, working together toward a common goal of victory with Lance at the helm.  

So I say more power to him. Show the world, like Dara and Brett have, that being an aging athlete only brings the benefits of mental strength and maturity to your game. Show the world that at 37 he can still win No. 8, even three years removed from his last win.  

And I hope he inspires many Masters Athletes and GeezerJocks, because he is figuring out what we already know. That remaining active, fit and involved in our sports, not only makes us better with maturity, but keeps us focused on what we can do as we get older. Not on what we can't.

Viva Lance! I wish him the best of luck, and I'll be watching every stage of the 2009 Tour.

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It's a question I get from the marathoners I coach.

The answer is yes, I do GU. I think using calorie replacement on long runs, such as marathons, is imperative. 

But people generally ask the same questions about it and have the same concerns. They sometimes have trouble taking them, especially in later miles when the stomach can feel unsettled. Or they wonder if it really works. And if it does, how many packets do you need to take during a race?

So let's talk about these concerns.

First of all, if you are about to compete in a long distance event of any kind -- whether it be a marathon, half Ironman or Ironman -- you need to do a proper carb load. 

This doesn't mean a plate of pasta the night before the event. It means systematically shoring up the glycogen in your muscles by adding additional carbohydrates to your diet in the days before the event. Yes, you will put on a few pounds. But you'll shed them race day. And the body takes the extra carbs and makes glycogen, the basic fuel of the muscles. It then stores that fuel in your muscles to use when you need it, especially later in the race. 

You can get these extra carbs through a combination of adding some additional carbs from foods such as pasta, bagels, pretzels, and bread into the diet in a larger amount, as well as using the carb drinks that are available on the market. Some of these products pack as many at 100 grams of carbs per bottle. Using both the food and the carb drinks make taking the extra carbs doable and easy on the digestive tract.

Making sure you are drinking enough water during the load is also key. That water helps the body absorb the extra glycogen into the muscles.

So you are loaded and ready to go.

How do you manage the gu intake race day? Before we get to the do's, let's look at one major don't.

Do not take a gel at the outset of a long race. You don't need it at this point. It causes your blood sugar to go way up. Your body then has an insulin response to the sugar to clear it from your bloodstream, and you can feel a lull in your energy after that happens.

This negative effect from gobbling gu doesn't happen later in the race, if you take the gel after you have been working the muscles for at least an hour. By that point, your body uses the sugar that the gel gives you immediately. There's no need for the body to release insulin to clear the sugar from your blood, because the exercise itself is allowing it to be used properly. Receptors in the cells are open from the exertion, and the gel immediately gets used by the body.

I tell my clients to do the first gel about an hour into the race. Before the race, find out where the water stops are located and plan appropriately. If, for example, the water stops are every two miles on the even mile, then take your first gel on the odd mile before the water stop. 

And this is the next key point. Take the gel a bit at a time. Do not just pop the top and put the whole thing in your mouth. No wonder people get sick.

Your blood is in your legs, not your digestive tract, so you need to be careful about how much you dump into your stomach. That is why taking the gel over the course of the mile before the water stop works so well. You get all of it in, bit by bit, then get to wash it down with the water from the stop. In this way the body can best use what you have given it to help you along with your energy.

So how many should you take? For a marathon, I take about four or five, depending on how I am feeling. I start about an hour and 15 mintues into the run. Then I take them about every 20 minutes from there on out. In terms of the miles, I usually take my first around mile 10 or 11. Then my next ones at 14, 17, 20, and 22. That usually does it for me.

Carry your gels with you. There are packs, shorts with pockets, and various other ways to do it. But don't run the risk the race will have them out there and available. Cover your bases and bring them with you.

Finally, make sure you practice taking them on your long runs. Practice consuming them a bit at a time as we mentioned. Find and use the flavors that work best for you. Don't try something new on the race course! 

These little packets are designed to help you sustain your energy through the course of a long event. They work. So try to use them appropriately and proactively, so that along with your carb load and proper training, you can hit your goals in your long distance races without hitting the wall.

Tags: Marathon Nutrition Sugar

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A week ago I was sitting in my house, on the edge of my seat, beer at my side, remote in my hand. At one time there was a Cubs game on (and as most folks know we believe we are World Series bound this year), a Bear's preseason game, and the Olympics, which was highlighting the women's marathon. I was enraptured and in heaven. My boyfriend said I might need to set the next few weeks aside for sports withdrawal, as the Olympics ended on Sunday. He's right. It's going to be a tough adjustment, because it's been a great run.

What a treat to pop on the TV in prime-time - any night of the week - and be able to enjoy such high level athletics. I've had a chance to watch sports that I'm less familiar with and begin to understand these more fully. Or watch the sports I know well and love, and feel the excitement and the nerves as we triumphed or failed in our quest for medals.

We have so much to be proud of as a country. From the run of Michael Phelps and his eight gold medals, to the Redeem Team, who have shown the kind of professionalism, resolve and stunning talent we knew they had, but failed to demonstrate in 2004. With Coach K at the helm and leadership from players like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant on the floor, we have realized the potential that was always there and have gone unbeaten.  

And in defeat, Tyson Gay would not make excuses for the failures that besieged him. What a rough road this Olympics was for this young man... From his failure to make the 100-meter dash final to the dropping of the baton on his anchor leg of the 4x100 meters. But he never made excuses. Never threw fits. He maintained his integrity and accepted what happened, vowing it would just make him work harder. He is a class act.  

As is Allyson Felix. Having run the fastest time in the world last year in the 200-meter dash, she ran second for the silver this year behind her rival, Veronica  Campbell of Jamaica, who had also beaten her at the 2004 Olympics. Since that race in Athens, she had never lost to Campbell again... until the 200 final last week.  

This had to be a bitter disappointment to her and yet she held her head up, grateful for the medal she did win and showed the best of who we are to the rest of the world. She finally received her gold medal when the women's 4 x 400-meters won Saturday night. I couldn't have been happier for her.

So we walk away knowing there is work to do. What happened to us in track and field demonstrates a need for leadership. Dropping the batons in both the men's and women's 4 x 100-meters, shows that we need work to come together as a U.S. Olympic team in track and field. There is a lot of work to do there.

The sport of cross country mountain bike racing is a sport born in the U.S.A. Yet our best woman finished 7th and our best man, 29th. I think this happens because too often,
American athletes who participate in some of the lesser known sports, lack an ability to have
time to develop, because most of them are holding down full-time jobs and raising families, without the benefit of the financial support provided by other countries to their own athletes in these particular sports. And that affects our ability to compete.  

The marathon is a good example. In recent years, there has been more of a spotlight on running and greater funding. We now have development happening  with some of our younger phenoms, like Ryan Hall and Dathen Ritzenhein, who have the support behind them to train in a way that allows them to be more competitive. They finished 9th and 10th respectively in the men's marathon, being the first pair of Americans to run sub 2:13 in 34 years. The conditions in Beijing were terrible and their times reflected that, as they are both capable of faster finishes. But the heat made those kinds of performances nearly impossible for those who have not been acclimated to them since birth.  

But they represented us well and I am proud of what they accomplished. The future is bright for both of these young men and I believe we'll see them in London in four years.

It would be great to see that kind of support and development in sports like cross country mountain bike racing, as well as others. We have the athletic ability and talent that can be developed when the opportunities are there. We have proven that again and again, as we once again win the medal count with 110 Olympic medals for these Summer Olympic games.

And finally, I believe the greatest gift the Olympics gives its spectators is the gift of motivation. Swimming centers all over the country are chock full of new swimmers, looking to learn how to swim, because of Michael Phelps' run. Beach volleyball courts will be rife with new competitors as Misty May-Trainer and Kerrie Walsh brought this challenging sport to the forefront, along with Phil Dolhausser and Todd Rogers; as both the men's and women's teams brought home gold.  

Watching the Olympics reminds us there is more to life than baseball, basketball, golf, and football; the bulk of what we know as televised sports. But rather there is a world of athletic possibilities open to us, new and interesting sports to help up stay fit, athletically engaged and healthy.  

It's been a fun three weeks. Can't wait til 2012. Some say that the 2016 Olympics may be right here in Chicago. Murmurs are we've moved into the No. 1 spot. And wouldn't that be an amazing opportunity to BE there next time to watch, rather than to be on my coach, remote in hand and beer at my side. That would be a dream come true!

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Of course I'm going to write about the men's 4 x 100-meter relay at the Olympics. I saw it Sunday night. It was on everyone's lips on Monday.

It had to be one of the most exciting and emotional sporting events I have ever witnessed.

My 17 year-old and I had a discussion about why it was great. He says it is because the French were expected to win. Destined, some say. And that it didn't look that good for us on paper.  The excitement came in seeing not only the world record smashed by such a large margin, but witnessing the Americans do what others said they couldn't and take the gold medal in a come-from-behind victory.

I say the most exciting thing was the sheer heart that Jason Lezak showed in the anchor leg. It was absolutely astounding. He was pulling so hard he was actually coming up and out of the water in those final strokes. It was incredible to watch. And it gave Phelps the ability to continue in his quest for eight gold medals.  

So for me it was being reminded how much our desire plays into our results. It is easy to go through the motions. Especially when we've been doing this for years. It's easy to take our talent or fitness for granted; to just sort of stop wanting to do better. And frankly, there is definitely a time for that.

But when we make the decision to improve or to compete at a higher level; when we commit to the training required, we always need to plug into the fact that our desire to achieve the goal can directly dictate its outcome.

Having our "head in the game" is really having the focus to execute and the desire to push beyond what we've thought we could do previously. And rather than it really coming from our heads, it is coming directly from our hearts.

And that is what separates the average moment in our sporting lives with the extraordinary moments. When we put our hearts into the process and the event and hit the mark.  

Lezak did that before my eyes the other night. It gave me goosebumps. It was a timely reminder to me that I am blessed to be an athlete and have the direct experience of putting my heart into what I am doing and seeing what I can achieve.

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I just got back from a hike in the Rocky Mountains. 

We hit one of the many trail heads at Rocky Mountain National Park on Thursday with our packs, which included tent, sleeping bags, bug repellent, sun block, a change of clothes, some camp cookware and some freeze dried food. And not much else. Gotta keep those packs as light as possible.

Our plan was to do a three-day/two-night hike and camp, which would average about 6 to 7 miles of hiking a day. Quite reasonable, even given the altitude and the elevation gains we'd need to deal with.

But upon reaching the ranger station on Thursday morning to get our permit, we learned the camp sites we wanted were unavailable. Time to regroup. We decided to do the same loop only backwards. This plan allowed us to get the desired campsites, but it would now require an 8- mile, 12-mile and 4-mile hikes, with a heck of a lot of climbing. 

Hiking with a 40-pound pack on your back is challenging. But schlepping it several miles and up 4,000 vertical feet is, uh, hard. Darn hard. But darn rewarding. 

The first day we did the 8 miles, which was mostly up. The hike was a bit of baptism by fire, but it was a good workout. We spent our first night under a cloudy sky, snuggled in our bags and our tent, trying to get a few Z's in prep for the long hike the next day.

After some green tea and instant oatmeal, we headed out the next morning for what we knew would be the most challenging part of the trip. The first 8 miles of the 12-mile day would be climbing.

We hit the pinnacle of our hike at that 8-mile mark. It was some of the most breathtaking scenery I have ever come across in my entire life. Truly amazing. 

We saw a gorgeous lake near Long's Peak. The peak is 14,000+ feet, but we climbed to about 12,300 to get this amazing view. We hid our packs and hiked unencumbered to the area where the lake was located. High above the treeline, our views were unobstructed and awe-inspiring.

Our next challenge was to descend from that altitude, down to our next camp site. Just like in a marathon, the punishing part of up and down is the down. Especially with the weight of the pack. It is hard on the legs. But we managed.

We reached our camp site, dropped our packs and hiked back on the trail a bit to explore an old mine that was there. Between that out and back and the out and back we did at the lake, we added another two miles to an already long day.

But it was completely worth it. Again we made ourselves a nice little home at our campsite, fixed dinner and retired with tired legs, but content with what we'd accomplished that day.

Our last day was 4 miles. Mostly downhill once again. And knowing we were drawing near to the end of the hike, that somehow made the hike feel short.

Finally in the bright sunlight of late morning on Saturday, we emerged from the trails, hot, tired, a little hungry, perhaps a little stinky, but deeply satisfied.

This is what I love about being a geezerjock. We make lifestyle choices that allow us a level of fitness and health that keeps doors open. As our kids grow and time becomes a little more available, we find we can do the things we'd wanted to when they were young and time was short. 

We are capable of those choices because we stay fit. We take good care of ourselves. We remain active and cherish that activity, as it is a major component of the life we choose for ourselves.

And when you stay in shape, you always have options. We can once again prove to ourselves, that limitations are largely self-imposed, and when we choose fitness for ourselves, anything is possible.

Tags: Hiking Geezerjock

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