PCT Training! Getting my arse moving

“Well I've thrown my hat in the ring. I'm gonna do it! (not THIS year) I will get my arse in shape this year. Heres my plan so far-

Jog/walk every morning...I've been doing 3 miles for the past few days each. When I don't have work at night I will Jog/walk in the evenings too. I will go further each week and when I run out of time I will speed up (so far i'm about 3miles per hour when I walk) and add my pack. When I can get away from work for a weekend I will hike on trails (I have friggin 2 jobs right now so I hardly get any time off) I will also in my spare moments do my pilates (fun! and it strentghens back, tummy and trims ya up), ride my bike and what ever else I can do in my time.”

“I did a rather intense conditioning just before a canoe trip--running/jogging daily and lifting some light weights. Two days before the trip my knees locked up (almost) so I was wearing knee braces and taking a lot of noproxum sodium (sp?) generic Aleve through out the trip. (Pretty painful on the portages.) So you may want to be careful about the running. It's great for the cardio, but can do in your knees.”

“I'd nix the running too. It does help your cardiovascular and your wind, but it's hard on the knees. Put your pack on and go up and down inclines.

Of course, the best workout for backpacking is...backpacking!”

“Sorry, but I say continue the running. If your knees feel fine, don't worry about it and continue doing it. There's no better way to get in shape for backpacking than running. If you do have knee problems, then of course stop. But if not, full steam ahead and keep it up.”

“It may take a few years, but many come to regret having participated in high-impact activities... orthopaedic surgeons are the biggest fans of running, it's great for thei business!”

“It's all relative. Many people who are overweight begin running and take on too much. This adds extra stress on the joints and causes problems.

More times than not, comments similiar to those made by wanderer are used as an excuse to stay inactive. I'm not meaning to pick on you personally, wanderer, but in my experience, comments like what you just made are only true about 5% of the time. The rest are just lazy. Again, sorry wanderer.. not sure which side you are on, but the whole joint problem thing is blown way out of proportion IMO.”

“I deal with a lot of Ortho M.D.'s in my business, that's where my comments originate. I stand by the fact that, over time, high-impact activities have a degrading affect on joints.

Where did you get your information Artex?”

“I should add that I agree w Artex that many will use any excuse they can to avoid exercise.

There are a ton of low-impact, and enjoyable, exercises that are good for you. Swimming is always mentioned, as is bicycling, and of course good old walking, esp. power-walking. And I also agree there is no exercise like backpacking to get one in shape for backpacking!”

“Do a quick search & you'll find a lot of refereces, I've excerpted 3 from 3 different sources.

These are clinicians who've done real studies, so this should cary some weight (no pun intended!):

1) If you want to prevent long-term pain in your knees, you should pick something that has less of an impact," said Joanne Halbrecht, an orthopedic surgeon at the Boulder Institute for Sports Medicine. "Tone down mileage, change terrain or change to a sport that doesn't involve as much impact like swimming or cycling

2) Many physicians go as far to say that any amount of running is hard on the body, especially for those runners older than 40. Instead, they recommend walking, swimming or cycling.
"Many of us feel that it is not a healthy sport," said Nelson Trujillo, a cardiologist and director of cardiac rehabilitation for the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine. "It requires a lot of observation during the race to be sure people don't get into trouble. Muscle protein can damage the kidneys, metabolic abnormalities can happen. It is very hard on the body to do these things. It's a very demanding endeavor."
But doctors -- many of them runners themselves -- readily admit that many long-distance runners participate in these sometimes multi-day ordeals for reasons other than health.
"They are not doing the 100 miles for the benefits to the body," said Robert Mazzeo, an associate professor of kinesiology and applied physiology at the University of Colorado. "They are doing it for the thrill of competition."
3) SOCCER PLAYERS are 10 times more likely to develop osteoarthritis in their hip than other men and long-distance runners are more prone to low bone mineral density, which can lead to fractures and the brittle-bone disease osteoporosis.
“We suspect it is just the nature of the sport. It is almost analogous to an industrial injury,” said Gordon Shepard, an orthopedic surgeon at the Royal Bolton Hospital in Lancashire, northern England.

OSTEOARTHRITIS MORE COMMON
Shepard and his colleagues studied the rate of osteoarthritis in 68 soccer managers who had been former players and 136 men who had never played soccer. Their research is reported in The British Journal of Sports Medicine.
They discovered that nine of the former players suffered from osteoarthritis, even if they have not had a serious hip injury, and six of them had had a total of eight hip replacements between them. But there were only two cases of the illness in the non-soccer players.
“There was about a 10-fold difference between the ex-professional players and non-professionals,” Shepard added in an interview.

There were not only more cases of the illness among former soccer players, they also had hip replacements in their late 30s and early 40s, which is uncommon at such a young age in a small group of people.

LONG-DISTANCE RUNNING
In a separate study in the journal, Dr. Melanie Burrows and researchers at the University of East London found that instead of increasing bone mineral density in female athletes, long distance running lowered it.
By measuring the bone density of 52 women who ran between three and 43 miles a week, they discovered a link between lower bone density in the spine and hip and running greater distances, even after taking account of differences such as diet, size and age.”

“Good articles, wanderer.
Running definitely isn't as good for you as swimming or biking. Heck, I even have shin splints right now from running. BUT... with proper care and going about training the right way, I think injuries and joint problems, both long and short term, can be avoided 99.9% of the time. Case in point, had I eased into running on a new, harder surface after I moved I wouldn't have splints (which I'm happy to report are going away).

I just think running gets dismissed way too easily when more often than not people are perfectly safe if they're just careful and listen to their bodies (which is not an easy thing to do). If they do, then the benefits far outway the risks.”

“Here's just a few links about the pros of running. None of these are in direct conflict with wanderer's posts, and his argument is legite. However, my point is running has a very bad rep that is unwarranted, and I think these below links help underscore that by demonstrating the great benefits of running when it's done right.

Oh yeah, sorry for the thread degeneration, Free!

Vanderbilt article on the many benefits that running provides



Berkeley article on the benefits of running, specifically for women

Web MD article explains that moderate running is perfectely safe, and other sports such as tennis are more risky”

“Its ok Artex! I am mostly walking...starting slow with the running. I have heard that if you walk regularly that it is benificial to add some steps or a little jogging which can signal your body to build up more bone (read that somewhere in Prevention magazine)”

“Steps are great for cardiovascular, just be careful on the way down. Anything that gets the quads (the big muscles on the tops of your thighs) going good is going to make you breathe hard and your heart pump harder. Plus you're developing exactly the same groups you need when you're hiking.

Some people run their whole lives without serious injury. Others can't do that. You have to do what feels good for you, and realize that not everybody's body is the same. Pick the exercise routine that is right for you, and enjoyable. If it's not enjoyable, you won't keep it up, unless you're a masochist, that is, lol...”

“...my intention was emphasize going into it slowly and to be careful about the knees.

Running is great for the cardio, but like everything else, there may be 'unintended outcomes.'”

“I wonder how many "unintended outcomes' occur on the PCT.... YIKES I better not think too much about that LOL”

“Did you read Yogi's 2001 PCT journal yet Free? She had to bail her first time, I think because of a stress fracture, but I don't remember clearly now. It happens, and you should be prepared for something like.”

“I've read this year's journal. How do I find her 2001 journal?”

“Walking is best.

If there is a park or campus with lots of outdoor stairs, that is good......fresh air, no-cost stair-master”

“Probably in the archives...

Here.”

“Thanks! Well I have to go now and get one of the brats ready for a b-day party.....maybe i could just leave her there....


.....why is it boys are easier to care for?....”

“Twenty Three, are you doing the whole PCT?”

“Of course, the best workout for backpacking is...backpacking!

I agree 100%

Hit the trail as much as you can!

8)”

“Well its really time to start gettin in shape :) I was actually supposed to do it this year...but you know, the whole meeting crazy mike and falling in love thing put it all on the back burner....well, its official now, I will hit the trail withen the next few years.”